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t: 01992 702 900 e: sales@danilo.com www.danilo.com Independent retailers contact Is It Art on 01926 747935

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@CalendarsUK

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contents the team

Editor Tracey Bearton tracey@lemapublishing.co.uk Advertisement Enquiries Mark Naish mark@lemapublishing.co.uk 01442 289930

Group Editor Mirella Cestaro mirella@lemapublishing.co.uk

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24

50

REGULARS 07

Leader

20

Stationery addicts get everywhere, and Window On The World.

08

News

40

Exhibition, People, Supplier, Licensing and General, it’s all here and there’s more on www.greetingstoday.co.uk

12

Meet The Newbies Windles-sponsored focus on industry newcomers.

14

John Ryan John examines Scribbler’s strategy behind their Regent Street opening.

17

It’s All About Sales Agents Alina Clark and Neil Anthony speak from the road.

Retail Advice Independent retail advisor Henri Davis looks at gift wrap and bags.

Vox Pop Publishers are at the heart of the industry, hear their opinions on current issues.

41

On The Shop Front Respected independent retailer Jo Barber explains how she messed up Christmas.

44

Talk Of The Town

Group Advertisement Manager Ryan Horwood ryan@lemapublishing.co.uk Publisher Mark Naish mark@lemapublishing.co.uk Production Director Paul Naish paul@lemapublishing.co.uk Managing Director Malcolm Naish malcolm@lemapublishing.co.uk Circulation Manager Robert Thomas robert@lemapublishing.co.uk

Keep in touch - follow us:

The voice of the people who matter, greetings retailers tell it like it is.

46

@greetingstoday

Frankly Speaking

https://www.facebook.com/ greetingstodaymag

Decisions, decisions – Sarah Porter is careful what she wishes for.

54

Spotlight & Gifts Spotlight A selection of this month’s latest releases.

FEATURES 14

Cover Story

47

Danilo have a great new range of Paw Patrol

Selfies have brought photos up to date, but the art of the picture is still on the cards.

licensed product to show at PG Live.

22

Company Profile

49

Cherry Orchard are celebrating two decades of their blossoming business.

24

PG Live Preview Talking Shop Jan Ward and Michelle Ellingham celebrate 25 years of independent trading in Flitwick.

ONLINE

British Craft Trade Fair Review Greetings cards are getting more popular.

50

The only specialist greetings card trade show is all set to drum up business.

42

Art & Photographic Cards

London Stationery Show Review Details and pics from the fifth outing.

52

Your Shout Eye, eye – what’s with the teeny-tiny writing retailer Bruno Citra wants to know.

Go to our website - www.greetingstoday.co.uk - for our online coverage where you can look at our archive of features and past issues of the magazine.

www.facebook.com/greetingstodaymag @greetingstoday

PUBLISHING

Lema Publishing Ltd 1 Church Gates, Wilderness, Berkhamsted, Herts HP4 2UB

Telephone: 01442 289930 www.greetingstoday.co.uk

At the heart of retail Greetings Today is independently audited with an ABC circulation of 6,089 (July 1, 2013 to June 30, 2014) Subscription per annum: UK £60 (free for people in the greetings industry), Europe £80, ROTW £100 A member of the Audit Bureau of Circulation

www.greetingstoday.co.uk 5

leader Editor Tracey Bearton

EW York, New York, so good they named it twice – and I’m off for my second visit to the Big Apple shortly to see what’s new in the world of art and greetings at Surtex and the National Stationery Show.

It’ll be a very interesting trip as they do have different ideas on the other side of the Pond and I’ll be going fresh from the London Stationery Show and Pulse, with the biggie of PG Live – the preview starts on page 24 – to follow very closely afterwards.

Stationery is certainly a big story these days with more and more publishers adding it to their offer, you can see our review of the London show on page 50. It’s certainly an ideal extension for many card brands with their recognisable characters and images.

And it’s a great added value product for greetings stores as there’s so much to choose from, with decent notebooks, pens, social stationery and gift items right across the broad price range.

If you’ve only space for small pick-up items at the till it’s still worth considering and, if there’s room for a fullblown stationery corner, there are probably worse decisions as it’s a constant seller with so many stationery addicts out there – as I had to admit during the Paperchase presentation at the London Stationery Show, my daughter has 75 notebooks and counting, and woe betide me if I even so much as think about using one for my admittedly extremely untidy shorthand, let alone actually go near a page with a pen!

The art licensing and surface pattern specialist show of Surtex – our preview is on page 15 along with the NSS preview – is also an interesting visit

● Cartoons by James Whitworth T: 07872 013943 – jameswhitworth@mac.com www.whitworthcartoons.com

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because you can see all the potential that there is around for new greetings and product ideas.

Talking of artwork, there’s a new star here at Greetings Today in the shape of artist James Whitworth who will be penning a relevant cartoon for each issue. This first one takes inspiration from the Art & Photographic Cards feature that’s on page 47, and it’s not half bad!

Going back to the shows, I’m intending using the traipsing up and down the aisles as training for Withering Thighs, this year’s Cardgains Challenge of a 25-mile walk around Bronte which I’ve somehow been persuaded to sign up for again despite being the only one not to finish last year’s event.

The buying group are hoping all participants will bring along extra friends and family walkers – said daughter has already been roped in so I’m doing my bit to help reach the high target of funding a mini bus for the Calvert Trust’s Lake District centre, where they organise adventure holidays for children with disabilities and special needs.

The challenge is on Thursday, June 25, and walkers are being asked to raise a minimum of £250 each so I will be after your money pledges soon.

Anyone who wants to take part can check out the details under the Charity Activity tab on the Cardgains website www. cardgains.co.uk or email witheringthighs@ cardgains.co.uk Starting with Pulse – print schedules for this issue meant the preview had to go online only – I’ll be warming up my walking muscles nicely, then it’s off to New York, although the extremely necessary artistic investigations at Carlos’ Bakery of TV’s Cake Boss fame may scupper the fitness regime slightly.

Send your views and submissions for the magazine to: tracey@lemapublishing.co.uk Tel: 01442 289930

Want to appear in ?

JUNE FEATURES: Licensing Expo Preview Humour Cards Gifts For Card Shops Children’s Cards & Wrap JUNE COPY DATE - MAY 18

JULY FEATURES: Harrogate Home & Gift Preview Plush Toys & Gifts Animal-Themed Cards JULY COPY DATE JUNE 15

WINDOW ON THE WORLD SITUATED in the popular shopping area of Bath Road in Cheltenham, Inside Out is stocked full of beautiful greetings cards, gift wrap, jewellery, books, children’s toys, as well as unique lifestyle products and homeware.

Established in 1999, Sam Malvern and her team pride themselves on offering customers something a bit different that’s not found in High Street chains.

Sam took over Inside Out in August 2012 after buying it from her godmother Jo who she worked for as a schoolgirl.

She said: “After a few years of studying at university, travelling the world and working in Bristol, I found myself back in Cheltenham buying the very shop I dreamed of owning.

“Recently, cards and giftwrap sales have increased due to the introduction of a loyalty card and increased choice for the customer.

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“We continually update our products and provide an enjoyable and personal shopping experience by listening to what our customers like to see and buy.”

Sam’s top card suppliers at the moment are One Button, Blue Eyed Sun, Jessica Hogarth, Stop The Clock, Wendy Jones, Frankie Whistle and Pulp.

T: 01242 526300 www.insideoutgiftshop.co.ukco.uk

www.greetingstoday.co.uk 7

SEE MORE NEWS ON www.greetingstoday.co.uk

in the news news in brief

Meg likes Roobarb

LIFESTYLE boutique and gift shop Roobarb have agreed an exclusive deal with local illustrator, artist and author Meg Hawkins to stock her new greetings cards in their home town of Bridgenorth, Shropshire.

Hands off our High Street ONE chain store is the proud boast in the pretty market town of Crickhowell where independent retailers reign supreme – and the local folk are so determined to keep it that way they are fighting a plan to turn the pub into a supermarket. Crickhowell is a major draw for tourists in the Brecon Beacons National Park and a 150-strong demonstration was part of the battle, which includes a 1,500-name petition, to prevent the Corn Exchange pub becoming the latest outlet for a large national chain.

Pitch to Rich PITCHING to Virgin tycoon Richard Branson was the latest business opportunity offered by Autumn Fair – and the 10 best pitches will win a share of more than £1million in prizes. Potential entrepreneurs had until May 5 to submit their pitch on the new platform offered

by Autumn Fair’s partners Virgin Media Business, and get enough votes to get through to Pitch To Rich and the panel of judges at the live finale in June. Among those publishers who pitched are K2 Greetings and the winners will also receive unrivalled mentoring to help boost them, their business and the UK.

Cracking profits A BULLISH trading update was unwrapped by International Greetings, which lifted the company’s shares by 15 per cent – rising 12.5p to 95.5p – with plans to restore the dividend they last paid in 2008. The world’s third largest supplier of gift packaging and crackers revealed profits for the full year to the end of March 2015 will exceed market expectations with annual revenue now forecast at £224.1million giving pre-tax profits of £8.4m.

Smooth moves A PRETTY smooth move means Holy Mackerel are safely ensconced in their new Sidmouth warehouse and sending out orders for themselves. The Devon-based team of sisters Katie Meeke and Sarah Hopkins have been joined by Sarah’s husband Wyn as warehouse manager as they move from working with LB Warehousing to running the whole show for themselves.

UKG burglars jailed TWO men have been jailed after causing £7,000 worth of damage during two burglaries at UK Greetings’ HQ in Dewsbury. Kirklees Magistrates’ Court heard the pair of drug addicts targeted the firm over March 31 and April 1, where they smashed their way in through a window and fire door, broke into a number of vending machines and took around £500 cash plus a till.

Happy birthday from Kelly SINCE U Been Gone hitmaker Kelly Clarkson is following in the footsteps of Taylor Swift by releasing a line of greetings cards. Kelly’s range for UK Greetings’ parent company American Greetings features cartoon characters, glitter and quirky messages – with two designs playing Kelly’s version of the classic Happy Birthday song.

Sarah joins artisan directory BESPOKE card maker Sarah Butler is one of the latest to join the MostlyManx artisan directory run by Dian Skelton from the shop she founded on the Isle Of Man. Sarah, who is visually-impaired, works from her home in Ramsey and a donation from all her card sales goes to the Manx Blind Welfare Charity.

8 www.greetingstoday.co.uk

Hear from Dominique DOMINIQUE Schurman is set to speak at this year’s GCA AGM where the Clintons CEO will give her views on retail in the present and into the future.

Also on the platform on Wednesday, September 30, at the spectacular venue of Altitude 360 on the 30th floor of the Millbank Tower in London, will be publisher member Hannah Dale who will tell how she has grown Wrendale Designs to more than £3million turnover in less than three years.

A further speaker announcement will be made soon and booking forms for the event will be emailed to

members and associates nearer the time.

The GCA have also just released their new Hurrah For Ra! teaching resource for schools which is a Key Stage Two gratitude-themed project for eight to nine year olds.

The three-lesson project is fully mapped into the Key Stage 2 curriculum for English, maths, history, geography, art and design and design technology, and can be downloaded free from the GCA website.

T: 020 7619 0396 www.greetingcardassociation.org.uk

Taming the dragon SIX St George’s Day cards were available in Clintons stores for the English national day celebrations on April 23 and featured in a Telegraph article on who celebrated.

The newspaper pointed out that Buckingham Palace flew the Union Flag rather than the cross of St George, but there were also Morris dancers celebrating in Leadenhall Market and many organisations joining in.

They said: “No day, however obscure, can be ignored by greetings card manufacturers and retailers. So it shouldn't come as a shock that Clinton Cards has six designs available in selected stores. Last year the retailer sold 2,500 St George’s Day cards.”

Meanwhile ethnic cards specialists Davora have no less than 13 St George’s Day designs on offer – along with 12 St Patrick’s Day, and six each for St David’s Day and St Andrew’s Day. Director and founder Raj Arora said: “St George's Day has been growing for us since we launched our Saint Day cards in 2011. St Patrick's Day is still by far the largest seller, but St George's Day is catching up.

“Last year we sold six times as many St Patrick's Day cards than St George's Day, this year the ratio was just three times as many. The Olympics, royal weddings and royal babies have all helped increase English patriotism. Even the Scotland Independence referendum will have caused the English to reflect on their level of patriotism – dare I say, the upcoming election and UKIP are probably having an influence too!”

T: 0161 641 0655 www.davora.co.uk

Turning to dark side TWO self-confessed crazy ladies turned to the dark side when they wanted to raise money for Macmillan Cancer Support – they asked rock star Justin Hawkins of The Darkness to pose for a calendar.

Now known as Mr September, Justin was only too happy to put on his best pout for the 2015 Instrumental Covers Calendar, then Sarah Burke and Lucy Onions had to find a printer before roping in Slade legend Noddy Holder to help with sales.

Nigel Green of Eight Days A Week said: “We were completely bowled over by their sheer passion and enthusiasm, how could we possibly have refused when they asked? We decided to go even further as our partners Alltrade Printers agreed to not only design and produce the calendar for free but Eight Days A Week pledged to guarantee the £5,000 target amount.”

Noddy was at the launch of the gig starring the other bands featured in the calendar where the girls invited him to sign a copy of the calendar, which then sold for £50 and was only bettered when two with Justin’s signature raised a total of £522 at auction.

The final amount raised including a top-up from Eight Days A Week was £5,309.69, and the cheques were handed over to Eloise Davidson, senior fundraising manager at Macmillan Cancer Support, who is pictured (centre) with Lucy, Dilu Mukadam from Alltrade Printers, Nigel and Sarah Burke.

Plaudits for pitch THERE were plaudits for The Giftware Association following their recent Meet The Buyer events with John Lewis and Achica.

Wrendale Designs founder Hannah Dale, pictured with husband Jack and John Lewis buyer Lizzie Sadler, said: “It’s an opportunity that shouldn’t be missed, a unique chance to pitch your products to decision-making buyers.”

Lucy Howard, office manager of Emma Ball, added: “The GA put together a really welcoming event giving small businesses a chance to pitch and promote products in a way which gave me the chance to gain experience and enjoy myself at the same time.”

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people news

Jayne’s up in the air

Hello me old china CHERRY Orchard Publishing are celebrating their 20th anniversary this year, with the prospect of exciting times ahead starting with the appointment of Helen Pallen as business development and marketing manager.

Just as traditional wedding anniversary gifts begin with paper for the first year and china for the 20th, so Cherry Orchard have marked the occasion by expanding their successful portfolio of greetings cards with the introduction of a new product line of stylish UK-produced bone china mugs, and Helen will help launch the new product range and steer the development of their long established portfolio.

T: 01684 295500 www.cherryorchardpublishing.co.uk

Trudi keeps on running THE charity supported by the Ladder Club had a £2,500 boost when Trudi Marsh joined world record holder Paula Radcliffe to complete the London Marathon on April 26.

Trudi, who works at the Lynn Tait Gallery in Leigh-on-Sea, Essex, said “I was very slow (five hours 48 minutes) but I did raise £2,500 for Action Medical Research. It was an amazing day and I thoroughly enjoyed it all. The crowds were fantastic.”

Action Medical Research is the children’s charity that Lynn Tait and the Ladder Club, which helps new greetings card publishers, raise money for each year with their Christmas card scheme.

On the starting grid FORMULA One fan Julia Kay has joined Harrogate card company Peartree Heybridge as Area Sales Manager for Scotland. MD Mike Partridge commented: “We are delighted to have Julie on our team. Her experience in our industry will help grow our business and provide a first class service to our Scottish retailer customers.”

T: 01423 876311 www.peartreeheybridge.co.uk

LOLLYPOP lady Jayne Leggat was all up in the air as she set off on the first leg of her Triathalon With A Twist – abseiling down the Pavilion at Old Trafford Cricket Ground.

Greetings retailer Jayne was hanging around for a while at the Manchester stadium as she took the day off from her shop, Lollypop in Ramsbottom, Bury, to raise money for the Lancashire County Cricket Club Foundation.

“I’m trying to raise £1,000 with my Triathalon With A Twist!”

Jayne said. “First was the abseil, then on July 4 I’ll be swimming a mile in the Manchester Ship Canal with my LCCC Foundation teammates, and finishing off on July 12 cycling from Manchester to Blackpool.”

Anyone who wishes to donate can do so through www.justgiving.com/Jayne-Leggat/ or by texting LCCC65 £5 to 70070.

Quality Bespoke Envelopes!

From 5,000 quantity to many millions we can produce excellent quality envelopes for you.

Plain, printed, coloured & textured finish.

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Please call us on 01274 581327 with your enquiry or email us on joanne@ukenvelopecentre.co.uk

www.ukenvelopecentre.co.uk We will be delighted to help! www.facebook.com/greetingstodaymag @greetingstoday

www.greetingstoday.co.uk 9

licensing news

All change at Avanti Powering up CARTE Blanche Group have announced two exciting new licensing deals with Saban Brands to bring Power Rangers and Paul Frank to 3D lenticular cards.

Saban Brands’ UK Commercial Director Tim Juckes said: “We are excited to see this iconic series brought to life through 3D cards and will be launching with the new Power Rangers Dino Charge theme.”

Carte Blanche will also be launching a range of fashion and lifestyle led greeting cards representing the globally-recognised pop-culture inspired Paul Frank brand. The launch will include a variety of innovative greetings cards and gift bag concepts which will reach retail in the UK and Eire later this year.

T: 01243 792600 www.cbg.co.uk www.sabanbrands.com

Disney go ballooning PIONEER Balloon Company and The Walt Disney Company have collaborated on a range of Disney latex balloons, introducing 53 new Qualatex products across Europe.

The latex Disney balloons are featuring a unique all-over print with a selection of the most popular properties, including Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, Disney Princess, and Frozen, are now available in 5" and 11" rounds as well as 12" Quick Link Balloons.

T: 01279 501090 www.qualatex.com

Hi to Helena HELENA Mansell-Stopher is joining Bulldog Licensing as Retail Licensing Director, moving over from the role of UK Consumer Products Territory Lead at Mattel.

Having previously held senior positions at Hit, 4Kids and Marvel, Helena’s move to Bulldog will see her working with a strong and diverse portfolio of properties such as the UK’s big new property Shopkins, long-standing household favourite Garfield, a stable of hit gaming brands from Electronic Arts, and Iconic Images - the archive for 60s and 70s pop culture, Hollywood glamour and rock ’n’ roll.

T: 020 8325 5455 www.bulldog-licensing.com

Shooting into charts EMMA Bridgewater looks set to shoot straight into Carousel Calendars’ top five most successful dated licences after a great start to the collaboration with the British pottery manufacturer.

Having acquired the licensing deal in 2014, the first range of calendars and diaries created by the Exeter-based publisher and distributor has been very successful, with more than 75,000 units of Emma Bridgewater dated products sold.

They are anticipating an even higher demand for 2016 so are increasing their selection of products to include additional diaries using Emma Bridgewater’s Polka Hearts and Pink Wallpaper designs, as well as a Year In The Country diary, featuring more of Matthew Rice’s paintings, all available from August.

T: 01603 677315 www.carouselcalendars.co.uk

10 www.greetingstoday.co.uk

HUMOUR specialist publishers Avanti have changed the structure of their UK business to a licence model, partnering with The Great British Card Company, effective from May 1, 2015.

“We are ripe to expand our offer in the UK,” said Avanti founder and president Rick Ruffner (pictured top), “the licensing partnership with The Great British Card Company will combine creative and marketing strengths to help us further develop the Avanti brand for UK shoppers, while driving strong results for our loyal UK retailers.

