Melinda Messenger wears Sukie Lau

We just spotted Melinda Messenger from Five Live, wearing one of our Sukie Lau rings last week ( the big black onyx heart ring with white lines shot through it, in case you're interested !) and we think it looks great !

Blowing in the Wind Catalogue now live on our site !

In case you didn’t get to see our new collection at the Autumn Fair or Top Drawer, the catalogue is now live on our website at www.balagan.co.uk

If you don’t know much about the collection, here’s some background information for you, its really a unique look, perfect for a stunning window display with real curb appeal !

Our Blowing in the Wind collection features hand picked real leaves which are firstly checked for imperfections, then the surfaces are hand coated with a copper based solution which allows the 24k gold (nickel free) electroforming to coat the leaves, preserving them stylishly…

We have six beautiful finishes for our real leaves, they are preserved in silver, gold, antique copper, brass, vintage silver or an irridescent coating.

Leaves available include Cottonwood, Aspen, Lacy Oak, birch and the very delicate Sugar Canadian Maple in various sizes.

Each leaf is a handcrafted piece of wearable art, unique and totally individual, with supporting Showcards, care cards and branded packaging.

As worn by Hilary Duff, Fergie, Eva Mendes and Jessica Alba among others.

If you have any questions regarding the new collection, please give us a call on 08452 600 925 or email us at sales@balagan.co.uk

Tower Rings now in stock and catalogue live

The Tower Rings concept builds upon the success of the popular bead trend thats sweeping the world, and the quest to create unique and individual jewellery thats meaningful to the wearer.

The initial Tower Rings collection features over 60 styles of ring that can be worn either individually or as a set (or tower) to combine with your mood, your outfit or your personal style.

There are Tower Rings in birthstones and many popular designs including flowers, hearts and butterflies to name just a few.

Interchangeable, collectable and stylish they make a fashion statement. Consumers can purchase Tower Rings either individually, building their collection slowly, or as a tower for maximum effect.

Tower Rings can be a self purchase, or if consumers log their collection and size with retailers, can also be a gift purchase.

We're very excited about this new concept collection, its complete with dedicated point of sale and packaging to support it, and our stock is finally here, so you can see the new catalogue live on our site now under catalogue downloads....

CyberLyly Script bangles just arrived in stock !

Our latest Monochrome script bangles have just arrived in stock ! In the coolest black or should we say Noir, and the smoothest white, or should we say Cream ?

With slogans such as "Chocolate is my weakness" and " Don't give me that attitude, I've got my own !" they're a sure fire stocking filler winner

There are seven new slogans, each in black and white with script colour reversed and they're live on the cyberlyly site right now...

Check them out at www.cyberlyly.co.uk

Kiki Miao's moment in the spotlight

Wow, its all go for Kiki Miao !

So far this week, we've had our new catalogue delivered, and appeared in the Daily Mail (Saturday magazine for gorgeously desirable things) and Instyle magazine ! Thats quite a week in anyone's book !

We've just despatched the new catalogues to all stockists today, but if you haven't seen Kiki Miao's collection, please give us a call on 08452 600 925 and we can pop one in the post to you today.

We're sure you'll love it !

Sukie Lau jewellery boxes ideal for Xmas gifts

The new season's designs of Sukie Lau jewellery boxes are now in stock.

We have some beautiful designs in purple, silver and black at all price points.

We especially love the purple treasure chest box pictured here as its bang on trend for this purple winter we're hovering on the edge of right now.

In case you haven't seen it the new Sukie catalogue can be downloaded from our website (under catalogue downloads) and features all the new styles, including our new scarf collection - perfect for wrapping up warm and remaining bright this winter !

Don't miss it !

New Catalogue 2009/10

Finally we've got confirmation that our brand new, hot off the press gorgeous catalogue is being delivered tomorrow. We'll be sending the catalogues out on Thursday, Friday and Monday.

We can't wait for you to see the new catalogue, as its rather lovely, if we do say so ourselves. This time we've combined Studio, Gallery, Rocks, Le Journal de Lola, Affirmations and Steam into one big bumper catalogue for ease of use.

In case you're wondering what's happening with the other collections- here's an update :

Kiki Miao: As a boutique collection, Kiki has a separate catalogue, please call if you would like a copy sending. Kiki is a gold and silver collection based on a Moroccan theme, its also available for download from our website.

Sukie Lau’s new collection is available to download from our website – as it changes twice a year this was the most practical way of showing the collection.

CyberLyly has its own website at www.cyberlyly.co.uk featuring everything that’s currently in stock for this collection. Please call if you don’t have log in details.

New collections :

Blowing in the Wind is a fabulous & stylish new collection made from real leaves that have been preserved with different finishes, the fashion world is going crazy for our leaves….! Blowing in the Wind has its own on-line catalogue that will be available shortly as well as a website for re-ordering. As soon as these are up and running we’ll let you know – thanks for your patience !

Tower Rings are different rings that can be worn together for maximum effect! With initial packages at just £250 including POS – it’s a bargain way to buy into the craze for unique and personalised jewellery… The Tower Rings catalogue will be sent out to you shortly (We’re just finishing it off !)

Blowing in the Wind - fabulous new collection to launch at Autumn Fair

Autumn in the air ?

How about real leaves as stunning jewellery pieces.

