News

Well we are definitely living in interesting political times at the moment! However, I’m sure people from all sides of the political debate would agree that retail has been a tough place to be recently. With uncertainties over Brexit and election results, consumers have not been feeling very flash with their cash, and our Fair Trade producers have also been affected by the fall in the value of the pound. But sometimes when you are busy worrying about the pennies, it can be easy to forget why you are doing what you are doing in the first place. With that...

Last weekend Newcastle Emlyn celebrated its annual Vintage Day. A great excuse for us to get our fit and flare frocks out for some Fairtrade fun (of course no actual rats were harmed during the course of thew day – we are an ethical business after all!). But donning 50s fashion also made us think about how fashion has changed over the last few decades, and what that means for workers and the environment. This week marks Fashion Revolution Week, when we commemorate the 1,138 people killed in the Rana Plaza disaster in Bangladesh on the 24th April 2013. These were garment...

There comes a time in the depths of January each year when talk of spring starts to be bandied about. No, not by over enthusiastic gardeners, but by the organisers of Spring Fair – ‘the UK’s number one home and gift show for the retail industry’. And so, despite feeling very un-springlike at 5am on a Sunday morning, we made our annual pilgrimage to the NEC, armed with plenty of snacks and water and our comfiest shoes. We are very lucky as members of the British Association of Fairtrade Shops and Suppliers that there is a specific trail we can follow each...

Well its been a long time since we wrote a blog – anyone would think we have been plunged headlong into the busiest (and most wonderful) time of the year. The run up to Christmas for us means lots of sourcing the best Fair Trade gifts from our BAFTS colleagues, the very important Christmas shop window and Newcastle Emlyn Victorian night. But it is when things are at their busiest that it becomes easy to put your principles to one side for the sake of speed and convenience. Which brings us to the thorny issue of the Santa suit. As part of the...

As you know we are very excited about our BAFTS certification. But do people not involved in the Fair Trade community really know what that means? Well, if you do a Google search for BAFTS, the first result that pops up is for the BAFTA awards! So we had the idea of awarding our own BAFT(A)S to some of our suppliers in order to demonstrate the 10 principles of Fair Trade (as defined by the WFTO). These are the principles that they, and we, have to adhere to to qualify as BAFTS members. If you haven’t been following us on Facebook or Twitter,...