February 2012

Unlike most people, we love February because it's when we do most of the buying for 2012. It's always exciting to see what new products our kitchenware companies have come up with, as well as spending a lot of time hunting high and low for new lines that none of us have seen anywhere else before.

We never go anywhere without the all important list of items that our customers have requested throughout the year - as you know we can usually get our hands on most things but the tricky part is getting hold of them at a price that you or I would actually like to pay for them. Still, we like a challenge!

January 2012

Bert's annual sale now on and Happy New Year.

* 20% off all white china, linens and glassware.
*50% off most of our gorgeous giftware.
*Up to 75% off our 2010 Christmas collection and lots of early summer bargains to be found too.

Hot sellers this month are:-

*wicker baskets and clear storage boxes with lids
*colourful woks
*very sharp kitchen knives from £4.99 to a set of five for £15.95
*retro enamelware from £1.99

Winter 2011

We've put huge amounts of thought into our Christmas ranges this year. In these difficult economic times it's crucial to give customers really good value for money. With this in mind our Christmas decorations are very beautiful and classic - the kind that won't date and will please you year after year. Large "antique" silver bell hearts for £8.99, red heart chains from £3.99 and gorgeous pine cone and cinnamon garlands at £9.99 are just a tiny selection of what we have in store.

Our giftware is a mix of retro family games like "Touring England" (£9.99) and Tiddlywinks (£4.99) which are beautifully packaged with retro graphics and a super girly vintage range that is flying out of the shop already - glass perfume bottles (£8.99), knitted rose patterned slippers (£9.99), flowery change purses (£5.99) and butterfly pill boxes at £2.99.

Even our kitchen department has taken a step back in time with the resurgence of enamel bakeware. These classic white with blue trim pie dishes start at £1.75 (an absolute steal!) and we've had to double the range due to popular demand.

It has become so clear this year how much enjoyment our customers are getting from cooking from scratch. We all seem to be harking back to a simpler time with a slower pace. We want to enjoy our homes and our families without spending a fortune in the process.

Hopefully Bert's will help you produce a Christmas to remember without breaking the bank.

Summer 2011

As per, we've got everything you could possibly want or need for having friends to supper in the garden or taking the kids for a picnic on the beach. Our hottest buy has to be the jewel coloured plastic glasses we sell at £1.50 a pop and that, a little bird tells me, Heal's sell for a whopping £4.50!

Our candy striped picnic range is very strong this year and starts with a cooler bag for £8.99 and goes right up to ultimate summer wedding present at £69.95 - a beautiful wicker hamper with floral cotton lining and lots of lovely white crockery for that perfect romantic occasion.

Salad is always at the heart of any summer lunch and we've been doing a booming trade in our coloured glass bottles (£3.99) which people are using for oils and for glamorous water bottles as well as the matching salad hands at £1.50 a pair.

Lastly, worth mentioning, is that we've got a really, really good selection of hanging t-light lanterns. From rustic chic to tropical, there's something to light up everyone's summer nights down at Bert's!

April 2011

With so many lovely occasions to celebrate this month, we've had a wonderful excuse to search out some really nice stuff for you . Mother's Day is, of course, just up our street and we've got a particularly gorgeous range to show our Mums how much we appreciate them. Our personal favourites are the vintage mirrored bell jars from £7.99, wooden heart candlesticks at £7.99, flowery fabric photo frames at £3.99, and lavender rosebud neck warmers at £9.99.

We love a bit of Easter at Bert's and always look forward to doing our Easter tables. This year we've got some very nice decorations which would also make great gifts, like brightly coloured trugs and retro paper eggs that could be filled with home made chocolates (chocolate moulds from £4.99). It's definitely a time to get baking again as nothing beats homemade hot cross buns and a magnificent cake festooned with the obligatory fluffy chicks (£2.99 for a box of chicks - we even have some sporting polka dot headscarves!). We've also gone very eggy this year with lots of new egg cups, silicone poachers, tiny little frying pans and brightly coloured egg timers.

Finally, we'll be doing another quick window change into a good old patriotic theme for Wills and Kate's big day. Union jack bunting at £1.99, union jack cake tins from £8.99 and a host of patterned melamine plates, cups and colourful plastic glasses from £1.50 to host your very own street party!

February 2011

We all know that the way to a loved one's heart is through their tum. Hopefully, we'll inspire you to think of ways to warm up those cockles on a cold Valentine's night.

Our windows are full of Emma Bridgewater's "hearts" collection. China teapots (£12.95) and little milk and sugar sets (£5.99) would be very spoiling if they arrived first thing on an old fashioned wooden bed tray (£16.95). You could team them up with our heart design cake tins to create a romantic afternoon tea. At last...the opportunity to say it with cupcakes! Use our pretty paper bun cases (£1.99) and decorate with edible red hearts (£3.99). Stack them enticingly on one of our gorgeous cake stands (from £9.99) and serve with rose prosecco cocktails (set of two cocktail glasses £5.99).

