Greetings Today March/April 2024

leader

As I write this, the sun has come out in full force. Just as the kids head back to school after Easter, the weather has decided to play ball and bring us a lovely, sunny Sunday. It was warm enough to head to our local country park and enjoy breakfast out on its heronry observation deck.

It feels like winter lasted for a very long, very wet time, so it’s a relief to finally be able to get out and about and catch some rays. It always seems to make you feel better - almost like a natural medicine.

Another natural medicine is laughter, and we’ve compiled a selection of humour cards that should make your customers giggle, chuckle, and even chortle. We could all do with a laugh, that’s for sure!

What’s not so funny is the current state of the Royal Mail postal service. The Greeting Card Association (GCA) is fighting on the industry’s behalf to retain a full letter delivery service, and following Ofcom’s latest consultation on the matter, the

GCA has responded, emphasising how important a reliable - and affordable - service is not only to our industry but to the general public.

GCA CEO Amanda Fergusson is urging industry members to contact their local MPs to gain government backing for the campaign - do add your voice to that of the greeting card industry as a whole. Head to our GCA news section/page for

‘‘What’s not so funny is the current situation with the Royal Mail postal service’’

the full story, along with details of GCA services, including local meet-ups, lunchtime webinars, free toolkits and more.

Back to the sunshine and, as they say, happy is the bride that the sun shines on. Average spending is up on weddings by a not inconsiderable 12.5%, according to the National Wedding Survey, which showed the average UK wedding in 2023 cost £20,700, seemingly due to inflation pushing up prices.

But what is more interesting - at least to me - are the trends from 2023 and heading into 2024. As card designers and retailers, you surely want to know who your target audience is, and with the average age of brides at 33 and grooms at 35, this could be an important factor when choosing your next range of designs.

Something else to consider is the trend for rustic and barn wedding venues - and surprisingly, the popularity of wedding saxophonists! You can read more about what modern couples are looking for in our wedding trends feature, along with a selection of the latest wedding and engagement cards to choose from.

Send your views and submissions for the magazine to naomi@lemapublishing.co.uk

We’ve also got news on the London Stationery Show, which runs in May, with details of what’s on offer, the companies you can expect to find exhibiting there and more. Meanwhile, our diary columnist Sarah Laker shares updates on National Stationery Week in her column.

Finally, check out our cover star - Out of the Blue Studios - which is bringing a new online service to the trade with its directto-trade card sales website.

We always love to hear from readers - whether suppliers or retailers - about what they’d like to see featured in the magazine, or topics they would like to comment on.

If you would like to take part in our features, interviews, or news pages. You can email me at naomi@lemapublishing. co.uk or connect with me via LinkedIn.

Editor Naomi MacKay

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Insights-X bids farewell to the market with a heavy heart

In a surprising but carefully considered step, Insights-X, which previously took place in Nuremberg every October, is to be discontinued. After eight editions, the trade fair for stationery, o ce, bags and more is closing its doors. As the Executive Board of Spielwarenmesse eG announced, the company has decided to concentrate more heavily on its core markets.

“Although Insights-X regained significant momentum after the pandemic and the major exhibitors returned, ultimately the required result was not achieved”

Christian Ulrich, spokesperson of the Executive Board at Spielwarenmesse eG

For almost a decade, the sole independent trade fair for the stationery sector in Germany has stood its ground. “Although Insights-X regained significant momentum after the pandemic and the major exhibitors returned,

ultimately the required result was not achieved,” stated Christian Ulrich, spokesperson of the Executive Board at Spielwarenmesse eG. The fair was launched in 2015 at the request of the major trade and industry players in the sector and gained its position surprisingly quickly as an international trade fair with a top-quality positioning. The enjoyable, relaxed atmosphere of the event drew consistent praise, as did the personal character of the show, thanks in no small part to the highly popular networking events held after close of play.

Although many key players and innovative brands had already registered for the ninth edition, Insights-X was still not performing for Spielwarenmesse eG from a commercial perspective. The company is therefore concentrating its future e orts more heavily on the elements of its portfolio that produce results. In the Spielwarenmesse and SPIEL alone, the organiser can boast two exceptionally successful world-beating events that excel in their breadth of coverage and loyal customer base. Nonetheless, for many stationery companies there will be a reunion in Nuremberg from January 28 to February 1 2025, with the cross-sector Creative and Back-to-School sections of the Spielwarenmesse.

New plush partner for Boofle

Hunter Price has partnered with UK Greetings for a new Boofle product innovation strategy spanning its core product categories.

Hunter Price will develop and distribute hero plush, including the heritage knitted pup, celebration, seasonal and sensory, all in many sizes and fabrics.

When it comes to gifting, Boofle is one of the go-to family-favourite brands, and the Hunter Price team will be spearheading the creative product strategy to bring newness and innovation to this category, with huge growth potential over the coming years. From gift sets and decorations to travel mugs and hot water bottles, Boofle’s new gifting collections will be arriving in the retail market later this year.

Sandi Parisi, UK Greetings product director, commented: “The approach Hunter Price has presented for Boofle is really exciting and we can’t wait to see their plans come to life at retail.” www.ukgreetings.co.uk

In the news

Retail Trust welcomes change in law

Retail industry charity the Retail Trust, has welcomed a change in the law, which means that assaults on shop workers are to become a standalone criminal offence.

Offenders could face a maximum sentence of six months, receive an unlimited fine and be banned from the shop where they committed the offence. Serial offenders could be forced to wear tags to track their movements can be tracked.

£50m will be spent on facial recognition technology to be be used in high streets to catch perpetrators and stop shoplifting.

If offenders are found guilty of grievous bodily harm they will face jail sentences.

However, it does not mean that convicted offenders will automatically get a prison sentence. Sentences of 12 months or less would be suspended and served in the community.

Retail Trust CEO Chris Brook-Carter (pictured below) commented: ‘’Retail Trust has been calling for Government to make assaults on shop workers a standalone criminal offence for some time (like it is in Scotland). This will give police more powers to prosecute, so we welcome the news that a change in the law is coming.

‘’Our data shows almost half of retail workers feel unsafe at work, with 90% having experienced physical or verbal abuse from customers. Shockingly, 41% of retail workers say this happens weekly, which is up from 34% previously, so today’s news is certainly a step in the right direction.

‘’Retail Trust’s purpose is to provide hope, health and happiness for everyone in retail. So, the big question we are left with today is, is this enough? And the simple answer is, on its own, probably not, which is why there needs to be a cross-industry and society push to face into this worrying trend. We still encourage retail workers experiencing abuse to report it to their managers. Retailers themselves need to ensure they have the right support for their colleagues and systems and policies in place to record and report to the police. And our police forces must prioritise dealing with these crimes.

‘’Sadly, currently, one in four colleagues don’t report incidents. More than two thirds said they don’t think it will help, nearly a quarter said they had been put off by a previously unhelpful response from the police, and over a quarter said they didn’t know how to respond to or report abusive incidents.’’

Anyone in retail who needs support can get in touch with Retail Trust on 0808 801 0808. www.retailtrust.org.uk

Card publishers on a mission

Brilliantly Brave is a pioneering new greeting card publisher based in Moray, Scotland. Founded by the dynamic duo of Stuart Cox, the creative force behind the ‘I Like Birds’ brand, and Jean Pryde, a seasoned mental health professional, Brilliantly Brave is on a mission to spark a ripple e ect of positive change in mental wellbeing, one card and conversation at a time.

What sets Brilliantly Brave apart is its approach to combining heartfelt artistry with a powerful purpose. The beautifully designed cards feature uplifting messages and positive a rmations that encourage meaningful connections and self-reflection. The publisher is also committed to using profits to fund free mental health training, coaching, and peer-support initiatives in the community, ensuring that every card sold makes a tangible di erence.

Since its launch just six weeks ago, it has:

• Funded 25 one-to-one life coaching sessions, providing vital support to individuals navigating life’s challenges;

• Facilitated two menopause support groups in Forres and Lossiemouth, creating safe spaces for connection and empowerment;

• Helped establish the Lossiemouth LGBTQ+ Community Drop-in, fostering a sense of belonging and inclusivity; and

• Donated £500 to the Lossiemouth Mental Health Peer-support Group, ensuring it can continue its essential work.

The initial card ranges – Benevolent Blooms, Bobcut Boosts, Cheerful Chapters, and Woolly Wisdom – o er a delightful mix of vibrant designs and empowering messages that resonate with customers seeking more than just a greeting card. Each collection is carefully crafted to uplift, inspire, and spread a little more kindness in the world.

Jean and Stuart (pictured above right) commented: ‘‘As we continue to grow,

The Art File raises £1,000s for

charity

Every year, The Art File supports four incredible charities through its Christmas Charity Packs.

During 2023 the publisher has raised over £44,000 for the RSPCA, Dementia UK, MNDA and Young Lives Vs Cancer. These organisations work hard to protect people and animals in need.

The company stated: ‘‘We couldn’t be prouder to help them with their mission. None of this would be possible without the amazing support from our lovely customers. If you bought a charity pack of cards from us to stock in your shop, or to give to someone you care about, thank you. Your support means everything to us and helps us to lift up these amazing organisations!’’

we remain dedicated to our core values of mental health advocacy, meaningful connection, authenticity, and community impact. We believe that by sparking conversations about mental wellbeing and providing accessible support, we can help create a more compassionate, resilient world.’’ www.brilliantlybrave.co.uk

Run, Rachel, run!

Rachel Church, founder and MD of Rachel Ellen Designs, will take to the start line at this year’s TCS London Marathon. Having taken part in her first marathon in 2022, Rachel was tempted back by the chance to raise funds for Save The Children, a charity Rachel plans to further support through her business with a planned collaboration later in the year.

Acknowledging the challenge of fundraising, Rachel plans a di erent approach to help towards her total by creating some new artwork that will be sold, with all proceeds going to the charity.

In an ever-increasing digital age Rachel still hand-paints her unique and distinctive artwork, but this will be a very rare opportunity for people to acquire original work.

For more information email sales@rachelellen.co.uk or call 0115 970 0321 to register your interest, or if you’re able to make a donation of any amount go to https://2024tcslondonmarathon.enthuse.com/pf/rachel-church/ post/5353230

Bear necessities

Paddington’s licensing partnership with Elgate Products, with over a decade of success, is going from strength to strength with a new range of giftware featuring the much-loved bear from Peru.

Paddington’s creator Michael Bond dedicated 60 years of his life to children’s literature, introducing the world to Paddington in 1958 with a book entitled A Bear Called Paddington.

Elgate Products, still a family-owned business, started trading back in 1971. From humble beginnings wholesaling postcards and giftware along the south coast of England they have grown to become a leading importer of design-led giftware in the UK. Elgate has an extremely diverse customer base ranging from small independent retailers, web-based retail and UK charities through to wholesalers, department stores, multi-national and global blue chip accounts.

Elgate Products Ltd

01843 609200

sales@elgate.co.uk

www.elgate.co.uk

spotlight

Scotland’s the Brave

Brilliantly Brave is a pioneering new greeting card publisher based in Moray, Scotland, which is on a mission to spark a ripple effect of positive change in mental wellbeing.

Brilliantly Brave combines heartfelt artistry with a powerful purpose. The cards feature uplifting messages and positive affirmations that encourage meaningful connections and self-reflection. Profits are used to fund free mental health training, coaching, and peer-support initiatives in the community.

Brilliantly Brave

info@brilliantlybrave.co.uk

www.brilliantlybrave.co.uk

www.greetingstoday.media

Celebrating our differences

Kali Stileman Publishing has launched its latest children’s birthday card collection: multicultural cards. This range features lots of children of different ethnicities and with various hobbies against cool and colourful backgrounds. Available in square and mini size!

Kali Stileman

01305 848899

info@kalistileman.co.uk

www.kalistileman.co.uk

Jump for Joy!

Joy is the latest handpainted range from Heather Trefusis Art. The 10 new birthday designs feature jolly watercolours with a variety of fun images from fairground rides to sweet treats. All 150mm square, the cards are printed on textured FSC-certified board and come with a recycled kraft brown envelope. Available to order naked or in a biodegradable cello.

