Specialist department store retailer David Jones has announced a 25.1% rise in net profits to $137.05 million for the 2008 year.

The retailer’s sales grew by 5.8% from $1.98 million in to $2.10 million. The company confirmed it’s 2009 earnings projection of a 5%-10% profit increase. DJ’ management expects to have to endure a cople of low quarters due to the effects of interest rates and high petrol prices compounded by the US financial termoil, however said that they have lots of flexibility in pricing.

Bring sophisticated ambience, stylish elegance and luxury to your surrounds with the fabulous new Abode Aroma® Kimono fragrance diffuser inspired by the exquisite beauty of the Orient.
 
The fabulous new variants – Green Tea, Ginger Lily, Jasmine, Black Musk and Yuzu Flower – will scent your spaces to create an exotic and enticing ambience. Green Tea is a vibrant burst of zesty citrus; perfect for refreshing living spaces. Ginger Lily is glamorous, tempered with spice and floral notes – truly alluring for a bedroom. The mysterious essence of Black Musk is a captured with a coconut top note, decadent and delicious. Jasmine, a delicate and romantic bloom, is touched with wild rose and will harmonise stressful surrounds.

The intriguing Yuzu Flower fragrance is captured on lilac woody breeze – inviting and uncommon for your home. The five elegant fragrance diffusers are gorgeously packaged in luxury boxes, perfect as a gift or as an affordable indulgence for the home. The Abode Aroma® Kimono range contains a 300ml aromatic diffuser (RRP $49.95).

Abode Aroma® has accessed cutting edge trend forecasting and fragrance technology to create the Kimono range. Managing director of Apsley and Company, Ms. Helen Armstrong, says that the innovative nature of the product reflects today’s demands in the home fragrance world. “As research continues to show that fragrance inspires our mind and body, and that scent is strongly linked to memory, we are creating fragrances to maximise our sense of well-being and overall happiness in all our surrounds,” Ms. Armstrong says. Abode Aroma® fragrance diffusers artfully create a beautiful decorative piece whilst providing a sophisticated interior perfume.

The highest quality ingredients are sourced to create the fragrances - providing a long-lasting and effective scent diffuser. Abode Aroma® is created by Apsley and Company, an Australian owned and managed company specialising in home fragrance and scented gift lines. Abode Aroma® is sold throughout selected gift stores nationally and offer fragrances that inspire, delight and beautify your surrounds.

For more information contact www.abodearoma.com or phone 03 93491800

GHA has announced a major overhaul of its trade fair allocation and exhibition contracts with members from February 2009 as part of it fight back to secure its trade fair exhibitions, increase the quality and quantity of exhibitors for retailers and to increase the benefits to exhibitor members.

Established by its exhibitors over 30 years ago, GHA is a not-for-profit organisation that provides the most cost effective trade shows in the gifts and homewares industry.

New sweeping changes to their stand allocation system, are designed to make it fairer for regular and loyal exhibitors, provide surety of tenure, easier long term planning and make it more difficult for competitors to offer one-off deals to entice some members to exhibit elsewhere instead.

Key stand allocation changes include:-
(1) Formally adopting the previously proposed loyalty bonus, where a Member company who exhibits with GHA at all three of GHA’s Home & Giving Fairs in any one calendar year gets an additional bonus Trade Fair Point.

(2) Reallocation of all exhibition space for all fairs for 2009.

(3) Reduced rates for contracted exhibitors who sign up for 2 or 3 fairs per annum, with higher reductions for longer contract terms.

(4) Changing the basis of fresh reallocation of a floor plan, so that Key Exhibitors (as determined by GHA management), are allocated space first irrespective of trade fair points, followed by members who are contracted exhibitors, ahead of casual and occasional exhibitors, each based on trade fair points.

(5) Only contracted exhibitors will have rebooking rights for the same space. (Key Exhibitors will be required to be contracted).

Gift & Homewares Australia’s Chief Executive Alby Taylor says:

“GHA has lead industry change for more than three decades.  As the peak representative body in the gift & homewares industry, we are receiving support from our members for improvements that must be made to help people’s businesses and the industry prosper into the future.

“We have taken considerable care to ensure that our new policies are fair for all members and benefit the industry as a whole.

“Beginning in February 2009, our new exhibition policies come into effect and consist of: a new stand allocation system; and discounted exhibition rates for loyal members who commit to a multi-fair contract. We are rewarding our members’ loyalty by offering an unbeatable return on investment.

“Unlike commercial exhibition companies, we have a genuine interest in the long term future of people’s businesses and the industry as whole.”

Scentchips offers candles and home fragrance products made with the original wax chips shaped like leaves and flowers. They can be mixed and blended into thousands of combinations for your smelling pleasure.

Scentchips have been made by hand in San Antonio, Texas since 1980 - but in March 2008 started production of Scentchips in Australia.  Scentchips use only the finest ingredients on the market. Scentchips can be melted in a burner, or simply used as potpourri (fragrance will last 5 years as potpourri!).   No matter how you use your Scentchips you are sure to be delighted by their wonderful aromas!

Scentchips feature everything that you’ll need to transform your home into a scentifically wonderful place including Scentchips, burners, and other accessories.

For more information and wholesale inquiries see www.scentchips.com.au

Looking for something stylish & Earth friendly this Christmas? The “Peace On Earth” Christmas cards, gift tags and wrapping paper feature beautiful Australian nature designs inspired by a love for all things Earthy.. And they’re anything but traditional!

Every Pack Plants A Tree!

For Every Peace On Earth Christmas card pack sold, Earth Greetings will donate to Trees For Life to plant one tree. With your help, they can plant

thousands!

100% Earth Friendly

Earth Greetings print on 100% post-consumer recycled paper with vegetable ink. But being Earth friendly is not just about paper and ink. They operate in a total sustainability fashion, considering the impact on the Earth in every step of the production process in order to preserve our forests and wildlife.

Their printer offsets their carbon emissions making them carbon neutral. They print locally in Australia, reducing pollution from transportation. Their office is run on solar electricity and solar hot water, They are committed to recycling and offset our carbon emissions. Their greeting cards come with 100% post-consumer recycled envelopes and we use minimal biodegradable and recycled cardboard packaging.

Wholesale enquiries to info@earthgreetings.com.au or go to the stockists page for where to buy www.earthgreetings.com.au