news More housewares brands join BHETA


UK’s oldest working Morphy Richards


appliance discovered A vintage wartime iron that’s still going strong after 80 years has been named the country’s oldest working Morphy Richards appliance. Ivy Sutton, the


grandmother of Chris West, 56, picked up her stalwart clothes presser in the 1940s for 41 shillings, a hefty price tag at a time when materials were in short supply. However it turned out to be a bargain buy, becoming a family heirloom when Ivy gifted it to her grandson as a housewarming present when he moved into his first flat in the 1980s. Mr West, from Petts Wood in south-east London, contacted Morphy Richards after the leading home appliances brand launched a nationwide hunt for the oldest working appliance to mark its 85th anniversary. Andreas Fredriksson, category director


Home at Morphy Richards, said: “During our 85 years we’ve strived to create ground- breaking products that stand the test of time, and it’s been great to hear Chris’ story and to know his grandmother’s iron is still going strong after all these years, highlighting a fascinating piece of Morphy Richards history.”


A total of four new brands have joined the British Home Enhancement Trade Association (BHETA) in the past two months: My Gifts Trade, a wholesaler and distributor of gifts, cards, home-ware and accessories; Evo Lifestyle Products, a distributor of homeware and lifestyle products; the Orthex Group, a producer specialising in household products that make everyday life easier for the consumer, and Gastroback, a small domestic electricals brand. Seema Grantham,


BHETA’s sector manager for housewares, said: “I’m delighted to see sustainable, design-led companies with significant expansion plans joining BHETA. I look forward to welcoming the teams to BHETA.”


Plastic packaging tax update BHETA’s recent webinar on the implications and preparations required ahead of the forthcoming plastic packaging tax legislation featured speakers Paul van Danzig and Alyce Morris from BHETA business service provider, Wastepack. From April 2022 all plastic items used in the packaging of products must include a minimum of 30% recycled


content, or face taxes of £200 per metric tonne of chargeable plastic packaging components. All suppliers whose products include any plastic component – recycled or not - must submit details to HMRC from April 2022, if the volumes involved meet the ten tonne per tax year threshold. An important learning from the webinar was that even suppliers who are below the volume threshold would be advised to keep records in case of audit – even if they do not have to pay the tax.


The legislation may affect any home or garden business which manufactures or imports plastic packaging, including ready packaged goods. The webinar also covered BHETA’s successful lobbying campaign to clarify the definition of plastic packaging, which led to the exclusion of multi-use plastic such as home storage containers, lunchboxes, garden planters and storage from the scope of the legislation.


Conference postponed The Future for International Trade conference, originally scheduled for 25 November at the Stratford Manor Hotel, has been postponed until 17


Squire’s launches ‘Sustainability Champions’ programme


One or two team members from each of Squire’s Garden Centres’ sixteen locations have volunteered to be ‘Sustainability Champion’ for their centre. They have been tasked with unlocking passion for sustainability at a local level. They will be a source of advice and inspiration to colleagues, and will help drive change from within by identifying workable solutions to help make Squire’s become a more sustainable business.


A Sustainability Champions launch event was held at Squire’s in Shepperton in November. As well as discussing key environmental issues and reviewing recent energy efficiency audits, the champions also benefited from talks and brainstorming sessions led by Planet Mark - an internationally recognised organisation that helps measure and reduce the carbon footprint of businesses.


November/December 2021 • HousewaresLive.net • twitter.com/Housewaresnews housewareslive.net | 5


Champions will create a Squire’s community committed to creating a better future for the business, their colleagues and their customers. They will be the lead environmental voices at local level, and will share insights and successes, monitoring progress on their journey.


March, 2022. It will take place on its new spring date at the same venue. The decision to postpone has been taken jointly by all three organising trade associations, Gardenex, BHETA and PetQuip, in the light of continued anxiety about COVID-19, which might have restricted the availability of the expert speakers scheduled to appear. Topics covered include new international sales opportunities, economic forecasts, worldwide retail trends, export logistics and digital opportunities. BHETA’s COO Will Jones said: “By taking the decision to postpone until the Spring, we feel that we can better guarantee the quality of the agenda, the insights, inspiration and practical advice that delegates have experienced at past conferences.”


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