Latest news from the BPA
Why join? The BPA team was delighted to meet so many members (both new and old) at the recent Harrogate Nursery Fair
and took the opportunity to update the industry on the important role the trade association will continue to play in the future. Many asked what the actual benefits of membership are and, whilst there
are many, one of the greatest advantages of belonging to any industry trade association has to be the united voice that membership provides for all involved. A great example was lobbying the government to change the VAT rules regarding Isofix bases which affected child car seat manufacturers, but with the strength of the industry behind this issue, it was finally addressed in the 2009 budget. Now as a pivotal member of the European Nursery Products Confederation (ENPC), the BPA also represents members at a European level, working on issues which particularly affect trading with the rest of the world.
Come along to the AGM The BPA Executive Committee comprises industry experts from member companies across the board with representatives from all sectors of the industry. These meet regularly to help shape the future of the organisation and all members are encouraged to participate. If you would like to put yourself, or another member of your company forward to sit on the executive committee, nomination papers will be issued prior to the AGM which takes place on 20th June. Even if you don’t want to participate actively in this capacity, we would urge you to come along to the AGM to network with other members and find out what developments are planned for the future. More details will be available nearer the time.
Risks of buying second-hand The BPA has been working in partnership with management consultancy firm Allegra Strategies, which specialises in retail and consumer lifestyle trends; and a recent study notes the continuing worrying trend of parents buying second hand pushchairs and car seats – particularly of premium brands. The Project Kinder report is the most in-depth study undertaken in the UK for the nursery travel equipment market, prepared following nearly 5,000 detailed online interviews with new and expectant mothers and a further 380 fathers and grandparents. This reveals that the 2011 UK wheeled equipment and car seat market is estimated at £377.5m and of the total market value, second-hand purchases represent six per cent. Of their total brand sales by volume, approximately 20 per cent of Quinny, iCandy and Mamas & Papas wheeled equipment is purchased second-hand. Of car seat brands, Mamas & Papas has the highest proportion of second-hand purchases and hand-me-downs of their total sales volume as more parents opt to get money for their used nursery travel equipment by selling as opposed to handing it down, despite the BPA’s efforts to warn of the perils of buying second hand goods. The report also highlights that online and grocery channels are challenging the traditional nursery specialist retailers with 35 per cent of travel equipment purchased online, compared to 58 per cent in-store. Research shows that parents believe the lack of interaction is the main barrier to purchasing online, with fathers interacting more with this category than any other baby products. There is a general consensus across the industry that supermarkets, which
already dominate the infant nutrition and care category, are taking a greater share of baby travel equipment sales by dedicating more resources and space. This opinion is supported by Morrisons’ recent acquisition of online retailer
Kiddicare.com and Best Buy megastores, as well as Tesco trialling a new concept – Baby World – intending to open a series of stand-alone nursery stores. Mothercare remains the leading nursery specialist retailer on the high street, despite planned closure of a quarter of its stores by 2013. For more information, or to see the full report contact:
acole@allegra.co.uk
Trade show partnerships As you are aware, the BPA discontinued its annual trade event, BPA Baby & Child, in 2009 and is now working in partnership with both Harrogate Nursery Fair and The Baby Show for Trade. BPA members not only receive significant discounts to exhibit at these shows, but its involvement helps to provide important resources to the BPA making opportunities to actively promote and encourage innovation in the nursery industry. The recent Baby and Nursery Trade Awards (BANTA) at Harrogate Nursery Fair were a prime example, recognising some of the most outstanding products available at the show; whilst in October, the Concept & Innovation Awards will present ground-breaking new product ideas before they reach the market. Another proactive role of the BPA is to encourage international trading to inject greater strength into the UK’s nursery industry. The UK Pavilion at Kind und Jugend, which takes place in Cologne in September, goes from strength- to-strength encouraging over 40 participants in 2011 and expecting further growth this year. At such an enormous international trade show, it is very easy for smaller companies to get lost in the crowd and particularly for those attending for the first time, can be quite a daunting experience. The BPA’s UK Pavilion not only provides a well-branded umbrella to launch into international markets, but the dedicated organising team will ensure that your experience exhibiting overseas is as straightforward as possible. There will be someone on hand to help and guide you from the day you sign up right through to the end of the show and there is no minimum stand-size. As this UK Pavilion has been so successful, the BPA is currently exploring the possibility of providing a similar facility at other international trade shows, notably India, Shanghai, Dubai and the USA, so if any of these specific markets are of interest to you, we would welcome your comments. In addition, the BPA is the Accredited Trade Partner for the nursery industry for the UKTI’s Trade Access Programme (TAP) funding and will soon be issuing details of how to apply for grants in 2012. There are significant changes to the programme from last year with more concentration on overall British group activities to promote international trading rather than individual investment. More details will be available soon.
British Standards The BPA offers support and information regarding British Safety Standards relevant to the nursery industry and members receive a discounted rate when purchasing documents through the BPA rather than direct from BSI. However, it is recognised that often there is an urgent requirement to obtain the documents and in view of this Standards will soon be available to purchase and download immediately from the BPA’s website at
www.thebpa.eu. All standards that are relevant to the nursery industry will be highlighted here and so saving time trying to source the correct documentation.
New members The BPA is delighted to welcome the following new member:
1 Two Kids Ltd of Fife Contact: Ginny Jogee - Tel: 01592 871291 or email:
contact@1two.co.uk Website:
www.1two.co.uk
1 Two Kids works with more than 500 quality retailers across the UK and Ireland providing unique and exclusive products that can’t always be found on the average high street. The company would love to hear from you if you are a retailer and you are interested in its products.
www.thebpa.eu
12 • NURSERY INDUSTRY
• APRIL 2012
•
www.nursery-industry.co.uk
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