Progressive Gifts & Home May/June 2023 Issue Out Now

Our special Awards issue fanfares the fabulous Greats Awards and Gift of the Year Award 2023 winners, who were recognised and rewarded at the glittering Gift Awards in May. We also take a look at what’s trending in Kitchen Gifts ahead of the Exclusively show in June, as well the latest launches in the bath and body sector, and discover why plush remains an all year round winner. Plus, there’s all the very latest news, views and new product launches, along with much more besides!

Welcome to the May/June 2023 issue of Progressive Gifts & Home, and what an exciting issue this is! To start with, we are delighted to fanfare the ’greatest of the great’ – this year’s fabulous Greats Awards 2023 winners and Gift Awards winners 2023! If you don’t know who they are already, click through to pages 21-35.

Above: We’ve won! Big smiles from the delighted winners of both The Greats Awards and The Gift of the Year Awards who are shown on stage with their trophies at London’s Royal Lancaster Hotel. — **Above**: We’ve won! Big smiles from the delighted winners of both The Greats Awards and The Gift of the Year Awards who are shown on stage with their trophies at London’s Royal Lancaster Hotel.

“I strongly feel that you can’t put a price on being at an event such as The Gift Awards,” says The Giftware Association’s ceo Sarah Ward in her column. To see what else Sarah has to say, click through to page 35 for her insightful views on why it’s so important to network.

Above: Sarah Ward (centre) and the Giftware Association team (right) are shown with guests Tabi Marsh (left) and Therese Oertenblad, from the Small Business Collaborative (second left). — **Above**: Sarah Ward (centre) and the Giftware Association team (right) are shown with guests Tabi Marsh (left) and Therese Oertenblad, from the Small Business Collaborative (second left).

For those who couldn’t make this year’s Awards, you can flick through the fun party pics – click through to pages 18-19.

Above: Having fun . . . ‘Dragon’ Sara Davies MBE, takes a selfie with two guests at The Gift Awards. — **Above**: Having fun . . . ‘Dragon’ Sara Davies MBE, takes a selfie with two guests at The Gift Awards.

And staying with getting together, the much-loved, dedicated greeting card show Progressive Greetings Live, organised by Max Exhibitions, will be opening its doors at London’s Business Design Centre on 6-7 June. With greeting cards an ever-expanding sector for gift shops – highlighted by Progressive Gift & Home’s latest Retail Barometer – it’s a ‘must visit’ experience, with thousands of new launches from established names and newbies at the heart of the show. Click through to page 9.

Above: PG Live is looking forward to welcoming visitors on 6-7 June. — **Above**: PG Live is looking forward to welcoming visitors on 6-7 June.

Meanwhile, also back at the Business Design Centre next month (June 13-14) is Exclusively, the dedicated housewares show. We take a look at what’s trending in kitchen gifts, so click through to pages 41-43. Plus, with wellness one of the biggest trends around at the moment, we lather up with some of the coolest bath and body gifts around – click through to pages 50-51 – and also take a look at plush, the best performing toy sector category in 2022, to discover which products have got the ‘ooh, aah’ factor. Click through to pages 54-55.

Above: Heathcote & Ivory’s Flower of Focus collection of bath and body products. — **Above**: Heathcote & Ivory’s Flower of Focus collection of bath and body products.

We also chat to Jules Vahrman, founder and managing director of Wild Things, to find out what will be dazzling buyers at Home & Gift, Harrogate (16-19 July) – click through to pages 36-37 – and meet up with Amanda Peffer, founder of award-winning children’s clothing company Blade & Rose, which is celebrating its 13^thanniversary. Click through to page 39.

Above: The Tree of Life Lightframes from Wild Things.

In addition, Libby Holden, owner of Lovely Libby’s in Rayleigh, talks us through the Coronation and Father’s Day – click through to page 59 – while a cross-section of gift retailers share their feedback on how the year’s been so far. Click through to pages 15-17 to discover what business has really been like for gift shops. Plus, we reveal the hottest, most up-to-the-minute industry news click through to pages 7-13.