Cool Britannia

This London Street Style look was photographed by Wayne Tippetts.

On the eve of British Food Fornight’s 10th Anniversary (17th of Sept – 2nd of October), we thought it would be kind of ‘cool Britannia’ to point you toward the collection of British themed hamper and gift packaging that WBC currently has available; ready to ship, ready to go! 

We also wanted to take the opportunity to give you a sneak preview of the design concepts we’re working on for 2012. These are specific concepts designed to help you to maximise sales by showcasing your produce in British themed packaging!

WBC’s current range of British themed packaging includes:

• ‘Make tea not war’ shoppers by fashion designer Mark Ho
• Red, white and blue hamper boxes for wine and fine food
• pull-bows and curling ribbon
• red faux leather boxes

Click the Royal hamper below to see our full range!

Jubilee hamper with British themed accessories. All components currently available from stock at WBC

British Food fortnight comes at a time when retailers across the country are recognising the unmistakable new wave of public patriotism toward all things British. We’ve seen it this year during the Royal nuptials and the street celebrations that followed. Many retailers recall not only running out of Union Jack bunting, but suddenly anything and everything had the legitimate excuse to be swathed in yet more British emblems. Next year proves to be even bigger with the anticipation of the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee and London 2012 Olympics Games.

Thought about your gifting opportunities? Take a look at our collections and cash in on the £2.34 billion generated by the games

It’s the UK’s biggest national celebration of the diverse range of food Britain produces.  Every year over a thousand independents, many medium-sized retailers and some of the multiples take part, all enjoying the commercial benefits that participation brings. Novelty gingerbread bakers, Image on Food recently published a blog entitled British and Proud, they sum it up perfectly:

“This year’s British food fortnight is a perfect opportunity to try out new lines and attract new customers. 2012 is predicted to be a key year for all British retailers…with predicted gross visitor spend in Britain generated by the 2012 Games, [topping] £2.34 billion for the ten year period 2007 to 2017.”

Make Tea Not War shopper (HOC5) £0.85 Ex Vat

Image on Food suggest ways retailers can increase sales through gifting and presentation. They remind us that extra profits can be made purely by tapping into the imagination of the British public. So what does next year have in store for your hamper and gift packaging? Here’s a sneak peek of what we’re working on!

Remember! These designs are a work in progress, and our creative brains are working on overdrive. We know you have great ideas and we know you have opinions, so air them here by leaving us a message to let us know what you like and don’t like.

British Themed Sashes for 2012

We predict hamper sashes will be a big trend next year. We use them here to augment our collection of existing traditional finishing touches like bows and ribbons.

British flag sash on red fluted tray (tray TRM/RE £1.92 Ex Vat)

Tea cup sash on 3 Bottle Gift Carton Front Opening - Graphite (30S/CVN £2.06 Ex VAT)

Merry Christmas sash on 3 Bottle Gift Box in Fluted Red Card (carton- 30/70CVN £2.04)

Whale designer sash on 14 inch wicker hamper (WK14 £6.99 Ex Vat)

British Themed Bottle Bag

British flag bunting bottle bag – for our current range click image

Novelty Gift Tags

London Guard gift tag

British Novelty Fun bag design

Phone box fun bag design. Novelty shoppers have been a real hit with retailers looking for a cost-effective way of increasing impulse purchases

So there you go! These are just a few of the concepts we have, and we’d love to know what you think of them. Let us know what you’re planning and how we can help. If you’d like to talk through plans with one of our sales team they can be contacted on 08000 85 85 95 or by emailing sales@wbc.co.uk. Happy planning!