Heather Trefusis Art

07946 605564

heather@heathertrefusisart.com

www.heathertrefusisart.com

Happy and Glorious!

Botanical greetings card brand Umbellifer is launching a new range called Glorious Gardens this spring and showing the whole range at Home & Gift in July.

The concept behind the range is to celebrate great British flower gardens from the humble cottage garden to the long borders of great estates, and to inspire all gardeners to add strong design elements to their own outdoor space. Umbellifer’s owner and designer Stephen Lennon says: “I am a little bit crazy for walking around a great garden and with this range I hope to convey the inspiration I get from seeing a beautiful planting scheme or a striking garden design, and in the UK we have, I believe, the best in the world. Each artwork is colourful and modern but with a dreamy, idyllic vibe, which I feel will appeal to a large audience.”

The first six designs in the Glorious Gardens range are also available in an attractive cardboard sleeve containing one of each design. All of Umbellifer’s designs are printed on FSC accredited and carbon o set board. Umbellifer

07510

Standout Doodles

Doodle – what a fun range with a bold contemporary feel making it stand out on any display. Nigel Quiney has announced a refresh of designs of cute simplistic animals, illustrated in bold black and white ink strokes, highlighted with splashes of primary colours. All 12 new card designs have been printed on a textured, coated board, 300gsm Veltique ice. The designs are accompanied by a striking printed envelope.

Nigel Quiney 01799

Tall orders…

Yoojoo launched the new Tall Tales range at the new Artisan Made Trade Fair in Skipton, Yorkshire, in March. Tall Tales is the latest card and a gift in one for book lovers using Yoojoo’s signature ‘fold & tear’ design as seen in its Monsters and Bookbarks ranges.

The new range features eight long-necked, long-legged animals and birds, and the card transforms into a bookmark when finished with by simply tearing along the subtle perforations. Designed and printed in the UK on high-quality 350gsm paper, blank inside with instructions on the back. Supplied with a white envelope, cello or glassine wrapped. Yoojoo 01274

Direct from Blue to Green

We talk to Pete Rawlingson, sales director/co-owner, at Out of the Blue Studios about its new direct-to-retail online o ering, and its Into the Green eco brand…

Tell us a little about yourselves and how the company came about...

Out of the Blue Studios was formed in 2017, after myself (formerly with Hambledon, Hallmark, Avant Garde, and greeting card buyer with leading distribution companies) and business partner Clive Rubin, who I have known for 25 years, decided to set up a business to focus on leading designed greeting cards for the wholesale/distribution channel.

Having pulled together a sales and design team with over 150 years’ combined experience in the greeting cards industry with some of the world’s biggest publishers, Out of the Blue Studios started its journey.

Tell us about your vision for Out of the Blue Direct.

As we are now regarded as one of the most progressive suppliers within the wholesale sector, and work closely with our wholesale/distribution partnerswe can be found at www.outofthebluestudios.co.uk - we needed an additional channel to get our vast array of product to market, to allow retailers to purchase our product in-depth and with confidence that the stock is available. We stock more than 1,300 Skus of Everyday cards and wrap, along with excellent Spring Season and Christmas ranges to give retailers a fantastic choice and the opportunity to buy direct from the manufacturer.

It’s very simple; the retailer can log in to the site at www.outofthbluedirect.co.uk to register and purchase immediately, by using our simple filters to find what size, caption, gender and style they want. Then they simply ‘click’ the quantity and build an order in the basket. All of our cards come in packs of six, and are competitively priced to give the retailer excellent margins; there is no minimum order, but free delivery is o ered on a minimum order of £100. The system links to our back o ce and warehouse, which o ers seamless stock availability to fulfill the retailers’requirements.

What benefits does this o er to retailers?

It gives the retailer the ability to buy direct from the manufacturer, with full visibility of stock available, along with being able to purchase our successful Eco Range of greetings cards from our Into the Green Publishing brand, as well as

‘‘Our Everyday Range was a winner at the prestigious Henries Awards in 2019, and has been a consistent finalist every year since’’

acquire gift wrap ranges and any other seasonal products available. Basically, it’s a one-stop solution for all of the Out of the Blue products with consistent supply and availability.

Tell us more about the design styles retailers can find on your site.

With our in-house team of designers, we cater for all tastes, from the bread and butter traditional, cute, juvenile, humour designs, to more on-trend tastes, all available in C50, C72, C75, C90, C125 and 160 squares. There’s a vast choice on o er that caters for all retail environments from a local newsagents or post

Peter Rawlingson (left) and Clive Rubin

o ce, to mid-and higher-end cards shops; basically any retailer who sells greeting cards!

Are there any new ranges or updates you would like to highlight?

On our Everyday In-Stock range, we have many brands, the latest being our Studio Floral Range, which has been designed and hand-painted by our in-house team, o ering a beautiful delicate floral look, across 60 Skus.

How many ranges do you o er?

Too many to mention, but our comprehensive range has all card themes covered, from traditional and contemporary, to cute, juvenile and humour. If you sell cards and wrap we have everything covered!

What are your best selling ranges/products?

All of our C50 and C75 ranges are extremely popular as they hit the key retail price points, and our Eloquence, Studio and Quip & Wit (humour) ranges o er excellent premiumquality products with great finishes and quality to enable the retailer to remain competitive and o er great product at great prices.

How do you support your retailers?

We give them great product with high margin opportunity, but also will engage with them on any o ers while servicing their requirements, and listening to their needs with our engagement team.

Any awards/achievements you’d like to mention?

Our Everyday Range was a winner at the prestigious Henries Awards in 2019, and has been a consistent finalist every year since. We have also been supplier of the year twice with our wholesale/distribution group of wholesalers, The Impact Group. We are proud members of the Greeting Card Association, and were the first greeting card company to be a member of the POC (Products of Change) with our Into the Green Publishing brand, which is available via the direct platform.

Any other developments in the pipeline?

We are launching with the NFSP (National Federation of Sub Postmasters) at its retail event on May 12, as we have a continued partnership with them from our Into the Green Publishing Eco Cards business, which will all be available to purchase from our Out of the Blue Direct

‘‘It gives the retailer the ability to buy direct from the manufacturer, with full visibility of stock available, along with being able to purchase our successful Eco Range of greeting cards from our Into the Green Publishing brand’’

website, along with the vast selection of Out of the Blue Studios cards and wrap.

We’re always adding new exciting designs to our range, ensuring our cards evolve with trends and consumer needs. We are just working on our Spring/Season 2025 range, which will be fully available via the direct platform, covering Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, Easter, Confirmation, Communion, St Patrick’s Day and Back to School, then onto the development of our Christmas 2025 Range.

Anything else you’d like to add?

With the success of Into the Green Publishing and our aim to be more environmentally friendly since 2020, we made the decision to manufacture all products using FSC Accredited sustainably sourced board and envelopes, along with stopping the use of glitter on our cards.

All of our cards can be purchased via our wholesale/distribution partners, which can be found in the Where to Buy section at www.outofthebluestudios.co.uk.

‘’Pride in London last year was one of the best days of my life. The streets in London were filled with so much love and support and our GCA walking group were full of energy and excitement. I can’t wait to do it all again this year in both London and Manchester’’ Mark Callaby, managing director Ohh Deer and GCA diversity and inclusion lead

GCA heads to London and Manchester for Pride

GCA members will be marching at Pride in both London and Manchester, following the success of last year’s event in the capital

At Pride in London last year, Greeting Card Association (GCA) members handed out more than 10,000 greeting cards to the cheering crowds, and they’ll be taking part again - in two locations.

The GCA has secured parade places for both Pride in London and Manchester Pride. So save the following dates:

Pride in London takes place on June 29, while Manchester Pride will be held on August 24.

There are 75 places for London and 50 for Manchester, and there is no cap on how many places people can sign up for, so early sign-up is encouraged.

Instead of asking for greeting card donations, as they did last this year, this year the GCA will be printing its own cards, in the hope of increasing the amount of cards that can be handed out along the route.

Head to www.gca.cards/london-pride, where you can either sign up to march in the parade/s or to be an o cial sponsor for this year’s events.

FOCUS ON... KINGFISHER CARDS

Always moving forward

‘’Publishing greetings cards is a bit like walking on a never-ending road, you just have to keep moving forward.’’ This is the philosophy that keeps Kingfisher Cards’ process of continual improvement on track, MD Paul Urban tells Greetings Today. ‘’I am probably over-critical of everything we do within the company. I want to continually feel that we are improving in our o ering both in terms of service and products. It is not a question of never being satisfied, more about continually questioning if we should be.’’

With this in mind, Kingfisher Cards launched its latest everyday 2024 collection with an undeniably impressive 120 page brochure covering all the di erent relations and occasions as well as an extensive range of special titles, open birthday and blanks. If you would like a copy of the brochure simple email sales@kingfishercards.co.uk or phone the o ce on 01803 431515.

To underline the ‘always moving forward’ ethos, Kingfisher Cards is launching a beautiful new range of open and titled sympathy cards. The 24 new cards are all beautifully foiled and have full-colour inserts yet still are fantastically priced at code 50 .

‘’A perfect example of how we are trying to continually move the range forward.’’ is how Paul describes the new o ering.

New product available from end of April.

01803 431515

www.kingfishercards.co.uk

sales@kingfishercards.co.uk

Diary of a card shop

As we head towards National Stationery Week, co-ordinator Sarah Laker of Cheshire’s Stationery Matters, explains how she squeezes so much into her life as a busy retailer…

Benjamin Franklin once said: “If you want something done, ask a busy person.’’

Some of my friends tease me that I fit more into my day than most people do in a week, so when I was asked to write this column, I wasn’t actually sure where to start!

2024 started with a bang in January as I began to plan the year for both my shops – windows, marketing, new ranges, spring seasons – the cycle starts again. My buying trips to Top Drawer and Spring Fair also needed planning. I always set out with good intentions to plan rather than fight fires; in reality it ends up being a mixture of firefighting, planning and winging it. I’m a real stationery geek and love choosing new stationery and greeting cards for my shops so I find the first quarter of the year really exciting with all the Spring seasons following swiftly one after the other.

My week is split between my two shops, in Marple and Wilmslow in Cheshire. My Marple shop celebrated its 18th birthday last year while my Wilmslow shop was a lockdown purchase in 2020! We sell stationery, greeting cards and gifts in both shops. I try to spend half the week in each shop balancing working on the shop floor and doing admin. I’m very hands-on and split my time doing all the jobs that need carrying out, from emptying bins, to serving customers, social media, accounts, marketing, ordering and overseeing my five sta including my eldest daughter, Molly, who is a trainee manager in my Wilmslow shop. We’re also currently working on revamping our website – Gira e Gifts.

Alongside all of this I am also coordinating National Stationery Week (NSW) - which is an annual event celebrating all things stationery - for the second year running. When I was first asked to run the week, after taking part in it since it began over 10 years ago, I wasn’t sure how I would fit it into my already

busy life! It was a steep learning curve and takes a huge amount of planning and organisation. I start in January by producing a proposal with ideas for how sponsors can take part, which I email out to stationery brands - and then I wait.

‘‘I feel that greeting cards are such an important part of the stationery conversation and embody what National Stationery Week is all aboutputting pen to paper’’

This year I was delighted that both Maped Helix and Pentel came back to me within an hour of my email going out to rebook as they had such a great response to their participation last year. I meet with each potential sponsor to discuss how to take part and what form their campaign will take. Molly helps me produce a calendar so that everyone knows when we need information by, and what we need; she also helps check the wording of all the posts and oversees scheduling the more-than-60 posts, plus we comment and share posts where NSW is tagged as much as we can!

We kickstart the campaign with a #Shelfie competition in March, followed by a seven-week countdown to NSW, which runs from May 13 to 17, which then features headline sponsors each day.

This year I’m particularly delighted that both Ohh Deer and The Art File are taking part in the NSW campaign, showcasing their new notebook ranges alongside their card o erings. I feel that greeting cards are such an important part of the stationery conversation and embody what NSW is all about

– putting pen to paper. I’m hoping to encourage more greeting card, gift, art, craft and book shops to celebrate all things stationery during NSW this year. And in my spare time I’ve fitted in running a Facebook group for independent stationers, and attending the Greeting Card Association Dragons Speed Dating event. This is both interesting and exciting and o ers a chance to meet new publishers, hear their stories, view their cards and o er feedback. Plus of course there’s also plenty of other trade fairs and industry events to get involved in - I might be stationery but I’m never stationary!

