Progressive Greetings Worldwide - September 2016

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Leader

On The Cards Everyone says that they like a challenge, and of course achieving that final goal feels fantastic. But to get there invariably takes a lot of hard graft with a bit of sweat and often a few tears thrown in along the way. You would have to be an emotionally devoid human being not to have been affected by witnessing the reaction of the gorgeous Laura Trott just after she won her fourth Olympic Gold medal for cycling at the Rio Games, making her the most decorated female Olympian of all time. And, at only 24 years-old, it’s incredible, but she has put in hours and hours to get there, putting the self-doubts to one side, listening to those she trusts and then, when it comes to it, mustering all the mental and physical power within her slight 5’ 4” frame. Warren, Gale and myself felt a bit like we were handing out Olympic medals recently, when we shared the lovely responsibility of informing all the card publishers who had made it through to the finals of The Henries greeting card awards. The ultimate ‘golds’ of course will not be presented until October 6 at the Bollywood-themed awards event at the Lancaster London Hotel, but there are certainly a lot of very happy bunnies out there rejoicing in the knowledge that their hard creative graft had been scrutinised by of over 40 top retailers who formed The Henries’ judging panel and weighed up against the 14,000 cards and wrappings that were entered. I had the good fortune to spend some time with Paul Fineman, ceo of the newly rebranded IG Design Group recently. He is a man who has steered the company through some enormous challenges over the last seven and half years since he took over the helm of the diverse business. The company is now in rude health, and while greeting cards now only represent 10% of the company’s turnover, that still equated to 63 million cards last year

Above: PG's Jakki Brown (front) with (right-left) Paperchase's Tish Bas, Hazel Walker and Alexandra Maggs at the judging of The Henries awards. Below: Paul Fineman, ceo of IG Design Group, told PG Jakki Brown about the big jigsaw puzzle. Bottom left: In an Indian fabric shop on a Bollywood shopping trip for The Henries. Sponsors (third right) Miles Robinson of House and Cards and Davora's Pooja Shah (far right) with PG's (left-right) Warren Lomax, Gale Astley and Jakki Brown as well as Amanda Murray (centre) md of Max Live Events, the sibling production company.

through the likes of Poundland, Aldi, Primark and B&M (see pages 81-83). Paul’s latest challenge sounds great – every single one of the company’s 1,900 employees has been issued with a large blank ‘jigsaw piece’ and they have been asked to create a design which sums up ‘what makes them smile’. Over the course of the next month all the pieces are to be joined together. Talking of smiles, Leigh on Sea in Essex is apparently the happiest place to live in the UK, (closely followed by Troon and then Harrogate, according to a survey). As Leigh is the spiritual heartland of The Ladder Club, this all bodes well for the upcoming seminar days (November 15 and 16). Some great speakers are already firmed up, including Paperchase’s Tish Bas and Hazel Walker; Jessica Hogarth and Hannah Dale (of Wrendale), and lots more in the offing. There are bound to be smiles to match Laura Trott’s from newbie and fledging card publishers looking to learn more about joining in the UK ‘greeting card Olympics’!

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Contents

What’s Inside 69

Within This Issue:

THE HENRIES FINALISTS 2016

85

9-19

31-68

86-87

News

The Henries Awards Finalists 2016

Jeremy’s Journal

20-21

Find out who made it into The Henries finals this year.

Blue Eyed-Sun’s Jeremy Corner shares some of the business lessons he learnt at the recent Sage Summit in Chicago.

Over The Counter

Enjoy The Bumpy Ride Independent card and gift retailer, David Robertson, co-owner of JP Pozzi in Scotland, talks about taking leisure time and making ‘memory bumps’.

Sage Advice

69-71 Licensing Spotlight

89-91

Design Diversification

The GCA Greeting Card Market Report

A trio of card publishers highlight the attraction of licensing.

Emotional Equations

22-23

Some of the recent findings from the brand new GCA Greeting Card Market Report.

Cardsharp

73-79

Factoring In The Factory

Innovations

Cardsharp muses over topical events happening in the industry.

A showcase of some new greeting card product at Autumn Fair and Top Drawer.

93-95

24-27

81-83

96-97

Viewpoints

Face To Face

What’s Hot?

Feast For The Senses

Design For A Fineman

Getting into the Bollywood theme for this year’s Henries Awards, the 2016 Henries’ judging panel share their spicy thoughts on the industry.

PG catches up with Paul Fineman, ceo of the recently rebranded IG Design Group.

85 28-29

Debbie Wigglesworth’s Paper Journeys

The Henries 2016 Judging Process

Espresso-ing Ourselves

Bling And A Care

Debbie shares her latest paper art discoveries.

The background behind this year’s Henries Awards’ judging.

Art Source

99-101 Lynn’s Lines

Clawing At The Copycats 102-114

Classified 115

Appointments Progressive Greetings is a monthly business magazine. SUBSCRIPTIONS: UK subscription: One year £50 Two year £85 Three year £110 Overseas subscription: One year £75

Jakki Brown

Warren Lomax

Gale Astley

Editor

Advertisement Director

Deputy Editor

jw@max-publishing.co.uk

warren@max-publishing.co.uk

galea@max-publishing.co.uk

SUBSCRIPTIONS ENQUIRES: maxsubscriptions@marketingreinforcements.co.uk Tel: 020 8943 9541

PG is the official magazine for the Greeting Card Association GCA: Sharon Little 020 7619 0396 Email: gca@max-publishing.co.uk www.greetingcardassociation.org.uk Use your smartphone app to scan the QR code to visit our website.

Copyright© 2016. While every effort has been made to ensure the information in this magazine was correct at the time of publication, the publishers cannot accept legal liability for any errors or omissions, nor can they accept responsibility for the standing of advertisers nor any organisation mentioned in the text. Views of contributors do not necessarily reflect those of the publishers.

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NEWS A Licensing Toast

TOP STORY

Bollywood Here We Come! The Henries Finalists Revealed “I feel completely inspired, seeing this extraordinary level of creativity – and for a product that plays such an important role in the ups and downs of people’s lives,” commented Alexis Hayward, general manager of Frosts Garden Centre, at the The Henries’ judging day. Alexis was one of the 40+ retailers who formed the judging panel for The 2016 Henries greeting card awards, which saw over 14,000 greeting card and wrap designs being considered in order to arrive at the finalists. “The Henries are the ultimate accolades for the UK greeting card industry. Their stature relies on high quality entries and a judging panel and process with total integrity,” said Jakki Brown, editor of Progressive Greetings, which organises and owns The Henries, at the start of the judging day, which took place on August 3. “The entry level this year was stupendous and the judging panel was a real ‘who’s who’ of card retailing.”

This year’s impressive Judging Panel comprised over 40 top retailers from right across the spectrum, including buyers from Paperchase, John Lewis, Scribbler, Waterstones, WHSmith, Tesco, Fenwick, Clintons, National Trust, Longacres Garden Centre, Funky Pigeon, Frosts and Moonpig, as well as many leading independents. Reflecting the diversity of the industry, this year’s finalists line-up range from the smallest start-ups to the largest multinationals and everything in between. The winners will be announced at a Bollywood-themed Henries Ball on October 6. For tickets contact Clare Davies of Createvents on clare@createvents.co.uk or 01183 340085. (To understand more about the judging process see pages 28-29, to see the judges turn to pages 24-27 and to find out the 2016 finalists see pages 31-68). Above: John Lewis’ Aime Scull (right) and Waterstones’ Claire Fitzgerald consider some of the entries in the Best Giftwrappings category. Left: Frosts’ Alexis Hayward with PG’s Jakki Brown at The Henries’ judging day.

Six Times A Contender With just a few weeks to go to the Bollywood themed Henries Ball, (on October 6 at the Lancaster London Hotel), the tension is building as finalists look forward to the winners being revealed. One finalist in particular, designer Sara Miller, creative director and founder of Sara Miller London, is on the edge of her seat, as she has been nominated in an impressive six categories. Having debuted in the Artists’ Quarter at PG Live in 2015, Sara has been shortlisted in the following categories: Most Promising Young Designer or Artist; Best Contemporary Trend Range and Best Art Range: Sara Miller London from The Art File; Best Occasions and/or Relations Range and Best Christmas Counter Cards Range: Jaz&Baz from Portfolio; and Best Giftwrappings Range: Sara Miller London from Penny Kennedy. "I am absolutely over the moon to be nominated for six Henries awards!" Sara enthuses. "To have this prestigious recognition in such a Above: A delighted Sara Miller. talented and competitive industry is beyond wonderful. I'm often taken aback by how tremendously warm and friendly the card industry is and I am so humbled to be up against so many talented designers and also to be part of such a wonderful industry. To say I am overwhelmed is a total understatement."

In what is a ‘glass raiser’ to the creative skills of greeting card publishers, Autumn Fair sees gift company Gaeltag Keltika add to its portfolio of glassware licensed from card publishers with a collection based on Megan Claire’s artwork. Building on its success as the long standing UK and European licensees for the Lolita range of decorated glasses, Gaeltag Keltika drew on its expertise and launched its our own gift glassware brand called ‘Here’s to You’. “We realised that there was a wonderful pool of talent among card publishers, so we approached a few people like Kali Stileman of Square Card Company, Paper Salad, Berni Above: Megan Claire’s Parker, plus honorary Brit distinctive font styling on (via Oz), Emma Kate & Co, its Pink Champagne card range will be translated and they were very positive about our idea of onto glassware through a licensing agreement with featuring their designs on Gaeltag Keltika. wine glasses,” explains Below left: One of the Berni Lorena Golfetto, director Parker glasses in the Here’s to You range. of Gaeltag Keltika. Joining this initial collection (which spans 24 glasses – six per designer) are six designs based on Megan Claire’s Pink Champagne range, which can be previewed. Commenting on the licensing tie-up, Megan Purdie, founder of the card publisher, said: “Although we license some designs to online card retailers or apps, this is the first licensing work we have done with products outside of cards, but I knew working with Gaeltag on a new glassware range was a great opportunity.” Lorena said she was attracted to “the simple elegance of Megan’s chosen font styles. We wanted sentiments with some originality but with wide appeal across a variety of occasions. The final thing was the rose gold foil used for Megan’s ‘Pink Champagne’ range, which is totally on trend.” The company will also be featuring additional new Special Occasion glasses for Mother’s Day and Valentine’s Day from existing licensing partners, Berni Parker and Paper Salad. The Megan Claire designs for the ‘Here’s to You’ glassware range can be previewed on Gaeltag Keltika's stand at Autumn Fair: Hall 3, Stand YO4.

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beautiful new rose tinted range!

at Top Drawer, London 11th - 13th September 2016 stand F19

t 020 8288 9696 e luca@carolinegardner.com www.carolinegardner.com

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NEWS Like Mother Like Daughter

TOP STORY

Supermarket Sweep Tesco To Unveils New Look Card Departments After two and half years in the planning and ‘behind the scenes’ development, a completely new look greeting card department is on the brink of being unveiled in selected Tesco stores. The mammoth project, initiated by Hallmark in response to a challenge laid down by the Tesco senior management team two years ago to “reimagine” what the grocer’s greeting card offer could look like, will be integrated into 19 Tesco stores between the beginning of September and the beginning of October. The radical new look has a ‘boutique’ style feel with ‘bays’ and feature tables to entice the shopper. The new fixtures will have fewer tiers meaning that more of the card design will be visible, while wider aisles create a more pleasurable browsing experience that is conducive to card buying. “This is a hugely significant development, not just for Tesco and Hallmark, but for all of the publishers whose cards we broker in as well as for the industry as a whole, as it raises the profile of greeting cards in the UK’s biggest retailer,” commented Angela Anderson, who joined Hallmark from

Tesco last June to manage the Tesco account for the publisher. The new look has been developed in different formats so that it has the potential to be rolled out throughout the Tesco estate. The first phase trial will see the retail concept being introduced into five very large Tesco stores, five of its large stores and nine smaller stores. In addition to the greeting card selection (which will include Hallmark branded, Tesco own brand and designs from 36 publishers that are brokered in), the new department will also include giftwrappings and party products. Above: Tesco is looking to add a bit ‘extra’ to its greeting card sales with the new look departments. Left: Hallmark’s Angela Anderson (second left) at last month’s Retas Awards.

The creative spirit is clearly flowing throughout the Hassett family. Among the latest launches from Bexy Boo at Home & Gift in Harrogate in July was a card range that founder Bexy Hassett had designed in collaboration with her young daughter Amelie. "Before Bexy Boo started trading, Amelie, then aged 10, sat in the park after school, armed with a pencil and some paper. While my boys, Joby, 7, and Arlie, 5, played on the swings and slides, Amelie and I got our creative heads together and started doodling," revealed Bexy. They came up with the idea of using a letter tile as the body of an animal and putting its head and its feet on the top and

on the bottom. Three years later, with a little bit of tweaking, and lots of bright colours added, Amelie’s Zoodles were born. Printed on 300gsm board, the kooky range features 12 designs for girls and boys aged 1-6. Bexy says she's hoping that one day Amelie will join the business and help with creating new ideas and designs, "but being editor of Elle or Vogue is still on the top of her career list," she quips. Above: Bexy, Amelie and the newly launched Amelie's Zoodles range.

Jeremy Turns Radio Star It's been an amazing year for PG's columnist Jeremy Corner and md of Blue Eyed Sun. Not only did he recently get invited to Buckingham Palace to collect a Queen's Award, but he was also asked to be a speaker at the Sage annual summit in Chicago. Rubbing shoulders with the likes of Richard Branson, actress Gwyneth Paltrow and actor Ashley Kutcher at the conference, he was subsequently interviewed on Bloomberg Radio - which is Above: Blue Eyed Sun's Jeremy Corner was interviewed by Bloomberg Radio while at a Sage conference in Chicago. broadcast throughout America - with an invitation to come back next time he finds himself in New York or San Francisco. "I shared the success of the company, which is named after a line in the Bob Dylan song A Hard Rain's Gonna Fall," Jeremy told PG, revealing to the radio station how the company has grown since it started out 16 years, and how a personal development exercise, Look Back From Perfect, had helped Jeremy and his wife Jo to halve their working week and double their income. Inevitably, Jeremy was asked about his reaction to Brexit, explaining that it had come as a shock for the company. "Being in the Remain camp we didn’t want to leave the EU. We’ve grown our export business massively in the last few years and are now in 18 countries around the world including the States, where our cards are in the Papyrus stores. Export has been a really important part of our growth and we didn’t want to make it any more complicated or difficult than it already is. In the short-term, the £pound has really tanked, so all of our dollars and euros and international deals are slightly better for us, which is good. But the concern is that we have no idea how it’s going to affect our local market in the UK." (See pages 86-87).

Rhino Project Leading balloon supplier, Pioneer Europe, has lent its support to an ambitious balloon project with a serious message. During the week of August 8-14, 2016, balloon professionals from all over the world created and installed a variety of Rhino balloon sculptures in their respective cities or towns. The sculptures worked towards a common goal - to raise awareness and funds for the Rhino poaching crisis in Southern Africa. The main event took place on August 11 and 12 at the Menlyn Park Shopping Centre in Menlyn, Pretoria, where a group of local balloon artists, under the leadership of Guido Verhoef of the Above: A Rhino balloon sculpture. Netherlands, created the largest balloon sculpture ever made on African soil. At a height of some 7 x 15 meters and an estimated 35 000 balloons, it has the distinction of being the biggest balloon Rhino in the world.

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quotable greeting cards • magnets • mugs • everything dishes pouches • journals • canvas • framed prints tote bags • napkins • stickers

quotable has been spreading the words for over twenty years. our range features inspiring quotations from some of the most gifted writers and thinkers of all time.

new

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made with solid poplar wood and glass, each is finished with a sealed back with easel stand and hanging hardware. 14.25cm x 14.25cm square.

visit us at autumn fair - stand 3S40 (please mention seeing this ad when you stop by). www.quotablecards.co.uk • info@quotablecards.co.uk • +44 (0) 1243 780501

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NEWS Smoothie Operator

TOP STORY

Many Happy Returns £1.7 Billion Spent On Greeting Cards The UK public spent more on greeting cards than they have ever done last year – taking the market value up to an incredible £1.7 billion! This is the topline figure from the soon to be published GCA Greeting Card Market Report, based on actual retail sales figures from UK greeting card publishers. Even without Christmas boxes or packs, the UK public spent an incredible £1,488,596,288 on everyday and single greeting cards last year – a 5.29% increase on the previous year’s Market Report figure. “The Market Report provides our members, associate members and all retail stockists with a true picture of the sector against which they can benchmark their own performance,” commented Sharon Little, ceo of the GCA.

Trade party website, Partywholesalers.net, is offering a free Morphy Richards Easy Blend smoothie maker for all orders invoiced over £300 for the key September buying period. Other deals and a host of other promotions are also available on a huge range of party and ancillary products for Halloween and Christmas. Partywholesalers.net is the trade only party website launched successfully by longestablished West London based wholesale cash and carry, Abbey Cards. Below: This incentive ‘mixes’ things up a bit!

Sharon points out that growth was tracked in the three largest card sending areas – of everyday birthdays, relations & occasions and Christmas singles. The research, undertaken by market analysts Ebiquity, also captured sales of Spring Seasons cards, which ended up almost on a par with the previous year. For fuller details see pages 89-91. The whole report will be uploaded into the GCA Members’ area in the next few weeks.

Get Social At Autumn Fair For greeting card retailers keen to gen up on how to make the most of online trading, PG's columnist and Blue Eyed Sun director Jeremy Corner will be chairing a panel at Autumn Fair (on Monday September 5) exploring lessons learned from journeys into ecommerce. "The seminar will have interesting insights for anyone looking to set up an online shop, understand the commercial benefits of social media and those exploring social selling online," explains Jeremy. On the panel will be Alice Wheeler, founder of Wonderland, and Claire Rose, founder of Miss Rose. Jeremy will also speaking on '10 things to do in your business before Above: Buyers at last year's show. you start using social media' at Autumn Fair on Sunday September 4. Hall 4 will play host to Greetings, Stationery & Craft, as well as Contemporary Gift & Living, with Fashion Jewellery & Accessories co-located with Body, Bath & Home Fragrance in Halls 3, 4 and 5. In Hall 5, gift suppliers will be showcasing product co-located with Children’s Gifts, Toys & Gadgets and Brands of China. Overall, there will be over 1,400 UK and international exhibitors, with hundreds of companies new to the show this year. Visit: www.autumnfair.com (See Innovations pages 73-79).

Sweet Smell Of Success It's sure to be standing room only when maverick 'fragrance Queen' Jo Malone MBE (left) steps up to the mike at Autumn Fair, organised by i2i Events, taking place at the NEC in Birmingham from September 4-7. Jo, who will give the keynote seminar on Monday September 5, says that she is looking forward to sharing her brand building story, "the highs and lows of starting all over again, and how I intend to change the fragrance industry for a second time through creativity and innovation," she comments. Her session will be a part of a wider seminar programme held over all four days, which includes a broad reach of experts speaking on a variety of topics.

Cardgains Giveaway To celebrate Great Gizmos becoming a preferred supplier to the Cardgains buying group in 2016, the company will be giving away a classic red pedal car at Autumn Fair. For a chance to win it, visit the Cardgains Village (Hall 4, E20/F21) or Great Gizmos’ stand (Hall 5, D60/E61) and drop a business card off in the designated area. The winner will be drawn from a hat and contacted on the final day of the show. Above: Could you be driving out of the NEC with this classic car from Great Gizmos.

Hair Raising Greeting Card Launch We are building up to a ‘big hair’ bonanza with the much-anticipated DreamWorks Trolls movie due to hit the big screens in October. Gemma is fully ‘coiffed’ in readiness with a full range of Trolls greeting cards and wrap, together with a specially designed FSDU. Above: Trolls cards are now “We have been available from Gemma. waiting for a new girls’ property to come along, and Trolls ticks all the boxes - with the main character Poppy, played by Anna Kendrick of Pitch Perfect fame, the movie promises to be a colourful, funny, feelgood film, with a fantastic soundtrack that girls of all ages will absolutely love,” commented Tim Rudd-Clarke, Gemma’s licensing director. Another signing for Gemma is the new collectable property Animal Jam.