“The Great British Card Company brings established customer success and an impressive range of internal resources.”

GBCC chariman Peter Reichwald (pictured bottom) added: “We have been looking for a strong partner to further develop our humour offering in the UK market.

“We’ve been huge fans of the Avanti brand for many years and I believe with a bit of fine tuning for the British consumer, Avanti are sure to grow to their full potential. I also have a huge respect and admiration for Rick and how he has developed Avanti into such a distinctive publishers.”

Founded by Rick in 1980, Avanti Press are based in Detroit and publish Avanti, the Global HumorBrand as well as the A*Press greetings card collection across the US and Canada with their designs actively licensed and distributed in over 30 other countries.

The Great British Card Company also began in 1980, founded by Peter and Chris Wilcox, currently Operations Director, and have grown into one the largest specialist card publishers in the UK.

+1 800 228 2684 www.avantipress.co.uk T: 01452 888999 www,greatbritishcards.co.uk

£6k prize on offer A RAFT of new prizes totaling £6,000 are now up for grabs by the winner of the 2015 License This!

Competition which is open for entries.

This year’s winner will receive a fullyfurnished nine sq m stand at Brand Licensing Europe 2016 to bring the property to market, plus a year’s LIMA membership and a ticket to their Licensing Essentials Course & Spring Fling Networking Party in May 2016.

Now celebrating its sixth successful year, the competition offers new creative concepts the opportunity to break into the global licensing industry.

It is open to any new property with its roots in publishing, art and design, television or digital media with entries are reviewed by a panel of experts, who shortlist four properties to pitch to them in front of a live

audience on the final day of this year’s show, which runs at London’s Olympia from October 13-15.

Darren Brechin, BLE Event Director, said: “Since its launch in 2010, License This! has consistently received a high standard of entries year on year. It attracts high profile industry figures as judges who recognise the importance of fresh new properties, and provides a springboard for many who have gone on to achieve success as a result of entering.

“We’re thrilled to have LIMA as the competition sponsor for 2015 which has allowed us to offer this fantastic enhanced prize for the winner, and I look forward to finding the next big thing.”

The deadline for entry is September 4 and forms and competition rules can be found at www.brandlicensing.eu

Soula hands over sales and publishing ALL The London Studio’s current greetings card ranges have now been licensed by founder Soula Zavacopoulos to Saffron Cards & Gifts, starting from April 20.

The only exception is Soula’s The Wisdom Of Kids collection which is already licensed by Gemma for cards, Blueprint Collections for stationery and gifts, and BrownTrout for calendars and family organisers.

Saffron’s inaugural showcase of the London Studio ranges, including A Slice Of Life, the Gift Of The Year 2015’s Highly Commended Cheers Coaster

Cards, Animal Crackers, Say It Loud, Tip Top, Do Not Disturb and Retro Greetings, will be at PG Live alongside their own new product launches.

Paul Steele, MD of Saffron Cards, said: “This new partnership is a great fit as Soula’s style is so different, yet complementary to our own.”

Soula said: “It will allow me more time to concentrate on the creative side of the business and on designing new ranges – which is the part I love the most!”

www.saffroncards.co.uk www.theLondonStudio.com

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supplier news

Becoming a staple STAPLES are now stocking Blake’s flagship Premium paper and envelope ranges in all 112 stores across the UK having signed a major mainstream retail contract.

And the two brands have worked on making selection easy for the customer at point of sale with clever use of graphics, packaging and real product sample swatches on the shelf.

Michael Barter, MD of the company which supplies more than two billion envelopes each year, said: “This win comes as a result of our collaboration with Staples, where we identified their needs and provided solutions that previously had been unmet.

“Our solutions-based consultancy approach has been successful with many retail clients and we are honoured to have been selected by Staples. The prime location of the Blake Premium Business brands in store gives the Blake products a show window to the world.”

To ensure the in-store experience is consistent across all the stores Blake used their own merchandisers to implement the roll out, Jake Melvin (left) and Tim Smyth are pictured at Staples, Bournemouth.

T: 01935 477555 www.blake-envelopes.com

Committed to the environmental cause PAPER merchants Antalis have joined like-minded organisations committed to the environmental cause in supporting Cap COP 21, a series of events to help protect the environment.

The initiative, organised in the run up to the United Nations Framework convention on Climate Change conference (COP 21), includes meetings, informative

events and discussion forums which will be held in the run-up to the main conference, which will take place in Paris, France, in December.

“This is an opportunity for Antalis to present the many measures it takes to protect the environment,” said Matthew Botfield, Environment Manager at Antalis UK. “We will be able to highlight best practices and to

make sure that the voice of the paper industry is heard as it is often wrongly accused of being the main culprit of deforestation.”

The first event was a panel discussion themed Businesses And Climate Change: What Innovations Can Combat The Crisis? on April 9.

www.cap-cop21.com T: 01530 505150 www.antalis.co.uk

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FOIL&EMBOSS&FLITTER&DIE-CUTS &VARNISHING&FOLDING&FINISHING & ALL OF THE OTHER MAGIC WE BRING TO YOUR CREATIONS WWW. THEIMAGING CENTRE.CO.UK

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www.greetingstoday.co.uk 11

meet the newbies Gift leads Andrew to artistic journey ANDREW Chambers’ journey began when he was given an iPad for his 25th wedding anniversary by his wife Sarah – after the initial excitement of all the new games he became fascinated with painting and drawing using the tablet as a canvas.

Andrew trained as a jeweller at London’s John Cass School Of Art when he was 16 and an apprentice for Garrards, and worked on many interesting pieces including the Crown Jewels.

He has always enjoyed drawing but heavy work demands and a busy family life prevented him pursuing this aspect of his creativity.

On the iPad he discovered the drawing apps allowed him to experiment, and the tutorials inspired him to create pictures with different finishes until he found a style he enjoyed.

His larger pictures have sold globally on an art website which led to requests for greetings cards, which is how Two Scoops evolved, and the company was named after his first popular design.

Andrew said: “Using my fingers as a paintbrush I started creating landscapes from the local area which led to adding a figure to create a focal point to the picture.

“My figures represent carefree living in the spirit of freedom and not worrying about how

you look, just enjoying the outdoor life.

“Each card features a red balloon creating an overall theme to the series and I use bright, vibrant colours to enhance feelings of pleasure and joy to the scenes.”

Andrew is striving to make his range as eco friendly as possible using the guidelines from the GCA Model Environmental Policy as he’s passionate about caring for the planet.

PG Live stand 162 – T: 01932 405208 www.twoscoops.cards

Inspired by Pippi NEW MEMBERS THE latest publishers to join the Greeting Card Association include: MD ARTIST Harbour House, Cliff Street, Ramsgate, CT11 9HY Philippa Dunn mdartist80@gmail.com www.mdartist.co.uk 01843 448291 or 07940 838618 SEEDLINGS CARDS & GIFTS 9 Dunns Lane, Upton-Upon-Severn, WR8 0HZ Sarah-jayne Mercer info@seedlingscards.co.uk www.seedlingscards.co.uk 01684 491275 or 07725 000403 CORRINA ROTHWELL ART & ILLUSTRATION 16 Sherbrooke Road, Carrington, Nottingham, NG5 2BE Corrina Rothwell corrinarothwell@gmail.com www.corrinarothwell.co.uk/ 0115 847 8405 or 07837 093474 1790 CARDS 70 Main Street, Wheldrake, Yorkshire, YO19 6AA Belinda Morris belinda@1790creative.co.uk 01904 448130 or 07850 984423 32 PUBLISHING Sophie Bancroft sbancroft@btinternet.com www.designby32.com www.sophiebancroft.co.uk 01875 320 505 or 07989 915302

BORN from a love for all things cute and fluffy, mum of three boisterous boys Jeannett Stevenson took the decision to give up her fast-paced job as a neuro intensive care nurse and follow her heart instead.

Combining her passion for photography with her skills in creativity, she began designing her own unique range of greetings cards from her Devon studio.

Jeannett’s Danish childhood was influenced by the colourful and quirky character of Pippi Longstocking – her heroine to this day – which was the inspiration behind her new publishers Pippi & Me. Jeannett said: “I’ve always wanted to make things, so started making greetings cards quietly. I love most things tiny, so there’s nothing I like more than being immersed in a card idea – making tiny props, knitting on toothpicks or making miniature gold-dusted feathers for my photographs.“ Her journey began with a range of beautiful flowers and skies and then went on to include a friend’s exceptionally cute, hand-made creatures, which became perfect models for Pippi & Me cards.

There are designs for most occasions, but Pippi & Me cards are very much open to personal interpretation, this has been especially evident for the creature card range that was initially intended for children, but it was soon clear that adults loved

WHAT’S NEW AT WINDLES? New blood – Windles Group welcome new young blood to their customer service team. Natalie Cox is a complete breath of fresh air and brings with her a wealth of experience when it comes to high and attentive service levels. Windles hope you will join them in welcoming Natalie to the wonderful world of greetings cards.

12 www.greetingstoday.co.uk

them as much, if not more.

There are currently over 50 designs in the creature range, with more to follow and Jeannett is also currently working on a brand-new range.

All Pippi & Me cards are designed, printed and packaged in Devon using as much recycled and biodegradable packaging as possible and Jeannett supports two charities, donating five per cent of the profit from every card sold to either The National Autistic Society or The Daisy Garland.

PG Live stand 810 – T: 07540 637424 www.pippiandme.com

On the move – Groundwork is underway for the new Windles’ eco-friendly building – company founder Bruce Podmore is pictured on-site with the developers. The rurally-based greetings card specialists are staying in the countryside, re-locating only a couple of miles away to the Oxfordshire market town of Thame.

A purpose-built factory will open up exciting increased capacity and give additional space to develop even more new processes.

Environmental sustainability is paramount and they are delighted to be able to incorporate all the latest green gadgetry. To keep up to date with their development click on Project Evolution on the website www.windles.co.uk

meet the newbies WINDLES Group like to make wonderful and beautiful things, which is why we are the designer’s favourite – because we listen.

The translation of design into manufacture can often be lost and a frustrating process for all involved so MuchMore, the creative arm of Windles Group, have been a fundamental development in quashing this issue.

Ian Kear-Bertie, who heads up MuchMore, has been warmly welcomed by greetings card publishers, design teams and shops doing their own thing. Integrity is key and evident where trusting relationships have developed.

The MuchMore studio were recently approached by a business overseas who distribute greetings cards.They know their market, they have the route to market, they wanted more product, but just didn’t have the tools to do it themselves. A vague brief was presented and, thanks to the creative thinking and inspired strategy from MuchMore, a new range of 16 greetings cards was born.

The proofing process was smooth, the client was comfortable enough to make comments, corrections were executed quickly and then the cards were produced by Windles Group.

The visually-striking and gorgeously-unique foiled cards each conveyed the intended message as the key purpose of the greetings card was retained throughout design process. The customer already wants to do more which is music to the ears of everyone at Windles, and a proven success story.

The 3D visualisation software utilised by MuchMore is a great tool that allows you to see what your new designs will look like having incorporated the processes available from Windles Group, and prototypes can be developed where appropriate using the in-house CAD equipment.

The Liquid Paper proofing system which successfully demonstrates what your designs will look like with Creative Cold Foil was developed as a result of customer feedback to both Ian, MuchMore and the whole team at Windles.

It is a huge asset in removing the worry of what the finished result will look like pre-production, so giving our clients the confidence to work with Creative Cold Foil.

Windles and MuchMore recognise that a collaborative approach is of fundamental importance. Where generally designers and manufacturers often work independently of one another, our collaboration means the transition from design to production is smooth and understood, and customers know they can trust us.

As well as supporting designers with the development of new designs incorporating up-todate technologies – Creative Cold Foil, Creative Holographic Varnish, Deep Textured Varnish, Colourise, and the latest addition to the portfolio, Retropress – MuchMore also produce designs from scratch.

It is very much a creative service that offers support at multiple levels, whether it be simple advice or the full design project. It’s your choice and we will blend all our working practices to meet your requirements. We love to work with like-minded creative people and recognise the need to remain diverse and flexible.

For more details see www.muchmoredesign.co.uk or contact Ian Kear-Bertie on 07789 862087, muchmore@windles.co.uk

Raring to share

Making a natural progression AFTER creating and printing fine art for almost 15 years, small family business Noble Fine Art have now combined this with traditional letterpress printing to produce greetings cards too.

Founder Julia Noble, who works with husband David, said: “We have some very particular skills of the eye and hand, and we like to make things, so combining fine art and traditional letterpress printing to create a range of unusual fine art greetings cards seemed like a natural progression and a worthwhile challenge.

“We design and print exclusively in our North Yorkshire studio, using top-quality card stock and letterpress printing which adds another dimension to the look and feel of our products.

“We’ve always stayed true to our own artistic style, and our all-newfor-2015 range of greetings cards is no exception. We enjoy all the excitement of choosing, sending and receiving greetings cards but, for us, we especially enjoy the designing, making, and taking the time to get our work just right.

“We’re definitely newbies at publishing greetings cards with all the energy and enthusiasm you’d expect, but oldies at what we do best – taking the time and care to create a remarkable product and service.”

PG Live stand 796 – T: 01325 378133 www.noblefineart.co.uk

BASED in London and raring to share their talents with the world, Miko Greetings are a new card company.

Illustrator Mik Brown, aka Miko, said: “It’s a small company with a large creativity, we combine a unique mix of enthusiasm, experience and adventurous minds, offering original and high quality greetings cards at realistic prices.

“I started Miko Greetings when I discovered my son Toby has a wonderful, sensitive gift with a camera, whereas at least half the photos I take are of my thumb!”

Mik has been illustrating for many moons, creating well-known advertising campaigns, children’s books and political cartoons as well as the cards.

On the website, there are four exciting, humorous and unique galleries – Artistic License is a fun, sophisticated and historically-incorrect insight into the origins of some of the world’s best known works of art; there’s a flock of colourful, zany birds and a scarecrow or two in My Fine Feathered Friends; All That Jazz sees a series of animals at play on a charming musical journey, and finally A Taste Of Life exhibits Toby's sensitive images, full of creativity, inspiration and magic.

Mik added: “We will be building more galleries for your delight, delectation and profit. Our aim is to surprise and delight you – we hope you enjoy the journey as much as we do.”

T: 020 8693 1011 www.miko-greetings.com

www.greetingstoday.co.uk 13

JOHN RYAN RETAIL ENVIRONMENT

S

CRIBBLER have opened a store on Regent Street.

The first reaction might be to suppress a mild “so what?”, this chain happen to have opened another branch – but the move is, in fact, a milestone.

Scribbler are the first purveyors of greetings cards to have made it on to this central London Golden Mile, and there’s a reason that no others have done so previously: price.

Regent Street is among the most expensive places to set up shop in Europe and, given the

average selling price of a greetings card, in order to justify trading from this location you have to be in a position to shift real volume.

The Scribbler unit in question is a modestlysized affair, but then aren’t most shops whose sole commodity is greetings cards?

It does have the distinct advantage of being about 30m north of Oxford Circus tube and having the H&M flagship fashion store as a neighbour. This should help to ensure that there is adequate footfall, but there still has to be a nagging doubt about the enterprise.

Is selling a few greetings cards the main reason Scribbler have opted to open on Regent Street? The answer is probably, but a bit of brand promotion might be involved.

Across the road from this store lies Niketown. Since it opened, around the turn of the millennium, this has been a store that has never, in the opinion of those who should know, paid for itself.

It’s huge, prices are high and the majority of the footfall is people wandering around just to have a look. The store has also, throughout the course of its life, been updated, refurbed and redesigned, adding to the cost of doing business.

Yet for a brand like Nike, a presence on Regent Street amounts, as much as anything, to a massive 3D billboard alerting passing shoppers to what they’re about and reminding people where to look the next time they are in the market for sportswear.

Could this be what Scribbler are doing? Well

Small but perfectly formed

Opening a small store on Regent Street is a very interesting move by Scribbler, and John Ryan looks at the reasons behind such an expensive venture.

‘

T This is a brave punt by a relatively n small chain

’

maybe, but it’s worth noting that greetings cards tend to fall into the impulse-buy category while Nike products are investments when you come face-to-face with the price on the ticket.

As such, shoppers will either buy a card from

John Ryan is Stores Editor at Retail Week where he’s worked for more than a decade covering store design, visual merchandising and what makes things sell in-store. In a previous life he was a retail buyer.

T: 07710 429926 twitter: @newstores

14 www.greetingstoday.co.uk

Scribbler on the spot or not and they won’t think about where the store is located until the next time they happen to be passing and need to send somebody a nice greeting.

For me, this all adds up to the conclusion that this is a brave punt by a relatively small chain – this latest opening takes their total to 31 stores.

Perhaps they really are hoping that the shop’s diminutive footprint and heavilymerchandised perimeter will equate to sufficient sales to pay for the whole shooting match – and it just might.

Regent Street may be the spiritual home of the big international brands, from US fashion retailer J Crew to Apple, but the owners are the Crown Estate who are not averse to mixing things up and trying something different.

There is also the little matter of being alone.

Scribbler are running the only dedicated greetings card shop on the strip so set to benefit from the hordes that pound the pavement daily, many of whom will need to remind their nearest and dearest of their existence and where they are.

Put like this, Scribbler’s move is less brave and rather more canny.

There are always a host of reasons for not doing something and it seems likely that most of those who established a foothold on this long, expensive thoroughfare might have had initial financial misgivings about doing so.

Whatever the reasons that may be ascribed, Scribbler look young, dynamic and going places for taking the plunge.

NATIONALSTATIONERYSHOW&SURTEXPREVIEW

Worldly wise The global reach of the sister trade fairs of Surtex and the National Stationery Show is emphasised by the number of international exhibitors and visitors to the annual showcase for the selling and licensing of original art and design and the place to view all manner of paper products.

E

XHIBITORS from around the world emphasise the global reach of Surtex and the National Stationery Show, which are soon to open side-by-side at New York’s Jacob K Javits Convention Center.

All At the NSS there’s a strong roster of almost 800 new, returning and expanding exhibitors from the US and beyond for the four-day event, from May 17-20, while Surtex, which finishes a day earlier, will host 325 studios, agents and vendors.

For the first time the NSS has partnered with the American Greeting Card Association to showcase a curated selection of designs from six member companies – B*Hands Cards, Figments Studio, Kathleen Barrett Studios, Maginating, Proudly Yours and NobleWorks – in the GCA Pavilion.

For the second year running, around 80 Etsy Wholesale sellers are being showcased, with 30 featured within the #Fresh section, including social stationary designer Amy Beth Addison from Oxford in the UK. “The National Stationery Show is poised to present a dynamic shopping and sourcing experience to buyers this year,” said Patti Stracher, vicepresident of organisers Emerald Expositions and NSS director.

“Paper is more popular than ever today and attendees can expect to find the best in greetings cards, stationery, invitations and more, both from industry-leading suppliers and innovative newcomers.”

Beyond the exhibition floor, the popular New Product Display will highlight hundreds of product launches which will be competing for the

www.facebook.com/greetingstodaymag @greetingstoday

NSS awards with the seven returning categories – All Things Wedding, Celebrations, Eco-Chic, Lifestyle, Paper Love, The Desktop and Do-ItYourself – being extended by the new Seasonal Greats category. Entrants also will compete for an overall Best Of Show Award.

On the opening night the GCA hold their annual Louie Awards with a gala at the Edison Ballroom which culminates in the announcement of the cards of the year.

