Greetings Today March April 23

Editor Naomi MacKay naomi@lemapublishing.co.uk

Publisher Mark Horsnell markh@lemapublishing.co.uk 01442 289940

Advertising Manager Marian McNamara marian@lemapublishing.co.uk 01442 289940

Managing Director Mark Naish mark@lemapublishing.co.uk

Production Director Paul Naish paul@lemapublishing.co.uk

Design Rick Vickers rick@lemapublishing.co.uk

Chairman

Malcolm Naish malcolm@lemapublishing.co.uk Circulation Manager Robert Thomas robert@lemapublishing.co.uk

And finally - the sunshine has come out. As we send this issue of Greetings Today to press, it finally feels as if spring has arrived.

With Mother’s Day and Easter ticked off, with the longer days and better weather comes the promise of some big days in the greeting cards calendar as we can start thinking about summer sales.

According to the UK Wedding Report 2023, the wedding season starts in earnest in April - and some of the most popular dates chosen for nuptials are in August and September - which offers an especially long window for sales of wedding and anniversary cards.

Rebecca Green at Raspberry Blossom also points out that it’s not all about the bride and groom either: “One trend we are seeing continuing this season is the gifting of cards and stationery from bride to bridesmaids. It is such a special

day, and asking those you love most to be a part of your big day should be celebrated and remembered.’’

Father’s Day on June 18 is another important event for the industry - and there’s a reminder on the GCA News page that toolkits to promote the special day for dads and father figures are available free to everyone. With ready-to-print artwork, bunting and social media posts, it should help retailers make light work of making a splash around this special day.

We’re also getting ready for another round of trade shows. Next up is the London Stationery Show on May 16 and May 17 at the Business Design Centre in London. In our preview, show director Alex Butler gives us an A-Z rundown of what’s on offer - and we hear from some retailers and buyers about what they are hoping to find on their visit.

The Greetings Today team will be attending the show, so do get in touch if you want to meet up - or just grab one of us while we are browsing the aisles! It’s always such a pleasure to meet suppliers and retailers in person, when so much of our contact is via email or on the phone. Which was why it was so wonderful to see some of you recently at the Greeting Card Local meet-up in Milton Keynes. We had a lovely time chatting with old friends and meeting new ones - dates for upcoming events can be found on the GCA news page.

Retail100 Consulting director and co-founder Elaine Hooper also takes a retrospective look at some of the themes she noted during her visits to recent trade fairs. Sustainability was the number one focus, “and rightly so,” she says.

And, of course this year, there’s a new event to add to your calendar: the coronation of HRH King Charles III on Saturday May 6. We’ve gathered together some product with a royal theme in our Trends page, to help you get in the mood for the royal celebrations.

How will your business be marking this historic royal ocasion? We always love to hear from retailers, so please do get in touch if you would like to tell us your news, take part in Shop Talk, or comment on anything happening within the industry.

Hopefully the Coronation will offer some good news at a time when a lot of the news is not so bright - in fact we thought this was the perfect time to offer a bit of light relief

with a focus on the funny and humorous sector of the card industry, by featuring some designs that should put a smile on your face. As Alan Auld at The Comedy Card Company says: ‘’I believe humour is an important coping mechanism that helps us deal with the trials of life. Having a laugh with friends or work colleagues always seems to make life’s stresses less of a problem. We can’t all afford therapy after all!’’ So enjoy a bit of free laughter therapy on us!

We are always keen to hear from any readers who would like to take part in our features, interviews, and new pages. You can email me at naomi@lemapublishing.co.uk or connect with me on LinkedIn.

Editor Naomi MacKay

9 BRAND NEW Flower Press designs

A collection of delicate wild flowers

Traditional Flower pressed panel detail

Gold foil text & icons on textured board

Supplied with Craft envelopes

Great value at C50

Kids pop up for Alljoy

The Alljoy Design 3D Kids range offers beautiful cards that suit children of all ages. The cards simply pop open with a colourfully designed card, and you can write your message easily on the reverse.

In addition to this imaginative card range, Alljoy also offers ages from one to six, all in fabulous 3D, in the APOP range.

From space travel, to dinosaurs, mermaids to pirates, these cards offer imagination and fun for every event.

A spinner option is available for this range too.

Launched this year, Alljoy also has a new collection of cut-out cards for kids. Featuring paper cut design and gold foil finish. All cards are created in Ireland.

Alljoy Design has a team of sales agents covering the UK. Contact info@alljoydesign.com.

www.alljoydesign.com

Paperchase exits the high street

Paperchase stores shut on April 3, following the closure of its online presence in February.

More than 100 shops (including concession stands in Next and Selfridges stores) closed their doors for the final time, resulting in the loss of more than 800 jobs.

A rush of bargain-hunting shoppers took advantage of closing-down sales to pick up product at up to 80% of its original price, with cards selling for as little as 10p each.

The closure comes almost 55 years after the first shop opened in Kensington, London, in 1968, but in recent years the business has fallen into administration three times.

Following the pandemic, the company - which then had 125 shops and almost 1,300 staffwent through a pre-pack administration deal, which left some greeting card publishers picking up the tab for thousands of pounds as it failed to require them to be paid for their supplied goods, which could still be sold by the new owner - and was put up for sale again in January.

While supermarket giant Tesco cut a deal to take the brand into its stores, there was no salvaging the brick-and-mortar stores.

However, London card chain Postmark is to take over some station stores including Victoria Station, London Bridge, Waterloo, and Kings Cross - and the Battersea Power Station outlet, which was set to open as Greetings Today went to press. Another outlet at Birmingham New Street Station will see Postmark heading out of London.

Bewilderbeest appoints youngest staff member

Bewilderbeest is delighted to announce a new appointment to the team. Rex Heron Hamilton joined Bewilderbeest officially on 25 November 2022, and has now successfully completed his three-month probationary period.

Although he has been caught sleeping on the job multiple times, was sick in the tape dispenser, and has a deafening telephone manner, he has proven to be an invaluable member of the team.

Rex’s current role as chief human resources officer, means that the Bewilderbeest team will never miss out on nap time again. His dedication to check up on staff’s sleep quality, even at 3am, is commendable, if a touch intense.

Welcome aboard Rex!

Joe Davies appoints sales director

Manchester-based importer and giftware distributor Joe Davies has announced that David Cree, former national sales manager, has been appointed as sales director of the company.

David has been with Joe Davies since 2004 and will be responsible for all sales operations across the business.

Managing director

Paul Hooker commented: “David has effectively been carrying out the sales director role for some time and his appointment is in recognition of all his hard work. David’s customers will be delighted, it’s a very well-deserved promotion and a natural progression for Joe Davies.”

National Stationery Week is back with a bang

The National Stationery Week team are bursting at their pencil case seams with this year’s all-star line-up. Maped Helix, Pentel, Snopake, Edding, Zebra and Staedtler are headlining the seven days of stationery and will be filling the week with exciting initiatives for both independent stationery retailers and stationery lovers alike.

Monday 15 May: #CreativityDay sponsored by Maped Helix

Tuesday 16 May: #LovePentelPens sponsored by Pentel

Wednesday 17 May: #WorkHappy sponsored by Snopake

Thursday 18 May: #MyNameIs sponsored by Edding

Friday 19 May: #ItFeelsGood sponsored by Zebra

Saturday 20 May: #SustainableStationery sponsored by Staedtler

Sarah Laker, National Stationery Week coordinator, said: “I’ve been blown away by the response from these world-renowned brands sponsoring National Stationery Week and would like to thank them for their support. It’s going to be an exciting week filled with all sorts of amazing competitions and giveaways; a true celebration of all things stationery.’’

Alex Butler, event director of London Stationery Show, said: “It’s wonderful to see so many suppliers engage with this year’s campaign, and I can’t wait to see how the retailers interpret each of the daily hashtags in their own stores.’’

Rebranded National Stationery Week is taking place between May 15 and 21, and will be championing stationery in all its forms. Since its launch in 2011, National Stationery Week has campaigned to get more consumers into shops by encouraging them to put pen to paper.

To discuss sponsorship opportunities as well as how retailers can get involved in this year’s National Stationery Week, contact Sarah Laker at sarah@nationalstationeryweek.com.

UK bossGreetings retires

UK Greetings chief James Conn has retired. He is succeeded by Ceri Stirland.

James, CEO of International, which includes UK Greetings, Carlton Greetings and John Sands, had been with the company for almost 39 years.

He began his journey at UK Greetings as a trainee in sales and merchandising and moved through various leadership roles before being appointed CEO of International in 2018.

Under James’ transformational leadership, UK Greetings said it had navigated numerous global challenges and successfully grown the business. In a statement, the company said it would ‘like to express its gratitude for James’ outstanding leadership’.

Ceri Stirland succeeds James as CEO of International, reporting directly to the CEO of American Greetings. Ceri has been a valued member of the UK Greetings team for over 20 years, and she brings extensive commercial and marketing experience to her new role. She said: ‘’I am absolutely delighted to be the first woman to be appointed as CEO of UKG International, and I look forward to working closely with the talented team at UKG and our customers.’’

We are thrilled to announce that we have expanded our Award winning Message in a bottle collection to include brand new designs for various occasions From welcoming a new baby to celebrating an anniversary or saying thank you, we have a wide range of stunning and unique cards to choose from. See full collection on www.alljoydesign.com

Back to nature

Nature’s Diary is Cherry Orchard’s new eco-friendly range. The spectacular artwork was painted by Cherry Orchard’s very own creative director and explores the UK’s nature and wildlife through the months of the year. This collection is printed using a Carbon Neutral press and the FSC credited cards come complete with an Eco Kraft recyclable envelope. The publisher says that giving customers the green choice is an exciting step.

Following positive customer feedback on how well the range is working for them, there are plans to extend the collection in both open and titled designs. www.cherryorchardpublishing.co.uk

Bare-ing up to sustainable cards

Reducing waste and giving a viable alternative to cello wrap is proving more difficult than Envelopd Cards originally imagined.

The three-leaf card design cleverly folds upon itself so there is no separate envelope needed (paper waste reduced) and as a result no packaging is required to keep cards with envelopes in store (cello wrap not needed). Another great advantage is that the pages seen when the card is posted can be fully illustrated, giving an instant wow factor on receipt.

Following marketing feedback, Envelopd Cards has now been rebranded as Bare Cards - Naked and Free. Naked of envelope and free from waste!

Ceri and Derren, owners of Bare Cards, have created a new website (www.bare-cards.co.uk) to showcase their increasing product range and are currently selling direct to the consumer, but also hope that retailers and publishers will see the benefits of this unique brand. Trade enquiries can be made to info@bare-cards.co.uk.

All products from Fay’s Studio will, going forward, be printed onto 100% recycled board and come wrapped with a 100% recycled envelope - like this new addition to the popular In The Wild handillustrated wildlife card range (Bumblebee and Thistles). These are 155mm square and blank inside.

Any bags used are compostable and all cards are hand-finished with biodegradable glitter. Orders are also only sent out reusing packaging and protective stuffing from Fay’s own purchases, keeping the waste down to an absolute minimum.

Danilo goes solar

Danilo has installed solar panels at its offices in Waltham Abbey, Essex.

The company says that moving to solar power is a great investment that significantly reduces overall carbon footprint and greenhouse gas emissions, as well as creating long-term cost savings and putting businesses ahead of growing legislation to curb emissions as the government begins to focus on net zero.

“We’re thrilled the installation of our solar panels is now complete,’’ said Dan Grant, licensing director. “At Danilo, we appreciate the impact our business can have on the environment and are committed to reducing our carbon footprint.

We have already made some great changes to the way we operate, with past projects including LED lighting installation and electric vehicle charging points, and these solar panels are a wonderful new addition. We are also looking forward to the greater visibility of the company’s energy usage that this new system will give us, helping us to further identify areas of energy waste.”

From cup to card

Card designer Ellie Good has made more strides in her bid to be more eco-friendly. Her new stock cards - already printed in the UKwill be printed on 100% recycled coffee cups.

She said: “The paper quality and texture is wonderful, and I love the relatable story this gives to my customers. Perhaps their card had a commuter’s latte in it, or perhaps it held a hot chocolate for a child on a day out with their family.’’

Ellie is also now a member of 1% For The Planet, which means she donates at least 1% of her annual net profits to environmental charities.

www.elliegood.co.uk

On the Powerlist

On International Women’s Day (March 8), it was revealed that Greeting Card Association CEO Amanda Fergusson had been included in the inaugural Women in Trade Association Powerlist.

Amanda said: “I am honoured to be selected to join a group of such inspirational women on the Women in Trade Associations Powerlist. It is fantastic to have another opportunity to champion the greeting card sector, and I am delighted to play a part in celebrating female leadership.’’

You can view the list at www.taforum.org/wita-powerlist-2023

Meanwhile the London Chamber of Commerce celebrated International Woman’s Day with a number of posts from business leaders, including Amanda.