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NEWS Card Factory Growth Slows

TOP STORY

Paperchase States Aspirations Timothy Melgund Speaks Up For Greeting Cards In the space of 10 days Paperchase has opened three new standalone stores, debuted its first concession in a Next store, and confirmed it would like to open Paperchase branded stores in the States, “sooner rather than later.” Following the recent opening of a prime-sited Paperchase store in London's Soho, the retailer’s ceo Timothy Melgund, shared his take on camera as to the health of the industry, Card Factory, as well as the future hopes and dreams for the specialist. Timothy was interviewed by Emily Hardy for a short film for Retail Week, that is hosted on the retail journal’s website. Timothy shared his steadfast view that sales of greeting cards are growing, showering praise on value retailer Card Factory for the growth. "I think that they are a phenomenal retailer at the value end of the market. They've increased the overall

value of the market, which is now said to be worth £1.6bn a year as opposed to £1.5bn, and a lot of that comes from Card Factory. It's great for all of us because it gets people into the habit of buying greeting cards." Timothy’s infectious passion for the product came across effortlessly. “Greeting cards are great; everyone loves getting greeting cards!” he stated. He admitted that the biggest change of recent years for retailers has been the expansion of online retailing. "But that's not to say that people don't like shopping in

stores as well. It's about looking at how you can differentiate yourself by having a really clear brand presentation. You then have to project the brand so that people enjoy coming into your stores. Therefore I can see no reason why bricks and mortar retailing can't continue to be a fun thing to be involved in." Looking to expansion, he revealed that the prospect of standalone stores in the States is still on the table. "There has long been a desire for us to trade there under our own name," he stated. When pressed as what the company's main challenge would be over the next 12 months, he said it would be to maintain the innovative and creative presentation to the British consumer to re-iterate that it's business as usual, and that the economy will hopefully get stronger. On the Brexit vote, Timothy said: “I don’t think it will affect our expansion plans, but no knows what is going to happen.” In addition to the Soho site, Paperchase also opened in Crawley and a smaller neighbourhood store on Northcote Road in South London. In addition, the company also opened its first concession store within Next in Straiton Retail Park, south of Edinburgh, with Timothy seeing it as a good brand fit, and trading has so far surpassed expectations. Above: Timothy Melgund being interviewed by presenter Emily Hardy in the Paperchase Soho store for a film hosted by Retail Week. Above left: The Paperchase Soho store lives up to the quirky approach to creating a retailing environment that excites the consumer.

Greece Is The Word Among the exhibitors at Top Drawer will be a greeting card company that pitches the Greeks against the Brits! Distributor Hartovasilion/Paper Kingdom will be showcasing its humorous greeting cards Meet The Brits alongside Meet The Greeks. The ‘cards’ allow the recipient to create 3D paper models of quirky characters. "We think this product is perfect for the tourist market as well as the gift market," comments commercial agent Jo Skoulikas. (Meet The Brits will be at Top Drawer, stand ZA36). Right: Meet The Brits and Meet The Greeks from Hartovasilion/Paper Kingdom.

Card Factory has revealed a somewhat lacklustre trading update for the six months ended July 31 2016. Compared to its usual sterling results, it reported a marginal drop of 0.2%, but total sales growth (which includes new shop openings) was 4.8%, but there was no growth for its online business Getting Personal. “As highlighted in our Q1 announcement, the retail environment in the first half has been challenging and, as widely reported, footfall patterns in the first half have generally been soft," commented new ceo Karen Hubbard. "Card Factory is not immune to these wider factors and our sales growth over the period was lower than our normal levels as a result.“

She says it is “too early to assess the precise impact on overall consumer sentiment and retail footfall from the result of the EU Referendum”. Karen also added it will be targeting improved sales growth in the second half. “We remain as convinced as ever of the strong growth prospects for the business, and of our ability to deliver strong shareholder returns over the medium term. We are confident of delivering full year underlying profit before tax within the range of analysts' current expectations,” she said. (See Cardsharp pages 22-23). Above: Card Factory has seen a slow up in its growth path.

The Beatles Rock On Greeting card publisher Little Shop of Rock has been fast off the mark with a range of five designs that tie-in with a new film coming out in cinemas in September - Ron Howard's Beatles: Eight Days A Week - The Touring Years. Explaining, the company's founder Vincent McEvoy, said: "The Beatles played Shea Stadium on August 15, 1965, which was the first rock concert ever staged in a stadium in front of more than 55,000 people. The restored, re-mastered, 30minute performance will be available as part of the worldwide theatrical release of the film.” The card designs feature bright pop colours and use original Beatles theatre tickets and US merchandise graphics. Above: Among the card designs from Little Shop of Rock, which tie-in with the release of a Beatles movie.

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NEWS PEOPLE

TOP STORY

Bracing For Brexit Holidaymakers Flock To Britain While the Brexit decision has certainly mooted negatives for business, with card and gift companies that produce in the Far East strongly hinting that price hikes are on the cards (due to the strength of the US$ against sterling), one positive spin off has been a surge in tourism for the UK during July. With the rocketing cost of holidays in Europe and the US due to the falling £pound, more Britons have chosen to staycation this year, with overseas visitors fast off the mark to take advantage of the favourable exchange rate. “Yes, we are seeing masses of increased business, with lots of international visitors coming to Edinburgh," comments Sue Butcher, owner of Present Boutique in Edinburgh, winner of The Retas Best Independent Greeting Card Retailer for Scotland 2016. “We're in the middle of the Edinburgh Festival at the moment, which means that the population of the city doubles, but I have definitely spoken to more locals over the past few weeks,’ she adds, suggesting more staycationing in the Scottish capital. At the other end of the UK, Paula Tarr, retail assistant at Joan Armour Trading in Taunton, says the shop has been delighted to see plenty of holidaymakers this summer. "It's definitely been up on last

Below: More Britons have decided to holiday at home this summer, while international visitors are helping to boost the economy.

l Nicola Breen has joined Caroline Gardner as director of design. She joins from Cath Kidston, where she was print design manager on fashion, bags and accessories. Nicola has also spent 10 years at Boden, having previously worked in garment design.

year," she confirms. "We've sold a lot of greeting cards, getting wonderful feedback from customers who tell us how much they love our array of cards here." Along on the south coast, Iain Fraser, owner of Quirk, in Brighton (another Retas 2016 finalist) highlights that he does feel that many families have decided to staycation this year. "The town definitely seems busier, and people are spending. The shop does seem to be getting busier month by month and sales definitely went up in July." For Space in London's Exmouth Market, business has also been good this summer, but shop manager Brian Brennan says he is not convinced it is down to Brexit. "I'm not sure it's because of an increase in tourists. Cards are always great sellers for us, but I don't think I can honestly say that we've sold any more since the EU Referendum or that we've seen an influx of tourists."

Rise Of The Robots Well-known from her many years in the greeting card industry with Andrew Brownsword and Carte Blanche Greetings, Carole Kavanagh has turned to robots! She teamed up with business partner Richard Calydon to promote urban lifestyle brand Robot Brands, a contemporary design and multi-media in store experience. Consumer brand expert Carole says the idea for Robot Brands was based on her fascination with the evolving relationship between humans and robots during her many visits to Japan. Since August 11, a pop-up shop has transformed a premier site at London's Old Street Underground Station, giving commuters the opportunity to engage in a contemporary design and multi-media in store experience. Above: The Robot Brands pop-up. Right: Carole Kavanagh.

Ooh La La!

l Peter Hammett is joining Lesser & Pavey's growing sales team. He has a wealth of experience in the trade and will be responsible for the Midlands and both North and South Wales. His start date with the company is at Autumn Fair on September 4.

Left: One of Paper Salad's colourful new notebooks launching at Autumn Fair.

Never ones to turn down an opportunity for logistical reasons, Paper Salad’s founders will be making the journey to the NEC (to set up its stand at the Autumn Fair) from the company’s Manchester base via Paris! The reason for the detour is that Pictura is launching Paper Salad products under licence at the Maison Object show, which starts the day before Autumn Fair. "What is great is that in addition to launching our designs on cards, Pictura was really impressed with our trade stand design and took inspiration from the colours and patterns we used," explain Paper Salad founders Karen Wilson and Claire Williams. "We have even shipped over our Paper Salad cushions and lampshades so they can dress up their stand with them." In addition to new children’s ranges, Autumn Fair will see the launch of Paper Salad’s notebooks. (Stand 4C18).

l In a case of ‘where there’s muck there’s bras’, nine Danilo ladies recently ran the Pretty Muddy Race for Life 5k race in Above: The Danilo girls getting very muddy. London's Finsbury Park. "We managed to complete the muddy obstacle course in 46 minutes and between us we are extremely proud to have raised £2,200 for Cancer Research UK," says a delighted Claire Bates, online marketing manager.

Cardzone Deal Done With Hallmark As PG went to press, the ink had just dried on a deal which saw the majority of Hallmark’s factory outlet stores come under the ownership of Cardzone, with the last remaining ones to follow over the next few weeks. This comes after the announcement a few months ago that negotiations were underway with landlords for the majority of Hallmark’s 16 factory outlets to come under Cardzone’s care. Under the agreement, the outlets will continue to trade under the Hallmark brand and sell the publisher’s excess stock. “In addition to Hallmark products, we will also be selling other companies’ products to fill in the voids,” explained Paul Taylor, md of Cardzone. “We are very excited about the acquisition and our efforts are very much focused on integrating the stores as quickly as possible,” he added. Above: Paul Taylor (left) with Hallmark ceo Steve Wright.

PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE

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NEWS NEWS IN BRIEF

TOP STORY Below: One of the fun PR shots that have been used to promote the #JustWrite campaign.

Write On Campaign Makes Teens Reach For The Pen When the latest SATs results issued in July revealed that over a quarter of children in Year 6 (aged 10-11) were not meeting the expected standard in writing, it prompted pen company BIC to launch the British Illustrated Chronicle (B.I.C.) to reignite children’s passion for handwriting as part of this year’s #JustWrite Day. The newspaper featured short anecdotes from celebrities who noted what a world without handwritten words would mean to them - no greeting cards for one thing! - as well as winning stories from a nationwide creative writing competition. Over 1,000 entries were received from 12-15 year olds across the country. Additionally, a competition within the paper invited readers to complete the sentence: “A world without handwriting would be...’. To be in with a chance of winning a share of a prize of £1,000, entrants had to

handwrite their answer within the paper, taking a photograph and uploading it to Twitter @mybicpen, using #JustWrite. Jonathan Skyrme, general manager at B.I.C. UK & ROI, said: “Our research showed that people would rather receive something handwritten than typed. We need to make teens think about how impactful and important something handwritten can be.”

l Dragonfly Cards and Gifts in Knaresborough recently held a 10th anniversary celebration evening and raffle to help to raise money for Yorkshire Cancer Research. "Customers were very keen to have a hold of our recent Retas," commented co-owner Rachael Barnes. "She was very much admired and our success and the recent article in PG have definitely attracted a few new visits to our Facebook page." Above: Cheers! Dragonfly customers at the shop's 10th anniversary evening.

l Black Country Greetings, a brand new greeting card wholesaler, has opened in Walsall. Located just 2 minutes from J10 M6, the new wholesaler is stocking a wide range of greeting cards, banners, badges, candles and balloons (air-filled, latex and foil). “With over 60 years collective experience in the greeting card trade, we offer a friendly reliable service,” said manager Les Platt. Below: Black Country Greetings is a new name in greeting card wholesaling.

The Pen Is Mightier Than The Sword The B.I.C. was created in association with literary charity Ministry of Stories, which was set up by author Nick Hornby, with B.I.C. the focus of the #JustWrite Campaign. Its website includes a poignant message, which inspires action from teenagers: ‘Just imagine waking up one day to find that everything was a little different. You’re not quite sure why, but it is. You get dressed, clean your teeth, eat a banana and leave the house, but as you do, you realise that Mum’s usual morning note isn’t there. There’s her familiar white scrap of paper, but it’s blank. Then your phone vibrates. It’s a message from Sarah, “I’m so angry, this is the worst birthday EVER. I’ve only received one birthday card and it’s not even been written in!” Is this what a world without words would be like? How would you jot down simple notes for your parents and siblings, leave a meaningful birthday card for your friend Sarah, or fill out all of those boxes on your exam papers? We can’t imagine how uninspiring that world would be…’

A Top Drawer Welcome For PaperFest A 'first' for Top Drawer, taking place from September 11-13 at Olympia, is the inclusion of specialist event PaperFest, into the Stationery & Greetings area as of this September. "We supported PaperFest 2015 and were really impressed by what had been created," explains Alejandra Campos, Top Drawer's event director. "We are committed to continuous innovation and development in support of this sector, and incorporating PaperFest into Top Drawer fits perfectly with our vision." Alejandra highlights that it's a very exciting time for the stationery and greetings sector. "Therefore, being able to offer a professional platform to let the event evolve felt like a natural step. Most importantly, we are making the event free to attend, developing the format, and further adding to the content to make this an even more compelling event within its new home at Top Drawer." Taking to the stage at the show within Paperfest will be the GCA’s Sharon Little who will be giving a talk (on Tuesday September 13 at 1.45pm) about Thinking of You Week and the opportunities it presents for retailers. Top Drawer will also host the inaugural PaperAwards sponsored by GF Smith. Left: Alejandra Campos, show director for Top Drawer.

l The British Retail Consortium (BRC) confirmed that retail sales grew by 1.1% in July, with total sales up by just under 2% and non-food sales the strongest performer, up by 1.4% year-on-year between May and July. l Bury-based wholesaler, Card and Party Store, is holding its annual Christmas launch starting Sunday September 18 through to Thursday September 22. CAPS, which claims to stock the largest selection of Simon Elvin cards in the country, will be showing the new range from Xpress Yourself as well as clearance deals on Christmas bags and boxes. l Prepared to put himself out to help others, Jarle Tatt (right), md of Noel Tatt, will be sleeping under cardboard, and a plastic sheet if necessary, to raise money for two charities Porchlight and Catching Lives - which help the homeless in and around Canterbury. The sleep out will be taking place at Canterbury Cathedral on Saturday September 17, with Jarle joined by 50 influencers from the local area, to include the Bishop of Dover and the Mayor of Canterbury. To donate visit: www.justgiving.com/fundraising/Jarle-Tatt1

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Over The Counter

Enjoy The

Bumpy Ride Independent card and gift retailer, David Robertson, co-owner of JP Pozzi in Scotland, shares some tips on how to relax and take some down time. Some 30 years ago in June a film came out that became, and still is, one of my absolute favourites. In some ways it created its own genre and it broke from convention with the main character speaking directly to you down the camera. One of the best scenes is when the young hero sings ‘Danke Schoen’ from the flatbed of the touring float. Young Ferris dedicates it to his friend who, despite skipping school and driving a Ferrari, “doesn’t think he has seen anything good yet.” My mum, who rarely watches a film, loved it, and I can clearly remember her laughing wholeheartedly at the scrapes and scenes that the three main characters get themselves into. Ferris Bueller’s Day Off has achieved legendary status, with it now listed by the National Film Registry as being deemed ‘culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant.’ I can’t argue... Now I imagine most, if not all, of you will have seen it and I imagine most, if not all, of you can remember something about it, whether it is the cover of the VHS box (Ferris with his hands confidently behind his head), the amazing Ferrari, the manic head teacher Mr Rooney or Sigue Sigue Sputnik’s memorable Love Missile F1-11 song. The reason you do, or I hope you do, is that this may be a marker in your life. This film may not be your marker. It may be ET or Jurassic Park. Or it may in fact be a song that was particularly relevant to you at a specific moment in your life. These markers now have a new name - memory bumps! 20

PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE

Memory bumps are when something really significant happens and it sticks vividly in your head. It could be your first kiss, passing your exams, getting married, starting a business, getting a new job, having your children… in fact the list goes on and on. Ferris Bueller’s Day Off had a huge significance to me as I wanted to be Ferris. Someone who could do anything he wanted, with confidence: Get the girl, sing on the float and have everyone like him. In fact, it’s what most young teenage boys want - well beside being a Premier League footballer! This memory bump for me has not really changed much in fact. I still want all of those things and many more. Our industry of course is all about marking these memory bumps with a card or gift. There now really is a card for everything, and if you take a second I am sure you can recall specific cards that you have received or maybe still have from such ‘bumps’. Cards help make the memory better. Getting just the right design with the right words is important, and what I love about this industry is that there are always new and interesting designs and ways to say things. I have greeting cards from years back from my 18th birthday, graduation, 40th, business openings and many other ‘bumps’ in my road. When you look at each card’s design, the colours, the text, even the feel of the board on which they are printed, they are like a timeline of fashion and what was ‘in’ or ‘cool’ at that time.

Above: Take time out to have fun was the message sent in the classic feel good movie Ferris Bueller’s Day Off. Left: Temporary Measure’s Short Story Cards range features some of the founders’ ‘memory bumps’ in its designs.

The sheer number and diversity of greeting cards that are now available in those 30 years since Ferris is incredible. The GCA now estimates that there are over a 1,000 publishers in the UK, with the majority being small or micro businesses of five employees or less. Three decades ago I doubt there were even a tenth of that number. Due to new technology, new printing techniques and new finishes available it has never been easier for designers, young and old, to become card publishers. What is equally interesting is how they get their product out there and noticed, especially with the amount of physical shop doors decreasing. I love the quirkiness of the Instagram posts. I love the little sample packs I receive from all kinds of motivated business people. So why are these memory bumps important? Quite simply because we all feel that life goes much quicker when we are older. How many times do we say that?! - That is another week flown by... I can’t believe that it’s August... Where has the year gone? The feeling that time is going quicker as you get older is of course a myth. Time passes


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Over The Counter

in the same way every day, but without doubt in my life it just seems to be on permanent fast forward. The reason for this is because these major significant memory bumps do not happen as often as you get older and so your life seems to pass by in a blur of regular events. Or at least that is the theory. Some folk may see it the other way in that there are even more ups and downs (bumps) which makes life go quicker too. In fact, this feeling is felt so much around the world that they have invented a word for it - Zenosyne. This is the feeling that life speeds up with age, and if you Google or hashtag it some of the results are very interesting.

Facebook too has made this phenomena real - think when it flashes up with your Memories posts. How many times do you think that can’t be X years ago! In the last few months I have celebrated two huge bumps - 28 years of working closely with UKG (or its previous incarnations) and 28 years with my bank. This got me thinking further about time. We bought our first store on the 19 June 1988 when I was 13 years old. It honestly feels like yesterday. And on the 20 June 1988 in walked the rep for Rust Craft (which became part of UKG) to do our first order for core product (or what we now call

stock control). We started with our bank (for our business account) that same day and we have stayed loyal to both UKG and the bank for the ensuing period. But as of the July 1 2016 we moved to a different bank. However, we have signed on for another five years of having UKG manage our control. Both of these decisions were for the long haul - UKG to extend to 33 years of service and the new bank to help me achieve what I really want within the structure of the business for the future. We work in an industry that is constantly looking to the future. It’s Christmas then Valentine’s, and so the seasons and new products come and go. We never really get much time to enjoy the ‘now’ as we are always looking ahead and planning what we have to do and what we need to achieve. Life in general seems to be very pressured and business life at the moment is without doubt the most difficult I have ever known it. In the past week or so the letters have started about price rises due to the $dollar, then the interest rate is cut. What does it all mean? How do we cope with it all? The very real pressures of wages and VAT seems to come round quicker than ever, and then the Corporation Tax looms. Everything just appears to run away with even more of your cash flow and we are lucky if we have anything left after all the other costs. Bumpy bumpy bumpy. So how do we slow down? How do we smooth these bumps to make the time last longer? Well I must put a disclaimer here and say that I am probably the worst person I know at this and this is why my life is literally flying past in front of my eyes. With this in mind I have been investigating it to see what I should do. This year I seem to be having a little mid-life crisis as I appear to have attended every Noel Gallagher, Springsteen and other gig possible. Top: Full of beautiful card finishes - a card from Rosanna Rossi’s Retro Flair range and a Christmas design from Laura Truby. Above: David with his mum and dad at the opening of the Bijou store in 2010 – a lovely memory bump! Right: A good quote to remember from Ferris Bueller.