Dinner should, of course, be ushered in with champagne (four glasses for £5.99) and something simple and stylish like moules mariniere (mussel pot £18.95). As we're going French, maybe a perfectly timed steak (new range of cream enamel induction pans and frying pans £16.95) beside a towering vegetable rosti (set of two rosti rings £8.99) and some fluffy mashed potato (potato ricers from £8.99). Pudding has got to be something chocolaty served in our adorable heart shaped ramekins (£1.25 each). Now all I've got to do is cross my fingers that my Valentine is reading this and feeling in the mood...to get cooking!

January 2011 
Roll up, roll up! Our annual sale kicks off at the beginning of the month and will have a little bit of everything in it. As usual we've got really good discounts on lots of our more gifty things but we're also going to throw in our basic "bread and butter" lines like white china, glassware and linens.

We all love the sale because its essentially a big old spring clean. It gives our customers a chance to pick up some real bargains and gives us a relatively empty shop to fill with all the goodies we're yet to discover. Really looking forward to the year ahead!

November/December 2010

We've finally finished installing our Christmas windows and wow! They're a riot of zingy, zesty purples, limes, golds and fuchsias - the shops are literally bursting at the seams with presents this year and the windows are brimming with Babushka doll gift boxes, cuckoo wall clocks, scented candles, fur hotties, board games, neon cocktail sets and much more.

Inside the stores, glittery red hearts and gold stars are hanging from the rafters. There are hand painted glass baubles, adorable Christmas stockings, retro Santa tree lights and by popular demand, our fab moose wreaths are back in town! The atmosphere on the shop floor is already really festive and fun, with great big boxes of brilliant new stuff arriving by the hour. So far the feedback from customers and from our lovely hardworking team on the shop floor has been overwhelmingly enthusiastic, so fingers crossed we've managed to find a little something for everyone this year.

Happy Christmas from all of us at Bert's.

October 2010
Autumn is here with all the fabulous aromas and colours it brings in it's wake.  We are getting very serious about casseroles and roasting in the stores this month.  We'll be featuring some lovely new cast iron casserole dishes in beautiful rich red and cream colourways.  We're also bringing in lots of chunky  "built for life" saucepans, griddle pans and oven to tableware. The vibe is serious and functional with vintage styling.

It's time to batten the hatches and get roasting and toasting.  Can't think of a nicer way to usher in the festive season!
p.s Remember to stock up on your sky lanterns for bonfire night - £2.99 each or 4 for £10.00

July 2010

We've got some really strong summer ranges this year - aqua and lime barbecues and cool bags, hot pink and orange plastic wine glasses and tumblers and of course my personal favourite, the pink flamingoes on sticks which add kitsch style and wit to any urban garden or balcony for the grand price of £1.50. The team's favourite this season is our "Nostalgia" range of china teapots, cups and plates.They are patterned with crisp navy and red beach huts and bunting and all come in beautiful boxes making them the perfect present.The range sold out within a couple of days and we are doing our best to keep up with customer demand - it's definitely hit a chord with our seaside loving clients.

June 2010

We've had lots of excitement at our George Street branch with a brand new team in place and a whole new layout to boot! Sam's hard work and dedication to her customers has paid off and she's quite rightly been promoted to the manager's role. Jules and Megan from the Brighton branch have done a swop with our Brigid who is now gracing Western Road with her presence. We've finally given in to the power of the pushchair! We've removed some shelving from the back of the Hove shop to give everyone a lot more room to park the buggy down there and enjoy browsing in our ever increasing bakeware department. We've also moved all our kitchenware and cooking items to the front of the store to make it a bit easer to find what you're looking for.

March/April 2010

Easter's not far away now and we've gone to town on all things "eggy" in the shop! Cute egg cups, chirping chicks, easter cookie cutters and adorable crocheted bunnies. Also this month we've sourced a new supplier for our incredibly popular sky lanterns. These are 100% biodegradable and at £2.99 each or four for £10 a great price! They are wonderful released en masse at a wedding or party, but just one rising into the night sky is still very beautiful - especially if you write a wish on it!

February 2010

Love is in the air at Bert's! As usual we have a great array of gifts to give your "special someone". This year why not make your significant other some home baked biscuits using our fantastic range of loved-up cookie cutters? Choose from cupid, lips or an assortment of heart designs and when baked write a special message on them with our ready to go icing tubes. That's got to be better than some limp flowers from the local garage!

January 2010

After the fabulous buzzy days of December, January can be a bit flat for the Bert's team, so we're putting on a really good sale which will last until the end of January. Obviously we are completely biased but everything in the sale is good stuff and the only way we can bring ourselves to put on such good discounts is to remind ourselves that saying goodbye to much of last year's stock means we'll have the space to buy lots and lots of brilliant new products for 2010!

December 2009

At last, Christmas has come to Bert's and the shops are looking winter wonderful.  This year we've put together a fantastic collection of gifts and decorations to make your home a fabulous festive haven.

All these delights are nestling beside bright red cast iron casserole dishes, Nigella Christmas tree cake pans, pudding steamers,cook books, nut crackers and turkey basters. 

Here at Bert's we're going to  make your Christmas smell, look and taste just the way it should!

June 2009

This month we 're excited about Jamie Oliver's new shop "Recipease" opening opposite us on Western Road.

We've totally changed the layout of our Brighton store to make it much more pushchair friendly and due to popular demand we've started renting out our novelty cake tins which are perfect for childrens birthday parties - £4.99 for one weeks use!