Sarah with The Art File’s James Mace

At GCA Dragons Speed Dating with Laura Darrington

Creativity

with Our Origami Bunch of Flowers Unleash

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Pens poised for London Stationery Show

London Stationery Show 2024 has a lot to write home about. The UK’s only dedicated exhibition covering gift stationery, writing instruments and arts & crafts will see hundreds of brands from well over 100 exhibitors bring stationery to life. Greetings Today sharpens its pencil to ensure retailers don’t miss out on this lucrative and ever-evolving product area

Yes, we may be living in a digital world, but the stationery sector is proving its mighty endurance, with product innovation continuing to perpetuate the consumer’s interest and desire, be it in accessible writing instruments, wonderfully designed journals, the latest desk accessories, not to mention arts & crafts developments.

And there’s nowhere better to see this wondrous cornucopia of products than at the London Stationery Show in May (14-15) at Islington’s Business Design Centre (BDC).

London Stationery Show 2024’s strong roster of exhibitors is a feast of more than 300 leading brands as well as new designer names, including Crayola, Leuchtturm1917, Blueprint Stationery, Stone Marketing, ExaClair, Daler Rowney, Royal Talens, Manuscript Brands, Jakar International, Studio Pens, Pentel, Snopake, Staedtler, IG Design Group, Sinclairs, Stabilo, Pukka Pads, Edding, Hahnemuehle,

Ultratape, The Pilot Pen Co, Zebra Pen, Nu:notebooks, Tallon International, and many more.

In addition to the exhibitor delights on the show floor, the finalists of the Stationery Awards will also be showcased, with the winners announced at a free-to-attend event at the BDC at the end of the first day of the show that is sponsored by The Stationers’ Company.

“We’re really excited about bringing the London Stationery Show 2024 to life. With the wealth of new product launches, the programme of workshops and talks and the Stationery Awards event at the end of the first day of the show, the activity will be full on stationery, and certainly not be stationary!” Chantelle White, London Stationery Show event manager

London Stationery Show essentials

When: Tuesday and Wednesday, 14-15 May, 2024

Where: Business Design Centre, 52 Upper Street, London N1 0QH

Opening hours: 9.30am - 5pm on Tuesday, 9.30am - 4pm on Wednesday

Website: www.stationeryshowlondon.co.uk

Entry is free for bona fide stationery buyers, retailers, wholesalers, licensors and licensees.

To find out more about stands and sponsorship opportunities contact Chantelle White on chantellew@max-publishing.co.uk or 07795 951244.

Sandra Jervis of Creative Cove with her prize from Silvine for winning this year’s NSW #Shelfie competition

There’s a full and varied programme of workshops, demos and talks, giving visitors the chance to get their hands on the latest product innovations, hear opinions from experts and even have their handwriting ‘read’ by a leading graphologist.

This will be the London Stationery Show’s first outing since being acquired from Ocean Media Group by Max Publishing at the end of last year. London Stationery Show is a great fit for the company, which also owns the Progressive Greetings Live greeting card trade show.

Chantelle White continues with LSS as its event manager while Chris LeonardMorgan, who founded the show back in 2012, is back in the fray, with the news that he has joined the team as a special advisor, having been very warmly received by the stationery community.

As Chantelle summed up: “We’re really excited about bringing the London Stationery Show 2024 to life. With the wealth of new product launches, the programme of workshops and talks and the Stationery Awards event at the end of the first day of the show, the activity will be full-on stationery, and certainly not be stationary!”

Chris is back!

Founder of the London Stationery Show, National Stationery Week and a Liveryman of The Stationers’ Company, Chris Leonard-Morgan is very much part of the LSS team, as a special advisor.

Greetings Today found out more about this stationery passionista…

How did you get involved in the stationery industry?

I found my way into the stationery market fortuitously nearly 20 years ago after selling my previous exhibition business, and was wondering what to do next. A friend suggested there might be an opportunity for an office products show, but I quickly decided that stationery was the way to go.

What is the best part of being involved?

The energetic and inspiring people, and the wonderfully uplifting products.

What is your favourite industry memory?

Seeing National Stationery Week-branded black taxis driving round London for the first time during the London Stationery Show in 2013 with the message that ‘Writing matters’.

What does 2024 hold for you?

I am loving being unexpectedly involved in the London Stationery Show again following its acquisition by Max Publishing and helping raise awareness of the amazing Stationers’ Company, and am looking forward to spending more time working on a book; about stationery, naturally.

What are a few of your own favourite stationery products?

“I couldn’t survive without highlighters and Post-it notes, and wouldn’t be without my Parker 51, Kaweco pens and Smythson notebook.”

National Stationery Week frenzy

The seven-week countdown to National Stationery Week is now well under way.

Kicking things off, the #Shelfie Facebook competition, sponsored by Silvine, saw Creative Cove in Lampeter win a host of goodies.

Supported by a strong roster of sponsors, including The Art File, Exaclair, Ohh Deer, Pentel, Pilot Pen, Lamy, Manuscript, MapedHelix, Silvine UK, Staedtler and Zebra Pen, NSW co-ordinator Sarah Laker, owner of Stationery Supplies in Marple and Wilmslow, has really gone to town with the plans for the big week-long event, which runs from May 13 to 19 this year, with London Stationery Show taking place in the middle.

Featured on social media with entries via the NSW Instagram page, a NSW launch competition celebrated 20 years of Lamy Safari Special Editions and all everybody had to do was comment on the post with the name of the pen company’s first special-edition colour back in 2004.

A whole series of competitions and social media activities are planned leading up to and during National Stationery Week.

With the inextricable link between stationery and greeting cards, cardies are being encouraged to get on board with NSW.

“There are plenty of ways for greeting card retailers and publishers to get involved,” says Sarah. “Talk about NSW on social media, why writing and the sending of cards is important. If you are a retailer, why not ask your most fervent card-sending customers to tell you what they love about cards, maybe get a photo of them with their latest card purchases, or video them choosing cards and talking about why they send cards.”

Sarah’s other suggestions for retailers include:

• Consider a NSW window display to advertise what you’re doing during the week.

• Share your favourite publishers, talk about where they are based, who they are, that their cards are designed and printed in the UK etc.

• Talk about what stationery you sell, what its uses are. Don’t forget coasters! Everyone has one on their desk. Ask followers what’s their favourite stationery item. Do they have to buy their favourite pen in all the ink colours?

• Use the ‘seven days of stationery’ hashtags as prompts each day to share something about your shop, your stationery or card selections, or run a different special offer or giveaway each day of the week.

• Plan an activity to run during NSW – maybe a calligraphy event, present wrapping, design a card/letter writing/short story/poetry/handwriting/ colouring competition. Ask one of the publishers you stock to support this with a prize.

• Tag NSW in any initiatives or posts that you do and use the hashtags #NatStatWeek #WritingMatters #LoveStationery

• Use old stock to make up mystery bags – either sell them for charity or leave around your town as random acts of kindness. Be sure to include a money-off voucher for your shop plus all your social media handles and the NSW logo and hashtags.

As for the hashtags for the actual week, Maped Helix kicks off the week with #MindfulMonday, Pentel has #PassionForPens on Tuesday, it’s #MultiCreative for Staedtler on Wednesday, #ItFeelsGood with Zebra on Friday and #StationeryTakeaway as Ohh Deer’s tag for its event on the Saturday.

Crafting successful sales

With more than 19.5 million enthusiasts throughout the British Isles, crafting is truly a popular pastime that spans several generations, as Exacompta

Clairefontaine UK marketing manager Lawrence Savage explains

Although there has been a slight decrease (14%) in UK workers basing themselves exclusively from home since 2022, data from ONS (O ce for National Statistics) shows that 44% of employees still work from home at least part of the time, whether in a hybrid or fully-remote capacity.

Thus, with more leisure time and an improved work-life balance being created through this trend, combined with an increasing older population (more than 11 million people are aged over 65), these factors have contributed significantly to the growth of the arts and crafts industry. It currently has a turnover of approximately £400 million-plus across the UK, and is expected to experience a healthy CAGR (compound annual growth rate) of 5.4% globally up until 2028.

Consequently, it’s no wonder that there are more than 19.5 million crafting enthusiasts throughout the British Isles, ensuring creativity is alive and kicking! It’s probably no surprise that around 70% of children aged from five to 10 take part in arts and crafts on a regular basis. But with 28% of people aged 65 to 70 also indulging in these activities, it’s truly a popular pastime that spans several generations.

In fact, with the demands of modern life on both young and old being thoroughly documented these days, studies highlight how crafting can boost self-confidence, reduce stress, and have positive impacts on an individual’s mood. It has also been demonstrated to help reduce blood pressure, enhance fine motor skills and mental agility, slow the onset of dementia, and reduce anxiety and feelings of isolation.

By expanding product listings to incorporate a wider range of crafting items, gift retailers can tap into this developing market sector, which can act as a complementary o ering alongside more traditional giftable stationery and accessories. Furthermore, this can also open opportunities to hold in-store events or community outreach workshops.

The popular papercraft brand Décopatch has thrived across many retail outlets by using a combination of innovative display POS and workshop days, which give consumers the chance to try before they buy.

In addition, the bestselling selection of Clairefontaine origami or the comprehensive range of Avenue Mandarine puzzles and games would make ideal themes for such interactive events.

Ultimately, investing in these initiatives can really help drive sales and recurring customer footfall over the long-term. For further advice on how crafting can help your business, please contact ExaClair, the UK subsidiary of the Exacompta Clairefontaine group.

Flamboyant flamingoes!

Also the Bison o ers a range of sustainably produced gifts, homewares, stationery and accessories, with hand-painted designs printed onto items - all made in the UK or Sweden.

The Flamboyance of Flamingos Print Journal and Notebook Set features pink flamingos species from around the world, from the bright American Flamingo to the rare pastel Andean Flamingo.

Each bird has been hand-painted in watercolour by artist Maddie Chambers before being digitally printed in the UK onto 300gsm recycled card using eco-friendly inks. The 100% recycled colourful gift set includes one Journal with 76 lined pages and one Notebook with 36 plain pages.

Also the Bison

hello@alsothebison.co.uk | www.alsothebison.co.uk

We can work it out

This Lockable Anxiety Journal is billed as the perfect tool to help you understand and manage your anxiety in a logical, practical way. It’s designed to help you find triggers, causes and patterns that lead to anxious episodes and is available in three di erent versions (adult, teen and ASC).

By filling out the journal for just five minutes a day, you can discover what’s causing your anxiety by making connections between your emotions and what happens in your day. Every entry has a series of tick boxes, circling and rating systems designed to help you recognise when anxiety is developing, and develop strategies for overcoming it in the future.

The discreet three-code lockable, six-ring refillable binder is crafted from faux leather. With no long-term commitments or extensive writing exercises, it makes it easy for you to build a foundation of recovery.

Discovery Journal

hello@discoveryjournal.co.uk

www.discoveryjournal.co.uk

Seventies’ style

Storigraphic has revealed the latest addition to its range of productssustainably produced zipped pouches.

Launching with two designs from its popular collections, Seventies and Sessions Series, and available in three sizes.

The multipurpose pouches are made from cotton, lined with recycled zip fastening and gusseted. Perfectly suited for storage of pens, pencils, cosmetics, travel items, jewellery, craft tools and more.

Handmade in Scotland with Amy Britton, an award-winning contemporary heirloom accessories producer known for its innovative sustainable practice and passion for preserving Scottish heritage.

All products are sustainably made in the UK, with 5% of sales profit donated to charity, and a portion of each sale allocated to planting a young native tree across the world.

STORIGRAPHIC roz@storigraphic.com | www.storigraphic.com

Make it personal

Brighten up a kid’s day with this fun

Personalised Animal Alphabet Colouring Book from PMC. It’s filled to the brim with animal-themed pages, providing hours of creative fun. Plus, it’s personalised with the child’s name - not only on the front cover but hidden throughout the whole book - adding that extra special touch.

