Halfords puts Jodie Kidd in the driving seat

We recently worked with Jodie Kidd to launch Halfords’ winter motoring season, with a photocall at Jodie’s local Halfords store and Autocentre. Taking inspiration from “motoring chic”, Jodie even made the workshop look glamourous.

Underneath the glamour, and alongside the stunning shots, Jodie was called in by Halfords to help drivers know more about what goes on under their car bonnet by launching free Women’s Workshops with a half page of coverage in The Sun.

Jodie said; “My love of cars and driving is no secret, and over my years of racing I’ve learnt the mechanics of a car – I think it is so important for women to know how to maintain their cars and to understand what’s going on beneath the bonnet.”

Bookmark this post with:

Follow us on

Waitrose Kings Cross

Last week Waitrose opened their exciting new store at Kings Cross. The branch, which officially opened to the public on Thursday 24^th is part of the restoration of the Midland Goods Shed, first built in 1850 by the Great Northern Railway.

 

To celebrate this special opening, Waitrose invited journalists, analysts, key stake holders and neighbouring businesses to celebrate the restoration of the beautiful grade II listed building.

Guests were able to enjoy an evening of live music, fabulous food and to take an exclusive tour around the branch.

Kicking off the night was a performance by The Tailormade, who were crowned Gigs Champion 2014, following a five month search to find London's best busker. The second performance of the evening was by the YoYos, an acoustic covers band covering classic pop, rock, funk, disco and classy jazz tunes with a funky twist.

Guests were able to enjoy a fusion of food created by Jonathan Moore, the Waitrose executive chef and his team, and the team from the Waitrose Cookery School which included shredded beef with mac and cheese topping, butternut squash mac & cheese tartlets, sweetcorn soup with buttermilk topping, seaweed crackers with cured mackerel and for those with a sweet tooth there was an indulgent salted caramel with passion fruit and popping candy pop.

 

The new Waitrose branch includes a juice bar, soup bar, wine & tapas bar, and is the first Waitrose branch with a working beer pump, which will be supplied by Camden Brewery. The store is also home to the third Waitrose Cookery School offering classes such as Vietnamese Street Food, Thai Street Feast and a Soufflé Savvy course – to find out more or to book on to a course click here: http://www.waitrose.com/content/waitrose/en/home/inspiration/waitrose_cookery_school/about_us/kings-cross-cookery-school..html.

 

Bookmark this post with:

Follow us on

#MyDreamSuperdrug Press Day

On Tuesday 22^nd September, the media were treated to a much anticipated #MyDreamSuperdrug press preview at Gallery Different in the centre of London, with a very special guest appearance from Pixie Lott to launch her new hair PAINT collection.

Pixie was the perfect model for her hair collection, flicking her blue hued locks whilst chatting with media.  The event presented new product launches including the exclusive Freedom makeup brand and Superdrug’s very festive Christmas gift offering complete with a sexy Santa to get pulses racing.

Showcasing Superdrug’s fantastic beauty services… we also catered for a few added extras suggested by our media friends when asked what they would like to see in their dream Superdrug store.  Our Tarot card reader predicted a busy day and didn’t disappoint with her readings.

Braiding, blow dry’s, eyebrow threading and a nail bar, the press were spoilt for choice with treats.  But also new for winter is a very popular brand new (and sparkling) service, the Glitter Lips application is perfect for the party season and costs just £3.  We also refreshed any rain soaked makeup with makeovers from Cassie Lomas from the Makeup Academy.   

Canapés were all vegan to complement our vegan and cruelty free B. Collection, some of the new products included B. Micellar Cleansing Oil and B. Radiant Overnight Mask.  But the new collection that really raised a few eyebrows and saw moustaches twitching is the B. men’s grooming collection featuring post-shave balm and a charcoal face scrub.  As well as news of the first shaving and barber services to be introduced in stores.