Our Blowing in the Wind collection features hand picked real leaves which are firstly checked for imperfections, then the surfaces are hand coated with a copper based finish which allows the electroforming to coat the leaves.

We have six beautiful finishes for our real leaves, they are preserved in silver, gold, antique copper, brass, vintage silver or an irridescent coating.

Leaves available include Cottonwood, Aspen, Lacy Oak, birch and the very delicate Sugar Canadian Maple in various sizes.

Each leaf is a handcrafted piece of wearable art, unique and totally individual.

As worn by Hilary Duff, Fergie, Eva Mendes and Jessica Alba among others.

Kiki Miao new catalogue live on site for download

Kiki Miao's first catalogue is now live on the site, under catalogue downloads.

For those of you who haven't viewed this new collection yet, it will be on show at the NEC Autumn Fair - stand G10/H11.

All of the first collection is now in stock, while the second collection (towards the back of the catalogue) will be in stock mid September.

This is a delightful new collection, its already been featured in The Times and the Daily Express and with its silver and gold delicate style its right on trend !

This is a geographically exclusive collection, so don't leave it too long or you may be disappointed...

Dublin Autumn Fair

We're very excited here, as we'll be taking the ferry over to Dublin to show at the Irish Autumn Gift and Home show later this week...!

We've heard great things about Dublin, so we can't wait !

The show is on from Sunday 23rd to Wednesday 26th August at RDS Simmonscourt, so if you're passing by, stop and take a look at our new collections.

We'll have lots of new jewellery to see in Studio, Gallery, Rocks, Le Journal de Lola, Steam, Affirmations, Sukie Lau, CyberLyly and our newest collections : Kiki Miao and Blowing in the wind....

See you there

Kiki Miao second collection launch at NEC Autumn Fair !

Kiki Miao, our new gold and silver range will launch her second collection at the NEC Autumn Fair....

Kiki Miao creates stylish and delicate jewellery combined with a light catching textural finish. Exotic but wearable, in sterling silver washed with gold.


Kiki Miao's first collection is inspired by the Noctiluca, a beautiful organism that eliminates tiny sparks of light,

Drawing on Moroccan nights complete with belly dancers and fireside storytellers to captivate and delight, delicate chains and intricate charms sit alongside chunky discs and pretty florals, it’s an intriguing mix and the attention to design as well as the decorative details are captivating.

Each piece of jewellery comes with beautiful packaging which can also be used to display the jewellery on.

Bon Voyage and best of luck to Supersonic Simon !

Our lovely agent Simon (South East) is leaving us for distant shores.. :-(

Although he's only been with us a year or so, he'll be missed by us at the office and his customers on the road, so we wish Simon all the best in his new post in super hot and sticky (thank goodness for airconditioning) Oman !

Obviously its only 45degrees so we're not jealous as we head into the deep dark winter months !

All the best Simon from all the gang at Balagan !!!

Sukie Lau new collection ready to debut at Pure

Pure womenswear starts this Sunday, 2nd August to 4th August, and we'll be there with our brand new collection of Sukie Lau divine jewellery plus the new jewellery boxes and scarves (fingers crossed they arrive in time)

If you love catwalk shows and high fashion this is the show to be at, its on at Olympia this coming weekend

see you there !

Sunshine, Pimms on the lawn and Harrogate Home and gift !

Hi, we're at Harrogate this week, enjoying the sunshine (so far) with three of our collections, Sukie Lau, Cyber Lyly and Kiki Miao, and to quote huggy bear the word on the street is good !

Only the second day of the show, but as always its a lovely place to be and we're enjoying showcasing the new collections. We have new sections in cyberlyly - graphic traffic, material girl and put the cuffs on officer !

We have new colourways for the winter season in Sukie Lau and a brand new collection from Kiki Miao - which has had some fabulous coverage recently, she's appeared in the Saturday Express magazine and The Times !

So if you're at Harrogate pop over to design point 1 - stand 98 and say hi and take a peek :-)

Otherwise we'll see you at Pure or the Autumn Fair, but for now we're enjoying the sunshine while it lasts !

Selling the Features of a Product vs. the Emotional Connection

Taken from our July newsletter top tips.... hop over to www.balagan.co.uk to sign up

While we all like to think of ourselves as making rational choices based on intellect, but actually our irrational minds are steeped in cultural biases, generated from our upbringing, generation, surroundings and a whole host of other subconscious factors that exert a hidden influence over the choices we make every day.

So what does this mean for the sales process that we go through tons of times a day?
Firstly, You should never focus your sales message to selling a specific product – even if that is the end goal.

This is because you are actually selling a result, a problem solved, a benefit, an experience or in real terms, an emotional connection.

There are millions of products out there, even if your shop sells the fanciest and most luxurious widget on the block.

Its worth knowing that your customer will actually buy based upon a perceived emotion. So, if you fancy yourself as a good salesperson, this is a really effective tool for closing sales.

This is a continuance of the features v’s benefits sales strategy.
For example, if you were selling a supercool luxury car, you could focus on engine power, speed, and all the mechanical items that go into making this a luxury ride, or you could focus on the status, the experience and how your customer would feel sitting in that car and being the owner of that car, and create an emotional response that motivates your customer to buy.

For example, would they feel, cool, sexy, confident, successful? If you connect with your customer and talk about how this purchase will benefit them personally you’re much more likely to make a sale.