Alongside the NSS, the 2015 edition of Surtex will be taking place, which is the annual event for the selling and licensing of original art and design and sees heavyweights from North America, Europe, Asia and Australia and more than 50 newcomers representing a mix of studios, agents, and US and international vendors.

“We are delighted to welcome both returning and new exhibitors to what promises to be an outstanding edition of Surtex,” said Liz Crawford, vicepresident of organisers Emerald Expo and group show director.

www.greetingstoday.co.uk 15

NATIONALSTATIONERYSHOW&SURTEXPREVIEW

“The show attracts more than 5,500 manufacturers and brands that licence art for finished products in industries such as fashion, home goods, giftware, stationery and furniture, and Liz added: “Attendees can expect a unique and diverse collection of the industry’s best art and design for sale or licence.”

There are three key sectors – Art + Brand Licensing is the largest section with approximately 200 exhibitors offering creatives for licence, including UK companies Portfolio Select, Bright Art Licensing, Advocate Art, Howard Robinson, the V&A Museum, and MGL Licensing; Atelier with designs exclusively for sale from roughly 80 exhibitors and for a multitude of product categories, and ReSource HuB, with some 20 technology and business resource providers.

Beyond exhibits, the Surtex Conference will feature three days of intense design intelligence, with programming that will be presented in three distinct educational tracks — Core, Advanced and Trend & Beyond – to complement the market experience.

The events will include announcement

16 www.greetingstoday.co.uk

● Daniela Ruiz

FOR beautiful new artwork that is sure to make your product stand out this year, look no further than Portfolio Select. This year at Surtex their booth is close to the entrance and easy to find!

Portfolio Select are now well-established art licensors, based in the UK and dedicated to excellent customer service and offering fast, friendly and expert assistance to their clients. Their select range of artists offer designs for all occasions, driven by creativity and changing trends, and are available for bespoke commissions with everything expertly handled – and on time!

They are excited to be taking lots of artwork to Surtex from their new artists Emma Leach and Delphine Cubbit.

Emma paints whimsical festive icons including fun Santas and snowmen, with a traditional feel that gives her art a broad appeal for both juvenile and adult audiences and her portfolio has already proven popular.

Delphine's style is bold and colourful, with a huge range of everyday and Christmas art that's vibrant and eye catching. It's perfect for all sorts of products, with

● Lucas Woolley

● Hannah Wilkinson

● Lucy Harris

Artwork to make the product stand out

of the grand prize winner of Designext, the annual international design competition judged by a panel of industry professionals, on Monday, May 18.

The contest honours students for exceptional surface design work and four have already been chosen as the winners from the 76 submissions from 17 schools around the world.

At the show, the judges will decide whether Lucy Harris, from the UK’s Winchester School of Art, University of Southampton; Hannah Wilkinson from Leeds College of Art in the UK; Daniela Ruiz from the Universidad Iberoamericana de Puebla in Puebla, Mexico, or America’s Lucas Woolley from the New Brunswick College of Craft and Design receive the grand prize of $1,000 (£670).

Liz said: “Surtex is proud to recognise the creative concepts, as well as vast potential, of these talented young designers through our Designext awards.

The competition’s exceptional global talent pool offers an exciting preview of the future of surface design.”

www.surtex.com www.nationalstationeryshow.com

juvenile designs for cards and toys, and lovely baking images that would be great for homeware.

Portfolio Select will also be taking plenty of new designs from our regular artists, who are busy creating lots for the show.

Pippa Elison has been working on her latest Henna range, with intricate lacy patterns and details in typical feminine subjects, with bright coordinating colours that are sure to grab your attention.

Ella Rose has been working on her hugely popular art deco and nouveau designs, featuring elegant ladies in beautiful vintage wear and stylish retro settings for all occasions.

They also have lovely cheery festive characters from Julie Oldham and Karen Tye Bentley, along with traditional painterly artwork from Toben Robins and Steve Bridger, and plenty of religious scenes too, including Sue Waddicor's hugely successful decoupage nativity scenes.

They are taking bookings for appointments now, so don't hesitate to get in touch if you are making plans to visit the show, and all their artist portfolios can be viewed online where selecting images and making enquiries is simple and fast.

Surtex booth 212 - T: 01442 833458 www.portfolioselect.co.uk www.facebook.com/greetingstodaymag @greetingstoday

IT’S ALL ABOUT SALES

W

ITHOUT meaning to sound like my Mum, I still have to ask: “Where does time fly?”

It’s the May issue already and soon it will be Harrogate and the run up to Christmas again – OK, I’ll shut up about the dreaded C word!

Time flies so much because we live in a fast-paced world of working a season ahead, we’re always looking towards the next big thing.

Staying ahead and speed are the essence of business and one aspect that seems to have really speeded up for me is the whole process of ordering using my shiny new iPad. Processing orders in this way feels like a complete revolution, really bringing my business smack into the 21st century.

Most of my principals are expecting their agents to use iPads now and most have implemented a software system to make the ordering process much simpler and more effective.

And it’s certainly done just that. I can access all the customers’ details, back orders, out-of-stock items and, with a few keystrokes, input a new order, which automatically totals it up and then off it goes to the company.

No more late nights slaving over paperwork, adding in customer’s delivery details and totaling up the day’s orders – and that was after a ● Hi-tech full day out on the – Alina at road!

Armitages My filing Garden Centre cabinet is now at Birchencliffe ready for the in Huddersfield skip and the fax machine has been banished to the attic, never to be seen again apart from if my descendents attend the Antiques Roadshow in about 100 years’ time. Don’t worry, I’m sure that show will still be going on whatever passes for TV then.

Mind you, learning all these different software systems has been somewhat challenging at times, especially when you’re in an appointment with a key buyer who rattles off an order and the iPad decides to freeze on you so you then desperately try to find a good old-fashioned pen and paper to write it all down.

Generally though, it’s a great selling tool which enhances the catalogues and samples that we carry around.

Retailers are impressed too when, on a Monday morning they place the order and by Tuesday afternoon it’s all arrived ready to be put out on the shelf.

So to answer my Mum’s constant question of where does time fly, I think the speed of technology is certainly contributing to this.

Padding about

Flexible friends N

O, I don’t mean whether or not you and your pals can touch your toes or do the splits – LOL!

Two of the most frequent questions I’m asked, as an agent, are “what’s the minimum order” and “how much is carriage paid”. publisher The answers vary y from ppublis isshe h r to publisher puublisher but I’ve found that h the most flexible hat publishers puublishers tend to be the ones I do d the most orders for.

Some publishers don’t have a minimum order as long as a m customer cu ustomer is prepared to pay the carriage caarriage charge while others have specifi sppecific minimums they require before beefore being willing to take the order.

From my point of view as an agent I never really want to turn away an n order orrder no matter what the value.

If a customer wants to try a nnew ne w publisher from me initially aand an d only initi tiiallly y

wants to do a few rows of general birthday to see how they went, I’d like to be able to offer them that. To have to say: “I’m sorry you have to spend a minimum of X amount” seems quite inflexible.

I do understand some larger publishers use offsite warehouses to process their orders so are charged a fixed fee to process each order, regardless of its value.

With this in mind if, for example, that charge was £3 per order, wouldn’t it be better to increase the carriage charge to include this and lose the minimum order stipulation?

This way the processing fee is covered so, however small the order, the publisher isn’t out of pocket – that allows new accounts to give a publisher a trial without the worry of having to shift a large quantity of stock.

With carriage-paid, a high value can be off putting for top-ups as well as new customers.

Quite often, even if it’s a low carriage-paid stipulation, a customer will end up ordering

● All smiles – Neil with Liz at Sweet Williams in Warton, Preston Preston

oover ver and above that amount once they start to put together an order.

IItt just sounds a lot to consider ordering from the outset.

My best-selling company have no minimum order and their carriageppaid pa aid value is £100, which equates to 1 designs in sixes. The order values 14 rarely aree rra ar are r ly y jjust ust £1 £100 0 andd ooften ften ft eenn

reach over £300 bu bbutt it does give customers the confidence to try a new company as they don’t have to do an initial large order.

Also, they then tend to top up more often rather than have gaps in their racks as it’s easy to reach the carriage-paid amount.

All that happens when the carriagepaid figure is too high is that the customer will need to wait until they have a lot of gaps before they place an order – and the publisher often loses out as, in the meantime, another agent or rep will pop in and kit them out with a small £100 carriagepaid order that fills the spaces.

I’d much rather be the retailers’ flexible friend – doing frequent smaller orders for my customers instead of having to wait for a large order every now and then.

This lets the customer keep things fresh by bringing in new designs regularly and also helps you build up a better relationship with them as you see them more often.

Neil Anthony (Reil (Reil Agencies, T: 07766 736254) and Alina Clark (T: 07906 792420) are experienced independent greetings industry sales agents in the North West and North East of England respectively. Each month they share their experiences of life on the road. www.facebook.com/greetingstodaymag @greetingstoday

www.greetingstoday.co.uk 17

Paws Paw s fo for r

COVERSTORY

CHASE

Using his police truck and megaphone, this German Shepherd is an athletic, natural doggy leader who likes to take charge. Chase may be on the case, but he has to watch out for cats and feathers because he’s allergic.

MARSHALL

From the firehouse to his fire truck, Marshall is a Dalmatian who is all action, easily excited, and the clumsy one of the group. The pups will always hear Marshall say, “I’m okay!”

SKYE

Skye is a fearless and smart Cockapoo who loves to fly in her helicopter or with the wings in her pup pack. She tries everything with a backflip, grace, and a smile.

ROCKY

Rocky is a mix-breed pup who always has handy resources. He’s an enthusiastic recycling dog with a thousand ideas and tools inside his pup pack.

RUBBLE

Rubble is a gruff but a loveable English bulldog that knows all about skateboards and snowboards. He loves to get dirty then jump into a bath. There’s no job Rubble’s construction digger can’t scoop up!

ZUMA

Ryder is the leader, rescuer, and teacher of the pups. He has heart, a can-do-spirit and the skills Paw Patrol need to get the job done! During rescues you can catch Ryder on his hi-tech jet ski that transforms into an ATV or a snowmobile.

Zuma is all about the water! This Chocolate Labrador loves to laugh and surf. He lives in his boathouse and dives into action in his hovercraft.

EVEREST

RYDER

The latest pre-school licences don’t need much thinking about as they’re hugely sought-after and PG Live sees Danilo launch cards, wrap and bags for Paw Patrol, the new CGI action-adventure hit. Danilo also have a full range of calendars, cards, wrap and bags from their many other licences.

Everest is a fun-loving Husky pup and the newest member of Paw Patrol. She lives with Jake on his snowy mountain and loves belly-bogganing – sliding down mountains on her belly. Ice or snow, she’s ready to go!

18 www.greetingstoday.co.uk

H

EROIC and hilarious, the pack of six pups who star in the new CGI action-adventure series for pre-schoolers have already made the accompanying products hit the top of the charts.

According to NPD, Paw Patrol is now the official number one new pre-school toy property and it’s also the top show on Nick Jr. First launched on Nick Jr in November 2013, Paw Patrol then went onto Milkshake too with 7.3million viewers tuning in so far across the two channels where series one has already aired, season two is being broadcast later this year and season three is in development for showing early in 2016.

Chase, Rocky, Marshall, Rubble, Skye and Zuma are led by techsavvy 10-year-old Ryder and are rescue dogs in training – the pups are each inspired by a real-world job like fire fighter, police officer, and construction worker, and they now have a new friend called Everest.

When trouble strikes their home town of Adventure Bay, they’re there to save the day!

Whether it’s a cat in a tree or a train off the tracks, they always find a way to help those in need.

With a unique blend of problem-solving skills, cool vehicles and physical humour, all the members of the Paw Patrol work together to protect the Adventure Bay community.

Paw Patrol takes pre-schoolers on exciting rescues with hi-tech gadgets and transforming vehicles that translate into amazing consumer product opportunities.

Nick Jr have a special Paw Patrol section on their website with great activities where youngsters can colour in, be creative, play and watch their favourite adventurous pups.

Following the TV show, toys were released at the very end of 2014 which have now been rolled out into all key accounts with products aimed at pre-school boys aged two to five – although the viewership is actually 51 per cent boys to 49 per cent girls.

Danilo’s initial Paw Patrol range will be launched at PG Live and includes cards, wrap and bags, with 20 SKUs covering both boys and girl ages, relation captions and gift bags, plus roll wrap as well as sheet wrapping paper.

PG Live stand 513 T: 01992 702900 www.danilo.com

thought

DANILO’S stand at PG Live will be packed full of new additions to their best-selling licensed ranges.

The licenced specialists will be showing new ranges of cards, wrap, gift bags and calendars being released to coincide with massive media spends from the movie studios and broadcasters they work with.

The new ranges include the hit TV show Gogglebox, Thunderbirds Classic which celebrates its 50th anniversary in September, Something Special featuring the pre-school favourite Mr Tumble, 5 Seconds Of Summer to coincide with their UK tour, Ted whose new movie is released this summer, and Mr Bean for its 25th anniversary this year.

COVERSTORY

Updated ranges on show will be One Direction with all-new photos of the line-up ready for their UK tour dates, Mrs Brown’s Boys who are on a huge UK arena tour this year, My Little Pony, Fireman Sam, The Vamps with their UK summer tour, humour from Only Fools And Horses and the Star Wars Classic range including sound and light cards and age/relations.

New official calendars this year are VW Campers, Marvel’s Avengers, new Doctor Who, Great British Bake Off, Disney’s Frozen and Happy Jackson.

That’s just a taster of this year’s new products – go to see Danilo at the show for more surprises!

www.greetingstoday.co.uk 19

RETAIL ADVICE WITH HENRI DAVIS

All wrapped up F

OR A card or gift shop, having a range of gift packaging is an important part of the product offer, it makes the perfect addon sale and is a great way to increase a customer’s transaction value.

There are huge ranges of gift packaging available from suppliers and certain ranges are better suited to some retailers than others depending on the space they have available to display it, the sort of shop they are, and the types of customer they have.

The product category breaks down into key product groups – wrap, bags, boxes and accessories like bows, tissue and ribbons – but within each group there’s a huge amount of choice to suit every purse, display and purchasing motivation.

Selecting the right product offer for your customers is as critical as getting your card and gift offer right otherwise you can waste a huge amount of money on stock that will need to be reduced to clear it.

For non-specialist retailers who are short of space, a small range of packs containing two sheets of folded wrap and two tags can be an easy solution for a customer who needs something in a rush and isn’t too worried about the quality of the paper or design of the wrap.

Rolls of giftwrap drive huge volume sales all year round and are particularly suited to customers who have a lot of presents to wrap. Busy mums will often have a stash of rolls at the ready to suit the various family members and friends.

Prices vary from 99p-£4 depending on the paper quality and the intricacy of the print, so at Christmas, when most retailers offer it on 3-4-2 deals, it really is amazing value.

Then there’s flat wrap, single sheets of paper which are usually bought by those who love wrapping presents well and want a really special wrap that suits the recipient perfectly which they then team with specifically-chosen ribbons and tags.

Licensing is hugely important in this market, as it is in cards, and many successful card designers images are being licensed on to giftwrap.

Glick are having significant success in 2015 with their new range from Wendy Jones

Presenting the gift is a very important part of the whole process so retailers need to have a good range of wrap, bags, boxes and tissue paper on offer, Henri Davis examines the subject.

Blackett (pictured above) which covers all giftwrap formats and it’s this versatility of product and design which they believe has contributed to its success.

Many design archives make a great resource for packaging too as the patterns are often developed for fabric therefore step and repeat perfectly.

The Warner Textile Collection is becoming more and more popular as an archive and the V&A collection has been an important part of the Museums & Galleries range for a number of years with its popular William Morris classics.

This year MGL have produced a wrap (pictured left) to capitalise on the 150th anniversary of Alice In Wonderland using images from the British Library archive.

Bags are present wrapping made easy and can be the ultimate in getting you out of a hole – if you’ve popped out at lunchtime to buy a present, a gift bag will let you wrap it simply without scissors or sticky tape.

The great thing about gift bags is the price. While you can buy them for 99p in supermarkets and just 59p in Card Factory, in gift and greetings stores they’re more likely to sell from £3 or more, so make a great add-on sale for the retailer.

Bags are one of the items that many smaller card publishers are adding to their range and there are some really exciting designs coming on to the market, like this Caroline Gardner one (left), with scalloped tops, unusual handles, great finishes and

‘

Licensing L is hugely n important iin this markett

Henri Davis is an independent retail advisor to businesses in the cards, gifts, stationery and heritage industries, combining 30 years of retail experience with her knowledge of trends and consumer motivation to analyse markets and identify new opportunities. Having worked at Habitat, Next, WH Smith and the National Trust, she now works with many small and medium-sized businesses, including multi-site retailers, national and international manufacturers and suppliers and is currently vice-chairman of the Giftware Association, the first woman to hold the post. www.henridavis.co.uk

20 www.greetingstoday.co.uk

detailing as they’re all seeking to add value and thereby let the retailer charge more.

Boxes are a retailer’s nightmare – as a buyer I was regularly told how many customers wanted to buy gift boxes but stocking them is operationally very difficult.

They’re brought in from the Far East nested to avoid transporting air and are usually sold to the retailer as one unit when in fact there are between five and eight sizes in the pack, which gives you a problem if you have an EPOS system and you can’t just rebuy your best-selling sizes.

However, now there are some interesting options including Vivid Wrap’s folding small boxes which are sold flat and a new product I saw at Paperworld from Bunt.

Every so often there are some intriguing innovations – launched a few years ago we saw Wrapolope, padded envelopes carrying design-led surface patterns, and this year I saw the Lux-Wrap range (pictured above) while I was judging Gift Of The Year at Spring Fair.

And then there are the finishing touches such as bows, ribbons and tissue paper which can make all the difference when wrapping the perfect present. There’s so much to choose from to ensure you have the right types of products in enough colour options to suit most tastes.

For retailers, having chosen their range the next challenge is giving it enough space to create effective and compelling displays that ensure customers can see the great products on offer.

Because of the relatively low value of gift packaging it’s often difficult to achieve a carriagepaid minimum-order quantity unless you’re buying other products from the same supplier so for small retailers it really does restrict the range you can offer and who you can buy from – though, from a card publisher’s point of view, it’s a great way of upping a customer’s order value!

But if you can overcome or work around the operational issues there are some truly beautiful gift wrapping products available using fantastic quality papers with fabulous designs and finishes which can drive some great sales so it’s worth taking the time to find the products that will work for you and your customers.

’

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COMPANYPROFILE

Blossoming A Cherry Orchard is a lovely place to be and everyone at the publishers of the same name agrees as they enjoy working with MD Jackie Collins and celebrate two decades in business.

A

LL WORK and no play does make life very dull, and that’s definitely not the case at Cherry Orchard Publishing where MD and owner Jackie Collins and her team have been enjoying themselves for no less than 20 years.

Great team spirit and a determination to provide top-notch customer service have seen the publishers blossom over the past two decades since they first started on April 1, 1995.

It may have been April Fool’s Day but there was nothing foolish about the task that Jackie and her former husband and business partner John Collins set for themselves and their team to launch a broad commercial offering off greetings cards that focused on both quality and value for money, brought to retailers with a strong emphasis on excellent customer service and support for the independent retail sector.

Jackie said: “John and I worked so hard to realise our ambitions and build the company up together and I’m so grateful that when I bought out John’s shares three years ago, everything was dealt with amicably and the transfer went so smoothly.”

Twenty years on, the Tewkesbury-based business and the team have blossomed beyond all expectations with a diverse portfolio of more than 2,000 carefully-nurtured designs, and continue to flourish and grow.