A wall of Christmas gifting was displayed to illustrate the abundance of products on offer, with beauty advent calendars being a popular choice for press.  Downstairs the healthcare team introduced the new optician’s service and provided some party feet treats.  Phew, after all that we need lie down!

Bookmark this post with:

Follow us on

After many months of preparation, Somerset House was a hive of activity on the 7th July when the Lakeland Christmas preview took place for the media. The day was kicked off with a presentation by Matthew Canwell, Lakeland’s Buying Director who chatted through key kitchenware trends for 2015 hi-lighting huge sales of spiralisers and the massive increase in sales of juicers, noting that healthy eating is only going one way and that is up. Matthew was joined by a surprise guest in the form of Heston Blumenthal who came along to launch the latest innovation from Sage by Heston Blumenthal – The Fast Slow Pro, which is a combination of a pressure and slow cooker which takes the guesswork out of cooking and ensures tasty, perfectly cooked results every time.

 

In the centre of the main room there was a gorgeous display of seasonal hampers set in a woodland scene, and this year Lakeland has put even more effort into producing some really tailored hampers from New You to Rise and Shine and one especially for the men in our lives. The rest of the room was dedicated to demos which included cold coffee, healthy eating and the ever popular Gerard Baker, the pickling and preserving expert who was a huge hit because of his vast knowledge and enthusiasm.

 

The spectacular gravity defying cakes certainly caught the eye of many, and Lakeland customers will be able to produce their own spectacular show stoppers from the end of October when the supports arrive in store. The bistro area was hugely popular serving bubbles in bubbles and lots of tasty treats that will be available from the end of August.

Eyes all turned in the afternoon when Davina McCall arrived for a photocall following the announcement of her partnership with Lakeland, she’s always been a fan and is a keen cook with her own book on eliminating sugar from your diet in 5 weeks. She looked stunning and even more glowing in the flesh, so she is living proof that eating well helps you look good, the Lakeland team loved chatting with her and she had many selfies and team shots taken with everyone.

 

 

Despite the glorious sunshine outside it was all Christmas lights and gifts inside with a huge array of gifts for every member of the family and some sensational decs to create a truly spectacular Christmas grotto at home this year.

Bookmark this post with:

Follow us on

Happy Birthday Beauty Studio by Superdrug

Last night we attended the first birthday of the Beauty Studio by Superdrug in Cardiff, and to mark the occasion the store hosted an exclusive #PamperParty with 10% off everything and triple points plus champagne, cupcakes and canapés whilst you shopped!

The store was buzzing as customers were treated to free beauty services and the latest products in beauty.  Since opening the store has shaped over 20,450 eyebrows with the Emma Watson brow as the most requested shape.  Nail technicians have painted 2,316 manicures with the best- selling colour option Revlon One Perfect Coral, and 23,125 lipsticks have been sold with L’Oréal Collection Exclusive Red the top selling colour for pouts!

The hair salon has also proved popular with the most favoured style requested being the big hair blowout inspired by the likes of Khloe Kardashian and a more subtle version inspired by Kate Middleton.  

Happy birthday to you Beauty Studio! x

Bookmark this post with:

Follow us on

Ola Jordan dressed to impress for Royal Ascot

We had the pleasure of attending Royal Ascot this year with strictly dancer Ola Jordan for a stunt with Coral to raise money for charity. 

Lovely Ola appeared at the Ascot main gate wearing an eye catching dress made from jockey silks by designer Ben de Lisi. 

The dress will be auctioned off this Autumn to raise money for the injured jockey fund and Coral also donated a pound for every retweet of the injured jockey fund’s picture of Ola in the dress, which was retweeted an impressive 1,500 times. 

Following the photo call we then had the honour of spending the rest of the day in the Coral box with Ola and the team enjoying the races and even winning a few bets ourselves. 

Extensive online coverage was achieved for the stunt including the Mail Online, Express Online and Reveal Online to name a few as well as the image making it into the Daily Mirror. 

