With just over a week to go to The Gift Awards on Thursday 15 May, Qalara’s founder and ceo, Aditi Pany, highlights the importance to the company of sponsoring The Gift of the Year’s Best Fashion Accessories, Textiles & Jewellery Product category at The Gift Awards, which will be taking place at London’s Royal Lancaster Hotel.
“As a global sourcing platform for home & lifestyle products from India, deeply committed to
promoting reliable and responsible production, Qalara is proud to, once again, support the Gift of the Year Awards 2025,” states Aditi, who was recently honoured with the Future Leader Award at The Global Procurement & Supply Chain Awards, a testament to her leadership and forward-thinking approach to ethical sourcing and supply chain innovation.
“This marks our third consecutive year partnering with The Gift Awards – a reflection of our long-term commitment to the UK gift industry and the broader UK market,” she explains. “Our relationship with the community has grown significantly since our first sponsorship in 2023 and this ongoing association is more than just symbolic—it’s a meaningful reinforcement of the collaborative ties we’ve nurtured over time.”
Aditi says that the decision to continue sponsoring the Awards comes at a particularly pivotal time. “With the UK–India free trade agreement discussions regaining momentum, and both governments showing a strong intent to ease and enhance bilateral trade, we see enormous potential for deepening cross-border partnerships. These developments also align with our recent strategic investments in design and sourcing that cater specifically to UK tastes and preferences—including onboarding UK-based designers and collaborators to tailor offerings for this market.”
Adds Aditi: “The first few months of 2025 have been especially exciting for us. We’ve successfully exhibited at the world’s leading consumer goods trade shows, such as Ambiente and Heimtextil, where we connected with several community members and are actively working on initiatives to further strengthen these relationships. Notably, at Heimtextil 2025/26, Qalara was selected by Alcova—the renowned creative agency known for its multidisciplinary expertise in art, architecture, and design—to showcase an innovative range of upcycled products. This collection transforms retired military tarps, generated from military operations, into durable and stylish home textiles, storage solutions, and functional accessories such as gardening totes and aprons. By upcycling these tarps, we not only reduce waste bound for landfills but also craft pieces imbued with history and purpose – blending rugged functionality with sustainable design.”
She adds that Qalara’s commitment to ethical sourcing, trend curation and product innovation continues to gain global recognition. “In addition to previous features in Sourcing Journal, Future of Sourcing, Supply Chain Brain, and Retail Merchandiser magazine, we were recently recognised in Procurement magazine and Supply Chain Digital, further establishing our credibility in the procurement and supply chain space.”
In addition, to be honoured with the Future Leader Award at The Global Procurement & Supply Chain Awards Aditi was also highly commended for Supplier Diversity & Supply Chain Sustainability and Supply Chain Innovation, standing shoulder-to-shoulder with globally recognised names such as Hilton.
“As we continue to grow, we remain focused on delivering meaningful value to our partners and customers through thoughtful design, ethical sourcing, and an unwavering commitment to quality and, ultimately, great value. In light of recent geopolitical trade shifts and valuable customer feedback, our priorities for this year include expanding into new categories and materials, particularly those that enhance functionality and convenience without compromising on aesthetics. As global dynamics continue to evolve, India is increasingly open to exploring materials and mechanised production methods traditionally dominated by China. We anticipate significant industrywide investments in building and advancing these capabilities in the coming years.”
Summarises Aditi: “Qalara is here for the long haul – through market cycles, shifts, and opportunities – and we’re excited to keep supporting and celebrating innovation, creativity, and excellence in the gift and home industry.”
All Gift of the Year and Greats winners, including the recipient of the prestigious Outstanding Achievement award, will be revealed at The Gift Awards on Thursday 15 May at the Royal Lancaster Hotel in London. The event will, once again, bring together The Giftware Association’s Gift of the Year Awards and The Greats gift retailer awards, organised and owned by Max Publishing, publishers of Progressive Gifts & Home/GiftsandHome.net.
At the glittering event, both gift product excellence and retail prowess will be recognised and rewarded in a true celebration of both sides of the UK gift industry.
The Greats 2025 finalists can be viewed HERE.
The Gift of the Year 2025 finalists can be viewed HERE.
Hyve Group, organisers of Spring Fair, Autumn Fair, GLEE and Source Home & Gift (among others), is the headline sponsor of The Gift Awards. Other leading names in the impressive line-up of sponsors include: Allsorted, Ambiente, Autumn Fair, BATF, Candlelight, Cardgains, Carte Blanche Greetings, Cereria Molla, Dizzy Heights Agencies, FYG, The Giftware Association, Gift Republic, Gisela Graham, Go La La, Good Results, Harrogate Christmas & Gift Fair, Letterbox Love, LicensingSource.net, London Stationery Show, Method UK, N Smith and Co, Products of Change, Progressive Gifts & Home, Progressive Greetings Live, Progressive Housewares, PreschoolNews.net, Qalara, Scotland’s Trade Fair/Springboard Events, Source Home & Gift, Spring Fair, Talking Tables, Top Drawer, Toy Fair and Trade Counter Distribution.
Tickets and tables for the awards can be booked via the Max Publishing digital box office event at Max-Tickets.net, or by contacting event organiser Createvents: clare@createvents.co.uk or 0118 334 0085.
To find out more about The Gift Awards and book tickets, visit www.thegiftawards.com; www.thegreatsawards.co.uk
Top: Qalara’s founder and ceo, Aditi Pany, is shown at this year’s Heimtextil show.