PMC

sales@personalisedmemento.co.uk

www.personalisedmemento.co.uk

Totally roarsome!

With cartoon designs and bright hues, Puckator’s Dinosauria range appeals to children of all ages. There’s a wide selection of roarsome stationery, from a Ring Bound Notepad & Pencil Case to Shaped Top Wooden Rulers.

A favourite is the new Multi Colour Pen, which is packed full of di erent ink colours. With four designs showing di erent dinosaurs, these pens are sure to be a hit with junior dinophiles!

Puckator

0800 011 696

customerservices@puckator.co.uk | www.puckator.co.uk

Focus on...

Calendars & dated produCts

Bring it up to date

Our lives are busier than ever - and planners and calendars are useful at-a-glance tools to keep all those meetings, appointments, and holiday dates in order. Combine practicality with some great imagery and licences and you have a surefire winner!

Hare today…

A stunning hare features on the front cover of the 2025 Wildlife Trusts calendar produced by The Eco-friendly Card Co. This 300mm square wall calendar features stunning imagery of some of Britain’s unique and fascinating wildlife with interesting information on each month about the species depicted. The calendars are printed on 40% recycled FSC paper, Carbon-Balanced with The World Land Trust, and are available either packaged in a compostable bag or ‘naked’ with a calendar clasp label.

The Wildlife Trusts calendar, which is available to pre-order now, is one of a suite of Wildlife Trusts products published by The Eco-friendly Card Co; an everyday blank card collection, charity Christmas packs and notecard stationery are also available.

The Eco-friendly Card Co

https://ecofriendly.cards/the-wildlife-trusts

Dunn debut for M&G

Museums & Galleries is debuting a calendar by awardwinning traditional children’s book illustrator Chris Dunn in its 2025 collection.

Chris’s amazing detailed watercolours have been exhibited at Galerie Daniel Maghen, Paris. He enjoys painting scenes based on The Wind in the Willows universe, and admits to having a love affair with all things Ratty, Mole, Badger and Toad.

Chris says: “I found Kenneth Grahame’s masterpiece a rich seam to mine illustrating an imaginary (alas) world of woodland animals interacting at home, in the trees, city, sea coast, school and even in the air. The paintings successfully exhibited in Paris in mid-2016, followed by another Galerie DM series commission; this time to illustrate Willows properly, and I finally became a full-time artist

specialising in traditional children’s book watercolour illustration.”

M&G’s calendar features 12 of these stunning watercolour illustrations. This gently nostalgic style sits well with M&G’s popular Brambly Hedge title. M&G’s collection features favourite titles from the V&A (‘Chinoiserie’, ‘Voysey” and ‘In the Garden’), British Museum (Japanese Woodblock Prints), and Transport for London, and has standalone titles by artists Eric Ravilious, Annie Soudain, Catherine Rowe, Helen Ahpornsiiri (for Wild Press), and Lucy Grossmith.

Museums & Galleries

01373 462165

sales@mgml.co.uk

www.museumsgalleries.co.uk

Plan for wellbeing

Inspired by current trends that focus on personal wellbeing, the wirebound Terracotta planner immerses us in a soothing world where organic forms and warm hues interlace harmoniously.

It makes the ideal desktop companion, combining the naturalistic earthy colours with a practical weekly planner. On the reverse of each sheet within the planner a handy ‘to do’ tick box list and a grid for bullet journaling are featured, plus a separately shaded area for doodling and sketching. As a multi-lingual product, it also encourages aspects of educational language teachings.

The planner is part of a wider Terracotta collection, which contains several striking desktop accessories and notebooks, which contain the Clairefontaine 90gsm brushed vellum ivory paper that’s world renowned.

Exacompta Clairefontaine

01553 696600

sales@exaclair.co.uk | exaclairlimited.com

Hot licences from Danilo

Danilo

01992 702 900

sales@danilo.com | www.danilo.com

Danilo is excited to develop its new calendar and diary range for 2025, featuring the hottest properties from entertainment, music, gaming, anime, sport, and lifestyle. Notable titles include highly anticipated TV shows including Wednesday and new additions such as Steven Rhodes (subject to approval). The company is also gearing up for major movie releases including The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim, Disney’s Mufasa, Despicable Me 4, Beetlejuice 2, Disney Pixar’s Inside Out 2, and more.

Furthermore, 2024 marks several significant anniversaries, from Minecraft’s 15th to Peppa Pig’s 20th anniversary, which will be celebrated with updated calendar, greeting card, and gift wrap ranges. Sports fans can look forward to a diverse range of team calendars, including England, Scottish, and Welsh Rugby Union teams, as well as o erings for the Lionesses and the England Men’s team following the UEFA European Championship as well as Tour de France, and the England Cricket Teams

‘’Danilo is proud to introduce a new format called The Deluxe Planner, a comprehensive planner that features four columns for each family member, alongside a ‘To Do’ pad, stickers, and sticky notes’’

In terms of innovation, Danilo is proud to introduce a new format called ‘The Deluxe Planner’. This comprehensive planner features four columns for each family member, alongside a ‘To Do’ pad, stickers, and sticky notes, providing ample space for plans, appointments, shopping lists, and notes. This addition complements the existing successful Family Organisers range, catering to the growing demand for practical calendars with su cient organisational space.

Danilo remains committed to providing innovative, sustainable, and on-trend products, ensuring it continues to meet the diverse needs and interests of its customers.

Laughing stock

We could all do with a good laugh now and then - and these publishers are making sure we see the funny side of life, whatever the occasion

Laughter is the best medicine, so the saying goes, and we know that receiving a card from a loved one can cheer us up. So receiving a funny card must have double the e ect!

As Ruth Turner-Blood, head of writing at Hallmark, says: ‘’Laughter has been proven to reduce stress and release endorphins. It helps to bring people together. Sharing a sense of humour is one of the most important ways that we connect with the people we care about. It’s a way of showing someone that you truly ‘get them’, and a well-chosen funny card is the second-best way to prove to someone you love that you care about them on their birthday (after cash, obviously).’’

Top 10 laughs from Cherry Orchard

Humour cards come in many di erent forms; if you’re after something a little more tasteful, The Art File might be your go-to choice while there are retro vibes from Dean Morris Cards and Danilo’s Steven Rhodes designs.

The Comedy Card Company often makes fun of the recipient getting older (something owner Alan Auld denies having experience of!), while Cherry Orchard has been testing out its latest new Camilla & Rose humour line on unsuspecting family members. MD Jackie Collins sought her son’s opinion on a card that states: ‘Mum, you are the baddest bitch I know – don’t worry, that’s a good thing’. He replied, ‘that was written for you lol!’

Read on for more humorous o erings that could be gracing your shelves soon...

Camilla & Rose Humour has just hit the floor running under the distribution of Cherry Orchard Publishing. The well-respected artist Sarah Boddy has been busy creating new gags for relations and occasions through Cherry Orchard.

Cherry Orchard is over the moon to have kicked o with 10 hilarious relations to include Mum, Sister and occasions, which include retirement.

Jackie Collins, MD of Cherry Orchard, says: ‘‘Beverley and I couldn’t wait to get Sarah on the go with extending this fantastic humour range into relations and occasions and just knew that Sarah would come up trumps.’’

Jackie tested out her son, William, with one of the Mum designs, which states: ‘Mum, you are the baddest bitch I know – don’t worry, that’s a good thing’ to which William replied, ‘‘that was written for you lol!’’

Cherry Orchard

01684 295500

info@cherryorchardpublishing.co.uk | www.cherryorchardpublishing.co.uk

Dean Morris Cards

The Comedy Card Company

Making ‘em laugh

The Comedy Card Company has been selling humorous cards for over 12 years. More recently, it has also been developing its own funny card range, to sell alongside the established publishers in its retail shop.

As it happens, the own-brand cards proved to be so popular with customers that they have now become their bestselling range. Alan Auld, who runs The Comedy Card Company, said it was both a surprise and a delight that the cards sold well.

The company now straddles both sides of the fence, with one foot in firmly in retail and the other cautiously tip-toeing into the publishing world. They would love to hear from retailers and agents who would like to give these funny cards a try.

The ranges include Photo, featuring silly captions to old photographs, which made it to the shortlist of last year’s Henries, and a Colours range, which is bold and colourful, with funny statements often centred on the joy of getting older (something which Alan insists he has no actual experience of!).

There is also a new Beastie range and a luxury Hot Foiled range, too.

Ask the retailer

Daniel and Amber Denyer

Co-owners, Greetings Watton, Norfolk

What is selling well for you in humour at the moment?

Age-related jokes are always a great seller, but there is popularity with open comedy cards at the moment; people are just looking to cheer others up. We are currently waiting for a new release from Emotional Rescue; there’s great anticipation for this new line.

You can see the full range on the dedicated trade websitecomedycardtrade.co.uk. You can also contact Alan at info@comedycard.co.uk for any questions or to request a brochure.

Ha-Ha-Hallmark!

Now more than ever we all need a laugh, and no one understands that better than Hallmark Cards, as Andrew Dewhirst, senior writer, and Ruth Turner-Blood, head of writing at Hallmark explain...

Climate concerns, post-pandemic despair, the ending of Game of Thrones… The past few years have thrown a lot at us and it can be hard to cope. It’s never been more important to seek out the little joyful moments that make us smile and laugh and find the funny in the middle of all the chaos of modern life.

Laughter has been proven to reduce stress and release endorphins. It helps to bring people together. Sharing a sense of humour is one of the most important ways that we connect with the people we care about. It’s a way of showing someone that you truly ‘get them’, and a well-chosen funny card is the second-best way to prove to someone you love that you care about them on their birthday (after cash, obviously).

Hallmark takes laughter incredibly seriously… making spreadsheets about it, scowling at it and tutting, putting on glasses (not the kind with a fake nose

‘’Sharing a sense of humour is one of the most important ways that we connect with the people we care about’’

attached). All this to get to the bottom of exactly what makes us laugh and why… Kids being kids, animals being goo alls, work being annoying or just the relentless day-to-day struggle of dealing with other humans…That kind of everyday relatability is at the heart of Hallmark’s Funny Ha Ha collection, where hilarious illustrations bring witty observations about everyday situations to life. Whether it’s the frustrations of putting up a tent, the dangers of being attacked by seagulls or the perils of misunderstanding the term ‘bottomless brunch’, you’re sure to find something you can relate to.

Hallmark has been a big fan of our furry friends for years, seeing a steady growth in popularity of cards to, from and featuring pets. But with pet ownership rising significantly since the pandemic, pet cards have never been more important. According to a Kantar survey, there are approximately 36 million non-aquatic pets in the UK, with more than 17.2 million households having an adorable animal companion. Whether you’re getting up at 5.45am to let them into the garden, or standing in the driving rain trying to finagle their poop into a thin plastic bag, who could fail to love our wonderful furry companions?! Pet Real is a collection all about the joys of life with our favourite four-legged friends/begrudging cohabitants. In the end, the biggest source of humour in most of our lives is our everyday interactions with our families and friends. In Hallmark’s Couldn’t Make It Up collection, relationships and the strange quirks of the people we know and love/tolerate are front and centre, gently poking fun at the funny foibles that we all share. As a nation, we seem to love all things naughty, with the thrill of the rude and

risqué continuing to appeal to the silly side of us all. A well-placed cheeky word can have audiences rolling in the aisles, but sometimes it’s even funnier to expect something rude and discover maybe it was you who was rude all along! Hallmark’s take on that is Rhyme Crime, a collection of funny verse cards that set you up to expect a VERY rude punchline only to swerve the other way at the last second and (just about) end up being perfectly pure and innocent instead!

Humour is not exactly the place for subtlety, and when shoppers are browsing the card aisle for that perfect card, black and white photography is always a surefire way to let them know they’ve come to the right place if they’re looking for funny. Hallmark’s Burn the Negatives collection is a laugh-out-loud collection of classic photo humour cards for the person in your life who’s guaranteed to love a cheeky chuckle.