This works fabulously in boutiques – Why do we buy clothes? – to feel good, confident, to fit in, and a host of other reasons. If you can tap into the reasons behind the purchase then its much easier to sell the product.

If you’re thinking we’re a gift shop – it doesn’t work for us – then you could be missing a trick. Why do customers come to your shop? To browse, some “me time”, to solve a problem, or to treat themselves or someone close to them, or even for a chat with you ?

If you understand what’s going on behind the conversation then the transaction will flow much more smoothly.

By the way, anyone who hasn’t already we recommend Martin Lindstrom’s book “Buy.ology” How everything we believe about why we buy is wrong….
He basically created a new science – neuromarketing ! Which is a mix or marriage really, of marketing and science. He describes it as the key to unlocking the subconscious thoughts, feelings and desires that drive all our purchasing decisions….

And who among us doesn’t want to know that ?

CyberLyly Plastic fantastic Summer '09 now in stock !

Lets hear it for the long awaited arrival of the Summer '09 collection of Plastic Fantastic jewellery from CyberLyly.

Yes we do know its taken ages, but honestly its not us, we're not quite sure which scenic route the boat took ? But its here now.

We have zingy Summer hues of Turquoise, blues and greens, and a sofer colourway of pinks, lilacs and zingtastic reddy pinks to rock your look right through this lovely Summer.

All the new jewellery is now on our website (well it will be from Friday morning) so perhaps we're getting a little ahead of ourselves, but the news is too good not to share !

Watch out for new releases next week in our graphic traffic collection - tell the world how you really really feel !

So, here's to a colourtastic weekend !

What's new....

Just noticed that we haven't posted for a while, so this is a kind of a catch up !

We're hard at work on our new catalogues for September issue, as you can imagine this is lots of work, so we'll be fairly quiet and heads down for a bit.

Harrogate preparations are underway - we're in DesignPoint 1-98 ! We hope we'll see lots of you there? We're taking a selection of our ranges with lots of new items for the summer... We'll be looking forward to a nice few days - hot but not too hot, if you know what we mean, it can get pretty roasting in those tents...!

New people have joined us, You'll hear Mark on the telephone with Charlie, and David who's come to manage our despatch operation and even up the guy/girl ratio. On our team of the battle of the sexes, we have the lovely Stephanie and Natalie who make sure your orders go out right !

Retailrehab is growing rapidly and we've been asked to speak at both IJL & the Autumn Fair, on how to promote your businesses on a budget, so we're preparing our seminar and looking forward to this opportunity.

Hannah has left to get lots of sleep in before her baby arrives and the rest of us are working hard, avoiding getting distracted by the beautiful sunny weather to concentrate on the orders and the new designs for Autumn / Winter 2009.

Happy sizzling summer, hopefully all those staycations are having a booming effect on your cashregisters !

Hope to see you at Harrogate !

Blogs, blogging and new social media !

Blogs, blogging and new social media !

This is taken from our June top tips, which get sent out by email at the beginning of each month, if you're not on our list, or you haven't received them, give us a call or drop us an email to let us know....

First up, lets start with a definition of what a blog is, so there’s no confusion:

A blog is a derivative of the term web – log. Its normally run by one person but it can be run by several with contributions by interested parties. Its updated regularly and can feature graphics or video, as well as quizzes, questions and comments. It runs in reverse order with the most recent articles or posts as they’re known coming at the top of the blog.

Many blogs provide commentary or news on a particular subject; others are used more as online personal diaries. There’s many different kinds of blogs, personal ones, corporate ones, question answering ones and genre blogs to name a few.

Since blogs are posted online, they’re arguably interconnected and this interconnectivity is called the blogosphere. It now has its own rules, communities and search engines. There are also micro blog sites such as Twitter which only allow users to post messages of 140 characters at a time.

So, what’s all the fuss about, what’s the importance of blogging?

Well, blogging gives people and in our case businesses a voice, they’re invaluable for interacting with customers and engaging with and attracting potential new customers. As you control the information you put out you can promote your business as you wish it to be promoted and gain search engine ranking (as content rich sites rise up through search engine rankings)

So should your Business be Blogging?

The answer is pretty much - YES! Whatever product or services your business provides you should be blogging now. Unless you hate writing or have nothing of interest to say. Blogging is basically free, the only cost is your time, but sadly, most businesses are still not taking advantage of this simple, easy and inexpensive way to promote their business.

These are the top five reasons why you should be blogging:

1. Blogging creates authority: If you put out good content, then you can brand yourself as an expert in your field. Experts are trusted, which can only reflect well in your sales.

2. Interaction with customers: Your customers can read your posts and comment on them, getting into dialogue with your customers builds relationships, and strong relationships are at the base of sound businesses.

3. Keywords: Blogging allows you to add keyword dense content to your site – this will attract customers searching for your keywords online.

4. Branding your business is in your hands: You can present yourself as witty, personable, humble, expert, intelligent, however you see fit – blogs are a great way for your customers and prospects to see the people behind the business who are often hidden behind walls of minders …

5. Content – adding new content to your site regularly will bring in a steady stream of new prospects or customers, its also a reason for existing customers to check back, to see what’s new…. Its one of the mysteries of the human brain – none of us like to miss something we think we should know about.

The most used excuses for not blogging are lack of knowledge or time.