This is not quite the reason, but that fact that I try and go to so many gigs and to the cinema every week is quite simply I can’t work there! This is me at least making an effort to adhere to the list below, which is my take on what you could do to try and slow down that crazy working schedule/week: 1. Try to build downtime into your schedule. A little relaxation goes a long way so take some time every day just for you to do something or be somewhere that matters to you and helps you with your overall focus. 2. Plan time to totally relax and read or maybe have a bath or early night. Showers always seem to win out and emails seem to supersede books as they grow and breed faster than Gremlins in that other 80s film classic. 3. Limit social media. In my experience it starts business orientated and ends up watching Carpool Karaoke. If I utilised that time better I could do something properly relaxing during the day or night or maybe finish work earlier. 4. Try not to waste too much time on small tasks you can/should delegate. I constantly make lists with key aims/easy wins at the top just to get my day rolling. 5. Always set achievable goals and create realistic boundaries in terms of what is and is not possible. Wherever possible don’t let these get sidetracked by taking on other people’s tasks or goals. Don’t get down if you can’t do them all. 6. Make time to train or exercise (I do a minimum of three times a week). Whatever it may be, even a brisk walk, definitely helps clear the head and puts you in the right frame of mind to work. 7. If all else fails and you can’t get it right get a close friend/family member or even staff member to give you a second opinion as to what you are doing with your working day. They can sometimes notice things you don’t or that you are deliberately ignoring. The Work/Life balance is really just a fancy way of saying ‘don’t let your business take over completely’. This of course is easily said but when we are faced with everything that is thrown at us day to day. Films, life, businesses are all packed with bumps. With highs and lows, good and bad memories, but perhaps Ferris sums it up best: "Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around for a while, you could miss it." To contact David email: jppozzi@btconnect.com PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE

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Factoring In The

Factory Cardsharp notes that at last month’s Retas Awards Card Factory won the coveted Best Specialist Multiple Retailer of Greeting Cards. And although the result was not met with a standing ovation, it was certainly treated respectfully by the 450 independents, chains and publishers present at The Dorchester. It may not have been the case a decade ago, but Cardsharp senses a belated recognition in the card trade of what a great job Card Factory has done in its near 20 year history. There may not be much ‘liking’ in some quarters of the industry for Card Factory’s value based retail approach, but in many quarters it does command a lot of respect (if not love!) for its achievements. So Cardsharp was intrigued to read Card Factory’s latest set of financial results for the six months ending July 31. With the demise of Clintons plc, Card Factory is now the only pure card retailer that is listed on the stock market and as such is seen by the media as very much a bellwether of the state of the industry. And because now, it is very much the dominant retail card face of the high street, if Card Factory receives adverse publicity, the whole industry tends to get a negative press shower as well. On the face of it, Card Factory’s recent figures were quite strong. Total sales growth was a very healthy 4.8 %, with a total of 34 new stores added in that period, bringing the total estate to 848 shops. That magic 1,000 shops figure (which Clinton Cards plc reached over a decade ago when it acquired

22

PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE

the Birthdays chain) for Card Factory (going on its recent rate of growth) is only a couple of years away. Card Factory directors are also promising a return of cash to shareholders in September when the next interim results are announced in a couple of months, which is not to be sniffed at. And as for the profits made, Cardsharp hazards a guess that Card Factory probably

makes more money retailing cards than the rest of the retail card industry combined, a tribute to the efficiency of its vertical integrated business model, where it designs, prints, finishes and delivers the majority of its greeting cards straight into its own stores, retaining every bit of margin along the way. The board believes that it will post a full year profit of between £80m-£86m for the whole year to January 31 2017, which is a pretty penny in anyone’s books. Yet, for all this, mused Cardsharp, the City for some reason was not impressed with Card Factory’s performance, resulting in a sharp and rather harsh fall in the share price. Cardsharp suspects that as more financial figures come out from City-listed retail chains in the next month or so, Card Factory’s performance will seem strong by comparison. Nevertheless, there were concerns. Like-for-like sales in its store network was marginally down by 0.1 %, with higher sales transactions values not entirely compensating for the fall in footfall. This echoes the comment made by the recently retired chief executive, Richard Hayes, on the last set of results, when he stated that Card Factory Above: Strangely, even with strong figures, the City was not impressed with Card Factory's recent performance, resulting in a sharp fall in its share price. Left: Justin Fletcher, Card Factory's property director, received The Retas' Best Specialist Multiple Retailer of Greeting Cards Retas trophy from Bill Greeno, sales and marketing director of category sponsor, Paperlink.


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CARDSHARP Left: Many argue that the growth of Card Factory has helped the market to grow, making greeting cards very visible on the high street. Below right: Birthdays’ founder Ron Wood (right) with then England soccer captain Bryan Robson, a major shareholder in the chain.

is no longer immune to the sluggish performance of the high street generally. Cardsharp is sure the management must have been disappointed with the performance of gettingpersonal.co.uk, Card Factory’s print-on-demand personalised web sales division. In the first half of last year this division saw a 24% increase on the comparative period in 2014. This year, sales from this part of the business have been flat compared to 2015. Card Factory is continuing to target a like-for-like sales growth of 10% for gettingpersonal.co.uk, but Cardsharp wonders if that is achievable. His opinion, for what it is worth, (to be honest more based on gut feeling than any hard facts) is that on-line sales of personalised greeting cards has peaked and that Nick Jenkins, now of television’s Dragons’ Den fame, got out at the right time a couple of years ago, when he sold Moonpig to Photobox for £80 odd million, while WHSmith seems to be losing a bit of interest in Funkypigeon.com and no new major online player has successfully broken into the market in the last few years. And then considers Cardsharp, there is the further concern over the weakness of sterling in the exchange rate equation. In the short term, Card Factory, having successfully ‘hedged’ against currency fluctuations, will not be effected too badly, but continuing weakness of the £pound is bound to have a significant effect on its Far East production costs.

In many ways, Cardsharp thinks that Card Factory is facing the same challenges that Birthdays, the previous specialist multiple chain success story, faced two decades ago. Under its founder, Ron Wood, (another charismatic figure in the mould of Card Factory’s founder Dean Hoyle) built an incredibly successful value chain of some 350 stores, utilising the low cost and yet high quality product produced by UK’s wholesale publishers. Ron, like Dean after him, sold out at the right time netting £80 million in a sale to a private equity group. After that it all gradually went pear shaped. It was passed from pillar to post to a succession of private equity owners, whose answer to falling profits was to put up prices and increase margins. But this led to Birthdays gradually losing its unique selling point, summed up in its slogan ‘You’ll love our cards, you’ll love our prices!’ This left the door open for Card Factory to move into the gap that Birthdays had left behind it. Eventually Birthdays was sold at a knock down price to Clintons, in a move where hubris got the better of reason, and this ultimately contributed to the demise of Clintons Plc. Card Factory must be reaching almost saturation level when it comes to store openings, so when it does hit that point the only way for it to keep the City happy and maintain profits in the face of rising direct and indirect costs, and stagnant at best customer traffic flow, will be to increase prices, and do so consistently. But in doing that it will then be walking a tightrope in that it could risk losing its unique selling point, and even open the way for a new value chain to grow and come in and undercut them, in the way Dean Hoyle did to Birthdays at the birth of Card Factory.

“But the City is a tough mistress. It is voraciously hungry for greater and greater profits, and even when solid results are achieved as in Card Factory’s latest set of figures, they are deemed to be not enough.”

One way around this dilemma would be to develop or acquire a second premium retail brand. There were strong rumours that Card Factory was sniffing around Paperchase last year, when the chain was on the market, but surprisingly nothing seemed to come from this. Although that does not preclude another approach in the future, reflected Cardsharp. “Despite the near term challenges, Card Factory remains the clear market leader in the robust and resilient greetings card market...we remain as convinced as ever of the strong growth prospects for the business, and of our ability to deliver strong shareholder returns over the medium term.” These were the words of Karen Hubbard, the new chief executive of Card Factory, who recently took over the reins after a successful tenure at another retail value chain, B and M. These are the words that the City wants to hear and it is sound financial public relations to utter them, but Cardsharp can’t help feeling that Karen has her work cut out. Of

course, Card Factory will continue to be hugely successful and hugely profitable. Its actions will continue to have huge ramifications for the greeting card industry as a whole. But the City is a tough mistress. It is voraciously hungry for greater and greater profits, and even when solid results are achieved as in Card Factory’s latest set of figures, they are deemed to be not enough. Cardsharp wonders for all the aforementioned reasons, that 2016 might, in hindsight, be seen as the peak of Card Factory’s success. Cardsharp may be wrong, but there is no denying that our largest and most omnipresent specialist card retail chain is about to face some difficult decisions.

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VIEWPOINTS

Feast For The Senses progressive greetings awards

In keeping with the Bollywood theme for this year’s Henries awards, retail buyers on the judging panel got into the spirit, considering what Indian dish or spice the greeting card industry would be, as well as sharing a personal revelation of what deity they would be. Food For Thought Deity Duty: The Hindu religion is full of gods and deities, eg Ganesh is the God of Wisdom, Shiva, the God of the Arts. Of what would you like to be the god or goddess? Spice of Life: Indian cuisine uses all manner of wonderful spices. If the greeting card industry was a spice or an Indian dish, what would it be?

Emma Hawkins, buyer of Fenwick, Newcastle: Deity Duty: “Goddess of Spontaneity – sometimes you just have to go with your gut instinct!” Spice of Life: “Indian street food – colourful, unique and varies depending on location!”

Above: Waterstones’ Claire Fitzgerald (left) with Brent Milburn (Rhymes With Orange) enjoying the al fresco setting of the Best Christmas Box or Pack judging.

Deity Duty: “The God of Happiness, because without it what’s the point!!??” Spice of Life: “Biryani because it’s been around a long time, but when you have it again it surprises by its various textures and depth of taste. Great when spicy hot with chilli.”

Alexis Hayward, head of leisure of Frosts Garden Centre: Deity Duty: “Goddess of Gardening (at Frosts of course!!).” Spice of Life: “It would be a combination of spices of all flavours, colours, strengths, textures – it would be an Indian market stall laden with colour and vibrancy to reflect the card designers and their contribution to the market”. Left: Alexis Hayward (Frosts) embraces the challenge of judging The Henries.

PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE

Deity Duty: “Goddess of the Written Word – language and words are especially important in my job. Working as a card buyer for a bookshop is the perfect combination as both books and cards convey emotion and appeal to the emotions of the reader”. Spice of Life: “A Samosa! It contains so many different ingredients, which is just like the card industry that covers so many different categories, occasions and sentiments! There’s a card for everyone and a samosa for everyone too!”

Brent Milburn, owner of Rhymes With Orange and New Frames, Marylebone and Soho:

Right: Emma Hawkins (Fenwick) takes judging 14,000 cards in her stride.

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Claire Fitzgerald, buyer (cards, giftwrap and calendars) of Waterstones:

Nigel Williamson, partner of House of Cards, Home Counties: Deity Duty: “I’d be the God of Turning Up at The Henries Judging – I’ve been a judge at all bar one year – it’s like a religion.” Spice of Life: “The greeting card industry is like a Bombay Mix of tasty morsels with such great variety.” Right: Veteran Henries’ judge, Nigel Williamson (House of Cards).


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VIEWPOINTS Amie Scull, assistant buyer of John Lewis:

progressive greetings awards

Deity Duty: “Goddess of All Things Avocado. More people need to love them!” Spice of Life: “A Poppadom – a small slice of fabulous that doesn’t last long, but can absolutely make your day. Just like a great card!”

Anne Tasker, buyer of Sentiments, Burnham on Sea: Deity Duty: “Goddess of Perfection! There are no naughty, wonky cards on Anne’s racks!!” Spice of Life: “Lamb Shashlik – it’s daring and creative with extra sizzle.”

Lauren Keen, manager of Sentiments, Burnham on Sea: Deity Duty: “Lauren, Goddess of Patience and Tranquillity (to give me the power to just keep smiling)!” Spice of Life: “Biryani – it contains staple necessities. The Henry Cole nominees (being the rice) with the seasonal ranges and new designs being the curry that adds the fruit and extra flavour.”

Katie Briggs, junior buyer of WHSmith Travel: Deity Duty: “I’d be the Goddess of Travelling.” Spice of Life: “Mango chutney – sweet, punchy and bang on the mark.”

Right: Anne Tasker (left) and Lauren Keen relishing the task in hand.

Above: Katie Briggs in festive mode.

Claire Castle, senior buyer of WHS High Street: Deity Duty: “I’d be Goddess of the High Heels.” Spice of Life: “Jalfrezi – a little bit spicy, but appeals to the masses.” Right: WHS’ Claire Castle (left) with Aime Scull (John Lewis). Far right: A ‘shoe off’ between Claire Castle (left) and Aime Scull (John Lewis).

Heidi Richardson and Lucy Sticka, owner/buyer of Little Paperie, Ashbourne: Deity Duty: “We would be the Goddesses of Flamingos - fabulous, fun and flirty.” Spice of Life: “Chicken Tikka Masala – creamy, but with a bit of spice. A trusty favourite that’s warming and tasty.” Below: Little Paperie’s Heidi Richardson (left) and Lucy Sticka with their ‘junior buyer’, Jude.

Sally Matson, owner of Red Card, Petworth: Deity Duty: “Sally, Goddess of The Day Book – communicator to the multitudes!” Spice of Life: “Lamb Pakoras – perfectly formed with love and care, yet comes in many different shapes and sizes. Can be delicate or fully spiced!”

Kim Lewis, card buyer of Longacres Garden Centre: Deity Duty: “Goddess of The Bees because I am always busy and buzzing around, with a sting in my tail, but only if I’m provoked.” Spice of Life: “It would be a Samosa because they are tempting on the outside, but it’s what’s on the inside that really matters.” Right: Red Card’s Sally Matson (left) with Kim Lewis (Longacres) considering the giftwrappings entries.

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VIEWPOINTS

Giles Meehan, buyer of The Card Centre, Felixstowe: Fiona Robinson, director of Wishes, Cockermouth:

Deity Duty: “Bhuna. It’s quality fare for all tastes, pretty hot, but not so many tomatoes!”

Deity Duty: “Fiona, the Goddess of Tranquillity.” Spice of Life: “Korma – it’s full of warmth and comfort.”

Right: The Card Centre’s Giles Meehan (left) with colleague John Barratt.

Right: Fiona Robinson (Wishes) takes the opportunity of a quick sit down during a busy judging day. Below: Lucy Cave (Set) with Brent Milburn (Rhymes with Orange).

Sara Gibson, buying manager of Tesco Stores: Lucy Cave, card buyer and supervisor of Set Design, Leicester:

Deity Duty: “I would be the Goddess of Children’s Entertainment so that my children would stop telling me how bored they are this summer holiday.” Spice of Life: “It would be a Peshwari Naan – plain and simple on the outside, but sweet and delicious on the inside.” Below: Sara Gibson (Tesco) was inspired by the Most Promising Young Artist Or Designer category.

Deity Duty: “Lucy, Goddess of Laughter!” Spice of Life: “Chicken Tikka Masala – something for everyone!”

Lesley Maskell, manager of Saltash Cards, Saltash:

Tish Bas, senior buyer of Paperchase:

Deity Duty: “Lesley the Goddess of Cornish Piskies.” Spice of Life: “Chicken Curry – hot and spicy cards with a degree of familiarity and comfort.”

Deity Duty: “Tish, the Goddess of JFDI!” Spice of Life: “A Samosa – just like a card, once opened it’s full of lots of joyful things!” Below: As sponsor of the Most Promising Young Artist or Designer, Paperchase trio (right-left) Tish Bas, Hazel Walker and Alexandra Maggs especially enjoying judging that category.

Sarah Henderson, owner/buyer of 3 Wishes, Dorset and Hampshire: Deity Duty: “Goddess of Persuading My Husband To Take On More Ponies.” Spice of Life: “A Vegetable Jalfrezi because it takes your breath away at times and keeps your blood flowing.”

Paul Henderson, partner of 3 Wishes, Dorset and Hampshire: Sasha Walker-Allen, cards category manager of Moonpig.com: Deity Duty: “I would like I would like to be the Goddess of Adventure because life’s too short!” Spice of Life: “Turmeric would be the most prominent spice because it is healing and promotes well-being.” Right: Sasha Walker-Allen (Moonpig) with her clipboard at the ready.

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Deity Duty: “Paul, the God of Small Tractors.” Spice of Life: “Vegetable Dhansak – why? It’s my favourite dish as it is a wonderful assortment of tastes and textures – sweet, but a little bit edgy.”

Right: Husband and wife team Sarah and Paul Henderson (3 Wishes).


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Sarah-Jane Porter, head of licensing of Moonpig:

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Deity Duty: “I would like to be the Goddess of Good Times, spreading the love to everyone (in the nicest possible way).” Spice of Life: “Cardamom would be most prominent. It’s the essential secret ingredient that injects joy into anything.”

Rachel Hevicon, buyer of WHSmith /Paper + Script + Funky Pigeon: Deity Duty: “I’d have to be the Goddess of Dance.” Spice of Life: “Chicken Tikka Masala – always a favourite, never disappoints and loved by everyone.” Left: WHS’ Rachel Hevicon (left) looking at the Best Christmas Box or Pack entries. Right: Teresa and David Colman (The Only Place For Pictures) worked well as a team at the judging.

Teresa and David Colman, directors of The Only Place for Pictures, Highbury and Palmers Green, London:

Eliot James, buyer of Scribbler: Deity Duty: “God of Broccoli perhaps?!” Spice of Life: “We’d be a Vindaloo – a bit spicy for some but leaving a pleasant afterglow.” Above: Eliot James (Scribbler) is all smiles at the judging!

Deity Duty: “David and Teresa, the God and Goddess of Beach Holidays.” Spice of Life: “Chicken Tikka Masala – because it has real substance, loads of flavour and an extravagant touch of cream.”

Katy Shipley, buyer of Supersales of Nuxley Village, Belvedere: Deity Duty: “Goddess of Christmas Cards. Uninterrupted attention all year round, loves glitter and the odd sprigs of holly. Is easily bribed with a mince pie!” Spice of Life: “Chicken Korma – at first sight, it’s lovely, rich and creamy, beautiful looking with a few nuts thrown in. Too much can lead to a slight sickly feeling (ie too many sentimental words!).” Left: Katy Shipley (Supersales) considers some of the entrants in the Best Handmade or Hand-Finished category. Right: Jo Barber reviews her choices in this category.

Jo Barber, managing director of The Stationery and Gift Boutique, Ampthill: Victoria Robinson, director of Wishes, Cockermouth: Deity Duty: “Goddess of Travel.” Spice of Life: “Poppadoms – a fun staple which we share with those we love.” Above: Wishes’ Victoria Robinson (left) was happy to travel all the way from Cockermouth to be a Henries judge.

Tim Reynolds, retail manager of Medici Gallery, Kensington: Deity Duty: “Pippa – Goddess of the Perfect Behind (and not just because she’s a regular customer).” Spice of Life: “It would have to be ‘Card’-amom.”

Deity Duty: “Jo, The Goddess of Finding the Hidden Treasures – be it staff, cards or stock.” Spice of Life: “Peshwari Naan! The message is in the inside, once you tear it open!”

Andrea Pinder, owner/buyer of Unit 7 Cards and Gifts and Presentation Cards and Gifts, Manchester, Birmingham and Barrowford: Deity Duty: “Goddess of Talking!” Spice of Life: “Chilli Chicken, sticky on the outside, hot on the inside with a powerful lip-smacking kick.” Left: Andrea Pinder (Unit 7) enjoying the boards in the Most Promising Young Designer or Artist category.

Ros Jones, owner of Celtic Company, Welshpool: Deity Duty: “Ros, the Goddess of Repeat Business.” Spice of Life: “Raita – cool and refreshing.” Left: Fresh from receiving her Retas award, Ros Jones (Celtic Company) was only too pleased to see publishers be in the running for a Henries award.

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The Henries 2016 Judging Process

Bling And A Care This year’s Henries awards extravaganza will take on a Bollywood theme – and there will be no holding back! The essence of a Bollywood blockbuster is emotion mixed with entertainment, masses of colour, super styling, plus a vast cast who know what they are doing and are happy to make a lot of noise about it. Just like the greeting card trade. PG joined the ‘impressive cast’ of top retailers who formed this year’s Henries judging panel to gain a ‘behind the scenes’ view of The Henries 2016 judging process to find out how the finalists are arrived at. Right: The Henries 2016 judging gets underway. This is just a small portion of the boards from contenders for the Best Contemporary Trend Range category.

Who Judged The Henries? The entire responsibility of judging the product entries to this year’s Henries lay in the collective hands of the judging panel, made up entirely of retailers. The judging panel comprised over 40 leading greeting card retail buyers, from right across the retail spectrum. The panel included buyers from leading independents, department stores, large specialist chains, medium-sized groups, supermarkets, garden centres, bookshops, varietal stores and online operators.

The Henries 2016 Judging Panel (In alphabetical order by surname) l Jo Barber, managing director of The Stationery and Gift Boutique, Ampthill l John Barratt, director of Card Centre, Felixstowe l Tish Bas, senior buyer of Paperchase (200+ stores) l Katie Briggs, junior buyer of WHSmith (600 stores) l Michelle Burgess, buyer of The National Trust (200+ stores) l Claire Castle, senior buyer of WHS High Street (600 stores) l Lucy Cave, card buyer and supervisor of Set Design, Leicester l David Colman, director of The Only Place for Pictures, Islington and Palmers Green l Teresa Colman, director of The Only Place for Pictures, Islington and Palmers Green l Katie Daw, sales assistant of The Stationery and Gift Boutique, Ampthill l Claire Fitzgerald, buyer (cards, giftwrap and calendars) of Waterstones (280 stores) l Sara Gibson, buying manager of Tesco Stores (2,700 stores stocking cards) l Emma Hawkins, buyer of Fenwick, Newcastle (two stores) l Alexis Hayward, head of leisure of Frosts Garden Centre (four outlets)

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l Paul Henderson, partner of 3 Wishes, Dorset and Hampshire (four

stores in Hampshire/Dorset) l Sarah Henderson, owner/buyer of 3 Wishes, Dorset and

Hampshire (four stores in Hampshire/Dorset) l Rachel Hevicon, buyer of WHSmith /Paper + Script + Funky

Pigeon (600 stores) l Eliot James, buyer of Scribbler (33 stores) l Ros Jones, owner of Celtic Company, Welshpool (two stores) l Lauren Keen, manager of Sentiments, Burnham on Sea l Kim Lewis, card buyer of Longacres Garden Centre (four stores) l Alexandra Maggs, buyer of Paperchase (200+ stores) l Lesley Maskell, manager of Saltash Cards, Saltash l Giles Meehan, buyer of The Card Centre, Felixstowe l Brent Milburn, owner of Rhymes With Orange Marylebone

and Soho (two stores) l Andrea Pinder, owner/buyer of Unit 7 Cards and Gifts and

Presentation Cards and Gifts, Manchester, Birmingham and Barrowford l Sarah-Jane Porter, head of licensing of Moonpig.com l Sally Matson, owner of Red Card, Petworth l Tim Reynolds, retail manager of Medici Gallery, Kensington l Heidi Richardson, owner/buyer of Little Paperie, Ashbourne l Fiona Robinson, director of Wishes, Cockermouth l Victoria Robinson, director of Wishes, Cockermouth l Amie Scull, assistant buyer of John Lewis (44 stores) l Katy Shipley, buyer of Supersales, Belvedere l Lucy Sticka, owner/buyer of Little Paperie, Ashbourne l Anne Tasker, buyer of Sentiments, Burnham on Sea l Hazel Walker, buyer of Paperchase (200+ stores) l Sasha Walker-Allen, cards category manager of Moonpig.com l Nigel Williamson, partner of House of Cards, Home Counties (seven shops) l Ruth Young, buyer of Clintons (400 stores)


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The Henries 2016 Judging Process

Which Ranges Were Eligible To Enter?