Launching at PG Live this year will be three new ranges, including the delicate and feminine styles of Floral Fancies, with soft palettes of harmonious pastel floral displays and the Oh La La collection combining chic elegance with a sophisticated on-trend vintage feel.

Added to this will be Lemon Sherbet, a comprehensive new range of multi-signature cards with a selection of designs to choose from.

As the portfolio of designs continues to expand, Cherry Orchard have also listened carefully to feedback from retailers and responded to what they want.

Just as traditional wedding anniversary gifts range from paper for year one to china for the 20th, it’s fitting the company which started their first year with a range of paper-based

22 www.greetingstoday.co.uk

‘

Life is just a L bowl b of cherries, so live and laugh at it all… …

’

● Mugging up – new products

products have marked their d t h k d th i second decade with the launch of a new product range, a collection of bone china mugs manufactured in the UK to a very high standard, and these will complement the Down Memory Lane nostalgic line of cards.

Jackie said: “This range, with its bold iconic designs poignantly capturing the mood of bygone eras, has proved enormously successful and it’s an exciting prospect to think that the mug range will enjoy the same level of success.

“The mugs are available for pre-order now, for delivery in December 2015. Expanding into the gift market with the new line of mugs means we can look into new sales outlets and other complementary product offerings which could potentially open up many new lines of business for us.

“We’ve been thrilled by the success of all our ranges, which have justt gone from strength to strength over the years.

“I’m lucky to have a team around me who are so dedicated to what they do, and that plays a huge part in our success story. ● Delicious – the celebration cake made by Bakerdays

● Eggs-cellent – Ca Cardzone are one of Ch Cherry Orchard’s bigg biggest customers and Jackie is pictured collecting the enormous celebration chocolate treat from Tewkesbur store with the Tewkesbury Pau centre, and her manageress Paula, righ deputy Karen, right

publishers left who “We’re one of the few p only employ their own sales team, lead by Sales Director Paul Urban. This means we can really listen and respond to feedback from our customers. Retailers totally understand their market and this is a tremendous help for us to steer our product development to meet market demand.

“This, coupled with the expertise and knowledge of a dedicated, experienced customer-focused sales team, is what has led to a level of customer loyalty that has sustained and grown the business over the last 20 years.

“When it comes to customer service, we know that without that level of loyalty from ours over the years, we wouldn’t be where we are today and we’re incredibly grateful; we top of our priorities put that at the to we’re dealing with our when we’ customers.” custom With W an impressive product offering, pr from the traditional fr and sentiment a ranges, through the art card division in the d Signature Studio S collection to the co Kaleidoscope valueKa based brand, Cherry bas Orchard are in a Orch strong position to make

forth

COMPANYPROFILE

● Team spirit – Jackie and sales director Paul Urban, centre, with the Cherry Orchard stalwarts, from left, Derren Seal, Oliver O’Kane, John Clark, Andy Turner, Denise Molineux, Annie Taylor, Karen Rathbone, Keith Taylor, Andrea Godwin and Jo Bennett

sure they cater for all tastes of greetings card consumers.

Being in touch with consumer demand keeps the business on their toes and continually developing their ranges and products.

“We have a group of creative designers based in Canterbury,” Jackie added, “that’s headed by Creative Director Beverley Fisher, and they’re always buzzing with new ideas and constantly on the lookout for new talent.

“Their attention to detail in terms of design, style and quality means that the team have to be certain that they’ve developed a quality product when it leaves the production studio.

“Even the value Kaleidoscope range is given the same care and attention as all the other products in the range, when it comes to the design and feel of the cards.”

Jackie believes the secret of the company’s success is lots of hard work, along with lots of fun.

Everyone involved in the smooth running of the business, from sales to design, and office support to dispatch is professional and passionate about what they do and does a first-class job.

But that doesn’t mean it’s all work and no play. The team enjoyed cake and chocolate to celebrate their 20 years in business, with Jackie presenting a huge Easter Egg personalised with the names of all members of staff, as well as the cake, beautifully-decorated and expertly made by the online company Bakerdays owned by Alan Hawkes.

“The amazing team spirit that we’ve fostered over the years means we all love what we do – between us we’ve clocked up an incredible

● New designs – Floral Fancies, above, Lemon Sherbet, right, and Ooh La La, bottom

94 years of service! This was my way of saying thank you to everyone involved in getting us to where we are today,” said Jackie.

“Looking back it’s amazing that we’ve come so far and yet, looking forward, the new possibilities that are opening up to us mean that we’re all still fired with the same level of adrenalin and enthusiasm as we were on day one.

“Although it’s always slightly unnerving to try to look into the future and see where it might lead, I know that we can achieve the goals that we are constantly setting ourselves, because we’re all here to encourage and support one another, with lots of hard work and plenty of good humour to help us all along.”

After all, in the words of the famous song from the 1930s: “Life is just a bowl of cherries So live and laugh at it all…”

PG Live stand 307 T: 01684 295500 www.cherryorchardpublishing.co.uk

www.greetingstoday.co.uk 23

PGLIVE PG LIVEPREVIEW PREVIEW

Seventh eventh heaven

Drumming up business is the aim of every trade show and the upcoming PG Live has a double whammy on that front as plenty of orders are expected to be signed soon after the bhangra drummers from Davora mark both the opening of the fair and the specialist publishers’ 10th anniversary.

I

T’LL BE seventh heaven for the greetings industry at PG Live next month where more than 250 exhibitors are on the latest list to show their wares and celebrate various anniversaries.

The greetings card industry will be let loose on the largest-yet collection of card publishers at the Business Design Centre in Islington, London, over Tuesday and Wednesday, June 2-3, as preparations for the seventh outing of PG Live are in full swing.

The latest exhibitors’ list has 251 names – 13 in the Artists’ Quarter and Dial section, 38 in Springboard and 160 on the main floor – ranging from major publishers and leading brands to boutique names and new designers, many of whom are exclusive to the show, making this the only trade show of 2015 where the newest lines from Hallmark, UK Greetings, Carte Blanche, Paperlink and Gemma can be seen.

A unique trade show for the greetings

industry, it’s the only annual fair dedicated to the market and joint show director Simon Boyd said: “The support that has been shown to PG Live is fantastic.

“We have all the major publishers exhibiting, and many of them have some incredibly exciting plans in store for the show, with major launches, private viewing rooms and even a few celebrity visits.”

This year’s show will be playing host to a number of key industry anniversaries and celebrations, starting with contemporary and humorous greetings card company Paperlink, who are celebrating three decades of innovation, and sponsoring the PG Live lanyards, tea trolleys and opening night after-party.

Belly Button Designs turn 21 this year, and the contemporary card company are celebrating by

launching a new and exclusive collection at the show.

Paper Salad are marking their first decade of design by creating the décor in the room where the free lunch is served for all exhibitors and visitors on both days, and the after-party is held.

There are free refreshments available throughout the show from the famous tea trolleys as well as the complimentary two-course lunch, full use of the Henry Cole Buyers’ Lounge with free WiFi provided by Skylight Media.

“It’s always a real honour to be able to bring so many card suppliers and buyers together,” Simon added, “but the real joy comes from seeing the industry working together to do business, network and exchange ideas.

“The 2015 show is going to include all the special touches we have added in the past – but it wouldn’t be PG Live without a few surprises in store as well!”

T: 01635 297070 www.progressivegreetingslive.com

PG LIVE EXHIBITORS’ LIST ARTISTS’ QUARTER/DIAL Annabel Chapman – 166 Assaf Frank Photography – 138 Bright Group – 148 Klaus Art House – 132 Inspire Art Licensing – 154 Laura Hepworth – 136 NEW Libby Bower – 170 Louise Mulgrew Designs – 156 The Naked Giraffe – 160 Pallavi Prakash – 158 Pink Pram Productions – 168 NEW Sara Miller Design – 150 NEW Shirley Copperwhite Designs – 164 SPRINGBOARD 1790 Cards – 675 NEW A Piece Of – 748 NEW Akari Maharani Designs – 811 NEW Algan Arts – 685 NEW Always Sparkle – 710 NEW Amy Beth Designs – 663 NEW Angie Beal Designs – 728 NEW April Rose Illustration – 792 Badger Design – 335 NEW Ben & Hannah Dunnett – 808 NEW Bexy Boo – 804 Bonnie Blackbird – 95 NEW Cardinky – 657 Catherine Kleeli – 797 NEW Catherine Pain – 103 NEW Charlotte Elisabeth – 664 NEW Chic Mamil Trading – 742 NEW Corrina Rothwell – 654 NEW Coulson Macleod – 112 NEW Curious Pencil Cards – 758 NEW Custard – 665 Dandelion Stationery – 720 Death by Tea – 790 NEW Deckled Edge – 830 NEW Designed By Mrs Lovesy – 738 NEW Desito – 824 NEW Dialectable Giftware – 98 NEW Eloise Hall – 802 NEW

English Graphics – 768 Frankie Whistle – 109 Frillybee – 764 NEW Garden Greetings – 652 NEW Georgia Breeze Designs – 787 NEW Greetings Earthlings – 822 Heather Alstead Designs – 674 NEW I Drew This – 704 Jessica Hogarth Designs – 89 NEW Judy Lumley Prints – 706 Julia Manning – 86 NEW Lanther Black – 676 NEW Laura Truby Designs – 712 NEW Lauren’s Cows – 781 NEW Libby McMullin – 105 Life Charms – 842 NEW The LIttle Bells – 740 Little Robot Shop – 776 The Little Shed – 806 NEW Lizzie Chancellor – 736 Lorraine Stylianou – 660 NEW Luck & Judgement – 687 Mazeltov Greetings – 726 NEW Megan Claire – 788 Memelou – 724 NEW Mia Lapwood Photography – 756 NEW Mine Osman – 658 NEW Miranda Alix – 714 NEW Mirjami Design – 656 Noah’s Ark Ink – 115 NEW Noble Fine Art – 796 NEW Paper Bird Publishing – 88 Pippi & Me – 810 NEW Pocket Typewriter – 237 NEW PoiZIN Pen – 780 QuiteGoodCards.com – 702 Rambling Mansion – 84 NEW Red Berry Hill – 700 Reliefprint Press – 754 Rocklesnock Design – 800 NEW Rose Hill Designs – 662 NEW Schnucki Images – 85 Stardust – 723 NEW

24 www.greetingstoday.co.uk

Tache Crafts – 87 NEW TigerMill Publishing – 716 NEW Two Beans – 730 Victoria Armstrong F – 732 NEW VK Guy – 826 Whale & Bird – 766 Your Type Studio – 798 NEW MAIN FLOOR 2 To Tango – 438 Acnolee – 828 Alljoy Designs – 770 Allsorted – 220 Amscan International – 236 Anatolia Fine Arts – 666 Antalis – 324 Apple & Clover – 686 Art By Charlie Butler – 682 NEW The Art File – 200 Artige – 330 NEW ArtPress – 306 Artwords Creative Designs – 681 Be – 673 Belly Button Design – 316 Betty Etiquette – 679 Black Olive – 205 Blue Duck Designs – 782 Blue Eyed Sun – 524 Blue Island Press – 531 Bluebell 33 – 412 Bombus – 653 Bookishly – 818 Brainbox Candy – 334 Card Crazy – 746 Card Heroes – 680 Cardmix – 211 Cardtastic – 340 Carte Blanche Group – 122 Cath Tate Cards – 521 CBC Distributors – 523 Charlie Foxtrot – 772 Cherry Orchard – 307 Claire Bramwell-Pearson – 846

Clare Maddicott Publications – 300 Classic Candle Co – 439 NEW Clear Creations – 114 CMC Europe – 535 Creation Express – NEW Danilo – 513 Davora – 534 Deluxebase – 225 The DM Collection – 786 Earlybird Designs – 111 NEW Emily Burningham – 310 Emotional Rescue – 319 Enveco – 519 Everythink in Ink – 120 Ezen Designs – 119 Fenner Paper Company – 506 Fitzwilliam Museum – 91 Five Dollar Shake – 425 Flower Burst Candles – 794 NEW Fourth Wall Brands – 413 GF Smith – 670/672 Gemma – 400 Glick – 312 Go Stationery – 331 Graphite Creative – 508 Grass Roots International – 500 Great British Card Company – 529 Growing Paper – 820 The Habbadacken – 684 Hallmark Cards – 416 Hammond Gower – 505 Hearts Designs – 428 Heaven Sends – 336 House Of Home – 721 I Like Birds – 809 Icon Art – 208 Iggesund Paperboard – 339 NEW The Imaging Centre – 659 Inspired Goodbyes – 836 Intelligent Retail – 431 International Cards & Gifts – 303 IvoryMint – 832 NEW Jaab Cards – 778 NEW

Jonny Javelin Card Co – 526 K Art By Kim – 678 Kazzuu – 229 KoKo Designs – 520 Laura Darrington – 435 Leonard Smith – 542 Life's Little Perks – 94 Ling Design – 121 Little Fingy – 834 Live Link Technology – 335 Lonetree – 97 Louise & Lygo – 762 Louise Tiler – 774 Louise Wright Design – 799 Loxleys – 538 Luxe Cards – 677 NEW The Lynn Tait Gallery – 518 Marina B – 661 Mask-arade– 437 Mint Publishing – 217 Molly Mae – 744 Mr Greetings – 814 Museums & Galleries – 218 My Design Company – 527 My World Publishing – 405 Nigel Quiney – 221 Noel Tatt – 301 Noodoll– 540 NEW Nouvelle Images – 318 Objectables – 812 Odey Designs – 231 Offset Productions – 100 Oliver Preston Cartoons – 227 P J Print – 528 Paper Rose – 325 Paper Salad – 207 Paperlink – 201 Peartree Heybridge – 407 Pigment Productions – 313 Pink Pig – 737 Popshots Studios – 244 Portfolio – 321 Real & Exciting Designs – 219

Really Wild Publishing – 242 Redback Cards – 421 Regent Envelopes – 224 Rocket 68 – 708 Rocket Press – 320 Rollo Rose – 722 Rosie Robins – 419 Ruth Jackson – 241 Saffron Cards and Gifts – 204 Sarah Kelleher – 92 Second Nature – 118 Sensations International – 417 The Sherwood Group – 429 Showcase Greetings – 222 NEW Silk Hat Greetings – 503 Simon Elvin – 424 Solutions Polska – 445 Sooshichacha – 501 Special Delivery Cards – 153 The Square Card Co – 760 Star Editions – 406 Studio Seed – 838 Supercat Publishing – 844 Sweeting Card – 337 Tackycardia – 840 NEW Tallon International – 840 TiffsArt – 784 Tillovision – 102 Timbergram – 502 Tomcat Cards – 441 Tracks Publishing – 401 Trilogy Lasercraft – 305 Trisoft – 533 Two Scoops – 162 UK Greetings – 240 Warner Textile Archive – 528 NEW Wendy Jones-Blackett – 235 Woodmansterne Publications – 317 Wrapid Manufacturing – 530 Wraptious – 329 Wrendale Designs – 504 ZiZi – 517 Zoe Brennan – 655

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e n g a p m a h

NEW DESIGNS!

C

from the

SEE US AT ‘P.G. LIVE’ 2 - 3 JUNE STAND 500

From

GRASS ROOTS INTERNATIONAL

‘BEST SELLING’

Champagne Range Code 75/JJ 9” x 6” R.S.P £2.15

Tel: 0151 523 9600 E-mail: sales@writefromtheheart.co.uk Web: www.writefromtheheart.co.uk Units 4-4A Valentines Building, Racecourse Business Park, Aintree, Liverpool, L9 5AL

PGLIVE PG LIVEPREVIEW PREVIEW

Innovative formats and latest licences LEADING supplier of party products, balloons and costumes Amscan International will be returning to PG Live again this year.

Visitors can look forward to seeing an array of foil balloons from their extensive collection, featuring innovative formats and the latest designs and licences.

From Mini balloons to the impressive AirWalkers there’s something to suit every business within the greetings sector – don’t miss their hot new ranges including Paw Patrol, Minions, Big Hero 6 and many more.

In an exciting new concept ideal for greetings retailers, Amscan have recently launched a new range of four-colourprint latex balloons featuring some fabulous Disney designs.

Also look out for their exciting new retail balloon concept to provide a convenient solution when creating balloon bouquets.

Stand 236 – T: 01908 288500 www.amscan.co.uk

Whiskey Tango Foxtrot!

COME and have a look at Hanson White’s stand at PG Live – you’d expect classic humour from Hanson, and there’s plenty of that. But wait… there’s something else… … there’s John Lemon… …there’s a friendly alpaca… …there’s a miserable old bird called Agnes…

You’ll be left asking…Whiskey Tango Foxtrot Has Happened to Hanson White?

Stand 240 – T: 01924 465200 www.ukgreetings.co.uk

Print promotion for buyers THE Stick And Stitch range from firsttime exhibitors Catherine Kleeli Cards is proving a popular addition to the arsenal of animal offerings on the market for this nation of animal lovers.

Created by artist and designer Catherine, she had now bowed to retailers’ demands and produced these animal collages as signed giclée prints, that are proving a valuable merchandising tool to drive card sales.

There’s a special PG Live-only promotion giving every retailer placing a card order at the show worth over £200 a complimentary unmounted giclée print worth £25.

Stand 797 – T: 07814 293155 www.catherinekleeli.co.uk

26 www.greetingstoday.co.uk

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Introducing new “Harold’s Planet” cards celebrating the major milestone birthdays.

See these latest additions, plus many more new Clare Maddicott Publications’ designs and ranges at this year’s

What’s more a

£40 Virgin Experience Day’s gift card

can be yours when you place an order for or more at the show.

£250

So don’t miss out on all the fun, come and see us on to view all of our latest releases and to take advantage of this great show offer.

stand 300

For more information please give us a call on +44(0)1638 569050 The Studio, Oaks Drive, Newmarket, Suffolk, CB8 7SX Email: salesoffice@maddicott.com

www.maddicott.com

PGLIVE PG LIVEPREVIEW PREVIEW

Showcase for specialists THE Sherwood Group are award-winning specialist printers for the greetings card industry, using litho and digital manufacturing methods to produce cards, giftwrap, gift packaging and social stationery in the UK and Far East.

The group’s in-house finishing include foil, flitter, die-cutting, embossing, picking and

Ha Pea Times are Purrfect AT PG LIVE Mint will be launching a great selection of fresh products, including two fantastic new ranges, additions and spring seasons.

Purrfect Pals is an adorable range of contemporary cats, hand-drawn in a predominately black and white palette with coloured paper and kraft collage accents, each design features a glossy black thermo finish on a tactile luxury board.

The range features blank, birthday and love titles in a 140x174mm size, with each card cello wrapped with a quality, coordinating envelope.

Ha Pea Times is a quirky new doodleinspired range featuring Knit & Purl’s infamous knitted pea. These designs are fresh and modern, with simple line drawings combined with real knit textures. Printed on a quality board, these sweet designs are sized 111x159mm and cello wrapped with a pea green envelope.

Mint have also expanded their most recently launched ranges with a variety of

new designs. Buddi Bunni now includes a selection of cute female relation and occasion captions, featuring the loveable Buddi and friends in sweet new situations.

Jackpot has now been expanded to feature additional ages, male relations and birthday titles featuring masculine monochrome artwork, and finished with gleaming gold foil, embossing and UV varnish, while Foto Fun has a new assortment of fun, colourful photographic designs to add to the existing selection.

Mint have added even more designs to their top-selling ranges, with fantastic additions to Knit & Purl, Cool Britannia and the 3D Collection.

