A Worsley family has created the first premium countdown calendars for birthdays and other occasions after their teenage daughter sparked an idea.
When Andrew and Charlotte Staal were asked by their teenage daughter while she was studying for her Business GCSE, “why don’t we have advent calendars for birthdays?”, they understandably didn’t have an answer at first – but after taking the idea and deciding it was a brilliant one, they got to work creating a unique concept that is already shaking up the UK gifting market.
SevenYays was officially launched this month after being in production and development during multiple national lockdowns over the past year.
Aiming to support independent British businesses with ethical and sustainable values, the new personalised gifting service allows shoppers to create customised countdown calendars for birthdays and other occasions, or chose from several ready-made boxes with themes including gin, wellbeing, and celebration.
You get to pick six small, high-quality gifts and one larger gift – known as the Seventh Yay – which are all wrapped up in plantet-friendly packaging and come alongside a card with a personalised message.
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The boxes are sent to the recipient just in time for the countdown to their special occasion.
The gifts selection includes craft gins and rum, wellbeing products, high-quality beauty items, sleep masks, socks, books, and tech items.
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Speaking on the launch of SevenYays, Charlotte Staal said: “Our daughter had to create a business idea for a GCSE project and when she asked us, “why don’t we have advent calendars for birthdays? We couldn’t answer, and the more we thought about it, the more we saw what a brilliant idea it was.
“We put our heads together as a family and talked it over.
“It seemed like the perfect fit for the current situation. With friends and loved ones stuck in lockdown, what better way to spread some joy? Then we got to work.”
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“Right from the start of this journey, we knew we wanted to offer the very best gifts to customers,” Andrew Staal added.
“High-quality, fun, useful, but always with ethical and sustainable values a priority.” Our key
He continued: “There are so many amazing SMEs out there creating some wonderful gifts and incredible products [and] we can give them the opportunity to boost their brand and increase their sales – and bring some exciting new gifts to our customers.”
SevenYays launched on 1st June with 12 different pre-selected themed boxes and 130 different premium gifts to choose from in the create-your-own box option.
Prices start at £30 – and you can grab yours here.
Featured Image – SevenYays
Business
Kane Funeral Services – the award-winning Greater Manchester business offering fitting farewells from just £1250
No one wants to have to think about funerals – whether for themselves or their loved ones – but when the time does come, you want to make sure it’s the most fitting and respectful farewell possible.
This Greater Manchester-based independent funeral service is the fastest-growing in the UK, and has gained a solid reputation for providing exceptional care and support to families during the darkest of times.
The business recently scooped a Quality Business Award, thanks to an overall score exceeding 95% across categories including service, reputation and satisfaction.
Kane Funeral Services has branches across the region, in Burnage, Brinnington, Newton Heath, Poynton, Salford, Stockport and Wythenshawe, each one perfectly positioned to create healing moments after loss.
These truly independent funeral directors offer everything from affordable, stress-free ‘direct to crematorium’ services to more elaborate, personalised funerals.
With the direct to crematorium service, starting from just £1250, you can strip away all the stress and overwhelming decisions involved in planning a funeral, while still honouring your loved ones with dignity and respect.
Kane Funeral Services also has a full fleet of funeral cars, with three hearses and seven luxurious and elegant limousines.
Recognising that the journey to and from a funeral can be a big part of the final farewell, these limos offer families a serene and private space to comfort one another.
The local business promises three major benefits – simplicity, transparency and compassion.
Kane Funeral Services says: “We believe in shouldering the responsibility of presenting you with the widest range of products and services available, ensuring that you have the freedom to make informed decisions.
“We understand the importance of financial considerations, and therefore, we encourage our clients to inquire about costs at every stage of the process.
“With us, you can expect a seamless and personalized funeral experience that honors the life and legacy of your loved ones. We are here to guide and support you every step of the way, providing comfort, empathy, and respect throughout the entire funeral journey.”
Find out more and get in touch with Kane Funeral Services HERE.
Aldi has been named as the cheapest supermarket of the year in 2024, according to Which? research.
You may remember that at the start of each year, Which? usually releases a list of which UK supermarkets our money went the furthest in over the previous year, and 2024 is absolutely no different, as the consumer choice company has revealed that Aldi shoppers saved the most money overall.
Each month during 2024, Which? tracked thousands of grocery prices across eight of the UK’s biggest supermarkets to find out how much each shop was charging for everyday items.
The analysis was based off a basket of 56 basic items, with both branded and own-brand items such as Birds Eye Peas, Hovis bread, milk, and butter being used, and included special offer prices and loyalty prices where applicable, but not multi-buys.
Aldi took the top spot over rivals Asda, Lidl, Morrisons, Ocado, Sainsbury’s, Tesco, and Waitrose.
The budget retailer was found to be the cheapest supermarket for all 12 months of the year, with the research finding that shoppers who stocked up there would have saved £393 on average, compared to the most expensive alternative, over the course of the year.
The results for the final month of the year in December showed that a shopping list of 56 groceries would’ve set shoppers back £100.29, on average, at Aldi.
Unsurprisingly, on the other end of the spectrum, Waitrose came out as the most expensive, as it was £29.54 pricier than Aldi in December.
It was therefore found to be the most expensive supermarket every month throughout 2024 for the smaller shop.
Each month, Which? also compares the cost of a larger trolley of more than 150 items, and does not include discounter supermarkets Aldi and Lidl in this, as they do not always stock some of these products.