Above: Among the retailers who formed the judging panel for this year’s Henries were (left-right) Alexis Hayward (Frosts), Michelle Burgess (National Trust) and Amie Scull (John Lewis). Right: (Bottom to top) Paperchasers Tish Bas, Hazel Williams and Alexandra Maggs with Moonpig’s Sasha Walker-Allen and a waving Brent Milburn (of Rhymes With Orange) making their way between judging rooms.

The Preparation Throughout June and July, PG’s offices are deluged with boxes, Jiffy bags and envelopes, boldly marked ‘The Henries’. Together they created a mountain of packages containing over 14,000 greeting cards, sheets of giftwrap and giftbags, submitted from some 200 different UK publishers. All greeting cards submitted for The Henries 2016 are treated equally, whether they are sent in by a multi-national company, a new start-up one-man band publisher and everything in between. The Henries are free of charge to enter meaning it is open to all. Each entry is logged onto the computer and assigned a number. One card design from each entry is retained for archive purposes while the other cards in each submission are mounted onto their own large display board. A label is affixed to the top of each board that prominently features a distinct entry number as well as the RRP(s) of the mounted cards. To overcome any preconceived ideas judges might have had of publishers, the brand and company name of each submission for the product entries are concealed. In the case of the Most Promising Young Designer or Artist category, those entering were invited to submit their own ready-mounted boards if they wished. For the Henry Cole Classic award, publishers were asked for some substantiating text, which demonstrates how and why the range has stood the test of time. Above: A mass of entries to The Henries which Anna and William Scrimshaw, key members of the awards team, ensured they were correctly logged and then presented for judging. Above right: Tesco’s Sara Gibson with her clipboard of entry forms at the ready! Left: Leading indies, such as Lucy Cave, buyer for Set Design in Leicester, considered the multitude of entries, including these ones for the Most Promising Young Designer or Artist award.

Entering The Henries 2016 was open to all UK publishers, as well as UK-based distributors of card publishers from overseas. Publishers were invited to enter ranges that had been launched since August 1 2015 or new designs that had been added to ongoing ranges. The Henry Cole Classic award is slightly different in that this is for ranges that have stood the test of time and therefore the onus is on the heritage and evolution of the brand rather than just the new designs in the range. Publishers could enter as many categories as they wished, with as many entries in each category as they wanted.

The Judging Process The judging for all the product categories, as well as Most Promising Young Designer or Artist, took place on a single day, in offices, theatre rehearsal rooms as well as the Shillibeer’s Bar & Grill, all of which are adjacent to PG’s London offices. The criteria for judging were: l Quality of Design l Quality of print, production and manufacture l Appropriateness for the market sector at which it is aimed l Value for money All entries were put on display category by category. The judges considered all entries in each category, individually selecting the five entries they deemed to be the best in each category. Judging forms were completed by writing the corresponding Above: Adjudicators Stacy Jones (left) entry numbers, in order of and Emma Cain tot up the points on merit, in the relevant boxes the judges’ voting forms. on the form. Points were then awarded accordingly by the adjudication team; five points being assigned to the entries each judge felt was the best in the category down to one point for the fifth choice. The points from all the judges’ forms were then correlated to arrive at the winner and five other finalists. The winners will only be revealed at The Henries Bollywood Ball on Thursday October 6 at the Lancaster Hotel in London.

The Finalists The following pages reveal the finalists in each of the product categories as well as the Most Promising Young Designer or Artist contenders, Best Service To The Independent Retailer (the latter being decided as a result of almost 2,000 independent card retailers voting for suppliers). PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE

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The Henries 2016 Finalists

Most Promising Young Designer Or Artist Open to: This award was open to all greeting card designers and artists (employed or freelance) under the age of 35 on August 1 2015.

F INA LISTS ● ● ● ● ● ●

(in alphabetical order)

Elliott Bennett, designer of Hearts Designs Rebecca Crouch, founder and creative director of Raspberry Blossom Sarah Knight, founder and designer of Stormy Knight Sara Miller, creative director and founder of Sara Miller London Emma Pearce, senior designer for Hotchpotch Louise Tiler, founder and designer of Louise Tiler

Elliott Bennett, designer and owner of Hearts Designs: “I joined Hearts Designs six years ago to work along side my mum and business partner. When creating a concept for a new collection I find it is inspiring to look at all sorts of fashion trend and styles from around the world. I have been inspired by gold foil in particular, which seems to be very popular. I have also been fortunate to have been asked to design several gift collections from our Mad Dots range, licensed by Lesser and Pavey. I understand how much it can mean to someone to receive a thoughtful greeting card, whether it be for a special occasion or ‘just because...’. I hope to continue designing and creating.”

Rebecca Crouch, creative director and founder of Raspberry Blossom: “Raspberry Blossom is a contemporary and luxurious British greeting card and stationery company I founded in February 2014. I’m a lifelong paper, pattern and print enthusiast, with a decade of design experience working in London’s advertising industry. Together, these elements combined, I design greeting cards that contain a creative blend of innocence, quirkiness and fun. Now stocked in major retailers, including Selfridges, Harrods, Paperchase, Oliver Bonas, Urban Outfitters and Waterstones, Raspberry Blossom products aim to bring a smile to the faces of those who receive them. In 2016 Raspberry Blossom launched wrapping paper, notebooks, pads and crackers that sit alongside 10 greeting card collections.”

Sarah Knight, founder and designer of Stormy Knight: “Drawing inspiration from food, nature and fun, my pun-filled designs aim to brighten anyone’s day. Since starting up Stormy Knight in 2013, I have steadily grown the brand, which now comprises 120 designs, and I am proud to be on the shelves of some of the UK’s top card stockists and independent shops - such as Paperchase, Scribbler, Selfridges and, most recently, Oliver Bonas. In 2015 my Copper Foil range was shortlisted in The Henries and I was also a finalist for Best New Product at New York Stationery Show. The sun may be fun, but storms are more exciting…”

Sara Miller, creative director and founder of Sara Miller London: “After 10 years working in greeting cards, I decided to set up on my own and exhibited at PG Live last summer. I was overwhelmed with the positive reaction to my work and soon after signed with The Art File, Penny Kennedy and Portfolio across two ranges, Sara Miller and Jaz&Baz. The two ranges are completely different. Sara Miller is inspired by my love for travel, with bright colors offset with gold foil details. Jaz&baz (named after my parents) is a fun and celebratory range for all occasions. With a strong emphasis on fashion, it has a lighthearted cheekiness, celebrating ‘girls being girls’. It’s still early days but I am so grateful for the response I’ve had and I’m having so much fun doing what I love!”

Emma Pearce, senior designer for Hotchpotch Publishing: “I began my career six years ago at International Greetings but, seeking adventure, I set off to travel the world while still freelancing, and joined the team at Artwrap in Melbourne, Australia for two years. I returned home to London and now design in-house for Hotchpotch Publishing. My designs are versatile and eclectic but I especially love creating quirky characters, hand-drawn lettering and I thrive on working in different illustration styles. I feel so fortunate to be living my design dream, I can’t imagine myself doing any other job.”

Louise Tiler, founder and designer of Louise Tiler: “I am an independent surface pattern designer and greeting card publisher. I’ve received both national and international recognition for my design work and I’ve also freelanced for some of the UK’s top greeting card companies. Thereafter, in 2014, I started my own publishing company. I am extremely passionate about creating intricate hand-drawn and hand-painted designs. I have a real love for colour, florals and detailed artwork, combining traditional drawing techniques with modern digital processes to create my vintage inspired contemporary greeting cards. I am currently expanding my label through licensed products and working with manufacturers to produce a wide range of other products.”

CATEGORY SPONSOR PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE

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A4 Henries 2016 print.pdf

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The Henries 2016 Finalists

Best Children’s Range Open to: All children’s greeting card ranges that have been launched or updated (with a minimum of eight designs) since August 2015.

F INA LISTS ● ● ● ● ● ●

(in alphabetical order)

Children's Range from Sooshichacha Facematt Funimals from Brainbox Candy The Happy Birthday Range from Laura Skilbeck Kiddiwinks from Think Of Me Scribbles from Rachel Ellen Designs Sugar and Spice from Janie Wilson

● The Happy Birthday Range

● Children's Range

● Facematt Funimals

● Scribbles

● Kiddiwinks ● Sugar and Spice

CATEGORY SPONSOR PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE

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The Henries 2016 Finalists

Best Christmas Counter Range Open to: All Christmas counter greeting card ranges that have been launched or updated (with a minimum of eight designs) since August 2015.

F INA LISTS ● ● ● ● ● ●

(in alphabetical order)

Christmas Keepsakes from Rachel Ellen Designs Christmas Sparkle On Clay from English Graphics Festive from Designed by Mrs Lovesy Jaz&Baz from Portfolio Moonbeams and Magic from Five Dollar Shake Traditional Christmas from UK Greetings

● Christmas Sparkle On Clay

● Christmas Keepsakes

● Festive

● Traditional Christmas ● Jaz&Baz

● Moonbeams and Magic CATEGORY SPONSOR PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE

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The Henries 2016 Finalists

Best Christmas Box Or Pack Open to: Any Christmas box or pack that has been launched since August 2015. This award could be for a specific item rather than for a range.

F INA LISTS

(in alphabetical order)

● ● ● ●

Art House - Paper House from The Great British Card Company (GBCC) Boots Premium House Scene from UK Greetings A Christmas Cracker from Wrendale Designs Dear To Me Studio Winter Collection, Assorted Greeting Cards from Dear To Me Studio ● Deer Box from Woodmansterne ● Paloma from Belly Button Designs

● Art House - Paper House

● A Christmas Cracker

● Boots Premium House Scene ● Paloma

● Dear To Me Studio Winter Collection ● Deer Box CATEGORY SPONSOR PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE

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The Henries 2016 Finalists

Best Traditional Words & Sentiments Range Open to: All traditional words and sentiments greeting card ranges that have been launched or updated (with a minimum of eight designs) since August 2015.

F INA LISTS ● ● ● ● ● ●

(in alphabetical order)

Essence from IC&G Gibson Core Line from UK Greetings Heartfelt from Ling Design Letterpress from Words ‘n’ Wishes Velvet from Jonny Javelin Wishes from The Original Poster Company

● Essence ● Gibson Core Line

● Heartfelt

● Letterpress

● Velvet

● Wishes

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The Henries 2016 Finalists

Best Contemporary Words & Sentiments Range Open to: All contemporary words and sentiments greeting card ranges that have been launched or updated (with a minimum of eight designs) since August 2015.

● Flora

● Simply Quotes

F INA LISTS ● ● ● ● ● ●

(in alphabetical order)

Flora from Stop The Clock Design Mad Dots from Hearts Designs On the Cards - Prickly Situations from The Art Group Simply Quotes from Rambling Mansion Velvet Ink from Clare Maddicott Publications Words of Wisdom from Dandelion Stationery

● Mad Dots

● On the Cards - Prickly Situations

● Velvet Ink ● Words of Wisdom

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The Henries 2016 Finalists

Best Contemporary Trend Range Open to: All contemporary greeting card ranges that have been launched or updated (with a minimum of eight designs) since August 2015.

F INA LISTS ● ● ● ● ● ●

(in alphabetical order)

Aquarelle from Ling Design Aries from Meraki Charmed from YTR Design Facematts from Brainbox Candy Sara Miller London from The Art File Tropicana from Second Nature

● Aquarelle ● Charmed ● Aries ● Tropicana

● Facematts

● Sara Miller London

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The Henries 2016 Finalists

Best Handmade or Hand-Finished Range Open to: All handmade or hand-finished greeting card ranges that have been launched or updated (with a minimum of eight designs) since August 2015.

F INA LISTS ● ● ● ● ● ●

(in alphabetical order)

Extended Scrabbley Neons from Bexy Boo Glitter Dogs + Cats from English Graphics Paper Diamonds Deluxe from Wendy Jones-Blackett Say It With Lace from Image Plus Silver Leaf from Janie Wilson Veneer from Cinnamon Aitch

● Glitter Dogs + Cats

● Extended Scrabbley Neons

● Paper Diamonds Deluxe

● Say It With Lace

● Silver Leaf

● Veneer

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The Henries 2016 Finalists

Best Photographic Range Open to: All photographic greeting card ranges that have been launched or updated (with a minimum of eight designs) since August 2015.

F INA LISTS ● ● ● ● ● ●

(in alphabetical order)

1000 Words from U Studio Alicia Bock from Lagom Design Life Is Sweet from Icon Loose Leashes from Woodmansterne Take A View from UK Greetings Winter from Mine Osman

● 1000 Words

● Life Is Sweet

● Alicia Bock

● Winter ● Loose Leashes ● Take A View

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The Henries 2016 Finalists

Best Humour Range Open to: All humour greeting card ranges that have been launched or updated (with a minimum of eight designs) since August 2015.

F INA LISTS ● ● ● ● ● ●

(in alphabetical order)

Etched from Pigment Gin + Frolics from Rosie Made A Thing Good Things from Redback Cards Just Saying from Paperlink Mungo & Shoddy from Tillovision Scribbles from Hallmark

● Gin + Frolics

● Good Things

● Etched ● Scribbles

● Mungo & Shoddy ● Just Saying

CATEGORY SPONSOR PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE

49


Sniffing around for something new?

Sniff sniff! At

www.catherinekleeli.co.uk

‘Best Art Card’ Range

hello@mineosman.co.uk www.mineosman.co.uk Tel: (+44) 07852155077

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The Henries 2016 Finalists

Best Art Range Open to: All art greeting card ranges that have been launched or updated (with a minimum of eight designs) since August 2015.

F INA LISTS ● ● ● ● ● ●

(in alphabetical order)

Jewels from Bug Art Landmarks from I Drew This Sara Miller London from The Art File Stick and Stitch from Catherine Kleeli Cards The Thing About Dogs from Pigment Wildlife Botanical from Lola Design

● Landmarks

● Sara Miller London

● Jewels ● Wildlife Botanical ● Stick and Stitch

● The Thing About Dogs

CATEGORY SPONSOR PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE

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The Henries 2016 Finalists

Best Licensed Card Range Open to: All licensed greeting card ranges involving a licensing agreement that have been launched or updated (with a minimum of eight designs) since August 2015.

F INA LISTS ● ● ● ● ● ●

(in alphabetical order)

Disney Originals from UK Greetings Happy Jackson from Pigment Off The Leash from Cardmix PAW Patrol from Danilo Quentin Blake from Woodmansterne Star Wars: The Force Awakens from Hallmark

● Disney Originals

● Off The Leash ● Happy Jackson

● PAW Patrol

● Quentin Blake

● Star Wars: The Force Awakens

CATEGORY SPONSOR PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE

53


11—13 September 2016 Olympia, London

GREETINGS & STATIONERY Experience the beautifully curated world of Greetings & Stationery at Top Drawer, London’s international event for creative retailers. Discover a carefully edited, global cross-section of products from the finest brands and designers. REGISTER NOW topdrawer.co.uk/greetings-stationery

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The Henries 2016 Finalists

Best Giftwrappings Range Open to: All giftwrapping collections that have been launched or updated (with a minimum of eight designs) since August 2015. Entries could either be a range of giftwrap sheets or a collection of wrappings (eg co-ordinating wrap, bags, boxes, ribbons etc).

F INA LISTS ● ● ● ● ● ●

(in alphabetical order)

Birds of Paradise from Artebene Cornflower Giftbags from Cinnamon Aitch Neon Revolution from Glick Platinum Male Collection from Belly Button Bubble Sara Miller London from Penny Kennedy Summer Tropical from Deva Designs

● Birds of Paradise

● Neon Revolution

● Cornflower Giftbags

● Platinum Male Collection ● Sara Miller London

● Summer Tropical

CATEGORY SPONSOR PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE

55


OVER 130 NEW DESIGNS!

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The Henries 2016 Finalists

Best Male Range Open to: All greeting card ranges aimed at men (non-humour) that have been launched or updated (with a minimum of eight designs) since August 2015.

F INA LISTS ● ● ● ● ● ●

(in alphabetical order)

Black Lines from Stop The Clock Design Bomicks from Ivorymint Geronimo from The Art File Gold Gentlemen from Louise Tiler Look And Learn from Cath Tate Cards Manochrome from Noel Tatt

● Bomicks

● Black Lines ● Gold Gentlemen

● Geronimo ● Look And Learn ● Manochrome

CATEGORY SPONSOR

Here for you from thought to finish

PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE

57


SE Just saying A4 PG Ad AW 8.16.pdf

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progressive greetings awards

The Henries 2016 Finalists

Best Wholesale Range Open to: All greeting card ranges (of any design type) that are distributed via wholesale distributors or cash & carries that have been launched or updated (with a minimum of eight designs) since August 2015.

F INA LISTS ● ● ● ● ● ●

(in alphabetical order)

Crème Brulee from BGC Studios Gold Female Contemporary from Hambledon Studios Hebe’s Garden from Hambledon Studios Opacity from Xpress Yourself Prelude Wedding Collection from BGC Studios Trinkets from Simon Elvin ● Gold Female Contemporary

● Crème Brulee ● Opacity ● Hebe’s Garden ● Trinkets

● Prelude Wedding Collection

CATEGORY SPONSOR PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE

59


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The Henries 2016 Finalists

Best Relations & Occasions Range Open to: All relations or occasions greeting card ranges that have been launched or updated (with a minimum of eight designs) since August 2015.

F INA LISTS ● ● ● ● ● ●

(in alphabetical order)

Cherished Mini-Cards from Lagom Design Gemma Correll Collection from Ohh Deer Jaz&Baz from Portfolio Mimosa from Paperlink Paper Diamonds Deluxe from Wendy Jones-Blackett Sassafras Occasions from Cardmix

● Gemma Correll Collection

● Jaz&Baz ● Cherished Mini-Cards ● Sassafras Occasions

● Paper Diamonds Deluxe ● Mimosa

CATEGORY SPONSOR PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE

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The Henries 2016 Finalists

Best Spring Seasons Range Open to: Greeting card ranges for the Spring Seasons occasions that have been launched or updated (with a minimum of eight designs) since August 2015.

F INA LISTS ● ● ● ● ● ● ●

(in alphabetical order)

Alice Scott Mother’s Day from Pigment Colourful Captions Valentine’s Day from Tache Crafts Grin & Tonic Father's Day from Brainbox Candy Love You More Valentine’s Day from Stop The Clock Design Paloma Mother’s Day from Belly Button Designs The Pigment Collection Easter from Laura Darrington Design Pretty Things Mother’s Day from Paper Salad

● Grin & Tonic Father's Day

● Alice Scott Mother’s Day

● Colourful Captions Valentine’s Day

● The Pigment Collection Easter

● Love You More Valentine’s Day

● Paloma Mother’s Day

CATEGORY SPONSOR

● Pretty Things Mother’s Day PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE

63


                   

  

             

        

  

                     

   

  

   

             

                          

               

            

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The Henries 2016 Finalists

Best Cute Range Open to: All cute greeting card ranges that have been launched or updated (with a minimum of eight designs) since August 2015.

F INA LISTS ● ● ● ● ● ●

(in alphabetical order)

Cuckoo from Paper Bird Publishing Hannah Pontin: Doodle & Block from ArtPress Mischief from I Drew This Quackers from Stop The Clock Design Sausage Dog from Sooshichacha Toby LittleDude from The Art Group

● Hannah Pontin: Doodle & Block

● Cuckoo

● Mischief

● Sausage Dog

● Quackers ● Toby LittleDude

CATEGORY SPONSOR PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE

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The Henries 2016 Finalists

T he Henry Cole Classic Award Open to: This award is for ranges that have stood the test of time. The winner will join The Henry Cole Classic Hall of Fame with the previous winners which are Bestie from Paperlink, Eric the Penguin from GBCC, Forever Friends from Hallmark, On The Ceiling from Emotional Rescue, Me to You from CBG, Medici Cards Blue Label from GBCC, Second Nature’s Pop-Ups, Quentin Blake from Woodmansterne and Giggles from Hanson White (UKG).

Bottomline from Paperlink Probably one of the first off-beat cartoon ranges to market over 25 years ago, Bottomline was a brave, highly original concept, very much bucking the trend at the time. Its success was key to Paperlink’s decision to always try the new and the innovative when it came to humour. Its longevity shows cartoonist Jamie Charteris' ability not only to innovate, but also to sustain a ranges' personality whilst ensuring it always feels current. Anyone who ever wrote a greeting card will tell you, that’s a tall order!