 

Bookmark this post with:

Follow us on

From Paris to Superdrug!

When Superdrug’s Liverpool store welcomed the global TV star and heiress Paris Hilton, the paparazzi flashbulbs followed as her army of excited fans headed to store for the ‘chance of a lifetime’ to meet the socialite. 

Signing bottles of her new fragrance, Paris Hilton Limited Anniversary Edition, the mega star greeted and entertained fans both inside and out with a dazzling display. Posing up a storm in front of the store in a white crop top and matching skirt, Paris performed for photographers and took selfies with her dedicated fans.  Inside the ambience was set with a Paris musical playlist featuring her very own pop songs, whilst she signed autographs to promote her sparkling signature scent.  In the words of Paris ‘That’s hot’!

Bookmark this post with:

Follow us on

Exclusive to Superdrug

Not to shy away from a challenge, on April 29^th we hosted not one, or two, but three events at the W Hotel, Leicester Square for Superdrug.

Superdrug summer is well underway and we welcomed over 70 journalists and bloggers to see everything that is new and exclusive for the summer.  Beauty brands such as GOSH, MUA, Makeup Revolution, Model’s Own, and B. showcased their new summer ranges, plus new exclusive fragrances.  

A whole host of tanning brands were also on display including Australia’s best-selling range Bondi Sands as well as NKD Skin, Lauren’s Way and Solait. 

Superdrug ‘s  brand new Own Brand summer range took centre stage as we displayed Solait sun care and after sun, sarongs, beach bags, and flip flops – ‘Superdrug, the one stop summer shop’.  

To showcase the full Superdrug summer offer we gave a corner of the space to the health PR team for our guests to see what’s new in health and wellbeing.

Alongside the press event, we also welcomed the property team’s contacts to showcase new store designs, and announced plans to open 100 stores in three year and create over 1,300 new jobs.

Following the press show and property event we hosted the first Superdrug Open House event inviting new companies, small brands, budding entrepreneurs, and established brands, to meet the commercial team.

Over 50 brands attended showcasing products including new nail polish brands, luxury soaps, skincare, indulgent bathing, dental care and fragrance. Look out in store for the first new brands from the Open House event soon.

Bookmark this post with:

Follow us on

Sea by Melissa Odabash Swimwear Pamper Morning

Last week we had the pleasure of launching the new Sea by Melissa Odabash swimwear collection for JD Williams at an intimate pamper breakfast held at the Cowshed spa, Soho.

 

 

 

Melissa Odabash presented her new SS15 collection to key fashion press from Red, The Daily Mail, Look, The Daily Express, Good Housekeeping, Drapers and Stylist whilst they indulged in manicures, pedicures and massages.

 

 

 

A delicious summery breakfast of avocado toast, yogurt & granola and healthy fresh juices were served whilst Melissa talked through her inspiration behind the collection of swimsuits, bikinis and beach cover-ups in a palette of tonal browns, navy blues and this season’s must-have leopard print, all designed to flatter the mature figure.

 

 

 

Press were also treated to a personalised goody bag which included a sarong in the collection’s hero print, Cowshed products and even bikini biscuits inspired by the collection.

 

 

The full collection is now available online in sizes 12-32 at: http://www.jdwilliams.co.uk/shop/melissa-odabash/swimwear/1/_/N-1ytrb26Z1ytvwxi/products/show.action?cm_sp=JDW-Swimwear-_-Brands-_-SeabyMelissaOdabash

 

 

 

Bookmark this post with:

Follow us on

Brunch with Kirstie

Last week we had the pleasure of joining Kirstie Allsopp for a media brunch at her beautiful and eclectic home in Notting Hill, to launch the Handmade Fair’s second show to press. The brunch, which was super healthy and seriously tasty, hosted by Kirstie and her team, aimed to give a sneak peak into what this year’s second Handmade Fair will look like in September.

