NEWS


Ulster Weavers relaunches as contemporary homeware brand


Ulster Weavers, the 140-year- old textile manufacturer from Northern


Ireland, is repositions The new collections will also going


through its biggest change in generations as it


its business as a contemporary homeware brand targeting the millennial audience. The company, which has customers in 50 countries, is introducing new contemporary kitchen textile and homeware collections that are inspired by the places and culture of Northern Ireland as part of the major brand relaunch. Ulster Weavers has its roots in


Northern Ireland’s famous linen industry, having been founded in 1880, and today is renowned for its vibrant textiles, with products including tea towels, aprons, and oven mitts.


include a range of new home furnishing items in contemporary designs which will be unveiled at Spring Fair in Birmingham in February 2022. The brand relaunch is allied to a pledge by Ulster Weavers to grow sustainably, with a commitment to align its strategy with UN Sustainable Development Goals 9, 11,12 and 14 and to make approximately three quarters of its new retail products in Northern Ireland. As a result of the relaunch, Ulster Weavers plans to increase turnover 100% between now and September 2024.


Gillian McLean, Managing


Director of Ulster Weavers, said: “Ulster Weavers have been linen makers and shapers since 1880.


BHETA advises members on impending ‘plastic tax’


But we are set to go through the biggest change that the company has experienced in at least a generation, as the launch of our contemporary kitchen textile and


Top: Gillian McLean, Managing Director, Ulster Weavers


homeware collections repositions our brand to connect with young millennial families worldwide.”


New electric vehicle charging points at Squire’s


A number of brand new electric vehicle charging points have been installed at Squire’s Garden Centres in Badshot Lea, Milford, Shepperton and Twickenham, with


Long Ditton and


Wokingham following soon. Two-way fast 22 kilowatt charging points have been installed at each of these garden centres. Customers can park,


charge, then shop or enjoy a drink or meal at Squire’s while they wait. There are also two existing


three kilowatt charging spaces at Squire’s in Woking which are free to use.


Sarah Squire, Chairman of


Squire’s, commented: “Our new electric vehicle charging points have been warmly welcomed by customers. We are committed


Consumer financial confidence grows in the lead up to Christmas


introduced to reduce its impact, any affects on sales and footfall in the first part of December are yet to be reported.


Christmas shopping is now in


The Horticultural Trades Association has released its Market Update report to inform its members on the state of trade during November. It provides valuable insight on consumer trends and behaviours as well as sales figures from the last month. According to the report, consumer financial confidence has increased by three points in November. The major purchase index has also increased by seven points, indicating consumers’ willingness to purchase large ticket items in the lead up to Christmas. This


could be promising


news for garden retailers and other horticultural businesses for December. However, with the new Covid variant and government measures


6 DIY WEEK DECEMBER 2021


full swing and though the sale of Christmas products was down 11 percent compared to November 2020, they were up 38 percent from November 2019. Lights and tree decorations were both down 12 percent from November 2020’s sales, which were likely impacted by lockdown. Still, they were up significantly from November 2019 (lights +98 percent; Tree decorations +93 percent). Sales of artificial Christmas trees have been on par with sales from 2019 and down 32 percent from 2020. This could be because artificial trees


have a longer


product lifecycle, which could have been shifted forward to last year as consumers looked for different ways of making a restricted Christmas cheerier. Real Christmas tree sales have also increased from 2019, up by an impressive 42 percent.


Right: Darran Oakley (Squire’s Purchasing Director) at one of the new electric charg- ing points at Squire’s Garden Centres


to supporting people to lead more sustainable lives, and one way we can do this is by encouraging the use of more environmentally friendly modes of transport. Look out for more


charging points being installed at our other garden centres over the coming year.”


CMO Group’s charity campaign takes root


to raising £30,000 which will be used directly to support the tree planting, with over £15,000 already secured. The


charitable and


After launching its campaign at beginning of the year, Plymouth based online builders’ merchant CMO Group has already reached the halfway mark in its quest to create a forest of 5,000 trees in its local area – with over 2,500 trees set to be planted in the new year.


The launch of the construction


products and DIY e-commerce specialist’s new charitable and environmental initiative ‘CM Grow’ has seen staff, suppliers and customers all coming together to help CMO fulfil its pledge to plant around two acres of trees within two years. Through a combination of fundraising and donations, the company is well on its way


environmental campaign has been inspired by CMO’s desire to reduce its own carbon footprint whilst also improving the natural landscape and air quality of Plymouth where its head office is based. With many of the local woodlands being felled for development over the last few years, CMO is now encouraging other


local businesses to


support the campaign by raising both funds and awareness. The company has also made it easy and simple for customers to support its worthwhile cause by making donations when placing online or telephone orders. To help realise this ambitious CMOStores.com,


goal is


partnering with Trees for Cities, the only UK charity working at a national and international scale to improve lives by planting trees in urban areas.


The British Home Enhancement Trade Association (BHETA) recently held a webinar aimed at all UK housewares, DIY, garden and small electricals suppliers on the implications and preparations required ahead of the forthcoming plastic packaging tax legislation which comes into force in April 2022. The key speakers were Paul van Danzig and Alyce Morris from BHETA business service provider, Wastepack who outlined everything that supplier companies need to do to comply with the forthcoming legislation.


Under the new legislation, 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 webinar covered the tax obligations under the 2022 Plastic Packaging Tax, what records to keep, how the procedures will work and how to submit relevant tax returns.


The legislation may affect any home or garden businesses which manufactures or imports plastic packaging, including ready packaged goods. The webinar also covered off certain single- use products which might be categorised as packaging for the purposes of the tax and followed on from BHETA’s successful lobbying campaign to clarify the definition of plastic packaging. This lobbying led to the exclusion of multi-use plastic such as home storage containers, lunchboxes and garden planters and storage from the scope of the legislation. For more information about liabilities under the Plastic Packaging Act 2022, contact BHETA. BHETA regularly lobbies on subjects affecting housewares, small electricals, DIY and garden members. It also provides member training and retail networking events, up to the minute data on market opportunities compliance advice. To find out more, contact Zara Miah at the BHETA member services team on 0121 237 1130 or alternatively, email on zm@ bheta.co.uk


www.diyweek.net


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36