Drama Queen from CardMix First launched by CardMix in 2006, Drama Queen features early 20th century music hall with a twist! Original black and white theatrical photographs with 21stcentury dialogue by the mischievous and topical comedian Alex Lowe, the outrageous and hilarious cards have evolved into a classic humour range appealing to people of all ages and backgrounds.

Edward Monkton from Really Good Edward Monkton cards by Giles Andreae, and published by Really Good, were born into the greeting card world in 2002, and he has kept us entertained for 14 years with his quirky and philosophical musings on life. Really Good has had over 200 designs since the launch and is still being asked for new designs by its customers and retailers alike, with

CATEGORY SPONSOR

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PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE

F INA LISTS ● ● ● ● ●

(in alphabetical order)

Bottomline from Paperlink Drama Queen from Cardmix Edward Monkton from Really Good Pizazz from Nigel Quiney Publications Rainbow from Ling Design

some of the old favourites, such as the Beautiful Frock design, still within its best sellers. Edward Monkton has one of the strongest followings ever with the public and the greeting card industry, which is why it is worthy of a Henry Cole Classic award.

Pizazz from Nigel Quiney Pizazz is NQ’s award-winning brand, which has been very successful in the fashionable, fast moving world of greeting cards. Pizazz has a delightful, loose watercolour illustrative style, which reflects our contemporary lifestyle, image and surroundings. Sheer white backgrounds and glitzy flitter help to define the look and boost design impact. This brand appeals to a wide age range. Although predominantly female, the design style and content is sophisticated, elegant and aspirational. Pizazz was launched in August 2006, and quickly gave NQ a record-breaking turnover. It is still growing in strength, and it reached its 10 year milestone in August of this year! On going development and the introduction of new images keep the range relevant and up to date.

Rainbow Cards from Ling Design The long-established and well-loved cartoon based humour designs that make up the Rainbow portfolio have been a firm favourite for over 30 years, making them a true classic. The Ling Design team acquired the brand in 2010 and, while they have introduced new designs that perfectly reflect current social and family situations, some of the original designs are over 15 years old and are still going strong!


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progressive greetings awards

The Henries 2016 Finalists

Best Service To T he Insependent Retailer The finalists in this category were arrived at as a result of an exhaustive poll involving 1,500 independent card retailers. The retailers were invited to nominate which companies they considered to be their top three card suppliers on the service front over the last year. The response was amazing - service being a key issue to retailers. The responses were then correlated, awarding three points to all first choices, two points to those mentioned as second choices and one point to all third choices. These points were then totalled up to arrive at the 12 finalists. There are three trophies in this category, the Gold, Silver and Bronze awards which will be presented to the top three scoring suppliers in the retail poll.

F INA LISTS ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ●

(in alphabetical order)

Abacus Cards Cherry Orchard International Cards and Gifts (IC&G) Jonny Javelin Nigel Quiney Noel Tatt Paperlink Pigment Second Nature UK Greetings Woodmansterne Words n Wishes

Other serious contenders: The following publishers polled well but not quite well enough to make it into the finals. 13th 14th 15th 16th 17th 18th 19th 20th 21st 22nd 23rd 24th 25th 26th 27th 28th 29th 30th

Paper Rose Ling Design Carte Blanche Greetings Wendy Jones-Blackett Grass Roots International Hallmark Cards Belly Button Designs Cardigan Cards Rachel Ellen Five Dollar Shake The Great British Card Company Wrendale Designs Janie Wilson K2 Greetings Is It Art? The Art File Simon Elvin Tracks Publishing

CATEGORY SPONSOR PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE

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The Henries 2016 Finalists

Honorary Achievement Award This prestigious award is presented to an individual who has contributed greatly to the UK greeting card industry. The winner can come from the retailing, publishing, wholesaling or the supply side of the trade. Nominations are sought from the entire industry for this special award.

Who will this year’s winner be?

The previous winners of this award are: 2015 - John and Jennie Procter (founders and co directors of Scribbler) 2014 - Louise Tighe (founder of Paperlink) 2013 - Beth Genower and Matt Genower (founders of Five Dollar Shake) 2012 - Lynn Tait (owner of The Lynn Tait Gallery and founder of The Ladder Club) 2011 - Giles Andreae (creator of Purple Ronnie and Edward Monkton) 2010 - Timothy Melgund (chief executive of Paperchase) 2009 - Keith Auty (former marketing director of UK Greetings) 2008 - Mike Bugler (former managing director of Clinton Cards) - Dennis Podmore (chairman of Windles sadly now deceased)

2003 - John Charlton (former chief executive of UKG and senior vice president of American Greetings) - Stuart Mackay (former managing director of UKG and former managing director of Birthdays, but currently chairman of Paper Rose and director of Simon Elvin) 2002 - William McCracken (former GCA special advisor, former managing director of Ling Design and founder of one of the four first specialist card chains) - Paul Woodmansterne (managing director of Woodmansterne Publications) 2001 - Simon Elvin (founder of Simon Elvin, and owner of Nigel Quiney, Glick Designs and Paper Rose) 2000 - Andrew Brownsword (founder of Andrew Brownsword Collection and former owner of Gordon Fraser)

2007 - Clinton Lewin (former group managing director of Clinton Cards) - Debbie Lewin (former product development director of Clinton Cards)

1999 - John Condon (former director of Clinton Cards) - George Pomphrett (former director of Clinton Cards)

2006 - Chris Dyson (joint managing director of Cardgains buying group)

1998 - Don Lewin OBE (founder and former chairman of Clinton Cards)

2005 - Duncan Spence (business angel with an investment in Carte Blanche Greetings and Moonpig) - Stephen Haines (founder of Carte Blanche Greetings)

1997 - David Hicks (founder of Really Good and Soul)

2004 - Peter Reichwald (founder of The Great British Card Company)

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1996 - Stewart Stott (former managing director of Nigel Quiney - sadly now deceased)


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Licensing Spotlight

With the Brand Licensing Europe 2016 (BLE) show approaching (11-13 October at Olympia, London), PG talks ‘intellectual property’ with a trio of card publishers about the attraction of this route using their design IP. Meanwhile, turning to the other side of the licensing coin, Widdop & Co reveals why it is tapping into publishers’ artwork.

Design Diversification Jessica Hogarth, founder and designer of Jessica Hogarth Designs: Property Path: “I trained in surface pattern design, so I feel like my work lends itself well to licensing. When I first went freelance (before I decided to publish cards), I got my website together and was approached via a company wanting to licence my art for a fabric collection. It was based in the USA, but distributed worldwide. It had actually discovered my work via a blog that showcased my graduation portfolio. This was my first taste of art licensing and it became clear to me very quickly that this would be a good way to earn some money as well as getting my work out there. Until exhibiting at Surtex in New York in May this year, I haven’t actively looked for licensing deals. I have been pro-active putting my work on Instagram and Twitter etc, as well as submitting my work for inclusion on blogs such as Print & Pattern. Exhibiting at an overseas trade show was an exciting prospect, and, since the American market is huge, I decided it would be a good investment to head out there and see what kind of response I got to my work.” Licensing Tie-Ups: “These days I find that publishing cards and selling my own small range of homeware products helps to get me noticed by companies looking to manufacture my designs on their own products. I have picked up licensing deals through contacts made at trade shows, but equally, people have seen my products in shops or online and been drawn to my style of work, which has led to them commissioning me for their own product line. I have had my work applied to all kinds of products, from phone covers to ruck sacks, to melamine trays and craft papers. I have worked with clients such as Oxfam,

Timbergram, Go Stationery, Deva Designs and The RNLI, all of whom have licensed my artwork for their products.” Design Development: “I just love seeing my artwork on different products that I can’t necessarily afford to manufacture myself. I love kitchenware but some kitchen products are expensive to have made, particularly in the UK where I do all of my manufacturing, so to have my art licensed on products is the perfect solution. It is nice just to create artwork and not always have to think about getting it made - the companies I work with do all of that. I work with Deva Designs on giftwrap and bags and that has been great for increasing awareness of my brand in the card sector. The thing I enjoy most about running my business is that no two days are the

same so working on licensing collaborations just adds to the variety. I have quite a big portfolio of work that is not included on my greeting cards, a lot of which is in repeat format. I enjoy working in repeat and it is what I am naturally drawn towards when designing. Repeat patterns can work on cards, and I have used some on mine, but I would say it is mainly placement prints that you see on this product, so creating patterns for other people’s products allows me to keep doing what I like best.” Above: This scrapbook album is one of the products created as part of a licensing deal between Jessica Hogarth and UK craft company, Trimcraft. Below: A Summer Patchwork card from Jessica Hogarth, whose artwork has been licensed onto other items.

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Licensing Spotlight

Simon Wadsworth, director for art cards publisher Wraptious: Property Path: “We're always open to interesting opportunities to license out our artists' designs. However, it's not been an area that we've been proactively seeking. Most opportunities have come about from getting our brand out there and showcasing our artists' work and stories. We display a 'Licensing Friendly' sign on our trade stands for example, while we meet thousands of potential customers every month at the various markets we attend around Manchester. Social media has Above: Wraptious has worked with ECP Design, to create a been great too, for us.” collection of ceramics, candles and giftware with artist Katherine Licensing Tie-Ups: “We've been very fortunate to William's Highlands range, launched at Harrogate in July. Below left: The Illustrated British Wildlife 2017 calendar work with ECP Design, launching a stunning range of Wraptious licensed to RSPB through Carousel Calendars. ceramics, candles and giftware with artist Katherine Below: A lovely hanging plaque from ECP using Katherine Williams’ Highlands range, at Harrogate in July. Everyone William's artwork. is over the moon with how well it's gone so far, so much so we're looking to expand into other products such as tinware and potentially a new range with another of our artists! We're really excited about our partnership with ECP for the future. We also have a Christmas card and 2017 calendar licensed to RSPB, through Carousel Calendars, which is not only a really lovely thing but sits well with our ethos of supporting animal-based charities, something we also will be doing for Thinking of You Week this September. Finally, it's very early days yet, but we're just starting to work with publisher NobleWorks in the USA, to launch a few of our artists' ranges to the US market. This will take some time to develop and we're nervously excited about this, not to mention our artists, who are loving the opportunities!” Brand Appeal: “The one thing that drives every decision for us at Wraptious is asking 'what is best for our artists?' Licensing is a great opportunity to expand our market and artists' work into new regions and new products with very little capital risk. As we've only been trading for 18 months, licensing allows us to support our artists in many new ways we wouldn't have been able to support on our own.”

BLE Low Down In its 18th year, Brand Licensing Europe (October 11-13 at Olympia, London) brings together retailers, licensees and sales promotion professionals with licensors and agents. The show provides the opportunity to talk to over 300 brand owners who will be showcasing over 2,500 properties across three zones: Character & Entertainment, Brands & Lifestyle, and Art, Design & Image. Licensees can talk to all-new licensing brands and experience the vast potential for new homewares products. This year sees the launch of a new Matchmaking Service for businesses, in addition to the show’s Retail Mentoring Service and packed programme of seminars, workshops and panel discussions to advance licensing knowledge. See: www.brandlicensing.eu 70

PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE

Claire Bates, online marketing manager for Danilo, explains how the licensed card and calendar publisher, who historically secures licences for characters, movies, music, sport and humour brands, recently diversified by signing the retro-styled The Ladybird for Adults licence: Licensing Tie-Up: “The Ladybird for Adults licence gave Danilo the opportunity to develop a card and calendar range that builds on the success and appeal that the book range has achieved. The licence really targets an adult audience of a certain age who grew up with the original book series and who also relate to the retro humour that the books allude to. Everyone within the Danilo business was aligned on the potential success of The Ladybird for Adults licensed card and Left and below: After the success of The Ladybird Books For Adults books last Christmas, Danilo saw the potential for a licensed range of greeting cards that, now released, are exceeding expectations!


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Licensing Spotlight

calendar range and so a deal was pursued and secured within a short time frame. The range has now been developed and presented to retail with amazing feedback and listings, which have exceeded our expectations.” Brand Appeal: “The success of the book range didn’t pass anyone by and the books secured amazing retail distribution which has continued to grow since the books became a real hit at Christmas 2015. Danilo identified this appeal early in 2016 and decided that the licence would give

them something extra to offer existing customers, but also allow them to target new retailers who had already listed the book range. Working closely with Penguin, the owners of the brand, we have managed to create a card range that stays true to The Ladybird for Adults book range, but also build on the heritage of the original book series using visual and editorial extracts within the card designs.” Design Development: “The current card range consists of designs for Husband, Wife as well as general birthday, and they

cover popular titles such as Mindfulness, Mid Life Crisis, The Hipster, The Hangover, Chocolate and Big Night Out - all of these titles include the same fantastic imagery/covers from The Ladybird Books for Adults as well as sections of text from the books (printed on the inside of the card). In addition to this, we have added creative and fun birthday captions that are also in line with the book’s retro style of humour. We will be extending the range with male, high age and female captions, then further captions such as wedding and other occasions for 2017.”

Widdop & Co Collaboration From the perspective of ‘licensing in’ card publishers’ artwork and designs, Steve Illingworth, product development director for Widdop & Co, which has licensed in designs from card companies such as Pigment, Blue Eyed-Sun Wendy Jones-Blackett and Rachel Ellen onto its giftware, reveals how card publishers’ designs have real potential for the gift company’s products: Property Path: “Card publishers are found in a variety of different ways – we meet many of our potential licensors at trade shows. We also receive a good number of recommendations and suggestions from trade partners, as well as being approached directly by card publishers. When considering a new publisher there are three important factors we always need to consider: The uniqueness of the design and its ability to add something new to our portfolio, the success of the range in the market place and the ability to translate the design from a card to a range of commercial giftware. Ticking all three is the first step on the road to a licensing collaboration.” Licensing Tie-Ups: This year we have worked very successfully with Pigment’s design studio, launching four collections under our ladies and gents brands, Harvey Makin and Sophia. The ‘Emporium’ collection is a fashion-led range featuring rich colour and Edwardian illustrations with a modern twist appealing to those who love premium quality giftware with a sense of personality. ‘By Appointment’, from the same studio, is an eye-catching ladies range with gifts ranging from champagne glasses to passport holders and luggage tags. Rachel Ellen Designs has been a great addition to our children’s collection. Her distinctive design style is well-recognised within the market place, with princesses and pirates taking centre stage.” Brand Appeal: “Where a card design is performing well in the market place, the translation over to gifts is often a logical move. From our point of view we know that the design is commercial. The mechanics of translating a design from a greeting card to a gift is usually fairly straight forward. We have found that licensing proven designs does remove some of the risk element for retailers. Where the designs are already performing well as greeting cards within a retailer, they are much more likely to add the gifts as a higher ticket item within the range. This also gives the retailer the opportunity to cross-merchandise and cross promote.” Top right: A gorgeous Rachel Ellen children’s giftware collection from Widdop & Co. Above: Widdop & Co has worked with Pigment’s design studio to create this gorgeous and stylish ‘By Appointment’ ladies giftware collection. Far right: Widdop & Co’s Emporium collection. Right: The Wendy Jones-Blackett range on Widdop & Co’s stand at Spring Fair last February.

PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE

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Stand 4C15

22 new Masculine designs. General & relation captions. Trade £1.14, RRP £2.75.

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Innovations

Autumn Fair A selection of new launches at Autumn Fair, 4 - 7 September 2016, NEC Birmingham

Making Hay Haymarket is a brand new on trend watercolour floral range from Saffron. There are 12 birthday cards in the range, printed on elegant linen board and finished with a luxury silver fluted foil frame. All the cards are sized 150mm square and supplied wrapped with a crisp white envelope. Saffron Cards and Gifts 01932 888338 www.saffroncards.co.uk Hall 4 Stand E20-F21

Cherry Moments

Playful Spirit '10 in a Bed' is just one of six new additions to Tomcat Cards’ Best of Friends children’s range. Designed by illustrator Alexandra MacVean, all the cards feature animals, pets and toys and, of course, very young people! The cards are all sized 7" x 5" and sold wrapped with white envelopes. Tomcat Cards 01243 837300 www.tomcatcards.co.uk Hall 4 Stand D21

Cherry Orchard is adding six new cards as well as a new range of mugs into its Timeless Moments male range. Different male-themed hobbies and interests will appeal to a wide age range, from steam locomotives to different sports and gaming gadgets. The cards and mugs will all be on display at Autumn Fair. Cherry Orchard 01684 295500 www.cherryorchardpublishing.co.uk Hall 4 Stand E20-F21

All You Need Is Love Blue Eyed Sun is launching new Valentine’s and Mother’s Day ranges into its best selling Vintage Too range, each with 12 designs. All based on original hand-stitched artworks by textile artist Jo Corner, the cards are embossed and handfinished with jewels, sized 160mm square and sold wrapped with coloured envelopes. Blue Eyed Sun 01273 823003 www.blueeyedsun.co.uk Hall 4 Stand D03

Spring A Ding Ding Over 130 new Spring Seasons cards are being launched by The Art File at Autumn Fair, including new Rock On Valentine’s cards, beautiful Sara Miller London Mother’s Day cards (pictured), finished with hot textured foils, and Father’s Day Geronimo cards, complete with embossed lines, neon inks and thermography. The Art File 0115 850 7490 www.theartfile.com Hall 4 Stand E01 Also at Top Drawer Stand ZA28

Here Comes The Sun(shine) An exciting new launch from Brainbox Candy is another 12 new designs into its incredibly popular Sunshine & Biscuits range, just in time for Autumn Fair. This fun and colourful range now covers birthdays, occasions and relations. They are 100% Brexit proof and come with a kraft envelope. Now isn’t that nice! Brainbox Candy 01702 716643 www.brainboxcandy.com Hall 4 Stand F12 PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE

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Innovations

Autumn Fair A selection of new launches at Autumn Fair, 4 - 7 September 2016, NEC Birmingham

Festive Selection Alternative Image is introducing a brilliant new Christmas collection at Autumn Fair. Featuring 20 heart-warmingly nostalgic, fun, colourful cards, all evoking happy memories of vintage Christmas days. All the cards have Happy Christmas inside, are sized 5” x 7” and sold with scarlet envelopes. The Alternative Image Company 020 3478 4804 www.altimageco.com Hall 4 Stand F44

Daisy Chain

Lovely Etchings!

For Spring 2017, Laura Sherratt is expanding her popular Ditsy Daisy card range with 16 Mother's Day and Easter designs, all hand-finished with pretty paper flowers, full of the joys of spring! All the cards are handmade in the UK and sold wrapped with colour coordinating envelopes. Laura Sherratt Designs 01538 384566 www.laurasherrattdesigns.co.uk Hall 4 Stand A39

Holy Mackerel is launching a new card range based on the brilliant etched glass designs of Vinegar & Brown Paper. Beautifully photographed, with a rich, retro feel, the cards feature artist (and artisan!) Andy Poplar’s warm and witty captions, etched into a nostalgic collection of milk bottles, test tubes and apothecary bottles (with the odd tape-measure and toolbox thrown in for good measure). Holy Mackerel 01395 578571 www.holy-mackerel.co.uk Hall 4 Stand F20

A Native New Yorker Kim Parker is a fabulous interior designer from New York, and Portfolio is delighted to launch a new range of cards featuring her wonderfully colourful work. With 14 designs in the range, the cards are sized at 146mm x 170mm and finished with a gloss varnish, these will add a wonderful splash of colour to your store. Portfolio 020 8960 3051 Hall 4 Stand E02/E03

Heart And Soul Imagine is an ever-growing beautiful range of square cards from Soul, resplendent in their contemporary design and mixed foil finishing. New Spring Seasons designs are being added, six each of Valentine’s, Mother’s Day and Father’s Day, with words and sentiments unique to each design. Soul UK 01235 537888 www.souluk.com Hall 3-3A Stand U01

Art And Nature Natural Partners is releasing six new floral greeting cards into its best selling range by artist Andy Broderick. In a departure from Andy's usual animal subjects, these floral designs were produced for his promotional visit to Australia earlier this year. The cards are sized 127mm x 177mm, printed on textured board and come wrapped with brown kraft envelopes. Natural Partners 07714 768956 www.naturalpartnersart.co.uk Hall 4 Stand D05 PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE

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Tomcat Cards Cats enjoying the snow for Christmas

w: www.tomcatcards.co.uk e: info@tomcatcards.co.uk t: 01243837300

Cats in couples for Valentine’s

Cats to make you smile no matter what the occasion

We’ll be at Autumn Fair, NEC Birmingham 4 - 7 September 2016. Come and see us, we’re in Hall 4 Stand D21

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Innovations

Top Drawer A selection of new launches at Top Drawer, 11-13 September 2016, Olympia, London

One, Two, Three, Four… Julia Hook Designs presents a new contemporary range of 16 designs called Happy Days. The range covers a broad variety of illustrations from chillis to bumble bees, all depicted in a fun and colourful style suitable for both men and women and boys and girls. The range is sized 105mm x 147mm, printed on textured board and sold wrapped with a brown kraft envelope. Julia Hook Designs 07903 535295 www.juliahookdesigns.co.uk Stand X39

In Stitches Cheerful Geometry

Top Drawer will see the launch of Tea and Stitches, a brand new range of luxurious handfinished cards from Amanda Wood. Each design is taken from an original stitched illustration by Amanda and is embellished with a scattering of crystals. The cards are printed on the best quality board, sized 155mm square and come with a kraft envelope. Amanda Wood Designs 01225 315845 www.amandawooddesigns.com Stand ZC41

Kaleidoscopic is a new range from Coulson McLeod of 18 super pretty pastel geometricpatterned designs with six everyday, six Valentine’s and six Mother’s Day cards. All sized 170mm x 120mm, the cards come wrapped with a fuchsia pink envelope. Coulson Macleod 01536 419944 www.coulsonmacleod.com Stand J32

The Sound Of Music

A Chip Off The Old… Woodblock is one of the many ranges Cinnamon Aitch is extending at Top Drawer. These beautiful handmade block print designs now include female relations, occasions and lots more birthday titles, 24 new additions in total. Featuring whimsical plants, animals and gorgeous patterned vintage earthenware, this range has pots of style. Cinnamon Aitch 0121 773 6833 www.cinnamonaitch.co.uk Stand X38

A cross between a greeting card and a gift, the Music Box Card from My Design Co is an innovative and exciting new product that opens to reveal a beautiful storytelling scene with a magically dancing character and music. After selling out of its original two designs, a further 14 designs for all occasions are being launched at Top Drawer! My Design Co 020 7729 8731 www.mydesignco.uk Stand Z13

A Close Shave Ruth Jackson is back at Top Drawer showing 10 fabulous new designs of her enduringly popular and ever-expanding Pencil Shavings Cards. Ruth will be making cards live on the stand and visitors will be able to take away a free sample – freshly made! Ruth Jackson 01202 759159 www.ruthjackson.com Stand Y33 PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE

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Sent iment

equilibrium

C O L L E C T I O N

AUTUMN 4-7 SEPT 2016 NEC Birmingham Hall 5 Stand C10/D11

Joe Davies will introduce over 500 new Equilibrium lines for Autumn & Winter at Autumn Fair. Everything is available in our trademark ‘Little & Often’ quantities with minimum orders of just £100.

