Tag Archives: pyramid international

Danilo and Pyramid International take home major wins in the 2020 Stationery Awards

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Danilo Promotions and Pyramid International have been named among the winners of this year’s Stationery Awards, taking home the top accolades across the Diaries and Calendars and Licensed Stationery categories.

Danilo was handed the Best Diaries and Calendars Award for its popular Peppa Pig My First Calendar, a line developed in partnership with Hasbro and Entertainment One. It was Pyramid International who took home the Best Licensed Stationery Award for its Stranger Things VHS Notebook.

The popular licensing pair were named the winners across 13 categories at the Stationery Awards 2020, an event organised by the London Stationery Show and Stationery Matters to recognise and benchmark good practice and innovation in the stationery sector.

2020 saw the introduction of new regional Retailer Awards and a Rising Star Award to run alongside the Product Awards. Over 350 entries were received and whittled down to the final winners.

The awards were judged by a host of industry experts including senior stationery buyers from WH Smith, John Lewis & Partners, and the National Trust to name a few.

The 2020 Product Award Winners are:

Arts & Crafts – Clipbook Creative Kit, by Filofax

Children’s Stationery – Lionheart Activity Book Collection, by Manuscript Pen Company

Desk Accessories – 10 Cube, by Collins Debden

Diaries and Calendars – Peppa Pig My First Calendar, by Danilo Promotions

Eco Stationery – 100% Tree Free Notebooks, Stone Paper Notebooks, by Magic Whiteboard

Filing and Storage – Troika On Pack storage set, by Troika with Pen and Paper Gift

Gift Packaging and Wrap – OnlyEco Retailer Eco Kit, by OnlyEco

Good Design Award – Love Writing Co. Writing Pencils, by Love Writing Co.

Licensed Stationery – Stranger Things VHS Notebook, by Pyramid International

Notebooks, Organisers, and Journals – The Gratitude List, by The Gratitude List

Novelty Stationery – Legami Erasable Pens, by Legami with Pen and Paper Gift

Social Stationery – Three Wishes Festive Box, by 1 Tree Cards

Writing Instruments – Caran d’Arche Paul Smith 849 Ballpoint Pen, by Stone Marketing

 

Retailer Award Winners

New regional retailer categories were added for 2020 to encourage entries from across the country. The winners are:

Best Independent Retailer – South – Scriptum

Best Independent Retailer – Midlands – Artcadia

Best Independent Retailer – North – Stationery Supplies

Best National Retailer – UK – Cult Pens

 

The Rising Star Award went to Marc Sach from Fuzzballs.

Licensing specialist Martin Withers takes up sales director role at Pyramid International

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The licensed gifts specialist, Pyramid International has welcomed martin Withers to the role of sales director, joining the team from Spearmark International where he served as commercial director for 15 years.

Withers joins the team with vast experience and understanding of the licensing industry, with a particular focus on housewares and lighting categories.

In his new role, Withers will lead the sales division at Pyramid International, bolstering an enthusiastic team that, according to Pyramid, saw great success at retail during a difficult 2019. Withers will explore how to maximise the opportunities available in 2020 and beyond around the firm’s growing portfolio of both products and licenses.

“I am very excited to be joining such a successful and ambitious company as Pyramid International where there are so many great products, licenses and retail opportunities,” commented Withers.

“I have been really impressed with the energy and entrepreneurial spirit I have seen within the business and I couldn’t pass up the chance to be part of it. I am looking forward to helping take the business to even higher levels.”

Pyramid International talks pop culture, fandom, and its Spring Fair 2020 offering

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If there’s one thing Pyramid International – part of The Art Group – knows how to do well, it’s licensed giftware, an attribute that has carried the firm well over the past 12 months, and helped it maintain its position of strength throughout the choppy waters of 2019.

It’s possibly the breadth of Pyramid International’s portfolio that has helped
it achieve the success it enjoys today, tapping into a spectrum of audiences, from the Netflix-watching pop culture fans of things like Stranger Things, to those in search of the more niche animé brands like My Hero Academia, all the way through to the mainstream and the audience for DreamWorks’ Trolls World Tour.

It’s true that there really is something for everyone among the Pyramid portfolio, and 2020 will be no different. ToyNews catches up with Pyramid International’s marketing executive Robert Ling to find out what the company is bringing to Spring Fair this year.

How was business for you guys through 2019? It was a big year for pop culture licensing, how did this impact on your success over the past 12 months?

2019 was a good year for Pyramid, despite the tough retail landscape. When looking at releases in 2020 we saw success with Stranger Things in the summer and Frozen 2 at the end of the year. As well as these we also had continued success with Harry Potter and Nintendo. We also saw good success with Steven Rhodes, a new license to our license portfolio, whose dark humour style of art is very on trend and a perfect pop culture fit.

What can we expect from Pyramid for 2020? Can you talk us through some of the new licenses you’ve secured and the product lines that you will be launching at Spring Fair?

2020 will see Pyramid keep adding to our already impressive catalogue of product ranges. Visitors to our stand at Spring Fair will be able to enjoy our new collection for the upcoming Trolls World Tour, including our Sequin Flip notebook and Pencil case which we think is going to be hugely popular for consumers.

Our super cute The Child (Baby Yoda) range for the Mandalorian will also be on display. We’ll also have some of our Anime products on show, including Dragon Ball, and My Hero Academia as we expand into this hugely popular area of entertainment. Of course, our line of classics will be available across Harry Potter, Nintendo, Disney, Star Wars, and Music, to name just a few.

What will the product and license line-up be bringing to the gifting/ merchandise scene for 2020? How are you guys continuing to push for innovation in the pop culture sector?

We’re always looking for ways innovate our products. We are examining a host
of new avenues to add the wow factor at retail… but I can’t say too much – you will have to wait and see.

What makes Spring Fair an important date in the calendar for you guys?

It’s the first UK show we attend, so it provides us a good opportunity to connect with our customers, showing them what we have coming through and strengthening relationships.

Ultimately It kicks off the new year positively for our UK operations. It also provides a good opportunity to show off our portfolio to new prospects.

What do you think 2020 holds for the pop culture licensing scene and its presence at retail?

I think pop culture licensees will continue to be a popular choice at retail, especially as people look for different ways to express themselves and the things they are fans off; and as we are spoilt with more and more content from the VOD services, I think people are going to be actively searching to show off their fandom, because there is a lot of it out there now.

What will be fuelling the space for 2020 and beyond?

At the moment, Baby Yoda looks to be one of the stand out characters coming into 2020, dominating internet searches. I also think nostalgia will continue to be popular, especially with uncertainty still in the air and people looking for the comfort of yesteryear.

Anything you would like to add?

Pyramid International is able to offer a one stop solution across retail for the biggest licenses around, so be sure to come and visit our stand to see the depth of license and products for yourself, and talk to us about how we can support you through 2020.