Leader

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leader Editor Naomi MacKay

This issue marks a full year since I took over the reins of Greetings Today - and it’s certainly been an eventful 12 months, as Covid restrictions finally came to an end, trade shows began again in earnest, and the revolving doors at Number 10 went into hyperdrive!

Since our last issue, the Greetings Today team has had the pleasure of attending the GCA conference in Nottingham, and the Henries Awards - and it was great to meet so many of you at these events.

The people who get out and about more than most are the card agents - who drive up and down the country representing publishers and designers and meeting retailers on a regular basis. We thought that these hard-working folk needed more recognition, so I’m delighted that Richard Pass has written a new Diary column for this issue, so that we can gain more awareness of what is involved in the job.

Someone else who has been busy travelling is Sarah Laker - the owner of two Cheshire shops: Stationery Supplies. She was invited to join an influencers and bloggers tour at Nuremberg’s Insights-X stationery show, and has penned a report for Greetings Today about what she learned there.

When this magazine drops through your letterbox - or pops up online at www.greetingstoday.media - I know our readers will be slap bang in the middle of their busiest time. Retailers will be selling all kinds of festive fare, and publishers will be getting their latest designs ready for the start of the 2023 trade shows, kicking off in January with Top Drawer and Harrogate Christmas & Gift and heading into February’s Spring Fair. We’ve included a handy guide to the key shows in our news section, so you can get out your brand spanking new 2023 diaries and start pencilling in the dates!

Talking of dates, don’t forget about Festive Friday on December 2 - the day when the greeting card industry encourages the public to start sending Christmas cards. We’d love to hear from you if you have something special organised.

I know times are worrying - with energy bills rising, the drop in the pound, and a general lack of consumer confidence - but, as I’ve heard from so many of you over the past couple of months, the greeting cards industry is resilient.

Consumers may cut back on a gift, but they will always choose a special card to send to show they are thinking of their friends and family. And WH Smith, when announcing recently that it is in its ‘strongest-ever’ position, stated that: “The market for greeting cards in the UK is substantial and estimated at £1.6 billion, with online penetration continuing to grow. The market has been stable, with adults sending on average 20 cards per person each year.’’ I hope all our retailers see this come to fruition as we head towards Christmas.

If you do get a few minutes to spare in between customers, do take time to dip in and catch up with the latest products. There’s stories from retailers including Jon May at Mooch, who explains how a Cornish holiday inspired him to start his own shop; The Black Card Company, which is championing creatives from the black community, and not just a shop, which is starting new designers off on their journeys. And, in our artist focus, find out how Alaina Foster’s The Chip Fork and Paws For Thought brands were inspired by one cheeky seagull!

As always, I’m more than happy to hear from readers who would like to take part in our features, interviews and news pages. Contact me at naomi@lemapublishing.co.uk.

It just remains for me and the rest of the Greetings Today team to wish you all a Merry Christmas and a profitable New Year!

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