For spring 2016 Mint are offering even more choice with new additions to all seasons within Buddi Bunni, Ha Pea Times, Jackpot, HashGags and Foto Fun, and fresh designs in Knit & Purl, Sweet Tweets and Cool Britannia.

packing, and hand finishing from their Far East manufacturing site.

Sherwood Digital is ideal for greetings card publishers who have a need for small quantity and affordable print runs.

In 2014 the Group invested in their Smartcentre innovation hub which includes the latest large-format UV flatbed inkjet printer and Kongsberg XN digital CAD cutting device which enables them to apply a wide range of finishes on prototype samples, including simulating spot varnish, varnish effects, foil and flitter.

Stand 429 – T: 0115 928 7766 www.sherwoodgroupuk.com

Sumptuous glory BRAINBOX Candy cards have gone from

Stand 217 – T: 0116 230 4197 strength to strength since they launched a www.mint-publishing.co.uk little under eight years ago, and now have a massive following in the UK plus a rapidlygrowing presence overseas.

Ensuring they create a steady supply of fresh innovative product for their retailers is something they’ve always strived for and this continues with new lines being unveiled at PG Live.

The Brainbox Candy boys – and girls – will be hot-footing it to Islington with a big bag of new product, with three brand-new card ranges and also line extensions to their bestselling ranges.

Come along to see the new product in all its sumptuous glory.

Stand 334 – T: 01702 716643 www.brainboxcandy.com

28 www.greetingstoday.co.uk

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Come and see us att

STAND 236 See our S ur ret retail balloon alll concept! once Amscan have a stunning selection of balloons for any occasion to complement your greetings offering. From our Mini Balloons to the impressive AirWalkers® there is a design and format to suit all TEL: +44 (0)1908 288 500 tastes and budgets. Come and see us at E-MAIL: sales@amscan-uk.co.uk Progressive Greetings Live 2015 to see some WEB: www.amscan.co.uk of our latest designs and discover more about our extensive collection including coordinating ©Amscan 2015, ©Anagram 2015 All rights reserved partyware.

PGLIVE PG LIVEPREVIEW PREVIEW

What an experience!

CLARE Maddicott Publications are back at PG Live this year with even more product and on a bigger stand.

The Suffolk-based publisher will be launching a batch of new milestone age Harold’s Planet cards, plus additions to their popular children’s range Piece Of Cake.

They will also be unveiling a couple of brandnew ranges, which they promise will both surprise and delight customers – but until the show they’re under wraps!

Equally exciting, Maddicott will also be giving away a £40 Virgin Experience Day’s gift card to every customer who places an order for £250 and above at the show.

These gift cards can be used nationwide on no end of fabulous experience days, from afternoon tea at swanky hotels to spa pamper days and stadium tours.

Stand 300 – T: 01638 569060 www.maddicott.com

Mixing it up THIS year’s Gemma stand will be packed full of exciting new product, a mix of character licensed brands and the publishers’ own brands spanning pre-school to adult and covering multi-genres.

They’ll be launching the full range of the hilarious humour brand The Wisdom Of Kids, created by The London Studio owner Soula Zavacopoulos, which includes everyday standalone, ages and female and male relation cards.

Gemma will also be focusing heavily on Jurassic World as the movie opens on June 12, while their own modern sentiment brand Little Thoughts will be showcased across male and female relations, occasions and ages.

They will have new look, refreshed Peppa Pig, Thomas, JCB and Disney gift packaging along with lots of other new ranges and firm favourites including Mixels, Hello Kitty, Mr Men, Mario, Purple Ronnie and Fun & Games.

A TV screen will be showing animations from some of the new brands Gemma have signed including World Of Warriors, Teletubbies, Twirlywoos and The Clangers, along with Jurassic World trailer highlights – plus staff will have iPads showing the breadth of their offering as they just can’t fit everything on the stand!

T: 01264 388400 www.gemmainternational.co.uk

30 www.greetingstoday.co.uk

Working worldwide BRIGHT are a boutique agency representing top artists, designers and styles for licence within the greetings, stationery, gift, home and print industries as well as bespoke projects for advertising, packaging and brands.

They represent award-winning artists and work with worldwide clients on bespoke projects including both the largest publishing houses and boutique publishers.

Bright will be exhibiting at Surtex in NYC and PG Live in London and will be launching beautiful new designs from their talented portfolio of artists.

Surtex booth 533, PG Live stand 148 T: 020 7326 9140 www.brightartlicensing.com

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PGLIVE PG LIVEPREVIEW PREVIEW

Fun and fabulous THE talented design team at Ling Design have been having loads of fun creating a fabulous new set of ranges to sit under the Max & Sid umbrella.

All three ranges will be proudly unveiled at PG Live. Each has its own individual personality, but all are uniquely designed to have the magic Max & Sid touch.

Together there are 39 brand-new 145x145mm open birthday designs, some with a foil finish and some with flitter, all individually wrapped with the signature Max & Sid cello bag, with an RSP of £1.99.

Stand 121 – T: 01892 838574 www.lingdesign.co.uk

See the soft sculptures THIS is Mirjami Design’s first time exhibiting at the PG Live so Laura Mirjami is looking forward to introducing visitors to her cute animal character soft sculptures that feature on her new colourful and quirky greetings card range.

You’ll find owls, mice, foxes, hares, badgers and bats to name a few. All cards are printed in the UK on FSC certified board and come with envelopes and cello sleeves.

Stand 656 – T: 01285 652378. www.mirjamidesign.com

Spreading their wings Flying the flagship THE FLAGSHIP Classics range from Museums & Galleries sees the exclusive launch of another batch of designs at PG Live, ideally suited for summer and autumn sending opportunities.

Classics is an unrivalled mix of styles varying from traditionally classical and heritage through to more contemporary, and including some decorative arts and crafts. New designs suitable for men also feature in the new release.

On the gift stationery side, which has been the smash hit of MGL’s spring release, the matching suites of gift bags, gift boxes, tissue packs and gift wraps from the magnificent V&A collections will all be available to order, together with a series of new V&A gift stationery updates especially for PG Live.

CELEBRATING a year in business, I Like Birds are spreading their wings to fly south for their first appearance at PG Live with their offering of feathered designs.

Artist and owner Stuart Cox is thoroughly enjoying his new career, taking birds as his inspiration for his designs, and he’s already expanding from cards into tote bags.

Stand 809 – T: 01309 671836 www.ilikebirds.net

Stand 218 – T: 0116 230 4197 www.museumsgalleries.co.uk

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PGLIVE PG LIVEPREVIEW PREVIEW

Get in the Swing for Summer!

Platform Pl tf for f fresh f talent ent THIS is Showcase Greetings’ first PG Live appearance – trading since midJanuary this year they provide a platform for the freshest creative talent.

Publishing can be a daunting process for many newbies and, if that wasn’t enough, finding a proactive sales route to market is often a further barrier so Showcase enable designers to focus on developing their creative flair, with those aspects effectively taken care of.

And it makes sense for retailers too as they can select the hottest designs, safe in the knowledge they designs won’t be found in the national or regional chains. Some retailers have championed this idea of supporting new talent – its almost part of their own Independent’s spirit.

Stand 222 – T: 01394 275114 www.showcasegreetings.co.uk

Join in the conversation AS NEWBIES at this year’s PG Live, Noah’s Ark Ink are really excited to be launching their first humour range of eight sophisticated designed cards covering everyday conversation among the flock called Bird Talk.

Ideal for all occasions at any age, Bird Talk will be launched alongside three other new ones plus current everyday ranges – Noar’s Ark Ink are looking forward to introducing everyone to their ranges and talking shop.

Stand114 – T: 07810 751 760 www.noahsarkink.co.uk

Branching out for males See what’s new at Museums & Galleries: PG Live, Stand 218.

THE new Father’s Day and male range from April Rose Illustration will be on display at PG Live.

The brand name for watercolour artist Siobhan Harrison, the essence is sophisticated watercolour floral work and vintage-look artwork, now she’s branching out into the male market.

Stand 792 – T: 07957 738711 www.aprilroseillustration.com

Alternatively contact your agent, view our website or request a new additions brochure.

Tel: 01373 462165 Email: sales@mgml.co.uk

www.museumsgalleries.co.uk 34 www.greetingstoday.co.uk

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PGLIVE PG LIVEPREVIEW PREVIEW

New for 2015 Bijou Everyday

Filling all the gaps AT JONNY Javelin they have a whole bunch of new product to show for the first time at the Islington show as their Velvet range still takes centre stage with the release of 22 code 60 designs.

Jonny believes they’ve been short of quite a few occasions titles in Velvet so this release sees all of those gaps filled, with titles such as New Job, You’re Leaving and Good Luck. He said: “We’ve also included a further seven open female birthday designs which are arguably our strongest images yet. These are set to retail at £1.69 and are available now.

“We’ll be revealing a new range of floral designs called Secret Garden. It’s a small range of nine female relations, based on a range we did 10 years ago called Sentimental Seasons. Very pretty images, lovely verses and our usual quality and value for money.

“We also have more Fudge & Friends coming through the system and, fingers crossed, we’ll have some new designs to show visitors to our stand – our cute little doggy is selling very nicely so we need to expand the range to meet the title requirements of our customers.

“We’re looking forward to the show immensely as we’re still on an upward curve, and it’ll be great to catch up with our regular show visitors, while picking up a few new enquiries at the same time.”

Stand 526 – T: 01423 563740 www.jonnyjavelin.co.uk

Beastly birthdays A BEASTLY new range of birthday cards for gentlemen of a certain age is being launched at PG Live by Coulson Macleod.

They also have new packaging for their monochrome chic Concertina card collection with a big message and a number of other new ranges – all made in Britain.

Bijou Christmas

Advent Calendars

Visit us at PG Live 2015 Stand 219 (e) sales@realandexcitingdesigns.co.uk (t) 01223 207 080 (f) 01536 401 031

Stand 112 T: 01536 482771 www.trade.coulsonmacleod.com

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www.greetingstoday.co.uk 35

PGLIVE PG LIVEPREVIEW PREVIEW

Gorgeous and charismatic GRASS Roots are looking forward to seeing all their friends across the greetings industry at PG Live where they are launching some gorgeous new Art Nouveau designs in the fabulous Opulence range.

There is a boxed card which is in a large code 300 and retails at £7.99, and a new slimmerstyle code 125 which will retail at £2.99.

All the cards in this range are printed on beautiful quality board with sparkling gold and silver flitters as well as colourful foils to enhance the sophisticated style of this charismatic era.

Stand 500 – T: 0151 523 9600 www.writefromtheheart.co.uk

Getting up early EARLYBIRD have been busy working on three new card ranges to be launched at PG Live, starting with an exciting new birthday range in collaboration with vintage typographer Raissa Pardini that features designs for the family.

They have also extended the popular Popcorn range into occasion cards with 16 new bold, bright and fun designs from designer Dominic Early.

There will also be 12 new thank you pack designs as Earlybird’s note packs are now such a must-have for retailers they have to release new designs on a regular basis.

The cello-wrapped packs come with eight cards and envelopes and the packaging has been redesigned with the new company logo to freshen them up.

Stand 111 – T: 01227 765372 www.earlybirddesigns.co.uk

Sparkling finish by real people THIS is Dandelion Stationery’s second year at the show, as they were thrilled with the reception their product received last year at the show.

Designer Jo Wilson is delighted to unveil more than 20 new designs in their everyday range for the show.

All cards are printed on luxury 300gsm board and each one is individually hand finished with subtle sparkles by real people in the UK. Cards are supplied with rustic brown kraft envelopes.

Look to lenticular

Stand 720 – T: 01332 695359 www.dandelionstationery.co.uk

SCHNUCKI Images are excited to be showing for the third time at PG Live where they will be introducing 14 new images to the ever-popular lenticular postcard range as well as adding new products to their stationery gifts, such as lenticular mini-rulers and door-hangers.

As the UK distributor for products from Germany and France they are offering unique, exclusive and innovative cards and stationery products.

The diverse ranges suit all tastes and ages, from moving lenticular cards through colourful notebooks to musical cards.

Stand 85 – T: 07711 563155 www.schnucki images.co.uk

Doing things differently WITH gifts, greeting and homeware from more than 30 artists, Wraptious owner Simon Wadsworth is proud to say: "We do things differently. We're a community celebrating and supporting work from over 30 emerging, contemporary artists and illustrators. We can therefore guarantee you'll find something to suit all your customers.

“Founded in October 2013, we've grown overwhelmingly, trading strongly in the north-west at markets, independent shops and online. Discover what all the fuss is about by saying hello at our first PG Live. All cards are 90p, with a minimum order of only £60, which includes free delivery – madness! :)”

Stand 329 – T: 0161 738 1440 www.wraptious.com

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PGLIVE PG LIVEPREVIEW PREVIEW

Mint Publishing presents...

Silliness from a living treasure For PG Live Cath Tate Cards are thrilled to be introducing into the UK market a new range of cards from Australian cartoonist Michael Leunig.

Michael’s quirky, thoughtful cartoons have been appearing for years in the Sydney Morning Herald and he has been declared an Australian Living Treasure by the National Trust of Australia!

The 15 new designs published by Cath Tate take a wry look at life and cover topics such as love, life, happiness, silliness and the joys of washing the dishes.

Stand 521 – T: 020 8671 2166 www.trade.cathtatecards.com

Visit us on Stand 217 at PG Live 2015!

Polypropylene & biodegradable bag specialists Over 40 years quality service to the trade Hotfoiling also available

GREETING CARD

FRIENDLY, EXPERT ADVICE DEDICATED AND KNOWLEDGEABLE TEAM FAST AND EFFICIENT SERVICE HIGH QUALITY FILM BAGS

T 01206 396209 E sales@badgerconverters.co.uk www.badgerconverters.co.uk www.facebook.com/greetingstodaymag @greetingstoday

(e) sales@mint-publishing.co.uk (t) 0116 230 4197 (f) 01536 401 031 www.greetingstoday.co.uk 37

PGLIVE PG LIVEPREVIEW PREVIEW

10th anniversary celebrations SPECIALIST card retailers and publishers Davora are back at PG Live and it’s a special year for them as they’re celebrating a decade in the greetings industry.

Exciting things are planned for the event in celebration of their 10th anniversary and, with Eid round the corner and Diwali not far behind, be sure to visit their stand where the ethnic and festivals specialists will be showcasing plenty of new designs.

You can also pick up your free catalogue and wallplanner with all the key dates of the upcoming occasions and festivals.

Stand 534 – T: 0161 641 0653 www.davora.co.uk

Spinner has Form AT PG Live this year The Art File will have a fantastic selection of award-winning greetings cards, along with their new stationery looks for 2015.

They’ll also be launching a brand-new range of everyday animal-themed cards, designed in house by their talented design team.

Following multiple requests from customers, The Art File are also going to be launching a Form spinner, to house their award-winning 3D range.

Designed to show off these unusual cards in all their glory, this spinner will be a huge benefit for retailers who have limited display space.

The Ink Press colour cards have been

flying out, and The Art File delighted to announce that another 12 designs will launched at the show.

Stand 200 – T: 0115 850 7490 www.theartfile.com

Festive and chic NEW for PG Live, Real & Exciting Designs are launching a gorgeous new collection of everyday and Christmas cards plus advent calendars.

With the success and popularity of the elegant Bijou range, Real & Exciting are launching additional everyday designs featuring stylish monochrome artwork with hints of soft pink and sage green, in a variety of new titles.

These designs feature the same luxury pearlescent board and iridescent flitter finish and come cello-wrapped with a black and white designed envelope, a chic addition to any boutique display.

Also launching is the Bijou Christmas collection, featuring the same simple, sophisticated style with a festive twist with imagery including classic holly, mistletoe, reindeers and gifts, depicted in a unique and fashionable hand-drawn style.

Printed on stunning pearlescent board and finished with glistening flitter, these stylish designs are a fabulous contemporary send this Christmas with designs available in both general and captioned titles, all cello wrapped with a designed envelope.

The very popular advent calendars will also have a selection of new designs for the upcoming festive season.

These detailed artworks feature beautiful Christmas imagery such as gingerbread houses, woodland animals and snowy scenes. Each calendar is die cut with 24 doors, each opening to reveal a tiny illustration.

Stand 219 – T: 01223 207 080 www.realandexcitingdesigns.co.uk

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I MUST NOT FORGET to visit

Cath Tate Cards PG Live Stand 521 2 – 3 June Business Design Centre London See the full range and more at www.trade.cathtatecards.com Tel: 0208 671 2166

VOXPOP

Publishers are right at the heart of the greetings industry, designing and supplying cards for everyone to enjoy.

Greetings Today chats to a few to hear their opinions on issues of the day.

Lynn Tait, Owner The Lynn Tait Gallery

‘

T: 01702 480180, www.thelynntaitgallery.com

We’ve been hearing a lot about independent sales agents recently, do you use them and how do you find that works for your publishers – if not why not?

Year on year I’ve found agents’ sales diminish, even ones who have been working for me for a long time.

I’ve even done photographs in their areas to help them get a foot in the door of local shops. But it’s a big problem for the industry with more companies wanting agents and too few out there. Some agents carry a ridiculous amount of publishers. One very fussy agent I took on last year emailed me and copied in all his new companies. I knew quite a few so contacted them after two months to see if anyone had had an order – nul points!

How would you sum up the attitude in the greetings card industry at the moment?

Frustrating and stressful for the new publishers as the dynamics of the industry have changed so much, especially regarding trade fairs which have

Sarah Danby Co-Founder Cinnamon Aitch

We’ve been hearing a lot about independent sales agents recently, do you use them and how do you find that works for your publishers - if not why not?

We’ve always used independent sales agents.

We were certain from day one of setting up our card business – 15 long years ago – that we wouldn’t be any good at sales. Using agents works brilliantly for us, they’re the backbone of our business!

‘

How would you sum up the attitude in the greetings card industry at the moment?

Optimistic. We’re launching lots of new product, so it’s a really exciting time.

Is there any occasion or category that is currently seeing growth?

Our men’s range Mustard is doing really well, and that’s an area we see growing. We’re currently expanding the range to include notebooks. Also baby shower is a new title we’ve just added to our Hello Sunshine range.

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Is there any occasion or category that is currently seeing growth?

One occasion that, I’m afraid, isn’t my favourite event – baby showers. But I’m pleased to see that the slightly-less obvious titles are getting a look in such as “in laws”, “steps”, bridesmaid and best man. Also daughter on her 21st etc. Now companies can do small runs digitally it has opened the door to these more niche titles.

Describe Lynn Tait Gallery in three words.

Dinosaur loves flamingoes!

Alan & Patricia Carr, Owners Frillybee

T: 0121 773 6833, www.cinnamonaitch.co.uk

Describe Cinnamon Aitch in three words.

Very happy people.

seen retailers’ habits change year on year. Trade fairs have upped their game and are adding value, and they’re definitely listening to greetings card publishers, but retailers are still having a rough time out there and are much more cautious in their buying, quite understandably. Of course the talent from the new publishers is off the scale which means the competition is also huge.

’

’

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T: 01708 508845, www.frillybee.co.uk

We’ve been hearing a lot about independent sales agents recently, do you use them and how do you find that works for your publishers?

The greetings card Industry is very much about people and, for the customer, seeing and feeling cards is a very personal thing in deciding what they’re going to send. Retailers offer a personal service to ensure their customer gets what they want. But as a publisher we’re unable to offer that face-to-face personal attention to our retailers without travelling to the length and breadth of the country. Frillybee’s agents are therefore the face of our business, offering local representation, giving us feedback concerning what’s wanted, and talking to the retailers about what’s new.

How would you sum up the attitude in the greetings card industry at the moment?

