Gorgeous Gifts

When did you start up and why? Agnes + Cat was created in the beautiful Lake district in the North of England. That's where we started designing our iconic range of candles and bath products, getting inspired by the surrounding nature and scents. To respond to the high demand from customers, Agnes + Cat creators partnered up with Ancient Wisdom Marketing, a wholesaler based in Yorkshire, to promote and produce their products and make them even better.

In 2019, our team in Sheffield took over the reins of the brand while the Lakebased creators decided to move on to other things. But don't worry! The products are exactly the same and we will keep bringing out new beautiful, eco-friendly products!

What challenges have you overcome since the company's launch? The most difficult challenge for us was to supply our customers after the fire that destroyed our factory, main warehouse and office building in Sheffield in July 2020. We moved to new bigger and better premises in November 2022, which is the HQ for Agnes+ Cat brand.

Tell us about your product offering. Cosmetics: Agnes+Cat wholesale cosmetics lines include: Natural Lip Balms, Natural Clay Face Masks, Roll on Essential Oils Blends, Hand & Body Creams in 300ml bottle, All of our cosmetics are handmade in small batches in our production unit in Sheffield.

Bath Products: Agnes+Cat wholesale Bath Product lines include: Soaps on a Rope, Fizzer Bath Bombs, Solid Shampoo Bars, Bath Salts 500g, Handmade Coconut Butter Soaps 140g, Fairy Dusts in 500g jars. All of our bath products are handmade in small batches in our production unit in Sheffield.

Giftware: Agnes+Cat wholesale Giftware Product lines include: Soy Wax Candles, Reed Diffusers, Wax Melts, Eye Pillows, Gift wrapped Boxes -with Two bath Fizzers and one Jam Jar Candle, Our candles are hand-poured in our own factory in China, using British fragrances, Indonesian soy wax and cotton wicks.

What are your most popular products?
· Natural lip balms
· Soaps on a Rope
· Bath fizzers
· Bath Salts
· Reed Diffusers
· Soy Candles

How do you keep your designs fresh and current? Do you follow trends? When creating a new product, we take the trends on gift market into account. we also check with our customers what product they would like to sell in their stores. The process of creating a new product: selection of packaging, product design, tests take a lot of time. We work hard to ensure that the new final Agnes+Cat product is of the best quality.

What sets you apart from your competitors? Most of our products are handmade in small batches in our production in Sheffield. We've made it our mission to only incorporate natural and vegan friendly ingredients in all of our products. We try our best to help the planet by packing light, recycling and sourcing local wherever possible. Many of our lines are able to be re-purposed after use and our packaging can either be recycled or reused.

How are you finding the current climate in the UK? Is it affecting business? The summer season is usually the time of holidays, so we do not expect large sales, but we are preparing for the busiest months of the year when it comes to selling gifts.

How do you view the future of independent retail? We think there is a place for this kind of commerce, despite increasing online sales. There are customers who shop in the traditional way, where they have a chance to see the product live, touch it, check its smell. Let's also not forget about face-to-face contact with the seller, and it is their figure that is at the heart of every gift business.

Do you have any advice for new businesses starting out in the world of gifts? Creativity in the gift industry is very important, the way you present your products in the store (if you have a stationary store). Combining products, creating a set, an offer that will distinguish you from other sellers. Increasing the number of products if possible, searching for new products that can bring better sales.

What can we expect in the future from the company? We definitely want to add more products for our customers to offer something new
and exciting in their stores. It’s important that the products are eco-friendly, and that they attract customers in the store with their smell and appearance. Here at Agnes and Cat we are delighted to meet our new and existing customers. Whether you want to discover more and sample the products or visiting, you will always be greeted with a smile. We are happy to see you in our showroom in Sheffield. Simply book an appointment, view the products, find out more about our best sellers and make the best choice for your business.

We offer Starter Packs where customers can get our products with better prices. We understand that your retail fixtures and fittings can make a real difference to the success of your store. We also understand you don’t really want to invest in top end shop-fittings, but you know that great shop-fittings makes for great sales.

Here we offer basically free* absolutely beautiful wood displays. Available with starter packs. This furniture, handcrafted in Bali, is specially designed to complement A+C stock and is ethically made from recycled fishing boats. Please note furniture stocks are limited.

AGNES + CAT
T: +44 (0)1142 677 723
www.agnesandcat.org