So for a quick knowledge burst head over to blogger to sign up for a free blog site that you can customise with your own template.

As for time, if you’re already issuing press releases, or writing a newsletter then this shouldn’t be a giant leap for you… Just re-write the piece for your blog and post it online.

There’s also a host of free resources on line about almost any kind of industry you can imagine, so if you read things that are interesting to you, and you think they’d be interesting to your readers too, then you can share them…

Don’t be put off, it sounds much more complicated than it actually is – Have a go, in the words of a famous sports brand – just do it !

You’ll be surprised, you might even enjoy it !

Scam baiters - oh the fun we can have !

Apropos of absolutely nothing once again, we've just come across this website called www.419eater.com and since the world is full of annoying scam artists we thought we should share this and pass it on.

419eater is a website dedicated to people (with quite a bit of spare time on their hands apparently) who hunt and bait scammers, in their case Nigerian 419 scammers are their speciality.

419 scams are so called because of article 419 of the nigerian criminal code- dealing with fraud. What the "scambaiters" (there's a new word for my vocabulary today) do is fool the nigerian scammers into posing for hilarious photographs which are posted in their trophy room!

They explain in detail how the whole system works and there's a whole section teaching you how to scam them back - oh what happy days...!

The best ever complaints letter (or close anyway)...!

i don't know if any of you have seen this..... its the best complaint letter i've seen - and it made me laugh out loud !

Not only is it funny, its personable and not vicious or nasty - but gets the point across - so well in fact that Richard Branson called the chap in question himself to talk about the complaint !

I find myself asking everyone at work to write a little less corporately and a little more humanly. Less of the "it has come to my attention" and more of the "I noticed" less of the " should you need further information etc," more of the " I'll call you, or you can call me" that kinda stuff......

so i felt vindicated when i saw this - humour works - way better than sarcasm or just being right !

enjoy


http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/travelnews/4344890/Virgin-the-worlds-best-passenger-complaint-letter.html

What's your story in 6 words...?

Apropos of absolutely nothing... just because we've been having so much fun with this on linkedin and triiibes, here's a kinda off beat blog post for you....

Legend has it that Hemingway was once challenged to write a story in only six words. His response? “For sale: baby shoes, never worn.”

Starting in 2006, SMITH Magazine re-ignited the recountre by asking readers for their own six-word memoirs. They sent in short life stories in droves, from the bittersweet (“Cursed with cancer, blessed with friends”) and poignant (“I still make coffee for two”) to the inspirational (“Business school? Bah! Pop music? Hurrah”) and hilarious (“I like big butts, can’t lie”).

My question is : What would yours be...?

Mine is : still curious about people and stuff.

http://vimeo.com/335019

Balagan starts twittering.....!

Ok, after our post a week or so, we've done it, joined the networking phenomenon of the year (apparently)

We just joined and we're still working it out - the Tweet grid's got us confused.com but we'll hang in there, because it looks like a lot of fun, and cute too !

If you want to follow us, this is our url: http://twitter.com/balaganlive, just when we thought we couldn't get more up to date than a blog along comes Twitter !

So we're off to learn about tweeting or twittering or whatever it is... see you on the tweet grid - we think?

Have a great week - sunshine on sunday, followed by rain on Monday - least it was the right way round this week !

Congratulations Anna !

Anna our favourite Swedish accountant has passed her accounts exams. Which were, by all accounts a lot of hard work and numbers ! She quite likes numbers and keeps all of ours in order !

So we'd like to say a big well done to Anna on her achievement and that cookie has delicious icing in case you're wondering.

A nice weekend to everyone !

Happy Earth Day !

Earth Day which is celebrated on April 22, is a day designed to inspire awareness and appreciation for the Earth's environment.

It was founded by U.S. Senator Gaylord Nelson as an environmental teach-in in 1970 and is celebrated in many countries every year. This date is Spring in the Northern Hemisphere and Autumn in the Southern Hemisphere. Its goal is a healthy sustainable environment.

Since the millennium its goal has differed slightly and is now focused on global warming and a push for clean energy.

Through Earth Day Network, activists connect change in local, national, and global policies with 17,000 organizations in 174 countries.

Earth Day is the only event celebrated simultaneously around the globe by people of all backgrounds, faiths and nationalities which has got to be a good thing...

So, what can you do to celebrate Earth Day ?

Sukie Lau Spring / Summer '09 catalogue now live !

Finally, after what we freely admit has been more than a slight delay !

The new Spring / Summer catalogue is finished. Ta Da !

Its posted online today under out catalogue downloads section on our website - www.balagan.co.uk. If you are a Sukie stockist, please call or drop us an email to download it today. If you're interested in stocking Sukie Lau, please give us a call.

Its password protected, but its the same password that we use for the other catalogues....

If you get stuck - please give Kim or Charlie, our lovely girls on the phone a bell and they'll talk you through it.

In the meantime, we're soooooo pleased its finally finished, hope you like it....

Are you tweeting?

What’s all the fuss about Twitter?

If you haven’t heard all the media hype about Twitter recently then you must have been somewhere very remote… Its in the news, big retailers are talking about it and Stephen Fry loves it!

Twitter is a micro blogging website, and its this years internet phenomenon, but can it work for retailers? Well, ASOS think so, so do Carphone Warehouse and the guys behind the new Woollies online business and hundreds of others.

