Stationery Matters Spring/Summer 2018 by Max Publishing: Print, Digital Media + Events (London)

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IN THE LOOP: THE MODERN CALLIGRAPHY CRAZE BOX OF DELIGHTS: THE RISE OF SUBSCRIPTION SERVICES

DEPARTMENT STORE FOCUS: EXPERIENTIAL SELLING

PROFILE: LUCY EDMONDS OF QUILL LONDON

PLAN YOUR VISIT TO LONDON STATIONERY SHOW

CONTENTS

7 NEWS All the latest industry news, including a new section, Stationery+ 12 NATIONAL STATIONERY WEEK How the industry is working together to promote stationery and handwriting

14 LAUNCHPAD LONDON COMPETITION We reveal the 12 winners of the third LaunchPad competition 17 BOX OF DELIGHTS Julia Faiers unwraps stationery subscription boxes 20 ICONS OF STATIONERY Chris Leonard-Morgan on Silvine’s ‘Little Red Books’ 22 EXPERIENCE, NOT SELLING Charlotte Kemp on how bringing theatre in store is a win-win for retailers 27 POWER POINT Trend watch: pencils

Editor’s Letter

It’s hard to ignore the doomsday talk in the media about the future of retail on the UK high street. Stationery Matters readers will find none of that here, as we highlight the positives in a challenging retail environment. As Charlotte Kemp reveals in her feature on experiential retail, one way of staying ahead is to bring exciting new experiences into the business of selling stationery. Just look at what Waitrose is doing, for example, piloting in-store evening yoga sessions. Instead of yoga mats, think calligraphy workshops, which you can read about in Henri Davis’ feature on the ascension of modern calligraphy. For an extra boost of positivity, there’s much to celebrate in the award-winning young brands of the LaunchPad London competition, a peek into the working lives of our Thirty Under 30 Star Choices, and a host of exciting new products to read about in the Show Preview of the upcoming London Stationery Show in April.

Front cover features the A5 PB notebook from the bestselling new collection from Rose Quartz at GO Stationery, www.gostationery.net London Stationery Show STAND M401

28 MODERN CALLIGRAPHY Henri Davis on the current craze for cursive

LONDON STATIONERY SHOW PREVIEW 53 STATIONERY X DESIGNER Why we can’t get enough of designer collaborations 55 RETAIL GOES DIGITAL Chris Partridge on the digital tools retailers are using to grow sales 59 THE PERSONAL TOUCH Trend watch: social stationery 61 THIRTY UNDER 30 At work with… the judges’ Star Choices of the Class of 2017 S P R I N G // S U M M E R 2 0 1 8 3

CONTENTS

7 NEWS All the latest industry news, including a new section, Stationery+ 12 NATIONAL STATIONERY WEEK How the industry is working together to promote stationery and handwriting

Editor’s Letter

Front cover features the A5 PB notebook from the bestselling new collection from Rose Quartz at GO Stationery, www.gostationery.net London Stationery Show STAND M401

28 MODERN CALLIGRAPHY Henri Davis on the current craze for cursive

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STATIONERY BIZ OUR CONTRIBUTORS Charlotte Kemp Stationery magpie Charlotte Kemp is editor of Femail Magazine at the Daily Mail and has a penchant for ink pens, notebooks and elegant leather pencil cases. She was previously editor of Stationery Magazine and continues to contribute to Stationery Matters. Chris Leonard-Morgan Chris is the founder of the London Stationery Show, National Stationery Week,World Stationery Day and the ‘Writing Matters’ campaign. He is a Liveryman of The Stationers’ Company. He also founded the London DIY Show and was one of the founders of Exclusively Housewares of which he is still a director. Henri Davis Henri has worked in the retail industry for 30 years, and in stationery since 1990, as a stationery buyer for WHSmith until 2003. Now an independent retail advisor in the cards, gifts, stationery and heritage industries, she works with many small and medium-sized businesses. She is currently chairman of The Giftware Association. Michael Weedon Michael Weedon has a deep background in independent retail as a trade association director, writer, media commentator, speaker and representative to government of small business. He is managing director of Exp2 Ltd, which researches, reports and publishes ‘big picture’ stories about the dynamics of the UK retail landscape. Chris Partridge Chris started writing about technology when phones were wired to the wall, research involved long hours in the library and tweets were strictly for the birds. He edited the technology supplements of the Sunday Times and the Daily Telegraph and now works freelance covering technology trends for The Times and Woman’s Weekly. Rebecca Saunders Rebecca is an independent retail and ecommerce consultant, having recently run Stationery,Weddings and Christmas at Notonthehighstreet.com. She is a former John Lewis buyer and has worked across Food, Technology, Jewellery, Beauty and Baby & Child. She started her career in finance and strategy. Faika Khurram Faika Khurram is a retail analyst, consultant and trainer with a retail background in merchandising. Her last role was at Paperchase, where she was a merchandise manager for 10 years. She now manages her own business, FKP Consultancy, helping clients to build sales and stock management processes, and deliver retail training.

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G I F T E D F O R G E N E R AT I O N S . G U A R A N T E E D F O R L I F E .

CONTENTS

While every care has been taken for accuracy in the contents of this magazine, the publisher accepts no responsibility or liability for any errors or omissions. No part of this publication may be copied or stored in a retrieval system without the express permission of the publisher. Views expressed are not necessarily those of the publisher. Copyright: Ocean Media Exhibitions Ltd 2017. Stationery Matters is available free of charge to directors, buyers, merchandise managers, store managers and department managers of retailers and suppliers of stationery products in the UK. No part of this publication may be reproduced without the written permission of the publishers.

67 TABLETS VERSUS PAPER Chris Partridge on the digital version of paper with benefits 70 TRADE SHOW SPOTLIGHT Henri Davis searches out the trends in the first spring trade shows 72 THE STATIONERY MARKET WRAPPED UP Rebecca Saunders on the highs and lows of stationery retailers’ 2017 trading results 75 STATE OF THE HIGH STREET Michael Weedon explains the changing nature of the high street, offering advice and hope to retailers 76 SMALL BUSINESS FOCUS Meticulous Ink, Bath 80 SPRING INTO STORE Faika Khurram on what the big stationery retailers are showcasing this spring 82 LAST WORD We interview Lucy Edmonds, founder of Quill London Editor: Julia Faiers editor@stationerymatters.news Sales & circulation manager: Hazel Fieldwick hazel.fieldwick@oceanmedia.co.uk Sales executive: David Rebelo david.rebelo@oceanmedia.co.uk Art director: Jon Wainwright Marketing manager: Vanessa Fortnam info@stationerymatters.news Publisher: Tim Willoughby tim.willoughby@oceanmedia.co.uk Stationery Matters is published twice a year by Ocean Media Exhibitions Ltd, One Canada Square, Canary Wharf, London E14 5AP Tel: +44 (0) 20 7772 8461 email: info@stationerymatters.news

Twitter: @StatMatters Web: www.stationerymatters.news

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Twitter: @StatMatters Web: www.stationerymatters.news

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NEWS See writing and paper products brought to life at the London and Manchester Stationery Shows. Enjoy selecting fabulously fashionable stationery and gifts from leading UK and worldwide brands and discover a wealth of fresh thinking and original styles to inspire you and your customers. Fill your shelves with great gifts, irresistible treats and smart essentials and pick up invaluable global trend and sector intelligence to help develop your business.

Quirky online retailer Ohh Deer celebrates its seventh birthday this year with an extra-large slice of cake and the opening of two physical stores. Stationery Matters caught up with cofounder Jamie Mitchell to ask him how the journey’s been so far… Happy 7th birthday! How did it all start?

It all started with Mark [Callaby] having a spare day. I suggested he use it to make a bit more money by doing something creative. However, I ended up pinching the idea because my degree didn’t lead to a job I enjoyed. So I worked for a year in industry to earn some money, which we then translated into our first batch of products. I quit work, ditched my degree and moved back to Loughborough from London to work on Ohh Deer. The intention originally was just to pay our rent. Ohh Deer has flourished in a relatively short time. What’s the secret?

It has been successful, but it’s weird, we’re so in the zone we haven’t really noticed. It’s been like having a child – because you see it every day it’s seemed the same size. Only once in a while you look at it all, with everyone beavering away, to remember that it was just you in your grandparents’ loft six years ago. I put the magic down to very dedicated staff and lots of brilliant ideas. We’ve made plenty of mistakes, but we’ve always adapted our response.

Tell us about your new stores!

We have one connected to the HQ in Loughborough and another in Ipswich, which is a lot more central. Why Loughborough and Ipswich? That’s what most people ask! Mark, the other director, is from Ipswich and I’m from Loughborough, so it makes sense. What made you decide to go into physical stores when the high street is so challenging right now?

We wanted to test the water. A lot of high-street stores struggle because their online side is lagging a bit. We’d started from a web store, so wanted to see if that affected the equation. We currently have no future plans for additional shops if that paints a picture! What can we expect from Ohh Deer over the next seven years?

It’s going to get more refined, bigger and better. Like I said, no plans for more physical locations, but the team is going to grow a lot, we’re looking more internationally, too. We’re looking to become a destination website for what we do – we’ve a way to go yet, but that’s the objective. www.ohhdeer.com

How has your business strategy evolved since you started in 2011?

The business strategy at the beginning was, and still is about social presence. Luckily when we started it was much easier to be seen on social media platforms. Now it’s like trying to navigate an assault course of ever-changing obstacles. But we have a good foundation so it’s not been quite so bad. I believe in the power of quality products. If you get those right, then it’s a just a case of layering the sales processes after that. We’re still always working to produce the best product to RRP ratio. How do you make the different aspects of Ohh Deer work together?

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Everything interlinks, but we do strategise as if they’re three or four different businesses, which can sometimes be difficult. The trade sales side is completely separate to the web sales side, with different objectives and methods of getting ‘the sale.’ The physical shops were a bit of a departure from that model too, but fortunately we have good managers in place, so we’ve been able to let them roll with that while we work on the main beast.

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Tell us about your new stores!

How has your business strategy evolved since you started in 2011?

REGISTER NOW for the LONDON STATIONERY SHOW stationeryshow.co.uk Add Manchester 2018 to your show diary now 6 S P R I N G // S U M M@StationeryBytes ER 2018

@stationeryshowsUK

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NEWS Launching Thirty Under 30 Awards 2018

Following the success of the inaugural awards at the Manchester Stationery Show in October 2017, Stationery Matters is excited to announce the launch of this year’s Thirty Under 30 Awards. The new initiative seeks to find and support the crème de la crème of young professionals working in the stationery industry today. The Class of 2017, which featured in the AW17 issue of this magazine, covered roles as diverse as shop assistants, marketing executives and start-up founders. Flick to page 61 of this issue to find out how the judges’ Star Choices of 2017 bring spirit and dedication to their working day.Visitors to the London Stationery Show in April can look at a ‘Class of 2017’ display and pick up an application form to enter the 2018 Awards.

Pentema brings Japanese style to the UK

Award-winning Japanese brand Meister by POINT has appointed Suffolk-based Pentema as its exclusive UK distributor. The new distribution partnership is based on a long-standing relationship between the companies that spans 30 years. Pentema’s sister company Brochure Holders International Ltd has for decades exported its POS products. Following a visit to its clients in Osaka, Pentema fell in love with the company’s pens and now imports them to the UK, where the appetite for Japanese stationery seems insatiable. Second-generation owner Kaz Ishikawa commented: “We are delighted to be working with Pentema Ltd to bring Meister by POINT to the UK, finally! The appreciation of Japanese products in the UK is phenomenal, so it is a very positive step for the brand expansion.” Mr Ishikawa designs much of the range himself and created the ‘Pen in Ruler’, which won the ‘Design Excellence Award’ at the 25th Annual Japanese Stationery Awards. As well as the ‘Pen in Ruler,’ Pentema Ltd is bringing other new items to the UK market from the Meister by POINT range, notably the carbon fibre ‘Shake Pen’, brilliant in its simplicity: shake the pen to reveal the nib, then shake again to retract the nib. “The Meister philosophy is to bring an element of fun and excitement to professional writing tools,” explains Adam Button, marketing manager at Pentema Ltd. “It’s about quality pens and pencils that inspire you to pick them up.” The company is also importing to the UK more traditional writing instruments in the Meister by POINT range. The Japanese company is currently working on a new high-end writing instrument, due for release in the autumn. www.pentema.co.uk

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Pilot celebrates centenary with Mika collaboration

In 2018, Pilot will be exactly 100 years old. Two Japanese naval engineers founded the company in 1918 after becoming frustrated that their fountain pen nibs quickly rusted in the sea air. And so they developed a high-quality product to overcome the problem. This innovative mindset has stayed with the company ever since, resulting in many pioneering products and international expansion. To celebrate the company’s milestone and to usher in the next 100 years in a fitting style, Pilot and pop star Mika joined together to create a colourful and zany new limited-edition collection. Pilot asked Mika to redesign three of its most iconic and bestselling ranges, the V5 Hi-Tecpoint liquid ink rollerball, the G-2 retractable gel pen and the FriXion erasable pen. The pens feature an eclectic mixture of colourful, weird and playful barrel designs inspired from pop culture themes, Pilot’s maritime origins, and candy stores. The pens have extra exclusivity in being only available during Pilot’s centenary year, 2018. Stuart Barker, marketing manager for Pilot Pen UK, comments: “We are very excited to have Mika on board to help us celebrate our 100 years birthday in a unique way for the writing instrument market. The pens look amazing and I’m sure will be extremely sought-after by both fans of Mika and those looking for a twist on the usual barrel designs of our top-selling products.” www.pilot-100years.eu

NEWS Launching Thirty Under 30 Awards 2018

Pentema brings Japanese style to the UK

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Pilot celebrates centenary with Mika collaboration

NEWS On Trend at London Stationery Show

HEX AND GINGER STATIONERY FIND US AT THE LONDON STATIONERY SHOW STAND M302

Stationery lovers, welcome home. WWW.HEXANDGINGER.COM INFO@HEXANDGINGER.COM

Photo:Taduuda on Unsplash

GDPR is coming. Are you ready? GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation) comes into force in May. Any company handling and processing data on individuals in the EU will be affected. The new legislature will change how brands and businesses capture and process consumer data and how consumers will interact with them. Scaremongering abounds, with fear about the heavy fines (4% of annual turnover) for non-compliance putting unnecessary stress on companies. A report published at the end of February by the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) shows only 8% of small businesses have completed their preparations, and that 35% are only in the early stages of preparations. Marc Davies, compliance director at LiveBuzz, spoke to Stationery Matters about GDPR and how companies can make the necessary changes in time: “GDPR is the most significant change to data protection legislation in 20 years. The legislation which comes into force on 25 May 2018 will affect all businesses large or small that process information on European citizens. “Regardless of the final outcomes of the Brexit negotiations, GDPR is here to stay. The Government has said they ‘seek to improve cyber risk management in the wider economy through its implementation of the forthcoming General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). The breach

reporting requirements and fines that can be issued under GDPR will represent a significant call to action for industry.’ Marc continues: “To aid event organisers, exhibitors at trade events and visitors to events, the LiveBuzz LiveControl platform aids businesses, as it has been built and delivered with security in mind by design and default. Its layered approach to handling the consent of data subjects aids organisations in demonstrating compliance. “The broad scope of GDPR means that whilst many organisations are taking an outward-looking approach, focusing on their marketing lists and ensuring they have established their lawfulness of processing, often using consent, performance of a contract and legitimate interest, they are failing to look inward and are not considering their internal systems, accounts and human resources for example.” Marc concludes with some sound advice. “If your organisation has not yet started down the road to compliance, please try and avoid the scaremongering and instead head to the Information Commissioner’s Office website at https:// ico.org.uk/for-organisations/guide-to-thegeneral-data-protection-regulation-gdpr/. Its “GDPR: 12 steps to take now” guide should be a must-read for those beginning their compliance journey.”

Now in its eighth year, the London Stationery Show is a two-day stationery extravaganza featuring the largest selection of paper and writing products from around the world, all under one roof. The show is upping the designer-led content for its 2018 show, introducing several enticing new features to reflect this. These include a new ‘On Trend’ display curated by trend forecasters Scarlet Opus, who will also offer guided Trend Tours of the show, and a new Good Design award added to the Stationery Awards. The London Stationery Show takes place on 24 and 25 April 2018 at the Business Design Centre in Islington, London. Turn to page 31 to discover the Show Preview and find out who’s exhibiting and what’s in store for visitors. www.stationeryshowlondon.co.uk

24-25 APRIL 2018

Marc Davies is the compliance director for LiveBuzz Limited and is a certified EU GDPR practitioner and certified information systems security professional. The LiveBuzz Group provides innovative and class-leading solutions of event registration services, data management and event staffing. www.livebuzz.co.uk

West Design: One Year on from Docrafts acquisition

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Noteworthy ‘Graphic Floral’ design, exclusive to The Range and export

One year after West Design acquired docrafts, the company has enjoyed record sales and is expanding its range with a debut stationery collection, Noteworthy. Blurring the lines between craft and stationery, Noteworthy is a new category for Dorset-based company docrafts. Sloths, stripes and florals are the key themes in three contemporary new collections in the spring range, which includes notebooks, planners, stickers and pens. Jo Bray, joint MD of West Design, adds: “The acquisition of docrafts doubled the size of the group overnight, and enabled the company to invest in sales, marketing and product development. The turnaround for docrafts has already proved its success with record sales in the last quarter of 2017. With new products coming out, re-branding of core lines and whole new ranges such as Noteworthy, the future now looks very bright for docrafts!” www.docrafts.com

NEWS On Trend at London Stationery Show

HEX AND GINGER STATIONERY FIND US AT THE LONDON STATIONERY SHOW STAND M302

Stationery lovers, welcome home. WWW.HEXANDGINGER.COM INFO@HEXANDGINGER.COM

Photo:Taduuda on Unsplash

24-25 APRIL 2018

West Design: One Year on from Docrafts acquisition

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Noteworthy ‘Graphic Floral’ design, exclusive to The Range and export

For the Love of Stationery! National Stationery Week is back for 2018 and will run from Monday, 23 to Sunday, 29 April. This year will mark the seventh time the stationery industry has worked together to promote stationery, in all its forms and uses, and the love of handwriting, to a consumer audience. Last year 74.5 million people, both online and in print, saw or heard information about National Stationery Week and the brands and products that supported it.The sixth annual campaign in 2017 whipped up a storm of media interest and an outpouring of adoration for stationery among consumers, as it does every year.

How to get involved and share the love for stationery with an even bigger audience… Join in with the daily themes of the 2018 Seven Days of Stationery, online or in store. Celebrate the myriad types and ways of using favourite writing and paper products. No cash required, just a great excuse to discover your customers’ favourite stationery. Monday 23 April: #makeanote Tuesday 24 April: #penandpencil Wednesday 25 April: #stationerytheworldover Thursday 26 April: #workhappy Friday 27 April: #aplaceforeverything Saturday 28 April: #getstuckintocrafting Sunday 29 April: #signaturesunday

With support from leading brands like Crafters Companion, Nuco, STAEDTLER, Mustard, AT Cross and the London Stationery Show, there’ll be lots of fun and games – and great prizes to win – for customers and followers.

National Stationery Week, and its #writingmatters theme, is the UK stationery market’s biggest consumer sales initiative. Its aim has always been to celebrate writing by hand, to inspire people all over the world to discuss and share details of their favourite stationery and stationers, and of course for everyone to send more letters and cards! The campaign’s 20,000-strong online community leads this, with consumer media and bloggers, suppliers, retailers, schools and the trade press all doing their bit.

To find out more visit the National Stationery Week website now – www.nationalstationeryweek.com – and join in with this great event. Run by the UK stationery industry for stationery lovers everywhere!

STATIONERY+

NEWS

Although we’re all about stationery at Stationery Matters, we’ve noticed that the trend towards the blurring of boundaries between product sectors is gaining momentum. Stationery retailers are boosting sales by expanding their product offer into complementary sectors like gift, books and craft. This was evident at Paperworld 2018, which included the quirkily named and expertly curated Mr. Books & Mrs Paper exhibition. Paperworld also aimed to inspire retailers with its Wrap up! show, demonstrating tricks and tips for effective gift wrapping incorporating the latest design trends. This issue we’re highlighting products in the craft and book sectors. Get in touch with the editor to tell us your bestselling non-stationery items, so we can share them with the industry on future Stationery+ pages. Cutting edge

The craze for mindfulness and anti-stress art therapy comes together in a new publication, Adventures in Paper Cutting. Renowned paper artist Emma Boyes joined forces with expert craft makers Katy Sue Designs to produce their first paper craft pad. Paper crafters can choose from 36 readyto-cut designs, from simple to advanced, including trees, birds, feathers, butterflies, dream catchers and more. This beautiful and practical publication will help drive a growing appreciation for the therapeutic and creative nature of paper cutting. The pad begins with a seductive premise: “Transform a single sheet of paper into a beautiful piece of art,” and provides practical tools and advice to start the beginner on their journey, including a practice cutting sheet, directions to YouTube tutorials and handy printed tips from the artist. Emma Boyes, a recent guest on Channel 4’s Kirstie’s Handmade Christmas, comments: “I love that a simple sheet of paper can be totally transformed into something truly beautiful with just a pencil, scalpel and whatever my imagination allows. I’m very excited to be working with Katy Sue Designs as this enables me to pass my passion on to those either coming to this craft for the first time or developing in their journey.” www.katysuedesigns.com

The Secret Life of The Pencil: Great Creatives and their Pencils

The pencil in all its simple glory provides the subject for this insightful and visual volume. It gives an accessible insight into the lives, minds and pencil cases of some of our best-known creatives, offering up an unusual portrait of each pencil’s owner. Published by Laurence King and with a foreword by author William Boyd, The Secret Life of The Pencil is essentially a collection of photos illustrating in juicy close-up detail a diverse and wacky range of pencils, from the modest wooden models chosen by Stephen Fry and Tracy Emin, to the precision tool favoured by James Dyson and the precious mechanical pencil made from black and pearl marble worth thousands owned by Paul Smith. Although the photos take centre stage, scattered through the book are fascinating quotes about pencils from some of their famous users. Author Alex Hammond and photographer Mike Tinney have created a book that shows with brilliant clarity why the world’s most innovative creators still choose the pencil in this digital age, presenting it as the ultimate instrument of creative freedom. www.laurenceking.com

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STATIONERY+

NEWS

The Secret Life of The Pencil: Great Creatives and their Pencils

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INTRODUCING THE LAUNCHPAD LONDON WINNERS… The judges of the second LaunchPad London competition have chosen 12 winners from more than 50 entries. Each winner will receive a free exhibition stand at the London Stationery Show in April, using it to introduce their shiny new product to the great and good of the stationery industry. Visit the LaunchPad winners on their stands to see these award-winning brands and products up close.

THE LAUNCHPAD LONDON JUDGES: Sidonie Warren, founder of design-led stationery retailer, Papersmiths

Daniel Mark Carr, global brand director of international art supplies company, Colart Nikki Strange, award-winning textile and stationery designer

And the winners are…

Clipmatic – Bristol-based company with a patent pending for its minimalist organiser that works with any spiral-bound notebook, regardless of size. Ideal for individuals or easily customised for promotional or corporate use.

Regiftwrap™ - Available in six classic colours, Regiftwrap is reusable gift wrap which maintains its good looks regardless of the number of times it is used. Each sheet is stored in its own re-usuable gift tin.

Octàgon Design – Based in Barcelona, this Spanish brand produces a range of planners, notebooks and calendars featuring a pared-back minimalist design style.They combine innovation with design and choose neat and simple shapes for their beautiful and useful objects. 1 4 S P R I N G // S U M M E R 2 0 1 8

VAU – This premium range of desktop accessories designed in Croatia is refined, understated and made from solid metal. Each piece is designed in-house and combines both traditional and contemporary technologies.

Back Pocket Notebooks – A premium quality range of pocket notebooks designed in Oxfordshire by Justin Avery to inspire and educate. The design range so far covers Web, Space, Cricket, Guitars, and will expand to cover the Solar System and Color Theory.

Not Only Polka Dots – Fun prints and cute illustrations are used across its range of notebooks, planners, calendars, clipboards, pencils, pencil cases and greeting cards. Designed in Huddersfield, many elements are currently handmade, so can be customised easily, and scaled up to meet demand.

The Curious Department – A passion for under-appreciated aesthetics found in nature and the notion of transformation led the London-based Curious Department designers to create two incredible collections of stationery – Metamorphosis and Elemental. Made from the best paper stocks and using digital foiling, they have a luxurious feel at an affordable price.

High Meadows Stationery – A range of beautiful pencil cases and desk accessories crafted to complement other high-quality stationery pieces.The company values transparency regarding heritage, provenance and workmanship, along with the use of classic materials such as waxed cotton and vegetable-tanned leather, all sourced in the UK and designed in Bolton.

BATCH.WORKS – Designed and made in East London, Hex is a new modular system to create a perfectly organised workspace, with everything easily accessible. Made from a combination of solid wood and 3D printed magnetic accessories, Hex can be customised and draws from more than 50 colour choices.

How Funny – This large range of greeting cards and prints is the work of Jez How, based in Brighton. His unique style is bright, striking and eye-catching, with every design accompanied with a funny caption and a great coloured envelope.

Type and Story – A ‘contemporary paper goods brand’ with a graphic design twist, founded by London-based graphic designer Niccy Iseman. It operates as a mini fashion house, creating two different ‘stories’ every year (spring/summer and autumn/winter) which always use typography and storytelling.The range includes notebooks, cards, notecards and wall prints.

