Monthly Archives: July 2019

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  • Shhh... it's a Silent Auction!

    Would you like to be the owner of the fabulous Modern Vintage display clock?

    This unique piece designed by award-winning Visual Designer Jan Billings is being auctioned off in support of Birmingham Christmas Shelter.

    Please place your bid, along with you name and contact details in the green post box. You’ll find bidding slips next to the clock.

    The highest bidder will win and be announced on 31/08/19 here on the blog and on our social media pages.

    Thank you in advance for your support and good luck!

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    Fill out my online form.

  • Make your Merchandising AMAZING with Jan Billings' Top Display Tips!

    Did you attend Jan’s Visual Design seminar and workshop at our Retail Festival held this summer? If you did, you no doubt went away feeling inspired and ready to create some brand new displays.

    For any of you who may have missed it, here’s seven simple, actionable steps from the expert to help you create amazing visual displays that will grab people’s attention and turn them into customers!

    IN STOCK NOW! We have a wide range of Display items to take your merchandising to the next level.

    1. Plan & Prepare!

    Failing to plan is planning to fail, as they say! Make your life easier by planning ahead and preparing all of the materials you will need in advance. Have you decided on a theme, colours etc.? It may help you to sketch out what you are planning for reference.

    Plan your display updates ahead of time, factoring in seasons & important occasions such as Mother’s Day, Valentine’s day, Easter etc. Pop them in your calendar so you & your customers don’t miss out!

    2. Change Your Displays Often

    Keep your displays fresh and engaging by rotating stock often. This will help keep people’s interest.

    These rustic trolleys are the perfect base for creating a versatile (and mobile!) display which can literally be carted around your retail space.

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    3. Risers are a Must!

    What’s a riser you ask? Anything that can be used as a surface to elevate a product, such as a box, a crate etc. Risers give height and variation to displays and are essential elements in the creative process, lifting from one level to several… the result is a visually appealing product presentation without much effort!

    Crates & boxes make the perfect risers, especially if they come in a variety of heights like our RAM017 crates. They even have a chalkboard for some interesting typography or maybe you wish to highlight an offer?

    It’s amazing how you can transform some old boxes you may already have with a coat of paint, or cover them in wallpaper. They’ll be so appealing in their own right that your customers will want to buy them too!

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    4. Pyramid, Grouping & Space

    This is the core theory of setting up an engaging display, so write this one down!

    Working in a pyramid shape is vital to creating an eye-catching & professional display. Start with the largest and tallest items at the back and then build up the display moving outwards and downwards.

    In this case, less is definitely more… leave room around the edges for the whole display to breathe. Reserve the main sections of the display for your star products and bestsellers.

    Keep it simple until you get the hang of this technique… our pyramid display units are the perfect place to start RAM020.

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    5. Add Some Height

    Work on adding height to your display to attract attention & draw your customer’s eye down to the main focus point no matter where the display is situated.
    Our birdcage table top units will do the trick.

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    6. Finishing Touches

    Put your own personal stamp on the display with the finishing touches. These are so easily forgotten but makes the difference between a standard display to a show-stopping one!

    Smaller decorative items really bring the look together- the devil is the in detail! Try faux flowers for that added splash of colour to compliment your larger pieces. No watering required!

    7. Regular Housekeeping

    You’ve put all this effort into creating a beautiful display- don’t let it get untidy! Tired and dusty displays will not help your sales. Follow this checklist to maintain your displays:

    • Check your lighting- do any bulbs need to be replaced? Are they dusty?
    • Is the display facing the traffic flow- things get picked up and turned, make sure they are put back facing where most of your foot traffic is coming from
    • Has anything fallen?
    • Are your windows dirty? Give them a good clean so they sparkle. Don’t forget dusty window sills and dead flies…
    • Has any of the product faded in the sun? Time to replace them to keep the display looking fresh.

    SHOP THE DISPLAY RANGE

    We hope you find these tips useful! If you missed Jan’s workshop this year at the Retail Festival, make sure you keep an eye out for our showroom events! We invite top industry experts to share their knowledge with our lovely customers.

    Keep up to date:
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    Don't miss any upcoming Events:

    Facebook / Instagram / Twitter

  • Retail Festival Showroom Event - What a line up!

    This year, we brought Glastonbury to Birmingham! Lucky for us, the sun decided to shine but we donned our wellies anyway in true festival style, ready to welcome our lovely guests to the Retail Festival Showroom Event.

    From Sunday 30th June to Wednesday 3rd July, we welcomed many of you to our Head Office for industry talks, interactive workshops, food, music and of course the more serious task of buying from our two fabulous showrooms!

    Not to be outdone by previous Showroom events (remember when built a beach in our car park?) we hung up the Festival decorations and sourced a giant pair of welly boots! They provided the perfect photo opportunity and put your newly perfected the social media skills to the test in the highly contested clock competition.

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    What a line up!

    This year we showcased some of the best industry speakers on the main stage. We welcomed Henri Davis (award-winning Independent Retail Consultant) who encouraged and motivated us to take advantage of the opportunities Brexit give us, minimise risks and continue to thrive through turbulent trading conditions. She gave us so many ideas to help independent businesses thrive through more uncertain times, covered which trends to focus on & how to keep your business efficient.

    Jan Billings (award-winning Visual Stylist) covered the golden rules of display design and how to create amazing product displays that get customers buying! Jan delivered the theory and then it was time to test your knowledge in interactive workshops with a prize for the best display. We were really impressed at the quality of the designs you put together!

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    A look around the NEW Home Range

    Why have just one fabulous Showroom when you can have TWO? Our NEW Home range has been allocated its very own Showroom where all items are it stock for immediate delivery – The full range of inspiring shabby-chic home décor has everything from chairs, sofas & shelving units… pictures, pots & vases… all of which co-ordinate perfectly.

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    A GREAT BIG Thank you!

    And of course the event wouldn’t have been the great success it was without you… our guests… We would like to thank you all for attending spending a little time with the industry speakers and your angels.

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    Couldn’t make it this time?

    We’re sorry we missed you- but don’t worry, you can visit our fabulous showroom all year round. If your curious- you can take a virtual tour here.

    We won’t be at the Harrogate Home & Gift show this July, our next trade show stop will be Autumn Fair at the NEC (Sunday 1st – Wednesday 4th September 2019). Find us in Hall 20, Stand B40-C41.

    We hope to see you there!

    Connect with the Speakers

    Henri-Davis-Headshot

    Henri is an independent retail advisor to businesses in the cards, gifts, stationery and heritage industries, and combines 35 years of retail experience with her knowledge of trends and consumer motivation to analyse markets and identify new opportunities.

    Visit Henri’s Website
    Twitter
    LinkedIn

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    Jan Billings

    Jan is an award winning Visual Stylist. After studying Retail Display Design she started in work designing and building props for window displays for Debenhams, Selfridges and Harrods.
    Connect with Jan.

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