RANGE REVIEW: HOUSEWARES


RANGE REVIEW: HOUSEWARES


year. What More UK is a market and brand leader in the housewares sector. It’s the organisation that owns the very popular housewares brand Wham and its products are available in all the major supermarkets in the UK and a further 1,600 independent retailers up and down the country. “A business that grows its share of a mature market survives. One that grows its share in a growing market thrives. That’s the thinking that led us to look globally for new customers,” says company Director Tony Grimshaw OBE.


The size of the UK housewares market is thought to be around £13.5 billion, a figure that has remained fairly stable for the past 10 years. The driver behind What More’s


growth then is not so much at home in the UK, but overseas. Here we have a company setting a great example to the business world. What More buys materials as locally as possible,


W WHAT MORE UK: BUYING


hat More UK is a Great


British


success story, the company has managed to grow its


sales year on LOCAL AND SELLING GLOBAL


Through buying locally wherever they can and selling globally, What More manages to support the business community at home, while simultaneously putting its products in to promising growth markets overseas.


and then exports finished products all over the world, 75 different countries to be precise. Purchasing Manager Sue Beavis,


says: “We can’t always buy from within the UK, but where we can we do. This purchasing strategy gives us a more flexible supply chain.


SELBRAE HOUSE LAUNCHES SCOTTISH LINEN HOMEWARE BRAND


A new brand of linen homewares has been launched by Scottish producer Selbrae House. Renowned for its very popular Scottish and country themed table and homeware, especially the Just Slate brand Selbrae House, has extended its offerings to include linen napkins, tea towels, table runners and place mats, all woven in Scotland. Designed at Selbrae House and woven using traditional techniques


from the last remaining linen mill in Scotland, The Linen Table products are sustainable and make high quality gifts. Made from a linen cotton blend for ease of use, the linen products are very strong and durable, contain antibacterial properties, as well as wicking moisture so they dry faster than pure cotton. The Linen Table’s products have a natural linen finish and have Scottish and country inspired designs of a highland cow, stag, hare, pheasant or bees printed in steel. Description automatically generated grey, to maintain the traditional look. This clear and clean design is perfect for a contemporary or traditional home and has the added benefit of being simply packaged for easy stocking in any gift or homeware retailer. With the current trend for locally-made products from sustainable sources,


these Scottish gifts tick every box. Particularly popular are the bees given the current love of this iconic insect. All are available online from www.justslate. co.uk/the-linen-table.


Selbrae House was set up 15 years ago by the


Carstairs family in Fife and began with the Just Slate products. Selbrae House Managing Director Donny Carstairs says: “Our ethos has been to produce gifts and homewares from natural products but with a designer slant. We already produce slate, wooden and glass products so the addition of linen was a natural progression of the brand. Scotland, and particularly Dundee and Fife areas, were well known in history for their linen and cloth production so we are delighted to be able to use the last traditional linen mill for our new brand. As light, simply packaged and easily displayed products, The Linen Table is perfect and easy for


retailers across the UK, and indeed the world, to stock.” 22 DIY WEEK MAY 2021


“We can get certain materials quicker if they come from within the UK, close to the factory gate. We don’t have to worry so much about delays. That means our customers don’t have to worry about delays either.” What More’s various bakeware lines, which have been so popular during lockdown are a great example. The steel comes from Port Talbot, it’s then coated in the midlands, and finally pressed in Altham.


Manufacturing companies are well known for having complex supply chains. What More has built a competitive advantage by reducing that complexity. On top of that, it’s great for the country as


a whole. Selling products overseas brings foreign money into the British economy. When it gets here, buying locally keeps it here. What More UK manufactures housewares of all kinds. The company’s products range from bakeware to around-the-sink items, to home storage. It produces items for the DIY sector, the home office, laundry and even planters and troughs for the garden. And all its products proudly display the ‘Made in Britain’ logo. What More is a zero to landfill company and its


award-winning


Wham Upcycled range is made from 95% recycled single use plastics.


SELBRAE HOUSE LAUNCHES SCOTTISH LINEN HOMEWARE BRAND


Leading Scottish gift and homewares producer, Selbrae House, has unveiled its 2021 range for the summer season. Capitalising on gift trends seen over the last year, this innovative Scottish company has launched 60 new highly desirable gifts and homewares across its brands. In line with the current trend and popularity of


bees, Selbrae House has launched many new products with a delightfully lifelike bumble bee etched onto them, or crafted into them. Under the Just Slate brand there are new bee breakfast spoons, bee serving trays and bee bar accessories. New to Just Slate’s bar range is what’s tipped to be a bestseller – a set of six stag engraved whisky stones packaged in a velvet bag and gift box. With a RRP of £12 (and trade price of £5) they make a very affordable gift and are easy to display and store in all shops. Stemless glasses are perfect for serving gin or wine so complementing the slate products, Just Slate has developed sets of four stemless glasses, with either the iconic bee or gin illustration etched onto them. Packaged in a gift box, they make perfect presents. The popularity of the Just Slate mats and coasters has also been extended to include gift boxed sets of mats and coasters, as well as a wider variety of engraved designs. Just Slate’s sister brand Scottish Made, which had a highly successful 2020, has launched new butter dishes. With a ceramic bottom in either blue or white, topped with sustainable oak, each with a country animal etched on, these new products bring a homely touch to the kitchen. Animals have always had a special place in Scottish Made’s heart so this year it has extended its bestselling Scottish oak boards to feature new animals such as the hedgehog, geese and kissing rabbits, as well as offering more variety to its board and wooden platter ranges. The success of the Selbrae House’s products is in part due to its creative designs, affordable prices and variety of products which ensures retailers can keep their offering fresh and new. Most of the products are produced in Scotland from sustainable sources so their carbon footprint is low. Selbrae House’s in-house designer, Emma Carstairs, creates all the illustrations herself which are then etched onto the products at their Fife production facility. • For more details, call 01592 654222 or visit www.selbraehouse.co.uk


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