Yo Boki – Inspired by Japanese kawaii culture, this first UK collection of Boki products will feature greeting cards, wrapping paper, notebooks, stickers, collector’s pin badges and its own activity pack and gift wrap set. It’s time for the UK to claim its own kawaii character and Boki (a little pink heart) is set to start its own wave of positive vibes for children of all ages. S P R I N G // S U M M E R 2 0 1 8 1 5

THE LAUNCHPAD LONDON JUDGES: Sidonie Warren, founder of design-led stationery retailer, Papersmiths

Daniel Mark Carr, global brand director of international art supplies company, Colart Nikki Strange, award-winning textile and stationery designer

And the winners are…

FOCUS ON: SUBSCRIPTION BOXES

BOX OF DELIGHTS

HoneyTree Post

JULIA FAIERS unwraps the stationery subscription box: a regular delivery of curated stationery through the post

Discover your own creative happiness: Mix up to 190 colour shades with the brushpen colour mixer and just 20 brushpens. Get your Colour Happy Edition from edding and let your creativity run free! So, what’s your next idea?

IT’S HARD not to feel like the birthday girl when I receive a parcel of beautiful stationery through the post wrapped like a present. I’m not expecting to be this excited. After all, it’s purely in the name of research. Isn’t it? If every customer experiences such delight when their order arrives, then this subscription box lark is actually a business model made in heaven. Original Beauty The internet subscription box model was first trialled in the US back in 2010 by innovators in the beauty game, Birchbox. Its meteoric success led to an explosion of similar services in the US and, eight years later, the subscription commerce model is booming here in the UK. The initial concept of curated beauty and makeup samples has expanded to include many other categories. Customers in the UK can now order regular, curated deliveries of food, booze, books, even artisan coffee beans and, of course, stationery. Websites like

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Come and visit us at stand M540

www.edding.com/colourhappy

My Subscription Addiction offer a comprehensive database and reviews to the growing market of consumers looking to treat themselves. Model Service Using the same principles as those first beauty boxes in the US, customers in the UK can now sign up to a wide choice of subscription services to receive curated boxes of stationery by post. The companies offering stationery subscriptions come in all shapes and sizes, reflecting the variety of stationery they deliver to their customers. Some are crowdfunded start-ups like Sherbet Lane, who create their own unique designs, others are larger players who’ve created a subscription service as an add-on to their existing retail channels, like RLB Paper Society from Roger la Borde. Others still have started off with a subscription service and evolved into other selling channels, like Spotlight Stationery, which launched Stationery & Art, an online stationery and art supplies shop, two years after it sent out its first subscription box in January 2016. The flexible business model opens up a lucrative corner of the stationery retail market once accessible only to larger operators. We’re now seeing services

WE WANTED TO START A CREATIVELY LED BUSINESS WITHOUT THE UP-FRONT COSTS OF OPENING A SHOP OR BUYING LOTS OF STOCK IN ADVANCE.

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FOCUS ON: SUBSCRIPTION BOXES

BOX OF DELIGHTS

HoneyTree Post

JULIA FAIERS unwraps the stationery subscription box: a regular delivery of curated stationery through the post

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Come and visit us at stand M540

www.edding.com/colourhappy

WE WANTED TO START A CREATIVELY LED BUSINESS WITHOUT THE UP-FRONT COSTS OF OPENING A SHOP OR BUYING LOTS OF STOCK IN ADVANCE.

The Jungle Fever box from Boxcitement S P R I N G // S U M M E R 2 0 1 8 1 7

RLB Paper Society, from Roger la Borde

run by micro businesses, sometimes a one man (or frequently woman) band, from the ground up. Deb McCormack, creative director at Boxcitement, for example, told me: “We wanted to start a creatively led business without the upfront costs of opening a shop or buying lots of stock in advance. The monthly nature of the business also means we are constantly creating and designing new items, which we love.” Boxing Clever Some offer different box sizes at a variety of price points, others just one size. All offer the possibility to subscribe to regular deliveries, often monthly, while many have a one-off option to see if the customer likes it enough to become a regular subscriber. Talking to a number of subscription box companies, it becomes clear that this is an evolving channel, in which constant sales reviews and careful attention to customer feedback help to establish what works best for each operator. Deb McCormack of Boxcitement continues: “Customers sign up to a one, three, six or 12 month sub, or try us out by buying without subscribing. The Fairytale box from Ink Drops

1 8 S P R I N G // S U M M E R 2 0 1 8

Happy post from Sherbet Lane

We also send crafting projects and ideas via regular newsletters, which include free downloads and printables as a way of keeping our customers engaged throughout the month. We sell directly via our website and also through channels such as Look Lane and Cratejoy Marketplace, though the vast majority of our customers find us directly.” Roger la Borde’s RLB Paper Society has hit on something that works for them. Tim Solnick, partner at Roger la Borde, told me: “Subscribers receive a beautifully wrapped pack in the post every two months. We deliberately spaced the packs far enough apart that it wouldn’t become an overwhelming project to run alongside our usual sales to retailers and beyond. We make sure our packs are filled so generously that our subscribers won’t miss us too much in the interim! Orders are fulfilled via our online retail partner, paperfly.co.uk.” Claire Keay launched Sherbet Lane as a Kickstarter campaign, “both to gauge interest and promote the box, which was fully funded within a few hours. The boxes cost £14 per month with free UK postage and packing. Customers sign up to a rolling monthly subscription which they can pause, skip months or cancel. I have recently started selling individual bits of stationery on there too, mostly extra stock from the SherbetBox, and that has gone really well.”

What’s in the box? Each brand puts its own spin on the selection, with many choosing to theme their boxes. Whatever the box size or theme, most send a carefully thought-out selection of items like greeting cards, both seasonal and evergreen, gift wrap, notepads, slim and pocket notebooks, sticker sheets, pencils and pens. Themes are a popular way to curate stationery that looks great and works well together, based on a variety of fashion, interiors and cultural trends. Carla Watkins, director (“plus fountain pen addict and glitter ambassador”) at Ink Drops, told me her favourite Ink Drops box “has to be the Harry Potter limited edition, with sparkly fountain pen ink and a Harry Potter-themed Moleskine; it appeals to my inner Hogwarts pupil!” Mary Wright of Spotlight Stationery said: “My favourite is Space, which we sent out in July 2017. I’m no copywriter but I was quietly pleased with the tagline in that box: “It’s stationery, Jim, but not as we know it…” It was one of the best collections we’ve put together; a set of three pocket notebooks from an artisan British producer, a tin of pencils from the US, a star patterned roll of washi tape and a zero-gravity pen from Germany. It was a huge hit with our subscribers and sold out completely. Unusually, I was able to restock this box a few months later, so I sent out a

PART OF THE JOY OF A SUBSCRIPTION IS GETTING A PRESENT IN THE MAIL (EVEN IF IT’S A PRESENT FROM YOURSELF).

The Space box from Spotlight Stationery

mail shot to our list and they all sold within 40 minutes.” The companies I spoke to are aware of the growing popularity of the stationery box concept and how increased competition for customers requires them to make their box stand out from the crowd. Spotlight Stationery’s Mary Wright uses the box to introduce the work of young illustrators to her subscribers, adding: “The box contents vary every month but the one constant is a set of four exclusive postcards featuring the work of third-year students or recent illustration graduates. We include their contact information and it’s something our subscribers regularly tell us they really like.” Helen Allen-Burt, owner at the green gables, which runs The Happy Paper Club, commented: “The box style is centred around positivity, happiness and mindful pieces. There is also an eco-friendly message; our Happy Paper Club at the green gables

products are made using 100% recycled stock and packaging. Green and happy is the theme!” This evolving market will surely be driven by its growing army of stationery-loving consumers, with companies offering subscriptions finely tuned to their customers’ needs and tastes. It will grow and thrive if, as Lizbeth Holstein, ‘Queen Bee’ at HoneyTree Post adeptly describes how they keep their regular subscribers happy – by sending their customers “exceptional design, quality and a little bit of love of every month.” Why so popular? The stationery subscription box makes a perfect gift, especially to yourself. One recent newcomer to the market, Nero’s Notebooks (formerly Pocket Notebooks), is an example of the Remington effect: Stuart Lennon became a Pocket Notebooks customer in 2016 and liked his subscription

box so much, in 2017 he bought the company. He said: “Part of the joy of a subscription is getting a present in the mail (even if it’s a present from yourself).” So customers benefit from receiving regular deliveries of ‘happy post’ to their door, and it’s a wonderfully selfindulgent way for them to discover new products and brands. Most of all, it’s a treat, a regular pick-me-up for the stationery addict or paper connoisseur. From a business owner’s point of view, the regular revenue stream is an obvious attraction. Small companies can buy what they need rather than sit on expensive stock. Some subscription companies bypass that element all together by designing and making the stationery themselves. Whatever their style or subscription offer, the companies pioneering the concept in the UK all share a desire to delight their customers with regular papery parcels of joy through the post. Nero’s Notebooks

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RLB Paper Society, from Roger la Borde

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Happy post from Sherbet Lane

PART OF THE JOY OF A SUBSCRIPTION IS GETTING A PRESENT IN THE MAIL (EVEN IF IT’S A PRESENT FROM YOURSELF).

The Space box from Spotlight Stationery

S P R I N G // S U M M E R 2 0 1 8 1 9

ICONS OF STATIONERY

STAND M620

Silvine’s ‘Little Red Books’ CHRIS LEONARD-MORGAN, founder of the London Stationery Show, puts the spotlight on a great British icon

‘THE LITTLE RED BOOK’ means different things to different people. For the Chinese, it is the quotations of Chairman Mao Tse-tung. For millions in the UK, Europe and North America in particular, it means Silvine children’s exercise books, notebooks and memo books. Several generations grew up in the last century using the legendary red Silvine books with the laurel leaf and shield on the front and conversion table on the back. For those devotees, it’s no contest! It is hard to believe in this era of multi-coloured, design-led stationery that the original red Silvine books were introduced by Otley-based Sinclairs (then known as William Sinclair & Sons) back in the 1950s in order to bring brighter colour to some of the products in the range and, importantly, to stand out in a market dominated at the time by drab pale blue and buff colours. It was a good move. There aren’t many stationery suppliers and brands older than Sinclairs and Silvine. William Sinclair & Sons (Stationers) was established in 1837 and today is the UK’s biggest stationery manufacturer. It is still family owned (sixth generation) and produces enough books every day if stacked one on top of the other to reach higher than Ben Nevis. All its products 2 0 S P R I N G // S U M M E R 2 0 1 8

use raw materials which come from sustainable and ethical sources. Silvine was registered in 1901, the year Queen Victoria died. More than 100 years later, the range comprises more than 600 products, and since 2008 has featured on the Everyday products a more modern logo than the original laurel leaf. Sinclairs has, however, cleverly introduced two new ranges with the laurel leaf to help perpetuate the original red icon by reinventing it with a modern twist. The first is the premium Silvine Originals Collection, launched in red in 2016, which was inspired by the products used and loved over many years by so many schoolchildren, artists, writers and craftspeople. It uses paper sourced from another equally long-established family-owned British company, James Cropper in Kendal, which is also run by the sixth generation of its family. The other is the just-launched limited-edition Indie Collection – Exercise, Memo and Pocket – in three inspiring colours, aimed at the hipster crowd: independent coffee-shop owners, florists, graphic designers, musicians, creatives and artists. Silvine and Sinclairs are well placed to continue to stimulate and benefit from consumers’ love affair with nostalgia. And stationery. S P R I N G // S U M M E R 2 0 1 8 2 1

ICONS OF STATIONERY

STAND M620

Silvine’s ‘Little Red Books’ CHRIS LEONARD-MORGAN, founder of the London Stationery Show, puts the spotlight on a great British icon

The Residence at John Lewis’s flagship Oxford Street store in London

JOHN LEWIS IS AT THE FOREFRONT OF A DRIVE TO MAKE DEPARTMENT STORES MORE EXPERIENTIAL.

DEPARTMENT STORE SPECIAL: EXPERIENCE, NOT SELLING Stationery addict and editor of the Daily Mail’s Femail Magazine CHARLOTTE KEMP investigates how department stores are leading the retail pack by delivering experiences in store

THE GOAL IS TO OFFER CUSTOMERS A MEMORABLE IN-STORE EXPERIENCE THEY WILL WANT TO SHARE ON SOCIAL MEDIA. 2 2 S P R I N G // S U M M E R 2 0 1 8

SAT at an elegant desk, coffee in hand, I contemplate catching up on belated thank-you letters and paperwork as I gaze out over the rooftops. The only indication I’m not staying in a hip urban apartment in London or New York is the pile of business cards for a John Lewis personal shopper stacked neatly to my left. For this is, in fact, a corner of its Oxford Street flagship store, turned into an in-store apartment known as The Residence with the express aim of bringing John Lewis products to life. The coffee was made for me a few minutes ago by the attentive concierge who guides me from room to room. As well as the leafy study, there’s a dining area and lounge. The bedroom across the way even has a hanging rail complete with clothes. Everything you see, you can buy in store. “We call it our Only Here campaign,” says the concierge cheerfully. John Lewis is at the forefront of a drive to make department stores more experiential. “As part of our plans to differentiate the John Lewis brand and to reinvent the department store for the 21st century, our shops continue to be a place where customers come and

experience our brand. It’s the physical manifestation of what we stand for,’ explains Paula Nickolds, managing director at John Lewis. Hence the desks on display on the third floor have notebooks, diaries, filing boxes and paperweights from a variety of ranges (both in-house and branded) positioned casually on worktops and shelves. Customers are encouraged to take a seat, relax, touch and feel, and soak up the environment – to see the products in a lifestyle setting. A recently opened branch of John Lewis in Oxford reflects this change of emphasis in the store design. One fifth of the floorspace is dedicated to services and experiences. There’s an ‘experience desk’ where a ‘brand experience manager’ helps customers plan their day. New shoppers are invited to take hotel-style tours of the store and there’s a rolling programme of exclusive events to include master classes and home-design styling. Personalisation and interaction are the buzz words here – personalised stationery is one of the many services on offer. Nickolds adds: “More than a route to selling things, our Oxford shop aims

to inspire and delight our customers. It’s entirely focused on customer experience, with partners and finishing details at the heart of that.” At Liberty’s The Paper Room, regular workshops, advertised on the Liberty Life area of the website, are a great platform for stationery suppliers, too. Typoretum, a letterpress and design studio based in Colchester, was invited to run a two-day Valentine’s event in The Paper Room, offering customers the chance to create their own bespoke cards printed on Typoretum’s Victorian Parlour Press. “It’s the first time we’ve been invited, and we are really excited to be working in such a beautiful space in one of London’s most iconic stores,” says Cecilia, who founded Typoretum with her husband Justin Knopp. “We will be letting our customers know about the event via our social media channels and we look forward to meeting new customers on the day. We hope to attract both new and existing customers to Typoretum. “We live now in such a digital world, events like these give people the opportunity to engage with and experience the tactile elements of traditional craft, to see the magic of the process unfold before their eyes.” Providing immersive brand experiences is proving to be particularly popular at attracting younger shoppers into stores. In a recent survey carried out by marketing and advertising analysts Campaign, more than half (51%) of consumers agreed they are more likely to buy from brands whose stores are interesting or different, rising to 63% for under 34s.

Bringing experience into shopping at John Lewis, Oxford Street

The Paper Room at Liberty S P R I N G // S U M M E R 2 0 1 8 2 3

The Residence at John Lewis’s flagship Oxford Street store in London

JOHN LEWIS IS AT THE FOREFRONT OF A DRIVE TO MAKE DEPARTMENT STORES MORE EXPERIENTIAL.

THE GOAL IS TO OFFER CUSTOMERS A MEMORABLE IN-STORE EXPERIENCE THEY WILL WANT TO SHARE ON SOCIAL MEDIA. 2 2 S P R I N G // S U M M E R 2 0 1 8

Bringing experience into shopping at John Lewis, Oxford Street

The Paper Room at Liberty S P R I N G // S U M M E R 2 0 1 8 2 3

Typoretum holds workshops at Liberty showing customers how to make their own letterpress cards

Unicorn Universe at Selfridges, London

DON’T BREAK YOUR SPINE AN ALJAVA PEN HOLDER WILL BE FINE. NEVER LOSE YOUR PEN AGAIN! UK DISTRIBUTORS: GBA PEN COMPANY LTD. gbapen.co.uk | info@gbapen.co.uk | +44 (0)1245 225758 2 4 S P R I N G // S U M M E R 2 0 1 8

Department stores can capitalise on this because they are able to offer such a broad range of experiences under one roof. Customers are attracted by add-ons such as restaurants, beauty parlours, brow bars and hairdressers. The goal is to offer customers a memorable in-store experience they will want to share on social media, highlighting the importance for stores to make links with tech. Themed pop ups are another way to attract customers. Selfridges is a key innovator in this field, redefining retail spectacle by offering all manner of experiences, from Shakespeare recitals to boxing classes in a fully functioning boxing gym on the ground floor. Before Christmas, the Oxford Street store unveiled an interesting retail space on the corner of Oxford Street and Duke Street called The Selfridges Corner Shop (in homage to the ubiquitous British staple) which will host themed ‘collaborations.’ At the time of writing, it was transformed into Lamyland, a boxing-themed collaboration with flamboyant artist, creative director and producer Michèle Lamy (who’s not associated with the pen brand). Products range from a special-edition pencil at £2.50 to handbags, fashion garments and jewellery priced into the thousands. Creating a themed retail destination within a store is a clever ploy at attracting publicity as well as customers. At the end of last year, Selfridges unveiled Unicorn Universe in London, Manchester and Birmingham. This emporium, dedicated to the most popular motif of the past six months, featured products from a

broad range of suppliers including stationery from Paperchase and Mustard to NPW and Blueprint Collections. A giant animatronic unicorn made by Hansa (£3,600) attracted young customers and teens. Unicorn Universe was even mentioned in Vogue. Fortnum & Mason makes the most of its rich retail heritage by offering historical guided tours of the store now, as well as its famous afternoon teas. Where department stores lead, smaller chains and independent stores now follow. According to analysts PSFK’s Future of Retail 2018 report, 55% of retail professionals are investing in experiences in store, with the aim of creating ‘experience centres’ that extend the supply chain and create ‘mutual value’ between the digital commerce platform and the store. As brands become aware that passive marketing strategies are not working, it’s time to connect with a changing generation of customers. Brand giants such as Nike that use face-to-face experiences are not only boosting sales but expanding customer reach. For the stationery sector this surely can only be good news. Pens, paper, notebooks, notepaper, erasers, pencil cases – these are tactile products. Let customers touch and feel. Awaken their creativity. Speak to their lifestyles. There is brand heritage to celebrate and craftsmanship to share with customers. It’s time to bring stationery alive.

AS BRANDS BECOME AWARE THAT PASSIVE MARKETING STRATEGIES ARE NOT WORKING, IT’S TIME TO CONNECT WITH A CHANGING GENERATION OF CUSTOMERS.

Paperchase Fluffy Unicorn Star pen on sale at Selfridges’ Unicorn Universe

S P R I N G // S U M M E R 2 0 1 8 2 5

Typoretum holds workshops at Liberty showing customers how to make their own letterpress cards

Unicorn Universe at Selfridges, London

AS BRANDS BECOME AWARE THAT PASSIVE MARKETING STRATEGIES ARE NOT WORKING, IT’S TIME TO CONNECT WITH A CHANGING GENERATION OF CUSTOMERS.

Paperchase Fluffy Unicorn Star pen on sale at Selfridges’ Unicorn Universe

S P R I N G // S U M M E R 2 0 1 8 2 5

BROWNTROUT 2019

TREND WATCH: PENCILS

POWER POINT

Palomino by Blackwing at Notable Designs

From trusty school staple to next-gen desk candy, the humble pencil is here to stay

The Calendar Company

Pantone is the world’s most powerful and influential brand in colour.

EXCLUSIVE FASHION PLANNERS

BROWNTROUTUK.COM +44 117 317 1880

CALENDARS / PLANNERS / DIARIES London Stationery Show - Stand M621 A Gift From The Gods

BrownTroutUK-Stationery Matters-Advert2018.indd 1

28/02/2018 16:11

by Simple Stories

• Planners • Traveler’s Notebooks • Accessories Visit us at stand M300 at the London Stationery Show

Made In Italy

Come and visit us at Stationery Show 2018 FOR MORE DETAILS CONTACT US ON:

T: 01892 612 215 E: retail@castelli.co.uk

STAND M538 24TH -25TH APRIL 2018

IT’S TIME to bring the pencil out of the shadows (of the pencil case) and into the light. Perhaps not always considered the most glamorous stationery tool, the pencil has weathered changing fashions, endured industrial and digital revolutions, and continues to reinvent itself. The simple marriage of wood and graphite has provided humans with a simple, effective writing utensil for centuries. Artists, designers, school children, hipsters and office workers are all fans. So what’s the secret of its success? The pencil represents the pinnacle of uncomplicated analogue functionality. You sharpen it, write with it, then sharpen it again. If you make a mistake, you rub it out. When it becomes too tiny to hold, you buy another one. And the crucial factor? Buying another pencil doesn’t break the bank. Pencils are affordable for everyone, allowing consumers to buy into the latest design trends. Nathalie Vaandrager, founder of Sloane Stationery and whose designs are available at Quill London, says “We try to be tuned into what’s

happening in fashion and design, and our collections reflect that. For example our Cosmic range of pencils was inspired by all the astrological references that are currently having a moment.” We asked Rousol Sattar at designled online retailer Notable Designs who is buying pencils these days? Rousol said: “Based on customer feedback, we’re seeing three types of buyers: young, trendy stores that have been around a few years are catering to the growing demand for retro and ‘back-to-school’ feel-good stationery. They do remarkably well with pencils and pair them with retro notebooks, pencil cases and clips. “We’ve also seen a lot of interest from established stores who’ve traditionally done well with highvalue stationery like fountain pens and good-quality ink. They’re now increasing their pencil offering and looking to brand names like Blackwing and Hightide, and the higher-end brass pencils from ystudio. Growing demand for popular pencils is also coming from the large department stores; buyers are

keen to keep up with the trends and we’re seeing a large uptake of pencils from them, too.” Some pencils have even attained cult status. The Staedtler Noris is familiar to virtually every man, woman and child in the country. Staedtler UK’s marketing manager Rachel Owen underlines the point nicely, saying: “At our office we have a monthly competition to ‘spot’ the Noris striped pencil, and it is amazing just how often it appears in the media, whether it’s a scene from a classroom or tucked behind the ear of a craftsperson.” Not only is it a desirable design object and functional tool, the pencil is driving sales, too. Staedtler has been the market leader in blacklead pencils for many years. Rachel Owen proudly confirms: “the recently released 2017 GfK data shows that we’re still the No.1 blacklead pencil brand in the UK. In fact our market share grew in 2017 with Staedtler taking over 54%.” The pencil’s recent rise in popularity can be seen in the array of gift packs currently on the market, aimed at everyone from discerning gentleman to unicorn-obsessed preteen. A Gift From The Gods, for example, has launched a stunning range for 2018, aimed at men and women in a variety of palettes, including Pantene’s Colour of the Year, ultraviolet.

Pencil set by Sloane Stationery

Or visit our website www.castelliitaly.com

2 6 S P R I N G // S U M M E R 2 0 1 8

distinctive since 1965

The iconic Staedtler Noris

S P R I N G // S U M M E R 2 0 1 8 2 7

BROWNTROUT 2019

TREND WATCH: PENCILS

POWER POINT

Palomino by Blackwing at Notable Designs

From trusty school staple to next-gen desk candy, the humble pencil is here to stay

The Calendar Company

Pantone is the world’s most powerful and influential brand in colour.