We get different feedback from different parts of the country in different seasons – but, all in all, positivity continues to steadily grow.

Is there any occasion or category that is currently seeing growth?

The trend of the last few years in terms of Christmas singles continues to show growth. So, while people are sending less in terms of the number of cards, they are looking for that extra quality for the special people in their lives.

Describe Frillybee in three words Friendly, colourful, detailed.

’

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ON THE SHOP F RONT VIEWPOINT FROM AN INDEPENDENT

I

T FEELS very strange, sitting here in April’s beautiful sunshine, writing this article on the fourth anniversary of opening my shop, reminiscing about our first Christmas trading!

Last month I touched on how we got our Christmas card order wrong, enormously wrong, meaning our first festive season was almost our last, due to an oversight and a tricky cashflow situation.

Until you enter this industry, you have no appreciation that ordering happens months in advance, especially Christmas.

So, when you receive an email saying “order your Christmas cards by X date to guarantee delivery”, you feel you should oblige.

I’d only been open for three or four months so had no idea how busy Christmas might be and unintentionally I ordered enough cards for pretty much everybody living in the town.

Up until this point, I’d always ordered cards in sixes and didn’t read the quantity mix properly when I placed my first Christmas order.

I chose 12 different designs, thinking that would be enough choice for everyone, 12 packs of each, so 144 packs should be fine, then I could always order a few other brands in smaller quantities.

I did think it strange that once I’d placed my order, the company called to ask if I definitely wanted that quantity, but I only realised my error when the delivery arrived in early September.

There were actually six packs in every pack so I took delivery of 864 packs – and they had to be paid for by the time I’d scheduled to put them on display. After staring at the delivery note and pallet of cards in silence, the penny dropped, how could I have been so stupid?

I was too embarrassed to call the company to explain the situation, besides, there was no point, they were unlikely to take the cards back, I had to dig myself out.

While I was thinking about it, another card order arrived, but I then immediately cancelled all the other card pack orders which hadn’t yet turned up.

I decided to put the Christmas cards on sale straight away, just like the supermarkets, on a 3-4-2 offer. I even opened an eBay shop for a couple of months, selling them at a price which just covered the cost and postage charges but gave me no profit.

I signed up for every school fete and Christmas market around, I donated some to the local retirement home in exchange for some free PR – I did everything I could to get rid of them. I didn’t want to go into January having to reduce them to half price as that would have meant a hefty loss.

I’m pleased to say I shifted about 90 per cent of

Festive folly ● Overstocked – mistakes in ordering this Christmas stock from 2011 left Jo wishing Santa’s Magic Key really worked

the cards but all that effort did mean I took my eye off the ball concerning other Christmas orders.

My first festive trading season was profitable, but it could have been a whole lot better had I read the ordering guide better!

Most of our Christmas orders for 2015 are now already in, at the correct quantities, with the remainder being placed when we visit the various trade shows over the coming months.

This edition of Greetings Today covers the forthcoming trade shows, Pulse and PG Live and, as I write, the London Stationery Show is about to happen, all of which I’m looking forward to attending and for different reasons.

PG Live has to be the best show for anybody involved in greetings cards, it’s so happy and informal and attracts the best exhibitors.

I love the venue, the hospitality – and we have

In four years Jo Barber has gone from having no greetings retail experience to being named in the top five of the Buyers Power List at Spring Fair 2015 as her shop, The Stationery & Gift Boutique in Ampthill, Beds, has gone from strength to strength.

T: 01525 404742 info@stationery-boutique.co.uk www.facebook.com/greetingstodaymag @greetingstoday

‘

Staring at the S delivery note the penny dropped, how could I have d been so stupid

’

an added bonus of two silver tickets to spend at the show from The Retas 2014 and The Greats 2015.

I intend to place a number of orders there, for everyday and to finalise Christmas.

I shall also be on the judging panel at The Stationery Show for The 2015 Stationery Awards – the results are in the show review elsewhere in the mag – and I’m look forward to meeting my fellow judges, who are equally as passionate about stationery.

I could lose myself for hours here – for a stationery addict, this show is heaven and keeps improving every year.

There’s no column from me next month as I shall be taking some time out to concentrate on the opening our new shop.

It’s based in the same town as The Stationery & Gift Boutique, but will be devoted to home furnishings and accessories so we’re branching out.

There’s lots to do, buying, planning, painting, etc but once everything has calmed down I shall look forward to being back in the shop surrounded by cards and stationery again!

www.greetingstoday.co.uk 41

TALKINGSHOP

Delightful celebrations

Keeping any business going for 25 years is a major achievement – probably even more so for an independent greetings and gift store in a small town given the three recessions in that time, but the mum and daughter team of Jan Ward and Michelle Ellingham have managed a quarter century in style at Box Of Delights in Flitwick, Beds.

Reaching the quarter-century milestone is a great achievement for an independent greetings and gift store, what’s the story behind Box Of Delights?

The story began quite by chance but also impulsively in May 1990. My mum Jan and I didn’t have any retail experience but we wanted a change of careers so, when a parade of five retail units in the small commuter town of Flitwick in Bedfordshire were being developed with completion in October, we jumped at the chance of a new challenge.

We both had a similar interest in home accessories and design-led gifts and greetings cards and spent much of our time together shopping in boutiques, gift and antique shops buying unique and quirky gifts for family and friends. We knew we must go with our instincts and open a gift shop.

There was so much to do in a very short time, from agreeing on a company name, logo, how and where to buy stock to interviewing staff, shop furnishings, opening hours – all to be ready and raring to go in time for the lead up to Christmas.

Our first port of call was signing up to the industry’s trade magazines, then we attended our first Harrogate gift fair – we were like kids in a sweet shop with so many different and exciting products to choose from.

We went with ranges that we were attracted to, that we’d like to buy or receive ourselves such as Christmas decorations, home interiors, including pot-pourri, candles and traditional teddy bears, musical boxes, lace, dried flowers and pine furniture. Victoriana was very en-vogue at the time.

But we bought very few greetings cards, not many Christmas card packs or individual ranges, no advent calendars and this proved to be a huge mistake.

We opened the doors to Box Of Delights at 9am on Friday, October 26, 1990, and, as we are next door to the railway station, we decided to stay open until 6pm to see if we would attract commuters on their way home.

There was me, Jan, and our helpers Mollie and Jan B, all nervous, excited and ready to meet our customers. We’ve never looked back we still open until 6pm every day plus 11am to 4pm on a Sunday. We’re positioned directly opposite the first Tesco superstore, but they didn’t sell cards or stationery back in those days, just food.

We were amazed by the amount of customers we had over that first weekend and realised very quickly we needed more stock, especially greetings cards – we should have realised as our

42 www.greetingstoday.co.uk

only competition then was the local paper shop.

Within the next week we’d ordered an 8ft planned display with Andrew Brownsword, cards and plush and similar from local Bedford card company Gordon Fraser, with everyday and Christmas plus a few smaller companies.

Our selection and choice has continued to grow rapidly and now we have a vast range of quality, innovative and specialist greeting cards for all occasions.

We had a major setback between Halloween and Bonfire Night in 2004, when a devastating fire hit the back of both the shops we now have. All our

‘

We b W bought ht very few greetings cards – this proved a huge mistake

’

stock was destroyed or smoke or water-damaged.

We were shocked and feared we would’t recover but we were offered kindness and help from the local community, many loyal agents, reps and suppliers and our terrific staff, who were determined to get us re-opened as soon as possible.

Box Of Delights was reborn within just three months, thanks to everyone’s loyalty, commitment and hard work. It was very challenging as it seemed to take forever to get our stock back up to the previous levels but, with our loyal team of staff, our customer service, reserve and ordering facility, gift wrapping, free local delivery and, of course, excellent selection of stock, it wasn’t long before we were back to normal.

In return we like to support our local

community, schools, clubs, local charities and businesses whenever we can. We even provide an area outside for people to leave their dogs securely with water bowls.

Last year we were lucky enough to be nominated for a RETAs Best Card Retailer in the Home Counties & South East award by a very influential and respected greetings card company. We were so proud and excited to be recognised within this wonderful industry.

What are your goals and aspirations now?

They’re the same now as they’ve always been. Great customer service is paramount and continuing to purchase quality and affordable products. However, we didn’t have the fabulous world of the internet 25 years ago! Although we definitely will be updating our website this year, we feel the best way to engage the public Is via social networking sites, regularly sharing information on our latest stock and seasonal promotions, as well as sharing community info and promoting other businesses in Flitwick. It’s a great way to keep Box Of Delights looking fresh and innovative to potential new customers and keep our regulars up to date.

What’s the most exciting part of your job?

Seeing our customers’ excited faces when we have new stock arriving and then hearing them say “I love your shop”, “We always know we can get the perfect gift and card in here, don’t need to go anywhere else” – that’s fabulous!

How important is the cards side?

Greetings cards have become equally as important to our shop as gifts so much so that our shop doubled in size in 1995 when we acquired the shop unit next door to accommodate the extra card, stationery, wrap and gift bag ranges. Cards contribute around 50 per cent of our annual turnover.

How broad is the price range for gifts?

Anything from bath bombs at £2.50 to soft furnishings, china, retro telephones, clocks, prints and small pieces of furniture up to £200-£300.

What brands of cards and gifts do Box Of Delights sell and which sell well?

We have a great selection of greetings cards – Belly Button Designs, Five Dollar Shake, Wendy Jones Blackett, Janie Wilson, Stop The Clocks, Think Of Me, Caroline Gardner, Talking Pictures, Tracey Russell, Blue Eyed Sun, The Art File, Pigment Productions, Paperlink, Woodmansterne, Bluebell 33, Coulson & Macleod, Susan O’Hanlon, White Cotton Cards, Ling Designs, Pulp, CardMix, Rachel Ellen and Paper Salad are our best sellers.

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TALKINGSHOP ● Winning team – the staff and owners celebrate 25 years

And we sell a varied range of gifts and home fragrance, among our best-selling brands are Junction 18, Wax Lyrical, Powder, Lily-Flame, East Of India, Joma Jewellery, Pip Studios, Container Group Buying, Lolita, Parlane, La De Da Living, Jellycat, Little Dog Laughed, Shruti, Choc On Choc, Bomb Cosmetics, Nougat, Stoneglow, Gisella Graham, Heaven Sends, Art Marketing, Paperbacks, One Button, Hem And Edge, Pilgrim, Estella Bartlett and Hulquist Jewellery, Kitted Out and Penny Kennedy, Wild & Wolf, Melt Candles, Scandi Chic, Bain Patisserie, Ragtales, Terramundi, Disaster Designs, Coach House and Really Good to name but a few!

We like Top Drawer, Pulse, PG Live and Harrogate Home & Gift, but I’d say both Spring Fair and Autumn Fair are essential.

What season are you buying for currently, and how does that work?

We buy all year round. Obviously the essential seasonal gift and card ranges are bought months beforehand leaving us time to source more unusual and design-led products which are usually available to order immediately when launched throughout the year. Currently we’re looking at wedding and anniversaries, new summer jewellery, Christening, teacher, travelling/bon voyage cards

Who does the buying at Box Of Delights?

Both of us enjoy sourcing and buying new product at trade shows, but I normally do repeat orders by appointment with agents and representatives who regularly introduce us to new product range launches too. We choose according to current trends, customer demand, best sellers, quality, value for money, individuality or if we feel the wow factor from a new innovative product, we usually know our customers will love it too.

What do you think makes a good buyer for an independent gifts and greetings store?

They must listen to their customers’ needs, keep best-selling ranges well stocked while introducing new and exciting seasonal on-trend products throughout the year. Always maintain a good relationship with your agents, reps and suppliers and go to trade shows – if you don’t, you could easily miss out on the next big thing!

Do you deal with both independent sales agents and company reps – and what do you think makes a good sales person for greetings cards and/or gifts?

It’s an essential part of the industry. If they’re enthusiastic about what they sell and keep showing you the new products when launched then you feel enthusiastic too. They’re obviously familiar with the sales boundaries within their area, which keeps products exclusive and selective as it’s not in anyone’s interest if too many shops sell the same things in a small area.

Many of our agents and reps are very loyal and we’ve known some since before we opened 25 years ago so have become good friends.

Do you attend any of the trade shows and which do you like?

We try to go to as many as possible, although there seem to be so many now. It’s so important to visit as there’s always something new to see.

● Family affair – Jan and Michelle

‘

Always maintain a good relationship with your agents, reps and suppliers

’

dk k th h our ffavourite it iis Ch C hi t and keepsakes then Christmas which we’ll look for at Pulse in London and Harrogate Home & Gift in July.

What are customers buying at the moment?

Jewellery, candles, bespoke cards, mugs, coasters and notebooks, bone china, hearts and sentiments. Statement light-up letters and symbols are bang on trend at the moment, just can’t get enough of them though!

What are the top-selling seasons for you and in what proportion?

In order of proportion of sales for both gifts and greetings it’s Christmas, then Mother’s Day, Valentine’s Day, Father’s Day, Easter, wedding and anniversary, teacher, Christening and communion.

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How should people go about pitching a product, card or gift, to you?

I would suggest they email with as much information as possible, send in samples and then I’ll contact them for an appointment if suitable.

What are the emerging trends, and how have trends changed over the past year as well as over the last 25 years?

Trends currently emerging are the statement light-up symbols and letters that are wall hanging or freestanding, also retro glass tankards have been great sellers. Austrian Crystal suede bracelets have been irresistible for most of our ladies, so many colours to choose from, they buy one as a gift then another two for themselves.

Large square relation cards with significant ages from Wendy Jones Blackett, especially ages 50 and 70, have been trending over the last year. Also we’ve seen a rise in sales of William Morris design toiletries and stationery and the popularity of V&A art cards and wrap is back, ironically we stocked them when we first opened our doors in 1990.

Over the last 25 years trends have changed massively. When we first opened the phenomenon was the Andrew Brownsword Forever Friends bear with a wide range of greetings cards drawn by Deborah Jones, gifts and stationery, and it very much made us the store we have today. This Introduced us to the world of the collector and encouraged new and old customers, collectors and all ages into the store. Then followed Peter Fagin’s Colourbox, Steiff and Deans Bears then the worldwide Beanie Baby craze took hold. For the last 12 years we’ve had Willow Tree sentiment figurines from Enesco.

As minimalism became fashionable it changed the way customers buy gifts, although a very strong vintage theme and shabby chic has been prominent for quite a few years.

Customers now seem to purchase much more frivolous and design-led items and individual gifts, homeware trends and jewellery for themselves.

We have to be on the button, continually sourcing new and fabulous products that are ever evolving ahead of the High Street and local competitors.

What was the last card and gift you sent?

Michelle – Five Dollar Shake birthday card for my daughter’s 22nd birthday and a new baby gift from Little Shrimp.

Jan – Susan O’Hanlon Wonderful News baby bump card and a baby gift from Jellycat.

T: 01525 713779 www.box-of-delights.co.uk

www.greetingstoday.co.uk 43

TALKOFTHETOWN

Talk of

Sally Stephenson, The Pencil Case, Cowbridge, South Wales

‘

THE Pencil Case was opened just over a year ago in March 2014, developed particularly with children and young people in mind. We stock a wide range of colourful and contemporary stationery, cards and gifts – from pocket money erasers to premium notebooks and pens – alongside the official supply of local school uniform, gymnastics and dancewear, Scouts, Cubs, Beavers, Guides, Brownies and Rainbows uniform.

We’ve had an amazing first year – we smashed all our sales targets, won Best New Start Up at the South Wales Business Awards 2014 and were finalists for Best New Business in the Cardiff Life Awards 2015.

We’re still on a steep learning curve understanding what our customers want and sourcing new ranges, brands and suppliers. We’ve been surprised by the popularity of certain ranges, especially greetings cards.

Our customers like the efficiency of buying a card at the same time as a birthday gift, so we’ve tailored our range to meet this demand and devoted significantly more space in store for greetings cards.

London Stationery Show, Pulse and PG Live are the next trade shows, will you be attending any?

I’ll be attending the London Stationery Show, looking for new trends and new product ideas for 2015, particularly for the back-to-school season in August and September. I’m particularly keen to find something different which isn’t available in the national retailers.

We’ve been hearing a lot about independent sales agents recently, how important are they to you and new designs – and are you affected by what they wear when they visit?

Independent sales agents are very important, especially if they cover a wide range of products – I

don’t have time to deal with lots of different agents and suppliers, so if I can source lots of great products through one individual it makes life much easier. Not only do agents present the latest ranges but, more importantly, they share insights on the market from their experience of dealing with lots of different suppliers and other independent retailers. I really value the ones who make an effort to understand my business and customer base and, as a result, I listen to their advice. The best agents tailor their ranges accordingly and don’t try to sell me absolutely everything – hearing “This range isn’t right for you” is very powerful in building trust and a strong relationship, because I know that, when they do recommend new products, they will be appropriate for my store. I’m not particularly affected by what they wear when they visit, smart-casual is fine!

Planning law changes mean all stores can do click and collect – would you consider it?

I’m currently in the process of building a transactional website which will have both home delivery and click-and-collect functionality. Launching an online shop is my number one strategic priority for 2015 – the website provides a huge opportunity to reach a national and even international audience and grow my business.

Currently which is your top-selling design, publisher or genre?

As The Pencil Case is aimed at primary and secondary school aged children, unsurprisingly, we sell a lot of children’s birthday cards. Being in South

Wales, Welsh language cards are incredibly popular and our ranges of children’s age cards and Christmas cards in Welsh have been a tremendous success.

If you had £1,000 to spend on improving your shop, what would you do?

As space is our main limitation, we’re always looking for creative display solutions to enable us to increase our range and stock more products. If I had £1,000 I’d spend it on fixtures which would allow us to display more product in a more space-efficient way, for example multi-level tower units with sections to hold smaller products and wall-hung racking to display greetings cards more clearly and hold more stock. This would free up space for further new ranges as, at present we don’t have enough space for our ambitions.

Of all the publishers you stock, which card would you like to receive for your birthday?

My favourite would be an age card from Hammond Gower – we stock every age from one to 100, so if someone chose my age it would show they’ve made an effort just for me, especially if they picked the right one.!

Cathy Headdock, Bishops Waltham Post Office, Hampshire

‘

’

PG Live and Pulse are the next trade shows, will you be attending either?

I won’t be going to Pulse this year because I’ve got a conference, but I should be going up to PG Live for the day. I’m going to have a really good browse, maybe chat with some of my suppliers and I like to go to the parts where you have all the new and start-up people because sometimes you find some real gems. They have a lot of different people there.

We’ve been hearing a lot about independent sales agents recently, how important are they to you – and are you affected by what they wear when they visit?

I’ve been reading about the agents in the magazine and I quite like it when people bring in new stuff because it means we can distinguish ourselves from other local shops. I probably have more reps than agents but one of my agents sells me three different lines, which is quite a lot – so he probably likes me. I’ve never had a scruffy agent come in but if someone is prospecting it does help if they look business-like.

Planning law changes mean all stores can do click and collect – would you consider it in your shop?

We don’t do online selling at the moment but I would be more than happy for people to buy online from us and come in to collect it. We’re not a Crown post office but we are quite a big one and busy – and the postmen do bring back parcels and items to us if they haven’t been able to deliver them, then the person can come to collect it here. It’s good because it does bring people into the shop.

Currently which is your top-selling design, publisher or genre?

I’d say it’s Pizazz by Nigel Quiney, we do quite a lot of that and it’s the open

44 www.greetingstoday.co.uk

ladies’ birthdays that sell more than the captions. It’s mainly local people here, we have a mature customer base and a few families.

