Summer sunshine is still being enjoyed by most of us as we continue wearing bikinis and sandals this August – but one Derby company’s mind is already on Santa and tinsel after already wrapping up 10,000 Christmas orders for 2024!
Multi award-winning corporate gifting company Colleague Box has this year reported its earliest Christmas orders since the Covid pandemic.
Business owners Natalie and Adam Bamford have already seen their festive order book filled with 10,000 gifts as companies are thinking months in advance of how to give their employees the very best compliments of the Christmas season.
The couple founded Colleague Box at the start of the pandemic in 2020 after Natalie was tasked with creating a thoughtful box of gifts for employees that could be easily posted through a letterbox.
Furloughed and home-working staff were so delighted with their gifts that the idea for Colleague Box was born.
The company was extremely successful right from the word go, turning over a million pounds in just months and sending out tens of thousands of gift boxes all around the country.
Four years later, companies based all around the country including DPD, Arden University and Valiant Pub Company have been coming to Colleague Box to arrange Christmas gifts for their staff.
Adam said the vast majority of businesses had chosen to hand pick a bespoke selection for employees rather going for one of the company’s ready-made gift box options, indicating a desire from HR directors to pull out all the stops when it comes to the perfectly chosen Christmas gift.
He said gifts that had been chosen this year for staff included festive alcohol, hot chocolate kits and scented candles.
“We’ve not seen this many Christmas orders so early in the year since the pandemic,” said Adam. “It’s really nice that companies are being really thoughtful in looking after their staff and turning their thoughts to the festive season already.
“It has been strange for us to choose Christmas presents in August! But we’re delighted to have seen these early orders too. At Colleague Box all we want is to spread happiness with our work and it’s great to know that companies are really buying into the idea that when you have happy staff, you get increased retention and productivity.”
Colleague Box has received multiple awards over the years, including Start-up Entrepreneur of the Year for Natalie at the Real Entrepreneur Awards; 2021 Winner of the Enterprising Women Awards; Midlands Start-up of the Year at the Allica Bank Great British Entrepreneur Awards, plus the Excellence in Collaboration gong at the East Midlands Chamber awards.