EXCLUSIVE FASHION PLANNERS

BROWNTROUTUK.COM +44 117 317 1880

CALENDARS / PLANNERS / DIARIES London Stationery Show - Stand M621 A Gift From The Gods

BrownTroutUK-Stationery Matters-Advert2018.indd 1

28/02/2018 16:11

by Simple Stories

• Planners • Traveler’s Notebooks • Accessories Visit us at stand M300 at the London Stationery Show

Made In Italy

Come and visit us at Stationery Show 2018 FOR MORE DETAILS CONTACT US ON:

T: 01892 612 215 E: retail@castelli.co.uk

STAND M538 24TH -25TH APRIL 2018

Pencil set by Sloane Stationery

Or visit our website www.castelliitaly.com

2 6 S P R I N G // S U M M E R 2 0 1 8

distinctive since 1965

The iconic Staedtler Noris

S P R I N G // S U M M E R 2 0 1 8 2 7

Modern Calligraphy

Manuscript

Hand-lettering debutante HENRI DAVIS finds out why everyone’s loopy about modern calligraphy

Quill

Graphique

WHILE IT IS STILL A SKILL THAT HAS TO BE PRACTISED, PEOPLE CAN PICK IT UP AND PUT IT DOWN AND FIT IT IN WHEN LIFE ALLOWS. 2 8 S P R I N G // S U M M E R 2 0 1 8

CALLIGRAPHY is defined on Wikipedia as a visual art related to writing; the design and execution of lettering with a broad-tipped instrument, brush or other item of writing equipment. Traditionally calligraphy and hand lettering were used to create special records of events political, personal, national and international, starting back when monks were the only people who could write, and who created beautiful hand-lettered manuscripts. So what do we mean by modern calligraphy. To seek an explanation I contacted an expert in such matters, Lucy Edmonds, founder of Quill, a stationery boutique in Islington which offers courses in modern calligraphy. Lucy defines modern calligraphy as “a style of pointed pen calligraphy based loosely on the copperplate style. Although it is sometimes condemned as merely ‘fancy handwriting’, and admittedly modern calligraphy is less demanding in its approach than the rigorous traditional scripts of the Middle Ages, it has become an analogue outlet for those who wish to shut down their computers, switch off their phones and relax by putting pen to paper.” Lucy continues: “Perhaps this is why it has become so wildly popular. It’s accessible, anyone can do it, and you can create your own lettering style from it. Just like copperplate, which has a set of rules that make it

recognisable, modern calligraphy has its own set of characteristics that make it so.” Modern calligraphy and hand lettering are now so popular you can’t enter a stationery store, fashion outlet, restaurant, pub or wedding reception without seeing its elegant loops adorning paper, textile and slate. I have commented in previous issues of Stationery Matters on the links between greetings cards and stationery trends, and this is particularly relevant with hand lettering. For the past few years there has been a significant number of card ranges featuring calligraphy and hand lettering, in which the card features hand-lettered messages rather than images. I remember when I was taught at school to write with a broad nib pen on specially ruled paper, practising my up, down and sweeping strokes to achieve the required varying thick and thin lines. Nowadays I believe very few children will be taught to use a fountain pen at school, so what is encouraging people to learn modern calligraphy? Lucy at Quill pointed out to me that “there is also a meditative element to calligraphy, which shouldn’t be forgotten. It’s a beautiful thing to be so absorbed in something that you forget about notifications or answering messages, which is really significant in our increasingly digital age. In reality, not everyone has the time to put

Quill

real long-term commitment towards learning one of the more formal scripts, but the modern way is slightly more forgiving. While it is still a skill that has to be practised, people can pick it up and put it down and fit it in when life allows.” So maybe for some, modern calligraphy is taking over where colouring left off? There are fibre-tip versions from brands like Berol, or metal-nibbed pens from Sheaffer, Lamy and specialist brands like Manuscript. You can find these products in larger WHSmiths and Rymans, in art shops and stationers. Hobbycraft in particular offers a great range of pens and papers, as do specialists like Quill in London. This is a situation where the internet is a godsend, because even if many retailers don’t support this product they are readily available online. Social media and blogging have played a massive role in spreading the word about the equipment you need, techniques, and to reassure you that while it is not easy, patience and practice will pay off. They show how it can become an enjoyable pastime and, for some, even a business. I was amazed to watch a modern calligraphy tutorial online, which was well-paced and made it seem very achievable. I can see how people get hooked! The Manuscript Pen Company has manufactured calligraphy and writing instruments since 1856. A family-run

business now in its fifth generation, and the market leading supplier of calligraphy writing instruments worldwide, it drives innovation in the industry whilst ensuring it continues to produce high-quality writing instruments at competitive prices. In August 2017 Manuscript celebrated World Calligraphy Day at The Pen Museum in Birmingham, reaching more than 152,000 people around the world, and it will celebrate again on Wednesday 15 August 2018. Because modern calligraphy continues to stay in vogue, Manuscript launched its Callicreative Switch Tips – a complete set with brush tip, a fineliner and two italic nibs that can be used in one pen. It’s also added an Oblique Calligraphy set and a more comprehensive Modern Calligraphy set to its Modern Calligraphy collection. These are ideal for experts and beginners alike, and a new pack of Duotip Brush Markers in 10 great modern calligraphy colours completes the set. Once I knew I was going to be writing this piece I became more aware of calligraphy products being offered to retailers, and I was amazed to see that Rex International, a major supplier into the gift market, has introduced a Modern Calligraphy Beginners Set at

Manuscript

£9.95 as part of its 2018 range, which shows just how popular modern calligraphy is becoming. As a member of the Stationers’ Company I recently received an invitation to a course in modern calligraphy. Suddenly modern calligraphy and lettering are being talked about all around me!

Rex International

S P R I N G // S U M M E R 2 0 1 8 2 9

Modern Calligraphy

Manuscript

Hand-lettering debutante HENRI DAVIS finds out why everyone’s loopy about modern calligraphy

Quill

Graphique

WHILE IT IS STILL A SKILL THAT HAS TO BE PRACTISED, PEOPLE CAN PICK IT UP AND PUT IT DOWN AND FIT IT IN WHEN LIFE ALLOWS. 2 8 S P R I N G // S U M M E R 2 0 1 8

Quill

Manuscript

Rex International

S P R I N G // S U M M E R 2 0 1 8 2 9

SHOW PREVIEW

24-25 APRIL 2018

Japanese Decorative Designs Coloring Book CB195

Shakespeare Colouring Book CBK020

Eric Wert: The Arrangement 1000-Piece Jigsaw Puzzle AA1009

Sir Edwin Landseer: The Monarch of the Glen 1000-Piece Jigsaw Puzzle AA1007

FABULOUSLY FASHIONABLE STATIONERY + GIFTS Welcome to our 2018 Show Preview

New Designer Gift Wrap

WARNING: Choking hazard—small parts. Not suitable for children under 3 years.

Come and see us at

The London Stationery Show 24-25 April 2018

Business Design Centre, London

Stand M541

We’re delighted to share with you the fabulous results of all the hard work and dedication of our exhibitors as they prepare to stage the eighth stationery spectacular for you at the Business Design Centre in London. There are some significant milestones being celebrated at this year’s show – the Collins Debden team is ready to go with its brand new 2019 catalogue which will mark 200 years of business, ExaClair has added 160 years of Clairefontaine to 90 years of ExaCompta to reach an impressive 250 years marker, Portico Design has launched a massive new product portfolio to mark its 30 years milestone, Busy B is celebrating 20 years and MT Masking Tape hits its 10th anniversary. In complete contrast we are also delighted to be welcoming 12 newcomers to the show – our LaunchPad London winners – who will be nervously awaiting your response to their efforts to break into the stationery market. Please do go and see them and offer them your encouraging wise words and advice! You’ll find some more details about them on page 14. So, before you arrive at the show, take the time to look through some of the stationery delights that await you, not to mention our ‘Listen, Learn and Do’ programme of live talks, NEW Trend Tours, NEW Retailer Masterclasses and Creative Stationery Workshops – more details in the following pages. Remember too, that the London Stationery Show is home to our annual new product Stationery Awards. Henri Davis, independent retail advisor and chair of The Giftware Association will be overseeing our judging panel for the seventh time this year, for which she has our thanks and appreciation – with hundreds of entries it’s no mean feat to find a winner for each category. Our judges this year include Cult Pen founders, Amanda and Simon Walker and Sidonie Warren, founder of Papersmiths.

Hazel Fieldwick, Event Manager

David Rebelo, Senior Sales Executive

Vanessa Fortnam, Marketing Director

Zoe Chinery, Marketing Executive

We look forward to welcoming you to the show in April! 3 0 S P R I N G // S U M M E R 2 0 1 8

L O N D O N S TAT I O N E R Y S H O W P R E V I E W 1

SHOW PREVIEW

24-25 APRIL 2018

Japanese Decorative Designs Coloring Book CB195

Shakespeare Colouring Book CBK020

Eric Wert: The Arrangement 1000-Piece Jigsaw Puzzle AA1009

Sir Edwin Landseer: The Monarch of the Glen 1000-Piece Jigsaw Puzzle AA1007

FABULOUSLY FASHIONABLE STATIONERY + GIFTS Welcome to our 2018 Show Preview

New Designer Gift Wrap

WARNING: Choking hazard—small parts. Not suitable for children under 3 years.

Come and see us at

The London Stationery Show 24-25 April 2018

Business Design Centre, London

Stand M541

Hazel Fieldwick, Event Manager

David Rebelo, Senior Sales Executive

Vanessa Fortnam, Marketing Director

Zoe Chinery, Marketing Executive

We look forward to welcoming you to the show in April! 3 0 S P R I N G // S U M M E R 2 0 1 8

L O N D O N S TAT I O N E R Y S H O W P R E V I E W 1

SHOW PREVIEW: CREATIVE STATIONERY WORKSHOPS

SHOW PREVIEW: RETAILER WORKSHOPS

GET STUCK IN AT OUR CREATIVE STATIONERY WORKSHOPS

LONDON STATIONERY SHOW: RETAILER WORKSHOPS

Our programme of hands-on workshops, sponsored by Colart and supported by the AFCI.UK (Association for Creative Industries in the UK), will offer loads of simple, fun ideas to help you engage with your customers in store. Julie Bonnar, managing editor of Creative Industry News and crafting allrounder, will host the workshops, ensuring participants get the most out of the experience.

Book your space on one of our exclusive retailer workshops, each hosted by a senior level retail expert. Our retailer workshops will provide valuable strategic insights and are FREE to London Stationery Show visitors. Places are limited so reserve your place now on the show website www.stationeryshowlondon.co.uk.

REBECCA SAUNDERS: Independent retail expert and consultant

FAIKA KHURRAM: Retail merchandising consultant, First Friday

MARKETING STRATEGY WORKSHOP

HOW TO APPROACH FINANCIAL PLANNING - A RETAILER INSIDER VIEW

Tuesday 24 April, 14.45 - 15.45 Wednesday 25 April 10.00 - 11.00 How do you decide what messages and products to focus on week by week to ensure you are relevant to your customers? What publicly available data is available to help you? How should you manage messages across different channels? And how much should you prepare in advance versus reacting to market conditions? Be prepared to get stuck in - these are interactive workshops, not demonstrations! We have a packed programme of workshops covering a wide variety of crafts to inspire your customers: Paper cutting artist Emma Boyes will be leading a workshop based on her new book Adventures in Paper Cutting, published by Katy Sue Designs. After fully booked sessions at last year’s show, calligraphy master Joyce Lee of Artsynibs returns to pass on her skill and tips to workshop participants. Not to be missed! Matilde Moro will share with participants the endless creative possibilities of Morocolour’s patented magic wax triangle crayon, loved by children, teachers, artists everywhere. Artist and illustrator Ella Johnstone will provide drawing tips and tricks and get

participants to decorate their own glass votive using Posca pens by Uni-ball. Workshop sponsors Colart - Reeves will use Snazaroo products to demonstrate face painting. For logistical reasons they’ll be supplying masks, not children, as models! Also scheduled are workshops using Winsor & Newton pencils, and complete craft sets from Reeves. Join Hannemühle and Edding in a handson brush lettering workshop featuring Hannemühle lettering pads and Edding brush pens, teaching the basics of brush lettering, a looser form of calligraphy. Renowned British artist Judith Selcuk will demonstrate the incredible versatility of Shachihata’s Artline Supreme range, which includes brush, UV and metallic pens. Paul Antonio will be hosting a workshop in which participants try their hand at using a

2 L O N D O N S TAT I O N E R Y S H O W P R E V I E W

wide variety of pens and paper sourced from show exhibitors. It’s a great opportunity to open up product packs and experience for yourself what these products can do. We recommend booking in advance, as our creative stationery workshops are always very popular! Visit the show website www.stationeryshowlondon.co.uk to book your place and to check the full workshop programme.The first 25 people to book on each day of the show will receive a FREE goody bag of stationery.

Join Rebecca Saunders on this interactive workshop, where you will learn tips and tricks to develop a weekly marketing plan, as well as how to create one yourself.

Tuesday 24 April, 11.15 - 12.15 Wednesday 25 April, 14.45 - 15.45 Find out how a clear company vision and strategy support financial planning and how to get there. retail analyst Faika will share the key parameters in financial planning and the most useful tools to make it happen. Perfect for those keen to learn about the key retail planning processes and how to start your planning from the top. HOW TO PLAN AN IDEAL PRODUCT OFFER - WHAT TO CONSIDER WHEN PLANNING

Tuesday 24 April, 13.30 - 14.30 Wednesday 25 April, 11.15 - 12.15 Faika will take you through the factors to consider when planning product, show how retailers determine how many options they will stock, and discover how and why stores are grouped for stock planning purposes. Ideal for those who want insider knowledge on planning the best product offer and strategically build a range to deliver the best profit.

24-25 APRIL 2018

A retail analyst and consultant for First Friday, previously Faika worked for Paperchase, leaving as merchandising manager after 10 years. She has also worked for John Lewis and BHS. First Friday is the leading retail training, digital learning and change management business with more than 100 retail clients across Europe.

L O N D O N S TAT I O N E R Y S H O W P R E V I E W 3

SHOW PREVIEW: CREATIVE STATIONERY WORKSHOPS

SHOW PREVIEW: RETAILER WORKSHOPS

GET STUCK IN AT OUR CREATIVE STATIONERY WORKSHOPS

LONDON STATIONERY SHOW: RETAILER WORKSHOPS

REBECCA SAUNDERS: Independent retail expert and consultant

FAIKA KHURRAM: Retail merchandising consultant, First Friday

MARKETING STRATEGY WORKSHOP

HOW TO APPROACH FINANCIAL PLANNING - A RETAILER INSIDER VIEW

2 L O N D O N S TAT I O N E R Y S H O W P R E V I E W

Join Rebecca Saunders on this interactive workshop, where you will learn tips and tricks to develop a weekly marketing plan, as well as how to create one yourself.

24-25 APRIL 2018

L O N D O N S TAT I O N E R Y S H O W P R E V I E W 3

24-25 APRIL 2018

SHOW PREVIEW: LIVE TALKS

LONDON STATIONERY SHOW: LIVE TALKS

Gallery NEW PRODUCT JUDGING

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Good Retail, Bad Retail - Rebecca Saunders will be covering the latest news and moves in the UK stationery market and looking at the longerterm implications for the sector. Rebecca Saunders is an independent retail and ecommerce consultant, having recently run Stationery,Weddings and Christmas at Notonthehighstreet.com. She is a former John Lewis buyer and has worked across Food,Technology, Jewellery, Beauty, and Baby and Child. Rebecca started her career in Finance and Strategy covering retail clients in the UK and US following an Economics degree from Cambridge University and an MBA from Columbia Business School. Rebecca lives in London and tweets @retaildetail.

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GL962 M735 GL964

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Mezzanine

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Debbie Wigglesworth is a paper product innovator (The Paper Collaborative) and visiting university lecturer.

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Mezzanine M506

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M401 ON TREND DISPLAY

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Ground floor

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WHAT’S REALLY HAPPENING ON BRITAIN’S HIGH STREETS? Tuesday 24 April,11.45 - 12.15 Wednesday 25 April, 11.00 - 11.30

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The Paper Library is a paper resource located in London and in educational institutions throughout the UK, available for brands, designers and creatives in industry and education. It features papers from all over the world and provides everyone with the opportunity to touch, feel and engage. With its unique links to lecturers and graphic design and illustration students throughout the UK,The Paper Library is aiming to facilitate a student placement service – matching students with leading stationery brands and companies who can offer work placements. If your company is interested, please come along to hear more about how The Paper Library and its team of Paper Ambassadors work. www.thepaperlibrary.com

Gallery

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THE PAPER LIBRARY – COME AND GET INVOLVED Wednesday 25 April, 14.15 - 14.45

Gallery

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DEBBIE WIGGLESWORTH: Co-founder of The Paper Library, independent consultant and paper passionist

MICHAEL WEEDON: Researcher, analyst and news commentator

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NEW PRODUCT SHOWCASE

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SEMINAR ONE G117

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Michael of exp2 will be covering the latest data on trends in the retail locations of Britain, their online equivalents, and the gradual move to multichannel. Michael works with trade bodies, research companies and independent retailers and has three decades of experience at board level with trade associations, government and national media. He is a researcher, analyst and regular news commentator and tweets @MichaelWeedon.

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THE STATE OF STATIONERY Tuesday 24 April,14.00 - 14.30 Wednesday 25 April,12.30 - 13.00

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REBECCA SAUNDERS: Independent retail expert and consultant

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Part of the trend forecasting agency Scarlet Opus, Phil translates consumer and design trends into high growth business strategies for the agency’s clients. He has built an enviable reputation for creativity in product development and inspirational marketing ideas. Clients include both UK and international brands. Phil is a regular speaker at a range of B2B exhibitions and trade events and was honoured in 2014 by Lancaster University with his appointment as ‘Entrepreneur in Residence’ to the Faculty of Art & Social Sciences in recognition of his lectures and mentoring for them. Follow Phil via twitter @Phil_Pond.

Christina Strang is an affiliate member of the British Institute of Graphologists and works for various clients on behavioural profiling reporting for recruitment, team building and upskilling as well as for personal development and document examination for fraud and forgery cases. She is also known for her research studies into handwriting in early diagnosis of disease. She tweets @graphchris.

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Phil Pond will present two trend updates, one for Christmas 2018, and one covering a longer view into Spring/Summer 2019. Scarlet Opus has identified three global consumer and design trends it feels will have a significant influence in the UK stationery market – ‘Imperfect Beauty’, ‘ECO 2.0’ and ‘Out of the Ordinary’. Phil will demonstrate how these trends with the aid of exhibitor products and stories.

Christina will be explaining what the study of a person’s handwriting can reveal, and the opportunities of using this study in a commercial environment, for example, to aid recruitment or build teams; for personal development, clinical diagnosis, or more simply to engage with customers in store. Christina will also be available in the show to undertake quick personal analyses of handwriting. She will be based on stand G231.

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GLOBAL CONSUMER & DESIGN TRENDS FOR STATIONERY Tuesday 24 April, 12.30 - 13.00 Wednesday 25 April, 13.30 - 14.00

STROKES OF THE PEN Tuesday 24 April, 14.45 - 15.15 Wednesday 25 April, 10.15 - 10.45

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G118

TRENDS FOR CHRISTMAS 2018 Tuesday 24 April, 11.00 - 11.30 Wednesday 25 April,11.45 - 12.15

CHRISTINA STRANG: Graphologist, behavioural profiler, coach

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M548

M344

PHIL POND: Trend translator, Scarlet Opus

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NEW PRODUCT JUDGING

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Come and sit in on our series of 30-minute, quick-fire presentations covering trends, graphology and how the stationery sector and the UK high street are faring. Make your way to Seminar Two on the Gallery Level and grab a seat. First come, first served, so don’t be late!

SHOW PREVIEW: FLOOR PLAN

PRESS CENTRE SALES OFFICE

24-25 APRIL 2018

JACK’S RESTAURANT

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SEMINAR TWO

ENTRANCE

L O N D O N S TAT I S OPNREIRNYG // SS HU OM WMPERRE 2 V0 I E1W 8 5

24-25 APRIL 2018

SHOW PREVIEW: LIVE TALKS

LONDON STATIONERY SHOW: LIVE TALKS

Gallery NEW PRODUCT JUDGING

M348

M650

M446

M441

M440

GL953 GL954

M537

GL812 GL814

GL815 GL817

M330

GL962 M735 GL964

M730

M631

M630

M531

M530 M331

GL958 M738

M635

M434

M739

M639

M539

M432

M538

M731

GL968

Mezzanine

GL822 GL824

GL973 GL974

M529 M424

M422

GL966

M729

M429

M629

M728

M621

M722

M528

M324 M521 M322

GL976

M620

GL825 GL827

M725

M421 M520

M720

GL849 M618 M320

M321 M420

M721

GL986

M617

Debbie Wigglesworth is a paper product innovator (The Paper Collaborative) and visiting university lecturer.

GL898 M315 M416

M316

M415

M615

M715 GL896

GL906

GL892 M408

M407

M312

M507

M710

M303

M305

M406

GL889

M302

M709

M505 M405

M711 GL890

Mezzanine M506

GL884 GL886

M605

M402 GL880 GL882

GL914

M601

M501

M300 M400

M700

M701

M401 ON TREND DISPLAY

GL916

GL922

G125

G131

G122

G119

G222

G226

Ground floor

GL926

WHAT’S REALLY HAPPENING ON BRITAIN’S HIGH STREETS? Tuesday 24 April,11.45 - 12.15 Wednesday 25 April, 11.00 - 11.30

M616

M607

Gallery

M610

THE PAPER LIBRARY – COME AND GET INVOLVED Wednesday 25 April, 14.15 - 14.45

Gallery

M515

DEBBIE WIGGLESWORTH: Co-founder of The Paper Library, independent consultant and paper passionist

MICHAEL WEEDON: Researcher, analyst and news commentator

G123

G121

G116

G112

NEW PRODUCT SHOWCASE

G221

G215

G212

G214

G231

G228

GL852 GL853

SEMINAR ONE G117

G115 G108

G113

G111

GL858

G119 G203

G103

G205

G219

G109

M745

M742

M606

THE STATE OF STATIONERY Tuesday 24 April,14.00 - 14.30 Wednesday 25 April,12.30 - 13.00

M339

M334

M516

REBECCA SAUNDERS: Independent retail expert and consultant

M640

M510

GL948

M541

M540

M638 GL805 GL807

M329

M341

M744

M648

M340

M325

GLOBAL CONSUMER & DESIGN TRENDS FOR STATIONERY Tuesday 24 April, 12.30 - 13.00 Wednesday 25 April, 13.30 - 14.00

STROKES OF THE PEN Tuesday 24 April, 14.45 - 15.15 Wednesday 25 April, 10.15 - 10.45

GL802 GL804

G118

TRENDS FOR CHRISTMAS 2018 Tuesday 24 April, 11.00 - 11.30 Wednesday 25 April,11.45 - 12.15

CHRISTINA STRANG: Graphologist, behavioural profiler, coach

M749

M548

M344

PHIL POND: Trend translator, Scarlet Opus

GL943 GL944

M748 M645

M347

GL930

M750

M448

M449

NEW PRODUCT JUDGING

M350

M349

SHOW PREVIEW: FLOOR PLAN

PRESS CENTRE SALES OFFICE

24-25 APRIL 2018

JACK’S RESTAURANT

G105

G104

G101

G102

G100

G200

G202

SEMINAR TWO

ENTRANCE

L O N D O N S TAT I S OPNREIRNYG // SS HU OM WMPERRE 2 V0 I E1W 8 5

EXHIBITORS, BRANDS AND LICENSES BRANDS AND LICENSES

EXHIBITORS, BRANDS AND LICENSES

EXHIBITORS

BRANDS AND LICENSES

EXHIBITORS

24-25 APRIL 2018

22 DESIGN M528 3D CARDS M341 3M G222 A GIFT FROM THE GODS M610 ABRAMS & CHRONICLE BOOKS M616 ABRAMS NOTERIE M616 ADVANCE G222 AIMEE STEWART M531 ALICE SCOTT M615 ALJAVA PEN HOLDERS M617 ALL THAT GLITTERS M401 ALLSORTED M325 AMERICAN JEWEL M629 AMODEX M720 ANNE STOKES M531 APICA M606 ARTGECKO SKETCH M408 ARTLINE M721 ARTLINE SUPREME M721 ARTO M303 ASHMOLEAN MUSEUM M531 AT CROSS M730 BARBIE M506 BATCHWORKS LTD GL815 BIGSO M320 BACK POCKET NOTEBOOKS GL827 BLACKWING M528 BLICK M530 BOB THE BUILDER M506 BOMBATA M421 BRAUSE M501 BRIGHT CONCEPT YOLO M312 BRITISH MUSEUM M339 BROWNTROUT PUBLISHERS M621 BRUCE DOUGLAS MARKETING M640 BUG ART M629 BUNNY SUICIDES M416 BUSY B M631 C JOSEF LAMY M630 CAMPAP M303 CARAN D’ACHE M521/620 CAROLYN CARTER M615 CARPE DIEM M300 CASTELLI M538 CATH KIDSTON G100 CATHEDRAL PRODUCTS M415 CATHIAN LEATHER GOODS M340 CATS LIFE & DOG LIFE BY GEMMA CORRELL M416 CELVER KIDZ G211 CENTURION M316 CHARFLEET BOOK BINDERY M305 CHARLES RENNIE MACKINTOSH M339 CHARLEY HARPER M339 CHEE WAH CORPORATION M303 CHILTERN PUBLISHING G109 CHRONICLE BOOKS STATIONERY M616 CICADA M510 CLAIREFONTAINE M501 CLASSIX M721 CLIPMATIC GL824 COLART M331 COLLIER CAMPBELL M615 COLLINS DEBDEN M605

COLMAN GROUP M728 COLOURBLOCK M401 COMPANY FRESH G121 CONCORD M316 CONKLIN M421 COPIC M530 CRAFT 4 KIDS M711 CRAFT PERFECT M725 CRAFTY BITZ G211 CRE8 TAPES G222 CREATIVITY FOR KIDS M530 CROSS M730 CROSS STAR WARS M730 DAIRY DIARY M515 DALER ROWNEY M505 DATADAY M305 DECOPATCH M501 DERWENT M422 DINGBATS* NOTEBOOKS M618 DIPLOMAT M421 DKL MARKETING G221 DOCRAFTS NOTEWORTHY M530 DRAMA QUEEN BY WOODMANSTERNE M416 DYMO G116 EAGLEMOSS DIARIES M515 EASTWEST M629 ECO-ECO STATIONERY M650 ECOLINE M738 EDDING M540 EDEN PROJECT M615 EMOTIONERY G211 ENERGEL M507 ENGLISH HERITAGE G100 ENVELOPES G219 ERIC WERT M339 ESPOSTI M711 ESSENTIALS M640 EUROPA M501 EXACLAIR M501 EXACOMPTA M501 FABER-CASTELL M521/530 FABRIANO BOUTIQUE M421 FASHIONARY M510 FEEL-IT! M507 FISHER SPACE PEN M617 FLAME TREE PUBLISHING M531 FLAMMARION M510 FOLDERMATE M324 FRANKLINCOVEY M621 FRINGOO M607 GALISON - CHRISTIAN LACROIX PARIS M616 GBA PEN M617 GENIE M405 GLITZY GLAMOUR M329 GO STATIONERY M401 GOGOPO STATIONERY M330 GORJUSS M341 GRAPHIQUE DE FRANCE M621 GRUFFALO M416 GRUPPO PADOVANA M441 GUANGZHOU PREMIER PLUS STATIONERY M324