If you had £1,000 to spend on improving your shop, what would you do?

I’d buy myself some new card units.

In the Art & Photographic genre, which publishers do you stock?

Wrendale, National Trust and Darkroom, which is by the Great British Card Company are good sellers for us in Art & Photographic. Plus English Heritage and Alex Clark Art, they all sell for us.

’

Of all the publishers you stock, which card would you like for your birthday?

It would have to be the Nigel Quiney Pizazz ranges, they’re my personal favourites as well as great sellers.

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the town

TALKOFTHETOWN

The voice of the people who matter, greetings retailers tell it like it is.

Steve Haines, Coltishall Post Office, Norfolk

‘ Kate Malt, Love Kates online store www.lovekates.co.uk

‘

PG Live and Pulse are the next trade shows, will you be attending either?

I’ve registered to attend PG Live this year, and it will fantastic to see the biggest collection of greetings cards and publishers under one roof. We’ve been so busy developing the business we’ve not been able to visit before but, if we can find the time, we’ll be there looking for new lines and soaking up the atmosphere.

Planning law changes mean all stores can do click and collect – would you consider it in your shop?

We’ve looked at High Street stores and, if we go down that road, click and collect may be something customers would ask for. While click and collect is a phenomenon I believe will shape the retail market over the next few years, for Love Kate’s the way to go is for us to gear-up to offer delivery direct to strategic nationwide collection points using a service such as CollectPlus.

Currently which is your top-selling design, publisher or genre?

Our Boofle range is really popular, and seasonally it does very well for us.

We stock most of the xPressions Boofle gift range too. I think customers like it that we provide them with a complete Boofle card and gift solution. Our new Erica Sturla One Lump Or Two range from Holy Mackerel has exceeded all our expectations too. Our customers love the funny contemporary card designs and the wide range of titles in this collection is brilliant for us.

If you had £1,000 to spend on improving your shop, what would you do?

We’ve recently invested in a growth plan which we’ve channeled mainly into online marketing of the website. We’re overhauling the website at the moment to make it fully responsive for customers whether they shop on their PC, tablet or mobile device. We work very hard trying to give our customers what they’re looking for on our front page, the fact is that displaying cards and gifts online is very different than selling in a traditional High Street shop.

I’d love to buy in some snazzy software to help me make some eye-catching banners for our shop window, maybe with some animation?

In the Art & Photographic genre, which publishers do you stock?

Our best-sellers are from Nethertons who are big on art cards and supply us with the lovely and ever-popular Jo Grundy collection. She has a keen following, and her art work is truly inspirational. The Nethertons live quite near to us here in Cornwall and Robin approached us direct with their ranges including Jo Grundy and Shirley’s own Cornish art cards which we also stock. There’s the eco-friendly Woodmansterne National Trust cards too which include a voucher for a free pot of tea for two – these also serve up well to our customers! One of the appeal of cards featuring art and photography is that they’re a safe bet for customers because they nearly always come blank inside so they can work well for everyone.

Of all the publishers you stock, which would you like for your birthday?

I hit my milestone 40th birthday earlier this year and received some really lovely cards. I love giving and receiving cards, I always have, and I’m always quick to turn them over to see who the publisher is and jot down my favourites. My friends and family are always careful not to buy my card from me, but my favourite would have to be one from the Second Natures’ PopUps range. They really are the most unique cards we sell and if any friends and family are reading this out there, I really don’t mind if you pick me one out from Love Kate’s next time!

www.facebook.com/greetingstodaymag @greetingstoday

’

PG Live and Pulse are the next trade shows, will you be attending either?

Afraid not, most of the trade shows are quite a long haul from us here in Norfolk, even Birmingham is a three-hour trek and cards are a small part of our offer so it’s not worth my while to go. We’ve just had a Blueprint installation from Abacus and the deal is that they have 70 per cent of the space and I’ve got 30 per cent so I’m using that for some smaller independent and local card suppliers, and we agree with Abacus what they’ll put in their section. One I’ve taken on most recently is Green Pebble , who are relatively local, they’re from Suffolk, Ipswich way, and they’re going very well even though we’ve only had them in stock for a few weeks.

We’ve been hearing a lot about independent sales agents recently, how important are they to you – and are you affected by what they wear when they visit?

I do have one agent I’ve worked with for quite a long time, she has brought in a few different designs for me.

Wrendale is one I picked up from her which I like and I’m hoping to go back to now I have more space.

It’s very useful in passing on some new items. It doesn’t particularly matter to me what they’re wearing although if they were very scruffy I might think twice before dealing with them.

We’re not in an area where everyone is in business suits so we don’t mind too much.

Planning law changes mean all stores can do click and collect – would you consider it in your shop?

We don’t really have anything that’s unique enough to sell online. As a Post Office we provide the service where people can come to collect their parcels and it does bring people into the shop, which is very good. We have a sorting office at the back which is very small but when there are items the postman can’t deliver they bring them back here and people come to collect them in the evening as we’re open till 8pm – we’ve been providing that service for people before they ever called it click and collect!

Currently which is your top-selling design, publisher or genre?

I should probably say Abacus! They’ve

done a great job of putting in the new fixtures and setting it all up. I’ve worked with Abacus ever since I’ve had the store which is over 12 years, I like their ranges and we’ve used them throughout and I was very pleased when they offered to set this all up. They essentially provide a good core range and we then complement that by getting in some more unusual ones, Green Pebble are very much in that category and proving very popular. It’s about providing a range and we have to cater for the local customers who want just an everyday birthday card as well as those who want something different.

Some of the Clare Maddicott designs are very good and are hoping to build on that.

If you had £1,000 to spend on improving your shop, what would you do?

I’ve just done that and more! It was a very crowded little space before. We’ve changed the Post Office counter from the old fortress-style glass counter to a smaller open plan version which is a lot

more compact so has freed up a lot of space. We’ve gone for a simpler look and, with most of the flooring being ceramic tiles, we’ve carpeted the new card area to give it a more warm and friendly look and differentiate it. It’s really brightened up the store. I think the earliest record is the 1891 census reference to a store here.

In the Art & Photographic genre, which publishers do you stock?

The photographic cards of Norfolk are a good seller for us because we’re near the Broads. That’s our main offer there although we do some of the Clare Maddicott ones which go well too.

Of all the publishers you stock, which would you like for your birthday?

I always like to receive one from a publisher I don’t stock because I always look at the back of the card when I receive one – I think a lot of people in the greetings industry do the same. I like a lot of the Abacus cards and the new Green Pebble ones and would be happy to receive any of them.

’

www.greetingstoday.co.uk 45

FRANKLY SPEAKING WITH SARAH PORTER

A tale of two shows L

ET ME tell you a story. Once upon a time there were two trade shows named PG Live and Pulse who, though they shared a space in the calendar, were fated never to meet.

It’s kind of like The Lake House but with more trade stands and less Keanu Reeves.

For as long as I can remember – so that’s about three years, then – PG Live and Pulse have both taken place in May, and they’ve always overlapped by a day.

I generally assumed that this was to create a sort of buying frenzy for retailers, enabling them to hop from one to the other without having to make two separate holes in their diaries.

This is a fab idea and all, but it did tend to create a dilemma for us publishers. Assuming you don’t have the resources to do both, you’ve got to make a choice. Which show to do? PG Live or Pulse?

The dedicated card show or the widerranging gift fair?

My World always chose PG Live. The lunch, the paying entrants who aren’t messing around, the lunch, the concentrated d two-day format and thee lunch were just some of the elements that won us over every time. There’s also the lunch to consider.

There was always a twinge, though. We wondered if we were missing out, whether Pulse might somehow be The Ultimate Show for us.

Decisions, decisions – clashing trade fair dates are always annoying because you have to decide which one to pick, but resolving that can cause another dilemma, as Sarah Porter explains.

‘

There was T always a twinge, we wondered if we were missing outt

It’s not just a case of the grass always being greener – we’ve been told time and again that we’d do well at Pulse, that it’d suit our products and designs, and the people I know who DO do Pulse generally have good things to say about it.

We wished there was a way we could have both.

Now, thanks to the powers that be, I’ve got what I wished for – but, as happens in all good stories, I’m not sure what to do with it.

’

My World’s erudite PR, marketing and NPD manager, Sarah Porter has been elected to the GCA council. She’s known as Frankie outside work and blogs about the trials and tribulations of being a relative newcomer to the world of greetings card publishing at www.myworld.co.uk/blogs/news as well as compiling the regular My World newsletter.

T: 0191 305 5165

46 www.greetingstoday.co.uk

My World may only be three years old but, in terms of change-averse setin-our-ways doggedness, we may as well be a hundred. Or maybe that’s just me.

Either way, the change in schedule hasn’t actually resulted in the crazy trade show free-for-all that I might have imagined.

Instead we’ve just changed our dilemma from “Should we do Pulse instead of PG Live?” to “Should we do Pulse AS WELL AS PG Live?”.

Doing a show for the first time always feels risky, after all, it’s a lot of money – particularly for smaller publishers, for whom the cost of a show that doesn’t deliver can’t just be paid for out of the Let’s Make Some Foolish Business Decisions Lads slush fund.

And even if we do fit in as Pulse as well as people seem to think – which, since Pulse seems to be a hip and trendy kinda place, is a really nice thing to say, by the way – that doesn’t necessarily mean it’ll work out well for us.

On the one hand, yes, the buyers who go there are looking for something design led and different.

Hey, guys, that’s us!

On the other hand, if EVERYONE there is design led and different, are we going to end up blending in rather than standing out?

So we’ve decided to do something that we’ve actually never done before: look before we leap. I KNOW. I must be getting old.

This time round I’ll just be there as a visitor, having a nosey round and seeing what’s what. If it looks good – and if the two show dates stay uncrossed – then next year we’ll be able to exhibit at Pulse for the very first time!

And of course, even if not, there’ll always be lovely PG Lunch. I mean Live.

Snap happy

ART&PHOTOGRAPHICCARDS

Selfies and phone cameras have made photographs incredibly popular and easy but it doesn’t mean the snaps are always good, so the art of the picture is definitely still on the cards.

P

HOTOGRAPHS are more popular than ever, with the rise of the selfie and Instagram, so it’s no wonder that photographic cards are some of the best sellers.

Mint are one of the publishers who have a fab selection of photographic ranges featuring different styles of image for any occasion, and it’s not just the traditional scenic imagery.

Knit & Purl’s fun and quirky photography is a huge hit with independent and national customers alike, with unique characters knitted by Mint’s director Debbie Williams, photographed in hand-built settings and topped with play-on-words captions.

Foto Fun is one of Mint’s newest photographic ranges, where photos have been manipulated and stylised to create fun, quirky and colourful designs.

Vintage photography is always a source of amusement and Mint’s Hashgags range brings the retro up-to-date with Twitter-inspired puns.

Featuring vintage photography, brightly tinted and coloured, matched with hashtag punch lines, these fun and quirky designs are sure to raise a giggle.

Using photography in new and interesting ways is one of Mint’s

● Museums & Galleries

“Doing photographs for cards was unusual then, I took them the range and that basically how it’s gone on. We have met some pretty good people as we’ve gone on. Some of the shops we started with are still customers – The Idler bookshop in Hadleigh, Suffolk is one, it’s a lovely place run by Bryan and Jan Haylock, it’s a wonderful place and they’ve been with us since the beginning, it’s fabulous.”

Also known for her photographic cards is Lynn Tait, who said: “Trending at the moment are my absolute favourite, flamingoes – I’m just pretending it was me that started it! I’ve done it on art and photographs so you can say this is where it all began!”

Art cards are very good sellers too because they allow a huge variety of designs and subjects, as Museums & Galleries show with the enormous freedom they have to range widely over the varied fields of art.

Their core Classics range has always been an unrivalled mix of unique and original imagery, regularly refreshed but with some images remaining perennial bestsellers.

Over recent years MGL have developed side ranges that explore current

● Mint Publishing

● Lynn Tait Gallery

● Leonard Smith

distinctive characteristics. By investing in high-quality processes, Mint’s 3D Collection features eye-boggling animal photography brought to life by 3D lenticular technology.

More traditional photography is the forte of Leonard Smith, who celebrates his 30th year in the greetings industry on May 15.

“I was 21 when I started,” said Essex-based Len, “I was 51 in February, and I really enjoy the whole process, thinking up the ideas, going out and photographing the places, and that whole process of creating the cards right through to the going to do the press pass.

“It’s a lovely business to be in and thankfully quite a lot of the independent retailers are still around. I just love doing photographs and having a vehicle to get the images out in front of people.

“Back in 1985 I was in my VW Polo with eight designs and 50,000 envelopes and cards. It was this amazing drive around East Anglia, Margaret Thatcher was in power and trying to drive business with the Enterprise Allowance, which was very good.

“I went to individual retailers plus garden centres. I’d ring them up and explain and they’d say they’d have a look, and took some.

● PG Live stand 217 – T: 0116 230 4197 www.mint-publishing.co.uk ● PG Live stand 218 – T: 0116 230 4197 www.museumsgalleries.co.uk

● Redback Cards

exciting art trends in depth. The first was The Art Of Print, which has now grown to 36 cards showcasing the best of contemporary printmaking printed with vibrant colour on beautiful textured art board.

Last year’s launch, Mezzanine, has been so successful it has doubled in size this spring to 32 designs featuring the work of largely up-andcoming young artists, and revels in a glorious world of delightful colour and charm. Birds, animals, florals, and seaside scenes predominate, as well as summery leisure activities.

Together with their long-standing Illustrators range, the licensed British Library and Wedgwood Museum ranges, and single-artist ranges Alison’s Ark and Jane Robbins, MGL have developed a powerful armoury of fine art ranges targeting all tastes and occasions.

The recent launch from Redback Cards manages to combine both genres, thanks to the stunning hand paintings by award-winning artist Guido Daniele.

Taking the most unconventional canvas of the human body, Daniele can transform fingers and palms into any animal, from elephants to zebras, which are then photographed to make stunning greetings cards.

● PG Live stand 421 – T: 01803 712793 www.redbackcards.com

● PG Live stand 518 – T: 01702 480180 www.thelynntaitgallery.com

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● PG Live stand 542 – T: 01376 562727 www.leonardsmith.co.uk

www.greetingstoday.co.uk 47

ART&PHOTOGRAPHICCARDS

In raptures over range RAPTURE is the photographic range by Abacus cards that now contains more than 140 designs, 98 of which are either birthday or blank cards.

Customers have recently been giving the 160x160mm range a rapturous applause for the latest 22 additions, which include cards featuring a variety of subject matter from tractors and dogs to doughnuts and typewriters.

T: 01638 569050 www.abacuscards.co.uk

Intricate inspirations INSPIRED by nature, the art collection from Mudmagpie Greetings Cards features paintings that delicately observe natural life at it’s greatest and most intricate, making the designs perfect for lovers of the outdoors.

Artist Lucy Spence grew up in rural North Yorkshire and has a selection of cards influenced by her country upbringing.

Poignant pieces

T: 07763 239731 www.mudmagpie.co.uk

All about the print ANIMALS and flowers are the distinctive images artist printmaker Kerry Tremlett has turned into greetings cards from her original lino cuts and monotypes.

Kerry’s cards come with a variety of high quality pearlescent envelopes in a cellophane bag.

T: 01392 832825 www.kerrytremlett.co.uk

Special accessories I LOVE Nice Cards have a collection of photographic cards for all occasions which are quite special as founder Leonie Huie-Martin uses personal accessories and trinkets from trips all over the world to collectively design an assortment of gorgeous images themed for lovers of accessories, the arts, style and colour.

www.ilovenicecards.com

A star is born CLARE Maddicott Publications don’t normally publish photographic cards but when they saw the beautiful work of art photographer Julie Mosley, they just had to commission a range.

Julie, who works under the JAM Photography label, produced Wishing On A Star exclusively for the publishers earlier this year.

The 12-strong range of 160x160mm cards feature beguiling and exquisite images of children combined with life-affirming quotes.

PG Live stand 300 – T: 01638 569050 www.maddicott.com

CAMDEN Graphics, part of the UK Greetings family, are renowned for their modern, contemporary styling and simple but evocative editorial.

The brand continually review and refresh their ranges to ensure they remain up to date and relevant to the consumer.

Where previously art cards were considered quite niche, changes in trends, tastes and preferences has lead to more consumers buying and admiring artwork.

Camden pride themselves on delivering iconic and poignant pieces in their wonderful greetings card portfolio, whether photographic or classic, illustrative or modern – there’s something for everyone.

Camden Originals is a perfect example, the 159x159mm range is beautiful, unique, eye-catching, imaginative and has plenty of rack appeal.

UK Greetings have worked with a wide range of high quality artists to create a brand-new collection of 23 designs, which will launch in July 2015.

PG Live stand 240 – T: 01924 465200 www.ukgreetings.co.uk

Follow the nature trail NOW the weather in the UK is improving it’s time to get out into the countryside.

Anyone who loves animals will enjoy Nigel Quiney Publication’s range of fine art cards focusing on birds and animals in the British countryside. This range has recently had an injection of new designs including a fun goat and very cute piglet.

The range consists of beautiful acrylic illustrations complemented with a highquality silver envelope, wrapped in a cello bag with a full colour label. Each design has been left blank on the inside.

PG Live stand 221 – T: 01799 520200 www.nigelquiney.com

What’s in a name?

Naively drawn

ALPHABET letters crop up everywhere for Jon Scurrah now he can see them!

The photographer has worked out that all sorts of items can be seen to form letters and he uses the images to make name designs for greetings cards.

THE 12 designs in the Hand Drawn range from Coulson Macleod feature illustrations and text in a naïve style, perfect for the art card genre.

The cards are blank inside and come cello-wrapped with a white envelope.

T: 07729 326336 www.namephrame.co.uk

48 www.greetingstoday.co.uk

PG Live stand 112 – T: 01536 482771 www.coulsonmacleod.com

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BRITISHCRAFTTRADEFAIRREVIEW

Brit of all right Greetings cards are becoming more and more popular in the world of UK-based designer makers with the most number of exhibitors yet at this year’s British Craft Trade Fair. The 40th event, held at the Great Yorkshire Showground, Harrogate, from April 12-14, saw no less than 57 of the 480plus exhibitors showing cards at the showcase for British art and design. The very successful fair also saw the annual awards, with Sandra Young Glass winning the Wow Factor as voted by her fellow exhibitors, while the best newcomer was Hayley Beckley. the BCTF Award For Excellence went to Rebecca A Hill, Fabulous Felt won the The Giftware Association Award, Claire Troughton the British Jewellery Association Award, the Attire Accessories Award went to LV Made In England, and Lucy Alice Designs won the Gift Focus Award.

● Isabel Martinson Giftware Association

● Kerry Tremlett Kerry Tremlett Printmaker

● Anna O’Neill Boxroom Press

● Simon Wadsworth Wraptious

● Hannah Stoney Yellowstone Art Boutique

● Janna Cossettini Deckled Edge

● Jenny Ulyatt Jenny Ulyatt Design

● Grace Thomson Rhombus & Pineapple

● Catrin Dudfield Remnant Black ● Caroline Price Caroline Loves ● Gemma Stay, Just Gemma

● Emma Smalley Temporary Measure

● Laura Mirjami, Mirjami Design

www.facebook.com/greetingstodaymag @greetingstoday

● Kimberli Werner, The Red Corvid

den ● Claire McFad k oc rc He n & Aliso Lucious Plum

● Marion Boddy-Evans Isle Of Skye Art Studio

www.greetingstoday.co.uk 49

● Characters – Chris LeonardMorgan with the Shachihata pens

LONDONSTATIONERYSHOWREVIEW

Making their mark T

HE Art File may have been firsttime exhibitors at the London Stationery Show but the greetings card publishers made their mark immediately when their Triple Notecard Pack were commended in the awards.