But for now, if you hate it, or refuse to do it - thats fair enough, but just think about this one thing…. Remember way back when websites just came out… and lots of big companies got bitten on the bum because someone saw the value in their brand name before they did?

Well, ahem, it could happen again here !

It takes no more than a minute to sign up and even if you never use it, it could save you lots of aggravation later. At least if you do decide to do it later you’ll have the name.

So, its good advice to pop over to twitter right now and register your username – that way no-one else can get it. There’s three compelling reasons why this is a good idea:

1. Even if you never tweet – this will stop someone else from stealing your brand. If someone buys your brand and has a rubbish avatar and does inane tweets – its not going to look good !

2. It prevents people from claiming your name – you can register as a business or an alias, or yourself.

3. Ikea and Sony apparently failed to register their own twitter names, and the people who do have them haven’t activated their accounts……? Hmmmm do you see big money in the horizon for the savvy tweeters there – I do !

and so far, its FREE !

Retailrehab....

Retailrehab has been getting more press mentions this week, in the April issue of Fashion Extras !

A new section went live yesterday on websites and tomorrows release is on SMART goals, setting them, measuring them and achieving them !

we're also working on a section on SEO - thats search engine optimisation to you and me ! How to get the most out of your website :-)

So to jump over and have a look, just click on the apple....

Or maybe join the retailrehab blog?

an apple a day keeps the recession at bay !

Happy Easter !

Well ok, we don't have the sunshine, but do we ever on a bank holiday, but we do have chocolate - every womans friend, so in honour of the occasion, here's some chocolate quotes to nibble on....

“Chocolate is cheaper than therapy, and you don’t need an appointment.”

"Hell hath no fury like a woman who has sworn off fudge and chocolate."

and our office favourite...... because its soooooo true !

"a man found a bottle on the ocean, and he opened it and out popped a genie, who gave him three wishes. The guy wished for a million dollars, and poof! there was a million dollars. Then he wished for a convertible, and poof! there was a convertible. And then, he wished he could be irresistible to all women... poof!
He turned into a box of chocolates."

If you don't celebrate Easter, then don't feel left out, join us in a celebration of Spring and chocolate...

Happy Easter everyone !

Indies group added today on linkedin

Morning everyone,

we've just added a retailrehab group on linkedin for topical discussion about the pressures that independent retailers are facing at the moment - if you're a member then pop over, join up and get talking ! we're looking for feedback and discussion - be gentle !

If you're not a member then you'll have to join first - sorry :-( But don't worry our own forum should be up and running soon on retailrehab so you can join us there -watch out for updates !

have a great day and enjoy the sunshine !

An Inconvenient truth !

OMG i'm probably the last person in the western world to have seen this movie!

It was on last night, and I was in the mood for it, I mean I've heard about it, but i was never in the right place or it wasn't the right time. Anyway last night was the right place and right time, and i was shocked !

What a giant of a man ! I was blown away by him and his humility in the face of a crushing defeat because now i understand what winning the Presidency meant to him - more than just becoming President, it meant that he could have tackled this head on and made a difference - and we all know that he pretty much won - to have been so close and not make it, must have been - ah i can't imagine it !

Anyway, he obviously took a step back and thought, right then, how am i going to spread the word now in the face of this setback? So he made a movie, and he travels the world showing it to everyone and explaining it (here comes the science) and i was blown away by him, his movie and the facts it portrays, as every normal thinking human being would have to be....

So, i'm off today to see what we can do in our own small way and to spread the word about this incredible movie and this incredible man...!
Have a brilliant day x

Crash course in PR

Good morning, we hope you're all enjoying the sunshine !

New on our retailrehab website this morning is our 14 page e-book on PR. Its basically a crash course in writing press releases and getting coverage for your shop. Click on the picture to jump over and subscribe today...

Retailrehab has been featured in Drapers this week and on the Pure website, as well as on the Springfair.com site, so if you're wondering what all the fuss is about, this is as good a time as any to check it out....

have a lovely sunny day !

New Balagan Stars arrive !

We've been so busy with our orders recently we totally forgot to announce the arrival of some new people on our team ! Doh ! So, we're going to correct that right here, right now !

First up, there's Kim, our new Sales Manager, Kim is from sunny South Africa, just don't get her started on the British weather, apparently in Durban it never goes below about 25 degrees, shame huh ! Kim is upbeat and positive so she fits in brilliantly with our team + we're really pleased that she's joined us !

Team Ireland have just come on board with us, thats Paul, Jackie, Sandra and Michael, they live in four different corners of Ireland so there'll always be one of them in easy reach of you if you live in Ireland or Eire ! We're really happy to have them on board :-)

Team Wales, are Jemma, Steve and Tanya, some of you may already know them, or have met them at the Spring Fair, they just pointed out that we didn't send out a letter of introduction for them, so we're putting that right today.....

We want to say hi to them and welcome them on board too.... So now we've got complete coverage, except for a sliver down the middle of the country, but we're working on that too...

Have a fabulous day !

Colour blocking spring trend

Fashion designers have been injecting colour into Spring 2009 clothes, and not in a shy and subtle way - more in a yeehawww its Spring kind of a way !