6 L O N D O N S TAT I O N E R Y S H O W P R E V I E W

GUILDHALL HAINENKO HAMA CRAFT BEADS HANNEMUHLE HERBIN HEX & GINGER HIGH MEADOWS STATIONERY HIGHTIDE HOT WHEELS HOW FUNNY HURRAH FOR GIN HYBRID DUAL METALLIC HYPHEN LONDON I LIKE BIRDS ICE LONDON ICON ICONIC IDERAMA INDEUTSCH INDUSTRIES LIMITED INFIEIGHT IRE-TEX PREMIER IXL JACK VETTRIANO JAKAR JELLY BELLY JOSEPHINE WALL JPT JWS KAISERCRAFT KAMI NO MILLE FEUILLE KANEX KANGARO KANIN KARTOS KATY SUE DESIGNS KEYCRAFT GLOBAL KITE PACKAGING KITTA KITTIES IN THE CITIES KNOCK KNOCK KOBEHA KODAK KOH I NOOR KURETAKE L.S. LOWRY LALO LAMY LAURA STODDART LAURENCE KING PUBLISHING LAURIGE LEATHERSMITH OF LONDON LEGAMASTER LEGAMI LEUCHTTURM1917 LIFE LIFE JAPAN LIME STATIONERY & ART LINEX FROM PELLTECH LSM LUDLOW BOOKBINDERS LULU GUINNESS LUXOR MAGNETIPS MANUSCRIPT PEN COMPANY

M501 G203 G221 G104 M501 M302 GL817 M528 M506 GL807 G100 M507 GL886 G100 GL896 G211 M528 M501 M729 M606 M440 M316 M416 M620 M506 M531 M606 M529 M645 M606 M334 M334 M334 M731 M539 M330 M735 M606 M329 M616 M606 M715 M421 M434 M531 M501 M630 M635 M616 M432 M305 M540 M421 M400 M606 M528 GL849 M648 M406 GL880 G100 M407 G111 M315

24-25 APRIL 2018

MAPED HELIX M506 MAX STAPLERS GL849 MAXIFLO M507 MEGAN HESS & COCO CHANEL G100 MIDORI M528 MILAN M528 MINI MODERNS M615 MNEMOSYNE M606 MODERN TOSS M416 MONTEGRAPPA M617 MONTEVERDE M421 MOOMIN M531 MOROCOLOR M448 MT MASKING TAPE M521 MUSEUMS & GALLERIES M516 MUSTARD M420 MY PRETTY CIRCUS M322 NAPKIN M421 NARCISSUS G115 NATIONAL GALLERIES OF SCOTLAND M339/531 NATIONAL GALLERY M531 NAVIGATOR M701 NEWELL BRANDS M424 NEWELL RUBBERMAID (DYMO BRAND) G116 NIKKI STRANGE M401 NORTHLIGHT DESIGN GL898 NOTABLE DESIGNS M528 NOT ONLY POLKA DOTS GL825 NU:NOTEBOOKS M701 NUCO M701 NUKKIAS G108 NUVO M725 OCTAGON DESIGN GL805 OLIVER BONAS G100 OPUS M429 ORIGINAL CROWN MILL GL849 ORIGINAL SHRINKLES CRAFT KITS M330 ÓTIMA M742 OWL BRAND M728 OXFORD HELIX M506 PAGANI PENS M739 PAINT MARKER M507 PALM SPRINGS M401 PAPER LOUNGE G102 PAPER MIRCHI GL882 PARKER M424 PAULINDA M711 PEN AGAIN M617 PENCIL PALS M629 PENTEL M507 PENTEL ARTS M507 PEPSI M506 PETER PAUPER PRESS G103 PIERRE CARDIN M722 PININFARINA M421 PLAYMAIS CRAFT G221 POLAROID 3D GL916 POMEGRANATE M339 POPPI LOVES M341 PORTICO DESIGNS M615 POSCA M710 POSTSAFE G200

PREMEC M739 PREMIER M440 PREMIER OFFICE G211 PREMIER POST G211 PREMIER STATIONERY PRODUCTS G211 PRIMO M448 PRINCETON ARCHITECTURAL PRESS M616 PRINGLES M506 PRO TAPES G222 PRO:FORM G211 PRO:SCRIBE G211 PRODIR M739 PUKKA FILING M316 PUKKA FUN M316 PUKKA PADS M316 PUKKA POST M316 QUADRILLE | HARDIE GRANT PUBLISHING G100 QUATTRO COLORI GL849 QUIX M721 RAILEX G131 RAION M334 REB BUZASWHOLESALE M402 RECIPE DIARY M515 RECYCOLOGY M507 REEVES M331 REGIFT GL804 RELIABLE SOURCE G222 RHINO TAPE M640 RHODIA M501 RNLI M401 ROALD DAHL M506 ROSSLER PAPER M530 ROYAL TALENS M738 SAKURA M738 SANTORO M341 SCENTCO SCENTED STATIONERY G221 SCHNEIDER M521 SCRIBBLE GEEKS M537 SECO G101 SEED M606 SELF MADE HERO M616 SEMIKOLON M700 SEMIKOLON M400 SHACHIHATA M721 SHEAFFER M730 SHEAFFER FERRARI M730 SHEAFFER STAR WARS M730 SILVINE M408 SILVINE ORIGINALS M408 SINCLAIRS M408 SKY + MILLER M615 SLOANE STATIONERY M639 SMITH STREET BOOKS M616 SNAZAROO M331 SOOTHI GL884 STABILO GL906 STAEDTLER M541 STANGER PRODUKTIONS G212 STAR WARS M506 STEPHENS M530 STONE MARKETING M521 STRAWBERRY DESIGN & MARKETING M350 STUDENT SOLUTIONS G211

STUDIO PENS/KAWECO M520 STUDY M530 SWEEK M629 SZTUKA RODZINNA G115 TAPEPAL G118 TAT M721 TATE M531 TENEUES CALENDARS & STATIONERY M416 TEPRA LITE M606 TESA G222 THAMES & HUDSON M510 THE BRITISH LIBRARY M339 THE CURIOUS DEPARTMENT GL814 THE ROYAL INSTITUTE OF BRITISH ARCHITECTS M339 THOMAS THE TANK ENGINE M506 TIGER STATIONERY M709 TOMBOW M521 TONIC STUDIOS M725 TOOLS TO LIVE BY M528 TOSCANA CARTE PREGIATE M731 TRAVELER’S COMPANY M528 TREEWISE M548 TROIKA M421 TROPICAL LEAF M401 TSUBAME M606 TURNOWSKY M629 TV BOY M416 TWIRL M616 TYPE AND STORY GL812 UHU M540 ULTIMATE M640 ULTRASTICK M640 ULTRATAPE M640 ULTRAWINE M640 UNI-BALL M710 UPIXEL M629 VAU PRODUCTS GL822 V&A MUSEUM M416/531/616 & G100 VICTIONARY M510 WEST DESIGN PRODUCTS M530 WEST MIDLANDS M339 WESTFOAM M530 WESTFOLIOS M530 WHIFFER SNIFFERS M629 WHITELINES M421 WINSOR & NEWTON M331 WITHIT M329 WOODLAND TRUST M401 WORLD OF COLOUR G211 XSTAMPER M721 YO BOKI LTD GL802 YOLO M312 YOOBI TRADING CORPORATION M638 YORKSHIRE ENVELOPES M316 YOU CREATE COLOUR YOUR WORLD M324 YSTUDIO M528 ZEBRA PEN M601 ZIPIT G122 ZOO PORTRAITS M416

L O N D O N S TAT I O N E R Y S H O W P R E V I E W 7

EXHIBITORS, BRANDS AND LICENSES BRANDS AND LICENSES

EXHIBITORS, BRANDS AND LICENSES

EXHIBITORS

BRANDS AND LICENSES

EXHIBITORS

24-25 APRIL 2018

6 L O N D O N S TAT I O N E R Y S H O W P R E V I E W

24-25 APRIL 2018

L O N D O N S TAT I O N E R Y S H O W P R E V I E W 7

SHOW PREVIEW

C Josef Lamy M630

Abrams & Chronicle Books M616

A Gift From the Gods M610 An exciting lifestyle brand of stationery and accessories, developed by one of Stationery Matters Thirty under 30 Star Choices. Launched in 2016 this fashion-led social stationery collection has successfully grown to offer A5 journals, weekly planners and pocket notebook sets over four distinct design stories. New prints for 2018 are bold tropical ferns, watercolour stripes, metallic geometrics and graffiti art. New products for 2018 are tassel keyrings, trinket dishes, gift-boxed pens and pencil sets adding depth to the range.

Abrams & Chronicle Books is a distributor of a wide range of gift items, stationery and illustrative books.This year we are delighted to add Laurence King Publishing to our list.This season come to our stand to PULL,TEAR and STICK our Sticky Rolls Notes and Signs. Each roll contains over 26 feet of note-taking tape you can place anywhere!

AT Cross M730 Cross is once again delighted to be exhibiting at the London Stationery Show; stealing the show with the launch of three new on trend metallic finishes for ATX. Luxurious brushed black PVD, glamorous rose gold and chic brushed chrome. Available in three writing technologies, these on trend metallic finishes have been combined with deep etched diamond pattern engraving to give a true sense of on trend opulence.Visit Cross at stand M730 to view our new range and discuss your requirements for this season’s hottest new look.

Bright Concept YOLO M312

Bigso AB M320 Since 1963, Bigso has produced storage and office products made from recycled fibreboard.The emphasis was in the beginning on products that were tucked away in closets and attics. Fibreboard was seen as an economical solution for storage needs in the home.Today, more than 50 years later, Bigso’s products have become a major decorative feature in the homes and offices in all parts of the world. High flexibility within the production gives us the possibility to follow trends in the marketplace and to develop new products.Trade shows play an important role in the communication with our customers.

YOLO is a true love brand which kids around the globe can relate to and find their unique style.YOLO offers a fun, unique and colorful shopping experience, designed especially for kids, a ‘candy store’ for stationery and gifting. After investing love, thought and effort Yolo was born and started splashing color into kids’ lives.What Is Yolo? Yolo is the new ‘Carpe Diem’ expression for teens,THE word to summarize all the fun, light and colorful things you can do in this world. You Only Live Once.

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Allsorted M325 ALLSORTED – for all your stationery and gift book needs. COME AND VISIT US AT STAND M325! Allsorted aims to be the best distributor of beautiful stationery and gift books in Britain and Ireland, helping customers maximise profit from their valuable space.Together with you we will match the right products to the right place at the right time.Visit our stand today and browse exclusive brands including Eccolo – gorgeous and contemporary Italian-inspired journals, notepads and more. EXCLUSIVE UK DISTRIBUTORS OF TRIGG – WINNER OF BEST NEW PRODUCT AT LAST YEAR’S SHOW.

Busy B M631 To celebrate their 20th birthday this year, Busy B are excited to debut their biggest EVER dated range at this year’s London Stationery Show.The range includes a new Goals Diary, Pocket Diary and Busy Life Calendar, as well as more beautiful design options of their bestsellers such as the Busy Life Diary and Perfect Planner. Don’t miss out! Visit Busy B at stand M631 to be the first to see their gorgeous new collections.

Simply modern:The new LAMY aion – designed by Jasper Morrison.With the LAMY aion, Lamy is expanding its portfolio with a new writing instrument series in an innovative design.Technically structured and consistently functional, the model epitomises LAMY design – yet also surprises with progressive details. Designed by the British industrial designer, Jasper Morrison, this is absolutely in harmony with his conviction that good design is maximally simple – yet, at the same time, maximally functional.

Carpe Diem M300 New exhibitor! Plan in style and seize the day with Carpe Diem! Carpe Diem, a best-selling collection of fashionable, high quality A5 planners and personal planners and traveler’s notebooks, is thrilled to exhibit at the show. The many options of colors and designs along with the playful assortment of accessories make Carpe Diem a fan favorite when it comes to planning and staying organized in a stylish and sophisticated way. Be sure to stop by our stand to see all of our newly released products.

Cathian Leather Goods M340

BrownTrout Publishers M621 2018 will be the year that the company starts to really branch out into new areas of product. With the exclusive rights to Graphique stationery throughout Europe, as well as the world rights to distribute the FranklinCovey and Pantone range of planning products, these are exciting times for BrownTrout and their customers.

Cathedral Products UK M415

Castelli M538 Visit Castelli’s stand to catch a glimpse of our new and exciting collections. For 2018 we are launching a carefully selected collection of accessories to complement our wide range of Italian made and inspired notebooks. Our collections are designed and made in Bergamo Italy, where we live. It is our fusion of passion for our craft and our cultural heritage that has formed a legacy that is still very much evident in today’s working ethos and distinctly Italian products.We look forward to seeing you at the show.

Cathedral will be showing several new products including the ultimate 1 minute timesaver laminator with a warm up time and laminating speed of 1 min! It accommodates both 150 and 250 micron pouches. Other new introductions include an adjustable footrest, adjustable height monitor stand, ultimate security key box, safety craft scissors, a4 guillotine and a combo-craft guillotine / trimmer. Other long established products will also be on show covering filing, storage, security, calculators and office machines.

Based in Stockport, Cathian has been a leather stationery goods manufacture for over 35 years. We produce a range of high quality leather books, folders, desk ware, photo albums and small leather goods in various leathers and finishes.

Bruce Douglas Marketing M640 Come and see why our customers STICK WITH US! The proven brands that are bought over and over again because they are not only attractively packaged and priced but are fit for purpose. Ultratape, UltraStick, UltraTack, Ultimate, UltraTwine, Rhino and Essentials Brands all from one on-time-infull supplier.

Charfleet Book Bindery M305 Charfleet book bindery are pleased to introduce our new 2018 collection which celebrates British modern culture with notebooks featuring iconic imagery. Available in a hard back case bound version with a white paper interior, featuring a numbered and index page note section plus pages of dots for graphs and a section of plain paper for doodle and sketches.The deluxe version, bound in a beautiful new suede covering material, adds that touch of luxury with a velvet feel. Available in deep rich colours.

Chee Wah Corporation Berhad M303 Premium notebook that offers lay flat binding for smoother writing experience. Stronger bound even without sewing or staples. Feint ruled with red margin on 70gsm high brightness wood-free paper. Comes with glossy cover and binding tape that matches its color. Available in various pagination and sizes. Also accommodates private label manufacturing. L O N D O N S TAT I O N E R Y S H O W P R E V I E W 9

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C Josef Lamy M630

Abrams & Chronicle Books M616

Bright Concept YOLO M312

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Cathian Leather Goods M340

Cathedral Products UK M415

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Bug Art Greeting Cards

Colart M331 Colart is showcasing two leading brands, Reeves and Winsor & Newton, at the show for the first time. Reeves offers a comprehensive portfolio of creative tools which seek to guide and inspire every generation’s keen creative. Rediscover some of your favourite products and speak to us about the exciting consumer campaign and product development.Winsor & Newton is committed to the pursuit of perfection and renowned for pioneering art materials. Explore our new marker ranges, iconic inks and have a first look at our 2018 gifting proposition.

Collins is the UK’s leading diary and stationery supplier.With 200 years’ experience in the industry, we are experts in all things diary and stationery. In our 200th year, we continue to offer premium quality products, bringing innovative and beautiful designs to the market.We invite you to the Collins stand at the London Stationery Show as we celebrate this historic milestone, whilst opening a new chapter in our illustrious history with exciting new branding and ranges for 2019 that are perfect for today’s diary and notebook user.

Company Fresh LLC G121 Company Fresh LLC is a manufacturer of a wide range of paper stationery products (notebooks, sketchbooks, diaries, coloring books for adults, paper bags ...). Our feature is a huge assortment of topical designs and high quality products.We are one of the leading manufacturers in Ukraine and sell our products to large customers from 20 countries.

Eaglemoss Diaries M515 Create your own daily delightful moments in a gorgeous Recipe Diary.These unique, innovative diaries offer a delicious easy-toprepare recipe every week of the year! With 6 luxe designs, each has lie-flat concealed wiro-binding, a pocket, dates stickers, planners and reminders.You’ll find everything needed to organise your busy life. Eaglemoss has produced over 30 million diaries and enjoys a fiercely loyal customer following year after year.

Derwent M422

Now, creating is SMART! DAS SMART is the new oven bake modelling clay by DAS. It is versatile and available in a range of super bright colours in line with the ever-changing fashion trends. DAS SMART is DAS’ first PVC-based modelling clay that allows you to go from the art of sculpting and modelling to the creation of unique objects that can be resized whilst maintaining the original pattern unchanged. Ideal for making for jewellery and miniatures - DAS SMART bakes in the oven at 130°C for up to 30 minutes, and objects can be baked more than once to add details, in different stages.

Derwent’s debut at the Show will see the world-leading art materials brand present a whole host of new products, including Derwent’s Lightfast range. The brand will give the Derwent® Academy new-look packaging its first outing in the UK, bringing it in line with its professional collection and extending the products on offer to include pastels, paints and pens. To complete its extensive retail offering, all ranges are complemented by bespoke retail units for a range of eye catching in-store promotions. Derwent will also be joined by awardwinning artist Jake Spicer.

DKL Marketing G221 Scentco Scented Stationery offers a wide choice of Pens, Pencils, Notepads, Pencil Cases, in both Generic and Licensed versions. Distributed by DKL Marketing Ltd the scents lasts for 2 years and the full range can be seen on the DKL stand Ground 221.

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EastWest Europe M629 EastWest will be showing new ranges UPIXEL, American Jewel and Whiffer Sniffer at London – don’t miss out!

Envelopes Ltd G219

Dingbats* Notebooks M618

Daler Rowney M505

2018

Collins Debden M605

Dingbats* are an eco-friendly brand of notebooks designed and developed in a masterful consideration of materials and design. Dingbats* are hand-made with a personality represented by minimalistic ornamental motifs with sound environmental credentials. All materials used are degradable, vegan and recyclable.We will be presenting our best-selling Wildlife Collection along with some new, exciting products including the Earth Collection, serving as a planner. We will also be introducing our newest paper, being tested and proven to be the highest quality in the world. Join us in our first exhibition to get a feel of what all this fuss is about!

edding UK Ltd M540 This year edding will be showcasing our new Colour Happy Boxes, alongside our existing creative range products.You’ll also have the opportunity to see our successful Education retail range and recently launched visual communication aids from our Legamaster brand - not forgetting our adhesives from our UK distribution partner UHU.

Envelopes Ltd has one of the largest postal packaging product ranges in the world with the facility to manufacture bespoke and overprinted products. So whether you require wedding invitation envelopes, eye catching, colourful envelopes for advertising campaigns or high volumes of stock for retail, Envelopes Ltd will have the products, expertise and resources to deliver.

Flame Tree Publishing M531 We are excited to be showcasing new titles in our luxury journal, pocket book and sketch book ranges, including Aimee Stewart’s Garden bookshelves, Gustav Klimt’s Mäda Primavesi, Anne Stoke’s Ascendance and many, many more.We are also expanding our 1000 piece jigsaw collection, with two new Gustav Klimt titles - the ever popular ‘The Kiss’, and the beautiful ‘Three Ages of Woman’.We will also be introducing new greeting cards, which include two Aimee Stewart designs, Bodleian Libraries High Jinks and Hobbies and Pastimes Bookshelves, Paul Klee’s Redgreen and Violet-Yellow Rhythms among others.

eco-eco Stationery M650 For planet-friendly, price-friendly products that definitely don’t cost the earth look no further than eco-eco stationery.We aim to lead the way in making environmentally friendly stationery products the ‘norm’ and not the ‘exception’ taking care of our customers, our trade partners, our staff and our planet. Our eco-eco promise means that anyone buying from us is guaranteed a quality product that has been responsibly and ecologically sourced. If you’re looking for good quality, competitively priced products, which are at least 50% recycled, please visit our stand.

ExaClair Ltd M501 ExaClair, the UK supplier of Rhodia, Guildhall, Europa, Exacompta, Decopatch and Clairefontaine, will be celebrating the combined 250-year anniversary of its Exacompta and Clairefontaine brands at this years’ London Stationery Show. A total of 250 years of history, innovation and experience is marked this year by the 90th anniversary of Exacompta, a leading brand for filing and office products, and the 160th anniversary of Clairefontaine, synonymous for its premiumquality notebooks and fine art products.

Fringoo M607 Fringoo’s main aim has been to be the emporium of choice for all the toddlers, kids and teenagers out there. Our range consists of funny and vibrant school supplies including large, soft or hard top pencil cases, multicompartment backpacks, drawstring bags, toddler backpacks, kids lunch bags, notebooks and funny gifts. Always hungry for more, we keep our product lines trendy with never ending changes of assortments. Our research is thorough and we strive to provide customers with the best quality, most creative and functional accessories.

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Bug Art Greeting Cards

Derwent M422

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EastWest Europe M629 EastWest will be showing new ranges UPIXEL, American Jewel and Whiffer Sniffer at London – don’t miss out!

Envelopes Ltd G219

Dingbats* Notebooks M618

Daler Rowney M505

2018

Collins Debden M605

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GO Stationery M401

GBA Pen M617 New from Montegrappa - maker of Italy’s premier luxury writing instruments, is the Fortuna Camouflage collection of fountain pen, rollerball and ball pen, wearing a specially formulated green and brown resin inspired by the OCP ( Operational Camouflage Pattern). Complete with tin ‘ammo-style’ gift box which includes dog-tags! Also new is the Blazer collection - made in hand-torched polished stainless steel for both body and trim - each Blazer pen glints in its own way, diffusing spellbinding warmth of blue and reddish/purplish allure!

At Go Stationery we have just launched our new 2018 catalogue, packed with new collections and notebook / organising formats.This year sees the introduction of many of the metallic and glitter trends that have taken the high street by storm this season.With new lines like ‘handbag’ size notebooks, reminder pads as part of our ‘to do’ range, and the expansion of our organisation range with new desk pads and planners.We have deliberately held back some launches, just for London Stationery Show - so please visit us on stand!

Guangzhou Premier Plus Stationery M324 Guangzhou Premier Plus Stationery LTD are proud to announce the launch of our new brand ‘You Create, colour your world’. Our colouring range includes high quality products such as oil pastels, colouring pencils and pens, colour paper, card and much more.We are also proud to announce the relaunch of the brand Foldermate which offers inventive new fashionable pencil cases notebooks and filling products. Suitable for all generations. We supply leading companies throughout the world on an FOB basis.

We are Puntoriga, a new Italian stationery brand, presenting our innovative notebooks collection. Operating for several years in the bookbindery market means we are able to apply interesting technical solutions to our own products, moreover it allowed us to be part of the entire creative process keeping our quality standards very high. Combining an improved usability with a refined look came naturally; with the near city of Venice inspiring us to convey Italian sophistication and elegance known worldwide.

Hahnemühle UK G104 Hahnemühle has been producing paper since 1584. Inspired by this, with years of expertise, their paper symbolises the company’s tradition to produce classic artist papers, made to perfection. Find them at this year’s Stationary Show and get your hands on some high-quality, award-winning sketch books with unique textures and finishes.

Ire-Tex Premier India M440 We are a leading EPE foam manufacturing company from India. Some of our premier retail products include bubble wrap or foam lined tamper proof envelopes and gift envelopes, bubble wrap and foam mailer covers, foam swimming noodles, bubble wrap and foam packing sheets and rolls, event decorative materials and more.We also take care of various protective packaging needs of the industrial sector as well as innovative, retail packaging. If you are looking to source top quality products do drop by at our stand. Some facts about us: > Established in 2007 > ISO 9001 Certified Company > Competitive Pricing > Experts at Custom designs and fabrication.

Hex & Ginger M302 At Hex and Ginger, our motto is ‘Stationery lovers, welcome home.’ Our collection of stylish, gorgeous stationery ranges from diaries, notebooks, desk pads and more. Since launching in November 2017 our products have found many homes, we love our products and nothing makes us happier than a stationery lover with some awesome stationery!

ICE London GL896 Taking inspiration from the catwalk, the ICE London designers use current trends to create must have pieces of stationery. Attention to detail is at the heart of the brand and the chic yet playful elements make for the perfect accessory. Combining elegance and style, ICE London produce stationery to stand out. Stocked internationally in some of the world’s most famous department stores as well as independent boutiques, every item is presented in luxurious packaging, and gifts come with a gift box and a gift bag.

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JPT Europe M606

Gruppo Padovana srl M441

Jakar International M620 Please come and visit us on Stand M620 to discover new and existing ranges for Jakar and Caran d’Ache Stationery and Artists’ Materials. Caran d’Ache is 100% Swiss Made. Suppliers to the retail, wholesale, internet and educational trades. New Products. Special Offers. Eco Friendly.

JPT EUROPE LTD are very pleased to introduce our fantastic range of Japanese stationery again at Stationery Show 2018! They include a new model of TEPLA LITE Label Printer, new concept masking tape KITTA, long-established Japanese eraser brand SEED (Radar series), various high quality Japanese notebooks such as Mnemosyne, LIFE, APICA, KOBEHA and etc. If you are looking for unique and high quality Japanese stationery, please come and visit us at stand M606! Less Force Stapler LF-10FC

Kaisercraft Pty Ltd M645 KAISER STYLE. Designed in Australia Kaiser Style Stationery is perfect for paper aficionados; a collection of luxe stationery items which are both gorgeous and practical. Designed Less Force Stapler LF-10FC in-house in Geelong, Australia, and originally developed as a product range for Kaisercraft, Kaiser Style has fast become a story in its own right.We’re proud to offer a premium product at a great value price.With limited edition new designs released every quarter there’s always plenty of fresh product to look at! Less Force Stapler LF-35

Less Force Stapler LF-35

Nxt Series Stapler nXt-S45

Less Force Stapler LF-10FC Less Force Stapler LF-10FC

JWS Europe M529 JWS Europe Ltd is a manufacturer and distributor specialising in unique and innovative gifts and toys with over three decades experience.Their range of activity and skill toys encourage creative thinking and problem solving as well as promoting an active lifestyle. JWS Europe will be exhibiting a curated selection of toys from their vast catalogue, including the V-Cube and V-Sphere range of puzzles as well as the Inside3 range of blind labyrinth cubes - both brands have been causing a stir with toy, book and craft retailers alike.

