Mothers’ Day – GWD Blog

Flowers, Chocolates and Quality Presentation Packaging

March 20, 2019

by Toucan Publishing Chocolate box Easter Flowers Hat shaped boxes Mothers' Day Presentation Packaging

For good or ill the national obsession with chocolates and flowers continues – particularly at this time of the year.

According to recent figures – In the UK, 10% of all chocolate is consumed in the form of Eggs over Easter, with the country being the fourth largest consumer of chocolate (per head of capita) in the World, behind Switzerland, Germany and Austria. On average, each person in Britain eats approx. 9.5 kg of chocolate each year. When it comes to flowers, according to aboutflowers.com a staggering 26% of ALL flowers are purchased from florists on Mother’s Day, surpassed only by Valentines Day.

Naturally as the UK’s premier manufacturer of presentation packaging this period is extremely important to us here at GWD Ltd . Indeed we have a substantial number of florists and chocolatiers amongst our clients. Here are a few examples of products we have made over the past year.

This heart-shaped box with a window was manufactured here in Essex for flowers, specifically preserved flowers and rose heads. These have a life of 3 years or more and are used as table decorations, centrepieces and other ornamental uses. The packaging therefore, has to be robust as well as stylish.

The two photos above show round hatboxes that were produced for different flower growers/importers: Exprezzion and MM Flowers . They were used in the sale of their flowers at two leading supermarket chains and for their online sales. Hat boxes, with or without lids, are widely recognised as a very up-market way of presenting flowers for that special gift or loved one, and GWD Ltd make them in a range of sizes, from 150mm diameter to 150mm high (and smaller if required) up to 300mm diameter x 300mm high (and bigger if required).

Packaging for chocolates and Easter eggs

The Easter egg boxes in the picture above show two high-end, bespoke, rigid Easter egg boxes (with separate box and lid) that were made for The Secret Truffletier who create handmade champagne truffles, Swiss Chocolates and luxurious dark chocolate truffle gifts. At the other end of the scale the image also shows a small fold-up carton for a much smaller egg. This was personalised for Claridges , the luxury hotel in Mayfair. It is an equally high-end product.

Whatever product your have, you can be assured that GWD can help you with the perfect presentation packaging to help it sell, online or in the shops. We’ve been creating packaging for florists and chocolatiers for over 30 years. Please get in touch.

Noel Greenwood is the Managing Director of GWD Ltd, the designers and manufacturers of presentation and promotional packaging. You can reach him on (01279) 416093 or at the company’s website: www.gwd.ltd.uk

Chocolate Boxes Manufactured in the UK!

February 12, 2017

by Simon Thomas Box Making Mothers' Day Specialist Packaging

There are two very big dates coming soon for Chocolatiers: Valentine’s Day, when it is estimated that at least £1.6billion is spent on gifts and treats for the occasion across the UK, and of course, Mother’s Day, which this year falls on March the 26th.

New research shows that the average Brit is set to spend as much as £50 on their Mother this year, up from £27.17 in 2014, with as much as £928 million being spend across the Country. Naturally, a very large proportion of that will be spent of chocolate – which remains British peoples’ second gift of choice for the occasion, behind flowers. That’s a very substantial market.

mother’s day chocolate packaging — Mother’s day chocolate packaging

Many retailers will be (as usual) taking advantage of the increase ‘panic buying’ in the 48 hours up to Valentine’s and Mothers’ Day. If you are a florist or a chocolatier you want your products to be catching the eyes of the buyers – and what better way to do that than with attractive and innovative presentation packaging?

chocolate box makers UK — Chocolate box makers UK

Here at GWD Ltd we have been creating packaging for chocolatiers for almost 30 years, including boxes for big name brands such as Bettys of Harrogate, multiple Academy Of Chocolate and International Chocolate Award winners, Rococo Chocolates, and the Grown Up Chocolate Company. Our blog has detailed previously how we are one of a very few packaging companies in the UK who can create round ‘hat’ boxes , but we also manufacture star-shaped boxes, heart-shaped boxes and indeed pretty much any shape you can think of, including triangular, octagonal and even teardrop-shaped ones.

presentation boxes in unusual shapes — Presentation boxes in unusual shapes

Our cardboard engineers are adept at rising to challenges set by clients and their designers. We can either work from a specific design that you may have in mind, or our on-site design team can work together with you and come up with something entirely new and unique. We are not a wholesaler, we design and make the majority of our boxes here in the UK, meaning there is no minimum order number and we retain total control over lead times.

GWD are also happy to have face-to-face meetings to discuss your requirements and can offer quotes by email or telephone. Manufacturing in the UK means we can also handle short notice arrangements when possible.

Make your chocolates stand out from the competition. You know how good they taste – why not give them the presentation packaging they deserve!

Innovative floral packaging for major retailers – flowers presented at their best.

February 29, 2016

by Simon Thomas Mothers' Day Presentation Packaging Weddings

Floral packaging - original and innovative. — Floral packaging – original and innovative.

Mother’s Day is upon us again and as is traditional millions of people will be expressing their goodwill with flowers. Indeed, in many ways Mother’s Day is a florist’s Christmas, with a 2013 survey indicating that a third of respondents would be buying flowers to mark the occasion. But as you know, nobody wants to thank their mother for all her hard work bearing them and bringing them up with a soggy bunch of flowers picked up at the last minute from the petrol station on the way to Sunday lunch.

As much as the thought, and of course the quality of the product, it’s the presentation that counts.

GWD Ltd have years of experience of creating beautiful presentation boxes for gifts of all kinds, including flowers. We have designed and made a range of floral packaging for major retailers, including these flower gift bags-

– designed specifically to enhance both the look of the arrangement as well as the experience of giving. If you are looking for presentation packaging to showcase your flowers, then look no further. Our range of ‘hat’ boxes are extremely popular with florists and retailers – we make many of them ‘bespoke’ (such as the one below) and are one of a very few companies in Europe who have the knowledge and facilities to create circular boxes.

Floral packaging round 'Hat' box — Floral packaging round ‘Hat’ box

Whether you want us to build boxes to a design you already have in mind, or to design boxes from scratch for you, we have a presentation solution for every floral need. Our designers can work alongside you to create the perfect bag or box for your product. We also provide a ‘sample’ and ‘mock-up’ service so you can get a true feel of how various boxes will look before you commit to your final design.

As we are the manufacturers as well as the designers, with the majority of our boxes being created here in Harlow, Essex, there are no minimum order requirements, and sampling is time-effective. We have total control over our lead times, meaning wherever possible we can also accommodate short-notice orders, and are more than happy to organise face-to-face meetings to suit your requirements.

Here at GWD we can draw on thirty years’ experience as cardboard engineers to provide all sorts of artistic flourishes to liven up your boxes, from UV varnishing to laminating or embossing.

Your flowers are beautiful. We want to help you present them in the best way possible, so your customers can have a Mothers’ Day to remember.