Amanda is pictured above (fourth from right) with GCA Council members who met at Hyve HQ on International Women’s Day

Meet the locals!

The Greetings Today team (pictured above with Adriana Lovesy, GCA membership and marketing coordinator centre) headed to the fabulous Sky Bar in Milton Keynes, Bucks, for the most recent GCA Local event. The event was attended by a variety of GCA members including publishers, printers and warehouse providers.

GCA Local events are designed to allow members to network in relaxed surroundings - the MK venue also had some spectacular views! The group sang Happy Birthday to card publisher Streetgreets’ Siobhan Wauchope, who had taken time out of her special day to come along.

The next events include Exeter on April 26 and North London on May 17.

The GCA also hosts online coffee mornings for newer members and a number of webinars. See www.gca.cards/new-member-virtual-coffeemornings and www.gca.cards/gca-webinars.

Dads take centre stage

The next big date in the calendar for cards is Father’s Day - and retailers can take advantage of the toolkit on the GCA website.

The toolkit, designed by Raspberry Blossom, includes ready-to-print artwork and banners as well as designs for Instagram posts and stories. It is free for everyone to download, you don’t have to be a GCA member.

See the free downloads at www.gca.cards/fathers-day-toolkit.

Members can also access a Father’s Day blog, which contains material that can be used to promote the season and their cards.

Kantar returns for GCA Conference 2023

Back by popular demand for the 2023 Greeting Card Association Conference is the world’s leading data, insights and consulting company, Kantar.

Ni Wang and Alex Bandini will once more be sharing 2023 Consumer Insights with attendees.

The 2023 annual GCA Conference and AGM will be held in Leeds on Thursday September 28 at the Royal Armouries Museum.

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The event will start at 10am and finish by 4.30pm, with those wishing to network further moving on to a nearby bar.

Tickets are now available to purchase. The GCA has held last year’s price for those wishing to book early, and take advantage of the early-bird offer.

Book your spot at www.gca.cards/2023-gca-conference-and-agm-thursday28th-september-2023.

Bewilderbeest

Bewilderbeest’s Wild Bites range has a selection of popular well-known dishes, including Coronation Chicken, which is particularly apt for this year’s festivities. The first Coronation Chicken dish was invented in 1953, and 70 years later, Bewilderbeest has brought it back (albeit on a card which is generally less edible)!

07742895283 | info@bewilderbeest.co.uk

www.bewilderbeest.co.uk

Home County Co

Celebrate the Coronation of King Charles III in style with limited edition Coronation Candles from the Home County Co., majestically scented with Coronation Bouquet to celebrate the bountiful blooms that will adorn the weekend’s festivities. Perfectly packaged in golden boxes, emblazoned with the official Coronation emblem, the only question is, will your customers choose to light them over Coronation weekend, or keep them to pass down for generations to come?

01442 502221 | info@homecountyco.com

www.homecountyco.com

Royalty Trends:

Museums & Galleries

Who can forget Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II’s appearance with Paddington Bear during her Platinum Jubilee celebrations last year? The CGI animation of Paddington with the real Queen discussing their love of marmalade enchanted millions across the globe. While Museums & Galleries is a Classic Paddington licensee, this made the company realise that while it produced many Paddington scenes, it had never published one with Paddington and marmalade - thus, in tribute to Paddington’s enduring love of this preserve, and in memory of a truly special moment in contemporary British history, the company released a new card with Paddington and a jar this spring, in its Illustrators range.

01373 462165 | sales@mgml.co.uk

www.museumsgalleries.co.uk

Love Country

Love Country is getting ready for the Coronation celebrations with two designs to mark the occasion. In true Love Country style, there’s a focus on the animals with Dressed for a King - an adorable design with a Jack Russell terrier and a Corgi playing dress-up and looking very dapper in a guard hat and crown.

The Coronation Collection will also feature Our Royal Tea, a second design with our King and Consort enjoying afternoon tea with their playful dogs. Both designs will be available as limited edition prints signed by the artist and available across a range of Biscuits, Luxury Chocolate Bars, and Ceramic Mugs to make a fabulous addition to Coronation-themed shop displays.

01502 507352

support@lovecountryuk.co.uk

www.lovecountryuk.co.uk

Raspberry Blossom

With the Royal Coronation on the horizon, the team at Raspberry Blossom are more than prepared with a couple of Royal Family-esque cards primed and ready for action!

What is a king without a crown? The King for the day card from the POP! collection is sure to be a winner with King Charles. The die cut and coloured foil finish to the crown makes it even more luxurious and fit for a King!

Is there a more regal pooch than a Corgi? This wonderfully characterful Corgi has a blue and red collar finished with a gold crown tag and the luxe emboss and spot UV finish highlights the dog’s adorable features perfectly. And how could we leave out adorable Jack Russell rescues Beth and Bluebell, rescued by King Charles and Queen Consort Camilla back in 2017. This Jack Russell card is equal parts sweet and sassy, finished with luxe touches.

01926 257 757

wholesale@raspberryblossom.com

http://raspberryblossom.com

As the country gets ready for the Coronation of the new King, attention turns to all things with a royal connection…

Going for gold

Luxurious colours have influenced Cherry Orchard’s new launch of seven male and seven female open Birthday cards. The code 60 cards with artwork featuring champagne, cocktails, florals, classic cars and sports give a new look and variety to the Grace and Grayson collections. Teamed with the pizazz of the gold envelope these are guaranteed to catch the eye of customers.

Cherry Orchard 01684 295500

www.cherryorchardpublishing.co.uk

spotlight Make and create

Avenue Mandarine has added a number of exciting new products to its creative ranges, which have been developed to engage youngsters in crafting activities.

The Punch Needle Kits contain all the materials needed to create a fun punch needle picture. The wooden hoop doubles up as a frame to display the creation. Available in unicorn, tiger and toucan.

Diamond art is a popular crafting activity for all ages and this kit enables users to create four stunning pictures with a jungle theme.

Graffy Scratch lets children create amazing pictures by scratching off the black coating on each sheet with the wooden stick to reveal the rainbow-coloured background. Graffy Nature is a great way to get children interested in nature and be creative at the same time. Each mask or finger puppet is in three parts… a printed colour example to follow, a detailed outline to colour and a basic outline to decorate with leaves and flowers. Exaclair 01553 696600 | enquiries@exaclair.co.uk | www.exaclairlimited.com

Countryside characters

West Country Designs will be showcasing a range of handillustrated greeting cards for the first time at PG Live in June. Created by founder Anna Search and inspired by the countryside and her childhood memories, the characterful watercolour designs all tell a little story and aim to bring a smile to your face.

This new publisher also achieved a Finalist position in The Henries 2022.

West Country Designs

07535089642 | info@westcountrydesigns.com

www.westcountrydesigns.com

New kids on the Bloques

Introducing the Bloques Series, a design collection from Storigraphic. Inspired by a love of mid-century design and featuring a bold, rich summer palette, this new colour block series comprises six patterns across wrapping papers, cards, stationery, pencil cases and graphical art prints. Homeware products to launch too.

Storigraphic

https://storigraphic.com

hello@storigraphic.com

Festive spirit

Loveday Designs has brewed up a new Christmas range entitled Hoppy Holidays - a pun range based on festive ale, beer and pilsner. All cards are 125 x 175mm and come with a festive envelope. Each cap has a unique name and design, with a subtle Christmas pun relating to Christmas, including:

• Santa’s Stout - (of course we know he is - think of all those mince pies).

• Ice Bear Brewery - Bruin Since 1225 (not brewing but ‘Bruin’, which is another word for bear; the design has a polar bear on it).

• Reindeers Ruin (featuring Rudolph with his red nose, no doubt caused by a bit too much to drink).

• Cheers - Your Very Good Elf.

Loveday Designs

07973 500 503

info@lovedaydesigns.co.uk

A warm welcome to the world

Launched at Spring Fair, Nigel Quiney announced the birth of a new Baby collection called Au Naturel. The collection bundles up 10 cute new Birth designs, five male and five female, contemporary in style with foiled details featuring storks and little babygrows. Plus really sweet designs in juvenile ages one to six, with loveable characters and large foiled numbers.

All designs are C50 and printed on bright Veltique Ice board with snow white envelope. Combining the baby and ages elements together will give any in-store displays super cuteness!

Nigel Quiney

01799 520200

info@nigelquiney.com

Inspired by summer meadows

Luxury greeting card range Mika has been designed by Rachel Ellen Designs’ newest designer Rachael Lawton.

Inspired by playful, Japanese summer meadows, strong shades of jade and chartreuse green paired with wild rose and blush pink are at the heart of this colour palette.

Rachael didn’t have to go far to find more inspiration - she looked at the flowers in her own back garden for this range, which features detailed spot embossing, along with luxury gold foil to make the cards pop and glisten in the sunlight.

Rachel Ellen Designs

0115 9700 321

www.rachelellen.co.uk

This is his moment

The Creative studio team at Cherry Orchard have been busy designing to extend the Male relations in their extensive portfolio.

The popular artistic style of Timeless Moments, which spotlights on popular hobbies such as fishing. boating, golf and cycling, now includes 10 male titles in a Code 100, Code 75 and Code 60.

Past times are celebrated in the new Male Carnival titles with a handpainted look and gold foil detailing. There are nine bright and colourful designs in Code 60.

Cherry Orchard

01684 295500 | www.cherryorchardpublishing.co.uk

Working better together

Cherry Orchard Publishing is embracing 2023 after, yet again, a tremendously successful Spring Fair. Having put in the work behind the scenes to make this success happen, supporting existing and new customers with holding back price increases and forging ahead with stunning new collections, the Cherry Orchard Team is looking forward to a very busy year.

Cherry Orchard MD Jackie Collins has welcomed many new collaborations with UK customers, along with record-breaking new export business, and says she is very excited to be in the driving seat for yet another, great year ahead. After 28 years at the helm of the publishing company, Jackie knows how to run a successful operation and has always been passionate about the company ethos and customer relations. The Customer Care Team has received fantastic feedback from retailers, with unprecedented re-orders coming through from new launches. It’s an encouraging and positive step to know that retailers are going from strength to strength in their business and that the ranges are not only working for them, but turning in the pockets at a very healthy rate!

If you want to be part of the Cherry Orchard family and are looking to expand your offering and grow your sales, here we take a look at some of their highly successful ranges…

Nature’s Diary

Cherry Orchard aims to help its retailers divide the work and multiply the successes, as MD Jackie Collins explains Cherry Orchard

Nature’s Diary is Cherry Orchard’s new eco-friendly range. The spectacular artwork was painted by Cherry Orchard’s very own creative director, and explores the UK’s nature and wildlife through the months of the year. Following the positive customer feedback on how well the range is working, there are already plans to extend the collection into open and occasions.

This collection is printed using a Carbon Neutral press and the FSC credited cards come complete with an Eco Kraft recyclable envelope. Retailers and shoppers are responding positively to this environmentally friendly range and it demonstrates that giving customers the green choice is definitely an exciting step for the greeting card industry.

As we all become more conscious of the implications that consumer waste has on the planet, opting to pick up an environmentally-friendly greeting card is the natural solution. This way there is no guilt attached to either the gifter or the recipient. They can shop with a clear conscience and know that their card will either be recycled or go into compost.

The Sales and Customer Care team can support you for an effortless order. Whether you want to order using the online ordering system or would prefer to see a member of the team, they will work around you and your requirements.

Grace

Grace is a beautiful and stylish range that will catch the attention of your customers. With a luxurious look, this extravagant range of greeting cards are all finished with gold foil and an opulent gold envelope. The collection is constantly being updated and now includes male relations Grayson’ relation ages, open Birthday, and occasions.

New for 2023, this must-see range has been extended to include luxurious coloured backgrounds.

Seasonal ranges

Cherry Orchard’s extensive Seasonal ranges include hundreds of card designs for everyone, all offering great value. Cherry Orchard offers a great variety in traditional, modern, artistic and cute designs in Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day, Easter, Father’s Day and Christmas.

The new Grace and Grayson, Wedding and Anniversary Collection will be available end of April.

Contact the Customer Care team for a brochure.

The new Christmas 2023 brochure is available now. All of Cherry Orchard’s portfolio is printed in the UK.

Down Memory Lane

Down Memory Lane is Cherry Orchard’s most sought-after and highest-selling range, and is now celebrating its 10th year in production! The range features interesting facts, figures and eye-catching images from the year that the card receiver was born. There are 14 male and 14 female milestone Birthday designs plus five Anniversary designs.

These cards (like all of the publisher’s portfolio) are printed on FSC premium board and have the high-calibre finishes that Cherry Orchard is renowned for, which make the designs really come to life.

Happily ever after…

According to the UK Wedding Report 2023 (from wedding planning site www.bridebook.com), weddings are still big business, with the average cost of a wedding up 15% at £29,037 - and with the average wedding including at least 88 guests, that adds up to a lot of cards!