The brunch was filled with questions about the craft fair, which highlighted that the event brings together Britain’s best producers of crafting supplies, handmade items and artisan foods, and invites craft enthusiasts and lovers of all things homemade to come and join in the action.

Throughout the event different craft exhibitors, Kirstie and other household names such as Annie Sloan, Jane Means, Poppy Chancellor, and Fiona Cairns, will host craft workshops that last between 30 minutes and one hour, including jewellery and accessory making, paper crafting, sewing, knitting, upcycling and even how to craft the perfect handmade wedding. Further names will be announced over the coming weeks – with some very special guests in the pipeline and tickets going on sale in April, so watch this space- http://www.thehandmadefair.com/

What better way to start the day than with a glass of fizz, poached eggs, avocado, vegetarian frittata’s and kedgeree, finished off with polenta cake and wheat free brownies.

The beautiful bouquets in vintage vases used to dress the table.

Press even left with a beautiful Bonbon Balloon to brighten up their afternoon.

Bookmark this post with:

Follow us on

Spring into summer with Hobbycraft

Spring has already sprung here at ZPR as this month saw Hobbycraft host their annual SS15 press show at Homemade London. The crafty venue allowed us to present everything Easter from bonnets to biscuits and transformed upstairs into every bride’s dream as we showcased everything bridal. 

We introduced the brand new bridal range ‘Pastel Perfection Collection’, a gorgeous mix of on-trend pink and gold wedding accessories, all of which went down a storm, in particular the ‘Just Married’ bunting.  

It wouldn’t be a Hobbycraft event without some great crafting for everyone to get involved in and what’s nicer than decorating some cute Easter biscuits that you can take home with you? We had a great selection of biscuits but our personal favourite had to be the cheeky little pig!

5 o’clock saw the start of our evening of ‘Crafting and Cocktails’ where journalists sipped on wedding themed cocktails whilst taking part in a head piece making masterclass. Unsurprisingly this was our busiest part of the day and the venue had a real buzz about it.   

Bookmark this post with:

Follow us on

Victoria Pendleton welcomes a new Cycle Republic

Double Olympic medallist Victoria Pendleton was on hand last week as we launched the flagship Cycle Republic store in London’s Margaret Street to national, lifestyle and cycling media.

Victoria almost stopped traffic with a photo shoot alongside her bright blue Pendleton Somerby, and she then treated media to a store tour, taking in bikes, accessories and clothing that are high on both style and performance.

Alongside delicious mini muffins, pastries and a pedal power operated smoothie bike (yes, really!), guests also heard about Halfords' new commitment to making its stores more female friendly with specially designed products and bikes – as well as news of a partnership with Breeze, British Cycling's women's network. 

Bookmark this post with:

Follow us on

The Beauty Studio by Superdrug sizzles in chilly Cardiff!

As the temperature plunged last week, superstar blogger and international model Ruth Crilly brought the hairdrying heat to a freezing St. David’s Centre.  Descending upon The Beauty Studio by Superdrug Ruth presented her new dry shampoo COLAB collection with a mesmerising masterclass for her fans. 

Supping champagne and nibbling canapés, beauty enthusiasts were treated to a store lock-in to watch a wave of hypnotic hair raising expertise as Ruth and her stylist crimped, straightened and backcombed their way through a range of styles to achieve catwalk ready hair using the fab new range.  We learned golden tips and an easy ‘how to’ with top styles demonstrated on both Ruth and her fans from “natural” waves to a chic modern beehive.   

After the show, guests were able to mingle with Ruth and take advantage of the Beauty Studio services with hair styling and manicures, all whilst shopping from brands exclusive to the store such as The Balm, Butter London, Love Your Skin London and Freeze Frame.

We must say Ruth was absolutely glowing in a demure Isabella Oliver dress following the announcement of her pregnancy, but ever the model she still rocked a pair of skyscraper heels!  Congratulations Ruth!

Bookmark this post with:

Follow us on