Whether it’s helping us make sense of the strange times we’re living in, or strengthen the relationships with the people we love, funny makes the world go round. Whatever makes you laugh, it’s clear that a sense of humour has never been more important, and it’s just as clear that whether relatable or rude, pets or people, at Hallmark there’s something to suit everyone!

Hallmark

0800 902 0900 option 1

customerqueriesUK@hallmark.com www.trade.hallmark.co.uk

‘The guy that does

the funny cards’

Dean Morris talks to Greetings Today as his brand celebrates its 25th anniversary…

Tell us a little about the background of Dean Morris Cards.

Dean Morris Cards has been publishing outrageously funny cards and gifts for 25 years! What began as a moment of uncharacteristic confidence when looking at all the fancy papers in Paperchase and thinking I can begin a card business has now become my life for the past quarter century and almost how I define myself. With initial help from the Prince’s Trust and a lot of hard work, determination and quite a few mistakes along the way, Dean Morris Cards is now the brand it is today.

You are celebrating 25 years - what have been the highlights of this time?

I’m easy, just making it to 25 years is enough achievement for me. If I had to pick one aspect that continues to surprise me it’s when strangers come up to me in the street and ask if I’m “the guy that does the funny cards”.

Tell us a little about your card ranges.

Mostly humour, often at the cheeky end (although maybe I’m softening in my older age) often coupled with bright retro imagery from the 50s to 90s. When did the 90s become retro…?

Describe your style.

I don’t really follow current fashion trends in the greeting card industry but I always like my cards to be bold and colourful. I never like to labour too much over a joke either, I’ve always been a fan of sharp and snappy punchlines.

Your cards are funny! How do you keep coming up with new jokes?

I ask myself this every waking hour. New ideas always pop up, old ones get recycled and there’s always a fresh supply of unused ideas and jokes in my design folders.

How many ranges do you offer?

I keep my ranges quite tight. I’ve got about six ranges I always add to, and then there’s all my seasonal cards and of course lots of complementary gifts.

What are your best selling ranges/products?

Fabulous is now my longest-running range, which I launched in the summer of 2006.

Essentially it’s the archetypal Dean Morris range of funny retro pictures and bold, funny, and sometimes rude punchlines. This range constantly evolves and refreshes to keep it fresh, although the very first design in this range is still available.

Dean Morris Cards

01902 560247

dean@deanmorriscards.co.uk

trade.deanmorriscards.co.uk

Vintage cool

Danilo

01992

702 900

sales@danilo.com

www.danilo.com

Introducing the latest addition to Danilo’s lineup: the Steven Rhodes greeting card collection (subject to approval). Inspired by the retro nostalgia with a twist of darkness found in Steven Rhodes’ iconic artwork, this collection brings a unique and edgy vibe to the range.

From quirky characters to witty slogans, each card captures the distinctive style that has made Steven Rhodes a favourite among fans worldwide. Whether you’re sending birthday wishes or just sharing a laugh, these cards are sure to make a statement. Explore the Steven Rhodes collection from Danilo and add a touch of vintage cool to your greetings.

Danilo is excited to announce the expansion of its Mr Men and Little Miss greeting card range with fresh and fun captions! Adding a playful twist to these beloved characters, these new captions include ‘It’s party pants time’, ‘Yes Queen’, and ‘I’d be grumpy too if I was your age’. These witty and whimsical additions inject even more humour and personality into our popular collection, o ering customers a delightful array of options to suit any occasion.

Banter between buddies

Rudeness and banter between close friends and family members remains very popular, with many choosing to send and receive a jokey card to raise a smile and laugh-out-loud reaction, especially where the subject of getting older is concerned.

When selecting a card with tongue-in-cheek banter for a friend or family member it’s a considered decision, which says as much about the sender as it does about the recipient. UKG’s Believe The Type range, featuring editorially driven designs that are part age joke and part nostalgia, make a relatable reference that connects the sender and recipient in the way that many of the best cards do.

UK Greetings

salesandservice@ukgreetings.co.uk

Keeping it tasteful

Tasteful humour cards are a cornerstone of The Art File Everyday collections. From the dry humour of the Snap To Grid collection, designed by Heather Flynn, to playful animal puns in Hullabaloo and licensed collection, LION, these ranges are perfect for anyone looking to make someone laugh on their birthday.

New cards this year include seven new designs in the Snap To Grid collection, which add a sprinkle of topical humour and laughs to this brilliant series of cards. Browse the whole collection and order online from www.theartfiletrade.com.

The Art File

sales@theartfile.com

wwww.theartfiletrade.com

International Cards and Gifts (IC&G) might sound like one of the larger brands in the industry, but it’s actually a big name for a family business based in Dorset.

We are a small family business with big dreams, which supports approximately 1,200 independent stores across the UK and Ireland, and a growing number of export partners across the world, with a range of products that are 100% designed and printed in the UK.

Simon and Ian Wagsta have grown the business, which was started by their parents Clive and Glynn some 15 years ago - time really does fly in our industry!

At IC&G we realise that to grow we need to collaborate with the best in the industry. This allows us to o er our customers top designs and a broad product mix to accommodate today’s diverse consumer demand. While our traditional o ering is our bread and butter - we focus on and excel in that sector - we are keen to work with artists and companies that can bring strengths in other design styles and genres to accommodate both existing and new customers.

Customer feedback is something that we actively seek at IC&G, in fact many of our loyal customers had suggested that they would love us to supply gift wrap and bags. So in the summer of 2023, we spoke with Design Group, one of the largest design and manufacturers of gift wrap and bags in the industry worldwide.

Design Group was keen to work with us thanks to the fact that our high level of customer service was recognised by the independent sector as gold-winning standard, at the Henries Awards. This is an award we are proud to have won on several occasions, including in 2023.

“A big name for a family business”

Allen Taylor, sales director at International Cards and Gifts, talks to Greetings Today about the company’s family values, going eco, and the joys of collaboration

Eco range launch

After several meetings with David Jackson, national account controller at IG Design Group, we have proudly launched the Eco range of cards, roll wrap and gift bags. While this range is not exclusive to IC&G, we felt that it was the ideal solution for us. Sustainability is the talk of the industry and something we had looked at embracing, however to be able to o er a 100% accredited fully recyclable product requires a company to carry out huge amounts of research and gain recognition from the accredited commissions; a challenge that would be far too big for our business.

David comments: “Here at IG Design Group our dedicated teams work with passion to deliver marketleading, sustainable products. Our team are extremely proud of the Eco Nature ranges we have developed, with the brand achieving £5million-plus retail sales in the UK in 2023. When considering our new Eco Nature independent strategy for 2024, it quickly became clear that IC&G would be a key partner of choice due to their renowned gold standard customer service and passion for the sector. IC&G’s supply chain flexibility and broad reach to some of the best independents in the business is an exciting opportunity! We are delighted with the partnership, which is now firmly established. Steph Evans (IG Design Group product manager) and I were lucky enough to meet many members of the team at the IC&G Christmas meeting in December, and we are both hugely optimistic that Eco Nature gift bags, roll wrap, and greeting cards will work brilliantly well for independent retailers as will future IG Design Group collaborations with IC&G.’’

We launched a selection of the Eco everyday and Christmas 2024 ranges to our sales team - a mix of 20 agents and sales execs in December 2023 - and they went live presenting to our customer base in January.

To date we have been very encouraged by the customer response. This collaboration allows our customers to access forward-thinking product, a new

product category, and our real USP is that at IC&G we know our customers benefit from reorder volumes that are very small. So we have made all the roll wrap and bags units of fives and cards in sixes, so if our customer sells out of a design of roll wrap, they can place the order along with their IC&G order and we ship within 24 hours.

In the current economic climate, where cash flow can be tough, to be able to place an order of £100 of combined cards, wrap and bags has really helped many of our customers

Our collaborations have also extended to partnering with talented smaller publishers in the greeting card industry, and we are proud to be collaborating with Sabina (www.sabivo.co.uk) who has created a modern male card range Man Cave - we are launching a version of this collection to the IC&G sales team and our customers in April. Man Cave fills a gap in our portfolio that our customers have been requesting. This collaboration also allows for Sabina to share her artwork and brand with a new and wider audience.

At IC&G we hope that these collaborations will be rewarding for us all.

If you’re interested in working with us as a retailer, please give us a call or email us - we independent publishers and retailers need to stick together. customerservice@icgcards.com

Allen Taylor, left, with David Jackson

Love matches

Average spending is up on weddings by a not inconsiderable 12.5%, according to the National Wedding Survey, which showed the average UK wedding in 2023 cost £20,700, seemingly due to inflation pushing up prices of everything from flowers to fresh food ingredients.

The survey adds that almost half of the couples asked said the economy had an impact on their wedding budget - whether they cut back, or increased their budget during the planning stage.

Close to two thirds of UK couples (65%) are now spending over £15,000 on their weddings - but it is still possible to get married for £10,000 or less if your wedding budget is tight.

Ask the retailer..

We asked:

What is selling well for you in weddings at the moment? Wedding Day cards are always popular, but additional items that are selling well at the moment are biodegradable confetti, photo frames, and balloons. We o er event decor from latex bouquets to arches.

Is there anything you would like to see in this sector? It might sound silly but more items aimed to and from pets; our customers absolutely love sending and receiving cards from their fur babies.

Daniel and Amber Denyer Co-owners, Greetings Watton,

Norfolk

Something to bear in mind for publishers of wedding cards is that the average age of women getting married in 2023 was 33 years old, while men were slightly older at 35.

Popular trends included rustic weddings, with a barn or farm venue, eco-friendly wedding favours and sustainable decor, and an increase in couples taking part in the largely American tradition of a wedding first look - up 6% on 2022.

2023 also saw a new most popular wedding song - Elvis Presley’s ‘Can’t Help Falling in Love’ took the top spot from Ed Sheeran, after the King experienced something of a major revival in the media.

Trends to look out for in 2024,

Weddings and engagements are always going to happen, but what trends are couples following to make their special day unique? We find out...

according to wedding experts hitched. co.uk include celebrant-led wedding ceremonies - with a 49% increase in search volume for ‘celebrant weddings’ in the past year. Couples want to personalise their wedding ceremoniesand celebrants can really tailor it to their relationship and history together.

It’s also an emerging trend to celebrate a legal marriage ceremony at a registry o ce, before following up with more celebrations on a wedding day that features a more symbolic service.

And wedding guests can also expect to spend more than just one day celebrating a loved one’s nuptials, with searches for weekend wedding venues rising by 50% in the past year. Again, this follows an American trend of having a rehearsal dinner the night before the wedding and a brunch the day after.

Veils are also back - important news for all our card designers! Searches for veils are up 23% on the previous yearwith celebrities such as Sofia Richie, Kourtney Kardashian, and Olivia Attwood helping to create demand - especially for long sweeping veils, to add real drama and make great pictures.

Retro weddings are also on trend with interest in ‘70s weddings’ increasing by almost a third. Searches for retro wedding hairstyles from the 60s and 70s have also seen a massive increase - with tra c up 575%.

And finally - you might want to add musicians to your wedding cards - the call for wedding saxophonists has seen search volume shoot up by 143%!

Find the write words…

According to online card retailer Moonpig, weddings are among the cards customers find hardest to write…

In research, Moonpig found that writing a wedding card ranked second for the most di cult card to write.

Marriage is one of life’s most significant life milestones, which can make writing wedding cards seem daunting, as many may feel their message needs to reflect such a monumental occasion. Google searches for what to include when writing a wedding card boasted 51,550 searches a month.

Of that figure, surprisingly, the research found ‘What to write in a wedding card to a best friend’ was the most searched-for recipient within this category, revealing on average 4,400 monthly Google searches. Why? Well it seems that when writing a wedding card to your best friend there’s the additional pressure of wanting to avoid generic well-wishes and o er a more personal and memorable message that’s a reflection of our close relationship with them.

Western Sketch

Dazzling collection

The Art File has a large collection of wedding and anniversary cards, showing just how important these special occasions are. With more than 45 cards in the combined collections, and options ranging from 3D display cards to anniversary milestones, there’s something for everyone who is celebrating a momentous event.

New cards this year include a series of dazzling Sara Miller London luxury cards and a new design from the beloved BEAR collection. Browse the whole collection and order online from www.theartfiletrade.com.