A panel of leading industry buyers reviewed more than 250 new products over the first day of the two-day show, on April 28, before announcing the winners and two commended products in each of eight categories.

Lime Stationery & Art earned the Judges’ Award because their product range drives sales, and also the range of innovative and different products they offer to smaller independents which they would otherwise never be able to access.

They also took the top prizes in the Notebooks & Journals and Novelty categories as well as in Social Stationery where The Art File were commended.

Fellow first-time exhibitors SemiKolon, now owned by Leuchtteurm 1917, did well too, taking top prize in the Filing & Storage category, while Go Stationery picked up two awards, in the Licensed and the Diaries, Calendars & Organisers categories.

The results were announced at the fifth annual London Stationery Show at the Business Design Centre in Islington – and all the entries and winners were displayed in the entrance over the final day on April 29, which was also the first-ever World Stationery Day. Henri Davis, independent retail advisor and Greetings Today columnist, chaired the judging panel for the fifth year running and was assisted by Pamela Cartwright, stationery buyer at Paperchase; Greetings Today columnist Jo Barber, of the Stationery & Gift Boutique, Bedfordshire: Katy Golden, WH Smith Direct category manager for stationery & gifts; Jo Irons, buying director of Bureau Direct, and Abel Dos Santos, gifts and stationery buyer at Foyles Bookshop.

Henri said: “This is definitely the most exciting year so far for the Stationery Awards. We’ve seen a great crosssection of products and suppliers which makes the whole process very interesting for the judges.

“And yet again, the reaction of the judges to the products they see and their immediate determination to

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The awards proved a great way to get new products in front of buyers at biggest London Stationery Show yet – and Paperchase presentation goes down very well along with Scarlet Opus trends forecasting insights.

seek out suppliers after judging, proves that entering the awards is an excellent way to get your product seen.”

The show itself was the biggest yet with 134 exhibitors against last year’s 116, and attracted over 20 per cent more visitors including retailers from as far afield as New Zealand. It is the trade element of National Stationery Week, the UK-wide consumer campaign which ran from April 27-May 3 to encourage people to share what they like about stationery and encourage more to write by hand.

● Embracing digital – David Bateman and Pam Cartwright from Paperchase, and the array of awards entries, left “The exhibition looked fantastic and had a great atmosphere and sense of community – exhibitors put on a great show, and the amount of new product on offer was inspiring,” said show director Chris Leonard-Morgan.

There was huge interest in the seminar by Scarlet Opus’ Phil Pond, who identifying the trends for spring/summer 2016, and explained how trend forecasters work by identifying future patterns and fashions then translating this information in to practical ideas for shop merchandising and creating an outstanding consumer shopping experience.

The earlier presentation by Paperchase chief operating and financial officer David Bateman and stationery buyer Pamela Cartwright gave a fascinating insight into the continuing success of the well-known British retail brand and how they’re embracing the digital explosion rather than allowing it to kill off stationery – full coverage of this is on www.greetingstoday.co.uk

www.stationeryshow.co.uk www.nationalstationeryweek.com

All wrapped up for next year THE London Stationery Show already has its fresh, distinctive new look for the 2016 edition all wrapped up – along with the announcement of a new dedicated area for gift packaging.

The exhibition, which has grown every year since its launch, will open for its sixth year on Tuesday and Wednesday, April 26-27 2016 at the Business Design Centre, London during National Stationery Week from April 25May 1, with the second World Stationery Day on the Wednesday.

The new look is more modern, clean and stylish with the logo utilising a pen nib icon in bright pink in its presentation.

“We wanted the look of the show to better reflect today’s market and be in keeping with the products which are so

creative and aspirational,” commented show director Chris Leonard-Morgan, “we will introduce new colours for different parts of the marketing campaign.”

The 2016 show also sees the introduction of the new Wrap It! dedicated area for gift packaging.

Wrapping paper and tissue, gift boxes, bags, bows and ribbons are all an integral part of many retailers’ stationery offer and departments, such as John Lewis, with many suppliers also having a limited stationery offer.

“We are providing mainly gift packaging and wrap suppliers the opportunity to show together in one place alongside complementary paper products, rather than being all spread about,” Chris added.

“It’s a logical sales growth area for stationers and retailers of stationery, as well as the exhibition, and will be a significant addition to our offer for visitors.”

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LONDONSTATIONERYSHOWREVIEW

● Kids’ stuff – Jim Patel was looking for children’s products to expand his stock at J Howells Stationers in Biggleswade, Beds

● Interesting event – Blue Eyed Sun’s Jeremy Corner and Amanda Fergusson from Caroline Gardner visited especially for the Paperchase presentation, while The Art File’s James and Ged Mace were exhibiting their stationery offer for the first time

● A good show was had by all – Lime Stationery & Art’s Michael Owen (right) with their four trophies and, clockwise from top left, Tracy Schotness at SemiKolon, Paul Harris and John James at BrownTrout, Sarah Watts at Two Little Boys, Otter House’s Phil Barton, Sambro’s Adam Leaver, Dhruman Shah and Paul Collins from Enveco, Francis Bodiam at Flame Tree Publishing, MGL’s Eddie Clark and Alan Williams, and Kevin Longstaff from Pyramid International

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Eyeing up a headache There are lots of things about being a greetings card retailer that can drive you nuts but, for Bruno Citra, of Buying Wild in Queensferry, Deeside, it’s the teeny, tiny, miniscule product codes printed on the back of greetings cards – to the anoraks and techies out there, that would be page four.

“

HOW’S your eyesight? Mine’s 20/20 vision – which I can prove, because I’ve just had it tested by a well-known chain of opticians – but at times I still struggle to read some of those product codes. What a blasted pain they are!

I really have an issue with the size of the product codes printed on page four of the cards I take from one of the bigger publishers.

I’ll not mention any names as they’re by no means the only culprit, but they form a major part of my business at Buying Wild Cards & Gifts and, while they sell well, they do give me a real headache.

The type is around 2mm high – which is around 5pt in type size terms – and, according to this publisher, they reckon it’s an industry standard. This may be the case but, one thing is for sure, I struggle to read their codes.

Which person(s) within these companies decided on such small print? I think they’d soon make changes if they were made to check these codes off on a daily basis!

After an hour or so checking off codes against the delivery note, much less a day when a massive order comes in, I feel generally uncomfortable from trying to focus on the ridiculously-small type certain big publishers have taken to using.

Actually, within the industry there doesn’t seem to be a standard size, layout or position for these codes. Many other companies use a slightly bolder font, or increase it to just under 3mm which is over 8pt and a normal newspaper or magazine print size, some use a slightly different colour, or place it in an area on page four that means it doesn’t clash with any other codes or numbers printed on the card. All credit to them.

In short then, I don’t have much of an issue with product codes used by certain other companies, they seem easier to find and read so I’m able to cross reference the stock against the dispatch note easily, clear the shop floor of delivered stock and either display it quickly in the racks or, if it’s seasonal product, store it briefly prior to the forthcoming occasion.

● All opinions expressed in Your Shout are the personal views of the named writer. We can’t promise to print everything we receive – especially not if it could land anyone in a libel court! – but we will read through everything submitted for consideration. If you have something to say please email your thoughts to tracey@lemapublishing.co.uk

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Checking off stock in this manner is not a quick procedure, and time is one thing I do not have in abundance.

I, and my fellow retailers, need to get stock checked off and either stored or displayed as quickly as possible. We also need to provide feedback to the publisher regarding any possible shortages, damages, non-delivery etc, as soon as possible.

It shouldn’t take days to check off a delivery but, when receiving seasonal product of around 600 designs, that’s exactly what it can take – especially when trying to read such small print on a red or green background like that usually used for Christmas and Valentine’s designs. The black, red, green etc, seem to fight each other and really play havoc with the eyes. In these cases it would most certainly be much better if the codes were larger and bolder It’s a task I really don’t look forward to as the difficulty of reading such codes is magnified when trying to read them under fluorescent lights and wrapped in plastic – what a headache.

With difficult-to-read codes on the cards, often the boxes are packed willy-nilly, and on the accompanying advice note the product codes are usually typed too close together, all combine to it this a lengthy, tedious, eyeaching chore.

Good stock control and housekeeping requires the retailer to check the codes against the list of goods sent so it’s something that needs to be done unfortunately so, surely, companies should think about the retailer when they design and print such minuscule numbers – it would actually help them for retailers to be able to work more efficiently and provide any necessary feedback as quickly as possible.

If you’re reporting a shortage or picking error to the supplier they generally ask for, among other things, the product code in question – so the retailer has no choice but to check the product codes against the dispatch note and not take the short cut of just counting the quantity of price codes received.

I’m very interested to know whether other retailers also have an issue with the size of these product codes. A bit of feedback would be helpful as we could then pressure the various culprits to make positive changes to the size, making them easier to read.

There’s even possibly a little bit of health and safety at work here, as straining to read these things can’t be good for the eyes – I really pity those that struggle with their eyesight!

”

T: 01244 816848 www.buyingwild.co.uk

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Artists’ directory If you are an artist/cartoonist/illustrator/verse writer or image library and would like to be part of this feature contact the advertsing department on 01442 289930 for more details.

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PRODUCT & SERVICES DIRECTORY GREETINGS CARD PUBLISHERS & PARTY PRODUCT SUPPLIERS To advertise To call advertise Ian MacFarlaine call 01442 on 289930 01442 289940

spotlight

A selection of this month’s latest releases

● ROLL wrap is available to order from Caroline Gardner for the first time as they launch the range with four designs – the iconic Hearts, gorgeous new Ditsy and two fab festive patterns for Christmas.

Ready to ship in July, each roll includes 30 metres of 80gsm wrap, and is supplied with a sleek and sturdy display box.

The latest sheet wrap fits right in with the ever-popular trend of pineapples while still carrying Caroline Gardner’s distinct style, with her innovative colour palette and quirky sense of placement, the yellow polka dots and sketched fruit really catch the eye.

They have the Calligraphy brand-new card range stemming from the ancient art of handwriting where each design has been created by hand, using a special dip nib pen.

All 12 cards are teamed with gorgeous modern graphics and have a stunning debossed gold foil

finish and extra luxurious touch to cover a range of key occasions such as birthday, congratulations and thank you.

The successful Muchly Lovely range has grown with a bright and jolly set of 10 fun die-cut children’s age one to five cards adorned with lovable owls, birds and dog characters and the famous scalloped edges and distinctive Caroline Gardner colour palette.

T: 020 8288 9696 www.carolinegardner.com

T: 0844 357 6091

● AMPERSANDS is a new range of 12 eyecatching occasions cards from Luck & Judgement, including Hopes & Dreams, Always & Forever, You & Me, Cake & Candles and Sugar & Spice.

Luck & Judgement also have Cheeky Chops, a cute new range of animal greetings cards featuring many of your favourite pets. Meet Podgy Pug, Tricksy Tomcat, Cheekie Choccie Labradog, Marmalade Moggie and their adorable pet friends.

Ideal for the animal lover, these cards are beautifully illustrated by hand then digitally finished.

Both 127x127mm ranges are printed on a sturdy 300gsm FSC certified board with cards individually wrapped and GS1 barcoded, with an 80p trade price ex-VAT.

T: 07919 228669 www.shop.luckandjudgement.com ● QUIRKY new postcards from Ohh Deer are great for a birthday greeting, pinning on the wall or making friends jealous while you’re on holiday.

The A6 postcards are made in the UK and designed by Ohh Deer co-founder Jamie Fobert. They’re available now at 75p each.

T: 01509 812075 www.ohhdeer.com

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A selection of this month’s latest releases

spotlight

PRODUCT & SERVICES DIRECTORY GREETINGS CARD PUBLISHERS & PARTY PRODUCT SUPPLIERS To advertise call Ian MacFarlaine on 01442 289940

● TWO new collections have been released by Cinnamon Aitch, the charmingly modern Gypsy and elegant Cornflower, both sold in sixes, individually cello-wrapped with coordinating envelopes.

Gypsy is a bohemian new range, featuring 16 beautiful die-cut designs with unique edges and apertures, that are a mixture of birthdays and occasions, including wedding, engagement, baby boy and girl.

This is a charmingly modern collection inspired by the free-spirited tradition of folkloric imagery with ornate and gaily-decorated birds and flowers vibrant in a warm and bright collage of mustards, fuchsias and turquoise, as they contrast against a crisp white textured board.

Whimsical birds and flowers and naïve hand-lettering lend a naïve charm, while luxurious finishes of textured printing, foiling and embossing accentuate the elaborate detail of the B6 cards sold at 93p, RRP £2.25.

The idea for Cornflower germinated and bloomed into this striking collection of 18 chic, modern designs inspired by organic forms, then pared down to botanical silhouettes, simple geometrics and abstract blocks of colour.

The elegant shades of golden yellow, gentle grey-blue and midnight tones make up a distinctly sophisticated colour palette, inspired by wild cornflowers springing up among the hedgerows and fields.

The 130x130mm cards are £1.25 each, RRP £2.99, with a mixture of birthdays, occasions and blanks in this contemporary collection of modern graphic patterning and bold dimensional detail that is simply blooming with luxurious finishes. Embossed graphic backgrounds are combined with die cut apertures and 3D flowers, all secured and decorated with message tags and metallic rivets.

T: 0121 7736833 www.cinnamonaitch.co.uk ● STICKBOTS is a new greetings range of simple but wickedly funny sitcom jokes by seasoned graphic designer Adam Randall.

Using strong, bold colours and designs, Stickbots play out both contemporary and traditional jokes and their deadpan style of delivery is perfect for their material and quirky sense of humour.

The success of the first Swoosh range has led to a second range of Stickbots Sports photocards. There are 18 cards in both ranges, 150x150mm, printed on coated 280gsm FSC board and supplied wrapped with white envelopes.

T: 01394 271668 www.showcasegreetings.co.uk www.facebook.com/greetingstodaymag @greetingstoday

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PRODUCT & SERVICES DIRECTORY GREETINGS CARD PUBLISHERS & PARTY PRODUCT SUPPLIERS To advertise call 01442 289930

spotlight ● POLDARK has reminded people just how beautiful Cornwall is, and new cards and calendars from Evocative Cornwall are available for everyone to enjoy the scenery.

Charlestown Harbour near St Austell stars on the front cover of the Evocative Cornwall 2016 Calendar and was one of the filming locations for the just-aired TV series – with photographer Sarah Lay leaning precariously over a big drop into the harbour to capture the shot.

Designs that will get your customers coming back for more!

Life quotes to make them laugh out loud

All our designs are tried and tested in an award winning store Ramblingmansion.co.uk contact@ramblingmansion.co.uk

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A selection of this month’s latest releases

Sarah has also produced The Newlyn Artists Calendar 2016, in conjunction with Penlee House Gallery and Museum in Penzance, and jumping on the TV bandwagon, she’s come up with the Poldark Country range of eight blank greetings cards – all lovely pictures in their own right which just happen to have been taken around the filming locations.

T: 01736 788355 www.evocativecornwall.co.uk

● ALLIHOPA have responded to their growing customer base with a new online trade shop for their design-led cards and giftwrap.

Their brand growth has increased immensely with their creations stocked in more than 350 national retailers and an excellent reception for their Festive Flurry Christmas 2015 range at Top Drawer Spring.

Other popular new collections include Acorn Woods, a whimsical,

light-hearted journey of forest friends that plays with textures and pops of colour; Oodles, a freeflowing, masculine, graphic approach to design aimed at the overlooked male audience; the bright yummy palette of Something Sweet that’s sprinkled with laughter, and the heart-warming and humorous Ripples collection.

● FOUR new ranges with five styles are now available from Hotchpotch, part of Carte Blanche Group.

So Macho is a new nine-strong contemporary male range that incorporates strong male icons with illustration and hand-drawn lettering, finished with silver foil.

The feminine Apricot Blush range incorporates fashionable patterns and trendy colours including a neon pink Pantone and designs are finished with a satin gold foil.

Bellissimo is a bright and trendy female offering that incorporates a vibrant colour palette and handdrawn lettering along with the bold use of gold foil and flitter finishes.

There are two styles within the new Morello brand, designed and created in the Hotchpotch London studio, using finest quality crystals and coloured sequins and proudly printed, foiled and flittered in the UK. The larger female card styles features gold foil and flitter with a bespoke, high-quality grey patterned envelope. The smaller cards have a lower price point with both male and female birthday and relations designs featuring trendy copper foil while the feminine birthday captions also have neon iridescent pink flitter.

T: 01792 361 251 www.allihopatrade.co.uk

T: 020 8941 0126 www.hotchpotchpublishing.com

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gifts spotlight A selection of the latest gift releases and deals ● THINKING Gifts, the book accessory and novelty stationery company, have added 13 exciting new products from their in-house designers to their range for 2015.

These include five new book accessories – the Flexilight, the new and improved Iconic bookchair range, Linemarker bookmarks, Booktopus bookholder and the new and updated flexible magnifiers.

There are also eight new and improved items in the novelty stationery collection, including a range of fun desk accessories and quirky sticky notes.

There are also new sticky notes, including popcorn, cheezy, paper plane and origami, that will make great gifts for children or brighten up a desk and are already proving a hit with customers.

T: 0845 430 4500 www.thinkinggifts.com ● PITCH Black, Death Poker and Calavera are Cartamundi’s newest and most striking approach to designs for playing cards aimed at the teenage and young adult market, with all packs retailing at £3.99.

The Calavera deck references the vibrant colours and smiling skulls made from sugar or clay used in the Mexican celebration of the Day Of The Dead; Pitch Black goes for a minimalist approach, combining a deep black background with thin lines and geometrical shapes in white or red while the Death Poker range uses ornate illustrations of skulls and jewels to striking effect.

PRODUCT & SERVICES DIRECTORY GREETINGS CARD PUBLISHERS & PARTY PRODUCT SUPPLIERS To advertise call 01442 289930

INDEPENDENTLY AUDITED

CIRCULATION 6,089 July 1, 2013June 20, 2014

display services

+32 (0)14 42 02 01 www.cartamundi.com ● IF YOU’RE looking for something cutting edge, fun and affordable to drive your sales, distributors Tobar have the Magic Tattoos merchandise from Blue Sky. These temporary tattoos come to life using augmented reality available via a free app for Apple and Android devices allowing the wildlife to come to life – there are gorillas and dinosaurs, fairies fly and the cute puppies dance There are two packs at £4 SRP, Fantasy and Adventure, and each one comes with 24 different temporary tattoos perfect for parties and sharing.

T: 0844 573 4299 www.tobar.co.uk ● A NEW tinware range from Lesser & Pavey encompasses a full selection of kitchenware accessories as well as a fine china and fabric elements in the form of mugs, melamine trays and oven gloves.

There are tea, coffee, sugar and bread containers, each one of excellent quality, with the illustration under licence from Jennifer Rose and gift packaged for presentation and display purposes.

T: 01322 279225 www.leonardo.co.uk www.facebook.com/greetingstodaymag @greetingstoday

Saunders Displays Point of sales display stands for every retail environment.

Tel: 0208 594 7221 www.saundersdisplays.co.uk

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bags

envelopes

OVER 30 YEARS SERVICE TO THE GREETING CARD TRADE

BAGS from

Wrapid Producers of high clarity, high quality bags for over 30 years direct to the greeting card and stationery trade sales@wrapid.co.uk www.wrapid.co.uk 01274 220 220

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