Many Happy Returns!

Mr Bob Illingworth, the Chairman of Widdop Bingham, celebrates his 80th Birthday on 9th February.  The 4th generation of the family involved in the business, he took over the running of Widdop Bingham during the 1950's almost 60 years ago.  At that time things were very different from what they are today - rationing was still in place, the country was being rebuilt and manufacturing was in the process of converting back from military production.

During the 1980's, Bob's three sons, Stuart, Chris and Andrew, the current Directors of Widdop Bingham, joined the business.  Officially retiring in 1990 Bob continues to take an active interest in the business.

An official invitation

At the beginning of this month, Andrew Illingworth, our Sales Director, was invited by the Prime Minister to attend a Reception at no 10 Downing Street. The reception was held to promote UK exports and to help UK businesses take their products and services to the world.

Earlier this year, Stuart Illingworth, our Managing Director, was invited to a Breakfast Meeting with the Prime Minister when he visited Oldham.

Summer Showroom Show

Our Summer Showroom show proved to be a huge hit once again with many of our customers. The customer with the golden ticket winning £1000 of stock was Claire Spencer from Noir in Hebden Bridge. Congratulations! But a big thank you to all our customers who took the time to visit our showroom to preview our new ranges. If you did miss the event, all is not lost. We are showing at Harrogate from 19th – 22nd July and our showrooms are open Monday – Friday 8.30am - 5pm.

In the picture (From left to right)

Mike Stansfield - Showroom Manager, Widdop Bingham

Stephen Illingworth - Business Development Manager, Widdop Bingham

Widdop Bingham makes it a double!

At a glittering ceremony in London, Widdop Bingham won the gold award for best service to the independent retailer for the second year running. The Gift Retailer Awards are the most prestigious awards in the industry with over 100 companies nominated.

Stuart Illingworth, Managing Director, commenting on the company’s success said, “We are living through an unprecedented period of turmoil in the economy where trading is increasingly challenging. Companies are having to work harder and smarter than ever before to provide a first class service to their customers. At Widdop Bingham we have continued to invest in the service and products we offer all our customers. Winning the gold award for the second year has required a huge team effort throughout the business. Commitment from all our staff has been critical in providing a first class customer service, and without it, this award would not have happened”.

Autumn and Spring Fair giftware category sponsor

Widdop Bingham has been unveiled today as the giftware sponsor for the Autumn and Spring Fair. We are the first category partner to sign up and are delighted to have been selected. Stephen Illingworth, our Business Development Manager says, "In the challenging times that we are all facing, this represents a unique opportunity for us to reach a broader global audience. We jumped at the chance of being the gift category sponsor and the first to sign up to this new programme." Look out for us on Springfair.com and Autumnfair.com as well as a much higher profile at both fairs.

In the picture (From left to right)

Stephen Illingworth - Business Development Manager, Widdop Bingham

Julie Driscoll - Commercial Director, Sponsorship and Digital, Emap

Hometime Clock Collection

Have you seen our new range of contemporary wall clocks? Hometime clocks represent a fresh and fashionable take on wall clocks. Take a look at our Hometime website (www.hometimeclocks.co.uk) or request a catalogue for more information.

Short of wall space? We have a compact free standing display unit available for the Hometime range of clocks. Call us for more details.