Nxt Series Stapler nXt-S45 Less Force Stapler LF-35 Less Force Stapler LF-35

Nxt Series Punch nXt-P25 Nxt Series Stapler nXt-S45 Nxt Series Stapler nXt-S45

Nxt Series Punch nXt-P25 Nxt Series Punch nXt-P25

Kanin India Ltd Nxt Series Punch nXt-P25 M334 We would like to introduce ourselves as one of the leading manufacturers and exporters of stationery products under the internationally known brand names “KANGARO”, “KANEX” and “RAION”. Products include staplers, perforators, staples, paper cutters, staple removers, tape dispensers, and tackers etc.We have been in the market for the last five decades. Our products meet all international standards and are exported to all over the World.

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GO Stationery M401

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JPT Europe M606

Gruppo Padovana srl M441

Less Force Stapler LF-35

Nxt Series Stapler nXt-S45

Less Force Stapler LF-10FC Less Force Stapler LF-10FC

Nxt Series Stapler nXt-S45 Less Force Stapler LF-35 Less Force Stapler LF-35

Nxt Series Punch nXt-P25 Nxt Series Stapler nXt-S45 Nxt Series Stapler nXt-S45

Nxt Series Punch nXt-P25 Nxt Series Punch nXt-P25

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SHOW PREVIEW Keycraft Global M330 GOGOPO™ is a lifestyle stationery collectables brand, which is characterful, innovative and a highly attractive impulse product range.With fast-paced new product delivery strategies, agile trend adoption and innovative point of sale systems and promotional mechanisms, GOGOPO is becoming the fastest growing product brand in our portfolio. This range of fun and funky fashion stationery for children, teens and tweens includes novelty products such as: nail polish highlighters, ice cream erasers and googly-eyed pens. It is the latest must-have brand for any school bag! Entice multi-buy purchases with the complimentary 39-pocket display stand – it’s a real show-stopper!

Katy Sue Designs M539 Katy Sue Designs are an award-winning craft company with over 12 years’ experience in designing high quality craft products. Our paper craft range covers colouring books as well as crafts such as card making and paper cutting.We are especially proud of our new Paper Cutting range ‘Adventures in Paper Cutting’, which has been developed with paper artist Emma Boyes and is made in the UK from FSC paper. Please stop by our booth M539 to see how easy it is to craft with our beautiful products.

We are featuring our brand new Gansai Tambi Gem watercolors for 2018 at the show. These metallic-toned Gansai watercolors sparkle like gemstones and have an excellent opaqueness. The deep colors stain the paper and stand out boldly. Ideal for use in calligraphy, brush lettering, illustrating and all other types of painting.

Based in Boston, UK, Dynamic Cassette International (DCI) are Europe’s leading manufacturer of remanufactured inkjet and toner cartridges and this years’ attendance at the Stationery Show sees them partner with one of the world’s biggest brands to launch this exciting new range of high quality Kodak products. Kodak is an internationally recognised brand, meaning this is an exciting business opportunity for retailers to develop the category.Visit the stand to discuss this retail ready offering including Kodak branded accessories such as batteries, selfie-sticks, photo paper, and torches.

Following last year’s success winning Social Stationery and Judges Choice Awards, Laura is pleased to have expanded her popular In Bloom range further this year by including a new set of ‘Green’ notecards and a gorgeous perpetual Birthday Calendar showcasing stunning floral images relevant to the month on show. She has also added a beautiful new collection for Christmas which includes charity Christmas cards, gift tags and matching wrap.

We manufacture brightly coloured leather accessories: useful, practical and very chic! Stationery accessories: a whole range of different sized pencil cases and desk accessories. Gifts: stationery gifts, travel gifts and all-round-the-year gifts! All our range is manufactured in our workshop (in France) our products are attractive, qualityfinished and price-friendly.

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Lime Stationery & Art are a distributor of a number of premium global brands. Our appreciation of high quality stationery and writing instruments has enabled us to become UK representatives for many great brands:Visconti, Diplomat, Monteverde, Conklin with pens, Legami,Troika, Koh I Noor, Original Crown Mill with stationery, art and gifts.We also have new brands to show this year: Pininfarina Segno, MAX, and Lannoo.

Kodak M715

Laura Stoddart M635

Laurige M432 Kuretake M434

Lime Stationery & Art M421

Leuchtturm1917 UK M400 DIGITAL DETOX.This is the message from LEUCHTTURM1917. In a world where we are constantly communicating with one another digitally, the desire to make a quick note, jot down our thoughts, to feel the paper and hold something tangible is growing. Recently, more people have begun to realise that we all need to spend some time away from our digital companions.We need to be more offline, unplug, and recharge:We all need a DIGITAL DETOX.

Ludlow Bookbinders GL880 Ludlow Bookbinders is an award-winning, dynamic, craft-bindery that produces the finest quality, handmade products.We are used to dealing with large, corporate clients for bespoke, high-end solutions especially presentation boxes and gifts. Our range of notebooks, photograph albums and lifestyle stationery can be personalised to suit requirements and we pride ourselves on our attention to detail alongside an ability to find the right solution for the customer.The materials we use regularly range from the re-cycled to the frankly exotic with a focus on UK sourcing, where possible, to reduce carbon footprint.

Magnetips G111 MAGNETIPS are not your average fineliners. Each one of the Patent-Pending refillable pens have two powerful Neodymium magnets fixed in their shell, making them attract one another and to most metal objects, allowing nearly unlimited options for how the pens can be stored or presented. MAGNETIPS pens are refillable and are purposefully designed to last.The pens contain high quality, fine-line refills in a colour palette carefully selected by the design team. Their 0.4 fine line is great for accurate colouring, sketching, or just writing beautiful prose. Magnetic Refillable Fineliners

Manuscript Pen Company M315 Historic pen manufacturer Manuscript Pen Company have expanded their diverse product category with exciting new products to be unveiled at the London Stationery Show. Alongside old favourites, Manuscript’s new products ensures that retailers have product available for artists of all disciplines including calligraphy, illustration and design, hand lettering, and typography. 2018 sees the launch of the innovative Switch Tip Collection, Lettering Pencil, Callicreative Duotip Brush Markers, two new Calligraphy Fountain Pen collections and more!

Maped Helix M506 Maped Helix will be showcasing brand new products for 2018 at the Show.The Pepsi™ collection includes pencil cases, erasers and pencil sharpeners with fun Pepsi and Pepsi Max designs. Also new for 2018 is the unique Jelly Belly ‘Very Cherry’ scented stationery set featuring a bean shaped tin.The Oxford maths set is now available in two metallic finishes, silver and rose gold. Both sets include high quality contents and a matching Oxford ballpoint pen. Also available in the Oxford Metallics range is the Oxford Premium Writing Set which includes a fountain, rollerball and ballpoint pen presented in an embossed tin.

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Kodak M715

Laura Stoddart M635

Laurige M432 Kuretake M434

Lime Stationery & Art M421

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Pagani Pens SA M739

Museums & Galleries M516 Morocolor Italia SpA M448 PRIMO has been a synonym for high quality paints, created by a family business since 1933 and made in Italy.The concept is simple: growing up with and creating colours is a serious but joy-inducing endeavour.We love our product! Children are our most demanding customers and we are committed to offering them ways to develop creativity, and be safe. Discover our new project: our gluten free soft modelling dough easydò. It is fully produced in Italy, dermatologically tested and fulfils all European toy safety regulations.

Our passion is to offer the timeless style of the best fine and applied art brands translated to the most beautiful, high-quality and usable gift stationery. This year we launch luxury A5 flexible notebooks, with velvet touch covers richly embellished with foils.We double in size our range of gift pens, debuting six sensational Matthew Williamson designs. Other brands include V&A, British Library, British Museum, Natural History Museum, London Transport Museum, Cressida Bell, and more. Journals, boxed notecards, gift wrap, bags, tissue, pens and bookmarks. Stationery spinners available.

My Pretty Circus M322 At MY PRETTY CIRCUS it‘s all about wrapping & writing: you‘ll find unique reversible gift wrap, greeting cards, boxed card sets & matching ribbon. APPRECIATION I believe that giving is something very personal.Wrapping your gift with carefully selected patterns and high quality paper shows the recipient how much they are appreciated. Let‘s make someone feel special today! SUSTAINIBILITY Our cards and wrapping papers are carbon neutrally printed in Germany. We use plant based colors on 100% recycled paper stock.

Nukkias G108

Mustard M420 Mustard will once again turn heads at the London Stationery Show as they introduce four new collections, totalling almost 50 new products. Bananas feature heavily as part of their latest Spring Summer 2018 Collection, alongside Wink, Origami and Cats & Dogs. Unique stationery, lunchboxes, water bottles and workplace accessories will be available in each collection – combining style with quality to help add a smile to the greyest workplace. Both new classics and old favourites make Mustard the ultimate retail proposition combining colour, usability and variation to appeal to a broad demographic, as Mustard’s following of fashionistas continues to gather across the globe.

Newell Rubbermaid (DYMO brand) G116 DYMO is exhibiting at the 2018 London Stationery Show for the first time! DYMO offers a complete range of products for the office, home and even the classroom. From simple embossers, manual label makers and desktop products to computer-connected products and cutting-edge software and online service, DYMO is here to simplify your tasks while helping you to look more professional and be more organized. DYMO product lines also include labels, label makers, and mailing and shipping scales. Come and visit us at stand G116!

Nuco International M701 Northlight Design GL898 Northlight Design introduces 1 Canoe 2, which grew from ‘one canoe, two girls’ trips taken along Missouri streams - their artwork is hand painted before being transformed into greeting cards, art prints, notebooks and journals that reflect the best friends’ sense of curiosity, adventure and appreciation of life’s natural beauty. Secondly, the Emily McDowell Studio started after Emily’s battle with cancer inspired a range of empathy cards. The range has since grown to include cards for all occasions; ‘making cards for the relationships we actually have, not the ones we wish we had’.

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Nu: Notebooks are exhibiting a wide range of notebooks and journals, showcasing premium quality ranges suitable for every need.This year we are introducing our Nu: Journal range of versatile stylish journals offering vibrant colours and on trend designs. The new ‘Spectrum’ range of soft touch journals are available in 8 bold colours alongside the new tactile ‘Linen’ range, available in 6 seasonal colours.We are also launching a selection of new display solutions, ideal for presenting our notebooks and journals in store.

NUKKIAS. Paper from Barcelona is a Barcelona-based stationery brand aimed at design and illustration lovers and all those who have a passion for art. Nukkias’ products are inspired in the colors of Barcelona and produced in partnership with artisan workshops using the highest quality materials. NUKKIAS bring the colors to your desk with top stylish products, unique collections with a distinctive personality.

Ótima M742 Through excellence, innovation and Brazilian design, we inspire people to do their best.

Prodir, along with brand Premec, is part of the renowned Pagani Pens group, a Swiss company that has been producing writing instruments and parts since 1961.With over 50 years of experience, Pagani Pens has developed a solid business culture and created high-quality products.Today it has over 500 collaborators around the world and is present in over 50 countries.The group’s focus is on client needs, customised detailing, technological product innovation and respect for the environment and our employees.

Peter Pauper Press G103

Opus UK M429 Having attended the London Stationery Show in 2017 for the first time it became clear to us that there was an opportunity for stationery retail shops to offer personalisation instore to help sell more notebooks, diaries and planners.With this in mind we designed and built the NEW NamePress.This simple NamePress will take notebooks and diaries of all sizes and makes it very easy to foil initials or a name on the cover. Speed and simplicity are very important.The NamePress comes with a full master set of brass fonts, frames and foil.The letters have been lasered to make type setting very easy – come and try it out!

Paper Mirchi GL882 Our range of handmade artisan gift wrap sheets is a new product in the UK market - a Gift of the Year award winner in 2018.We utilise traditional textile processes such as tie and dye, block printing, batik and hand marbling on our luxurious recycled cotton paper to create fabulous gift wrap. A lot of love and craftsmanship have gone into producing every sheet in our collection which has been individually handcrafted by a skilled artisan, making each sheet truly unique. Come and see our new collection of metallic coloured hand marbled papers at the London Stationery Show!

Peter Pauper Press, founded in 1928, is a leading publisher of fine gift books, art products, unique journals, quality stationery, Christmas cards, and innovative children’s activity books. Make sure to visit our stand and take a look!

Pierre Cardin M722

Pentel (Stationery) Ltd. M507 Pentel will be showcasing four exciting new colours to its highly popular EnerGel range of pens, bringing the total number of colours to 12. EnerGel ink is exceptionally quick-drying, making it suitable for both right and left-handed writers, with no smudging on hands or paper. Pentel will also be making a major feature of its unique Hybrid Dual Metallic pens, which produce beautiful, different iridescent shades on dark or light coloured paper - unlike any other writing instrument on the market.

The Pierre Cardin Writing Collection is an exclusive range of premium writing instruments and notebooks, incorporating cutting-edge design and the latest manufacturing techniques.These beautiful high-end gifts have been built from the ground up by an expert team of designers with astonishing attention to detail. Retailers can expect generous margins on these premiumpositioned lines. Stockists will be supported by a free point-ofsale package and a sale or return option is available.

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Pagani Pens SA M739

Nukkias G108

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Ótima M742 Through excellence, innovation and Brazilian design, we inspire people to do their best.

Peter Pauper Press G103

Pierre Cardin M722

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Pomegranate Europe M339 Pomegranate is excited to present their fantastic 2019 calendar range alongside the stunning new product for 2018 at this year’s Stationery Show.We’re happy to bring you a delectable assortment of wall, mini wall, sticker, and engagement calendars designed to add engaging art and photography to your life while keeping you organized.The perennial best sellers are joined by a bevy of new titles sure to delight each and every art lover.

Santoro Ltd M341

Postsafe G200 We’re not the same PostSafe that’s served the poly-postal market for 40 years.We’ve grown and are exploring an exciting new identity, whilst maintaining the consistent, trusted product and values the market has come to expect. Teddy Townsend has been appointed as Sales Director and is keen to work with you on putting the extensive portfolio of poly-postal products we offer to work within your business.We’re excited to build on current relationships and develop the brand further with new collaborations and partnerships.

Quadrille | Hardie Grant Publishing G100 Come to see the debut stationery range from licensing phenomenon, I Like Birds: the Scottish brand spreading its wings far and wide with contemporary bird-themed designs of universal appeal. We will also be previewing the latest collections from Lulu Guinness, Cath Kidston and V&A, along with our groundbreaking Scratch Off journals.

Premier Stationery is a forward thinking, innovative stationery company and they will be showcasing many new products at the upcoming Show on Stand - G211. Premier Stationery are recognised for the vast ranges of products and competitive prices it can offer on a daily basis and are constantly introducing quality new products to make them stand out from the competition! Please do take the time to visit the Premier Stationery stand, you will not be disappointed!

Royal Talens M738 Royal Talens’ innovative character stimulates us to continue innovating.We encourage creative amateurs and professionals all over the world to push back their boundaries and to ‘rediscover’ themselves.We believe that creative expression is very important; a passion to share and to develop further. For the show we are launching our new range extensions in the renowned Ecoline Brush Pens and the NEW Pigma Micron Everyday pens, please do visit to experience these exciting new products.

Pukka Pads M316 At this year’s London Stationery Show we will be exhibiting a range of products, including new additions to our flagship Metallic range. The A4 and B5 project book along with the new size B5 jotter complements the established range.We will also be showing our award-winning 4D Interactive Colouring Books, which picked up ‘New Product Of The Year’ at the Boss Awards 2017.

REB Buzaswholesale Limited M402 This company offers unique wooden stationery products including wooden greeting cards, bookmarks, notebooks and gift tags. They have big range of products and are only ones in Europe who offers these products to the UK market.

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Since 1908 Railex have been producing high quality, durable and innovative filing solutions for the UK marketplace.These fabulous products are still manufactured here in Chorley, in the heart of Lancashire, England. Our expert and experienced team take pride and passion in what we do and hence have become known as ‘The Filing Specialists’ for good reason.We are delighted to welcome you to our stand G131, where you’ll be able to see our specialist Files & Folders and Mobile storage systems for the first time.

Reliable Source G222 Tape is the NEW paint! Come visit Reliable Source stand G222 and be impressed by our amazing NEW brand CRE8 tapes.We hold an extensive range of tapes for all your creative requirements in an array of colours to satisfy any palette. Be inspired by the tape art cre8tions on display by leading tape artists. CRE8 – PLAY – DECORATIVE The tape people - we’re on a roll...

SECO G101 Stewart Superior will be showing its contemporary Root & Seed Notebook lines, its Seco environmental filing products plus new a new range of design-led products perfect for the retail market. Don’t miss the opportunity to come and see exactly what’s new.

Railex G131

Portico Designs Ltd M615 Portico Designs turns 30! Since we began in 1988 we have flourished into a thriving company, producing and designing innovative design led product.We are super excited to be launching 70 brand spanking new product lines for our birthday year! We are thrilled to unveil our biggest launch this spring with the fabulous Mini Moderns.The Londonbased brand specialises in creating ‘pattern with a story’ and we’re excited to bring their signature look to the office. Months in the making, this playful collection includes super stylish wooden desk accessories and stationery pieces.

Premier Stationery Products G211

SANTORO is the world-renowned, award-winning London lifestyle brand. Creating an exciting range of beautiful, design-led products for people to love, share and cherish, the company offers chic stationery, fashionable accessories and giftware, and unique eclectic greeting card collections. SANTORO has recently launched a delightful selection of stationery pieces; find classic accessories such as lockable notebooks, stylish storage, pencil cases and writing tools, alongside a variety of fun novelty items including passport shaped notebooks, pom pom pens, clipboard planners and sweet sticker sets!

Scribble Geeks M537 Scribble Geeks is an exclusive Kawaii Stationery box overflowing with cute, quirky stationery items, making it the perfect birthday or occasion gift. The Scribble Geeks are four besties: CJ, Mia, Gem & Storm, an entrepreneur, a blogger, a musician and an artist.They are young, creative motivational females that want to inspire you to follow your dreams, no matter how big or small.You can achieve anything you want if you only put your mind to it, along with a little bit of planning and organisation, of course.

Shachihata Europe Ltd M721 Shachihata (Europe) Ltd is excited to announce that it will be showcasing the fantastic new Artline Supreme markers at this year’s London Stationery Show.The range, which includes permanent, brush, highlighter, whiteboard, metallic, calligraphy, UV, colouring and fineliner pens, will also feature in live demonstrations with renowned UK artist Judith Selcuk.The #ArtlineHeroes campaign which highlights seven carefully chosen Artline products, including the ever popular Artline 70, will be also introduced at the show. Making a welcome return is the Xstamper Quix Stamp making system, which now has a new range of mounts and quick drying inks.

Semikolon M700 Sinclairs M408 A world-class British manufacturer of paper-based stationery products - creators and makers of Silvine, Silvine Originals and Artgecko Sketchbooks, not to mention private label stationery products. Our customer focused product development and market leading service levels make us a trusted and reliable partner for any project. A proper British institution, manufacturing notebooks and pads in the UK since 1837.

Semikolon creates stationery products with minimalist design in modern colours. The design and colour scheme allow for the mixing and matching of photo albums, notebooks and boxes with one another to extend your collection. Semikolon is now over 30 years old.The colours and products have evolved over the course of time, but many Semikolon products are still made the same way as they always have been, by hand and to the highest quality standards. This illustrates the brand’s timeless approach to design which is not subject to fleeting fashion trends. Semikolon has now become a modern classic.

Sloane Stationery M639 Sloane Stationery will be showing a wide range of new products and collections including a new range of softcover notebooks in our classic lizard embossed paper as well as linen finishes, beautifully styled pens, a revamped wedding collection and soon to be announced desk accessories. These will be showcased alongside our classic and witty titles in our pocket collection, notepads, pencils, albums and guest books.We will also be showcasing our corporate gifting options and bespoke process to help you build the perfect fit for your company.

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Santoro Ltd M341

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Railex G131

Premier Stationery Products G211

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Staedtler UK M541

Stabilo International GL906

STAEDTLER’s primary focus at the show will be on Noris, its premium range of blacklead and colouring pencils.The Noris brand will benefit from targeted bursts of advertising in 2018 featuring the famous yellow and black striped Noris pencil and this distinctive livery will be carried through to the STAEDTLER stand. Alongside the full Noris range, a new Noris-inspired freestanding display unit will be previewed on the stand.

Come and see us at stand GL906 to see our fantastic range of pastel pens.We launched last year with the STABILO BOSS ORIGINAL pastel highlighter and we are now building on the success of this launch.We’ve got pastel colours in every range and the latest to be launched is the STABILO swing cool Pastel launching in April.There’s also some rather exciting metallic pens which are due to be launched in October for adults and children – which will be perfect for Christmas.

Sztuka Rodzinna offers their own designed stationery products from Poland, producing fashionable and stylish notebooks and journals. Our brand Narcissus offers all products with dotted pages which are highly popular all over Europe.Take a look at our exercise books, spiralpads, journals, diaries and washi tapes!

Pop along and see us at stand M521 and discover an exciting new launch from FaberCastell. Check out the latest washi tape designs from MT Masking Tape in their 10th anniversary year. Get creative with Tombow and join in some hand lettering fun with Betty Etiquette. Spot some exciting new product collaborations from Caran d’Ache and for all your stationery essentials see Schneider’s extensive range.

TapePal Ltd G118

Studio Pens/Kaweco M520

Sztuka Rodzinna G115

Stone Marketing M521

Kaweco - where innovation meets tradition. Come and see our exciting range of fountain pens, rollerballs, ballpoints and pencils, including new products for 2018 like the Rose Gold AL Sport, the Grip for Apple Pencil, and the limited edition Amber DIA set.We’ll also be showing our range of calligraphy pens and gift sets.There’s a Kaweco pen for every budget and taste whether you’re a pen connoisseur or a school child. Make your own Kaweco Sport pen to take away!

Thames & Hudson M510 The world’s leading publisher of books on the arts,Thames & Hudson produces a wide array of volumes on art, fashion, design and photography; as well as stationery, gift books and books and games for children. We also act as a distributor for many notable publishers including Fashionary, Flammarion and Victionary, amongst others.We are delighted to be showcasing our new stationery ranges at the show - including the Grammar of Spice range, a follow-up to the hugely successful Herbarium products launched last spring.

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TapePal launched last year and is at the Stationery Show for the first time! TapePal is a revolutionary compact hand-held tape dispenser that works with a regular sized roll of 25mm wide sticky tape.There’s no need to buy a small throw away tape dispenser or the bulky desktop type, just attach the TapePal to your regular sized roll of tape, and away you go – it’s the best tape dispenser out there! Come and see us on Stand G118 and get them while they’re hot! Change the way you use your tape forever!

teNeues Calendars & Stationery M416 teNeues are excited to be exhibiting at the London Stationery show for the first time. Perhaps best known for our award-winning calendars and diaries, we also offer a fantastic range of stationery! Come along and see our new Midi Flexi Range of notebooks, with the choice of geometric shapes, foil embellishment or craft paper, for when less is more. Our new range of GreenLine Stationery - all made with soy based inks and on FSC certified paper - will be launched at the show, with 5 new collections on display. Come and have a closer look!!

Toscana Carte Pregiate s.r.l. M731

The Paper Lounge G102

The new Peter Pan Collection is dedicated to the world of fairy tales. Fairy tales don’t have a season, they are timeless, there’s always time to listen to them, to write them down, to dream about them. In this context our wrapping paper decorated with gold powder, notebooks, block notes and notebook diaries become extraordinary containers for the moments that have shaped wonderful days for all us.

Inspired by design, functionality, practicality and fun; Paper Lounge delivers beautifully crafted Kraft paper furniture to complement any setting. Paper Lounge has created exceptional products combining timeless design and natural materials.The range of contemporary concertina or foldable furniture has real life functional and practical applications. Perfect for gifting, extra seating when you need it, shop displays, exhibitions and events.The products are natural with simple geometrical lines and a unique ‘honeycomb’ structure, which lends itself to its strength and durability.

Treewise Europe Ltd M548 Treewise Pencils are made from 100% recycled newspapers and have won several awards for their unique innovation and use of sustainable products. Our unique selling proposition is that we are the world’s first company to offer pencils with a promise of no breakage while writing or sharpening. Come and say hello and view our amazing products on stand M548 at the London Stationery Show.

Withit Studios M329 Withit Studios has been established since 2001. Creators of original IP they have developed a range of fashion stationery and bags that will be exhibited for first time anywhere to retailers. Kitties in the Cities is a range of cats that live in (you guessed it) major cities around the world, with stylish graphics and a playful nature that makes these designs highly appealing.

West Design Products M530

uni-ball M710 uni-ball is a leading brand in the UK rollerball pen market, with exclusive product variety developed by innovation and technology since 1887. Best-selling ranges include the iconic uni-ball eye, the uni-ball Air which writes like a fountain pen.The uni Pin fine liner with nine tip sizes - a must for technical drawing and creative work.With new lines added to the Posca range - the water based ‘paint in a pen’, which can be used on most surfaces.We look forward to presenting our product range at the London Stationery Show.

Be organised, stay inspired and get creative with the newest products from West Design. Revamp your planning with the debut of new and exclusive stationery range Noteworthy, featuring three fun, stylish themes: It’s a Sloths Life, Graphic Florals and Pastel Hues. Invest in your art skills with professional-quality art materials for hobby artists, with the exclusive Faber Castell Goldfaber range. Or simply let your creativity run free with many wellknown arts and crafts products by muchloved brands such as docrafts, Magic Colour, Copic and Marabu, as well as West Design pads, folios and more.