“Wedding trends come and go but one trend we are seeing continuing this season is the gifting of cards and stationery from bride to bridesmaids. It is such a special day and asking those you love most to be a part of your big day should be celebrated and remembered. Our Golden Moments card depicts the day perfectly with the bridesmaid dresses lined up in the wardrobe ready for a day of love and laughter’’

Rebecca Green, Raspberry Blossom

And surprisingly, the most popular dates for this year fall not in the ‘traditional’ month of June, but August and September, although April to July are still pretty popular, so it makes sense to ensure your wedding and anniversary sections are well stocked into autumn. (Christmas, New Year and Valentine’s Day remain the most popular days to get engaged.)

Average stationery costs are up from £235 to £238, with 53% of couples opting for DIY over professional stationery, however text RSVPs (39%) have overtaken physical card RSVPs (37%).

Average marrying ages have also risen, with the average age now being 30, and for same-sex (male) couples, late 30s.

And when it comes to anniversary cards, there’s more good news, according to a survey by wedding planning site Hitched (www.hitched. co.uk) 63% said they always send an anniversary card, while another 18% said they send them only on milestones or ‘when they remember’. And 80% of respondents said they had never missed an anniversary, showing that they are still an important date in most people’s diaries.

We asked Jackie Collins, MD at card publishers Cherry Orchard, for her thoughts on the wedding and anniversary sector:

The pandemic created a boost for the wedding industry after lockdown - are you still seeing that now?

With weddings now back in full swing after a turbulent couple of years, sales of cards are set to soar. Make the most of the wedding and anniversary season and let your customers go above and beyond with a showstopping card selection.

Are there any new trends for this category?

Our luxury Grace and Grayson cards are taking centre stage in Cherry Orchard’s new 2023 Wedding and Anniversary collection. The signature Grace and Grayson style feature decadent artwork finished with foiling, elegant embossing and a gold envelope, giving the designs finesse and elegance combined with beautiful verses.

With the cost of living - do you think wedding guests will spend more on a nice card if they can’t afford much on a gift? Wedding gifting has changed, with more couples not asking for physical gifts - it has shifted wedding etiquette.

It’s always a nice gesture to not turn up empty-handed and it will make the couple smile to receive special personal words in a beautiful card that they can keep and treasure - and there’s no harm in that! Some couples designate a table for cards and often have a special keepsake box for them.

As we head into the busiest wedding season, we look at the sector, emerging trends and some of the latest cards, ready for retailers to fill their racks…

“It’s such an important time of year for greeting cards shops; we made a special effort to get things perfect so we could cover all the styles needed to satisfy as wide a range of end user as possible. With spring seasons becoming more challenging every year those extra sales for wedding and anniversary are ever-more important’’

Paul Urban, Kingfisher Cards

Cherry Orchard

The luxury Grace and Grayson cards are taking centre stage in Cherry Orchard’s brand new 2023 Wedding and Anniversary collection.

The signature Grace and Grayson style feature decadent artwork finished with foiling, elegant embossing and a gold envelope, giving the designs finesse and elegance combined with beautiful verses.

To celebrate these extra special occasions, Cherry Orchard’s collection of 24 designs come in a range of price codes including Code 100, Code 75 and Code 60. With titles including Mum & Dad Anniversary, Daughter & Son in Law Anniversary, Son & Daughter in Law Anniversary, Sister & Brother in Law Anniversary, Brother and Sister in Law Anniversary alongside the more well-known titles.

01684 295500

info@cherryorchardpublishing.co.uk

www.cherryorchardpublishing.co.uk

Laura Darrington

Laura Darrington Design has a wide and varied range of wedding and anniversary designs across numerous ranges in a number of styles. Everything from classic wedding cars in the Halcyon and Glow Collections to contemporary cakes in its Noted and Utopia Collection. There are some niche captions in the Halcyon collection for Daughter & Son-In-Law, Son & Daughter-In-Law, as well as designs celebrating same-sex marriages and partnerships.

0116 284 9660

orders@lauradarrington.com

www.lauradarrington.com

Kingfisher Cards

It’s that time of year again and Kingfisher Cards is launching a new wedding and anniversary collection of 45 new designs covering all the titles to celebrate those wonderful occasions.

“It’s such an important time of year for greeting cards shops; we made a special effort to get things perfect so we could cover all the styles needed to satisfy as wide an end user as possible,’’ says managing director Paul Urban. “With spring seasons becoming more challenging every year those extra sales for wedding and anniversary are ever-more important.”

The collection certainly does not disappoint, printed on lovely 300gsm FSC board, with full colour inserts and delicate foil finishes, these will grace any retailer’s displays. As usual, Kingfisher’s commitment to provide excellence alongside great value is plain to see.

The range covers not only the obvious titles but also some of the harder-to-find titles such as Grandson and Wife/Granddaughter and Husband alongside some new versions of the milestone anniversaries such as Ruby, Golden and Diamond.

“I am never happy unless I feel any new product is even better than the existing cards,” Paul confesses. “We have reached the sort of range breadth we envisaged as a publisher; the next step is an ongoing plan to take the product to another level.”

01803 431515 | sales@kingfishercards.co.uk | www.kingfishercards.co.uk

Rachel Ellen Designs

Rachel Ellen Designs has a broad and comprehensive selection of stunning wedding and anniversary cards that offer something for everyone. From handpainted artwork to cards embellished with finishes including luxurious gold foil, embossing and jewels; every card is lovingly hand-finished in-house.

0115 9700 321

www.rachelellen.co.uk

Raspberry Blossom

As the wedding season inches closer, Raspberry Blossom has a host of sentimental, colour-infused greeting cards perfect for the big day. Wedding trends come and go but one the publisher is seeing continuing this season is the gifting of cards and stationery from bride to bridesmaids. It is such a special day and asking those you love most to be a part of your big day should be celebrated and remembered. The ‘Golden Moments’ card depicts the day perfectly with the bridesmaid dresses lined up in the wardrobe ready for a day of love and laughter.

Though pared-back, classic tones are still very popular in wedding cards, people do ask for greeting cards that feature more colour and vibrancy. The Big Love and Happiness cards were designed to add a splash of colour to the usual muted shades.

Raspberry Blossom believes that wedding cards should be kept and cherished to act as a reminder of the wonderful celebration long after the day has ended. The Keepsakes card is perfect to be kept out on a shelf or admired on a mantelpiece. The luxurious hand-painted 3D structure is also the perfect gift from those who are not buying a present but would still love to gift something super special.

Recently introduced are Mr & Mr and Mrs & Mrs cards in the ever-popular Golden Moments range. Both cards feature wedding outfits hung in a wardrobe ready for the big day, finished with gold details and luxe foil lettering.

01926 257 757 | wholesale@raspberryblossom.com

Words ‘n’ Wishes

Words ‘n’ Wishes new Wedding/Anniversary Collection 2023 showcases 46 designs offering a variety of exciting formats and looks following design styles from its successful everyday ranges, incorporating different genres.

The publisher has also introduced two engagement cards, and a wedding acceptance /regret design, as well as seven new wedding day designs for that very special event.

Anniversaries of all kinds are covered, from the first anniversary to the incredible Diamond (60 years together) through a comprehensive 35 new designs with a brilliant balance of textured finishes, colours, styles and thoughtful edit.

01942 233 201 | alison@words-n-wishes.co.uk

Show Preview

A – Z show guide

London Stationery Show’s event director Alex Butler offers an A-Z rundown of the best the show has to offer…

London Stationery Show is the ultimate destination for arts & crafts, greetings cards, paper products and writing instrument buyers. Now in its 13th year, the show is a staple for the retailer community looking for exciting new products and helpful tips for their business.

We spoke to event director, Alex Butler, to find out what she’s looking forward to this May: “Whether you’re an independent shop or a multinational department store, in the luxury sector or mass-market, London Stationery Show has something for everyone. Our spring show is the perfect place to restock and refresh your store and puts you in prime position to liaise with your current suppliers and forge meaningful relationships with new ones,’’ she says.

Here’s Alex’s A-Z guide to what’s on offer…

ARTS & CRAFTS

This year’s show sees more arts & crafts products than ever before. You’ll see a fantastic selection of brands including Caran D’Ache, Clairefontaine, Hahnemühle, Panart, Sandart, Royal Brush Manufacturing (UK) Ltd, Royal Talens UK Ltd, and more.

BOUTIQUE COLLECTION

The Boutique Collection allows you the chance to discover something original. This carefully curated section of the show is centred around innovation, as quirky, independent suppliers present their product offerings. Brands include Andhand, Clever Fox Planner, Coffeenotes, FabRap, Her Design World, Once Upon a Tuesday, Sarah Kelleher, Storigraphic, plus many more.

COFFEE MATTERS

Take a break or meet up with industry friends in the Coffee Matters Café. You can find the café in a new location for 2023, on the ground floor of the show.

DATES

This year’s event takes place on May 16 and 17, and coincides with National Stationery Week.

EVERYTHING IN ONE PLACE

London Stationery Show is the one-stop-shop for retailers with 150-plus brands, seminars, advice clinics and networking opportunities all under one roof. Whether you’re coming to the show for the day or spending two days in the capital you’re certain to see it all.

FUN

Make sure you have fun! Trade shows are a fantastic place to take a step away from the day-to-day running of your business and enjoy the innovation and community spirit.

GET CREATIVE

The Creative Matters Workshops return this year and are sponsored by Jakar International. Leading names including Perfect Planner Company, Colop UK, Manuscript Brands, edding, Quilling Card, Exacompta Clairefontaine, Royal Talens and Jakar International - they will all showcase their products in these interactive sessions. Retailers can book their slots once they’ve registered for the show.

HERO PRODUCTS

There’s no better place to source a new hero product for your store. Whether you’re looking for that one special collection that will shine or something to wow in your window displays, you’ll be spoilt for choice with thousands of products on display.

INDIE MATTERS

After fantastic feedback in 2022, the Indie Matters Business Advice Clinics are back. These one-to-one sessions are a fantastic opportunity for you to ask those all-important questions and get tailored advice for your shop. Catherine Erdly and Nerrisa Pratt are currently confirmed, with additional experts due to be announced in the coming weeks.

JOURNALS

It’s no secret that journaling is more popular than ever. Make sure you check out our suppliers offering this on-trend product. Suppliers include: Perfect Planner Company, RK Journals, Silvine, Clever Fox Planner, Charfleet Box Bindery and more.

KNOWLEDGE

This year’s Retail Matters line-up is our favourite yet. Fan favourite Martha Keith (Founder of Martha Brook) is back and this year discussing all things video content! New speaker Sam Smith (Hello Time) will be giving her advice on how to nail your business branding while keeping your bottom line in check. Plus, Catherine Erdly (The Resilient Retail Club), Nerissa Pratt (UNTLD Project) and Rachel Waring (Rachel Emma Waring) return to cover growth strategy, PR and social media.

LOOKING FOR SOMETHING NEW

There are 40-plus new brands exhibiting at London Stationery Show this year. Brands include Feather. ink, G.F Smith, Hawthorn Handmade, Quilling Card, Meaningful Messages, The Abstract Bee, It Takes Heart, Richard Cooper Bronze and many more.

MEETINGS

There’s so much to do at this show; it’s important that you come with a plan. Why not book in a couple of meetings with brands you want to chat to before you arrive? All contact details can be found on the 2023 brands page of the London Stationery Show website.

One of the biggest benefits of attending a trade show is the networking opportunities. You can meet up with similar-sized businesses, chat to new suppliers and even meet the team responsible for putting on the show. The opportunities are endless.

NATIONAL STATIONERY WEEK

London Stationery Show falls within one of the most exciting weeks for the stationery industry. Make sure you’re following the National Stationery Week social media accounts, interacting with the #s and promoting all things stationery. @natstatweek

OFFERS

The London Stationery Show team has secured a number of fantastic deals with local restaurants and bars. Offers include 20% off your food and drink bill at Fredericks, 3-for-2 on drinks at Bubba Oasis, and complimentary starters at Wagamama Islington plus many more. Visit the Show Offers page on the London Stationery Show website for a full list.

PERSONALISATION

Keep an eye out for brands offering personalisation of their products during the show. It’s a great way to see the products and grab some social media content that includes your business name.

QUIRKY

It’s always exciting to see those alternative designs and eccentric products at a trade show. Check out Storigraphic, Andhand, Once Upon A Tuesday, Turnaround, G.F Smith, to name but a few, if you’re looking for something different for your shop.

REGISTRATION

Registering in advance means that you get fasttrack entry on arrival. You can skip the queues and make the most of your visit. Plus, you’ll be the first to receive the latest news, floorplans and have early access to workshop bookings.

SUSTAINABILITY

It’s great to see London Stationery Show shining a light on the importance of sustainability and the brands that are making steps towards reducing their carbon footprint, using more sustainable packaging, and pushing boundaries with eco-friendly products. Stop by the Sustainability Matters feature at the front of the show to find out how you can improve your footprint.