The Art File

sales@theartfile.com | wwww.theartfiletrade.com

Meaningful messages

The Just Because collection from Best Kept Secrets has emerged as a top choice for card and gift retailers, particularly for engagements and weddings. In 2023, the brand expanded this popular collection with the introduction of new three lite vessels and reed diffusers, catering to a variety of gifting needs. Each item in the Just Because Collection is thoughtfully packaged with meaningful messages, making them ideal gifts for any occasion, including engagements and weddings.

Vanessa Curry, managing director of Best Kept Secrets, commented on the collection’s versatility, saying: “Our commitment to providing cost-effective options for consumers without compromising on quality is reflected in the expansion of our home fragrance range. The Just Because Collection offers the perfect way to express gratitude, brighten someone’s day, or simply convey care, making it an ideal choice for weddings. We believe that the quality, fragrance profile, and price point of our products help consumers convey sentiments in a heartfelt manner.”

The Just Because Three Lite Boxes have also been announced as finalists in three categores in the Gift of the Year Awards: Home Fragrance, My Gift of All Time, and Gifts Under £15.

Best Kept Secrets

sales@bestkeptsecrets.co.uk

www.bestkeptsecrets.co.uk

Wonderful weddings

Spring and sunshine are in the air and at the very busy Cherry Orchard Creative Studio, the team has been hard at work creating fabulous new portfolios for Wedding, Anniversary and babies too!

In light of the wonderful wedding season blossoming, they’ve created a fresh, all-new range, encompassing modern, traditional and innovative designs to reflect an ever-changing wedding industry with all the wonderful new trends that appear each year.

Of course, it goes without saying that they’ve included their stunning brand of Grace & Grayson into some of the designs, complementing these with an exquisite sprinkle of fresh new designs too.

This is just a little taster of what’s to come within their launches.

Contact Cherry Orchard now to receive more details on how to pre-order in time for a May delivery through their office and your local sales representative.

‘Here comes Cherry Orchard’

And ‘Here comes the Bride’!

Cherry Orchard

01684 295500

info@cherryorchardpublishing.co.uk

www.cherryorchardpublishing.co.uk

Keepsake cards

Following on from the success of LT Creations’ bright and colourful designs that were introduced throughout 2023, a whole new range of 80-plus greeting cards has been added.

Keepsake Cards with a removable hanging decoration offer a plug-and-play solution to your card range with a spinner stand, and make the ideal two-in-one gift. Designs focus on the majority of occasions such as birthdays, weddings, engagement, anniversaries, sympathy, Christmas and a general selection suitable for any occasion.

All new greeting cards include a removable hanging decoration that can be kept and displayed long after the card has been recycled. The cards are blank inside for your own message, printed in the UK with bio-degradable and compostable cello bags. All cards and envelopes are 5x7in (12x16.5cm).

LT Creations has also created a truly heartwarming gift using reclaimed oak whisky staves and barrel bands, transforming them into a range of whisky barrel heart tealight holders. All come individually boxed. With reclaimed whisky barrel staves, each piece of wood is different in size, finish and appearance, so no two pieces are ever the same, making it a unique gift, and one that can be cherished for many years to come. LT

01592

sales@ltcreations.co.uk

www.LTCreations.co.uk

For special occasions…

Celebrating its own 20th anniversary in business this year, Laura Darrington Design has extended its popular Aurora Collection to include stunning anniversary and wedding designs.

The luxury square card collection features a beautiful hot-foil and emboss finish, complimented with a bespoke foiled envelopebefitting of any special occasion.

Laura Darrington Design www.lauradarrington.com

A personal touch

Melissa at Western Sketch took inspiration from her own wedding day to create a collection of vintage and timeless wedding and anniversary cards.

Each of the six designs has been illustrated using watercolours and printed onto beautiful G. F. Smith Accent Antique board.

The scallop-edge details and pink envelopes elevate the collection that celebrates engagements, weddings and anniversaries. The designs have been well received since their launch last year and a selection of these are currently stocked in Fortnum & Mason. Matching gift wrap complements and finishes the collection.

Western Sketch

melissa@westernsketch.co.uk

GCA NEWS

GCA fights for future of postal service

The GCA has been busy on the campaign to help save Royal Mail’s letter delivery service, and ensure that it remains a ordable for card senders.

Postal regulator Ofcom has been running a consultation - The future of the UK universal postal service - which closed on 3 April. The cost of first- and second-class stamps went up by 10p on April 2.

The GCA responded to Ofcom’s proposal, which included proposals to weaken the ‘Universal Service Obligation’ (USO), cutting back letter deliveries to five or even three days per week.

A sustained press campaign also saw industry concerns raised in national newspapers, radio and TV - ensuring that the GCA heightened awareness of the issue - and helped to garner support against the proposed changes, at a time when it’s so important that the industry voice is heard. Paper Salad’s Karen Wilson was just one member whose opinion made it into print. In an article covering the story in The Sun, she was quoted as saying: ‘‘No one wants to see a situation where it’s too expensive to consider sending cards.’’

Commenting on the consultation, the GCA pointed out that: ‘’Greeting cards enjoy high category engagement, with 94% of us continuing to exchange cards, and 49% of the population sending at least one card in the past month. Numbers vary by occasion and channel but, on average, our analysis indicates 50% of purchased cards are posted, equating to c.415m letters per year.

‘‘For those outside our industry who mistakenly believe card sending is an antiquated concept, it’s paradoxical that consumers’ reliance on Royal Mail’s monopoly letters delivery service rises to virtually 100% for those, often younger, consumers who buy their cards online. Data from both the UK and American markets suggests category engagement is rising within this group.’’

It added: ‘’We believe more price rises and service reductions will accelerate a decline in the British postal service, leading to increasingly frequent requests for bailouts. We are also concerned that there is no underpinned service recovery plans or evidence of meaningful progress to restore the Royal Mail service to legally required levels.

‘‘Within hours of Royal Mail’s announcement of April’s price rises, hundreds of public comments expressing concern flooded news media, showing public and SME support for the USO as it is currently constituted.’’

It also says that stamp price rises ‘’should be conditional on Royal Mail delivering its required USO service levels. The 2nd April price rise added 10p on 7bn letters, with no volume loss this will raise over £100m for Royal Mail (according to Ofcom’s figures that 17pc of that volume is within the obligations of the USO). Royal Mail should not be given the freedom to set pricing for monopoly products without transparent econometric or price elasticity modelling and meaningful consultation with consumer advocates and trade associations ahead of future pricing changes.’’

Jackie Collins, MD at publisher Cherry Orchard, told Greetings Today: ‘‘I can appreciate as a model that Royal Mail cannot sustain a business which is set up for a volume of 20 billion letters whereas they now state they are down to 7 billion. But surely that is for the business model to be changed internally. How is raising postage at such an exponential rate since October of last year going to encourage letter/card sending? It begs the question as to where this continual

barrage of increases is going to end and at what cost to our industry.’’

The GCA also called for Saturday deliveries to be retained, adding that they are ‘‘even more critical in the run-up to big seasonal events such as Mother’s Day, Father’s Day and Easter, which fall on a Sunday’’.

Postal minister, Kevin Hollinrake MP (Minister of State for Enterprise, Markets and Small Business), wrote to Amanda, saying: ‘’Postal services, underpinned by the postal Universal Service Obligation (USO), remain a vital part of the UK’s communications fabric for consumers, businesses and public services, which is why the Government is committed to ensuring the provision of a financially sustainable and accessible universal postal service which meets consumer needs.

‘‘The Government will carefully consider any recommendations that Ofcom puts forward on the future of the universal post service, but the Prime Minister has made clear the importance of maintaining a Saturday delivery service and the Government is not currently minded to introduce new legislation to change the obligations on postal deliveries.’’

Amanda told Greetings Today: “GCA members across the country need a postal service that’s national, reliable and a ordable and they’re not getting it. Ofcom’s own data indicates greeting cards are critical to how Royal Mail is perceived by end consumers; cards are the most frequent things UK consumers post and 42% of customers now say sending cards is the only time they use Royal Mail.

“In the submission the GCA made to Ofcom on the industry’s behalf we emphasised that service stabilisation and restoration of public confidence in postal service levels should be an immediate priority. And that any future stamp price rises should be conditional on Royal Mail delivering its required USO service levels. We also stated that Royal Mail should not be given the freedom to set pricing for monopoly products without transparent econometric or price elasticity modelling, and meaningful consultation with consumer advocates and trade associations ahead of future pricing changes.”

The GCA is encouraging all greetings community members to write to their MP to express their concern at the threat to the 500-year-old postal service and highlight the e ect it will have on our industry.

Earlybird Conference tickets end soon!

Earlybird tickets to the GCA Conference in Bristol end on April 30, so order now for a discounted price!

The 2024 annual GCA Conference and AGM will be held in Bristol on Thursday 19 September at the Bristol Harbour Hotel. Book your place at: www.gca.cards/2024-gca-conference-and-agmthursday-19th-september-2024

Free Father’s Day Toolkit

Anyone can download the Father’s Day Toolkit for free!

This year’s toolkit has been created by Raspberry Blossom and includes print and web ready files for Point Of Sale and online promotion of Father’s Day 2024. The downloads include:

• Instagram post.

• Instagram Story.

• PDF versions of the artwork that can be printed out in-house or by a printer.

• Email signature.

• Printable bunting.

If you fancy writing a blog or sending out press releases, get inspiration from the blog on Father’s Day, the size of the market and trends at: www.gca.cards/fathers-day-celebrating-the-uks-dads. Download the toolkit at: www.gca.cards/fathers-day-toolkit/

Keep it local

GCA Locals o er a relaxed, informal way to meet other GCA members in your area. The idea is to meet up to chat about cards over a cup of co ee, or a drink after work, and expand your network, sharing ideas. It also o ers a chance to feed back to the GCA about issues where support is needed.

Upcoming events include the very first She eld meet on April 23 and Winchester on June 18.

If you’d rather stay by your computer, look out for Virtual Co ee Mornings, hosted by a committee member and aimed at new/newer GCA members.

Lunch and Learn

Don’t waste your lunchtime scrolling on social media! Put it to good use with the GCA members’ online Lunch and Learn sessions, which aim to share knowledge on a topic/subject relating to our industry, usually within just 60 mins.

Places are limited to a maximum of 20 people and sessions may cost £20, although some are free.

Subjects coming up include: Fulfillment (JBH Associates), on April 30, Files, Formats and Finishes, May 14, Engaging Retailers and Buyers, May 20, and Knowing Your Numbers, June 13.

Details at www.gca.cards/lunch-and-learn-online-workshops

Meet the Member

GCA members have been taking part in case studies designed to raise awareness of issues that a ect the card industry, as well raising the profile of their own businesses.

One of the most recent to take part was Iain Hamilton, from Bewilderbeest. The resulting press release saw Iain talk about the hike in stamp prices, as well as highlighting the company’s unique cards, prints, gifts, and t-shirts.

Iain told Greetings Today: ‘’We’ve had a couple of orders from people who said they’d seen it in the local area. All press is good, and there were no costs involved, so I’d say take part - it will help to spread the word about your company. You never know who might see it!’’

If you would like to take part contact gca@arena-pr.com.

Listen in!

If you’re looking for something to listen to while you’re in the car, designing or doing admin, the GCA podcasts have been created to capture greeting card history to inspire the industry of the future.

The podcast series takes a look at key greeting card designers, publishers and individuals whose passion, drive and talent has influenced and shaped the history of our industry.

It’s hoped that listening to those who have made a major contribution to our industry talk about their journey, and advice they’d give their younger self, will help to inspire the next generation in the industry.

The latest podcast follows the journey of Leonard and Issy Smith of Leonard Smith Publishing.

Leonard speaks to GCA CEO Amanda Fergusson about a school trip to London, busking and an arctic expedition to Greenland, all of which helped to set the direction of his career. He also shares a real insight into how he got the business o the ground and the importance of getting and listening to customer feedback at every opportunity.

