Top UK gift outlet opens new flagship store and wants to know if your heart is purple too.... www.pu

For purple-heart.com, the popular retailer and e-tailer stocking a myriad of truly eclectic wares, the secret of success is in both clicks and bricks. And to coincide with the 39th annual Brighton Festival, one of the most popular arts festivals in the UK, purple-heart.com is delighted to announce the opening of its new flagship shop in the centre of one of the UK’s top shopping district - Brighton’s North Laine, together with a fantastic new promotion.

purple-heart.com’s expansion from it’s primary shop situated in Queen’s Park, London, first to the Internet and now to new larger premises in Gardner Street, Brighton, can be explained not only by its truly wonderful and often wacky stock range – from vividly colourful kids’ tie-dye and eye-catching hand-painted welllies to beautiful handmade baby shoes and even squeaky lobsters – but also by a first class and highly personalised customer service, both online and throughout its stores.

The Brighton Festival springs into life from 7–29 May 2005 and with 350 performances covering theatre, music and comedy, it expects to exceed last year’s attendance of over
430,000 people. Brighton is easily accessed from any part of the country, only being 60 miles from London and reached in under an hour by train from London’s Victoria and London Bridge stations.

To mark both purple-heart.com’s arrival in Brighton and the 39th year of the Festival, the first 39 customers through the doors of the Brighton shop who identify themselves with the words "my heart is purple too" will receive a 10% discount on all purchases in-store throughout the event from 10am Saturday 7 May to 6pm Sunday 29 May inclusive.

Not to be confused with The Lanes, the North Laine area of Brighton prides itself on individualism, with over 300 independent retail outlets, 37 cafes, pubs, theatres and a museum. Visitors and shoppers alike flock en masse in response to the unrivalled range of goods and to capture the unique character of the narrow roads lined with colour-filled buildings. The word ‘Laine’ itself is derived from an Anglo-Saxon word meaning 'loan' or 'lease' and was the local word for five large open fields of which made up the parish of Brighton.

Claudia Meynell, proprietor of purple-heart.com says "I am thrilled to have expanded purple-heart.com to such an exciting, vibrant and unique shopping location. The richness and diversity of the North Laine echoes perfectly the central principle underpinning the business – that of offering unique gifts to unique people. We are looking forward to a great Festival."

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For further information, interviews, please contract Fran Grice on 01273 696935/07957 110655 email: fran@purple-heart.com or Claudia Meynell on 01273 696935/07970 813248 email: claudia@purple-heart.com

High resolution images are available to download from www.purple-heart.com

Notes to Editors

purple-heart.com began trading in November 2000 and has two outlets (Brighton and London) together with a fully-fledged online/telephone mail order service. The shops are at:

22 Gardner Street 13a College Parade
North Laine Salusbury Road
Brighton Queen’s Park
BN1 1UP London
01273 696935 NW6 6RN
020 7328 2830

For shop opening hours please see www.purple-heart.com

For further information on the Brighton Festival please see www.brighton-festival.org.uk