Leader

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leader Editor Naomi MacKay

Welcome to our July/August issue (I can’t believe we’ve reached this time of the year already!).

Of course, in retail, we’re always looking ahead. So, while in our home lives we may be planning staycations or holidays abroad (Covid and airlines willing) and welldeserved breaks with our school-aged children, in our business lives we are busy looking towards Christmas.

I’m sure the festive season will be on the minds of many of you heading to Harrogate for Home & Gift, which we preview in this issue. We caught up with show director David Westbrook to find out what you can look forward to at the exhibition - and asked some retailers and suppliers for their top tips to help you enjoy your time both at the event and in the beautiful North Yorkshire spa town. I know that many visitors take the chance to combine business with pleasure and extend their work trip into a longer leisure trip, exploring the handsome town and its surroundings.

Also, with Christmas (and other gift-giving occasions) in mind, we focus on presents suitable for card shops to stock. Do take a look; hopefully you will be inspired to extend your gift range, or perhaps to introduce the category into your shop if you don’t already.

Of course if you’re thinking of gifts, you can’t forget the wrap - so we have some ideas for new gift bags and wrap that you may like to consider for your own store..

I really enjoy talking to retailers - all of you are so full of enthusiasm and a real passion for the greeting cards industry - and conducting interviews is always inspiring, In this issue, I talk to Jeremy Lune, chief executive of Cards for Good Causes, which sells Christmas cards on behalf of charities, as well as Judy Evans, owner of Cheshire card shop Williams of Audlem, which celebrates an incredible 160 years in business this year! Turn to page 45 to find out more about how Judy grew up in the card retail business - and why the shop appeared on BBC One’s factual TV series The Repair Shop!

As always, we have more news and views from retailers in our Shop Talk section - and the lovely Boris [the dog] makes a return to our pages, ably accompanied by Paul and Helen Southgate, co-owners of Norwich shop Cards n Things, in our Diary of a Greeting Card Shop.

So, how is trading for you - and what are your predictions for the coming months? I’m always keen to hear from retailers, and if you would like to take part in Shop Talk, or share your story, please do get in touch at naomi@lemapublishing.co.uk or connect with me on LinkedIn. I look forward to hearing from you. Send your views and submissions for the magazine to naomi@lemapublishing.co.uk

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