TRENDS

Attending a trade show means that you’ll be up to date on the latest trends and be the first to see what’s to come in the next 12 months. As you walk around London Stationery Show you’ll be presented with key trends that can help you make your buying decisions.

UP AND COMING

Don’t miss LaunchPad. This exciting feature allows you to explore the six winners of London Stationery Show’s competition. This area gives new brands the chance to display their products. It’s a great place to look if you want something fresh for your shop. The 2023 LaunchPad winners are Curlicue Gifting Limited, Enayball, Jennifer Tune, Ladies Let’s Plan, Lione and Sheikh and Moonducks Design.

VENUE

The Business Design Centre has always been London Stationery Show’s home, and this year is no different. The venue is easily accessible as it’s a short walk from Angel tube station and has a large car park.

WINNERS

You’ll find the winning products alongside the finalist of the Stationery Matters Awards 2023 on the mezzanine.

This dedicated display will give you the opportunity to view the best of the best

What: London Stationery Show Where: Business Design Centre, Islington, London When: May 16-17

from categories including: Novelty Products, Gift Packaging & Wrap, Arts & Crafts, Writing Instruments, Sustainable Products and many more.

X-FACTOR

Attending London Stationery Show will give your socials the X-Factor. It’s a great place to film content and give your followers a behind-the-scenes look at how buying works. Audiences love to be able to see the ins and outs, so make sure you capture live content, but also film and take pictures to post once you’re back in your store.

YOUR DAY, YOUR WAY

Remember you might not be able to get everything done, so make sure you prioritise and plan in advance to make sure the show meets your needs.

ZZZ

There is so much to do at London Stationery Show this year that you might want to spend the night and visit the show over both days.

With a hotel attached to the Business Design Centre and more than 50 hotels within a 10-minute walk to the venue, you’ll be spoilt for choice.

Web: www.stationeryshowlondon.co.uk

“Our spring show is the perfect place to restock and refresh your store and puts you in prime position to liaise with your current suppliers and forge meaningful relationships with new ones’’ Alex Butler, London Stationery Show event director

Buyers’ perspective

Greetings Today chats to buyers about what they enjoy about the London Stationery Show, what they’ll be looking for and discovers their top tips for visitors…

Sarah Laker Owner

Stationery Supplies, Wilmslow and Marple, Cheshire

What’s your favourite thing about London Stationery Show?   Having all things stationery under one roof, and meeting industry friends in the aisles.

Will you be looking for any products/categories in particular?   Eco, sustainable stationery is always on my list. Alongside looking at what trends and colours are out there.

I’ll also be starting my ‘back to school’ buying and so will be looking for something exciting!

What/who are your ‘must-sees’?

Too many to mention! I love the boutique area with the smaller and newer brands; it’s good to see fresh ideas and will help you stock products that are not found elsewhere.

Any tips for retailers visiting the show for the first time?  Plan!

Walk the whole show before you buy anything, as it’s easy to get carried away. Have a budget and stick to it.

Stagger your order dates, so everything doesn’t arrive at once. Take some time out to do a workshop, it will help you to sell the products. Use the opportunity to network with your current suppliers as well as new ones; cementing relationships in person leads to a better supplier relationship.

Do you have a favourite London Stationery Show memory?

The first show I attended was also the first time I came to London for a trade fair, walking up to the impressive Business Design Centre and seeing a black cab outside with the London Stationery Show logo and pencil branding on, then walking in and having all the brands I buy from under one roofstationery heaven.

Sitting on the stage being interviewed by Alex Ryan for a podcast, and looking out at a full audience.

Then last year finally buying from Studio Pens. I wanted to start selling Kaweco just before the pandemic hit, then when life went crazy I felt the time wasn’t right to stock it, but last May at the LSS that time came, and I spent ages with Nikki planning the range and placing an order for both my shops. Spending the time at the show away from the pressures of day-to-day shop life was worth it as my customers love them.

John Hall Owner, Write Here Shrewsbury

Will you be going to London Stationery Show?

Cherie Jerrard [Write Here assistant and designer at Cherie did this] will be going. We’ll be looking for affordability at this time. Free postage on first orders helps. Any tips for retailers?

An initial small order will gauge the relationship with the supplier - some often don’t follow up on small orders and then you’ll know not to give them a bigger order!

Sandra Jervis Owner Creative Cove, Lampeter, Wales

What are your favourite things about London Stationery Show?

London Stationery Show has a lovely, friendly vibe, which makes it really appealing. Unlike some of the bigger shows, you can really take your time looking at stands, getting to know existing suppliers more and trying out products. You don’t feel rushed by exhibitors and I think that makes a real difference. Will you be looking for any products/categories in particular?

Pencil cases are big on my hit list this year! Every show I go to, this is something I search for, but the market is fairly limited for general range pencil cases suitable for the back to school customers, and all my suppliers that I deal with don’t seem to offer much that is new. So if someone reads this and has a great range of pencil cases that they sell to independent retailers, please make yourself known! The other area I’m looking at this time is the crafts section as this is new to the show and it’s something I sell a lot of so it could give me some interesting new products.

What/who are your ‘must-sees’?

I always make a habit of going and speaking to my existing suppliers - the ones I deal with regularly throughout the year - as I think it’s important to have that face-to-face relationship when you can. So always Pentel, Legami, Exaclair, Stabilo. This year I’m going straight back to see the Kaweco pens, they’ve really taken off in the shop and it will be lovely to see and feel the lovely new designs for this year.

Any tips for retailers who are visiting the show for the first time?

Go round slowly at first, taking it all in and write down the suppliers you want to go back to. It took me a few shows to get a system going and now I don’t forget who I really liked! It can be easy to get carried away and think you have to place an order when you immediately see something you like. But if you really like it, going back that second time means you’re more likely to have thought it through and will be happier with the order.

Do you have a favourite Stationery Show memory?

Going out with several fellow stationers and suppliers in the evening and ending up in a bar with hundreds of bras hanging from the ceiling! Who said stationers were boring?!

Amy Skingsley Buying manager - stationery & seasonal

The Works Stores

What are your favourite things about London Stationery Show?   Having a diverse range of suppliers under one roof and seeing lots of great products in one day. Will you be looking for any products in particular?

I will be looking for inspiration for new products and collections.

What are your ‘must-sees’?

I will be particularly looking at the trends. Any tips for retailers visiting the show for the first time?

Make sure you check out the exhibitor list before you attend.

Do you have a favourite show memory?

It felt great to attend again after Covid. It was a great feeling to see suppliers face-to-face again!

Exaclair

Stand: M400

Clairefontaine has recently introduced the Evanescence collection to its extensive range of premium quality notebooks and stationery products.

The collection features the latest designs of Parisian artist Edith Duprez-Chenu, whose work famously combines her passions for fashion textiles, materials and patterns by drawing inspiration from her experiences working with the likes of John Galliano and Christian Dior.

Puckator

Stand: M321

In this collection Edith has carefully blended colours and mixed geometric and abstract shapes with line art flowers and watercolour landscapes. The designs have been enhanced by golden touches for a delicate effect.

Ideal for journaling enthusiasts and avid notetakers, this new range incorporates a wide selection of stylish notebooks that are available in a variety of sizes, including A4, A5 and A6, as well as small shopping pads. These are presented in a choice of formats, such as classic sewn spine, wirebound or even hardbacked with an elasticated closure. Each notebook contains the PEFC certified, super-smooth 90gsm Clairefontaine brushed vellum paper that is adored by stationery lovers globally.

In addition to a choice of guest books and a perpetual birthday calendar, the collection also features desktop accessories including letter holders, desk mats, pen pots, pencil cases and magazine files. Lever arch files, elasticated folders and tabbed folders are also available to provide filing solutions for a tidy desk.

To celebrate the launch of this collection the range is being offered with special introductory promotional prices for a limited period.

01553 696600

sales@exaclair.co.uk

www.exaclairlimited.co.uk

“Evanescence has been designed to alleviate the stresses of today’s trying times by bringing together colours that are known to be calming and soothing, such as naturally meditative shades of blues, greens and browns, which have been blended with colours that gently warm us – pastel pinks, burnt oranges and terracotta”

Puckator will be at the show with a whole host of fun back-to-school items perfect for kids to show off, and some stylish stationery for the grown-ups.

The major theme of the line-up is eco-friendly, with new ABS recycled pens, and stone notebooks made of a combination of limestone and HDPE. This material has a carbon footprint of almost 60% less than traditional paper. These come in new designs such as the jungle-themed Animal Kingdom, or the floral bee designs of Nectar Meadows.

Another product to look out for are Surprise Pens - until you actually open the box, you don’t know what you’re going to get! It could be a lion, or a giraffe - the fun is not knowing what’s inside. The pens come in sets including zoo animals, sea creatures, and new Dinosauria.

For little dinosaur fans, the Dinosauria and Dinosauria Jr ranges of giftable stationery feature cartoon designs and bright colours, which appeal to children of all ages. A favourite are the Dinosauria Jr Pencils with cute dinosaur toppers.

Do you want six pens for the price of one? Also in the Dinosauria range is the new Multi Colour Pen, which is packed full of different ink colours, ready for kids to show their creativity. The pens have four different designs showing off favourite dinosaurs, and are available in many different ranges, from London Themes to the animal-themed Adoramals.

0800 011 6969 | customerservices@puckator.co.uk | www.puckator.co.uk

Lawrence Savage, UK marketing manager, Exacompta Clairefontaine group

Diary of a sales agent

“And what do you do for a living?” the answer to this question over the years I have simplified to “I sell greeting cards”. And often you can see the momentary spark of interest quickly dwindle when the new acquaintance realises I said greeting cards. Not high tech, modern and exciting things like AI, an instant hit of podcasting or something that will be relevant to the fast pace of a modern lifestyle.

I used to be slightly disappointed, now, however I have the inner glow of someone who knows the truth. And I can be ever-so-slightly smug that

greeting cards, stationery and gifts are all products that have a huge impact on the lives of millions of people. And many of the people I have had the pleasure of meeting are some of the nicest, most considerate and friendliest I have ever met. And very astute business owners, too.

Greeting cards are big business, and many new areas of retail are moving into selling this product range. Supermarkets, garden centres, heritage sites, toy shops, beauty salons; the list of retailers that now see greeting cards as a key element is growing daily. And yet the card and gift shops are still thriving.

Don’t get me wrong, in times of financial concerns, it’s not all plain sailing, but the retailers are clever and adapt and move with the current trends. As do greeting cards in general. The publishers are constantly introducing new ranges and designs. Redback Cards, Dandelion Stationery, Two Little Monkeys, Ginger Betty, Alljoy Design and Lucilla Lavender have all adapted and changed, introducing fabulous new ranges that appeal to new markets.

And they are moving with the times, finding new ways to show their products to the retailers and public. Who knew that selling greeting cards would develop into not just supplying printed catalogues and a few samples. No, now we are in the world of email, Insta, Facebook, QR codes, digital marketing and ordering systems at the forefront of technology such as PixSell by Aspin. That’s why I have that smug inner glow.

Pre-covid I used to supply a stationery shop with greeting cards. The buyer liked the Redback Cards range and would always select a few to get over carriage, commenting that they didn’t really sell because they were too expensive for her store,

but she liked them. After a couple of years of this I asked her on one of my visits if I could see how many of the last order she had left on the shelf. The answer was none. Because they had all sold!

The shop was bought by another retailer during lockdown. The new owner had spoken to me and a few other agents to help her decide if she should buy the business, and I told her this story. Clearly the other agents had the same opinion and she duly bought the shop. Removing the old greeting card stock, she embarked on introducing new companies, new designs, and totally revamped the shop and the way it sold cards. The new designs were an instant hit; clearly the buying public had been wanting these new, bright and more expensive cards to choose from. And despite the economic pressures, this retailer is astute and building her business, the publishers she buys from are all very happy with the level of business and I am really pleased that she is creating an exciting and prosperous vocation for herself, staff and family.

It’s still fun to be a sales agent in the greeting card world.

Sales agent Richard Pass is proud to be part of an industry that proves that being flexible and not afraid of introducing new lines and ways of merchandising results in success - and more sales

‘‘In times of financial concerns, it’s not all plain sailing but the retailers are clever and adapt and move with the current trends’’

Jesmond Beauty Clinic. Jen and her team really maximise the spinner options

Stone the Crows, Dronfield. Heather and the team run a fabulous gift and card shop. Always a delight to visit

Who-Ray, Stockton on Tees. Martin and Brian sell everything from Dr Who to incense, gifts and cards

Make ‘em laugh!

We could all use a laugh - now more than ever. So it’s lucky that there are plenty of card publishers out there doing their best to help us see the funny side…

07742895283 |

Iain Hamilton at Bewilderbeest talks about his range of humorous cards: “I’m not always sure whether people are laughing at me, or with me, but then I do have an unusually shaped nose. At least if people are looking at our Bewilderbeest cards and laughing, I know they’re laughing with me (that’s right, sometimes I laugh at my own cards, and probably look slightly unhinged).

