Gift Focus inc Attire Accessories - July/August 2020

82 SABIVO, WWW.SABIVO.CO.UK Greeting card publisher Sabivo has adapted its sales strategy and embraced new online retail opportunities in the wake of COVID-19, and is getting fit while at it! Can you tell us a bit about your company? We are a family greeting card publisher and we design and craft hand- finished greeting cards. We operate as a trade supplier, export and also license our designs through stationery and gift companies. How are you finding lockdown? It has been very challenging, because as a product-based business our natural outlet has always been the brick and mortar stores, in the UK and abroad. However, with store closures our sales have turned more online, which seems will be the ‘new retail normal’ for some time. We have also added a retail side of the business, which we never had and offer personalisation and direct sending to recipient. We have signed licensing agreements, which offer fantastic exposure in product areas we don’t do ourselves. What are your business plans during and after COVID-19? As a creative business, our strength is in the design, so we have a new range, Rainbow, to our portfolio. It is out on our trade-only website now and ready for the time when it is right for retailers to start buying again. We are looking forward to showing it at Autumn Fair in September and continue to support our lovely stockists in any way we can. What are you looking forward to most about life returning to normal? It is unlikely that is going to be the normal we know. We have quickly learned that life could change incredibly fast, literally before our eyes. We are looking forward to all the new opportunities these changes will bring. We also hope to keep the healthy personal routine we established during lockdown. Finding time to exercise doesn’t mix well with running a small business, but we are enjoying the benefits now and hope to keep that for many years to come. Do you have a top tip for businesses weathering this temporary storm? We feel that this storm is the one that probably happens once in 100 years. Most things are not in our control, so perhaps don’t try to fix anything short-term that is going to have negative impact on your business long term. TILNER ART, WWW.TILNERART.CO.UK Tilner Art is looking forward to touching base with its loyal customer base post-COVID-19 pandemic, and in the meantime is keeping calm and carrying on. Can you tell us a bit about your company? Tilnar Art is made up of a small team of people who do their utmost to give you the best. We try hard to ensure that you receive a product that is handmade, unique and profoundly different to others in the marketplace. When designing a product and eventually adding it to our collection we do our best to visualise it in the modern home. We never lose sight of the eventual consumer and the retailer. We travel thousands of miles every year to find you products that give you the edge and maintain our increasing number of artisans by providing them regular and sustainable trade. Tilnar Art was formed in 2005 by Tom Hawes. Tom gave up a career as a successful London solicitor to form Tilnar Art as he wanted to help many of the artists he had met on his various trips to Zimbabwe. Tilnar stands for This Is Life Not A Rehearsal and Tom passionately believes you should, where possible, work in areas that you are passionate about and enjoy. The other members of the team are Nicky, who works in the office, alongside Tom and Will. who is the warehouse manager. How are you finding lockdown, the good and the bad? The positives are we are all seeing more of our families and spending quality time with them as no one is having to rush off on school runs or work. However, being a Fairtrade wholesaler that sells to independent retailers, garden centres and museums the lockdown has of course affected our turnover. However, we are supplying our online retailers, which have still been ordering. This in turn will affect our suppliers who we support. We still have products being made for us and because we pay our suppliers upfront – we hope this helps them in these tough times. We are trying to see the positive in this but it is very hard, the team have been split and the warehouse manager has been furloughed so Nicky is the first point of call in the office and warehouse. What are your business plans during and after COVID-19? We are planning on plodding on slowly through this and we hope to return to normal service once this has settled down. What are you looking forward to most about life returning to normal? We really miss interfacing with our customers, who are the best. We really hope they are all weathering this storm and send them all our very best. Do you have a top tip for businesses weathering this temporary storm? Don’t panic, take help where it is given and be kind to one another.