‘Storytelling through

visual merchandising’

Celia Leeson-Cox, visual merchandising manager, and Bryony TaylorEdwards, head of brand and home & gift buyer, talk to Greetings Today about the just-opened new greeting card and stationery departments at Yarnton Garden Centre, situated just north of Oxford…

What prompted the creation of the new greeting card and stationery departments? The desire to o er our customers a more consistently branded shop floor as we continue to drive the business forward, and the arrival of our new MD, Glen Sheldrake, who is keen to maintain the momentum and build on the changes we had already begun to make at the centre.

What square footage do they cover? 800sqm in total, with Art & Crafting covering 200sqm, and Books, associated gift products and cards and stationery split roughly between the remaining 600sqm.

As a business we like to keep the shop floor as flexible as possible (within reason) to ensure we make the most of our retail space.

How did you go about planning the new areas? A mixture of intuition, data crunching and measuring! The most important thing is to really understand why you are doing what you are doing: who for and what you are hoping to achieve.

The design is stunning – how did you come up with that?

The design was really fairly easy to envisage once we had the brief nailed – as so much of it is intuitive, so it generally ‘comes to us’ as we really begin to understand the space. With the preface of using what we have, we are always keen to follow through

some of the design features and products from other areas of the store, which reinforce our brand ‘look and feel’, ensuring it is commercial too, and always with the customer journey in mind. One particular bit we are pleased with is the semi-circular area of flooring highlighting the Greeting Cards area: This was a bit ‘brave’ but it has meant that the whole area feels

‘’We are always keen to follow through some of the design features and products from other areas of the store, which reinforce our brand ‘look and feel’’’

inviting – circles are always so much more welcoming and friendly than straight lines! It also means that the space can be used so much more flexibly.

You speak about this changing the customer journey – can you explain that in a bit more detail please?

Our customers now have a more complete visual interpretation of our Yarnton Brand, and a much

Bryony Taylor-Edwards

Celia Leeson-Cox

wider and more inspiring product offer to shop from.

You also mention the phrase storytelling though visual merchandising – can you explain what that means?

Storytelling is the perfect way to sum up our new area – we guess the best example of this is the new 8m bookcase installed as the main focal point in the department: we ‘dress’ this as you would at home – with lots of books, plants, photo frames... an ornament or two, all designed to ensure that our customers feel at home and are comfortable to browse, increasing customer dwell time as they consider their purchases. As this is such a large new space the more customers we have in it the more it encourages others to investigate!

Are there any specific criteria they must adhere to to be in the running? They need to represent our brand choices, appeal to our current customers and appeal to the new ones that we strive to encourage!

What about eco credentials – how important is that?

Extremely important! Bryony, as our head of brand and home & gift buyer, onboarded sustainability as one of our key objectives for growth at the start of our refurbishment and rebranding journey nearly six years ago now, and we continue to approach our product buying with this wholeheartedly in mind.

What has been customer reaction to the new departments?

Really encouraging!

To quote just a few: ‘You have made Yarnton very dangerous (to shop in) for me!’

‘The place looks amazing with all the new areas’ ‘… the new card section is divine’ ‘… we LOVED the new arts and stationery area’.

I know it’s early but what is selling particularly well so far?

It is a bit early, but we were noticing gaps on the racks and shelves from the first week!

On the other side of the bookcase we then have our Art and Crafting area, where a change of furniture indicates its purpose: we display on wipeclean tables with some stunning art prints on the walls to encourage everyone to have a go!

Have you brought on board different brands/ products or kinds of cards – if so what are they and why did you choose them?

Ohh Deer has been hugely instrumental in bringing this new department to life so we have increased the ranges we stock with them, including posters, diaries and stationery products.

Ohh Deer is very much a brand that shares the same creative drive and sense of fun as us so offers our customers something new and ‘out of the box’! We have also increased the ranges from our current suppliers while the new department finds its feet, but have plenty of new ones in the pipeline of course!

Do you have main card/stationery suppliers?

Very much so! We maintain a strong core of established suppliers who make up the structure of the departments.

Where do you usually source new suppliers?

The trade fairs are of course a major resource for seeing new designs from current suppliers and for sourcing new, but as passionate card lovers we find them all over the place too!

Do you have any favourite ranges among the new ones – if so what are they?

The photographic range from Ohh Deer is all rather fun with some very original animal designs (!) and our personal favourite range of theirs is Cath Kidston, which really plays to the current traditional floral designs seen elsewhere in the Interiors market. It’s good to see this Iconic British brand being kept alive in such a contemporary way.

A bigger range from NOI is also really fresh, new lines from Roger Le Borde, and Caroline Gardner never fails to innovate within its instantly recognisable way.

Several ‘cheeky’ cards from Ohh Deer (!), The Cowboy & Western range of cards (Beth Kemp) from The Art File, and the Erasable Pens from Legami. Museums & Galleries products across the board continue to sell through consistently well.

‘Service with a smile’

Daniel and Amber Denyer, co-owners of Greetings Watton in Norfolk, talk to Greetings Today about being their own boss and unusual card requests!

Tell us a little about the shop. We are a compact, family-run independent retailer situated on the High Street of the small historic market town of Watton, whose demographic is a very balanced and diverse range of people, from young families and working professionals, to the retired and elderly.

How did you get into greeting card retail?

Dan: having worked in retail and customer service since school, I had the desire to be my own boss, took inspiration from a family friend, and decided to open a shop in our local town. Noticing a gap in the market, I decided a dedicated greeting card shop with a strong assortment of party supplies was what the town required.

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

Best bits: interaction with a wide range of lovely people and building connections with regular customers. Discovering through trial and error what works, and using constructive feedback from our customers as due to a comfortable atmosphere and open dialogue, they can let us know what they want to see in store.

Bad bits: competing with online and big-name commercial retailers.

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

Birthday cards are always going to be a bestseller; we’ve had a huge surge on ‘niece’ cards lately. Blank cards are a massive seller, with wildlife and country scenes always popular due to the shop’s location. Unfortunately, get well and sympathy cards are always popular too, so we ensure to have a good range for our customers to choose from.

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

Elegance by Xpress Yourself (Sensations), these cards are a fantastic seller as they are C50 sized with tip-ons but they still post as a standard letter. They

also are attractive due to their excellent price point while including the embossing and tip-on details that add value to the end customer.

The Fiesta range from Into the Green Publishing, which are eco-friendly and ethically produced, simple elegant designs with simple wording inside. The inclusion of flitter and a spine tab helps set them apart from other cards.

‘‘We take service with a smile to the next level, with our true passion to deliver fantastic service and make our shop a comfortable and safe space’’

We ensure to keep Whistlefish and Kingfisher cards in stock as these are quickly growing in popularity.

We also keep a range of budget cards across all occasion categories, which we retail for 90p each, to ensure every customer can purchase a special card within their means.

What’s in your window at the moment?

Unfortunately our window, being the only original bay window to survive in the town, is getting ready to undergo refurbishment. So it is currently empty of display.

What’s by your till at the moment?

By our till we keep a selection of homemade crochet keyrings lovingly handmade by Dan’s mum, who lives just down the road from the shop. Our customers love them and enjoy seeing what new creations she has come up with.

We also keep a helium balloon or air-filled balloon decor on display, to remind our customers about balloon gifting.

Small seasonal gifts are also added.

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

The strangest thing a customer has asked for was a recent request; a card with age 1, grandson and skiing on the front. Some infants are of course remarkable, but skiing we thought was a bit of a stretch! Also considering we are located in a small town in the county of Norfolk, it was an odd request.

What do you think makes your shop stand out?

We take service with a smile to the next level, with our true passion to deliver fantastic service and make our shop a comfortable and safe space, where everyone can browse without judgement or discrimination. We don’t rush our customers and we love to have a chat where possible. With the stock we hold our customers can always find something to suit their needs. Our shop dog Fozzie, pictured top right) has his own fan base, and we have people that come in especially to see him!

How do trade magazines like Greetings Today help you?

Trade magazines like Greetings Today help us keep up with trends and new items coming to the industry. They also help us see what other retailers are doing and help us learn what we could improve on.

Gear change

Can you tell us a little about how you got into greeting card retail?

After a long career of almost 30 years at Royal Mail, I had to leave due to an accident. I was knocked o my bicycle on my way to work one morning, which resulted in me having to have surgery to repair my broken jaw and other facial bones. I just happened to see an advert for a card and gift business that was for sale and thought that this would be suitable for me, given the injuries I’d sustained.

And can you tell us a little about the shop?

I took over The Card & Gift Box in Attleborough, Norfolk so didn’t need to start the business from scratch. It’s located along the main road through the town and is situated opposite the local parish church. It’s a fairly small shop compared with others but I always try to stock a good selection of cards as I think it is important for my customers to have a good variety from which to choose. I feel that the Covid pandemic hit the high street hard and saw many people, naturally, turn to shopping online. Although things are picking up now, I feel that footfall doesn’t seem to have returned to pre-pandemic levels.

How do you source products?

I am a member of Cardgains, which I find helpful.

What is your selection criteria?

I speak with reps to choose stock and generally try to fill in the gaps.

How is trading for you at the moment?

Although trade has been slow at the start of this

Top 5 bestsellers

1.

Paul Neve, at The Card & Gift Box in Attleborough, Norfolk, explains how a cycle accident led him to a new career in greeting card retail!

year, (January is usually fairly quiet) I have found that now the weather is improving more people are about in town.

What’s your demographic like?

Attleborough is a small market town in Norfolk with a mixed age group of population.

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

My wife, Emma, uses social media (Facebook and Instagram) to get the shop ‘out there’! She tries to get two or three posts out each week, mentioning new deliveries of products or seasonal displays of cards, and so on. We currently have a Facebook reach of 6,900 people, which is great!

“I think it’s a really di cult climate for small businesses at the moment as I don’t feel I can put the price of goods up to match the true increase in prices’’

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

Prices and overheads have increased dramatically - I find it a complete juggling act to try to keep prices at a sensible level as I don’t want to lose customers. I think it’s a really di cult climate for small businesses at the moment as I don’t feel I can put the price of goods up to match the true increase in prices.

What do you like most about your job?

I really enjoy meeting the customers and am always so pleased when the shop is busy. Some folk like to just pop in for a chat! I like working for myself, too.

And what is your least favourite aspect?

There’s nothing I dislike about my job although I

would really like to see more people using the local shops rather than shopping online.

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

Although I’m not asked for eco-friendly products, I do stock items from Eco Chic. These products are made from materials that have been recycled or are sustainable.

What brands have been particularly popular with your customers?

House of Puzzles jigsaws are big sellers, especially in autumn and winter. Yankee Candle products sell reasonably well.

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

All Creatures from Carte Blanche used to sell really well. However, for various reasons the fur in these products has been unavailable for the past year or so.

What challenges have you faced over the past few months and how have you dealt with them? How are you feeling about the next few months and the longer term?

I am ever hopeful that trade will increase and that higher footfall will return to the high street. It is so much nicer to see a busy town.

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

I personally really like to receive Jonny Javelin cards!

rather than need’ ‘Desire

Richard Barker, co-owner and director, Dorset Retail Ltd, talks to Greetings Today about his four Cilla & Camilla stores, based in West Dorset

Tell us a little about Cilla & Camilla. We have four shops and a cafe trading in West Dorset, trading under the name Cilla & Camilla. Beaminster’s shop is a boutique department store selling greeting cards, giftware, homeware, fashion, accessories, with integral barn and courtyard café, while we also have a greeting card, giftware and

Top card brands

Our most popular greetings card brands currently are:

Rosie Made a Thing

Woodmansterne - particularly

Quentin Blake

Redback Cards - our more elderly rather posh, well brought-up and educated female customers are avid buyers of ‘racy’ cards with sexual innuendo!

Sarah Kelleher

Art Angels

Green Pebble

Local artists Sam Cannon and Liz Sommerville

homeware store in Bridport. A second shop in Bridport is a specialist cook shop, as is our Sherborne store.

What is your background?

My background is in multiple retail, most notably as sales director of Waterstone’s Booksellers, managing director of Blackwell Retail Ltd and general manager of the Post O ce network.

My partner Sally Ann has a background in market research and performing arts.

The Beaminster store employs 15 people and has a turnover of around £0.75m.