Some puns have been done to death, so at Bewilderbeest we try to steer clear of those ones, and instead aim for a sideways look at ‘the everyday’. Everyone needs a bit more nonsense in their day, and Bewilderbeest certainly aims to provide that.

Although there is always a demand for occasion-based humorous cards, we do find that several of our everyday humour cards sell very well. The Plot Thickens and Beef Wellington cards seem to hit the sweet spot of daft, but relatable. As for our dog cards - such as Lab Testing - many people know someone who has a Labrador that is, shall we say, overly enthusiastic with leftovers. It’s always clearest that we’ve nailed a card when someone lets out an uncontrollable snort (or groan), and taps their friend on the shoulder to point the card out to them.

Humour is obviously very subjective, but we’ve found that our most offbeat, absurd, and daft designs often create the strongest reaction. Plus, though some of our designs are cheeky, none are outright rude, so they’re fairly safe to send to Great Aunt Gladys, without too much fear of retribution.

Some people ask me if I’ll run out of ideas, but given that my sketchbook has more than 200 new scribbles, and counting, you’ll all be subjected to our nonsense for a long time to come…once I finish writing my book – How to Fall Down Stairs: A Step by Step Guide.’’

Nigel Quiney

01799 520200 | info@nigelquiney.com

www.nigelquiney.com

Humour is not something Nigel Quiney Publications is particularly known for, but the team love funny cards!

The publisher launched three new humour ranges at the end of last year - 12 cards in each range - and they’re all proving to be very popular

To be Honest - fun and contemporary designs that gently highlight the pitfalls of getting older…

Hey Hooman - a fun range based on ‘what would your pet be saying to you if they could talk to their hooman?’

Snap Happy - retro vintage photos, with age and alcohol-based jokes, all highlighted with big bright washes of colour. Celebrating the difficult subject of getting older with humour.

Everyone enjoys making their friends and family laugh, and with the launch of the three new ranges, Nigel Quiney believes it has something for everyone.

Lesser and Pavey

01322 279225 | sales@leonardo.co.uk

www.leonardo.co.uk

Lesser and Pavey offers some humour for Father’s Day gifts in the form of a collection of funny designs on mugs, drinking glasses, coasters and placemats and notebooks. The illustrations come from young card company Bewilderbeest - winners of a 2022 Henries award.

Lesser and Pavey joined forces with Bewilderbeest and turned its humorous and quirky cards into 3D humour in the form of a giftware range.

Each item features a sometimes-absurd illustration and caption. The range includes quality notebooks as well as fine china mugs, ceramic coasters, drinking glasses, laptrays, sets of tablemats and coasters as well as cotton tea towels.

Naughty but nice

Dean Morris talks to Greetings Today about how it all began, his bestselling ranges, and how he gets inspired…

Tell us about Dean Morris.

Dean Morris Cards officially began all the way back in 1999 with help from an EU-funded local support group for young designer-makers, as well as the Prince’s Trust. Initially focusing on kitsch handmade cards, the brand over time evolved into the bold, colourful and sometimes naughty humour publisher that it is today.

And how has the company changed in that time?

I never expected to still be making people laugh with my product 23 years later, so that’s an achievement.

I’m so proud that my designs are loved by lots of loyal retail and trade customers who continue to support me; that’s all I think we should want as publishers. I have always made a point of making the business very much a reflection of me through social media so whenever people come up to me in the street (and this happens more than I think it should) and asks if I am the guy that does the cards, that always makes me very proud. I once got asked at BA first-class check-in “are you the Dean Morris of Dean Morris Cards?”. That’s pretty much the highlight right there!

Why do you think humour is an important category for retailers to stock?

If the past three years have taught us anything it’s that we all need a good laugh. Also, many of my customers don’t have a sentimental relationship with each other and humour/banter on cards is a good way of showing affection without being too soppy.

What are your bestselling ranges?

My bestselling and longest-running range is Fabulous, which I launched in the summer of 2006. It quickly grew as my most popular range and I add around 50 new designs every year, evolving the range as it goes. The core style is always bold, retro images with a snappy, humorous punchline.

If retailers wanted to try out one new range from you what would you suggest and why?

I would definitely suggest a mix of Fabulous, and Bubbles. Both sit very well together as they both feature my trademark vintage imagery and are both humour based.

How do you come up with your ideas?

I’ll usually have a great punchline without an image or the other way round. The ideas seem to drop into my head semi-formed every night, then I’ll spend the next day trying to transform them into a sellable card.

Are you planning to exhibit at any shows this year?

I’ve already exhibited at Spring Fair this year and I’ll be at PG Live and Autumn Fair too. And then it’ll be Christmas all over again!

Dean Morris Cards

01902 560247

dean@deanmorriscards.co.uk

www.deanmorriscards.co.uk

Love Country

support@lovecountryuk.co.uk | www.lovecountryuk.co.uk

We don’t need to suffer in silence any more; it’s time to expose the dreaded beast that is the Menopauseosaur, says Sarah Reilly.

These colourful new menopause humour cards take a fresh look at menopause and its symptoms.

Inspired by listening to friends’ funny stories and, on occasion, keeping out of their way when they were having a ‘rage moment’, illustrator Sarah wanted to breathe new life into this subject by creating a card collection depicting the Menopause itself as a creature... for it certainly is real, even if it is somewhat invisible to others.

The Menopauseosaur resembles an unwelcome mythical beast that

can change colour with her mood because she can’t control her emotions. instantly affecting anyone ‘of a certain age’ that she gets too close to.

Bringing with her unpredictable mood swings and hellfire, she will dramatically take over your emotions and fog your brain… precautionary measures feature on the reverse of each card.

Printed on quality 350g board with a bright pink envelope.

These cards are designed to offer a lighthearted gesture to entertain and offer support and understanding - saying, we are right here every step of the way to hand you an ice cream, turn the fan up full blast and hand you a tissue whenever you need it.

Laughter therapy

Tell us about The Comedy Card Company.

We love funny cards! We’ve been selling them since 2011 on our retail website, stocking the funniest cards from lots of different publishers both big and small. More recently we started to produce some of our own cards to sell on our website alongside the established players. By some miracle they sold really well, which led us to start offering them to other retailers.

So you are both retailer and publisher?

An obvious advantage for us is that we can roadtest our own designs on the website to see which ones sell best, giving us some instant feedback, which allows us to improve our range. We consider ourselves established retailers but very much newbie publishers.

Who comes up with the ideas?

That’s me, Alan, the company owner. When I think of something that amuses me, I will write it down or make a note on my phone. Some time later, when I have forgotten about it (which doesn’t take that long these days!) I will revisit my silly ideas with fresh eyes. I’ll only run with the ones that make me giggle. Recently, we’ve been having a lot of fun adding silly captions to old photographs. Sometimes we try to find an image to match a humorous idea but more often we browse old photos and see what pops out.

Why do you specialise in funny cards?

I believe humour is an important coping mechanism that helps us deal with the trials of life. Having a laugh with friends or work colleagues always seems to make life’s stresses less of a problem. We can’t all afford therapy after all! Take a funny birthday card that pokes fun of getting older for example, the humour almost belittles worrying about old age. Or is that just me?

It has never surprised me why humorous cards often come up top in the popularity stakes as I think if you are going to send a card why not make the recipient smile or perhaps even laugh out loud? What a wonderful thing to send through the post.

07885 027381 info@comedycard.co.uk

Alan Auld at The Comedy Card Company talks about the joy that a funny card can bring to both recipient and sender

The Comedy Card Company has been busy matching silly captions to old black and white photographs.

Alan Auld says: “It’s been great fun but I’ve also been going slightly mad in the process!’’

Bold and Bright

Bold and Bright, well known for its rude and funny cards, has recently launched a range of coasters. With the cards being so popular with gift shops for years, it felt the right time to begin to expand the range into other gift items.

The current range includes 18 coasters, but more will be added soon. The coasters are all matt vinyl-topped hardboard, and produced here in the UK.

The company says they were a big hit at Top Drawer back in January. Many new humorous cards were launched at that show, which also went down well with returning and new stockists. With PG Live not far away, expect to see some more coasters added, as well as new card designs.

hello@boldandbright.co.uk

www.boldandbright.co.uk

It’s a date!

Calendars and dated products are an evergreen staple for retailers, and with top licences and perpetual products, there’s something to appeal to everyone…

Claire Bates, marketing manager at calendar specialist Danilo explains how trends, movies and other big licences play such a big part in their product choices…

Gaming and Anime

In a report published by WGSN, the global gaming market is set to be worth over $218bn (£177bn) by 2024 and with 87% of Gen Z claiming they play games daily or weekly, this a growing trend that shows no sign of slowing down.

Some of this increase was due to the pandemic, where a large number of new and existing players turned to computer games, but nostalgia also plays a part, as fans like to see their favourite games and characters brought up to date. Super Mario is one such example, with a new animated movie out in 2023, and a calendar and greeting card range launching from Danilo.

In relation to new titles, Fall Guys is one of the most successful free-to-play PC/console games of all time and has been added to the Danilo portfolio, where the new collections will use the fun and colourful characters from the game. Danilo will also continue to publish popular gaming titles Xbox, Minecraft, Sonic The Hedgehog, Animal Crossing, The Legend of Zelda, Dungeons & Dragons and more.

Additionally, with an ever-growing demand for Anime shows, specialist online streaming services, as well as the likes of Netflix, are now offering an extensive array of Anime shows. This genre has become more accessible than ever before, and in line with this demand, Danilo has grown its Anime calendar offering even further, with titles such as Hatsune Miku, Naruto Shippuden, Dragon Ball Z, My Hero Academia, Attack on Titan, Hunter X Hunter, One Piece and Tokyo Ghoul.

Sport

With the Women’s FIFA Football World Cup taking place in July 2023, Danilo will once again be publishing the Lionesses calendar and card range, in addition to the men’s national team. More people are paying attention to women’s football than ever before and, according to European football governing body UEFA, the 2022 Women’s European Championship had a projected global viewership of 365million – more than double the tournament’s 2017 viewership. With this growing trend, Danilo will be publishing more calendars this year for the female premiership teams, as well as the England national teams.

Outside of football, 2023 has some other great sporting events lined up including the Rugby Union World Cup in France, The Cricket T20 World Cup in Australia, following on from

Australia taking on England at cricket in the 2023 Ashes in the summer. Danilo will be publishing calendars and cards for the England Cricket and Rugby Union teams.

Movies

This year features a fantastic selection of much-anticipated movies, which are reflected in Danilo’s 2024 range. Barbie is one highlighted on the calendar, in which Margot Robbie brings to life the popular doll, and is set to be released at cinemas in July 2023.

Danilo will be updating its Barbie card collection, creating bright, eye-catching new designs targeting two audiences; girls aged six to 12 and the young adult females who grew up with the brand.

Dungeons & Dragons is another just-released big blockbuster, where a charming thief and a band of unlikely adventurers embark on an epic quest to retrieve a lost relic. An official calendar and range of cards will be available for this fantasy brand. Other great movies include the Paw Patrol movie marking the 10th anniversary of the brand, as well as the new Transformers movie Rise of the Beasts, and Trolls 3, all of which will see a range update. There will also be some big movies such as the Disney’s live action Little Mermaid movie, Marvel’s Guardians of The Galaxy and the new Disney Wish movie, all releasing during Disney’s 100th anniversary year.

Exaclair Rhodia Goalbook Creation

01553 696600

sales@exaclair.co.uk

www.exaclairlimited.com

Rhodia, part of the Exacompta-Clairefontaine Group, offers the Goalbook Creation journal as part of its popular range of journals.

Designed and created with artistic journalers in mind, the Goalbook Creation journals are available in 11 colours and contain premium-quality Clairefontaine black or white fine art papers, for ultra-creative journaling.

The Goalbook range was designed to bring a sense of positivity and well-being. Following the success of the original range, the Goalbook Creation offers artistic journalers the opportunity to enhance their drawings on premium quality dedicated paper. The on-trend colours will appeal to those looking to embark on their creative bullet journaling adventure.

The Black Maya Goalbook Creation contains 160 pages of premium 120gsm black Maya paper, which is deep dyed and perfectly smooth on both sides and features a light dot grid. It lends itself particularly well to precise drawing with pencil, felt-tip pen, graph liner and fountain pen in light or metallic colours.

The Pen & Inkwash Goalbook Creation contains 100 pages of lightly grained white 200gsm pen and ink wash which can be used for a wide variety of techniques, although it is particularly suited to line drawings using pencil, felt-tip pen, charcoal, ink, graphic pen or gouache.

Both versions contain numbered pages, a six-page index and two perpetual calendars. Goalbook Creation journals are a handy A5 size and feature Italian leatherette hard covers for durability with matching elasticated closure and two ribbon bookmarks. The expanding pocket on the inside back cover is useful for storing tickets, receipts etc.