Zebra Pen UK M601 Come and visit the ZEBRA PEN UK stand, it will be filled with fun and exciting product samples from our all-new range, ART AND CRAFT, along with best-selling favourites from our other three ranges! We’re looking forward to talking with you, providing you with info on why we developed the fabulous new range, as well as offering insights into how and why we believe it will be very successful.

ZIPIT Europe G122 ZIPIT® is a breakthrough bags-and-cases design house that makes original, fun, affordable and high-quality products, with patented designs. ZIPIT® was born from a need to create a truly original and authentic brand; one that stands out in a generally uninspiring mass market. Our core belief is simple; encouraging customers to be creative and innovative cannot be done while copying others. ZIPIT’s mission is to encourage people to celebrate their own originality and pursue their ideas and dreams without fear.

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Staedtler UK M541

Stabilo International GL906

TapePal Ltd G118

Studio Pens/Kaweco M520

Sztuka Rodzinna G115

Stone Marketing M521

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Toscana Carte Pregiate s.r.l. M731

The Paper Lounge G102

West Design Products M530

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Great British brands: Covered.

STATIONERY BIZ Quadrille’s collaboration with artist Stuart Cox of I Like Birds

STATIONERY X DESIGNER JULIA FAIERS discovers why the stationery industry – and consumers – can’t get enough of designer collaborations

Find us at the London Stationery Show 24 – 25th April, Stand no. M516 Alternatively, contact your local agent, register online, or call our sales team for more information about our collection.

E: sales@mgml.co.uk www.museumsgalleries.co.uk T: 01373 462165 Stationery_Matters_HPage_March_v2.indd 1

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WHAT IS it about designers that stationery and writing instrument manufacturers are so drawn to? A newsletter from Cult Pens late last year announced: “A new pen from Lamy is always an eagerly awaited event. In this case, perhaps more so than usual, as the designer is Jasper Morrison. He’s renowned for functional and unobtrusive designs, which makes him a perfect match for Lamy’s simple Bauhaus-inspired aesthetic.” Cult Pens hits the nail on the head. Lamy already has a reputation for creating trend-led writing instruments. So what does Jasper Morrison bring to the party? His own brand identity and creative portfolio fuses perfectly with the Lamy brand. Morrison’s style enhances Lamy’s brand. A successful designer collaboration is like a sprinkling of celebrity fairy dust. The allure is twofold. Not only does the celebrity designer bring creative expertise to a project, they also add a glow of stardom and prestige. Caran d’Ache highlights this dual motivation with its recent limited edition Varius Peter Marino Collection. Caran d’Ache gave flamboyant architect Marino ‘carte blanche’ to design the Varius in his own style. The company says the limited edition, available in two designs, “reflects all the innovative spirit of Caran d’Ache.” Marino has created truly striking designs that add more than fairy dust. More like rock-star dust. A shared outlook between brand and designer is a common factor, regardless of the product or person. Publisher Quadrille, for example, launches in April a gorgeous new stationery range featuring Stuart Cox’s graphic designs for I Like Birds.

Melanie Gray, business development director of stationery at Quadrille commented: “The strong values of I Like Birds’ growing brand were very clear right from the start, and it has been rewarding to see the necessary relationships flourish so that the deceptively simple yet stunning designs now showcase a unique and utterly irresistible stationery range. “Strength of branding and product selection are key with any designer collaboration, and we are very lucky that this has been a seamless process with I Like Birds, resulting in a range with an enviably wide target market.” Pilot has chosen wacky pop star Mika to give its bestselling pens a popular culture makeover to celebrate its centenary. Pilot UK’s marketing manager Stuart Barker explains the thinking behind the partnership: “As Pilot is an international brand, we needed to work with a brand ambassador with an international character. Mika fits this criteria perfectly. He is best known as a singer/ songwriter but first and foremost he is a creative artist, and so has given us the opportunity to commemorate 100 years in a memorable, unique and innovative way by redecorating some of our most popular pens – FriXion Ball, FriXion Clicker, the G-2 and V5, each in six colours and 24 distinct designs.” These designs are only available during Pilot’s centenary year, 2018, lending an air of exclusivity that aims to inspire consumers to ‘get them while they’re hot.’ Exclusivity is a motivating factor behind a lively designer collaboration between classic notebook brand Moleskine and Theodore Bradley, a New York street artist. For the The Lamy aion rollerball in olive silver finish, designed by Jasper Morrison

The Peter Marino Limited Edition Varius pen for Caran d’Ache

Bradley Theodore X Moleskine capsule collection, Bradley has splashed his bold, bright graffiti-style designs over the brand’s classic backpacks and notebooks, and signed each of the 300 limited-edition backpacks. Once they’re gone they’re gone, so Moleskine has deliberately harnessed Bradley’s designer street art to create an aura of luxury and exclusiveness. As stationery brands continue to gain popularity and become more international, its audience more knowledgeable and discerning, the allure a ‘star’ designer can bring to a brand is clearly more relevant than ever. The G-2 in the ‘Pilot by Mika’ range of limited edition pens

The Bradley Theodore X Moleskine capsule collection

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Great British brands: Covered.

STATIONERY BIZ Quadrille’s collaboration with artist Stuart Cox of I Like Birds

STATIONERY X DESIGNER JULIA FAIERS discovers why the stationery industry – and consumers – can’t get enough of designer collaborations

Find us at the London Stationery Show 24 – 25th April, Stand no. M516 Alternatively, contact your local agent, register online, or call our sales team for more information about our collection.

E: sales@mgml.co.uk www.museumsgalleries.co.uk T: 01373 462165 Stationery_Matters_HPage_March_v2.indd 1

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The Peter Marino Limited Edition Varius pen for Caran d’Ache

The Bradley Theodore X Moleskine capsule collection

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Envelopes Ltd. www.envelopes.co.uk sales@envelopes.co.uk t: 01628 810 000

RETAIL GOES DIGITAL Photo: Pexels

From bots to beacons, tech wizard CHRIS PARTRIDGE shares how to attract customers and grow sales using new digital tools online and in store

EXPLORE

The World of

Envelopes & P

NEUTRAL bran ding NO minimum qu antity UNRIVALLED se lection LUXURY mater ials

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PEOPLE are buying stationery again, driving a boom in a sector that was virtually written off when it looked as though everything was going digital. Surprisingly, however, the new demand for notebooks, writing paper and greetings cards is coming from Generation Y, born in the years around the millennium and growing up with no memory of a time before word processing, email and social media. They have fallen in love with paper but they also want to shop online and get their stuff instantly or sooner, and marketing to this generation requires mastery of the digital domain. Almost all retailers have a website, but many are little more than a screen with directions to the shop. To attract millennials, site visitors must be able to browse the entire stock, either to purchase for delivery to the home or to reassure themselves that a visit to the store will be worthwhile. Generation Y wants new experiences and fun rather than mere possessions, so it is also vital to ensure that once they are in the shop they have a good time.

Websites these days must also work well on all screen sizes, from computer monitors (millennials have no compunction about shopping at work) to smartphones (all millennials have at least one.) Ensuring a smooth transition from a widescreen monitor to a portrait phone screen is not a trivial task. Visitors will frequently have questions about the products, which can often be answered instantly by a chatbot, software that uses artificial intelligence to generate realistically human responses to common queries. They can be surprisingly witty and fun. Chatbots replace the dispiriting process of searching through FAQs for guidance on product details, delivery options and so on, and can retain customers on the site at points when they may otherwise get bored and go off to a competitor. The ultimate chatbot is Amazon’s Alexa, which is available for retailers to adapt, rebrand and use themselves. Other chatbots available for retailers to use are Facebook Messenger, Slack’s Slackbot and Kit, a ‘virtual employee’ from Shopify.

Chatbots are so powerful nowadays it’s tempting to pretend they are real live humans. This is very dangerous – sooner or later someone will realise what is going on, pose a series of questions designed to expose the bot’s ignorance, and post the hilarious results on Facebook. The customer backlash can be very damaging. The safest way forward is to be frank about the bot, and ensure that a customer can chat with a human being at the touch of a button. As well as keeping customers happy, chatbots deliver a wealth of valuable market research, giving instant data on what is in demand and identifying common complaints. Some bots can even assist managers by creating business reports with sales statistics and so on, creating new ads based on targeted audiences and sending ‘thank you’ emails to customers. One area which should never be left to chatbots (not until they get a better sense for irony anyway) is social media. Interesting, witty and S P R I N G // S U M M E R 2 0 1 8 5 5

Envelopes Ltd. www.envelopes.co.uk sales@envelopes.co.uk t: 01628 810 000

RETAIL GOES DIGITAL Photo: Pexels

From bots to beacons, tech wizard CHRIS PARTRIDGE shares how to attract customers and grow sales using new digital tools online and in store

EXPLORE

The World of

Envelopes & P

NEUTRAL bran ding NO minimum qu antity UNRIVALLED se lection LUXURY mater ials

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ostal packagin

Stand:

G219

GENERATION Y HAS FALLEN IN LOVE WITH PAPER BUT ALSO WANTS TO SHOP ONLINE. relevant blogs, Facebook streams and Twitter feeds are powerful ways of communicating with Generation Y, and with products relying so heavily on emotional response as stationery, they help develop a community of fans and supporters and generate brand values in areas that are important to them, such as environmental awareness. New technology is also helping to make the bricks-and-mortar shop more of an event. The newest technology that aims to improve customer experience is the beacon, a Bluetooth transmitter that can be placed around the shop at strategic locations to communicate with customers’ smartphones. Beacons can alert customers to the shop’s app or website, enabling them to download the app or connect with the site as appropriate. Once the customer is connected, beacons can make it easy for customers to get product information and reviews, benefit from promotions and much more. For the retailer, beacons can also provide valuable information about traffic patterns and customer behaviour. RFID (Radio-Frequency Identification) tags are finally emerging from decades as ‘tomorrow’s technology’ and are set to become commonplace even for low-value items. The cost has dropped to about 5p per tag, almost justifying its use for notebooks and pen packs. Once everything in the store is tagged, magical things happen. The accuracy of stocktaking is dramatically improved and the time taken to do it reduced to nearly nothing. Inventory information can be shared online, so customers know they can click and collect with confidence. In more advanced systems, customers could hold items up to screens to ask the chatbot for more information. Canny retailers will be adopting these existing and emerging technologies as a way of gaining a competitive edge. The retail landscape is evolving fast. Don’t get left behind. 5 6 S P R I N G // S U M M E R 2 0 1 8

EAGLEMOSS DIARIES

Daily, delightful moments DISCOVER A UNIQUE RANGE OF DIARIES DELICIOUS WEEKLY RECIPES

NOTES POCKET & STICKERS

WEEK-TO-VIEW DIARY

LIE-FLAT DESIGN

VISIT STAND M515

NEXT TO CREATIVE WORKSHOPS LONDON STATIONERY SHOW EAGLEMO SSDIA R I E S . CO. UK T 01270 270050 en qu iri e s @ ea g l e mo ss . co. uk S P R I N G // S U M M E R 2 0 1 8 5 7

EAGLEMOSS DIARIES

Daily, delightful moments DISCOVER A UNIQUE RANGE OF DIARIES DELICIOUS WEEKLY RECIPES

NOTES POCKET & STICKERS

WEEK-TO-VIEW DIARY

LIE-FLAT DESIGN

VISIT STAND M515

NEXT TO CREATIVE WORKSHOPS LONDON STATIONERY SHOW EAGLEMO SSDIA R I E S . CO. UK T 01270 270050 en qu iri e s @ ea g l e mo ss . co. uk S P R I N G // S U M M E R 2 0 1 8 5 7

NEW UNIQUE! !

TREND WATCH: SOCIAL STATIONERY Dear To Me Studio Pemberly Fox

One Pen two shades

Turtles by Julie Bell Stationery: engraved onto paper made from used coffee cups

Amazing iridescent colours – different on dark or light coloured paper

THE PERSONAL TOUCH JULIA FAIERS discovers why social stationery’s star is rising with millennials and oldies alike

Colour and sparkle like never before! Pentel (Stationery) Ltd., Hunts Rise, South Marston Park, Swindon, Wilts. SN3 4TW. Tel. 00 44 (0) 1793 823333. Email: salesoffice@pentel.co.uk. www.pentel.co.uk

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Papier, in collaboration with designer Matthew Williamson

STAND M507

SOCIAL stationery inspires a powerful emotional response in both sender and recipient. Digital junkies, luddites and everyone in between all love to receive a hand-written note or letter. For the sender, there’s often as much pleasure in selecting the stationery as in writing on it. Far from dying off as a result of the tech revolution, writing paper, note cards and invitations are enjoying a renaissance. And it’s not just Granny who wants to do things the old-fashioned way. Millennials and children are fuelling growth in this exciting sector. Companies like Papier are driving the love affair by using technology to put their product range in front of a young audience for whom tech is an inescapable part of their lives. They’ve recently launched the Papier app, which allows users to pick, personalise and pay for greetings cards and stationery from their phone. Papier isn’t alone in recognising its youth audience. Chronicle Books executive publishing director Christina Amini has noticed that the more time people spend online, the more they crave anything analogue, especially the tangibility of real paper. Amini says: “Millennials are spending the most time online, but millennial females are purchasing notecards, going back to paper planners, and journaling in a way we haven’t seen

Esme Winter collaboration with Lucy Augé

since the height of scrapbooking days. Every generation is looking for ways to connect, and our job as gift and stationery providers is to help people to do that.” Pemberly Fox director Anthony Rawlence comments: “Due to the rise of social media, particularly among the younger generations, there is a great deal of ‘noise’ which needs to be filtered through, which I think will begin to act as a deterrent and a wish to return to the old way of doing things.” Esme Winter’s mission with its social stationery is ‘enriching the art of correspondence’ and has created a new range of hand-printed letterpress cards in collaboration with artist Lucy Augé. Every detail, from paper weight to texture and choice of ink has been chosen to sensitively translate Lucy’s artwork into an elegant and tactile collection ‘perfect for a meaningful handwritten message.’ This personal touch is a key reason for the continuing popularity of social stationery. Julie Bell, of Julie Bell Stationery, comments: “A card is also

something tangible – I still have a birthday card sent to my grandmother by her brother during the First World War. Sadly he never returned. Having this card is a connection to a relation I never knew.” Yes, writing and sending a letter takes effort, but Dear To Me Studio’s Elly Vvaller describes its immeasurable value, commenting: “Margaret Shepherd summed it up perfectly in her book The Art of the Handwritten Note: ‘it’s like dining by candlelight rather than flicking on the lights.’ Somehow it feels more decadent and luxurious.”

Watercolor Workshop notecard set, Abrams & Chronicle Books S P R I N G // S U M M E R 2 0 1 8 5 9

NEW UNIQUE! !

TREND WATCH: SOCIAL STATIONERY Dear To Me Studio Pemberly Fox

One Pen two shades

Turtles by Julie Bell Stationery: engraved onto paper made from used coffee cups

Amazing iridescent colours – different on dark or light coloured paper

THE PERSONAL TOUCH JULIA FAIERS discovers why social stationery’s star is rising with millennials and oldies alike

Colour and sparkle like never before! Pentel (Stationery) Ltd., Hunts Rise, South Marston Park, Swindon, Wilts. SN3 4TW. Tel. 00 44 (0) 1793 823333. Email: salesoffice@pentel.co.uk. www.pentel.co.uk

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Papier, in collaboration with designer Matthew Williamson

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Esme Winter collaboration with Lucy Augé

Watercolor Workshop notecard set, Abrams & Chronicle Books S P R I N G // S U M M E R 2 0 1 8 5 9

SPECIAL FOCUS

AT WORK WITH... THE THIRTY UNDER 30 STARS

SCENTED STATIONERY DON’T MISS THE SHOW DEALS!

VISIT US AT LONDON STATIONERY SHOW

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DKL MARKETING LTD

IN recognition of the importance of young professionals to the continued dynamism of the industry, Stationery Matters launched Thirty Under 30 in 2017 to identify and acknowledge the rising stars of stationery. The award judges selected 30 candidates they felt demonstrated drive and passion for their role, a desire to innovate and who were able to display knowledge of the wider industry. The award judges, Wendy Vickery, marketing manager at Pentel UK, Ruth Burgess, senior stationery buyer of B&M Retail Ltd, Julia Faiers, editor of Stationery Matters and Mark Janson-Smith, managing director of independent retailer Postmark, agreed that seven of the 30 candidates deserved special recognition for their exceptional talent and significant contribution to the stationery industry. To highlight the worthy achievements of these trailblazers, and to provide an insight into their vital roles within the industry, Stationery Matters asked its standout stars to tell us a little bit more about their daily working lives.

The judges’ seven Star Choices, revealed at the Manchester Stationery Show in October 2017: Sidonie Warren, Founder, Papersmiths

Sidonie founded contemporary stationers Papersmiths in 2013, which has bricks-and-mortar stores in Bristol and Boxpark, Shoreditch. She also established an online store.

Emma Pearce, Designer, Hotchpotch

Emma has been a designer for eight years, working freelance at first, and now for Hotchpotch. Her work is stocked at John Lewis, Selfridges, Oliver Bonas and Harrods.

Scott Woodward, Marketing Manager, Nemo Group

Scott has worked at the Nemo Group for more than five years. He manages marketing campaigns, has updated the corporate website and created an award-winning catalogue.

Jennifer Rea, Director, Ink Monkey Art

Jennifer founded the company in 2014 straight after graduating from Ulster University. She set up a retail space in Belfast to supply art products and accessible printing services to the local community.

Christina Foreman, Creative Director, Papier

Christina joined online personalised stationery retailer Papier in 2015. She spearheaded the launch of successful collaborations with leading artists, brands and institutions.

Chloe Bayles, Wholesale Manager, A Gift From The Gods Chloe joined A Gift From the Gods in January 2017 as Wholesale Manager, and covers product development, trade shows and wholesale account management.

Rebecca Ostrowski, Marketing Executive, Maped Helix

In addition to Rebecca’s supporting role in the marketing team, she oversees all of Helix’s social media and organises major trade show exhibition stands.

11 Deer Park Road, Northampton, NN3 6QD, UK tel. 01604 678780 email. sales@dkl.co.uk web. www.dkl.co.uk 60 SP R I N G // S U M M E R 2 0 1 8 facebook.com/DKL.Toys

twitter.com/DKLtoys

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SPECIAL FOCUS

AT WORK WITH... THE THIRTY UNDER 30 STARS

SCENTED STATIONERY DON’T MISS THE SHOW DEALS!

VISIT US AT LONDON STATIONERY SHOW

STAND G221

DKL MARKETING LTD

The judges’ seven Star Choices, revealed at the Manchester Stationery Show in October 2017: Sidonie Warren, Founder, Papersmiths

Sidonie founded contemporary stationers Papersmiths in 2013, which has bricks-and-mortar stores in Bristol and Boxpark, Shoreditch. She also established an online store.

Emma Pearce, Designer, Hotchpotch

Emma has been a designer for eight years, working freelance at first, and now for Hotchpotch. Her work is stocked at John Lewis, Selfridges, Oliver Bonas and Harrods.

Scott Woodward, Marketing Manager, Nemo Group

Scott has worked at the Nemo Group for more than five years. He manages marketing campaigns, has updated the corporate website and created an award-winning catalogue.

Jennifer Rea, Director, Ink Monkey Art

Christina Foreman, Creative Director, Papier

Christina joined online personalised stationery retailer Papier in 2015. She spearheaded the launch of successful collaborations with leading artists, brands and institutions.

Rebecca Ostrowski, Marketing Executive, Maped Helix

In addition to Rebecca’s supporting role in the marketing team, she oversees all of Helix’s social media and organises major trade show exhibition stands.

11 Deer Park Road, Northampton, NN3 6QD, UK tel. 01604 678780 email. sales@dkl.co.uk web. www.dkl.co.uk 60 SP R I N G // S U M M E R 2 0 1 8 facebook.com/DKL.Toys

twitter.com/DKLtoys

S P R I N G // S U M M E R 2 0 1 8 6 1

AT WORK WITH: Rebecca Ostrowski, Marketing Executive, Maped Helix

AT WORK WITH: Sidonie Warren, Founder, Papersmiths “Creation, creation, creation. Whether that’s building a vision for the new season, dreaming up ideas for our marketing campaign or working on the aesthetic of our spaces, I’m most productive, effective and fulfilled when creating. I spend a good amount of time travelling. Yvon Chouinard, founder of outdoor apparel company Patagonia, wrote that someone in the business needs to be out there gauging the temperature of the rest of the world. I’m inclined to agree. I’m writing this from my Airbnb in Los Angeles, having spent the past few days soaking up the feel of interiors, brands and locations in LA, from

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Downtown to Venice to Echo Park. Today I’m going further out. I’m on a mission to find what you won’t find everywhere else. When I come across an item that instills a sense of wonder and curiosity in me, it’s like discovering buried treasure. My heart literally leaps. I love that instinctive feeling and it’s worth the wait. I’m a stationery aficionado through and through. I handwrite letters to friends, I journal and I keep a pocket book for notes, quotes and reminders. Unfortunately, my enthusiasm for documenting and communicating on paper doesn’t extend to the digital realm and my email inbox is frequently overflowing with submissions and enquiries. My colleagues are constantly frustrated at my inability to use our digital diary management system. But who in their right mind would choose iCal over Hobonichi? When I’m in the UK, I live in London. I’ll visit our Shoreditch store and our pop up in White City to check in and see how they are and what needs fixing. There are always improvements to be made. Operationally, opening new locations has thrown up all sorts of new challenges for us. My day will usually involve meetings, site visits to potential locations for Papersmiths, some press, financial matters, and reviewing designs and marketing campaigns. My favourite part of the day-to-day side of my role is press enquiries. I love talking about stationery and

what we’re doing at Papersmiths. Interviews tend to culminate in me and the interviewer getting our pencil cases out and dissecting the contents. Once a week I travel to Bristol to visit our store there. I take the coach so I have six hours in total of admin time. The day flies by in a flurry of catch ups with my business partner, Kyle, the store team, the design team and marketing manager, Becks. At the end of the day, wherever I am in the world, I like to curl up in bed with my beloved journal, mechanical pencil and fountain pen and document the day in words and pictures, with pencil and ink on paper.

I’M WRITING THIS FROM MY AIRBNB IN LOS ANGELES, HAVING SPENT THE PAST FEW DAYS SOAKING UP THE FEEL OF INTERIORS, BRANDS AND LOCATIONS IN LA.

“Over the course of the year I arrange our attendance at a number of trade shows, ranging from specific wholesaler events to the major shows – the Education Show and the London and Manchester Stationery Shows. I really enjoy this element of my role because at these shows I get to meet new people and customers within the industry.The hard work of liaising with contractors, briefing and organising set-up is all worthwhile in the end when the stands are complete. The independent stationery sector is still very important to Helix and to me as part of my role. I run our Premier Partners programme, which gives a high level of support to key retailers and enables them to showcase our products in the best way possible. I meet and talk to them regularly to ensure they benefit from our point-ofsale materials for their window displays. It’s great to work with people that are so passionate about their business and the stationery industry as a whole. As part of this, I also organise the annual Premier Partners conference, to present our new products and cement relationships. It really helps when you have this level of trust with your customers and I get great feedback at this event from the people who are closest to the consumer. National Stationery Week is very important to me. As partners of National Stationery Week Helix understands the importance of encouraging people to write

more. It is the one time of year that the stationery family works as one to highlight the industry and we always make sure we have some exciting activity planned to promote this key event in our calendar. As well as producing and overseeing our social media content, I have great success in working with established bloggers and vloggers to get new products reviewed. It’s always interesting to hear their feedback and opinions on our key product ranges. Since Helix became part of the Maped group in 2012, we are able to offer a much wider range of products, particularly in colouring, office and early learning. I have visited the Maped head office in Annecy, France, for training and product updates that enable me to help integrate and launch new Maped products back in the UK. I work closely with our National Accounts team and helped to successfully deliver major national multiple retail promotions in floorstanding displays during Back to School 2017. A highlight of my year was presenting to the board of a national retailer at their ‘Dragon’s Den’ themed promotion opportunity day. Above all I realise that hard work is still the only way to achieve results. I have found the stationery industry to be a lot of fun and there are some great people to know and work with, and this is what motivates me to do my best.”

AT WORK WITH: Jennifer Rea, Director, Ink Monkey Art Running our bricks-and-mortar store has opened up a world of opportunities that I could never have previously imagined. First and foremost we’re all about community. Ink Monkey Art currently sponsors two monthly drawing events. One is a life-drawing class run by Loft, a local art collective, and the other is a more informal ‘drink and draw’ sketching event organised by Seedhead Arts.We supply the stationery for attendees to use during each session, as well as a prize for the best drawing on the night. It’s through our association with Seedhead Arts that we became the hub for Hit The North, Belfast’s annual street art festival. We love this event as it brings so much vibrancy to our area, and means that we’re able to meet some of the UK’s most talented artists, including Dan Kitchener, Smug One, and Nomad Clan to name but a few. It’s thanks to this event that we were able to secure an in-store exhibition with Bristol graffiti legend Inkie, who is regarded as the godfather of street art and one of Banksy’s personal friends. For the past two years we have held a charity auction where local artists donate a

piece of their work to be sold at an evening event in our store. Every last penny of the proceeds go to local mental health charity Mind Wise, and so far we have raised more than £1500 towards this worthwhile cause. Being creative ourselves, my business and life partner Tommy and I decided to make our own artwork to sell in store and online. Soon after opening the shop we set up our Etsy page (search ‘InkMonkeyArt’) and joined a monthly artisan market.The market has become much more than just a selling platform. It has a relaxed and friendly atmosphere where you can catch up with old friends and make brand new ones. Through our involvement with the market, we realised that Northern Ireland lacked a single community database encompassing all of our arts and crafts collectives. Over the past year we have been working on our online hub, which we are pitching to a local grant scheme in the coming months. Our small business has become so much more than simply selling art supplies and stationery. It’s been a wonderful journey so far, and I can’t wait to see what 2018 has in store for Ink Monkey Art. S P R I N G // S U M M E R 2 0 1 8 6 3

AT WORK WITH: Rebecca Ostrowski, Marketing Executive, Maped Helix

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I’M WRITING THIS FROM MY AIRBNB IN LOS ANGELES, HAVING SPENT THE PAST FEW DAYS SOAKING UP THE FEEL OF INTERIORS, BRANDS AND LOCATIONS IN LA.

