From gorgeous new ranges to golden oldies….

Our whirlwind month of Christmas press shows has now come to an end, and we went out with a bang with B&Q’s event at Sketch last week. Perhaps the most ambitious press show yet; we had a fully assembled kitchen, a column of light from over 100 new lamps and pendants strung up to the ceiling, a fully stocked Eco Shop, the hottest new tool range from JCB, and a futuristic home automation set from Siemens as well as a dedicated Christmas grotto of trees, decorations and a faux snow carpet. If that wasn’t enough we were also joined by interior designers Sophie Conran and Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen who mingled with the media and gave interviews about their new ranges and trends for the new season.

Not one to sit back on our laurels, we then went straight into a day of pitching B&Q’s older workforce to the local and national press on Thursday, as we jumped on the Government’s news that the compulsory retirement age will be scrapped, with live broadcasts from Sky News at one store, and lots of local radio interviews across the country. All in a week’s work for us ZPR Girls…

Bookmark this post with:

Follow us on

Christmas has begun at ZPR

And on one of the hottest days of the year we presented Lakeland’s autumn winter and Christmas collections to over 200 journalists.

From an electric cupcake maker that can whip up a batch of treats in under ten minutes, to a toaster that lights up red when the bread is cooked, the Violin Factory was transformed into an Aladdin’s cave with everything that you’ve ever dreamed of for the kitchen and home. Guests arrived in droves from the moment the doors opened, and with celebrities Kirsty Allsop, Aggie MacKenzie and Mary Berry all paying a visit too, this really was the hottest ticket in town for domestic goddesses (and gods).

Bookmark this post with:

Follow us on

It's Christmas!

England are out of the World Cup and Glasto is over so what's to look forward to now? Christmas! July marks the start of Xmas press show mania at ZPR starting next week with kitchenware supremos Lakeland - what will be this year's banana guard or strawberry huller? Well all will be revealed on Thursday as we celebrate Lakeland's passion for product at a stunning venue called the Violin Factory near Waterloo.

Elsewhere on the high street girls are getting giddy for Cheryl Cole's limited edition pink Elnett hairspray can at a Superdrug near you and in the back gardens of Britain families are making the most of the heatwave with paddling pools and trampolines jumping out of B&Q's doors.

At the World's best department store lego jewellery is the latest craze and what else will we be playing with this Autumn Winter? Well you'll just have to wait until all is revealed at the Selfridges PLAY themed press show on 22 July.

And talking of play - will we be celebrating Murray Mania today?

Bookmark this post with:

Follow us on

COME ON ENGLAND!

In between securing world class coverage, ZPR girls are slapping on fake tan and clipping on hair extensions (well Lucy is anyway), ahead of the ZPR world cup party tomorrow at St Barnabas House. With any luck/miracle, we'll be toasting England's (albeit first) victory over cocktails and scrumptious canapés.

Top of tomorrow's world cup party guest list will be B&Q's famous £12 England gnome, adored by celebrities including Elton John and Jonathan Ross and currently challenging media space with Becks and Rooney.

Forget traditional orange segments, half time fodder for Londoners watching tomorrow's match has to be Waitrose's world cup England sandwich. Blighty's most patriotic sarnie costs £3.95, is hand made in Waitrose's Clerkenwell store, and boasts eleven English delicacies including beef, ham, chicken, chutney, rocket and spinach.

Outside of the world of football, Superdrug is ensuring it's a safe summer for Brits, launching the UK's first flat pricing policy on all sun care. This massive new investment is across all factors, formulations and all brands and will cut prices on some products by up to almost £6. Customers can finally reap the benefits of not being penalised for choosing higher, safer, skin protection. Here's to a sun smart summer!

Bookmark this post with:

Follow us on

The Great Escape...

Last week ZPR girls escaped the big smoke to the stunning Limewood Hotel (where Sophie Dahl and Jamie Cullum tied the knot) in the fabulous English countryside. Why? To celebrate the launch of Pearl Lowe for Peacocks Spring 2010. Fashion folk and celebrities donned their Hunter wellies for a pony trek in the New Forest and banished city stress in the Limewood’s spa, before donning their glad rags for a sumptuous dinner attended by Pearl, Daisy and Jamie Winstone to name drop a few. There was no official entertainment (outside of the lovely Lisa Moorish spinning her favourite tracks), although Lucy’s inadvertent ‘setting herself alight’ with a tea light did turn a few heads and we’re thinking of entering her for Britain’s Got Talent as our in-house flambé fashionista.

