65 PROFILE Enesco is always asking what’s next, with innovation and creativity key to its success Anniversary milestones When did you start up and why? Enesco Ltd is part of a global company. The company started back in 1994 when Enesco, based in the US, bought two significant names in the world of collectibles Lilliput Lane situated in Penrith, Cumbria and Border Fine Arts in Langholm in the Scottish Borders. With the city of Carlisle being of almost equal distance between both locations, this was the obvious choice for the home of the new HQ for Enesco Ltd., Customer Services and Distribution Centre. 2024 sees the 30th Anniversary of Enesco Ltd. What challenges have you overcome since the company’s launch? There have been many challenges along our 30-year journey. Including the everchanging face of retail, consumer tastes and demand meaning we have had to diversify significantly. The pandemic and all the challenges that created, and more recently the cost of living crisis. Tell us about your product offering. We have a breadth of giftware to offer our retailers from figurines, home fragrance, baby, Christmas and home, and the more recent and ever more popular Fandom. 95 percent of our offering is licensed including household names such as Disney, Beatrix Potter, Harry Potter, Yankee Candle and Willow Tree. What are your most popular products? Our most successful popular brands continue to be Willow Tree, Disney Traditions and, more recently, Yankee Candle, which we have been distributing to independent retail in the UK since March of this year. Have any styles taken you by surprise with their popularity? I wouldn’t say surprised as everything we bring to market, we truly believe in. However, our Licensed Facets have been more successful than we may have imagined. Licensed Facets is a range of beautiful figurines of superb quality, light reflective, and multi-faceted high-grade acrylic. With characters from Disney, The Grinch and Peanuts it has captured the imagination of consumers through the UK. How do you keep your designs fresh and current? Do you follow trends? Yes, to a certain extent we do our research into trends of colour and design. But more importantly for us we talk and listen to our customers and consumers for their wants and needs. What sets you apart from your competitors? We offer a breadth of offering and price points, allowing flexibility when ordering
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