User:Giftcraftltd/sandbox

GIFTCRAFT
Giftcraft is Canadian Company, based in Brampton Ontario. A leading full-service designer, manufac-turer and wholesaler of innovative lifestyle and giftware products.

FOUNDING
Giftcraft was founded in 1946 by Walter and Else Landauer as a supplier of giftware to small, independent Canadian retailers. The Company’s initial business model was predicated on inexpensively sourced giftware from emerging manufacturing bases, particularly in Japan These products—predominantly commodity market goods incorporated minimal proprietary design. The Company also handled Canadian distribution for some US based giftware lines. As an early entrant to the international sourcing markets, Giftcraft established itself as a progressive supplier of giftware products and grew steadily with this business model.

BROADENED SCOPE
In 1988, Giftcraft’s founders sold the business to current owners Gary Polan (presently Executive VP & Di-rector) and Tom Kydd (presently CFO/Treasurer). Early in his tenure as CEO, Mr. Polan expanded Giftcraft’s giftware business line by acquiring exclu-sive Canadian distribution rights for Applause Inc., the largest US licensed giftware company at the time (with rights to Disney, Warner Brothers, Sesame Street and several movie properties). Throughout the 1990’s, the Company continued to expand by acquiring the Canadian distribution rights to several home dé-cor, figurine & collectible lines, most notable the Boyds Collection (which became the largest collectible figurine and plush line in North America). In 1993, Giftcraft entered the American market and in 1997 built their own internal dedicated sales force.

A VISION ROOTED IN DESIGN
Trevor Cohen, a visionary entrepreneur in the giftware industry, had recently completed the sale of his highly successful mass market seasonal giftware business in 2001. While earning a reputation for successfully building numerous, highly profitable merchandising programs for mass market retailers like Walmart, Kmart and Target, Mr. Cohen continued to consult with Giftcraft as a strategic advisor. Realizing the potential for the Giftcraft platform and recognizing that he could transform the business, Mr. Cohen agreed to join the Company as CEO in 2002 and became the majority stakeholder in 2006. When Mr. Cohen joined Giftcraft in 2002, he envisioned a shift away from market goods and collectibles in favor of the proprietary, design-built products that appeal to independent retailers and support stronger margins. As the cornerstone of this business model, Mr. Cohen implemented an institutionalization of the product design process directed by a new product development and merchandising leadership team and structured around a cyclical merchandising calendar. This proprietary process integrates design, development, line review and production to drive efficiency and speed to market for new product introductions. Driven by a design engine fuelled by inspired merchandising and revamped product offerings, Giftcraft successfully transformed itself into a leading full-service designer, manufacturer and wholesaler of innovative lifestyle and giftware products. With over 70 years of lessons learned, the Company today coordinates and integrates its superior design, logistics and sales functions to deliver exceptional value with unrivalled sophistication to the growing home, gift & garden industry.

Charlie Paige
Named in honor of CEO Trevor Cohen’s beautiful granddaughter, the brand launched in 2012 and offers an extensive selection of apparel, footwear and accessories on today’s most popular styles, fabrics and colors. Sizing, pre-packs and price points are tailored to ensure your success in this new and very important growing category for the gift market.

Yo Sox
Launched in 2013, the line of colorfully unique men’s and women’s socks was born out of Giftcraft CEO Trevor Cohen’s fondness for non-traditional socks and the challenges in finding a high- quality line to suit his taste. Yo SoxTM are crafted in compact Turkish Cotton with a touch of elastane for all day comfort with reinforced heels and toes for long-lasting wear. The designs range from humorous novelty designs to strikingly bold patterns in men’s crew and women’s knee-high and crews styles. In 2014, Yo SoxTM expanded into Toddlers Socks, and a line of Sporty Watches and Sunglasses based on the brand’s most popular sock designs.

Seasonal
Offering industry-leading selection of Seasonal products. With an appreciation of the top-selling holidays and occasions, the Seasonal collections represent the most popular seasonal decorating themes, materials and colors, including a broad selection of holiday trim and holiday impulse programs.

Gift
Creating a memorable gifting moment starts with finding a memorable gift. Offering a large selection of functional and decorative gift inspired products for the home and office, giftware with whimsical and sentimental messaging, impulse gifts, as well as comprehensive gifting programs.

Britto
Joyful themes, vivid imagery and use of bold graphic detailing has made iconic pop-artist Romero Britto one of the most recognizable and popular artists in the world. Giftcraft’s officially licensed Britto Collection interprets his most popular designs into 3-dimensional functional works of art.

Fashion
Industry-leading selection of style defining scarves, wraps, jewelry, reading glasses and handbags offers you an array of options and price points to building your fashion business.

Home Decor
It is the finishing touches that make a house a home. With decor themes ranging from classic, contemporary and traditional, all collections are designed to appeal to a variety of personal styles and home decor aesthetics.

Outdoor Living
Outdoor Living Personal style and flair isn't limited to the confines of four walls. Representing the top-selling product categories, Giftcraft offers one of the industry's largest selections of outdoor decor, designed to complement an array of outdoor settings and personal styles.

Color Factory
Launched in 2012 with a moniker of Everyday Tasks Made Colorful, the line of kitchen accessories and gadgets features stainless steel pieces with colorful silicone comfort-grip detailing.

Chalk Talk
Sentiment focused gifting decor collection with chalkboard inspired motifs and vintage typography and graphics. Offerings include wall and table decor, kitchen accessories and holiday inspired decor and ornaments.