First off is the new Lite Way buggy. With its umbrella fold and the new modern styling it is the ideal lightweight buggy for the price-discerning mum. Packed with accessories it is aimed to sell at £99 retail making it exceptionally good value for money. It proved to be a big hit with buyers who previewed it in Cologne.

Close behind is the Multiway. This is essentially a restyling of the very successful CT04 bringing it right up to date. With its trademark chunky wheels, the Multiway is the ideal stroller for both town and country.Retail £119.

But the star of the show has to be the all new Trio For Me. Trio For Me is a travel system that can be used in up to four different configurations. First of all, when baby is young (0mth+), the carrycot gives the perfect place for a new-born baby to sleep, lying flat as is recommended. Then for ease of travelling (also 0mth+), it can be fitted with the superb Auto-fix car seat. Finally as a stroller (3mth+), the seat unit can be fitted so baby faces mum - ideal for the early years when face to face contact is so vital - or fitted forward facing (6mth+) so baby can see his surroundings. Comfort with style has been the watchword in the design of this pushchair and it is bursting with all the features mum could want. The backrest can be reclined to five positions both when facing out and, unusually, also when facing Mum. The cleverly designed stroller seat unit, simply unclips and turns in either direction, no need to alter the hood or change the harness position, as both remain in place with the seat unit. The unique double twist handles can be adjusted to suit mum or even joined together allowing mum to choose how to manoeuvre the stroller. Perhaps not quite so obvious, but just as important is the care given to the padding in the seat unit to give support and protection to the key parts of the body. Comes complete with luxury matching foot muff and changing bag. Trio For Me comes in four striking colours. The two classic colours are Vertigo (grey hoops) and Ocean (navy with cream). The Sport colours are the bright Saturn and the more casual Sand. The For Me stroller is available separately in the same colours and additionally in Fuego (red) and Comics (a striking black and white). The addition of the award wining Auto-Fix 0+ car seat, also available separately, to the stroller creates a simple two piece travel system.

The Trio For Me travel system and stroller will be extensively advertised in 2008.

Chicco has always been well known for its best selling products for the home, particularly its highchairs and walkers. The Polly highchair has sold in phenomenal numbers and, unlike many products, sales just keep on increasing! It has won numerous awards including the Mother & Baby Gold and Prima Baby Readers Awards Best Buy. For 2008, the Polly has been given a facelift with the new Seventy fabric.

Despite its reputation as a supplier of products for the home, for some time, Chicco has felt that it needed to strengthen its range of bouncing chairs. The new Chicco Dreams bouncing chair is the stuff that dreams are made of! Comfortable and safe, it comes with an attractive bear shaped pillow. Initially aimed at supporting a new born, the bear will quickly become baby's friend with the “squeak” in the paw and a rattle in the side insert. Dreams comes complete with an electronic bar toy which with different lights and melodies, helps develop manual and visual co-ordination skills as well as his sensitivity rhythm and music. The backrest can be adjusted to different positions and the chair can be used in a fixed position or as a rocker. And the final touch is the delightful soft cuddle blanket for baby which tucks neatly into the lower pocket on the bear.

To support all these new products Chicco has been increasing their advertising spend significantly and have budgeted £1_ million for 2008. In addition to the advertising for the Trio For Me, Chicco are planning an extensive schedule. Mainly targeting the parental press, Chicco ads will also appear in Bounty and Emma's Diary. Chicco have also been thinking 'outside of the box'. Ads are also planned to appear in publications such as Hello, OK!, Closer, Reveal, Star and New! The internet plays a key role in informing parents and, for the first time, Chicco is planning a internet campaign. This will be in addition to rather than a replacement for traditional advertising

“Year on year, our sales through the independent retailer are increasing significantly” says David Welsh, MD of Chicco UK. “We are confident they will grow even further with the new 2008 launches.” And David also wants to remind our readers that Chicco also has a very strong toy division. “Our toys have always sold well in the major accounts and toys shops, but we are increasing the products in the birth to one year category and have completely repackaged our toys with a modern style, making the age group information easy to identify. The open and 'try-me' boxes allow consumers to touch and try the features of the toys without taking them from the box. Toys in this category sell extremely well through the more traditional nursery stores and this too is an area of growth for Chicco.

With the increased awareness of the Chicco brand, new products and extended advertising there could scarcely be a better time to grow with Chicco.

Hotline: 01623 750870
Email: sales@chicco.co.uk
www.chicco.co.uk