Staying with the world of celebrity, Lizzie Jagger sported her sarong and sun visa in support of Superdrug’s sun care campaign, raising awareness for skin safety in the sun. Whilst being interviewed for The Times, we discovered Lizzie suffered severe sun burn on a family holiday as a child so is passionate about spreading the importance of sun safety. Lizzie looked sensational, and if I look half as fabulous as her mother Jerry at (almost) half her age I’ll be thrilled.

B&Q’s celebrity supporter arrived in the form of Paul McCartney who declared he loves shopping in his local B&Q store for nails (as in the type you drill into a wall, as apposed those of the manicured variety). Perhaps he’s finally got round to putting up his seeming billions of platinum albums my mother’s spent most of her life humming. Jackie sent him his own orange apron to ensure he was correctly kitted out whilst DIY-ing, which he’s since said he likes to relax at home in. Lounge furniture yes, but who’d have thought B&Q would inadvertently go into lounge attire?

Bookmark this post with:

Follow us on

Sizzling into May

First week of May and ZPR is sizzling. Solait’s Factor 50 was in full flow as Sophy paraded a host of scantily clad models onto Millennium Bridge to celebrate the launch of Superdrug’s sun awareness campaign.


For those who would prefer to hide from the sun altogether, yet still sport a sun kissed glow, Flawless Tan is just what the style doctor ordered. We put Rhianne to the test. Departing the office Tuesday night armed with FT’s four easy steps and returning Wednesday morning looking like she’d returned from a weekend in Dubai with not a streak mark in sight – I kid you not.


To the inherent annoyance to the rest of the team, it’s usually only Lucy who whistles whilst she works. This week however we’ve had the pleasure of listening to world champion whistler, David Morris putting us (or at least Lucy) to shame as he joins forces with B&Q’s Trade Point to find the best builder’s whistle (wolf whistles not accepted). Auditions carry on this week, but entries so far are definitely shaping up to show Britain’s definitely got Builders Talent in all areas.


Waitrose, the big cheese in the world of supermarkets got Jacobs crackers at the ready to celebrate coming top in Which Best British Cheese survey. Despite our cheese counters being armed with hoards of cheese from all corners of the globe, it’s our old favourites cheddar and stilton that still come out top.


This week Zaria, Lucy and Sophy will be galloping off to the New Forest with Pearl, Daisy and friends to launch Pearl Lowe for Peacocks’ spring collection at The Limewood Hotel. Until then, tally ho…

Bookmark this post with:

Follow us on

The Sun is Shining

The Sun is shining and so is our coverage! The Front cover of YOU Magazine this weekend with our exclusive shots of Daisy Lowe and Pearl Lowe launching Pearl's latest range for Peacocks - watch out for this fab new range of dresses hitting a Peacocks store near you next month.

And whilst the sun is shining we're all spending time outside and in the garden but did you know that home-owners aged 25 to 34 are unable to name even the most basic plants such as geraniums, lavender or poppies.

But older age groups faired better in the poll – with more people aged 55 to 64 able to identify unusual flowers like lupins, fuchsias and ceanothus (Californian lilac).

The B&Q poll of 2,000 people shows only 29 per cent of younger people know what a lupin looks like, compared to 69 per cent of those over 55. So do you know your geraniums from your onions?

Next update we'll be sharing how you can make the quickest ice lollies ever, what day is safe for you to reveal all and get your legs out of those opaques plus how you can capture all that sun and save money by installing solar panels!

Bookmark this post with:

Follow us on

We've got a Spring in our Step

With the sun finally making an appearance this weekend - the first BBQ's were fired up and bedding plants planted - all made easier by amazing discounts on BBQ's and bedding plants at B&Q.

And if you were getting your legs out for the first time this year - you weren't the only ones as sales of fake tan are on the rise at Selfridges - up 80% YOY.

Meanwhile we unzipped the secrets of the manity case with the news from Superdrug that top ten grooming items for men include an eye roll on and hair dye - how it's moved on from the traditional lynx effect!?

The last couple of weeks has been a tough call between the amount of chocolate arriving at our office and the tasty new pineberry on sale at Waitrose. Perhpas next year as well as chocolate hot cross buns we'll have chocolate coated pineberries.

The WAGs were out in force this weekend at Aintree and a few of us scored a succesful bet or two in the Grand National. Maxi dresses a plenty at Aintree this weekend and if you want to get the perfect WAG look just check out Peacocks new website which launches this week.

Bookmark this post with:

Follow us on