Check out the pink outfits, in wickedly bright colour blocks. There's two distinct looks going on here - Mixing fondant tones and vibrant brights in large colour blocks. Colour blocking with strong brights of hot pinks, orange, mango, tangerine and lime are popular. You will also see other brights such as lapis, blue, lemon yellow, lime, orange and aqua jade tones.

In conclusion, expect bright colours that pop, shock and electrify to cheer in the Spring - think daffodils, greens and yellows primarily. So, there's lots of new colours and shapes to get excited about for the Spring Season.

New colours and shapes are going to need some new jewellery to accessorise - Trends so far indicated are big, bold and contrasting, big textural rings, stacked bangles -thin or thick. Huge rings and necklaces, the statement jewellery trend continues unabated !

Cyber Lyly site goes live !

Good morning everyone ! Cyber Lyly now has her own site, yes we know its taken ages - who knew it could take this long, but the good news is that we've learn't lots along the way, so next time it will be easier !

Anyway, the site is now up, you'll need the password to log in, which went out on an email mailer last night, but if you don't have one, please call us and we'll let you know them : tel 08452 600 925.

The site is designed to be an updated catalogue, so only the items we physically have in stock will appear on the site, everything thats on its way, won't appear until its here with us in our office.

Please browse the site and let us have your feedback :-) Be gentle with us !

Have a great day !

Displaying jewellery : 5 common mistakes !

our new e-book on jewellery display is now live on our sister site www.retailrehab.co.uk Its all about how to make a wicked jewellery display that gets your product noticed !

Better still its got the five most common mistakes we make when displaying jewellery, so you can know what they are and avoid them !

Just click on the picture to go straight there, you'll have to log in, but its free and once you're subscribed you get access to a brilliant resource of ideas and best practice for independent retailers....

so hop over today ...

Don't be a fluster bunny this Mother's day -Follow our cheeky checklist for a fuss free day !

Don’t get into a panic this mother’s day, follow our 8 simple steps to have a relaxed day with your mum:

1. Buy your card in advance, or if you’re making one, start it early enough for the glue to be dry ! Make sure everyone’s signed it.

2. Flowers sell out really fast around Mother’s day, so buy them a day or two in advance, or pre-order them, so you don’t end up at the garage…. Mum’s notice these things !

3. If you’re buying a present online, do it soon, and allow for delivery times. Wrap your present in advance so you’re not rushing around trying to do it as your mum walks in…

4. If you’re going out for dinner, make sure you have a reservation. Restaurants are really really full on Mother’s day. Make your reservation at least a week in advance (more would be better)

5. If you’re going out for the day, buy tickets in advance if possible

6. If staying at home and you’re cooking, make sure you’ve got everything you’ll need !

7. Make sure everyone knows what’s happening, so no-one gets left out and gets upset

8. Check your camera – make sure your batteries are charged

Relax and have some fun !

Red nose day

It's extraordinary to think that Comic relief was launched in 1985 !

The idea was so simple - Comic Relief would make the public laugh while they raised money to help people in desperate need. So far there's been eleven Red Nose Days that've raised more than £420m.

Now thats more than funny - that's astounding !

Do something funny for money this comic relief day

Go on, have a laugh !

The Lipstick effect

The Lipstick effect + how you can add value in a recession...?

Hmmm, what's that all about then? For those of you who haven't yet checked our sister site that's making lots of waves in the retail world, jump over now to read our breaking news blog about all thats fine and wicked in the wonderful world of retail.

Looking for some answers, or just got some questions - this is the place to post them...! and best of all its FREE ! But don't let that fool you into thinking there's no value - you couldn't be more wrong !

We're doing our bit to support independent retailers in the current economic challenges. See we think if we all work together, it'll be better for all of us.

It seems to be a novel concept, but we like it, so pop on over, and subscribe today to get the latest news, profit generating strategies and downloads... www.retailrehab.co.uk or click on the lipstick picture.

Have a great day !

Slumdog millionaire - Don't miss it !

As someone who goes to India pretty often, I was really curious to see if they'd be able to get across the assault on your senses that is India.

From the territorial dogs in the street, the chai wallah's, the amazing rail system that works beyond all reason and logic, because it really shouldn't. The beggars and the slum shanty towns, the rickshaws (Indian helicopter !) and the love affair with the man that is Amitabh Bachan ! Didn't see any roaming cows though, and not so many of my favourites, the ambassador taxis, but i think Danny did a great job !

Slumdog millionarire's got the lot, punch and pizzazz: a strong, clear, instantly graspable storyline and fabulous cinematography. It's definitely got that quirky-underdog twinkle and the awards are well deserved. How he managed to film a movie in the slums and in the street without a million onlookers is quite simply a feat in itself, and the other thing you don't get to see from the movie, is how flippin hot it is, noisy, or crowded...

The movie, differs from the book, which i really enjoyed, but i guess that at 2hrs, they just couldn't fit any more in. Its a brilliant feelgood movie, of indomitable spirit overcoming and of course - getting the beautiful girl !

Give yourself a treat and suspend your cares for a couple of hours - You'll be glad you did ..!

Balagan jewellery in Showgirls fashion photoshoot

The lingerie buyer magazine recently used a selection of our jewellery for their
"Showgirls" photoshoot.

We think the results are pretty amazing, so here's one of them for you to see here !

We've put them up on our website under the press page, along with the coverage from Cosmo bride which is also really really pretty ! So a good week on the press front all in all

Here's to March sunshine and happier times...

