54 When did you start up and why? In 1982, when our current Chief Thomas O’Brien was a lively two years old, Boxer’s founder Jamie O’Brien started up a new company vowing to revolutionise the gift trade and add some fun to what was quite a boring product mix. What prompted you to launch the business? Feeling uninspired by the existing giftware available in the market, our founder set out on his quest to ‘Slay the Mundane.’ First into market with many Fun Mugs, Slogan T-Shirts, Old Age and Hen Night accessories, our fresh ideas quickly began to change the marketplace! What challenges have you overcome since the company’s launch? As Far East importing grew, British manufactured goods at a higher price lost their appeal. British manufactured margins were eroded to practically nothing in this new chapter, which left Boxer struggling on the sidelines. We wanted to stick to our belief that UK manufacturing jobs both in our factory and with our suppliers were important to ensure consumers had work and for the wider economy. Unfortunately, this led to our competitors producing similar products available at half the cost. After trundling on a few years, scraping a living, the decision was made in 2001 to get out to the Far East and use the lower costs to execute our great ideas at a price that was now competitive. Innovation and the right price led a renaissance in Boxer’s gift range. The now frequent Far East trips allowed Jamie and Heather to lure Thomas away from a highly paid proper job and glittering career in IT. Tell us about your product offering. Here at Boxer, we specialise in the fun! From pocket money toys and family games, to hilarious novelty gifts, we believe that we’ve got something for everyone! What are your most popular products? Our most popular products in recent years have been our bestselling Escape Room Games. From our Wine Escape Room to our new Controller Escape Room, the concept is fun yet simple – solve the clues, discover the hidden code, unlock your prize! Have any styles taken you by surprise with their popularity? Our own published books range, Bee Three Books, has been a huge success both in the UK and the US. Retailers, and their customers, seem to have taken really well to our gift book range allowing us to constantly release new books such as our Adult Nursery Rhymes and Houseplant Survival Book! How do you keep your designs fresh and current? Do you follow trends? Our product development team is always Slaying the mundane Jake Moizer, Marketing & E-Commerce Manager, Boxer Gifts, shares how the company is dedicated to producing great gifts that put a smile on the face of the receiver
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