Ellie Good/Juliet Little

Jules@julietlittle.com

elliegood.info@gmail.com

www.elliegood.co.uk

Life Coach Juliet Little has teamed up with sustainable illustrator and designer Ellie Good to work on a series of journals. Each one will give a specific area of your life a big boost, using tried-and-tested coaching methods to build positive new habits.

Juliet explained: “We’re starting with the all-important foundation of waking life: Sleep.

‘‘We have packed the journal full of science-backed coaching content and combined it with joyful illustrations and colourful designs, so our journals look as optimistic as they make you feel.

“Printed in England on recycled coffee cups, you can feel good about every aspect of using the journal. It is a treat to use, it’s sustainable and it is the loveliest gift to receive or to give yourself!’’

At least 1% of the net profits go to environmental charities.

Museums & Galleries

01373 462165

sales@mgml.co.uk

www.museumsgalleries.co.uk

M&G’s art calendars for 2024 are launched for preorders - and it’s a striking collection of bold wildlife and gentle, largely British landscapes and florals.

The V&A’s grumpy red Octopus has become something of a cultural star and is popping up on all sorts of products within the V&A’s licensing firmament. M&G discovered it first and put in on a card - it has since been promoted to a notebook and now features on the cover of a calendar.

A sinuous leopard, neon butterflies and jungle foliage festoon the Matthew Williamson calendar. Wild Press showcases delicately collaged petal Bees from Helen Ahpornsiri - another strong trend powered by eco consciousness - and young designer Catherine Rowe features a magnificent kingfisher and lotus flowers.

Arts and Crafts Parrots cover another V&A calendar; while the British Museum features delicate Japanese woodblock blossom, and the British Library an exotic blue waterlily.

Transport for London is back this year due to popular demand, featuring the iconic red Routemaster bus on the cover. As ever, M&G has an Eric Ravillious calendar - truly a modern classic. Contrasting contemporary English landscape styles are provided by Lucy Grossmith and Annie Soudain, who both respond joyously and creatively to the coast and country spirit in their own inimitable styles.

Brambly Hedge was M&G’s fastest-selling calendar last year, and is back with one of Jill Barklem’s stunningly detailed nostalgic domestic scenes on the cover.

Flame Tree Publishing

020 7751 9650

www.flametreepublishing.com

Art licensing and design company The London Studio has announced the first licence award for its playful, funny and ever-so-slightly-subversive new brand, Art of Drag.

Independent publisher Flame Tree Publishing will produce a calendar, jigsaw and notebook inspired by this art brand, to be distributed globally by Flame Tree and its distributors, including Simon & Schuster for the US.

Art of Drag takes inspiration from famous artworks and cultural female icons, which The London Studio then replaces with drag artists – to stunning and memorable effect! Each original Art of Drag artwork features a beautylicious drag queen, created by an award-winning independent art house of LGBTQ+ artists and allies.

These works reimagine and subvert famous artworks and genres, and, like the queens themselves, every single one is a masterpiece! These beautifully illustrated reimaginings stretch from street art to the Renaissance – and everything in between.

The 2024 calendar launched at Spring Fair, closely followed by the jigsaw and notebook. The range will target a core market of young adults, but The London Studio expects a strong secondary market among teens and tweens, for whom drag is now very much part of mainstream British culture.

Sustainable stationery with style

VENT for Change has reached the GOTY Awards finals again with its refillable, recycled and sustainable weekly planners

VENT for Change, the sustainable stationery company whose mission is to protect the planet and support children’s education projects worldwide, has been voted through as a finalist for the second year running in the Gift of the Year Awards.

This year’s successful submission is its newly launched range of recycled and sustainable planners, which are also refillable.

Made with recycled leather reusable covers and sustainable paper refills, the planners can be filled with a number of refill options. As standard, the planners come with a non-dated weekly planner, to-do lists and priority pages plus a lined notes section. Other refills include dotted pages and plain coloured pages; all four available individually for retailers to offer in-store.

The combination of beautiful design and ecocredentials is a classic hallmark of VENT for Change’s recent launches.

Produced to the highest Italian standards, the range comes with FSC certified sustainable refills throughout. With an ever-growing network of retailers, VENT is kicking off 2023 with what it believes is another deadcert. Known for its functional stationery, which carries a strong environmental and social message, every sale made means more is donated to the children’s education projects the company supports worldwide.

“We are expanding our best-selling Make a Mark range with the refillable journals, and sales so far have been incredibly encouraging. The recycled materials used deliver a stunning tactile finish that reflects their origins beautifully,’’ says Evan Lewis, founder of VENT for Change.

Having established a reputation for its design-led recycled and sustainable stationery, the introduction of a refillable journal was the obvious next step. As a finalist once again in this year’s Gift of the Year Awards, VENT has shown that a sustainable design philosophy no longer precludes a product from competing against its traditional counterparts for recognition from its peers.

The refillable journals with their weekly planners are available in seven stunning colours to match the other notebooks and accessories already proving their worth in hundreds of independent retailers nationwide, as VENT continues its mission of sustainable style and ethical philosophy.

Rhodia Perpetual Notebooks

ExaClair Ltd

01553 696600 | sales@exaclair.co.uk www.exaclairlimited.com

Rhodia, part of the Exacompta-Clairefontaine Group, offers a range of A5-size perpetual notebooks.

A perfect solution for customers who have lost their diary during the year and have struggled to find a replacement, or those that are simply seeking to begin a new journal no matter what the time of year, this perpetual notebook can be started on any day!

These perpetual notebooks contain 128 pages of super-smooth brushed ivory vellum paper, which are printed in light grey as follows: 10 for notes, four for annual planners, two for indexes and 106 for 53 weeks with headings for days, months and years.

All pages have tear-off corners, making it easy to locate the current page. The elasticated closure in Rhodia’s traditional orange can also be used as a page marker. An additional feature is the expanding pocket on the inside back cover which is useful for storing tickets, receipts, loose notes etc.

The imitation leather covers are soft to the touch and give a luxurious and chic appearance in a range of 16 colours from traditional black to bright and bold pink and yellow. This range of colours gives consumers additional choice when it comes to choosing a perpetual notebook. The richness and opulence of these books is bound to be welcomed by those individuals who appreciate the finer things in life and want to make an impression in meetings and in the office.

Rhodia also offers a wide range of notebooks, journals and desk accessories in a variety of colours for a completely coordinated look.

Rachel Ellen Designs

0115 9700 321 | sales@rachelellen.co.uk | www.rachelellen.co.uk

Brides-to-be will absolutely love this best-selling Rachel Ellen Wedding Planner in powder blue with luxury gold foil that looks truly stunning and has a luxury feel. Open the intricate foiled cover to find five tabbed sections including a step-bystep planner and checklists, pull-out guest lists and table plans and two useful zip-lock plastic pockets for safe storage, everything you need to plan your perfect day in style.

The striking Birthday Card Planner, meanwhile, is a fabulous way to remember everyone’s birthdays and anniversaries throughout the year. Each month has a separate folder with space to write dates and a pocket for storing greeting cards you’ve bought in advance. Also included is a handy section for notes and addresses, beautifully designed with a sparkly gold elastic closer this makes a perfect gift, if you can bear to part with it!

Danilo

With affirmative captions such as You make the world a lovelier place, and You are an amazing friend, Danilo is continuing to add stunning new sentimental card designs to its current The Bright Side card collection, which is all about sending positive vibes.

The Bright Side, created by author and illustrator Rachel Bright, aims to inspire, encourage and uplift with its fun captions and colourful images.

01992 702 900 | sales@danilo.com | www.danilo.com

Positive Vibes Trends:

Jessica Hogarth

Jessica Hogarth has launched 24 new greeting cards in a collection called Good Vibes. It covers Birthday and encouragement captions and has been inspired by all things retro. Pinks and lilacs combine with lime green and orange to create a nostalgic colour palette. Peace signs, love hearts, rainbows, stars and swirling patterns have all been hand drawn and the cards feature an eye-catching gold foil finish. Each card measures 120 x 170mm and comes with a gold metallic envelope.

07786906648 | info@jessicahogarth.com www.jessicahogarth.com

Cherry Orchard

We have all had a day or two when we have not quite felt 100%. At Cherry Orchard they always aim to have their Cherry Orchard sparkle ‘A game’ as the team are so busy designing, processing orders and looking after their network of customers. Cherry Orchard take so much inspiration from their beautiful surroundings and the environment around them. Whatever the reason for your low spirits, sometimes all you need is a good distraction — or a reminder of what’s good in your life. It also helps to get out of your own head and do something good for someone else. Cherry Orchard has a great selection of caring cards to send someone when they need a little pick-me-up.

01684 295500 | info@cherryorchardpublishing.co.uk

www.cherryorchardpublishing.co.uk

Love Country

Love Country just launched a colourful new card collection called Pawsitive Vibes. Featuring loveable dog characters illustrated by Sarah Reilly. this collection focuses on positivity, support and good vibes…feel the love! These beautiful cards really stand out with their modern colours and simple supportive message. Now, more than ever, we need positive messages to help lift spirits.

With 16 vibrant designs to choose from featuring kind and supportive messages such as Bee Yourself, I’m Here for You, and You’re Fabulous. They make a bright and cheerful display and are sure to leave your customers feeling pawsitive!

support@lovecountryuk.co.uk

www.lovecountryuk.co.uk

Cotton & Grey

Set aside some precious time to relax and recharge with these handmade pure beeswax 20-minute candles from Cotton & Grey. Designed to help capture and cherish quality time out of the day, these relaxation candles aim to enhance wellbeing and restore your inner calm.

Launched this spring, the ‘Little Box of’ range is a selection of 16 designs of pure beeswax relaxation candle gift set. They are wrapped in a life-affirming message to lift the spirits and enhance mental health. Each candle burns for 20 minutes, allowing a period of calm in the beautiful flickering light, enabling you to reflect on the words you have been gifted.

07876763774 | info@cottonandgrey.com www.cottonandgrey.com

Raspberry Blossom

The core colourful Say What? and aptly named Good Vibes collections are made up of punchy, exuberant colours, which are bursting with positive vibes throughout. The aim is to always bring a smile to the recipient’s face through an exciting use of colour and cheerful messaging. Both collections made it to the final round of the Henries for contemporary words & sentiment. Happiness, one of the newest collections to launch, is home to 14 punchy and positivity infused cards that mix colour blocking and modern contrasting patterns meticulously.

The You are amazing in every way design is the perfect card for customers to send to recipients to brighten up their days.

01926 257 757

wholesale@raspberryblossom.com

Now is definitely the time when we need some positivity! So here’s some ideas for bringing good vibes to your day

A store-andmore approach

Amanda Corrigan, trading manager for general merchandise at WHSmith Online talks about the retailer’s card offering and what’s selling well

What’s your career background?

I started with a finance background with Bank of New York and quickly realised I wanted to use my financial skills with my creative side and have been in retail ever since, moving categories to know the entire business over the past eight years at WHSmith.

How did you get into online retail?

In 2020 I moved within WHSmith to the Online team to support with expanding our greeting cards and gifting ranges, which had a limited presence on our website. In the past few years, we have been successful in increasing volumes and this has driven real growth in my categories and allowed us to partner with some amazing companies to keep up the momentum.

Tell us a little about WHSmith Online.

At WHSmith, we are continuing to grow as a multichannel retailer. Whsmith.co.uk sells a range of books, stationery, cards, gifts and magazines that complement our offer in stores. Online, we aim to provide customers with a store-and-more offering, this includes click-and-collect and amazing pre-order offerings so our customers really can get whatever they want wherever they find us.

Have you changed your purchasing plans in light of the cost-of-living crisis?

Focus for my category continues to be offering greatvalue gifting, including an amazing range of £5 gifting that was very successful in 2022. We have done an exceptional amount of work to ensure our greeting cards are at everyday prices online and that our offers on wrap and gift bags remain strong, so there is no compromise on the quality that is expected of us and the products we offer.

Are you looking at expanding into new categories?

Our aim has always been to offer our customers something for everyone in their life. Keeping my eye on trends always leads me somewhere magical.

What are you most excited about for the next season?

I am incredibly excited about our continued approach to

serve the customer better together as a business, and having such a breadth of expertise in the group is so refreshing to work with. I am particularly excited about the Royal Coronation this year and the product that we have coming to celebrate this momentous occasion.

What’s next for WHSmith Online - do you have any exciting plans you can share?

I’m really looking to expand our offering in the toys category online, we have some amazing contacts to drive this and bring in some on-trend lines that are hot for 2023.

How would you describe your greeting card range?

There is literally a card for every occasion and celebration, from a Bat Mitzvah to a card from your pet. How many suppliers do you deal with?