Le Journal de Lola Spring 2009 catalogue now live

The Miss Hattie B catalogue and the Spring update catalogue for Le Journal de Lola are now live on the site under the downloads button.

They are downloadable pdf's so you can save them to your desktop or print them out as you prefer.

The log in details were sent out as part of the March newsletter, but if you haven't received yours, please let us know and we'll get it to you immediately.

All the updated Spring catalogues are now live on the site. That's Gallery, Studio, Steam, Le Journal de Lola, Rocks and Miss Hattie B. Sukie Lau will follow shortly.

If you have any questions about this new way of receiving the updated catalogues then please do let us know....

In the meantime, welcome to March, here's to Spring time, lambs, daffodils and sunshine...!

The world definately looks a much brigher place for some sunshine and going home in daylight :-)

Have a great week !

Backwards in high heels, the impossible art of being female !

I don't want to alienate our male readers, but bearing in mind we're a jewellery company, and many readers of this blog will be women, I've just got to tell you about this new book I just got " Backwards in High Heels" I love this book! It's one of those rare books that you want to earmark, scribble in and rush out and buy for all your girlfriends, its absolutely fabulous !

Its title comes from the old saying, that Ginger Rogers did everything Fred Astaire did, only backwards and in high heels ! Its a book for everywoman struggling to make sense of the contradictory demands of living in the 21st century, and it tells it exactly how it is.

Within its pages is everything an intelligent woman might want to know about the nuances of every conceivable topic: big subjects, such as love, motherhood, feminism, politics, grief, ageing, as well as the “shallower” stuff. Except, in this book, as in most women's heads, and their lives, the demarcation between the deep and the shallow is so slight that its barely noticeable.

There isn't a patronising sentence in the book. It assumes that its readers will be adult women who are au fait with life's complexities, know how to live and how to think, but would like a little reinforcement every now and then. Or a little shaking out of worn mental grooves.

This is not an advert, its more of an extollation, buy this for your mum, your wife, your sister, your best friend or your cousin - It's a rare book that delivers what it promises on the cover and she will thank you for it !

Spring Summer catalogue updates now on our site !

We've just posted some of our Spring / Summer catalogue updates on our balagan site under the catalogue download banner.

So far, Gallery, Rocks, Steam and Studio are up there. Today we'll be finalising Le Journal de Lola and Miss Hattie B, so they should be up there by tonight.

Obviously they're password protected, so please email or call us for the password, which you can then use indefinately.

We've been trying to save paper and help the environment, which is why we're trialing this new method - Please give us any feedback you have...

If you're not a lover of the technology, please give us a call on 08452 600 925 and we can send you out a disc with them on, or a paper copy if you'd prefer? Just let us know.

Our monthly newsletter will be out Friday night with all the passcodes, top tips, and a host of new features to tickle your little grey cells...

Happy a great day !

Refreshed and ready for Monday !

The good news is that we're all ready for Monday, we have so much going on here, it's never boring, the week goes faster than Micheal J Fox in his time travelling Delorian ! (for those of you too young to remember that, trust me, its really fast!)

Ok, we haven't done one for a while, so here's our business tip of the week spot:

Business tip of the week

Hard work maketh the man, (or wo-man)

I think we’re all clear that there are lots of challenges in retail sales, notably long hours, the need for daily self-motivation, seasonal shifts in customers, trends and the need to make every customer experience a great one. No pressure there then !

Do you have a selection of opening gambits to initiate conversation with your customers, or do you rely on the old favourite “can I help you?” to which the answer is, as we all know, “Hmm no thanks, I’m just looking” and you retreat to your counter wounded and feeling a bit useless.

So today, why not try a new selection of opening lines, how about any of the following:

Did you find everything you were looking for today in our shop?

What do you think of our new xxxxxxxx range? (fill in the blank) We’re so excited about it because xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx (fill in the blank)

What brought you in here today?

Or Hi, can I just take two seconds of your time to tell you about xxxxxxxxxx

At the very least you’ll have had a conversation, introduced some products and lifted the ambience of the shop, at the best, you’ll have created sales !

If you have some time this week, make a cup of tea/coffee and download our new e-book from our sister site www.retailrehab.co.uk its free and it should give you some food for thought !

Have fun with selling !

Check our our other 28 sales tips on our website - they're FREE !

Let's hear it for Friday !

Finally, Friday has swung around.

Its been a manic week here at Balagan HQ, with orders from the show flying out, as well as lots of interest in our new retailrehab campaign!

Our first forray into publishing, our e-book on USP's is now LIVE and on the retailrehab site available as a FREE download. Don't miss it, its filled with valuable information to help you make your busines stand out in these challenging times.

Pop over to our sistersite on www.retailrehab.co.uk to check it out !

We're just finishing off our Spring Catalogues which we'll post (password protected of course) on our site as downloadable pdf's - We're working on being kind to the environment. Of course, for those of you who are still resisting the computer age, we can send you an original out in the post - just call and let us know :-)

Have a fabulous weekend, with wicked sales !

xx

Snow business !

Ok, so we're finally back from the NEC and Pure, and yes it was very snowy at the Spring Fair....! Thanks to all of you who braved the wicked weather to come and see us, it was surprisingly busy which we're taking as a very good sign !