Equilibrium the UK’s Hottest Jewellery Range Tel: 0161 975 6300 Fax: 0161 975 6301 Email: sales@joedavies.co.uk www.joedavies.co.uk f: joedaviesgiftware

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Innovations

Top Drawer A selection of new launches at Top Drawer, 11-13 September 2016, Olympia, London

Gnome Business Like Show Business New designs for Spring and Christmas will be on show on the Sally Scaffardi stand at Top Drawer, with 16 new card designs in each - all with Sally’s customary design-led humour. All the cards are 150mm square and sold wrapped with top quality white envelopes. Sally Scaffardi Design 07747 032505 www.sallyscaffardidesign.co.uk Stand ZC42

Paved With Gold Love London is a new range from Louise Mulgrew launching at Top Drawer. Featuring illustrated London scenes, icons and of course some signature cute animals, there are 20 designs available both as greeting cards and postcards for a quirky alternative to photographed postcards! Louise Mulgrew Designs 07810304414 www.louisemulgrew.com Stand ZC31

Absolutely Fabulous Dean Morris is proud to be launching over 18 new designs in his ever-popular Fabulous range – now in its tenth successful year. New designs for Top Drawer include Mother’s and Father’s Day, birthdays and of course Pokémon. The colourful cards all feature fun retro imagery with the trademark Dean Morris humour and come with a matching envelope. Dean Morris Cards 01902 560247 www.deanmorriscards.co.uk Stand ZB9

On The Spot Rosanna Rossi has 90 beautiful new greeting cards launching at Top Drawer, including 40 new additions to the Spotlight collection. Featuring lots of beautifully illustrated birthday and occasion titles, this range is enhanced with colourful foil and exquisite emboss detail. Measuring 150mm square, the cards are presented with a complementing metallic envelope. Rosanna Rossi www.rosanna-rossi.co.uk Stand ZA34

Having A Gander Redback is launching an adorable collection of children's cards based on the character Goose, who features in a series of popular picture books by award-winning artist Laura Wall. There are 32 simple, bold and colourful designs, all finished with a soft touch laminate and a spot UV varnish. The cards are sized 120mm x 170mm and come wrapped with a premium white envelope. Redback Cards 01803 712793 www.redbackcards.com Stand ZA14

Welsh Icons The new National Museum Wales range from Graffeg features a selection of Impressionist paintings from the museum's collections, and a Black Gold range featuring the museum's photographs of the coalmines in the south Wales valleys. There are six card packs being launched containing ten cards each, and two postcard packs with 20 postcards. Graffeg 01554 824000 www.graffeg.com Stand ZC23

Top Of The Bots Megan Claire is launching new designs to her popular range Botanical at Top Drawer, bringing the total number of designs to 16 in this beautifully illustrated range. There will be eight new birthday designs for the girls complete with quirky phrases and eye-catching colours. Megan Claire 01536 560345 www.meganclaire.co.uk Stand Y39 PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE

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Face To Face

Des n ForA

Above: The new name and branding cleverly incorporates IG. Below: IG Design Group will produce almost 850 metres of giftwrap in 2016. Below left: Paul Fineman, group ceo of IG Design Group.

Fineman

Phileas Fogg took 80 days to go round the globe, Paul Fineman, group ceo of the recently rebranded IG Design Group, has just done it in two weeks - and has the t-shirt to prove it. PG caught up with him fresh back from his 28,000 mile ‘world tour’, having just presented the new look and thrust of this mega greeting card, wrap and gift group to its 1,900 employees in its offices around the globe. International Greetings, or ‘IG’ as it was more commonly called, is no more. In its place is IG Design Group, though the logo cleverly highlights the ‘IG’ letters as a nod to its past. Paul Fineman, ceo of the group, has been keen to stress its new name, “is far more than just a simple change of brand. It is the culmination of our three year business plan that lays the foundation for the future growth of our business.” And it was Paul that came up with the new name. “I asked our customers what they thought of when anyone mentioned IG and what kept cropping up was ‘design – IG is good at design’. And we are, design is at the heart of everything we do,” said Paul. The timing feels absolutely spot-on for the rebrand. The group is in a great place right now. It has just delivered some impressive results showing record sales (£237million), a 17% rise in pretax profits and a substantial reduction

of its debt. In addition, it has just made a nifty acquisition of US calendar and gift company Langs, plus secured more capital for future possible acquisitions and to ease cashflow. Greeting cards remain a “substantial” product area for the group, now representing 10-11% of its turnover, accounting for £25 million worth of sales. “We produced 63 million single greeting cards in our last financial year – so it is not insignificant for us!” confirms Paul. “And we expect to grow our card sales by 7% this coming year,” he added, with the UK looking at double digit growth on the card front. IG (and now IG Design Group) has quietly and skillfully manoeuvred itself from being seen as an own brand Christmas box producer to becoming a key supplier on the everyday card front too.

Big Numbers In the last year alone, IG Design Group sold over 80 million crackers, 750 million stickers and nearly 850 million metres of giftwrap. It has produced 30,000 different products and sold half a billion items (with an average selling price of under 50p). Right: The company will make over 80 million crackers this year. In addition to the core Christmas designs, it now sells everyday and special occasion crackers in over 20 countries.

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Face To Face

Left: The company has expanded from a seasonally skewed wrap, card and cracker business into one involved in year round celebratory items. Below: IG Design Group produces own brand greeting cards for (clockwise from top right) Asda, Primark, Tesco, B&M and Aldi.

It first dipped its toes in when it won the contract to produce a Tesco ‘Finest’ everyday collection, and hasn’t looked back since. From Aldi to Primark, Poundland to B&M, IG Design Group has become a real ‘go to’ supplier in the UK, especially for value everyday cards. Paul is fascinated by the way the retail landscape has changed, most notably the development of the discount operators. “Through Anker [the company Paul headed up prior to it being sold to IG in 2005] I was there at the embryonic stage of entry level retailers. We supplied the very first Primark and B&M stores with stationery and albums,” recalls Paul. Given these connections, it was “Anker that made the approach to 99p Stores to create and supply cards that were produced by our factory in China. One thing led to another and IG ended up being handed the baton, 99p Stores was of course acquired by Poundland, who we still have the contract to supply.” It is now seven and half years since Paul took over as ceo of the company and embarked on, what must have been, a hard slog addressing problems, restructuring, reducing debt, investing in infrastructure, keeping the City happy – and on a global scale.

Right: The Queen officially opening the company’s giftwrap plant in Ystrad Mynach in Wales. It has the Royal Warrant for giftwrap as well as crackers. Below: Paul Fineman and Anthony Lawrinson, cfo, (both kneeling) back from their ‘world tour’ of the group’s international offices, presenting the rebrand to those in one of its UK offices.

“I can’t deny it has been a challenge – we have had a recession, price deflation, inflation of costs and a mountain of debt to shift. I spent the first three years restructuring the company; consolidating a business is not fun.” Biting the bullet, in 2008 the company declared a £14 million loss. “All you can do in that situation is prioritise and focus on

Local Flavours It’s not just in the UK where IG Design Group’s greeting card sales are growing.“We are also doing well with cards in America as well as in Australia,” reveals Paul. In the States, where the company publishes cards under its Design Focus and Papercraft brands, it has been focusing on supplying the regional grocers and drugstores, “but despite being ‘regional’ they can have anywhere between 400 and 1,200 stores.” In Australia it is enjoying success supplying the discount sector “an area that has really developed in the last three-four years,” says Paul. While in some product areas the designs can transcend country boundaries thereby achieving economies of scale, when it comes to greeting cards having designs that are specific to a market it is crucial. “We can buy our paper on a global basis, but the designs you put on the front of the cards have to reflect a local knowledge. We create wonderful greeting card designs in the UK that perfectly suit our retail customers here, but very rarely will those designs travel.”

stopping the hemorrhage. IG was a big ship to turn round, and it was crucial that we started reducing the debt. When I took over our debt was 48 times our profit, thankfully that is right down now,” explains Paul. “Getting the right leadership teams in place is crucial,” highlights Paul. “You can’t manage the magnitude of change that we have been through without a passionate and talented team.” The last five years have required some pretty hefty investment – spending a cool £8 million on totally overhauling its main giftwrap plant in Wales in 2013/2014 by installing new printing presses, with another £3 million spent on its Dutch factory a year previous. “I knew in 2009 that we would have to do these things to prepare us for the future,” explains Paul. “As I look back over the last seven and half years, I would say we’ve got a lot of things right, not everything by any means. However, it now really feels that we have started what is the most exciting phase for the business.” PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE

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GB

Hello tomorrow. The visionary office.

The stationery trends.

Do you always take the long view when making decisions? If so, make sure you book your online ticket for Paperworld 2017 now. You then benefit from our Business Matchmaking service and can forge new contacts and arrange appointments in advance of the world’s leading trade fair for paper, office supplies and stationery products. For a perfectly prepared trade fair visit: paperworld.messefrankfurt.com/tickets info@uk.messefrankfurt.com Tel. +44 (0) 14 83 48 39 83

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63156-001_PW_Allgemein_BM_Progressive_Greetings_91x271_GB • FOGRA 39 • CMYK • mr: 02.08.2016

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28 – 31. 1. 2017 Frankfurt am Main

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Debbie Wigglesworth’s Paper Journeys

Espresso-ingOurselves Better Latte Than Never

By paper passionista Debbie Wigglesworth, founder of The Paper Collaborative and cofounder of The Paper Library.

Ordering a coffee these days presents infinite possibilities as baristas bombard us with the myriad delicious options. Debbie Wigglesworth of the Paper Collaborative takes a Paper Journey to demonstrate how papermakers and paper artists too are continuing to ‘froth’ things up. Café Culture There is no denying the impact Moleskine has made in upping the profile of diaries, notebooks and all things stationery with its ‘must have’ brand. During a recent business trip to Milan I met up with several Moleskine key personnel who told me all about the launch of the first Moleskine Café, a new Above: As one would expect of this leading inspirational concept in creative hubs. brand, both the space and furniture are designed a la This first of a wave of Moleskine Moleskine with essential clean aesthetics, just like the Cafes debuted recently in Milan on pages of a Moleskine notebook! Corso Garibaldi 65, in the heart of the Brera Design District. Mixing cafe, art gallery, store and library, the Moleskine Cafe concept is to be rolled out in key cities globally. In addition to a year round programme of talks, breakfast learning sessions and exhibitions, the café also incorporates a boutique-style ‘shopping area’ to encourage hands-on contact with the legendary objects in Moleskine collections. ''This is an important new step in our journey to realise the full potential of Moleskine as the lifestyle brand of the creative class,'' says Arrigo Berni, ceo of Moleskine. ''Our vision for the Moleskine Cafe is exciting and unique. We will provide our guests with an innovative retail experience, bringing the socialising dimensions of food, creativity and shopping to a single space designed to reflect the distinctive, clean aesthetics of Moleskine.''

There has been plenty of coverage recently regarding the problem of the amount of disposable coffee cups we generate as a nation with no recycling opportunity due to the nature of the components. That was until pioneering papermaker James Cropper Above: While card publishers can buy James Cropper’s came up with an innovative paper from its Coffee range with shades ranging from solution and is the only paper mill Latte (off white) to Espresso (dark brown), history is in the world able to recycle coffee being made with McDonald’s on the recycling front. cups. Its environmental paper range, Coffee (as fanfared in PG recently with card publisher Glebe Cottage being the first to use it) contains 50% fibres reclaimed from recycled coffee cups. However, it is the mill’s recent partnership with McDonalds UK that is really is creating a big stir! A number of McDonalds restaurants in the UK are trialling an instore recycled collection scheme in collaboration with Simply Cups, which will swiftly deliver the waste to the James Cropper mill so that millions of used coffee cups can be transformed back into useable cups. This is a ground-breaking solution to a significant problem. Richard Burnett, marketing development manager of James Cropper, commented: ''It's estimated that up to 2.5 billion paper cups are used in the UK every year. Most of these are currently not recycled as, being polyethylene-coated, they can't be recycled among ordinary household waste.”

Take My Hat(tie) Off Hattie Newman's paper artwork is executed with such precision and eloquence it is little surprise that her flourishing creative set design business has continued to develop since reporting on her paper portfolio last year. With a growing list of impressive clients, including Ordnance Above: Hattie Newman’s paper Brazilian houses. Survey, The Guardian, Wagamama and featured in leading magazines, Hattie is currently selling some of her original paper creations in support of War Child charity. The original set was commissioned by Imagination for Cannon's Expo in Paris and features a series of iconic landmark buildings from across the world, including a colourful row of houses in Brazil.

Building Creativity Well Read

Right: Coffee cup animals by Jack Bailey.

I recently met up with illustrator Jack Bailey during the New Designers One Year On exhibition. Back from a year travelling Australia, this free-spirited graduate passionately spoke to me about his quirky collection of work. Jack creates imaginary worlds and characters that he makes from pages of old books dipped in wallpaper paste to render the paper pliable enough to mould into any shape. His carefree style allows his 3D characters to evolve naturally as it is moulded into shape. Then, referring back to his 2D sketches, he completes the process by adding a facial expression and decorating them with string and found objects. His infectious enthusiasm certainly left an impression on me.

The latest space created by German artist Michael Beutler within Nottingham Contemporary Art Gallery, focuses on the spirit of DIY invention, promoting cooperative labour, taking inspiration from a recent trip to Japan - seen in the structure of the walls. A team of collaborators worked with Michael, reshaping paper and cardboard into building blocks with the help of his giant handmade DIY. I wholeheartedly recommend a visit if you are near by. Above: Artist Michael Beutler has been building ‘walls’ with paper.

If you are interested in any of the features in Paper Journeys contact Debbie Wigglesworth email debbie@thepapercollaborative.com or call Debbie on 07718619521. PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE

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JEREMY’S JOURNAL Business blogging by publisher Jeremy Corner of Blue Eyed Sun.

Sage Advice Jeremy Corner, owner of greeting card publisher Blue Eyed Sun, shares business lessons from America.

Your Team

I was recently invited by Sage to Chicago to speak at its annual Sage Summit. The business focused event, held over 3-4 days, is an opportunity to network, learn and grow. It featured some amazing keynote speakers and loads of smaller breakout sessions and interesting seminars. As you can see by the photos in this article I was lucky enough to meet some of these amazing people and learn some useful business lessons from them. Here are my highlights:

Determination On my Virgin Atlantic flight to the Sage Summit in Chicago I wondered what it would be like to meet Richard Branson and decided to do everything I could to make it happen. Incredibly, the very next morning I was shaking his hand. I then set myself the challenge of meeting the rest of the celebrity speakers that week. It wasn’t easy. I was just determined and had a good energy for making it happen. I believed that I could do it. I even managed to blag backstage access to The Killers’ gig that week. Determination and self-belief are so important to achieving your goals.

Don’t Be Needy At the same time as being determined it’s important not to be desperate. Although I believed that I could achieve my goals, I was also prepared to fail. I just didn’t focus Top: The Sage Summit in Chicago is a learning, training, and networking event with celebrity speakers and dynamic thought leaders. Above: After pondering what it would be like to meet Richard Branson, Jeremy did! Right: Jeremy surrounded by actresses and business women Gwyneth Paltrow and Zooey Deschanel at the Sage Summit.

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Richard Branson, whose Virgin group comprises more than 400 companies, could never have grown without delegating. As he says, “Find someone better than you to run your business.” Star of Shark Tank (America’s Dragons’ Den) Robert Herjavec agrees: “If you’re going to do everything in your business, you’re always going to stay small. The only way to grow is with a great team.”

Do What You Love on the failure. I focused on what I wanted, but not to the point where it consumed me. In a cab ride in Chicago, the adventurer and philanthropist Justin Packshaw shared similar advice he once received from an experienced entrepreneur: “Needy ain’t sexy”. It sums this up nicely I think.

Fellow TV personality and entrepreneur Daymond John explains how to achieve this: “Make a list of things you love doing and things you don’t. Then, outsource everything you don’t love doing and it will change your life.”

One Word I caught up with business YouTuber Evan Carmichael who has a book coming out called: Your One Word. The book is about finding the core word that has meaning for you and truly inspires your business and team. Evan’s word is ‘Believe’ and his team is so into 'believing in entrepreneurs' that one of them even has the word 'Believe' as a tattoo on her arm. Having a focus for what you are about and what you want to achieve with your business is so powerful.

Power Of Focus Hearing actress Gwyneth Paltrow talk about KPI’s (key performance indicators) and sales funnel strategies was an eye opener. I find it inspiring that anyone can shift career, take on new challenges and start up a business. As


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JEREMY’S JOURNAL the founder and curator of successful online weekly lifestyle magazine Goop, Gwyneth’s key take away was to remember to focus,“Where you look is where you go. Keep your eye on the prize and believe in yourself.”

founder Yancey Strickler reminded us at Sage Summit that supporting someone’s idea and investing in their passion is a hugely valuable way of contributing to the world.

The Value Of PR

Understanding Customers Another actress, Zooey Deschanel, also made the shift to business even though she didn’t see herself as particularly business minded. She partnered with experienced people and created HelloGiggles.com, a positive online community focused on empowering Millennial women. For Zooey, she felt instinctively that “If I like it someone else will like it.” She then shaped her brand around her audience, which helped it to grow. It’s so important to put yourself in the shoes of your customers to understand your business and grow.

Above: Cool Chicago runnings - Sage CEO, Stephen Kelly (third from left) goes for a jog with a pack of Sage customers. Below: Jeremy went on the airwaves when interviewed by Bloomberg radio in Chicago.

brand message to work at every level throughout your company. For example, did you know that every employee at Disneyland is called a ‘cast member’? From the toilet cleaners through to the performers they are all cast members focused on creating an amazing show for their customers.

Solicit Feedback I was invited to lunch with Donald Brydon, the chairman of Sage, and a handful of Sage customers. He was very interested in what customers thought about Sage, good and bad. It really doesn’t matter whether you have a small business or a large FTSE 100 plc to run, soliciting feedback from your customers is essential. If the chairman can make time to do it, so can we.

Social Conversation Actor and tech investor, with over 150 companies in his portfolio, Ashton Kutcher, is a social media whizz and arguably has generated a lot of his business success through his use of Twitter and other social platforms. Social media is not a broadcast platform, he says, “It’s a conversation with a feedback loop.” You must engage with your followers, just as you must engage with your customers.

What’s Your Story? I’m fascinated by how companies create the emotions attached to logos, how customers perceive brands and how brands endure over time. Understanding what your focus is and communicating that well hold the key to success. I was lucky enough to spend some time with branding expert Sasha Strauss from Innovation Protocol who reminded me how important it is for the

Saving Time And Money Taking time out of my busy schedule to attend an event which isn't directly connected to my card business doesn’t seem that sensible, but opportunities are everywhere to generate more business or to cut costs. I always pick up useful tit-bits of information at the Sage Summit. On the export panel on which I sat, my friend Gemma Price from SuperFood Market mentioned how she saved £thousands renegotiating her courier costs. That single piece of advice has now been actioned and will save our business in excess of £5,000 this year alone.