AT WORK WITH: Scott Woodward, Marketing Manager, Nemo Group It’s a very broad brush in my role, varied but with one overall focus, to help our members grow profitably. As marketing manager I have a brilliant team behind me, helping to deliver leading solutions, from traditional publications to innovative email marketing, e-commerce and social media management for our dealers, so I oversee the creation and execution of these to their high standards. I’m also responsible for marketing

Nemo to dealers and the channel and looking after communications. Part of this is communicating our famous conference: this year Refresh ’18 takes place on 14 and 15 June and we have a festival theme, so bring your wellies and tie dye! One of my main motivations is I like to win! I have a very competitive streak in me and I like to think my enthusiasm rubs off on my colleagues to motivate them to deliver the best they can, to create great marketing campaigns and deliver excellent service. I will never settle for average, believing it can always be better.There is a lot of opportunity in this industry to embrace technology, especially in marketing, which a lot of vendors and dealers are taking advantage of, so it’s an exciting time for tech! Among the challenges of my job, the myriad services and products our members offer can be overlooked when marketing to their end customers, so communicating effectively to their customers is a real challenge. However, we’re embracing this opportunity at Nemo with our social media

management programme and the new corporate websites we’re building for dealers. I’ve been lucky to be rewarded with recognition such as being named a Thirty Under 30 Star Choice, and recently BOSS Emerging Professional of the Year, but the rewards in this industry are the people! I like the fact that the industry is always changing and evolving, which as a marketer gives me more opportunities. But it’s the people that make this industry for me, and I’ve made some great friends. I’m currently involved in two BOSS special interest groups, BOSS Midlands, where I am the Chairman-Elect, and BOSS Leaders of the Future.The first is designed to help networking in our industry with Midlands businesses through practical and informative events and social meetings.With Leaders of the Future, our overall aim is to guide, support, train and connect our people, and it’s that connecting part which I’m looking to take forward. As we see a new generation of individuals coming forward, it’s important they see what a great industry this is.

AT WORK WITH: Chloe Bayles,Wholesale Manager, A Gift From The Gods To describe my typical day at work would be a cliché, because there just isn’t one! My role at A Gift From The Gods covers so much more than managing our wholesale accounts, despite that being my official title. I oversee range plans, product design, production, preparing for and managing trade shows, trade advertising and writing press releases. As we are a lifestyle brand, stationery is only one of the categories we cover, which means two sets of trade shows and plenty of CADs (computer-aided design)! My day starts with the Far East, taking care of queries with our suppliers in China and tackling the challenges associated with managing multiple suppliers and multiple product ranges. Replying to emails is a must with any job, but for me it is crucial, so I can keep in contact with buyers, our current stockists and of course trade shows. Without emails, where would we be? I sit in on our web team meetings giving insight into direct consumer engagement and sales. This is invaluable and helps to inform range planning decisions and gives confidence for wholesale buyer recommendations on bestsellers and up sells. During my day, I like to keep up with market, product and trend research. This ensures we adapt trends to our handwriting, and means I can almost be preparing for next season without even really thinking about it. I feel lucky that my background 6 4 S P R I N G // S U M M E R 2 0 1 8

includes achieving a first in fashion design, and working within a large retail brand designing products and accessories. This has given me a deep understanding of how to plan and build a range. Either way I have to be super organised, which explains my title of spreadsheet goddess in the office! My day ends with conversations with trade show organisers and new stockists, particularly in the US, which is five to eight hours behind. Our statistics show a lot of interest from the US so our goal in 2018 is to expand further internationally. For me the biggest reward of my job is seeing a product go from CAD to shop floor. So, from market research, to designing, receiving the final samples and seeing the production delivered into our warehouse all

AT WORK WITH: Christina Foreman, Creative Director, Papier

branded and beautifully packaged, and then onto selling to our customers. Seeing the reaction on social media and images of the product in stores is so satisfying after working on that product for more than eight months. The biggest reward, however, can be the biggest challenge, as there are so many things to cover in one day. It can be a whirlwind, but it’s never boring. Being involved in a number of areas gets you out of your comfort zone and you learn so much and grow as a result.You have more responsibility, but your work and decisions actually make a difference. As a small growing business there are challenges, but we have a great team here and everyone helps out in moments of madness. The rewards are a blossoming brand and a good day at work.

AT WORK WITH: Emma Pearce, Designer, Hotchpotch I’m a goofy character illustrator, lovely letterer, design daydreamer and stationery geek... I can’t think of any other industry I’m better qualified for. For the past eight years I’ve worked all over the world as an in-house and freelance designer with some of the leading stationery brands, and now I’m an in-house illustrator, designer and tireless trend researcher for Hotchpotch. Day to day, my main focus is creating artwork and lettering for new greeting card, gift wrap and stationery ranges, but I also create graphic design work for all areas of the business, including catalogues, web and promo materials. So really there’s no typical working day at Hotchpotch. I could be styling a photoshoot or creating a layout for the next product catalogue, proposing a design concept for a new Hotchpotch collection or creating beautiful and inspiring trend boards for our customers. I also design, plan and set up the Hotchpotch stands at trade shows such as Spring Fair and Top Drawer, where I’ll present the newest Hotchpotch collections to our independent and high-street customers. But most of the time you’ll find me writing jokes and endless puns, painting, inking and sketching in our London studio. Every design I create starts with a few pencil sketches, then I might add a splash of colour with some watercolour paints, or

work with inks and pen, then scan to a digital file where I can touch up and finish digitally in preparation for print. I’m always seeking to create collections that are innovative and trend-ahead, and one of the biggest challenges is staying ahead of competitors. As a designer you never really switch off. I’m always searching for my next hit of inspiration and I spend time during my work day reading blog posts, seeking inspiration on Pinterest and Instagram and keeping up to date with what’s happening in the industry. To make sure my designs are always fresh and exciting I’ll often be out in independent stores or at trade shows researching new products, trends, colours and materials, eager to discover a new brand I’ve never seen before. 2017 was a really rewarding year for me. As well as being selected as a Star Choice in the inaugural Thirty Under 30 Awards, I received a second nomination for the Henries ‘Most Promising Young Designer’, and my ‘Flair’ greeting card range for Hotchpotch collected the ‘Best Contemporary Trend Range’ award. My design work has received three nominations for Top Drawer PaperAwards. Industry recognition combined with positive customer feedback drives me to keep innovating and I feel so fortunate to be living my design dream.

Papier collaborates with a large range of designers, illustrators, brands and cultural institutions.When we first launched in 2015, I would contact designers and illustrators whose work I had been following on social media, like Emma Block, Danielle Kroll and Carolyn Suzuki. Our first big brand collaboration was with Matthew Williamson, who we approached with a wedding collection concept as we felt his fun and colourful print archive would be perfect for invitations! As we have grown, we’ve collaborated with other design partners from different areas such as V&A, the Moomins and Mother of Pearl. Part of my role is to find new and interesting partners to work with, who don’t necessarily already come from the stationery world. My role as Creative Director is very hands on and no day is the same! My day can vary from meeting with new potential design partners, or working with existing partners on new designs and launches. It can involve overseeing my design team, who work on both the partner and in-house designs, art directing and styling still-life shoots which feature new collaborations and products, as well as working with our content editor on features for The Fold (our monthly online journal). It’s so rewarding to work in such a creative environment as Papier, the whole team is just as passionate about stationery and design as I am! As Papier is an online, print-on-demand stationer, technology plays a big part in what we do.We are able to combine leading tech and an excellent site experience to allow our customers to personalise and customise our products with ease. Even though the trend has been to move to a more digital world, our core values centre around design-led quality products using premium paper stocks and printing methods to create beautiful and tactile stationery.We want our products to connect people in a meaningful way.

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AT WORK WITH: Christina Foreman, Creative Director, Papier

S P R I N G // S U M M E R 2 0 1 8 6 5

Go Stationery

STATIONERY BIZ

STAND M401

Perfect Gifting

TABLETS VS PAPER

reMarkable

Will journalist CHRIS PARTRIDGE be seduced by the new wave of tablets and styluses promising to offer a digital version of paper with benefits?

PreMiUM QUaLity noteBooKS WitH BeaUtiFUL GoLD FoiLinG

BeSPoKe DeSiGn & oWn BranD ProDUCtion

Proud to be designed and made in London

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00 44 (0)20 8799 6333 sales@gostationery.net 1 Wadsworth Close London UB6 7JF Great Britain

APPLE founder Steve Jobs, the man credited with making the touchscreen the dominant interface with the digital world, wanted everyone to use their fingers to type, swipe, select and all the other actions we have learned to do as naturally as we write or draw on paper. “Who wants a stylus?” Jobs famously ranted at the launch of the first iPhone. “You have to get ‘em, put ‘em away, you lose ‘em. Yuck! Nobody wants a stylus. So let’s not use a stylus.” But back in the real world many people really did want to use their touchscreens in the same way they use paper: with a stylus replicating the function and feel of a pen, pencil or brush. Styluses came on the market that could work with apps to imitate various writing implements. These basic styluses are limited by the fact that they work by imitating a human finger, with a bulgy rubber tip to ensure enough contact for the screen to detect. They don’t feel much like a pen. Some styluses even had conductive bristles that claimed to reproduce a brush, but they never really delivered the desired effect.

Touchscreens are also unable to distinguish between a stylus and you, so it is easy to make unwanted strokes by brushing the screen with your palm. For artists and calligraphers, the worst drawback of conventional styluses is the slipperiness of the tip on the smooth screen. You simply don’t get the physical feedback that you do with a real pen or brush. It was to provide this physical feedback that the new reMarkable tablet was developed. The reMarkable tablet does not feature the colour touchscreens used by conventional tablets, but a black and white e-ink screen like the ones used in e-readers such as the Kindle. It comes with a special stylus with a plastic tip designed to rub over the screen with the same sort of action as pen on paper. The stylus has a pressure sensor so it can control the width of the stroke – pressing harder makes the stroke on the page stronger, depending on the effect you select in the software. Tilting it creates shading. To provide power for the electronics, the stylus has a small induction loop in the tip that draws power from a loop

under the screen, in a similar way to wireless charging systems for mobile phones. The power is tiny but enough to activate the microchip without the need for a battery and its attendant charging hassles. The big problem with e-ink screens is the time they take to change from black to white or vice-versa, creating an annoying lag that has so far made the technology unsuitable even for word processing. The Norwegian company behind reMarkable has gone to great lengths to reduce the latency, and have succeeded. As you move the stylus across the screen, the line is drawn without a noticeable delay.

reMarkable S P R I N G // S U M M E R 2 0 1 8 6 7

Go Stationery

STATIONERY BIZ

STAND M401

Perfect Gifting

TABLETS VS PAPER

reMarkable

Will journalist CHRIS PARTRIDGE be seduced by the new wave of tablets and styluses promising to offer a digital version of paper with benefits?

PreMiUM QUaLity noteBooKS WitH BeaUtiFUL GoLD FoiLinG

BeSPoKe DeSiGn & oWn BranD ProDUCtion

Proud to be designed and made in London

6 6 S P R I N G // S U M M E R 2 0 1 8

00 44 (0)20 8799 6333 sales@gostationery.net 1 Wadsworth Close London UB6 7JF Great Britain

reMarkable S P R I N G // S U M M E R 2 0 1 8 6 7

STATIONERY BIZ

o lli derr gr ap hh

2018

Samsung Galaxy Note8

STAND M315

Royal Talen’s manufactures and supplies high quality painting, drawing and colouring materials for artists, creative hobbyists, designers, children and educational institutes. The company was founded in 1899 by Marten Talen’s, and is recognised globally amongst artists, hobbyist and beginners for its quality brands such as Talen’s, Rembrandt, Amsterdam, Van Gogh, Talen’s Art Creation, Cobra, Bruynzeel and for the Sakura products. Headquartered in Apeldoorn, Holland, we produce, distribute and promote in excess of 8,000 finished articles to more than 100 countries. We are part of the Japanese Sakura Colour Products Corporation, inventor of the oil pastel (Cray-Pas), gel pen (Gelly Roll), pigment fine liner (Pigma Micron) and pigment marker (Permapaque). The family owned Sakura group was founded in 1921 and is now a global leader in artists’, school, hobby & crafts materials, stationery and writing instruments. Please ensure to visit us to see our artists’ demonstrate our unique products like Ecoline Inks, Markers and Pigma Micron products. For all Sales enquires, Contact – Yogesh Karia 30 Portland Place London W1B 1LZ Tel 07555207575 E-mail: y.karia@royaltalens.com www.royaltalens.com

Stand M738

It really is as if you were using a physical pencil or pen on paper. Notes and drawings can be stored online for display or editing on other devices, or sharing with colleagues. The design is clean and unfussy. It is easy to use, light in weight and very robust. The software is a bit basic but this will improve with development. Will it finally make paper obsolete? No. For anyone who values the aesthetic appeal of a casebound notebook with a classic fountain pen, a tablet just doesn’t cut it. But it is the closest thing to paper the computer industry has yet come up with. One thing the reMarkable cannot do is colour. For that you need a tablet, and the tablet makers have adopted styluses to enable artists to create digital art directly, notably Microsoft with its bestselling Surface range, which comes with a pen that links with the tablet using Bluetooth to enable pressure sensitivity and palm rejection. The Surface Pen interacts with the tablet in many interesting ways, including the ability to create shading simply by angling the pen down. Software such as Adobe Photoshop CC mimics many physical effects, such as realistic watercolour blending and blurring into paper, plus many things that you can’t do with paper, such as animate the images. The latest Surface Pen also has interchangeable tips of different shapes to make the experience closer to using real pens or brushes, including a tip intended to simulate an HB pencil and another, smoother tip that aims to replicate the feel of a fine ballpoint. The usability of the pen can

Microsoft Surface

WILL IT FINALLY MAKE PAPER OBSOLETE? NO. FOR ANYONE WHO VALUES THE AESTHETIC APPEAL OF A CASEBOUND NOTEBOOK WITH A CLASSIC FOUNTAIN PEN, A TABLET JUST DOESN’T CUT IT. be enhanced with Microsoft’s unique Dial, a wireless controller that sits on the tablet’s screen or next to it, under the artist’s hand so all the functions of the pen can be brought up instantly and intuitively. Apple itself recently revoked Jobs’s stylus ban and launched its own, called Pencil. It also has Bluetooth for pressure sensitivity and palm rejection, and works with a wide variety of apps including handwriting recognition in word processors, graphics apps and note-taking apps. Apple Pencil can only be used with the iPad Pro and has a rather limited battery life. If you want a Bluetooth stylus for your iPhone, you need Wacom’s

Bamboo Fineline 3rd Generation, a stylish unit with a triangular shape so it does not roll off your desk. It also has a retractable pressure-sensitive nib. The only smartphone with a dedicated stylus is Samsung’s Galaxy Note8, which has a small stylus branded the S-pen, supplied by Wacom, concealed in its case. As with other tablets, the stylus does not replicate the feel of pen on paper but does a great job of recording handwriting and transcribing it into text. For tasks like taking down contact details, making diary entries, taking notes and so on, it is great but it is not a tool for artists. Samsung also provides larger S-pens with pressure sensitivity for its tablets. The industry is constantly searching to create the most authentic digital version of pen and paper. They appear to be making progress, particularly with the ReMarkable, but will they ever render paper and pens obsolete? They’re a way off yet.

Apple Pencil

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STATIONERY BIZ

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2018

Samsung Galaxy Note8

STAND M315

Stand M738

Microsoft Surface

Apple Pencil

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STATIONERY BIZ

Minimal + Excellent display at Paperworld Trend Show 2018

TRADE SHOW SPOTLIGHT: WHAT’S ON TREND HENRI DAVIS pounds the aisles of 2018’s first trade shows to search out the trends customers will adore

Laura Stoddart

Dotty about Paper

Portico Designs 7 0 S P R I N G // S U M M E R 2 0 1 8

IT’S AMAZING that by the time you read this we will be in March, and the year’s trends will be quite clear, be they design trends or the socio-economic trends that will influence what we want to buy. As retailers and suppliers our role will be to decide which trends are relevant to our customers and how we can tap into this to maximise the opportunity it presents for us. Trade show organisers have done the same, by thinking about retail buyers as their customers, identifying which exhibitors we want to see, who will have new relevant products for our customers, and what we want to know about trends and services, and how they can help us access useful information and content which will in turn encourage us to visit their shows. Understanding trends only becomes useful if you know who your customers are, and therefore appreciate the relevance of a trend to those same customers. Just as retailers are working hard to attract customers into their stores or online, so are the show organisers as they compete for a retailer’s precious time out of their businesses. Supplying additional content that adds value to a show visit is key, particularly for smaller businesses who cannot afford to bring

Sara Miller GO Stationery

in specialist help or justify expensive magazine subscriptions. Top Drawer is aimed at buyers looking for creative, lifestyle products and as such it is important that any extra content appeals to that audience. They are doing a great job in tapping into the add-ons their visitors need to justify their time there. They do this by creating curated trails, offering trend display areas, hosting seminars like Paperfest and showing the award winners of the PaperAwards adjacent to their relevant product areas, where the target retailers can find them easily, creating maximum impact for all involved. Paperworld is renowned for its Trend Show in the foyer between Halls 5.1 and 6.1, and I have been known to visit the show almost exclusively for the insights they collate here. The Trend Show curates all the leading looks and presents them in imaginative lifestyle displays. Each item shows the exhibitor name and stand number, so the time-pressed visitor can quickly draw up a shortlist of products and exhibitors they can’t afford to miss. As well as providing clear trends to help buyers keep their stock exciting and fresh, the area offers fantastic ideas for retailers who want to display products imaginatively. For example, I liked the way Mark’s ‘Dot On’ sheets and sticker dots were used to create a striking piece of art: the retailer wins because it looks good in a display, the customer benefits

UNDERSTANDING TRENDS ONLY BECOMES USEFUL IF YOU KNOW WHO YOUR CUSTOMERS ARE, AND THEREFORE APPRECIATE THE RELEVANCE OF A TREND TO THOSE SAME CUSTOMERS.

Museums & Galleries

because they see what they can do with the products in store. Paperworld identified and labelled three key trends this year. ‘Minimal + Excellent’ celebrates the hand-made, gender-neutral luxury exemplified by the graphic wrap of Berlin-based Haferkorn & Sauerbrey and hand-stitched gold coloured notebooks from Favini. The colour palette was zingy and upbeat in the trend Paperworld called ‘Spirit + Ambition’ featuring primary colours, monochrome graffiti and lots of hand-lettered designs and sketches. In the trend ‘Work + Challenge’, flexible furniture modules that create a workspace that feels more like home than an office feature earthy accents in natural materials like leather and felt. Mdf, once a no-no, is now a design feature, along with chipboard and melamine. The uncertainty around Brexit, increasing inflation reducing disposable incomes and potential job insecurity are all are fuelling the need for people to keep in touch, making sure they remember special occasions and generally stay connected. At Top Drawer there was a lot of social stationery, with a focus on lovely substrates and plenty of florals, including gorgeous notecards in the Esme Winter range designed in collaboration with artist Lucy Augé and a beautiful new birthday calendar in Laura Stoddart’s Blooms range. At Spring Fair I saw some lovely bags of invitations from Dotty about Paper.

WE KNOW THAT CUSTOMERS ARE LIKELY TO BE SPENDING LESS THIS YEAR, SO ANYTHING THEY ARE BUYING NEEDS TO BE A FUNCTIONAL, NOT GRATUITOUS PURCHASE. BUT THAT DOESN’T MEAN IT HAS TO BE DULL. The organza bags made the product look very special and reasonably priced, too. We know that customers are likely to be spending less this year, so anything they are buying needs to be a functional, not gratuitous purchase. But that doesn’t mean it has to be dull. Portico Designs’ new Mini Moderns range is a good example, with an innovative set of products carrying wonderful designs. Museums & Galleries have recognised that customers are going to want their stationery to be special and have introduced a range using designs from Roger Gilmore. Products linked to recording spending, thoughtfulness and goals, organisation and redressing work/life balance will be important. Graphique has several new ranges, including some stylish journals and an organisational system called Franklin Covey, an American system widely used as a management tool. Licensing is still very evident in the stationery market and there is

something for everyone from the stylized fun of I Love Birds from Artfile to the elegant Sara Miller range from Blueprint, both adding strong new designs into the stationery mix this spring. In terms of design and cover materials, glitter certainly seems to be in. With stunning product shown by GO Stationery, Graphique and Dotty About Paper it would be fair to say that GO Stationery’s range called All That Glitters is well named. While we are seeing some changes in emphasis in the stationery on offer now, humour, happiness and laughing still play an important part and the Wiffley Waffley range from Really Good will certainly brighten up many displays and have us laughing as we get tongue-tied trying to say it.

Really Good Esme Winter

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STATIONERY BIZ

Minimal + Excellent display at Paperworld Trend Show 2018

TRADE SHOW SPOTLIGHT: WHAT’S ON TREND HENRI DAVIS pounds the aisles of 2018’s first trade shows to search out the trends customers will adore

Laura Stoddart

Dotty about Paper

Portico Designs 7 0 S P R I N G // S U M M E R 2 0 1 8

Sara Miller GO Stationery

UNDERSTANDING TRENDS ONLY BECOMES USEFUL IF YOU KNOW WHO YOUR CUSTOMERS ARE, AND THEREFORE APPRECIATE THE RELEVANCE OF A TREND TO THOSE SAME CUSTOMERS.

Museums & Galleries

Really Good Esme Winter

S P R I N G // S U M M E R 2 0 1 8 7 1

STATIONERY BIZ

Martha Brook

THE 2017 STATIONERY MARKET WRAPPED UP REBECCA SAUNDERS looks at the highs and lows of last year’s trading results, revealing how stationery retailers are adapting to the current volatile landscape ‘CONSUMER confidence ends year on low.’ ‘Retail administrations jump by over a quarter.’ ‘Retail sector endures worst year since 2013 as shoppers took advantage of November sales.’ These are just some of the headlines that followed retailers’ reports on 2017 Christmas and full-year performance. Doom and gloom is proliferating, with further administrations announced, retailers attempting to renegotiate leases and a busy CEO merry-go-round. So what’s really going on? There are indeed numerous examples of poor performance, and Visa’s Consumer Spending Index showed year-on-year declines in spending on household goods of 2.0% in November and 3.4% in December. Even the retailers applauding their top-line growth have only achieved it via a ‘successful’ Black Friday – an interesting spin – with transactions pulled forward into November at the 7 2 S P R I N G // S U M M E R 2 0 1 8

expense of later full-price sales. There has also been a genuine shift in consumer behaviour, with online shopping (hitting 19.8% of spending in November) the obvious change, since it is inherently linked to reduced footfall. The BRC reported a high-street footfall reduction of 4.5% in December, the worst result since March 2013. Other negative factors at play include rising costs due to exchange rates, higher business rates and general economic uncertainty. In addition, December’s inflation at 3.0% – whilst lower than earlier in the year – concluded a year of consistent price rises not seen since 2012. The cumulative effect of this prolonged inflation, particularly in food and fuel, has significantly impacted households’ ability to spend on discretionary items. The fallout of structural industry change means that many established retailers like Marks & Spencer and Toys“R”Us are considering rationalising store estates, reducing capital expenditure and restructuring operations. This potential disruption in a competitive trading environment affords an opportunity for smaller retailers to take market share. Martha Keith, founder of personalised stationery brand Martha Brook, notes: “although we live in a

world where large retailers still dominate the stationery market, millennial customers want to buy from businesses with values, which brings many opportunities for smaller retailers. Firstly, we can respond more quickly to bespoke requests, which is vital for customers who are increasingly looking for something unique and personal. Secondly, independent brands can show the people and processes behind the products, which allows us to build a relationship with our customers that ultimately inspires them to shop with us.” Pockets of success Theo Paphitis, owner of stationery specialist Ryman Group, which has more than 200 UK shops, acknowledges these challenges, stating “it really does feel like retail as we know it is creeping closer and closer towards the precipice.” However, this Christmas Ryman defied the macro environment – despite its stores’ predominantly highstreet locations – delivering impressive Christmas like-for-like growth of 4.8%. WHSmith, which overall reported disappointing numbers, reported that over Christmas “stationery and seasonal ranges, including cards and wrap, performed well with good sales growth.” In fact, WHSmith has delivered positive results in stationery for several years, stating it is “an attractive category… with good economics and growth potential.” Stationery now represents half of WHSmith’s high-street revenue (which

was £610m for FY16/17), and the company’s strategy is to accelerate growth through “increased focus on range development, quality and design.” Nevertheless, stationery is an attractive market, with high margins and an increasing focus on design perfect for the Instagram generation. Martha Keith adds: “customers see stationery as an extension of their personal style. They want to customise the design, colour and wording to make them reflect who they are.” In line with this phenomenon, customers are demonstrating clear interest in stationery online. Google searches for diaries grew 11% yearon-year in Q4 2017 and searches for “leather notebook” and “personalised notebook” by 25% and 64% respectively. This customer attention has generated increased competition. Retailers known originally for cards and/or gifts are developing their stationery ranges. Department stores also remain important, with John Lewis this year featuring branded ranges from Lulu Guinness, Kate Spade and Ted Baker as well as the now-ubiquitous unicorn products. Additionally, challenger brands are growing rapidly; Typo now has five stores and kikki.K has simultaneously grown both its retail and wholesale presence. Smiggle – which appears to have the children’s market cornered – now has 125 UK stores and plans to open a flagship on Oxford Street in May; astonishing given its UK launch was just five years ago. Notebooks are a particularly important sub-category; Martha Keith says: “stationery is an accessible choice as a gift – it is perfect either as a highly personal product, or even if you don’t know someone very well. Price point comes into that, as notebooks in particular are an affordable purchase, yet a personalised, beautifully designed version shows thoughtfulness.” However, it’s not just about notebooks. Islington’s premium independent stationery studio Quill saw annual growth of 96% in pen and pencil sales over Christmas – its bestselling category. Founder Lucy Edmonds (who features in The Last Word on page 82) explains further: “We tend to stock primarily design-led pens from the likes of Kaweco, ystudio

GOOGLE SEARCHES FOR DIARIES GREW 11% YEAR-ONYEAR IN Q4 2017 AND SEARCHES FOR “LEATHER NOTEBOOK” AND “PERSONALISED NOTEBOOK” BY 25% AND 64% RESPECTIVELY. and Ohto, which all make great gifts.” With these brands’ prices ranging from £8.50 to £165, there is a pen to suit everyone’s budget. What will 2018 hold? Unfortunately, we are likely to see more retail restructurings, redundancies and administrations in the coming months. To succeed, retailers need to focus on their specific customers and deliver on product, value, service and experience. This means ease of shopping – both a slick user experience online and well-merchandised, easily discoverable products in store. Delivering personalisation via excellent service in store and personalised products are expected to remain important.