In 2013, a gift shop was opened on South Street in Bridport. Since then, the Bridport shop has relocated twice to larger premises and now occupies around 1,000 sq ft on a prime pitch in the town. Also in 2013, the Salamander cook shop on Cheap Street in Sherborne was purchased and rebranded as the Cilla & Camilla Cook Shop. In 2021, a second Cilla & Camilla Cook Shop was opened in Bridport directly opposite the existing giftware store in the town.

‘’What drives our marketing, and our choice of trading locations, is that we sell absolutely nothing which anyone NEEDS to own. Everything we sell is a response to DESIRE rather than NEED’’

Tell us more about Dorset Retail Ltd. Dorset Retail Ltd was created in 2011 when I left Post O ce Ltd and with my partner, Sally Ann, purchased a small gift shop on the town square in Beaminster.

In 2014, the Beaminster business relocated to substantially larger premises, although still on Beaminster Square. This shop now occupies 3,000 sq ft of sales space. The extended business now sells a hue range of giftware and homeware, alongside greeting cards, women’s fashion, soft furnishing, and toiletries. The shop incorporates a café with 26 covers inside and a further 35 covers in an outside courtyard.

The four shops and café, all in West Dorset, have a combined turnover of around £2m and the business employs 40 people.

Greeting cards account for around 10% of our total retail turnover, and 15% of the gross margin.

The shops are all in locations which are better retail pitches than giftware stores would traditionally occupy. We view high occupation costs as essential to maximise footfall and consider at least part of the premium rents as a marketing cost.

What is the best thing about working in retail?

I can’t really give you ‘best moments’ - my mind doesn’t really work like that - but the things we’ve

been most proud of include:

• Recruiting and largely retaining a wonderful group of staff who with very little collective retail experience have become an effective team across the four shops and café;

• Managing the business successfully through Covid – not losing any staff, paying our staff 100% of their salaries throughout lockdown and coming out of the pandemic stronger;

• Hearing customers - even those that don’t buy - saying ‘we really love these shops’; and

• Contributing to the development of probably 20 part-time Saturday staff (mainly school students) who have moved on to bigger and better things.

What about the worst things?

The worst moment was probably the early days of lockdown before it became clear what would be available by way of grants and loans.

How do you source your product?

We source product in a variety of ways; trade shows – we attend Top Drawer, Home and Gift, Harrogate, and Progressive Greetings Live; visits from agents/ reps – although we now see very few, and trade publications. And probably most successfully: visiting other similar retailers and copying what they do well.

What are your selection criteria?

Selection criteria are very simple: Do the products fall broadly within the brand? Do we believe we can sell worthwhile volumes at a decent margin? Have we got room on the shelves?

How has trading been for you?

Trading has been strong since we have returned to ‘normal’ practice post-Covid. Our cookshops have benefitted hugely from the large numbers of people who got into cookery during lockdown and have then shown a continuing desire to acquire tools and equipment. Our gift and homeware stores have benefitted from increased numbers of people taking staycations in lovely West Dorset.

Since October 2022, we have seen trade flatten off a little (apart from December 22 which bucked the trend) as customers have faced the impact of inflation. We have seen a general trend where sales volumes have been down around 10% on the previous year, with a compensating 10% increase

‘’Customers still want to find exactly the right greeting card for the intended recipient and should that card happen to be wrapped in nonrecyclable, single-use plastic then so be it’’

in the average value of transactions. But, we are fortunate to have a resilient business which is plenty strong enough to live with flat sales for a few more months. We will remain in good shape to take advantage of any upturn when it comes.

With flat sales and rising costs, we are being cautious in our buying - sticking to the basics we know well with a little less speculative buying. We are also being cautious with staff hours - where we have opportunities to save cost, we are taking those opportunities. Not because the business is in any trouble, but to ensure it stays strong.

What’s your customer demographic?

We have two main customer groups: Local West Dorset residents who are typically more mature, have higher than average disposable incomes, are almost exclusively female and value the benefits of shopping locally with independents, and visitors to West Dorset to holiday cottages, hotels, camp sites etc. These visitors account for about 30% of our overall sales value. They are generally ‘happy’ shoppers who are making the most of their holidays, and therefore prepared to spend money they might not necessarily spend at home.

How do you get the message out to prospective shoppers?

We use social media extensively – predominantly Instagram and Facebook. We advertise throughout the year in key, relevant publications, for example we take the back cover each month of West Dorset Magazine. And we sponsor local events – literary festivals, film festivals and so on, with which many of our best, regular customers have associations.

What drives our marketing, and our choice of trading locations, is that we sell absolutely nothing which anyone NEEDS to own. Everything we sell is a response to DESIRE rather than NEED. It means we are in competition not just with other comparable

retailers but also with any other potential call on our customers’ disposable income. It follows that we need to be accessible and always in our customers’ minds.

How important is sustainability?

Customers like to see improved, environmentallyconscious work practices (naked cards, paper carriers etc) and those improved practices certainly contribute to our customers’ sense of positivity towards our business BUT we find that mentality has only a very limited impact on buying behaviour. Customers still want to find exactly the right greeting card for the intended recipient and should that card happen to be wrapped in non-recyclable, single-use plastic then so be it – the card will still be purchased.

What gift/homeware brands sell well?

Jellycat; Heathcote & Ivory; Biggie Best; St Eval; LSA; Hampton Frames; Orange Tree Toys, Seasalt, Thought and White Stuff clothing; Kitchencraft; Elite Tins; Hot Tomato; Big Metal, and L’Occitane. We are always looking for really good-quality giftware that has a particular affinity with West Dorset.

What sort of cards do you like to receive?

I like to receive either handmade gallery style cards (which we don’t sell ourselves) or hand-drawn cards from the children.

Diary of a sales agent

Richard Pass considers the dilemma of taking on new clients - and appreciates the views from his ‘o ce’!

Just recently I have been contacted by several companies asking if I would be interested in being their agent. Well, this is very nice and always appreciated. It’s always nice to think someone appreciates your talents (or maybe I was their last hope?!).

However, this is where the issue becomes more complicated, as a simple yes please isn’t always the right decision. Undoubtably I would be able to sell their products and introduce new retailers to them and vice versa. But would I be doing the right thing for everyone concerned? The retailers get to see new products – positive. I get to earn more money –positive. But what about my existing publishers? What do they get? Simply me trying to do the same job, but with more companies to show and less time to spend on their sales – negative. So do two out of three positives make it worthwhile? To be honest, not really.

Every agent faces this dilemma, and while the retailers all look for new products, the publishers are also working hard to introduce new designs, ranges etc. So hopefully by maintaining the status quo everyone wins. Of course, sometimes a new company comes along that you just have to say yes to, but I for one always take time to think this through as it has to work within the frame of my existing businesses.

What I do with these new companies that I have politely declined is point them in the direction of agents who may be more suited to their products. New companies need help; you never know, they might grow into the next The Art File or Dandelion Stationery.

As agents we tend to drive a lot to visit the lovely retailers. Let’s not dwell on the amount of tra c on the roads, or the insane roadworks, as this would just drive us potty! (One North Yorkshire town has a road closed, so diverts tra c. Straight into a new set of roadworks, which brings the whole town to a standstill!) We also have to pay a fortune for parking, especially in major cities, so it’s always brilliant when towns adopt a free parking approach for an hour or two. The North Yorkshire market towns are particularly good at this, and they are very busy with shoppers as a result. However, the best town yet is Rochdale, see the photo, which gives three hours of free parking! Plus it has a stunning Town Hall (I like nice architecture). One of the perks of being an agent is the variety of places we visit, or drive through. I

''The start of 2024 has seen a flurry of exciting new designs and products; this will definitely be a year of new, which I lovenew products and designs are always exciting''

can never resist stopping and taking photos, unless it’s raining, cold or I’m late!

The start of 2024 has seen a flurry of exciting new designs and products; this will definitely be a year of new, which I love, new products, designs etc

Richard Pass is a sales agent (STL Agency), who covers the North of England except where listed below. The companies he currently represents are: Alljoy Design; Dandelion Stationery; Redback Cards; (Yorks & NE only); Two Little Monkeys; Giftwrap UK (Yorks & NE only), and Flametree Publishing.

Contact: 07790 844342 or richard.pass@yahoo.co.uk

are always exciting. Yes, I appreciate they may not be for every retailer, but every retailer is keen to see the new. That’s what keeps the retailers at the forefront of the high street. Sometimes we forget how challenging modern retailing can be with all of the other ways people can spend their money. And that’s not forgetting there are times when there simply isn’t as much money to spend.

That’s why I think independent retailers should be saluted for their ability to keep their businesses successful and why the card publishers and gift/ stationery companies should also be celebrated. Big or small, they all face challenges every day and yet they keep smiling and doing a wonderful job. Perhaps I’m just lucky in working with some of the nicest people but I think genuinely this industry is an industry of nice people. Long may it continue.

Bargain parking in Rochdale!

Buttermere

Passion and purpose…

… have the ability to transform our lives, pushing us to achieve our goals,” says Retail100 consulting director and co-founder Elaine Hooper

With the first seasonal peak of Valentine’s Day behind us, it provides an opportunity to reflect on what this occasion actually signifies. It can mean many di erent things, but two words that keep resonating with me are passion and purpose.

Whether in a personal or professional capacity,  passion and purpose have the ability to transform our lives, pushing us to achieve our goals.

Very topical at present is someone who embodied this in a professional capacity. The late great British businesswoman, human rights activist and environmental campaigner Dame Anita Roddick, best known as the founder of The Body Shop, was so passionate about her brand - and the values it stood for - that it resonated with all of us (who can remember the heydays of the beauty products retailer; Dewberry body lotion anyone?).

Everybody wanted to be part of The Body Shop gang because of how the fragrances made you feel, and the ethos of the company and its stance against animal cruelty. It was an emotion, not a hard-sell brand strategy.

When I think back to many successful brands I’ve worked with, it’s always the same passion for their brand, and wanting customers to love it as much as they do, that makes the brand a success in a crowded market.

Many books have been written on the subject of purpose - by which I mean the reason, or the ‘why’ behind what we do - and passion. But ultimately, people buy from people.

You can have the best product in the world but without conveying how passionate you are about it, or why you want to share this with other people, it’s not going to work. Sadly, I believe this is what happened to The Body Shop. They no longer had anyone to tell their story about what made them di erent, and other brands did a better job.

Just imagine talking to someone about the thing in your life you feel most passionate about. How

does it make you feel? Excited, creative, resilient, and energised… and that passion fuels our journey. Your energy and belief will enable you to become an inspired leader. And if you surround yourself with people who also believe in what you do, then that is half the battle won.

But you can’t succeed with passion alone. You need a ‘why’- the purpose - and that provides the direction and strategy. When these two align, work becomes a source of joy, and challenges become opportunities for growth.

A really great example of this is an experimental way of working we trialled at John Lewis called ‘matrix working’. We were tasked with delivering a new product range in record time, with new fixtures, branding, sourcing, developing, and all the complexities that came with it.

To engage multiple cross-functional teams in a large company is a challenge in itself, as they will all have their own KPIs [Key Performance Indicators] and your project does not necessarily support their goals. So what do you do?

The first step is to find a leader that is passionate about the project, and has the ability to surround themselves with people who believe the project is worth going above and beyond for.

Then together, using everyone’s di erent skill sets and strengths, you create a purpose. It is a team purpose: one that everyone believes in and wants more than anything to make a success. If you create this magic, then it really feels like anything is possible.

Working together, we not only achieved our goal, but the magic of our team was infectious. Soon everyone was talking about the project and the team - and many people wanted to be part of it and support it.

It’s a way of working that I often think about and advocate for every day. I made lifelong friends because of it, and it’s how [fellow director and co-founder] Sara Allbright and I realised our values were so aligned for our own future at Retail100 Consulting.

In summary, I would ask anyone who reads this to take a moment to reflect on your values, interests, and strengths. What ignites a sense of joy and purpose within you? If you need a prompt, try new things and step out of your comfort zone.

Be really clear, and define objectives that resonate with your passion and purpose - because once you have this, you have your ‘why’ - and then you will be unstoppable. If anyone would like to discuss this in more depth, please reach out to us at hello@retail100consulting.co.uk.

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