Briers’ exclusive Gruffalo® range keeps kids keen in the garden
Summer will soon be upon us and gardeners of all ages are already out in force. However, the unpredictability of Britain’s current weather can make it hard for parents to keep their junior helpers interested.
The children’s Gruffalo® range by Briers is an exclusive collection of outdoor clothing and gardening accessories for children. Based on the popular character, The Gruffalo, created by Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler, the 2011 GIMA (Garden Industry Manufacturers Association) award-winning range is Briers’ first fully licensed product offering. The range was an instant hit when it launched last year and sales have continued to grow rapidly since.
Colourful, comfortable and manufactured in quality materials and to the same exacting standards applied to all Briers’ products, the Gruffalo® range puts the emphasis on letting children have fun outdoors, whatever the weather.
The range comprises of:
Fleece
Sizes: child small (3-4 years), child medium (5-6 years)
Price: £18.99
Hat, scarf and glove set
One size
Price: £10.99
Boot warmers
One size
Price: £5.99
Gardening gloves
Price: £3.99
Pack-away rain mac
Sizes: child small (3-4 years), child medium (5-6 years)
Price: £20.99
Umbrella
Price: £9.99
Wellington boots
Sizes: child sizes 5 – 10
Price: £15.99
Watering can
Price: £10.99
Gardening kneeler
Price: £3.99
Rake, fork and trowel
Price: £3.99
Jackie Eades, Briers’ Managing Director, said, “We weren’t surprised by the popularity of the Gruffalo® range, we always knew that it would be a very popular range. This collection has captured the imagination of young gardeners everywhere and proves that gardening and other outdoor activities can be fun all year round.”
For more information, visit www.briersltd.co.uk.
The Gruffalo word mark and logo are trade marks of Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler and used under licence. Licensed by Magic Light Pictures Ltd. See the Gruffalo online at www.gruffalo.com.
Ends
Editorial contacts:
Emma De Maio
redheadPR
Tel: 07921 160 134
Email: emma@redheadpr.co.uk
Briers Backgrounder
Briers is a specialist gardening gloves and footwear brand. The company is also the licensee behind the GIMA (Gardening Industry Manufacturers’ Association) award-winning Gruffalo® range of children’s gardening clothes and accessories.
In the last three years, Briers has launched Stardust Wellingtons, Floral patterned gloves with matching kneelers, Boppers and High Heeled Boots. This period has coincided with a steady rise in turnover – including a 50% increase in 2012 - despite pressures on consumer spending. Retail customers of Briers have also reported a growing demand for the brand.
A willingness to create bespoke ranges for retailers and unrivalled customer care are major contributory factors in the growth of Briers. Also significant is the influence of Founder and Managing Director, Jackie Eades, who provides a female perspective into what has traditionally been a male-dominated sector. Jackie has led Briers through a series of ground-breaking developments in gardening product retail. The Gruffalo range, for example, has proved a highly successful product licensing initiative, leading the way in its sector. Demand for wellington boots, meanwhile, continues to grow, helped by Briers’ appealing designs and innovative marketing.
Looking ahead, Jackie has also built excellent relationships with manufacturing partners in China to ensure best practice in production in the years ahead.
Briers customers
Briers’ target audience is made up of people typically aged 40 plus and falling within the ABC1 socio-economic group. Customers choose Briers because they want fashionable design without compromising functionality or quality of manufacture. Briers’ products are in the mid-market price range and enjoy broad appeal.
Briers products
The current Briers product range comprises:
Gloves – over 50 SKUs, RRPs (recommended retail prices) from £9.99
Leather gloves, washable gloves, children’s gloves, ladies’ gloves, all rounder and seedling gloves and workwear gloves.
Footwear - over 20 SKUs RRPs from £39.99 - £49.99
Garden clogs, ankle boots, adult and children’s wellington boots, high heeled boots, Boppers and Stardust ankle boots.
The Gruffalo® range for children.
Fleece jacket, pack-away rain mac, wellington boots, wellington boot warmers, gardening kneeler, watering can, umbrella, gardening gloves, gardening rake, fork, trowel and hat, glove and scarf set.
Brand profile
Briers’ flair for retail and merchandising has attracted extensive editorial coverage in several high circulation consumer and trade publications. These include GTN (Garden Trade News), Horticulture Week, FE Magazine (Fashion & Footwear Extras), Daily Mail Weekend Magazine, Garden News and Kitchen Garden. In September 2012, Woman and Home magazine, which has a circulation of 350,000, published a profile on Jackie Eades.
Briers retains the services of the specialist public relations consultancy, redheadPR, whose clients in the gardening sector also include Stewart Garden and John Woods Nurseries. The consultancy is headed up by Sara Tye, an award-winning and top 500 international PR, who has also worked with major consumer brands such as Green & Black’s, Nokia and Frangi Tie Rack. Sara has extensive experience of managing client relationships with celebrities. She has worked closely with many well-known figures, including TV presenter, comedienne and psychologist Ruby Wax and grow your own specialist and regular broadcaster Pippa Greenwood.
Briers’ ethics
Wherever possible, Briers uses manufacturers that are members of Sedex (Supplier Ethical Data Exchange). Sedex is a not-for-profit membership organisation that drives improvements in ethical and responsible business practices in global supply chains. Briers also operates ethical policies on the environment, human rights and animal welfare.
Briers is a member of the British Boot, Shoe and Allied Trades Research Association (SATRA). SATRA is the world’s leading research and technology centre of its kind and a leading authority on international legislation and testing.
Briers is also committed to the wider gardening industry. Matt Jackson, Sales Director serves on the council of GIMA, the trade association that promotes and protects the interests of UK and EU businesses supplying the UK garden industry.
Briers stockists
Briers products can be found at major outlets across the UK. These include Wilkinsons, B&Q, Dobbies, The Garden Centre Group, Blue Diamond and Garden and Leisure as well as independent garden centres, DIY stores and fashion retailers. Briers also supplies to major national wholesalers such as Decco.
For more information visit www.briersltd.co.uk.