We stock some gorgeous cards from a wide variety of design houses. They all have their own customer type and we again want to offer a card for every person who wants to buy a gift from our range! How do you find products?

I always find the best way to find new card designs is by receiving them! I love the excitement of opening an envelope and seeing what someone chose for me as it is so personal with the design and messaging and you will likely find a style you haven’t seen before and seek it out!

What’s your selection criteria?

The cards need to firstly be great value. The WHSmith Group offers a brilliant personalised experience for a card online through our greetings card site funkypigeon.com, so it is important that on whsmith. co.uk we offer value with something different, whether it be sound, 3D or a licensed keepsake.

What’s proving popular at the moment?

Having beautiful cards from independent designers with a cherished appeal is loved by our customer and you won’t see it anywhere else.

What lines have you started stocking recently?

We have a range of impressive designs in the fold-out

keepsake sector, and charity cards that proved popular in the seasonal period.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of your job?

The most rewarding part for me is seeing a product I’ve selected perform really well and meet the demands of our customers. This tells me it has been really well received and keeps guiding me on what to do next with the categories

What’s the most challenging aspect of your job?

The most challenging part is making sure we have the right product available to our customers when demand is high, so nobody is disappointed.      What business achievement are you most proud of?

I am most proud of being asked to be a judge for Gift of the Year; this has been an incredible achievement for me to be asked and reassures me that my opinion is valued in the industry - your reputation is everything. Finally, is there anything that you would like to add?

We’re excited about the development of our business over the next year and can’t wait to see what great products we can present to our customers for 2023 and beyond.

“I always find the best way to find new card designs is by receiving them!’’

Can you tell us a little about your background before you owned the shop?

John: I was born in London (Wembley) and I came to Shropshire in 1989 to work for social services. I left social services in 2004 to take over Write Here. The card shop had gone bust, in fact it was a card, gift and kite shop. Gradually, the more I found out about pens the more interested I became in them. Over time we became a fountain pen

Perfect symbiosis

specialist, but cards have been the constant. Cherie: I worked in fashion design based in London; we opened a family-based shop back home in Shrewsbury - Grope Lane to be exact! It sold my clothing range and housed stock along with cards and other stuff that I was into. The brand had taken off and I was rather stretched. This slowly drew me back to the Shropshire as I enjoyed the friendly interaction while working there. We had the shop for 13 years before I changed track by studying at Manchester School of Art for a Masters in illustration. I then began making a new range of paper products (Cherie did this), which were stocked at Write Here. And can you tell us a little about the shop?

Cherie: We are on the High Street of Shrewsbury, which is a market town. Our shop is surrounded by Tudor buildings in this medieval town. The Write Here shop itself is built on 13th century foundations.

How do you source products- both stationery and cards?

John: We like the London Stationery Show and also have a good relationship with local artists. Cherie: I run an event called DRAWN, which features a collective of Shropshire-based creators (on average 60 stallholders). Having done many events myself over the years I can honestly say that it is a fantastic opportunity to find quality, UK-made brands and designers … the ideal space to find fresh products to sell in store or online. The next event is at the Grandparent of Skyscrapers - The Flaxmill Maltings ! (www.DRAWN.live)

What is your selection criteria?

John: We look for products that are distinctive and original; we want to celebrate artists.

Cherie: Working part time in-store has given me an insight into our demographic. It helps to see what people like.

Talk to us a little more about the effect that Paperchase closing has had on your shop.

John: It has led to increased footfall - people have come to realise our cards are equally good - if not better!

Cherie: We emphasise that you can have a mix of cards from well-known brands alongside locally-made ones. People are keen to buy UK-made products and are conscious of the packaging. Plastic is best avoided at all costs. I have switched to stickers to seal my own cards.

What’s your demographic like?

John: It’s really diverse - from old and affluent to young and skint plus all those inbetween!

Cherie: It seems that clear trends have faded, people are searching for authenticity, warmth and a personal touch.

Tell us more about how you feel the combination of cards and stationery works for you.

Cherie: It’s symbiotic! Journalling with pens. Art materials used by artists that feature in their cards sold in-store.

How do you get word out there - so you use social media, local advertising, word of mouth etc?

Cherie: We still find face-to-face interaction is best. John has a regular newsletter that he sends out featuring his selection of fountain pens, and does the occasional YouTube video. He has huge respect from pen connoisseurs.

I enjoy using our art materials (we are an art supplier too) to create content for social media.

Stationery and greeting cards live in perfect harmony at Write Here in Shrewsbury, as owner John Hall and assistant and resident artist Cherie Jerrard explain

Our window art has become a big advert for our products.

Do you sell both in the shop and online? If so, what is the split?

John: Yes - but not cards online. Our customers enjoy being able to speak to someone if they need help with an order. You can reach us easily, which really helps when buying pens and art materials.

Cherie: Cards are only available in store via Write Here but I sell online via my own site and Not on the High Street.

Have you seen the average cost of your products go up - and if so how have you dealt with it?

John: Yes we have and we have had to raise our prices accordingly.

Cherie: Cards have remained the same so far. It’s only a matter of time before the increased cost of printing and materials has a knock-on effect, though.

Do customers ask for eco-friendly product? Is this something you try to stock?

John: Yes, recycled pens are popular; we have some made from plastic bottles - our cards have less plastic now and people are refusing free paper bags and receipts to minimise waste.

Cherie: UK-made is often requested and people are checking where things were made. I make on demand, if a card sells out I make more… saves on waste.

What brands have been particularly popular with your customers?

Lamy, Leuchtturm 1917, Ayush, Museums & Galleries, Woodmansterne, Twsbi, Kaweco, and Cherie Did This, obviously!

Is there anything you haven’t been able to source that you would like to find?

John: More UK-made products. We are always looking for collaborations. Write Here recently worked with Notorie to create a range of notebooks.

Cherie: Both Write Here and Cherie did this

have collaborated with makers to create UKmade products. This is very rewarding and has a good narrative to chat about with customers or mention on social media.

Do you stock matching cards and stationery produced by the same company? If so, tell us who and why you like it.

John: Yes - they make for great gifts too. Museums & Galleries are particularly good at this. We like wrapping paper that compliments the cards and notebooks too.

What do you stock in wedding and anniversary cards? What are your bestsellers/favourites?

Cherie: I have a wedding card that features the year, which adds a sense of meaning.

If you could choose the cards people sent you - which would you choose to receive for Christmas or birthday or other special occasion?

Cherie: Sausage dogs - I have a new card that is based on my own dogs … it stemmed from family fun, which is the best way I find !

I’m happy to have a card from any member of DRAWN though… I could list lots of artists but then that would make life too easy … come to our event and see for yourself!

Cherie - can you tell us a little about your partnership with Lamy?

Oh wow, yeah sure. So while I was doing my Masters I began sketching with Lamy and we struck up a good relationship via email. Last year they asked me if I’d represent the Lamy Alstar in their latest campaign.

It was great fun; I got to spend a day sketching people in Manchester (mostly in coffee shops) and talking about my career to date. You can find more online if you google Cherie Jerrard / Lamy.

Anything else you would like to add?

Charlie Adlard the infamous Walking Dead artist has recently become a director at Write Here. We will be doing demos at DRAWN featuring Charlie, Lamy and Pentel products.

‘‘Our demographic is really diversefrom old and affluent to young and skint plus all those inbetween!’’

Mad about dogs (and cards!)

How did Cardies begin?

I set up Cardies way back in 1988 in the High Street in Stevenage, Herts.

From the beginning I took my Labrador to work with me every day and painted the shop pink (at a time when every shop was brown, cream or black and having a large dog in a little shop was quite unusual, to say the least).

My previous work was as a secretary, which I was definitely not good at. Instead of doing the work I was supposed to do, I spent most of my time drawing greeting cards for everyone. Birthdays, retirements, leaving cardsyou name the occasion - I got the job.

I always loved making cards from an early age, enjoying the appreciation it brought from the recipient.

Here I am, 34 years later, still loving the greeting card world. I stopped drawing cards due to lack of time but I am now able to have pictures of our dogs (the Ponks) made into cards with the kind help of Tracks Publishing.

When we began trading in 1988 the country was in recession and here we are in 2022 in a recession - running a small business is always full of ups and downs. If you want to survive you need to keep a positive mental attitude and work hard. Connect with your community and above all have fun.

You were named most Dog Friendly shop in the UK (in the 2022 Dog Friendly Awards). Why is that?

I think we won most Dog Friendly shop in the UK quite simply because we are totally dog crazy! We have had a Labrador Meeter and Greeter in Cardies from the first day

that we opened way back in November 1988!

It’s dogs first, cards second, at Cardies. We have always welcomed dogs, along with their well-behaved humans.

Over the years we have enjoyed helping various dog charities including Labrador Rescue South East and Central, Guide Dogs and recently AMA Dog Rescue, helping the pets of Ukraine.

We have been lucky enough to have been owned by 15 Labradorsall of them were rescue dogs, except for our very first Labrador, Poppy, who we had from a puppy until she was 16 years old. So as you can see - yes, we are just a little dog crazy.

How heavily do dogs feature in your store?

I’ve probably already bored you enough with our dog obsession. They are our family. They bring so much happiness and love to us and

“If you want to survive you need to keep a positive mental attitude and work hard. Connect with your community and above all have fun’’

Jo Sorrell has combined her love of greeting cards and canines in a card shop that was recently named top dog-friendly independent shop in the UK…

Jo, partner Andrew, and Orberry with their Dog-Friendly award

Helping Ukrainian pets

hopefully many of our customers too.

One of our favourite dog card ranges is Dotty Dog Art, a wonderful choice with the added bonus of the occasional VW Beetle or camper van appearing too. Another of our obsessions (seems like we have a few!) are VW campers and Beetles.

The Ponks love a little holiday in their camper van.

Caroline Gardner and Dandelion Stationery produce some great dog-friendly captions such as from the dog, birthday, Valentine’s, Christmas and more.

What are some other favourites in-store?

As well as having a small obsession with Labradors I adore anything Snoopy, so I’m excited to see that Danilo is taking on the Peanuts brand. I hope that they will include relation and occasion titles.

What have you not been able to find?

I would love to see more designs thinking outside of the box, for example a female relation card such as daughter, wife or mum invariably has flowers, cakes or girls in floaty dresses. While these are popular, I’m often asked by customers for something a little less ‘girly’, maybe a girl wearing jeans or a sporty style would make a nice change, even a girl walking a dog would be great (not that I’m biased of course!).

How do you source cards?

I regularly use agents. They each carry a wonderful selection of products.

They do a lot of the hard work for us sourcing the best selling ranges of cards and gifts

I don’t often get to trade shows these days but always make time to get to PG Live; it’s my favourite show. It’s an easy commute, a wonderful friendly show with an amazing choice of publishers without being too overwhelming.

I keep an open mind when at a trade show, however anything with dogs or animals on usually catches my attention!

Meet Orberry Strawberry

Name: Orberry Strawberry

Age: 8

Breed: Labrador retriever

Job title: Meeter and Greeter

Career history: Started as an apprentice meeter and greeter at the age of one, trained by chief meeter and greeter Jack Spratt.

Graduating after several years training to currently chief meeter and greeter.

Will work for Bone Tokens (paper stuff that buys Bisquits) not fussy which Bisquits as Orberry is a typical Labrador who will eat anything.

Occasional mishaps: Early training years, kept pinching the cuddly toys. But a good boy now and only brings his own toys to show customers.

May occasionally bark too loud when talking to the Hooman. May occasionally bounce too much or wag tail too much (due in some part to poor coordination) resulting in cards going flying. Mostly anything breakable is kept out of tail reach.

Favourite shop area: Orberry can be found in the comfiest dog bed right in the middle of the shop so you can’t miss him. Favourite walk: along the High Street, the Avenue and out to fields in Forster country but the ultimate walk is along any beach. Orberry loves to eat Bisquits, show everyone his favourite toys and have his picture taken.

The Ponks

The Ponks

Cardies in Stevenage High St

Shop Talk

Name: Caroline Ranwell

Owner/Buyer

Shop: Hugs & Kisses

Address: Tettenhall, Wolverhampton

Please describe your shop.

It’s a medium-sized card and gift shop in a small affluent village; we have a good mix of customers, young mums, lots of business people and lots of elderly folk, too.

How did you get into the greetings card industry or retail?

I started in the industry in 1989 as a sales rep for the legendary Andrew Brownsword, where I worked for 10 years until Andrew sold the company to Hallmark. I then became a sales agent for a while, and when my daughter Katie left school we opened the first Hugs & Kisses.

What are the best and worst things about working in retail?

The best thing has to be the customers and our amazing suppliers.... the people! We are so very lucky to have really lovely customers who have supported us since day one; their support has been amazing, especially in the past few years. We have so many fabulous suppliers, many of whom have become really good friends, it is a really lovely industry to be in.

The worst thing? Is there a worst thing.... yes probably the paperwork! Yawn!

What cards are selling well in your store at the moment?