We have lots of new things in the pipeline, Quite a lot of our projects just couldn't be ready in time for the shows, so we'll be sending you updates on our new products in a couple of weeks, once we get it all photographed and catalogued.

Retailrehab caused quite a stir, so you'll be reading about this in most of the post show publications. For those of you who haven't logged on, please do so as we'll be updating it weekly with ideas to generate publicity for your shops and businesses...

So now we're off to clear the snow from the car park... Ooooh the glamorous life we lead !

The Debut of Miss Hattie B...!

The new collection from Balagan, Miss Hattie B, will be unveiled at the Spring Fair. Miss Hattie B loves hand-made jewellery, frippery with pearls, pretty semi-precious stones and, to be honest anything soft and pretty.

Miss Hattie doesn't aim for perfection in her jewellery, preferring to see a trace of its hand made qualities, the tiny imperfections that create the unique beauty of the pieces.

So, for pretty, feminine and fun jewellery, visit us at Hall 18 on Stand B30 / C29 to experience some serious Hattitude !

The rubber band challenge - Just for fun !

Just for fun, and to lighten the mood,here's our accounts' rubber band ball, they've been collecting them for about a year !

Its massive - a bit pointless, but fun !

Does anyone out there have a rubber band ball to beat it ! A paperclip trail to lead to America? Barak Obama's portrait made out of post it notes???

So, you want to know does it bounce???

How big is it??

Why do we have sooooo many rubber bands??

How many bands are in there anyway?

All these questions and more answered in the next post !

See you at the NEC !

Campaign to Support Independent Retailers !

As some of you may know, we have a couple of shops too, and so we've had the opportunity to see business from both sides - Retail and Wholesale.

With this in mind, we're starting a "Thanks for supporting an Independent Retailer!" Campaign....

Its still a work in progress at the moment, so we can't tell you too much, but the idea is that it'll be a resource for small retailers to download information, share success stories and generally be a voice for indpendent retailers on our High Streets.

The Spring Fair exhibition site publicised us, you can see the link below and we're hoping for lots more great publicity.... so watch this space.

http://www.springfair.com/Balagan/RetailRehab

More information to follow very very soon !

Parking Charges Withdrawn at the NEC Spring Fair !

EMAP have just emailed us to tell us that the vastly unpopular proposed parking charges at the NEC Spring Fair have been withdrawn.

This is great news and in their words stops the issue from becoming a "disproportionate distraction", when we should all be concentrating on the upcoming show.

Good news for all of us who are off to Sunny Birmingham in the near future.

Balagan business tip of the week, Yes we know we missed the first two weeks, but hey, better late than never. So here it is:

Choose a regular customer to spotlight as a Customer of the Month.

Create a brief write up to submit to your local newspaper about the customer, and your shop, and why they're customer of the month, and be sure to give them a copy of the article as well as have one framed to hang in the store. Over time you could build up a wall of great customers !

The ice blocks in our heating have melted.(Still no sign of the engineer) But everyone's much happier, and its a new week ! So have a good one ! x

Positive Mental Attitude

Well, since there's quite enough doom and gloom pervading the media to anaethatise anyone, we've decided that what's called for here is a positive mental attitude (PMA)

Don't get sucked in by all the bad news in the media, while we admit that its not all good news, wallowing in a sea of despair never helped anyone. So have a look at our link to see 28 tips that cost hardly anything to increase sales http://www.balagan.co.uk/increaseyoursales.php

We're also featured in lots of press this week. Love must be in the air, as its all wedding magazines: Rocks was in Wedding Venues, Le Journal de Lola featured in Perfect Wedding and Studio was in Wedding Ideas. These are all the January issues, and they're all available to download as printable PDF's from our website http://www.balagan.co.uk/press.php

So now its back to work on the new collections for the Spring Fair launch.....

Have a great weekend - fingers crossed for some good sales

PMA all the way...

BRRRRR

Well, we've had a chilly start to our New Year as our heating has completely frozen in the office Mr Engineer, if you're reading this, get a wiggle on please

The annual, all singing, all dancing Stock check is finished, which everyone is pleased about because we've got a flippin lot of small things to count...

Anyway, orders are going out again as from today ! So thanks for your patience :-)

We've added a link on our website loaded with 28 ways to increase your sales (that won't cost you a fortune ) to keep your grey cells whirring away during this cold spell.

We're also hard at work on the Balagan Business Audit, which is now a bit of an epic, so it'll probably come out to you in stages. More updates to follow shortly

Fingers crossed for the engineer tomorrow...

Brrrr

Firstly, a very Happy New Year !

While its still close enough to New Year to be topical, here's some of our new years resolutions....!

Laugh more and worry less. Drink less and exercise more. Definately give up smoking ! Eat more fruit and veg and fewer take outs ! Make the time for more bubble baths. Make fewer to-do lists. Cook more meals ! Dance more, sit less. Help our customers more. Spend less money. Get a funky hat. Make more money! Give up smoking..! Go to the gym, and enjoy it ! Be nicer to our partners. Bake some cookies and cakes. Make funky jewelry. Make our business more successful. Make our business less stressful. Give up on the remote control. Play with our pets. Learn to play an instrument. Wear more colour.Wear more jewellery and fewer frowns. Discover new places. Travel the world. Complain less, praise more, and the best till last: Smile, have fun and don't get stressed out about life - enjoy it !