We should also expect to see more pop-up shops and experiential events in existing retailers to mitigate declining high-street footfall. Lucy Edmonds finds this a successful strategy: “we like to engage with customers through demonstrations and experiences, such as modern calligraphy classes and ‘London Letters Club’ social events” – ensuring events are relevant to the products she sells. Investment in store will also be key to attracting customers. WHSmith is currently trialling “lower-cost initiatives that deliver key benefits, to additional space with new features, such as a dedicated pen shop and digital area, through to a complete store refurbishment, as we have done in Reading.” The unprecedented level of uncertainty in the consumer market means it is hard to predict where the retail market will be in a year’s time. What is clear though, is that there are opportunities despite market volatility for all types of retailers to continue to sell stationery successfully as long as they remain focused, forward thinking and fixated on their customers.

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STATIONERY BIZ

Martha Brook

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Come visit YO OBI the stationery brand that GIVES BACK at Stand M638!

MEMORY JOURNALS OVER 60 GUIDED QUESTIONS INSPIRING THE RECIPIENT TO SHARE THEIR STORIES

NEW ADDITION TO OUR BEST SELLING JOURNALS

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For every Yoobi item you purchase, Yoobi will donate one item to a child or classroom in need right here in the UK.

CMY

01225 866225 ™

hello@fromyoutome.com JournalsOfALifetime.com/trade

one for you. one for me.

www.luxorpen.com

DAN

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S ECOWRITE SERIE COLORING MARKERS

PRODUCING FOUR MILLION PENS PER DAY

“THE local high street is in its death throes” thundered a recent article in The Times. It’s not, but deep changes are underway. Stationers are not among the worst-hit retailers, but they are being affected nevertheless, and forward-looking businesses need to understand the likely longterm changes. As usual the prime cause was identified as e-commerce. While overall retail sales have jumped by more than £80 billion in a decade, online has snaffled just over half of that extra business. An increasingly large chunk of that growth has ended up in the tills of multichannel retailers, as opposed to pure play online operators, according to the latest Office for National Statistics (ONS) figures. A decade ago online sales growth was blossoming, rising by more than half year-on-year, falling to 6% in 2014 but rebounding to 15% by the end of 2017, according to the ONS. Website sales by UK retailers were worth less than £14 billion a year, less than 5% of the total, ten years back. By the start of 2018 they reached more than £60 billion – nearly one-in-five of all pounds spent by consumers. But let’s not forget, more than four in five pounds are still spent in physical bricks-and-mortar shops. The slide in year-on-year growth halted in 2015.Three factors cranked up the growth rate. Purchases via smartphones, which most adults now carry in pockets and bags, met the maturing of mobile-friendly e-commerce websites. Expanding white van delivery networks made next day and same day deliveries easier than ever. Black Friday was hijacked by online sales. Last year, December, perennial star of the ‘Golden Quarter’ saw retail sales fall 1.5% below those for November as month-long ‘Blackvember’ stole its sales.

STATE OF THE HIGH STREET MICHAEL WEEDON reveals the changing face of the British high street, painting a picture that creates hope, not despair The local high street has survived surprisingly well. To mid-2017 the number of shops operating in town centres actually increased by just over 300 in five years, according to the Local Data Company (LDC). The shop vacancy rate improved from 14.6% in 2011 when the government asked Mary Portas to report on high street fortunes, to 12.1% in the autumn of last year. Now 300 is not a lot when town centres host more than half of all the shops in the country, just over a quarter of a million, but this is not evidence of imminent demise. Many shops have disappeared from the margins of towns and from standalone locations, while retail parks have mushroomed. The figures are paradoxical: retail parks only host one in 40 British stores, but the latest rates revaluation shows the stores that trade there are on average more than ten times bigger than the average shop. Over five years, retail parks added five times as many units, net, as either town centres or shopping centres. That is where the other half of retail growth has gone. Each year just over 40,000 shops close down and about the same open up. The balance largely decides whether the shop vacancy rate rises or falls. It also determines what types of shop are doing well and which

COMPLETE BACKWARD INTEGRATION NIBS + INKS + RESERVORS + REFILLS

For business enquiries: sales@luxoruk.com, export@luxoroffice.com

BALL PENS/GEL PENS

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are declining. Non-food ‘comparison goods’ shops are in decline. Over five years we lost, net, 5,833 shops nationally, LDC figures show, while gaining 4,173 ‘leisure’ units. This is the story of coffee shops replacing fashion boutiques. Stationery shops actually made the ‘biggest losers’ top 10, but only because of the closure of Staples branches. They otherwise grew in number. Stationery has provided a stable presence on high streets over the years. It serves business and consumer, across a range of product areas from office supplies to personal gifts. The most complex segment is ‘Service’, covering everything from banks to barbers. It added 1,199 outlets in five years. Within this, independents added to their numbers while multiples closed in droves, particularly banks. The trend from ‘selling things to people’ to ‘doing things for people’ is the underlying story of the high street (not the ‘death throe’ tale) and this may be one of the clues to a rosy future for stationery. Services, delivered to shoppers in-store, provide the best justification to have a premises at all, as opposed to an online-only presence. Services come in many forms and stationery suppliers have always been quick to capitalise on opportunities. Personalisation is a good example of this and opens straight into the gift market – with the great advantage that stationery works as a self gift as well as a gift for others. To survive and thrive retailers need to be able to see beneath the surface of the high street and to understand the real structural changes that have happened – and have yet to happen. The high street story just keeps rolling on, and opportunity will always be found there. S P R I N G // S U M M E R 2 0 1 8 7 5

Come visit YO OBI the stationery brand that GIVES BACK at Stand M638!

MEMORY JOURNALS OVER 60 GUIDED QUESTIONS INSPIRING THE RECIPIENT TO SHARE THEIR STORIES

NEW ADDITION TO OUR BEST SELLING JOURNALS

STATIONERY BIZ

For every Yoobi item you purchase, Yoobi will donate one item to a child or classroom in need right here in the UK.

CMY

01225 866225 ™

hello@fromyoutome.com JournalsOfALifetime.com/trade

one for you. one for me.

www.luxorpen.com

DAN

mini

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HIGHLIGHTERS

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PERMANEN

WHITEBOARD MARKERS

S ECOWRITE SERIE COLORING MARKERS

PRODUCING FOUR MILLION PENS PER DAY

COMPLETE BACKWARD INTEGRATION NIBS + INKS + RESERVORS + REFILLS

For business enquiries: sales@luxoruk.com, export@luxoroffice.com

BALL PENS/GEL PENS

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METAL PEN SE

RIES

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Photo: Michael Weedon

STATIONERY BIZ Tell us about your creative window displays. How often do you change them?

I attempt to change the window displays every two to three months, though sometimes it’s a bit longer. Partly because I’m busy running the business and partly because my ideas for the window are so elaborate, it takes me a month or two to actually make them! They are a lot of fun to make though, and certainly get us noticed so it’s definitely worth the effort. Our shop front is quite small, so having something really bright catches people’s attention. What’s your philosophy for in-store layout?

Our retail space is quite restricted due to the presence of the print works. Each of our printing presses weighs just over a tonne, and we were only able to place them in two specific spots so they didn’t break through he floor into the basement. Due to this, we use as much shelving as possible. There is a delicate balance between stuffing the shop full and allowing enough room for customers to actually see the products. I do try and approach the shop as if I were a customer visiting, to see what my eye is drawn to first.

SMALL BUSINESS FOCUS: METICULOUS INK We speak to ATHENA CAULEY-YU, owner of Meticulous Ink in Bath

Describe Meticulous Ink to our readers

Meticulous Ink is a bespoke letterpress shop in Bath. We have four areas – retail (in store and online), wholesale (our own brand of fine stationery and greetings cards that we print in-house), bespoke (small project private print runs from business cards to wedding stationery) and workshops (I teach hand-lettering workshops at the store). Our small retail shop is at the front of the print studio, so we get to show off our lovely 1960s Heidelberg printing presses and explain the process of letterpress print to customers. We are a one-off shop, and love sharing the excitement of the print process with visitors to the store. How do the different parts of your business work together?

When we first opened in 2010 we had the retail store and produced bespoke work. Within three months we had acquired our first printing press, 7 6 S P R I N G // S U M M E R 2 0 1 8

What makes Meticulous Ink special?

which really changed how we worked and what we could produce ourselves. Having the machines in-house gives us so much freedom to be able to think of things for the shop, alongside creating and designing bespoke invitations for a customer. The bespoke projects are the most fun for us, as each project gives us the opportunity to create something unique. Over time we also added the hand-lettering workshops, which have become incredibly popular, and brings people in that might not have come before. For those that know us already, it provides a behind-thescenes insight into how we work. We often find that people who attend our workshops become regular customers and friends, which is really lovely! Last year we moved our online shop away from Etsy and onto our new and improved website. This has been really successful and I think it’ll continue to be very important.

We really do live up to our name. Each and every printed sheet is checked. If there is a bit of fluff in the paper stock then it doesn’t get past the quality checking stage and becomes a ‘dud’. We also print contemporary letterpress, so offer a clean, consistent aesthetic to our printing, which respects the method as well as the final outcome. At Meticulous Ink we don’t work from fully supplied artwork, as we know that the design is just as important as the production. This also protects our brand, and means we are proud of everything that leaves the store. Finally, our team is tiny and each person here adores the process of what we do and what we make. I’m so proud to work with them. What are the most rewarding parts of running an independent stationery store?

Coming up with an idea, then designing that product and being able to print it and see it sold in the store to someone that appreciates it is such a fulfilling process, and definitely one of the most rewarding. Connecting with people and

OUR TEAM IS TINY AND EACH PERSON HERE ADORES THE PROCESS OF WHAT WE DO AND WHAT WE MAKE. I’M SO PROUD TO WORK WITH THEM. seeing that I’ve made something that fits perfectly with what they had in mind is a thrill. Do you have any personal stationery obsessions?

I’m becoming increasingly obsessed with nibs and am planning a visit to the Pen Museum in Birmingham soon. I’ve been before, but there is so much to see and geek out over, I’m going back again! I’m hoping that one day we can make our own Meticulous Ink nib. How is Meticulous Ink addressing the challenges facing the UK high street?

I think having different avenues of income is so very essential. For our bespoke project work I find it important to have a physical high street presence.

It instills trust in people, they get to feel and choose hands-on what they can use for their print projects, plus it helps customers to understand the work that goes into their projects. Starting any business is full of challenges – that’s the whole point, because if it was easy everyone would do it! I don’t think there has ever been an easy time to have your own business, so now is no different from before. 100% hard work, all the time, that’s how we address it! (with a beautiful nib and our own iron gall ink too!) What do you know now that you wish you’d known when you started?

That a fantastic accountant makes a HUGE difference to your overall happiness and wellbeing. S P R I N G // S U M M E R 2 0 1 8 7 7

STATIONERY BIZ Tell us about your creative window displays. How often do you change them?

SMALL BUSINESS FOCUS: METICULOUS INK We speak to ATHENA CAULEY-YU, owner of Meticulous Ink in Bath

Describe Meticulous Ink to our readers

When we first opened in 2010 we had the retail store and produced bespoke work. Within three months we had acquired our first printing press, 7 6 S P R I N G // S U M M E R 2 0 1 8

What makes Meticulous Ink special?

I think having different avenues of income is so very essential. For our bespoke project work I find it important to have a physical high street presence.

That a fantastic accountant makes a HUGE difference to your overall happiness and wellbeing. S P R I N G // S U M M E R 2 0 1 8 7 7

The design of organisation since 1928

2018 AUTUMN/WINTER ISSUE Editorial copy date: late July Publication date: early September

Organisation

Filing

The Autumn/Winter issue of Stationery Matters will be sent out at the beginning of September and will include the Official Preview to the Manchester Stationery Show. It will be sent to more than 6,000 buyers including all previous visitors to the London and Manchester Stationery Shows and all advance registrations to date for this year’s Manchester event.

Presentation Musatrd_Cover.pdf

Musatrd_Cover.pdf

18/09/2017

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A U T U M N // W I N T E R 2 0 1 7 £ 4 . 9 5

LCelebrating

FLAGSHIP STORES: FLYING THE FLAG FOR BRAND IDENTITY

160 years

30 UNDER 30 AWARDS: STATIONERY’S NEXT GENERATION C

SMALL BUSINESS FOCUS: AUSTIN & CO ICONS OF STATIONERY: THE PARKER “51”

C CM MY M

CMY

RETAIL FOCUS: WHY POP UP STORES ARE HERE TO STAY

PROFILE: KRISTINA KARLSSON OF KIKKI.K

PLAN YOUR VISIT TO MANCHESTER STATIONERY SHOW

S P R I N G // S U M M E R 2 0 1 8 £ 4 . 9 5

ASIAN REVOLUTION

IN THE LOOP: THE MODERN CALLIGRAPHY CRAZE

The western fascination with Asian stationery

BOX OF DELIGHTS: THE RISE OF SUBSCRIPTION SERVICES

TREND FOCUS: PERSONALISATION How suppliers are helping customers create their own unique stationery

MANCHESTER STATIONERY SHOW The buyers’ guide to who’s exhibiting what

S P R I N G // S U M M E R 2 0 1 8 £ 4 . 9 5

of innovation and quality L

CONTENTS

DEPARTMENT STORE FOCUS: EXPERIENTIAL SELLING

PROFILE: LUCY EDMONDS OF QUILL LONDON

PLAN YOUR VISIT TO LONDON STATIONERY SHOW

AND THE WINNER IS…

Why it pays to enter industry awards

THIRTY UNDER 30 Announcing the rising stars of stationery in 2018

LAUNCHPAD MANCHESTER Art & Craft

Announcing our pick of brand new stationery suppliers and designers

RETAIL FOCUS: AI How AI is improving services for customers Notebooks

Fine Art

Clairefontaine, the world’s best paper since 1858

Visit us on Stand M501 at the London Stationery Show

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www.exaclairlimited.com

FLIRTING WITH FASHION Stationery brands with a sideline in fashion accessories

Stationery Matters strives to be diverse and inclusive.We want our editorial to enthuse and inform everyone, everywhere in the UK. So whether you’re a one-man-band independent, one of the major players, or somewhere in between, please send in your news and views to Julia, editor@stationerymatters.news to have your voice and ideas represented. To contribute to any of these features please email your copy and images S P R I Nto G //Julia S U MFaiers: MER 2018 79 editor@stationerymatters.news

The design of organisation since 1928

2018 AUTUMN/WINTER ISSUE Editorial copy date: late July Publication date: early September

Organisation

Filing

Presentation Musatrd_Cover.pdf

Musatrd_Cover.pdf

18/09/2017

15:05

A U T U M N // W I N T E R 2 0 1 7 £ 4 . 9 5

LCelebrating

FLAGSHIP STORES: FLYING THE FLAG FOR BRAND IDENTITY

160 years

30 UNDER 30 AWARDS: STATIONERY’S NEXT GENERATION C

SMALL BUSINESS FOCUS: AUSTIN & CO ICONS OF STATIONERY: THE PARKER “51”

C CM MY M

CMY

RETAIL FOCUS: WHY POP UP STORES ARE HERE TO STAY

PROFILE: KRISTINA KARLSSON OF KIKKI.K

PLAN YOUR VISIT TO MANCHESTER STATIONERY SHOW

S P R I N G // S U M M E R 2 0 1 8 £ 4 . 9 5

ASIAN REVOLUTION

IN THE LOOP: THE MODERN CALLIGRAPHY CRAZE

The western fascination with Asian stationery

BOX OF DELIGHTS: THE RISE OF SUBSCRIPTION SERVICES

TREND FOCUS: PERSONALISATION How suppliers are helping customers create their own unique stationery

MANCHESTER STATIONERY SHOW The buyers’ guide to who’s exhibiting what

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of innovation and quality L

CONTENTS

DEPARTMENT STORE FOCUS: EXPERIENTIAL SELLING

PROFILE: LUCY EDMONDS OF QUILL LONDON

PLAN YOUR VISIT TO LONDON STATIONERY SHOW

AND THE WINNER IS…

Why it pays to enter industry awards

THIRTY UNDER 30 Announcing the rising stars of stationery in 2018

LAUNCHPAD MANCHESTER Art & Craft

Announcing our pick of brand new stationery suppliers and designers

RETAIL FOCUS: AI How AI is improving services for customers Notebooks

Fine Art

Clairefontaine, the world’s best paper since 1858

Visit us on Stand M501 at the London Stationery Show

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www.exaclairlimited.com

FLIRTING WITH FASHION Stationery brands with a sideline in fashion accessories

STATIONERY BIZ

STATIONERY BIZ Photo: Faika Khurram Smiggle

SPRING INTO STORE FAIKA KHURRAM on what the big stationery brands are showcasing this spring IT HAS been a tough trading year for most retailers, especially those who have been trading for a while and remain dependant on trend growth to increase sales and EBIDTA. Christmas 2017 has also been tough, with many retailers seeing a decline in sales. According to the Office for National Statistics (ONS), spending fell by 1.5% in December. I visited four different stationery stores at the end of January 2018 to see how they had started their spring journey. Sale was still hanging around in many of the stores, which was surprising, bearing in mind that it had already been out for a month. Paperchase Valentines was the main offer as you walked into the store. The offer was split into two, one targeted for a teenage market, and the other more general. The range as a whole felt eclectic. Overall, the offer didn’t feel coherent, as if they were trying to target too many customers under one banner. The Bloomin’ Lovely range featured traditional florals, but also included feminist flags which didn’t really fit. The Mothers Day range had some nice pieces, like ‘Notes for Mum’ or ‘Tokens for Mum’. Their notebook table was a success – piled high with notebook covers featuring inspirational and motivational statements, although even this could have been better merchandised. 8 0 S P R I N G // S U M M E R 2 0 1 8

Photo: Faika Khurram Typo

Photo: Faika Khurram Paperchase

Photo: Faika Khurram WHSmith

WHSmith Spring definitely didn’t feel like it had sprung for Whsmith! The first POS which grabbed your attention was the ‘New Furry & Funky’, however this wasn’t really new. I saw this on my travels back in August 2017. This was the pervading feeling as you walked around the store. Sale was still in pieces, and newness was hidden amongst older products. POS was lingering on from last summer, focused around the ‘mixing your colours’ concept. The accessories wall looked strong, featuring key rings, bookmarks, pass cases and so on. Their birthday cards on the end of a MFU looked strong as well, showing consistency. Smiggle Smiggle was one of the most shopped of all the stores I saw. It’s a small store in Bluewater, and therefore hard to navigate. The offer was consistent with what I associate with the Smiggle brand. They still had sale out which affected how the store looked and felt. Some of the beauty cases looked new and tailored for their audience. The pencil case wall stood out, with an abundance of design-led product featuring lots of different 3D effects. They had a crafting

set, ‘Sparkling art sand, glitter and foil’ which was packaged well and you could instantly see the appeal. One of the issues you have in a Smiggle store is the vast amount of SKUs in such a small space, which does make it hard to see what is new and what has changed. It also doesn’t lend itself to a great customer experience sometimes when this tightly shopped. Typo This was my first visit to a Typo store and I have to say I was pleasantly surprised. The store didn’t have windows. It didn’t need them, the product showcased itself. Most of the product lent itself to the teen age group/mid 20s, and this was the consistent brand identity. Ranges weren’t displayed as ranges, but more as collections of product which worked well together. I noticed lots of pastels, the fixtures themselves looked great and showcased the product well. Typo was the only store with an interactive feature, allowing you to test headphones in store. New arrivals stood out, glitter featured heavily. I thought the diaries had a nice touch with the Typo paper band

around them, helping to enhance brand identity. Last but not least were the oversized props which stood at the top of the fixtures. A massive pencil and sharpener won the day for me for innovation. In summary, Typo definitely felt the strongest. The store felt fresh and consistent, with clean lines, and they had added bold features to its assortment. Typo also had an offer which clearly targeted its customer demographic, and that’s where it won out for me. It was good to see fresh product in many other stores, but overall it wasn’t the strongest spring launch I’ve ever seen. It will be interesting to see how stationery retailers fare throughout 2018.

Photo: Faika Khurram

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STATIONERY BIZ

STATIONERY BIZ Photo: Faika Khurram Smiggle

Photo: Faika Khurram Typo

Photo: Faika Khurram Paperchase

Photo: Faika Khurram WHSmith

Photo: Faika Khurram

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STATIONERY BIZ

THE LAST WORD with Lucy Edmonds, founder of Quill

– the green brand of teNeues creative joyful eco-friendly

Which came first, a love of stationery or calligraphy?

Definitely stationery. How did Quill start?

I used to work in homeware and so I spent many a season working on stands at trade shows. As I’d walk the aisles during lunch breaks, I realised there was so much talent from independent stationery designers and brands, and not many retail destinations specialising in design-led, high-quality stationery. I spent a lot of time researching the market, and felt there was a gap to fill there. What were the biggest challenges when you started out?

The challenges I faced were the same for anyone running a business for the first time in that everything was new and had to be learned. This meant everything was – and still is, daily – a learning experience. Perhaps the steepness of that learning curve was the biggest challenge! When you began, did you have a clear vision for Quill, or has it evolved more organically? For example, did you set out to host workshops, start a letter-writing club and pen a book on modern calligraphy?

I started with a very strong vision, but five years down the line Quill looks pretty different to how I first imagined it would. I have been very open to organic development, led by customers, hence why the modern calligraphy element has become such a big part of our business. Learning calligraphy and teaching workshops was absolutely not in the plan, and if anyone had told me then that I’d publish a book on calligraphy I would have told them they were insane. But I do, and I did, and it’s great fun. Best advice you’ve received in business?

I’m not sure about advice specifically but I have been lucky enough to have worked for some inspiring, talented bosses in my career and I have learnt and absorbed so much from them about business. One of the best things I ever did was to write a business plan before I launched. It took me eight 8 2 S P R I N G // S U M M E R 2 0 1 8

months but was time very well spent. I made mistakes on paper instead of in real life. What’s the most rewarding aspect of your job?

I love the variety, that things never stay still and that I am learning every day. Whether it’s choosing paper stocks for a new product collection, managing an HR issue, coming up with new workshop ideas or addressing envelopes for an aspirational brand... What are your plans for Quill in 2018?

In 2018 I hope to see a new shop, and a little more focus and attention back on stationery – my first passion – after the exciting but unexpected jaunt into modern calligraphy these past three years.

and experience the natural haptic of GreenLine Journals, Calendar & Diaries

Meet us at the London Stationery show on stand M416

What advice would you give to young people starting off in the industry?

Plan, plan, plan! Know your market and where you fit in… and find your unique voice and point of view. Any embarrassing stationery crushes?

The only pencil case I can remember having at school was a tin case shaped like an Egyptian mummy which I must have bought on a trip to the British Museum. I absolutely loved it but can’t imagine it would make it into my store now!

For full programme details contact Claire Trigger at ctrigger@teneues.co.uk Tel +44 (0)203 542 8997

STATIONERY BIZ

THE LAST WORD with Lucy Edmonds, founder of Quill

– the green brand of teNeues creative joyful eco-friendly

Which came first, a love of stationery or calligraphy?

Definitely stationery. How did Quill start?

months but was time very well spent. I made mistakes on paper instead of in real life. What’s the most rewarding aspect of your job?

and experience the natural haptic of GreenLine Journals, Calendar & Diaries

Meet us at the London Stationery show on stand M416

What advice would you give to young people starting off in the industry?

Plan, plan, plan! Know your market and where you fit in… and find your unique voice and point of view. Any embarrassing stationery crushes?

For full programme details contact Claire Trigger at ctrigger@teneues.co.uk Tel +44 (0)203 542 8997