• Quicksilver and Cloud Nine from Wendy Jones-Blackett

• Stargazing and Champagne Supernova from Five Dollar Shake

• Domino and New World from Rush Design

• Oooh La La from Janie Wilson

• Emma Bridgewater & Stephanie Dyment from Woodmansterne

• Pizazz from Nigel Quiney

What card range or category do you always ensure you keep in stock because of its popularity?

There are a few of these...Quicksilver from Wendy Jones-Blackett, various ranges from Five Dollar Shake, Pizazz from Nigel Quiney and all of the above. We carry a huge range of relations and occasions, in some captions we have more than 60 designs.

What’s in your window at the moment?

I always put in a really pretty window for Mother’s Day, which always incorporates some Easter as it is always so close behind. Once Mother’s Day is over we remove the specific Mother’s day gifts and make it full-on Easter. What’s by your till at the moment?

Crumble & Core Boxed Sterling SIlver Earring Cards.

What’s the most surprising thing a customer has said or done or asked for!?

We have been asked for masking tape, wool and even shoe laces! Once we had an old lady who bought £70 of our Belgian chocolates every week but wouldn’t allow her husband to have even one so we used to give him a little bag of his favourites free of charge!

What do you think makes your shop stand out?

The enormous range of greeting cards that we carry in various price ranges, I like to think that we stock every caption that our customers want, and every card in the shop is hand-picked by myself.

We also have a really amazing website where we stock even more cards than we can fit in the shop. Customers are able to order from the site and either have them sent to them or they can be collected in-store later that day or the next day; this service works really well.

If you could send anyone a card from the past or present, who would it be and why?

The obvious answer to this one is a close relative no longer here, so other than that it has to be someone famous… I would send a thank you card to our late Queen thanking her for her incredible lifetime of service to our country.

How do trade magazines like Greetings Today help you?

Trade magazines are really helpful with keeping up with new trends and ranges, new companies and general news in the industry.

What is selling well in your wedding/anniversary cards?

Five Dollar Shake, White Cotton and Wendy Jones-Blackett’s larger cards are our best sellers in wedding cards; people just love their fantastic designs and are happy to buy a higher-priced card for a wedding.

Our anniversary bestsellers are Quicksilver from Wendy Jones-Blackett. Caroline Gardner, Paper Salad.

Is there anything else you would like to see in this sector?

I can’t seem to find enough designs of wedding cards for the new groom to send to his new wife and vice versa. We also need more designs in milestone anniversaries especially Wife, Husband and Mum & Dad.

Name: John van der Dol

Proprietor

Shop: Sandwich Card Gallery

Address: Kent

Tell us a little about your shop. It’s an upmarket card and gift shop; not sure on size but we have three rooms with cards. We don’t sell cheap cards; just the best quality we can find in the the UK. We pride ourselves on quality.

We are situated in one of the main shopping streets in the conservation area of this small medieval town. We attract a lot of tourists and our customers tend to be, although not exclusively, of the older generation.

People come from miles around to visit us once they have found us, and return especially.

How did you get into the greeting card industry or retail?

I used to be a greeting card wholesaler and bought the shop off one of my customers 27 years ago.

What are the best and worst things about working in retail? Nothing bad, but I love interacting with our customers and finding new and exciting stock.

What cards are selling well in your store at the moment? Woodmansterne, Museums & Galleries, Noel Tatt, Two Bad Mice, UKG, Bug Artand my own photographic cards of the town as well as wildlife.

I also sell my wildlife and local images printed or or on canvas (see Jon’s photo top right of a tiger taken in India).

What’s the most surprising thing a customer has said?

One lady said that ours is the best card shop in the world. Of course I agreed, but we get similar daily compliments on our quality and quantity of our range, of which we are very proud.

What do you think makes your shop stand out?

The quality of the cards and our fantastic staff service.

What’s in your window? Love Country gifts.

How do trade magazines like Greetings Today help you? They keep us up to date with new products. Do you stock calendars/diaries?

I only stock a few stationery items and diaries and I have Sandwich Calendars printed with my photographs every year. These go all over the world.

70s Style Trends:

Jessica Hogarth

Jessica Hogarth makes a nod to all things retro and the 70s with her new range Good Vibes. The 24 brightly coloured, hand-illustrated cards cover Birthday and encouragement captions. The palette of pinks, orange, lilacs and green combine with hand-drawn patterns and objects. Each card is finished with hot foil, measures 120mm by 170mm and comes cello wrapped with a metallic gold envelope.

07786906648

info@jessicahogarth.com

www.jessicahogarth.com

Raspberry Blossom

The new 70s-inspired Big Love collection celebrates colour, florals and psychedelic funky patterns - styles that are seeing a huge resurgence at the moment in interior and fashion trends. Big Love features 12 cards from Birthday to New Baby and Wedding to Thinking of You. Each card is full to the brim with fun nostalgia, vibrant, infused colour palettes and messaging that is bound to put a smile on any recipient’s face. All of the designs have a spot UV and embossed finish to highlight the fabulous colours, giving them that extra luxe tactile feel.

01926 257757

http://raspberryblossom.com

Cherry Orchard

Iconic fashion and style from the 1970s has featured every year since the launch of Cherry Orchard’s Down Memory Lane, which is celebrating its 10th anniversary in production this year. This top-selling range has 28 milestone age designs and five milestone anniversaries spanning through the decades.

The 70s was dominated by a variety of styles and fashions including Hippie chic, punk and lycra! Experimental music from David Bowie, Elton John and The Sex Pistols. Political upheaval saw strikes over government pay restraints and a Three-Day Week was introduced. Innovation in technology was not left behind either with the personal computer, email, mobile phone, and digital cameras invented.

Cherry Orchard’s 50 today card - Born in 1973 - lists the release of Live and Let Die, Slade’s Merry Christmas Everyone at the top of the charts, and Edward Heath as Prime Minister. 01684 295500 | info@cherryorchardpublishing.co.uk

www.cherryorchardpublishing.co.uk

Boogie on back to the 1970s, the decade of flares, funk, punk and glam rock

Let’s celebrate

If you read the news every day you will feel well informed but not necessarily very upbeat; most news stories are pretty gloomy, so it’s even more important to think of reasons to be cheerful and how we can make others happy.

One way to do this is to remember and celebrate special occasions, and of course this doesn’t have to mean having a big party or travelling hundreds of miles to be together - although both options are great if you can do them. We know from various pieces of research that have been done in recent years that there is a very positive mood boost in adults when someone receives a card or a letter.

The GCA (Greeting Card Association) launched Thinking of You Week in 2014 and it takes place in September each year. It highlights the

appropriateness of cards as a way of communicating with one another and reminds us of just how ‘good it is’ to feel that sense of connection and keep in touch for both the sender and recipient. Their strapline ‘send a card, deliver a smile’ sums it up very neatly.

Back in 2008, amid the banking crisis when everything felt very uncertain, there was a marked increase in the buying of occasions cards. I expect a lot of these replaced gifts that might have been bought in the past, while people still wanted to show they had remembered.

There are many who would not think of sending a card but nonetheless love to receive them, when life is crazy and stressful being remembered is very special.

Occasions linked to children are rarely forgotten - birth, birthdays, christenings and so on - and the ranges of cards available are fantastic. When we are short of cash it is events linked to children that are ‘protected’ because we don’t want them to be aware of how tough things are. Paper Salad has the most wonderful children’s cards in bright zingy colours, and 2023 has got off to a good start with them being nominated for a Louie Award (the US greeting card awards).

Someone’s death is often one of those rare occasions when a real effort is made by wider family members to get in touch with long-lost friends to pass on the sad news. Berni Parker is known for her beautiful cards and her Heartfelt range has some wonderful images.

As adults we may not send birthday cards every year but big birthdays are the perfect excuse to get in touch again even if it is to have a bit of a joke

about how old someone is. Molly Mae’s cards will definitely stand out on the mantlepiece with some eyecatching images and colours.

I know a lot of people don’t like birthdays but I love them and count it as a mark of success that I have celebrated another!

With WhatsApp, text and so many other messaging options on our phones, it’s easy to think that sending a message like that is enough, but of course for older family and friends this may not be appropriate so letters and cards are still very much the preferred way of keeping in touch.

Living in a small community with a significant percentage of older residents is a really useful reminder of what card sending means to many of this generation. Occasions is one of my biggest sales areas, and captions and verse are expected even if they write their own message in too; a suitable image on a blank card with their own message is not sufficient for the sender. Given that the nearest shop with a range of cards is 10 miles away it is really important to understand what my different groups of customers want to buy so I have something for everyone.

When times are gloomy, we should take every chance to celebrate an occasion, and what better way to do that than with cards, says Henri Davis

Henri Davis is an independent retail advisor to businesses in the cards, gifts, stationery and heritage industries with more than 35 years of retail experience. She worked for Habitat, Next, WHSmith and the National Trust and now advises retailers, visitor attractions, manufacturers and suppliers. A past chairman of the Giftware Association, during lockdown she has taken over a village stores and moved to Cornwall. For more information visit www.henridavis.co.uk

“There is a very positive mood boost in adults when someone receives a card or a letter’’

Berni Parker

Molly Mae

Paper Salad

Trends at trade shows

Sustainability was the number one emphasis from the trade fairs that we visited, and rightly so.

It was fabulous to see Spring Fair’s emphasis on sustainability with its Power of One campaign and partnership with Products of Change. This provided an educational aspect and an introduction to the topic for companies looking into taking their first steps on the journey of sustainable development.

It was clear that many companies have prioritised sustainability and are doing what is possible to make a difference, from an overhaul of packaging and product to FSC-certification and the development of home compostable products to major steps in reducing the volume of plastic.

What was great to see was that, while not everyone has achieved their goals yet, they were communicating their journey with sustainability, what has been achieved, what next steps were and where they would like to be.

Some companies really made an impression, several of which were finalists in Gift of The Year, which Retail100 had the privilege of judging.

Material innovation: including the use of reclaimed coffee beans, kiwi, cherry and lavender mixed with recycled paper. We get super excited when we see this; there is a huge opportunity to do more in this space and we believe strongly that this is something that manufacturers should be paying close attention to.

Giving back: companies that donate a percentage of profit to worthwhile causes.

No single-use plastic: Companies that have been innovative quickly with regard to the government banning single-use plastic and providing some great alternatives that look fabulous too - so not just ‘worthy’.

Vegan: We loved seeing more use of ‘Vegan’ in companies’ product development - from stationery to beauty and beyond.

Circular: ‘Circular’ products that had every aspect of their use thought through - for example a candle brand that has seeded dust covers so when you have finished your candle you can use the vessel to become a beautiful plant pot using the dust cover.

Force for good: The continued emergence of B Corp certified brands was wonderful - it is a lot of hard work and while I’m not sure all customers quite understand what it means yet, there are companies driving the philosophy of ‘business as a force for good’. In a crowded marketplace this really makes a difference and we hope we will see a lot more of this in the coming years.

Brights and Highly Decorative: It was also uplifting to see home accessories in a variety of

styles including ‘Brights & Highly Decorative’. We know that 2023 will continue to be challenging for the furniture sector, which has seen quite a significant amount of demand pulled forward from the impacts of the pandemic, so it was inspiring to see how accessories were so impactful in terms of style and colour - we love a bright colour here at R100 so it was wonderful to see the variety of shocking pinks and luminous yellows among the halls.

In summary, we conclude that a lot of companies have really got it right, customers still love to shop in stores and be inspired by newness and new stories. However, they want to do so more locally, more sustainably and more collaboratively, and with the fabulous stories we have seen at the fairs from a lot of brands they are perfectly placed to support this. We can’t wait for the upcoming fairs to see what’s next.

The complete journey and thoughtfulness of some of the brands really stood out and encompassed many qualities that we believe are important to customers now; it doesn’t seem right to call them trends as hopefully they are here to stay.

Refillable: Themes that delighted us were products that are ‘refillable’, from stationery to candle vessels meaning that every product had a much longer lifespan. We loved seeing imagery that would help spark a customer’s imagination - using an empty candle vessel to store make-up brushes for example - it might seem obvious but it isn’t to everyone!

Elaine Hooper is a director and co-founder of Retail100 Consulting, which is a consultancy firm with 100 years of retail experience that helps retailers and brands grow. Coming from a retail background, she worked for John Lewis for 32 years. Categories and roles covered included space planning, project proposition lead, and senior buyer in seasonal, beauty and home categories.

Elaine is skilled in end-to-end strategy, licence and private label product development, sourcing, and maximising brand potential, with experience in leading teams, coaching and mentoring.

Email: hello@retail100consulting.co.uk

Visit: www.retail100consulting.co.uk | www.linkedin.com/company/retail100-consulting

Retail 100’s Elaine Hooper highlights some of the trends that have been emerging at the year’s trade shows so far…

“It was clear that many companies have prioritised sustainability and are doing what is possible to make a difference’’