Not Just About The Money Global public benefit company Kickstarter has generated over $5 billion for start-ups and created over 300,000 jobs through its crowd funding model that helps a range of creative projects get off the ground. It’s co-

One of the reasons I’ve been able to maintain such good levels of PR and marketing over the years is that those in the media know that I am quick to respond and happy to help. Because of this I got the opportunity to be interviewed on Bloomberg Radio in Chicago, which was broadcast throughout America. I shared the success of our greeting card business and even generated a sales lead. It’s important to make PR a regular activity in your business.

Network Power Last year I made friends with Huffington Post blogger, Sandy Abrams, and social media expert, Rebecca Coleman. We kept in touch online and supported one another’s talks, blog posts and social media activity at Sage Summit. If you want to have good reach on social media you need to build a network of supportive friends. I think it’s essential in business too.

Picture It It’s so easy to dismiss ‘selfies’ as narcissistic and self-indulgent. I changed strategy this year with the aim of increasing my personal brand and awareness of my businesses. Images are a very powerful way of doing this. When you tag people in the images it shows up in their feed so they can then easily remember you and share you with their networks. Search engines all index them. Images with celebs have a similar power and high level of engagement so grab selfies whenever the opportunities arise. One of the reasons I leapt at the chance to attend my second Sage Summit is the insatiable appetite I have for learning and growing. Being around inspiring people who are all focused on improving their businesses and their lives is incredibly energising. It’s definitely worth setting aside time in your calendar each year to sharpen your saw rather than keeping on hacking away with the same blunt instrument and wondering why it’s not working. ● Jeremy is speaking on ‘Ten things to do in business before using social media’ at the Autumn Fair eCommerce Theatre on Sunday 4 September. Read more on Jeremy’s blog at www.blueeyedsun.co.uk/blog PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE

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The GCA Greeting Card Market Report

Emotional

Equations Can you put a monetary value on friendship; quantify the love a wife has for her husband as a percentage increase like-for-like; put a price on the grief felt of losing someone dear or convert the joy experienced when a much-wanted baby enters this world into currency? No, of course not. However, what has just been confirmed, in the findings of the brand new GCA Greeting Card Market Report, is that the British public spent more than they have ever done in buying greeting cards to mark the important as Right: GCA president Ged Mace, md of The Art File, with UKTI’s well as the not so important life events. Deborah Lynch Doyle at a recent GCA seminar which included a talk on how publishers can boost their export sales. PG delves deeper into the facts and figures of the report that quantifies our extraordinary £1.7 billion industry that is based on emotions and relationships. ur industry continues to be a major British success story,” stated Ged Mace, md of The Art File when he became president of the Greeting Card Association (GCA) last October. “Having emerged from the deepest recession in living memory, the communication explosion and stamps that now cost 63p, our industry has proved that what we produce has immeasurable value to the buying population,” he said. Some 10 months on and his words are further amplified by the findings of the soon to be released GCA Greeting Card Market Report which covers greeting card sales of 2015.

“O

PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE

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The GCA Greeting Card Market Report

Historically the findings of the Report, the only annual research into the health and wealth of the UK greeting card sector, is unveiled at the GCA’s Annual General Meeting, but this year its publication has been brought forward by a few months in order for members to put it to good use as soon as possible. “The Market Report provides our members, associate members and all retail stockists with a true picture of the sector against which they can benchmark their own performance,” commented Sharon Little, ceo of the GCA. “It also enables us, as a sector, to speak meaningfully to the media and be taken seriously as an industry.” She also is keen to stress a point made by GCA council member Paul Woodmansterne, md of Woodmansterne Publications at a recent council meeting. “As Paul highlighted, as the vast majority of greeting cards are bought in bricks and

Above: The GCA’s Sharon Little inside Buckingham Palace with Christopher Sandamas, chief clerk of the Private Secretary’s office having delivered a collection of 90th birthday cards for the Queen from the industry to join the 70,000 sent by members of the public.

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mortar stores, rather than online, they remain an important, highly-profitable product for all manner of retailers, being sold in one in six outlets.” As to the specifics of the Report, they certainly make reassuring reading (remembering of course that it tracks the 12 month period until the end of last year and therefore does not take into account the Brexit collywobbles). Looking at the big picture, even without Christmas boxes or packs, the UK public spent an incredible £1,488, 596, 288 on greeting cards last year. Some big numbers are worth writing out in full! This represents a impressive 5.29% increase on the previous year’s report - not bad for a sector that has been referred to ‘mature’ for a few years now.

Add to that the conservative £200 million estimate for Christmas boxes and packs and that the British public spent the same amount on greeting cards last year than the UK was asked to pay to the EU back in 2014 which kicked off the whole Brexit referendum. Stick to cards, we say.

That Figures! The UK Greeting Card Market Report is only able to be produced due to the input from greeting card publishers. Leading independent marketing analytics experts, Ebiquity were once again appointed by the GCA to oversee the data submission by publishers and then amalgamate this data, iron out any possible anomalies and present the aggregate figures for volume (number of cards bought) and value (amount paid at retail) to arrive at the figures. Due to the sensitive nature in that this involving real sales figures, publishers submitted their data on a confidential basis, though Ebiquity was able to make contact with them post submission in case of queries. Accepting that while the publishers who participate in the research project collectively represent a sizeable chunk of the industry, in order to properly reflect the size and shape of the industry the figures are extrapolated to give what is considered a true and fair view. This year, the sample of 41 publishers involved in the research, were deemed to represent 74% of the industry by value and 67% by volume (ie number of cards bought). The Report covers sales of everyday, occasion and relations/ages, Spring Seasons and single Christmas cards based on publishers’ real sales data from 1 Jan 2015-31 December 2015. Due to the complexity and diversity of Christmas card boxes and packs, a conservative estimate, sense-checked by major players, is made for this area. The full GCA Greeting Card Market Report will be made available to members and associate members in the next month, in the ‘Members only’ section of the website.


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The GCA Greeting Card Market Report

Left and below left: The British greeting card market is holding strong. Below right: The average UK spend on a birthday card was £1.62 in 2015. Bottom left: Sales of greeting cards right across the sending situations continued to grow (by value) in 2015 compared to the year previous. Left to right: Designs from Hotchpotch, Laura Sherratt and Lagom.

Average Price Paid Christmas singles Birthday/blank Occasions & relations/ages Valentine’s Day Mother’s Day Father’s Day Easter singles

Paying The Price

What’s even more encouraging is that value increases were tracked in the three ‘big hitting’ areas of everyday, relations & occasions and Christmas singles, the three cornerstones of the sector. Sales of birthday cards showed the greatest growth by percentage (up 10.39%) to £564 million, give or take a few thousand cards. This takes everyday cards closer to the ‘big boy’ of relations & occasions, which edged up another 1% by value taking that particular card sending arena to a lucrative £586.4 million! Sales of Christmas singles jumped up by a welcome 9%, taking the average

£1.83 £1.62 £1.65 £2.26 £2.09 £1.85 £1.20

(2014: £1.54) (2014: £1.51) (2014: £1.62) (2014: £2.10) (2014: £1.95) (2014: £1.61) (2014: £1.14)

Source: GCA Market Report

At a time when the industry is bracing itself for cost increases for 2017 due to the exchange rate changes post Brexit, it is useful to gain a picture of the current average retail prices (ARP) paid by consumers for greeting cards. The results of the GCA Mark Report show that £1.69 was the average price the consumer paid for a single greeting card in 2015, up 6p on the previous year. The biggest jump in ARP across the card sending events tracked by the research was for single Christmas cards, which rose by 19%. This means that £1.83 was the average price paid for a single Christmas card, this higher price accounting for the increase in value of the Christmas card singles market, despite a 8.8% dip in the number of Christmas singles bought. According to the findings, the gap in AVP between the two key card sending areas – of birthdays/blank and relations & occasions - has narrowed as a result of the increase in average price paid for everyday birthday cards. The British public spent an average of £1.62 on a birthday card last year (up 7.1% on the year previous), just a tad lower than the £1.65 average for a relations & occasions/age card (up 3p on the £1.62 AVP quoted in last year’s Report). Also encouragingly, taking into account the success of value operators such as Card Factory, Poundland and B&M, is that the average price paid for Spring Seasons cards also increased, with Father’s Day cards showing the biggest price increase. selling price of a Christmas counter card to a strong £1.83. This is a true reflection of the greater diversity of designs now available from publishers and retailers in this area of the market both sides spotting this as a growth opportunity.

On the Spring Seasons front, taken as a whole, the four spring events held their own. While Mother’s Day - by far the biggest event at £58.4 million - showed a 3% dip in sales compared to the previous year’s report, the other three Spring Season events showed a slight increase. On the volume front (ie the number of cards bought), yes there has been a decline, but not by much at all. The results show a 2.2% dip, which is far from serious when you consider that we are still talking about over 882, 291, 569 individual cards (not including is an emotion worth celebrating! PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE

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ARTSOURCE

TO APPEAR REGULARLY IN THE

ARTSOURCE SECTION OF PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS CONTACT TRACEY ARNAUD ON

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ART SOURCE

PG helps to paint a pretty picture of freelance artists, designers, verse writers and photographers’ worlds in order to promote their talents to publishers and, conversely, make it easier for publishers seeking artists.

ARTIST IN FOCUS

Nicola Senior After finishing a Fine Art degree I taught for many years, from little people to not so little people. I thought it would be a good way to use my creativity, and I was right. There was lots of painting and making, and PVA became my friend, not a foe. Alongside teaching I always continued to be creative, filling sketchbooks with portraits, quirky people and big ideas. I made papier mache figures too with some success, gaining exposure, exhibitions and customers. I’ve sold my work here and in the US, and have been featured in Pretty Things magazine, Country Living and provided editorial illustrations for many publications. Then, a year or so ago, I decided that the time had come for me to be bolder. I had started to write stories and toy with the idea that I could be an illustrator too. I also found the wonderful world of greeting cards and art licensing, and finally realised what I wanted to be when I grew

up. I left teaching, and now fill my days creating art for licensing, writing stories and drawing pretty pictures! Some of my work can be seen at www.nicolasenior.com. I prefer to use watercolour and gouache and enjoy working digitally too. My work is contemporary with a quirky twist, and I love to incorporate detail, subtle palettes and find that Vogue and Instagram provide endless inspiration! I am represented by Angharad Kowal at WritersHouse for my children’s writing and illustration and Image Source for my art licensing. I have been really lucky and have a four-book deal with Faber and Faber - the first due to be published next summer. l Email: emma@image-source.co.uk l Tel: 07710 501739

WANT TO BE FEATURED?

If you are an artist, photographer or verse writer and would like to be considered to appear in Art Source, please contact PG’s Emma Cain on emmac@max-publishing.co.uk. This is an editorial feature and as such is free of charge. PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE

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ART SOURCE Sabiqa Fatima

I have lived with the belief that ‘If you have a dream, it is your duty, your responsibility, to make it come true.’ My love for drawing, making, and then filling everything with colours, is the force that drives me, makes me feel happy and alive. My work, the choice of colours, medium and presentation of ideas is a depiction of what goes on in my mind, an expression of how I feel, what I see, what I think and how I see and perceive the things/people/life and emotions around me. My art journey has been and grown along with me. As much as I want to, I haven’t been able to obtain a professional qualification in the arts yet. To fulfil my parents’ wish and make them proud, I worked really hard to study and qualify in finance and accounting. So all my artwork I create on my own - learning and getting better each day. I am really proud of myself for achieving the qualification in finance and accounting, but feel blessed to have the love and potential for understanding and making art. Though there is a constant battle between these two parts of me/my existence, since they are so very different from each other, and I am still fighting to maintain a balance between them, both are too precious and significant that at this point in my life I cannot choose one. For me art is anything that can make a person ‘feel’ something. My work portrays love. My paintings depict hope, they show the battles within our souls, they talk about relationships, of connections with ourselves, with others and with the Almighty. My art is what makes me feel accomplished and self satisfied, that is when I feel I am true to myself. l Email: sabiqa.fatima@gmail.com l Tel: 07760668176

Rebecca de Mendonca I was born near Birmingham into an extremely creative and arty family. My mother was an artist and teacher, my father an architect, my brother a painter, so, you could say, it’s in my blood and there was no way of avoiding a career in something creative and becoming an artist too. My artistic journey so far has been extremely colourful and varied to say the least… After completing my Foundation Course at Wolverhampton University and Degree at Wimbledon School of Art, I realised I had a love of the human form, in particular capturing the dynamism and energy of dance, which is a passion of mine, and I have been fortunate enough to have been commissioned to paint for the English National Ballet. I’ve also worked on projects for West End shows and on some exciting commissions at Harrods, Madame Tussauds and Warwick Castle Museum - I even working as Kevin McCloud’s design assistant in London for two years, which was very exciting. I now work as a freelance pastel artist and teacher from my beautiful studio with its far reaching country views of Devon, and the landscapes, seascapes and nature around inspires my work hugely. I have a particular love of drawing horses and I love how pastels can be used to celebrate their beauty, power and spontaneous movement. I also love working on animals and pets, capturing their unique personalities in the art. My very latest work is of wonderfully characterful cats and dogs, which can be found within my portfolio at Image Source. l Tel: +44(0) 1442 834464 l Email: anne@image-source.co.uk l Web: www.image-source.co.uk PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE

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PG asked a selection of card retailers for their ‘hot’ card sellers. Hilary Rushbrooke, manager of Ashton House, Hersham, Walton-On-Thames A medium shop in small town with a loyal locals customer base. Category

Name of Publisher

Product/Name Range

Comments

Humour

CardMix

Drama Queen

Pigment

Across The Board

Contemporary

Louise Tiler

General

Traditional

CardMix

Just Josh

Handmade/ Hand-Finished

Five Dollar Shake

General

Belly Button

Across The Board

Cinnamon Aitch

Piccadilly

Blue Eyed Sun

Vintage Too

Glick Artebene

General General

A large chunk of our customers are in the 40 to 60 age group and so recognise many of the situational humour in the designs. The mild, gentle humour with just a hint of racy chime with our customers. The collection has done brilliantly! The designs have a slightly younger look with lovely finishes. A good male range with a wide selection of themes. They have wide appeal, especially for weddings and special occasions. The publisher has really upped its game. From its small cards to the large, they are good sellers for us. A small card format with a fresh, young look and plenty of attention to detail. Lovely designs and a good price point - it looks like you are getting a lot for your money. Even though the companies have lots of great designs, we tend to stock their plain sparkly giftbags, which are perfect for many different occasions.

Right: The Piccadilly range from Cinnamon Aitch is fresh with lovely attention to detail. Below right: For Valentine's or 'just because', a Love design from Blue Eyed Sun's Vintage Too range.

Giftwrappings

Davina Jones, owner of Celebrations, Pocklington, York A small shop in a historic market town with a loyal locals and visitors customer base. Category

Name of Publisher

Product/Name Range

Comments

Humour

Paperlink

General

Photography

Abacus

Aspects

Contemporary

Rosanna Rossi

Mini Cards

Wendy Jones-Blackett

Across The Board

Rush Designs Words ‘n’ Wishes

General General

White Cotton Cards

Across The Board

Paper Rose Joma Jewellery Katie Loxton Marmalade Of London

Marzipan Jewellery Scarves Candles

I think customers just come in the shop to have a giggle at these cards! They’re a bit risqué but not rude - like seaside humour. The long horizontal card format is really different and the shots are nice and eye-catching. Little cards with lovely finishes and bright colours. Again, great finishes; they’re a Above: A beautiful Thank You card from Rush Designs. steady seller. New to the shop, but the designs are popular and doing very well. The only traditional style cards we have but they are spot on for our customers, especially the relations and occasions designs. We are doing really well with the publisher’s designs and the wedding collection is amazing! Nice and bright quirky designs that appeal to children. A quality product with lovely packaging at a good price point. Well made, and a great pick up gift or personal treat. British-made scented candles with a lovely strong aroma, packaged in a contemporary style.

Traditional Handmade/ Hand-Finished Children’s Ancillary

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Lyndsay Nield-Siddall, owner of Card Talk, Ramsbottom, Lancs A medium shop in a traditional mill town with a loyal locals and tourists customer base. Category

Name of Publisher

Product/Name Range

Comments

Cute

Carlton (UKG)

Boofle

Humour

Emotional Rescue (distributed by Is It Art)

On The Ceiling and Stone The Crows

Photography

Camden Graphics (UKG)

Landscape

Contemporary

Paperlink

Traditional

Jonny Javelin

Lemon Sorbet, Made With Love, Betty Bunting and Mimosa Velvet and Secret Garden

Handmade/ Hand-Finished

Five Dollar Shake

The whole of the newly designed range is going very well across captioned and opened designs. Among all our humour ranges these really cheeky black and white photographic ranges are what we sell the most of - up to several cards a day! Beautiful and tasteful British scenes from award winning photographers; and the cards are nicely packaged. Just nice clean and fresh simple designs that are just so innovative. These ranges out-shine everything else. We are literally selling them as we are putting them out. They’re completely different with beautiful verse and at an unbelievable price. All these ranges look completely different to each other but they all really appeal to our customers, and the price isn’t an issue either. Amazing quality soy wax scented candles; we do very well with them. A lovely product and a nice little impulse buy at the shop counter.

Wendy Jones-Blackett Blue Eyed Sun Woodwick Candles

Ancillary

Wild Things

Across The Board Quicksilver Vintage Candles Crystal Guardian Angel Gifts

Top: Simple, clean and fresh, a Mimosa design from Paperlink. Above: A stunning award-winning photograph on a Landscape card from UKG.

Madeleine Eve, owner of Forget Me Not, Rye, East Sussex A small shop in a pretty coastal town with a loyal locals and tourists customer base. Category

Name of Publisher

Product/Name Range

Comments

Cute

Emma Ball

General

Humour

Holy Mackerel

One Lump Or Two

Alex Clark

Across The Board

Photography

GS Illustrations

General

Art

Mrs Moore’s Vintage Store

Alice In Wonderland

Mill House Fine Art Coulson Macleod

Anne Cotterill Vintage

Forever Handmade

Across The Board

Tracy Colebrooke

General

These cards always do well. The bird and animal characters are adorable and the artwork is very accessible. Very often it's the words referencing the everyday things, such as washing up or a glass of wine, that appeal to people. So original and very funny without being smutty: just pure fun! A photographer who turns his images of local buildings into sketches, he’s even done one of our shop. They’re wonderful and we sell hundreds of them. Lovely scenes (from Lewis Carroll’s book) by John Tenniel and they sell like the clappers! Beautiful art of British wild flowers. Nice, unusual designs with lovely phrases. They’re just magic! Unique laser-cut designs of a great range of topics, and recently there has been added the Hogswarts Express – great for children. The designer makes tiny patterned fabric hearts stuffed with dried flowers, such as lavender, to add to the card (a pomander to place in your draw), becoming a card and gift in one.

Contemporary Handmade/ Hand-Finished

Above right: A scent-filled heart on a card design from Tracy Colebrooke. Right: An Alice In Wonderland design from Mrs Moore’s Vintage Store.

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Quick.

Speed is good, accuracy is better. theimagingcentre.co.uk

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LYNN’S LINES

L

L

On the ball comments by retailer and publisher Lynn Tait of The Lynn Tait Gallery.

Clawing At The

Copycats Do you remember back in your school days when you were writing the answers to an exam and put your other hand over your paper to shield it so that the person next to you didn't copy? Well nothing's changed, nobody likes a copycat. I believe the biggest problem that we have in our industry at the moment is copying. In a number of cases the copying is blatant. I'm sorry I don't go with this whole idea of ‘inspired by’, ‘coincidence’, ‘a similar concept’, and all the other jargon that card publishers that copy use. The latest excuse is "Oh it's only one or two elements that are the same”. To me, that’s like saying, “I've only copied one or two of your

answers, not all of them, so it's ok”. No it is NOT ok... it’s stealing! You have taken part of a design that is original, and that has been part of someone's design DNA, and pretended it’s your own. It's despicable, and it's mostly our new and aspiring artists that are being ripped off. I think after 16 years of writing articles on every subject that you can imagine I don't think I have ever felt so strongly about this latest ‘trend’ of copying. In the last two weeks there have been four serious cases of blatant copying that have been brought to my attention from members of The Ladder Club.

Above: Copycat card publishers are poaching other designers’ artwork (picture kindly supplied by Sophie Sabatier and Mylo). Below left: Lynn at PG Live last May with exhibitor and Ladder Clubbies, Lola Design. Below right: Never one to copy and follow the herd, Lynn’s Olympic Games for her grandchildren – ‘The Granny Olympics’ – involves one event of shooting a goal through an Olympic hoop.

At the recent Harrogate Home & Gift show one artist had not only copied a card range style, but had taken a large part of one of the designs and created an identical copy. Another new card company exhibiting had copied four different publishers’ ranges. Having got back from Harrogate, a distraught publisher contacted me to say that a range of 20 cards had been copied from a range she had brought out three years ago. The unique concept she had created, with the original unusual typeface, the colour palette, the unusual background style… were all directly lifted from her range onto this other publisher’s collection. Two members of her family had independently said “we've seen your cards in such and such shop”, which were in fact not hers, but the copy cat cards. This would answer why at PG Live several retailers came onto her stand and said to her, "Oh, we've already got your cards," when they had definitely not been supplied. This is heartbreaking for any publisher, let alone a new publisher starting out, working hard to come up with totally new ideas, to then have them snatched away and effectively duplicated by just changing one element. What is even more upsetting is the cavalier approach that these copycat publishers have when they are exposed. Basically, they know exactly how far they can go within the law and, well, they couldn't care less and don't mind saying so.

