Publisher’s 30th anniversary marked with significant entry into gifting sector
It’s been 18 months in the making, with Belly Button Giftware, a new sibling company to Belly Button Designs debuting at Harrogate Home & Gift on Sunday, 21 July.
“We are coming out of the shadows with a bang,” Rachel Hare, founder of Belly Button Designs, said of the new significant thrust into design-led giftware.
“It’s very exciting to be marking our 30th anniversary with the launch of a new company, representing our largest investment to date,” added Rachel.
Belly Button has dipped its toe into gifting over the last few years, with giftwrappings, mugs, stationery and latterly jewellery under its Belly Button Bubble brand, but this launch is much more extensive, spanning 175 skus across eight different stories – six for everyday, one for autumn/winter and one for Christmas, which includes several different looks.
“We have expanded from solely stationery and mugs into some new gifting categories which includes extending our Borosilicate glass collection, more home fragrance products, beautiful floral socks and female accessories such as pouch bag and compact mirror as well as ceramics including jugs and hanging decorations trinkets and tokens,” explained Rachel.
“We’re aiming to fill a gap in the market with beautiful sustainable design-led giftware from a brand with 30 years’ experience with a loyal independent customer base.”
Sustainability was a major consideration when developing the Belly Button Giftware collection, with plastic-free packaging, laminate-free giftbags and notepads, socks made from bamboo, and all out packaging both into the company and out to customers being fully recyclable, and the vast majority of the giftware products will retail under that £20 sweet spot for indies.
“We had a good idea of what giftware categories we’d like to develop as we have experience of buying for our own shops,” Rachel said. “We knew that our pricing and lead times would need to be competitive. Margins are tough in gifting, and we accept we are the new kid on the block as far as gifting goes in a tough retail climate. However, we have something new and different to offer.”
And the diversification into giftware does not mean that Belly Button will be turning its back on greeting cards.
“Far from it, greeting cards are our heritage and have been the inspiration for many of the designs in our new gifting company. We have lots of big plans for Belly Button Designs in the pipeline for greeting cards to be unveiled in the fullness of time, and will be dedicating an area of the stand at the Harrogate show to them too,” Rachel added.
In addition to giftware joining the Belly Button family, Rachel’s daughter Daisy Warren will also be on the stand, having recently joined the sales and buying team part time.
Belly Button Giftware will be on stand DP1 B63 at Harrogate Home & Gift, which runs from Sunday to Wednesday, 21-24 July.
