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It’s been a busy start to the year for Gibsons! We're only six weeks into 2024 and we’ve already exhibited at three trade shows. Shows are a fantastic opportunity for us to connect with our retailers and our partners while making exciting new connections with other traders and businesses in the industry.
First up was the London Toy Fair, where we unveiled a complete stand redesign, alongside updated packaging, and of course, our January releases. We were delighted to be awarded the Longest-Standing Exhibitor Award at the show.
London Toy Fair is the best way to start the year. It comes complete with magicians, life-sized care bears doing the rounds and hundreds of colourful toy displays. Despite a slow start due to tube strikes, the stall quickly picked up and we were flooded with friendly-faced visitors!
Next up for our international team, was Nuremberg International Toy Fair, where our Art File range was a highlight of the show. And finally, to Spring Fair in Birmingham, where we were able to meet with more industry professionals, our retailers and our artists. And we were able to watch whilst the Gift of the Year judges reviewed our entries! Keep those fingers crossed!
Our January releases were well-received across all three shows. Portsmouth Flypast, our D-Day 80th anniversary commemoration puzzle, developed in partnership with Matthew Emeny and Help for Heroes, was a particular highlight for our retailers. With 7% of the selling price being donated to Help for Heroes, we're delighted this puzzle has been welcomed so strongly.
Our new Jokesaws: Love to Laugh was another stand-out in our January new releases. Crafted by artists like Andy Tudor and Phil Dobson, these jigsaws are jam-packed with little scenes of visual comedy, making bustling images that really pop. They were designed with laughter in mind and are fantastic family puzzles. We'll be adding more later in the year, so hold tight for updates!
Other popular puzzles included the nostalgic Spotters at Carlisle by David Noble. The oil painting design is rich and masterful - we're not surprised it was a hit! Our circular jigsaw A Year in the Garden drawn by Claire Comerford also proved popular, as did our The Art File range, which is up for Giftware's 2024 Gift of the Year award!
We were particularly proud to be, for the first time, showcasing in person our B Corp certification. It felt very special that this coincided with us winning the longest-standing exhibitor at the fair – we're really proud of how we've grown and evolved as a company.
While show season takes a lot of hard work, it was well worth the while. It's great to be able to connect and get direct feedback from our retailers and customers.
Here's to our January new releases - you can view them all here!
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