I work very closely with numerous new card publishers and what defines them is their unique design style. They don't try and be all things to all people. And the successful new publishers of this decade come to the party with awesome ideas, new concepts, originality and creativity; in one word UNIQUENESS. It’s recognisable at a glance which cards are theirs. The newbie publishers’ designs and their embryotic businesses are their baby. They give birth to an idea, it grows, it flourishes and it is nurtured and then... it's brutally taken away, effortlessly and cruelly.

I too have experienced this horrible situation personally. In the 1990s I was with Charlie Waite photographing in the Lake District and we both stopped dead in our tracks while walking up a high street as there, taking up the whole of a shop’s window display, was a huge painting, a complete copy of one of Charlie’s PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE

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Old Truman Brewery, Brick Lane, E1 11th - 13th September 2016 This iconic Fair comes to London. The only trade fair exclusively for British craft and design. Buyers not already registered with us, register here...

www.bctf.co.uk

British by design...

British by design... British by design... British by

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LYNN’S LINES Left: Retailers should ‘lick’ those copycat card publishers into shape – unique and original, a design from Rosie Made A Thing. Below and below right: Two of the shop windows in Burnham Market in Norfolk’s window display competition.

photographs, priced at over £1,000 (and remember, this was well over 20 years ago). In subsequent months, our customers spotted these artworks in several other galleries in the Home Counties. Someone was making a living copying the photos. Later, at the Spring Fair, a reproduced piece of art, also a direct copy of one of Charlie’s photos, was on display as a mass produced artwork. Although we didn't take it further legally, we did speak to the exhibitor to make them aware of the situation. Everyone knows the greeting cards industry is renowned for being friendly, so it’s terrible that this is causing such a black cloud over its integrity. What I do not understand is in an industry which is incredibly close-knit (we have the same suppliers, same agents, same shops), why oh why do copy catters not value their reputation in the industry instead of pursuing this ghastly practice? Surely the larger card companies have the money to seek original designs rather than taking and copying tried and tested ranges, which are then effectively second-hand when they publish them. If there is one thing that goes around like wild fire, it is the news that a company is copying. The Ladder Club, with its 250+ members (all who have attended one seminar or more), is now a very loud voice in the industry. Gone are the days when a new company felt isolated. New publishing companies now receive the support and help they need on a daily basis from peers as well as numerous key players in the industry, including experienced publishers. I think it is so sad that copycatting is tarnishing the industry and threatening the future and enjoyment of our bright new publishers, causing them unfair stress and upset. One of The Ladder Clubbies even had her work copied by a graduate for her final show. Her degree was later taken off her. So who is to blame? Is it the publisher, the artist or, in some cases, the art agency who represents the artist who submits the work?

Personally, I think they all have to take responsibility. Somewhere along the line, more people should say, "Hang on, this isn't fair!" I know some people are, and for that I am so grateful and I respect you. By copying, I am not talking about trends. Trends are good, very good in fact. Trends give card retailers and the publisher the opportunity to create a cohesive design hook for displays. To find trends I look at a number of things - interior design, gardens, fashion and gifts. As in fashion, there are people who predict trends, and seminars at trade fairs now regularly feature this subject. This gives guidance to retailers and inspiration to designers to be on trend. People who attend these seminars are doing their homework in order to make their business more successful. There are hundreds of ways designers can depict say, the trend for flamingoes, unicorns, shabby chic/distressed look on products and put their own stamp on them. Yes, by all means take the trend, but personalise it. So what is the answer if you are copied? Well, if you are a member of the GCA you will get a half an hour free advice from a solicitor. I

someone has copied, please, please support the original card publisher and only buy from them. This is what I meticulously do as I have a strong sense of right and wrong. I visited three trade stands at Harrogate Home & Gift where I said, "Oh, you've copied so and so!” So, a final message to those who have been copied. I'm so sorry you have had to endure this and don't let these ruthless copycat publishers get you down. To those who have and are copying, and you jolly well know who you are, please, please, please respect other publishers and play the game. Don't steal designs and pretend to yourself that it's just a ‘concept’. Without eroding my deep felt argument, on a lighter note, I do think there is much to be said for non-competing retailers located in different parts of the country, to adapt retailing ideas. As you know I am project-driven and all my ideas are up for grabs for retailers away from Leigh On Sea where my shop is based. I recently had a mini holiday in Norfolk, just before the Harrogate show, and I stayed in

also suggest that you log your designs with the GCA, plus your range and trade name. I personally don't advise you to take on a big expensive legal battle. Put your energies into new designs taking cold comfort that as greeting cards is a trend-led industry it will be ‘Johnny come lately’ copiers that will be left with excess stock, not you. Also I do believe in karma. In the whole scheme of things they are only cards. Decide what you are going to do and do it, then put it in a compartment and shut it firmly. Don't revisit it if you have decided not to take it further. It's not worth a sleepless night or nights. If you are a card retailer and you know

the beautiful Georgian village of Burnham Market. It is alive and well-served by lots of original independent shops. It was a feast for the eyes. During my stay there was a window display competition. So many of the shops, including the estate agent, had made a huge effort and it was great for visitors to see the shops at their best. Choosing the best one was judged by the customers... nothing wrong with copying that idea! ● Please contact me if you have been copied or have had a positive experience in dealing with it. Copying will feature in our second day Ladder Club seminar (November 16) to address this important issue. Email: info@waiteandtait.com PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE

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DESIGN LED RETRO CARD & GIFTS TO SUIT ALL OCCASIONS YEAR OF BIRTH GREETING CARDS MUSIC DOWNLOADS • PREMIUM RETRO GIFTWARE & ACCESSORIES

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www.cathtatecards.com

Witty, gritty, switched on humour. Cards and gifts with a real difference. Unit 1, 45 Morrish Road London SW2 4EE Tel: 0208 671 2166 Fax: 0208 678 1119 info@cathtatecards.com

Caspari Ltd Linden House, John Dane Player Court

East Street, Safffrron W Waalden Essex, CB10 1LR Teel: 01799 513010 T Faax: 01799 513101 F Email: inffo o@caspari.co.uk ww ww w.CaspariOnline.com

Products: Everyday cards - birthday, blank & occasions, charity Christmas cards, gifftt wrap, bags, tissue, ribbon, hankies, napkins, paper plate, candles, placemats, crackers,invitations, placecards, notecards,diaries, address books, journals, advent calendars and bridge gifftts.

Method of Sale: Direct to Retail

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Colneis Marketing York House, 2-4 York Road, Felixstowe, Suffolk IP11 7QQ T: 01394 271668 F: 01394 275114 E: colneiscards@btconnect.com Online Shop www.colneisgreetingcards.com

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â—? PRODUCT DIRECTORY

Market leaders in Humour,

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Art, Photographic, Occasions

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The UK No. 1 in etings Licensed Greetings Overr 30 licenses nses including: including D Disney, y, Peppa Peppa Pig Pig, He Kitty Hello Kitty,, Mr Men and Angry and A Birdss t: +44 +44 (0)1264 388400 e: enquiries@gemma-international.co.uk nati w: gemma-international.co.uk ona

CARDS • WRAP • PARTY • GIFTS

TM

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GRASS ROOTS

INTERNATIONAL

G RASS R OOTS INTERNATIONAL A U.K owned Greeting Cards Publisher. Our everyday ranges for all occasions and relations include traditional, contemporary, cute, humour and photographic designs. We also have a full range of Christmas and Spring Seasons. All products are designed and printed in the U.K on the finest quality board.

York House, 2-4 York Road, Felixstowe, Suffolk IP11 7QQ T: 01394 271668 F: 01394 275114 E: colourhousegraphics@hotmail.com Online Shop www.colourhousegraphics.co.uk

BRANDS “Write from the Heart� brand includes; Corsage, Sentiments, Champagne, Celebrations and Jelly Beans.

M ETHOD OF SALE Direct to Retail

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Beautiful greeting cards from contemporary British artwork

Units 4 - 4A Valentines Buildin g Ra cec our se Bus in ess Par k Aintr ee, Liver poo l, L9 5 AL Tel: 0151 52 3 9600 Fax : 015 1 523 494 9 e-m ail: s ales@ writefr om th ehear t.co.uk

from the

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www.greatbritishcards.co.uk WATERWELLS DRIVE, GLOUCESTER GL2 2PH UK TEL: 01452 888999


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H OTC H P OTC H PUBLISHING

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)

CHARITY GREETING CARDS One of the UK’s leading publishers of Charity Greeting Cards. Impress offers a wide collection of images, including fine art, graphic, photographic and cute. We also offer a bespoke design service for bulk orders and/or mail order fulfilment. Impress Publishing Appledown House Barton Business Park New Dover Road Canterbury, Kent CT1 3TE Tel: 01227 811 611 Fax: 01227 811 618 email: info@impresspublishing.co.uk

Cards made with love...

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Your Number One Supplier of Numerals, Name, Relation & Age Labels for Greetings Cards. Huge selection with immediate delivery y.. Buy direct or from your wholesalerr.. Listan Labels 3 Isis Court, Wyndyke Furlong, Abingdon Business Park, Abingdon, Oxfordshire OX1 5JN Te T el 01235 465489 Fax 01235 532118 www.listanpublications.co.uk sales@listanpublications.co.uk

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LING DESIGN The UK’s leading privately owned publisher of Greetings Cards and Stationery. ...The home for and ...and the UK home for

Products: Greetings cards for all occasions, Christmas and Spring Seasons cards, gift wrap and bags, charity cards, social stationery. Bespoke service for charities and other fundraisers. Ling Design Ltd 14-20 Eldon Way, Paddock Wood, Kent TN12 6BE Tel: 01892 838574 Fax: 01892 838676 Email: enquiries@lingdesign.co.uk Website: www.lingdesign.co.uk

Silk Screened Retro, Pop & Classic Cards Inspired by Music and 1960’s American Advertising.For all Vinyl & Rock n’Roll lovers

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The Playful Indian cards are a unique fusion of the east and west. Simple and quirky, they have made many people smile...so what are you waiting forr,, put a smile on someone’s face today!

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red Sensations International Ltd

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rosierobins.com 01992 536461

striking contemporary cards designed by nicole

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DIRECT TO RETAIL & EXPORT

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Market Leaders in

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Directory of wholesalers Directory of wholesalers DIRECTORY OF WHOLESALERS â—?

NATIONWIDE

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UNIT 4, THE ARGENT CENTRE, SILVERDALE ROAD, HAYES, MIDDLESEX, UB3 3BS

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Trading Hours Our Opening Hours are: MON, TUES,WED & FRI 9.00 - 5.30pm THURSDAY 9.00 - 8.30pm

Always something different Check us out now!!! Mon-Fri 9.30 to 5.30 Sunday 10 to 1 Late night Thursday till 8pm Freephone 0800 0279072770 Fax: 0151 207 1564

To appear in the Wholesale Directory simply call Warren Lomax on

Unit 7 & 8 Devon Street, Liverpool, L3 8HA

HERTS & LONDON

SUMAN BROS Stationery and greeting card wholesaler

magnus RUPERT

T: 01923 200 900 F: 01923 200 909

TRADING

LONDON’S NO 1

Just off the M1 Junction 5

WEST MIDLANDS

020 7700 6740

Crown House Otterspool Way Watford WD25 8HL

Great deals Great location Plentiful parking

WALES

GREETING CARDS STATIONERY PARTY AND BALLOON CASH & CARRY

Trading Hours Our Opening Hours are: MON, TUES,WED & FRI 9.00 - 5.30pm THURSDAY 9.00 - 8.30pm SAT CLOSED SUN 10.00 - 4.00pm UNIT 4, THE ARGENT CENTRE, SILVERDALE ROAD, HAYES, MIDDLESEX, UB3 3BS TEL: 020 8573 2975 / 1768 FAX: 020 8561 2349 Email: info@abbeycards.com

Crown House Otterspool Way Watford WD25 8HL Tel: 020 8993 2231 www.rupertmagnus.co.uk Wholesale and direct-to-retail greeting cards, gift wrap, gift bags, social stationery, partyware and gifts. Great range, competitive prices, excellent service.

EUR RO OPE’S LEADING GREETINGS CARDS, PAR PA RT TY PRODUCTS, GIFTS, CANDLES, TO OY YS, STATI TA ATIO ONER RY Y AND FLORIST SUNDRIES DISTRIBUTION CENTRE 75000 SQ FT BESCOT CRESCENT T,, WALSALL, WEST MIDLANDS. WS1 4NG 01922-646666 www.greetingshouse.co.uk info@greetingshouse.co.uk MON,WED,FRI 8.00am-4.45pm TUES,THURS 8.00am-7.45pm SAT AT T,,SUN 8.00am-1.45pm

NORTH WEST

& $ 3 6

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110

PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE

To appear in the Wholesale Directory simply call Warren Lomax on 020 7700 6740


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BAGS

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BAGS

Polypropylene & biodegradable bag specialists

GREETING CARD

Over 40 years quality service to the trade Hotfoiling also available

T 01206 396209 E sales@badgerconverters.co.uk www.badgerconverters.co.uk

GIVE E YOUR

V VIP

TREA AT A TMENT HIGH CLARITY L TY Y BA AGS FOR RG GREETING ET T NG CARD DS, CALEND EN N ARS ARS A AND ND D ARTW TWORK WORK ŏ ŏđŏ ŏ FOIL LB BLOCKING NG G EXTE XTENSIVE NSIV VE RANG V R RA ANGE OF S ST TOCK S SIZES IZ ZES AND BES AND BE ESPO OKE KE MANUF KE MANU UF FACTU TUR TURE T U E AT TED D WRAPPING SERVICE NEW AUTOMA

ENVELOPES

FOR ALL YOUR ENVELOPE NEEDS! Largest range of in-stock colours Over 400 Bespoke Envelope Sizes 8 Sizes Permanently in Stock

CALL CA CAL C LL US ST TO ODAY OD

100% Recycled Paper Av Available

www.fful ulcr ulcrumfilms. rumfil m lm mss co.uk uk

Bespoke Service on Request

0122 1228 228 2 28 8 56 5605 60 052 26 6

RECYCLED

PAPER A

Stock & Bespoke Cello Bags Peel & Stick Envelopes p

ORDER ON LINE AT: www.regentenvelopes.com 01274 583000 sales@regentenvelopes.com

We’ve been producing p bags of high clarity and high quality q for over 30 years. 01274 220 220 www w.wrapid.co.uk sales@wrapid.co.uk PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE

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PRINTERS

Quality Bespoke Envelopes! From 5,000 quantity to many millions we can produce excellent quality envelopes for you. Plain, printed, coloured & textured finish. 100% recycled & FSC available. Please call us on 0843 5066684 with your enquiry or visit our website

www.ukenvelopecentre.co.uk We will be delighted to help!

FLITTERING FOR ALL YOUR FLITTER REQUIREMENTS

ABL Foil Ltd Unit 1, Industrial Estate East Hanningfield Chelmsford Essex, CM3 8AB

Contact DAVID JIGGINS Tel: 01245 400104 Email: david@abl-ltd.co.uk

FORFURTHER INFORMATION REGARDING THISMUST SEEEVENT PLEASECONTACT TRACEYON 01234740051

PRINTERS

PJ Print (London) The Capitals only Greetings card printer You name it what ? We can do it. With probably the most comprehensive range of card finishing in the

LITHO OR DIGIT GIT TAL, TA L WINDLES GR RO OUP ALWAY LW WA AY YS SM MAKES THE RIGHT HT PRINT IMPRE RE RESSION.

UK card market PJ Print The answer to all your card production needs

PJ - PRINT E-mail: sales@pj-print.co.uk The Print Works Colville Road, Acton London W3 8BL tel 020 8993 5160 www.pj-print.co.uk 112

PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE

WWW. W..W WINDLESGROUP P..CO.UK


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Specialist UK and Global manufacturer for the greeting card industry

Di ittall Pri Digi P int Speciali S i list for the greeting card industry What we offer: • Greeting cards • Artworking and design • Short-run print • Pick, pack and distribution • Promotional items • Bespoke gifts

To discuss how we could work with you contact Simon King Tel: 0115 928 7766 Email: sales@sherwoodgroupuk.com

www.sherwoodgroupuk.com

• Marketing literature • Exhibition graphics • Stationery • Brochures • and more...

To discuss ho we could P

07974 133735 paul.watson@sherwood dgroupuk.com Hadden Court, Glaisdale Parkway, Glaisdale Drive West, Nottingham, NG8 4GP

YOUR MANUFACTURING PARTNER FOR VALUE ADDED PRODUCTS English speaking production team, prices quoted in sterling... and only 3 days delivery to THE UK...

Really... and there s no VAT to pay or customs procedures either...that's a great deal!

• Hand made and hand finished greeting cards • Boxed sets and acetate packs of cards / envelopes • Giftwrap and tag packs • Individually open and closed wrapped cards • 'Pop up' and cardboard engineered products • Notelets and social stationery • Specialised printing on plastics & lenticular For production enquiries, estimates etc., please contact our UK Agent:

Rob Pearson 07710 132 232 rob@solutions-polska.com FSC accredited (BV-COC-002485). Audited member of SMETA. Printing to ISO12674-2 standard.

PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE

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WAREHOUSING & DISTRIBUTION

The Professional and Caring Approach..

• LITHO PRINT • DIGITAL PRINT • FOILING

• DIE-CUTTING • FLITTERING • PACKING

• EMBOSSING • DISTRIBUTION • FLOWRAPPING • INSERTING

Tel: 01274 531828 Contact Chris Sharman. Email: chriss@herbertwalkers.co.uk

www.herbertwalkers.co.uk

... to 3rd Party Warehouse, Distribution and Hand Finishing needs. With over 25 years experience in the Greeting Card and Gift Industry, we specialise in providing a very fast yet efficient and friendly service to all of our customers. Our close links to the port of Felixstowe allowing excellent access for both UK and overseas business.

We would be happy to talk to you and provide further information please contact either: James Smithies on 01449 778360 e: james@setinhand.com Tracy Davies on 01449 778363 e: tracy@setinhand.com Please visit our website at www.setinhand.com for further information.

Your Success Is Our Success

LB Warehousing (Women in Transport & Logistics Finalist)

S AME DAY order turnaround A CCURATE fulfilment and same day turn round V ALUE ADDED only as you sell the product E XCLUSIVELY Greeting Cards D EDICATED Account Managers With an excellent reputation we work as an integral part of your TEAM bringing much more than fulfilment. Our costing structure is SIMPLE and TRANSPARENT.

We specialise in providing high quality print for short to medium runs, incorporating multiple images. Go to our website for prices, alternatively call or email us for a bespoke quote. T

01274 305832

E

info@hellocards.co.uk

W

www.hellocards.co.uk

We carry out ALL aspects of hand finishing and assembly and provide whatever ADDITIONAL services YOU need Our select team of outworkers carefully hand wrap any size or format of cards urgently, OVERNIGHT! We CARE about your product as much as you do. Attention to detail, QC Issues and IT supported by a comprehensive paper trail for all stock movements are our hallmarks. Our CAN DO approach means that WE solve your problems. Outsourcing your warehousing operation releases your time to CREATE/MARKET/SELL/ MANAGE/GROW THE BUSINESS YOUR BUSINESS IS OUR BUSINESS, please visit our web site and see what OUR customers say, then to find out more call Lynda Raymond and perhaps we can arrange to meet and discuss your needs I am sure that we can help. LB Warehousing, Units 1, 2 &3 Wayside Warehouses, Toseland, Near St. Neots, Cambridgeshire. PE19 6RX Tel 01480 880800 Fax 01480880900 Mobile 07889 399341 lynda@lb-warehousing.co.uk

114

PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE


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DISPLAY AND SPINNERS

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APPOINTMENTS

UNIVERSAL

SHOP EQUIPMENT GREETING CARD DISPLAYS

• Manufacturers of

quality Display Units for over 25 years

• PVC Interlocking Tiers • High Impact 2mm Edging

• Vast range of colours available

• From one unit through to full shop refits

INNOVATIVE DISPLAYS TO MEET YOUR NEEDS www.universalshopequipment.co.uk Tel: 0151 546 4525 (Showroom) Tel: 01929 550085 Email: sales@westminsterwire.com Web: www.westminsterwire.com

Home of the Wire Spinner Stand

The Wire Spinner is proven to be the most cost effective method to display and enhance products. We also offer sheet metal, wood, acrylic and cardboard solutions or a combination of materials. WANTED

CALLING ALL GREETING CARD PUBLISHERS We could buy your old images even if they are several years old. Turn your used and discontinued greeting card image concepts into cash. Fair price paid immediately.

CUTTERS COLLECTIONS LTD 92 STATION ROAD, WILLINGHAM, CAMBRIDGE, CB24 5HG

FORFURTHER INFORMATION REGARDING THISMUST SEEEVENT PLEASECONTACT TRACEYON 01234740051

e: denniswoodruff@btconnect.com PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE

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Progressive Greetings Live Advert : Second Nature : size A4 : September 2016

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