A Family Legacy

1982..

Our Chief Thomas O’Brien was just two years old and his sister Katie a newborn, their dad Jamie O’Brien set out to shake up the gift world. Tired of the boring, same-old products, he launched Boxer Gifts to bring something fun, wild, and quirky ideas to the gifting industry. 

Not long after that, his wife Heather joined the family business to help Jamie run the business smoothly (re: stopping him from spending all the profits in the pub.).

2001

The gift industry really took off in the UK, with many competitors entering the market offering similar products at half the cost. It was a challenging time for Boxer Gifts.

Jamie and Heather made the bold decision to travel across the globe in search of manufacturing partners who could meet our quality standards while offering better prices and margins for our customers. These now-regular overseas trips eventually persuaded Thomas to join the family business full-time, leaving behind his promising career in IT.

2012

We discovered that a gift book company called Little Black Dog (formerly Powerfresh) was in trouble. With over 20 years of history and a loyal customer base, we knew we had to step in.

We decided to bring in their sales team, supplier base, and several of their self-published titles. This expanded and enriched our range, leading to popular additions like Adult Nursery Rhymes and the Classic Insults Flip Book.

Our own-published Bee Three Books now is loved by many of our customers, as we continue to publish a wide range of titles that are both funny and heartfelt.

Today

We’re proud of our rich family history that began over 40 years ago. Jamie started Boxer Gifts with a mission to shake things up with quirky, creative products, and today, Thomas continues that mission.

Through the highs, lows, Brexit, and even the weather(?!), we've created countless bestselling lines. Our team is always ready to bring in more fun, fresh, and unforgettable gifts.

One thing hasn't changed: we're still all about keeping gifting fun, bold, and a little wild.

''Without my innovation, we’d have never done anything. Great ideas are in the DNA of our business, and my ideas still sell and probably will until the next century. Many of them come to fruition in the pub.'' - Jamie O'Brien.

''In all modesty, Boxer’s success was down to the fact of me being the best Salesperson in the world - better than anyone else in the family - easily. Being a shrewd financial whip cracker stopped Jamie spending all the profits in the pub.'' - Heather O'Brien.

How has your journey with Boxer evolved over the years?

''Until I arrived it was more of a hobby for my parents -at least it kept them busy. I can’t believe how hard I had to work just to turn Boxer into a real business. We’re now a proper business, with great products. We’re still family owned and deep down - even professional! I have a great team with a great work ethic who do everything, which is lucky as I barely know how to do anything nowadays. Hardly any profits can be spent in the pub!'' 

What are your hopes for the future?

''I can’t wait for 2030 when my daughters are old enough to let me relax and bask in my long-forgotten glories. Until then, we’ll just have to produce great gifts - as we’ve always done!''