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From The Editor
ON THE CARDS “If you’re happy and you know it, clap your hands”. There were definitely a lot of genuinely happy people at The Retas retail awards a few weeks ago, as the clapping, laughing, smiling faces among the 300+ who attended this uplifting afternoon event proved. Yes of course it was an especially wonderful event for the 22 trophy winners, but goodness me the joy and camaraderie in that Grosvenor House Ballroom was palpable. Having lived through (and to some extent still living through) what must rank as the most challenging times ever for retailers, especially those deemed (wrongly!) as ‘non-essential’ during the various lockdowns… Having not happened last year, The Retas 2021 were a doubly good excuse to celebrate, and celebrate we did. Knowing just what hardships people in the audience have gone through - retailers not certain if their customers would support them when they re-opened and publishers not sure how many of their invoices would be paid by retailers or when - made seeing those smiles all the more heart-warming. As the ever-tenacious David Robertson touches on in his column this month (see pages 20-21), entitled “I’m a retailer, get me out of hereeeeeeeeee” to tie in with the launch of this year’s Ant and Dec ‘I’m a celeb’ fest, there have been (and no doubt will continue to be) some scary dark times, with challenges being akin to eating bugs and walking vertiginous paths, having to be confronted. We have all been forced to try new ways of living and working, learn new skills, deal with new frustrations and try to pre-empt what is coming round the corner. I’ve loved hearing how retailers have gone from a feeling of despair to one of almost elation, delighted that their hefty investment in their shops, the total overhaul of their product selection has come good, with their customers lapping up the newness, rewarding them with the early Christmas spending which is being reported by so many. I had a lovely chat with Cathy Frost, owner of Loveone in Ipswich, one of the first card retailers to have signed up to Neartoo, the brand
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Above: A joyful scene from The Retas as friends from Earlybird, Red Card, Objectables and Stationery Supplies celebrated together. Left: Abacus’ managing director Nick Carey as you have never seen him before! Being a good sport, Nick joined PG’s Jakki Brown at an upcycling clothing event on the Products of Change stand at the BLE show last month. Below: All The Retas 2021 winners on stage with Stuart Goldsmith, the host, with PG’s Warren Lomax and Jakki Brown.
new online shopping platform from Bira (British Independent Retailer Association) which is gearing up to launch to the consumer in February to champion supporting local retailers. As Cathy said (see pages 25-27): “I believe that anything that encourages and serves a community has to be for the greater good. I am always open to new ideas, as that is how progress happens - so I love the idea of tech helping to nurture the ‘feelgood’ of a real community.” And this after all is the very essence of greeting cards. Just think about all the thousands and thousands of Christmas cards that are winging their way through Royal Mail every day right now. Had it not been for Sir Henry Cole back in 1843 realising he was too busy to write individual letters to his family, friends and acquaintances and turning to ‘technology’ to print the first ever Christmas card, that important nurturing of social communication might never have got off the ground. Now that makes me want to clap my hands, stamp my feet and wiggle my hips, all at once! Sure, we are not out of the woods yet, and there will always be challenges to overcome, but we will keep a song in our hearts!
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What’s Inside?
CONTENTS 31
47
52
11-19 News
44-45 Innovations
All the latest happenings and developments in the trade.
Publishers’ new ranges and designs.
20-21
47-49
Over The Counter
Kids Cards
“I’m A Retailer, Get Me Out Of Hereeeeeeeeee”
Reflections Of Youth
David Robertson, co-owner of JP Pozzi on confronting the trials and ‘eating of critters’ challenges of retail.
A delve into what’s trending on children’s greeting cards right now.
52-53
22-23
Winning Ways
Cardsharp
Kids’ Cards With The X Factor
A Large Slice of Pie Please!
The winner and finalists in The Henries Best Children’s Range spills the beans
PG columnist reflects on how in business it’s not the size of the pie that’s important, but the portion you are allowed to take for yourself.
54-55 Research Insights
25-27
Party On or Not?
Viewpoints
Insightful findings of research by Kantar into consumer buying and shopping habits.
The Virtual Battleground How the proliferation of online marketplaces for greeting card retailers, publishers and consumers is continuing to prompt reactions, present opportunities and keep us all on our virtual toes.
57 Art Source
Kathryn The Great Experienced greeting card artist Kathryn Selbert shares her story and his creative inspirations.
29-31 The Retas 2021: Photographic Evidence
The Verdant Comeback Sharing a flavour of the wonderful retailer awards reunion.
59-60 What’s Hot? A quad of retailers share their best selling ranges.
32-43 61-71 Sources of Supply
The Retas 2021 Winners
The thrills of the winning moments.
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Copyright© 2021. 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.
PG is the official magazine for the Greeting Card Association GCA: Amanda Fergusson 020 7619 9266 Email: hello@gca.cards www.greetingcardassociation.org.uk
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NEWS TOP STORY
The Retas 2021 Winners Revealed Over 300 retailers, publishers and trade suppliers celebrated together The UK’s very best greeting card retailers were officially recognised at The Retas 2021 greeting card retailer awards ceremony, which took place last month at The Grosvenor House Hotel in London’s Mayfair. The Retas 2021 saw greeting card retail stockists from right across the retail spectrum recognised, rewarded and celebrated. Among the worthy winners were Postmark (Best Small Multiple), Cardzone (Specialist Multiple), John Lewis & Partners (Best Department Store Retailer of Greeting Cards) and Sainsbury’s, which was crowned Best Supermarket Retailer of Greeting Cards.
The awards ceremony culminated in the announcement of the ultimate award, the Greeting Card Retailer of the Year award, of which all winners of the retailer awards were contenders. Ged Mace, managing director of The Art File, sponsor of this award category said the following: “The last 20 months have been hugely challenging for specialist greeting card retailers, having been battered by lockdowns and social distancing measures. Our winner of this award has not only expanded over this time, but has also revamped its stores
and been incredibly supportive of suppliers facing difficult times,” before announcing Cardzone as the recipient of the Greeting Card Retailer of the Year 2021 trophy. The ever-popular event was attended by over 300 greeting card retailers, publishers and suppliers and was hosted by comedian Stuart Goldsmith. In keeping with the thriving passion for houseplants and gardening, as well as the yearn for green shoots of optimism, the theme of The Retas 2021 was The Finery of Greenery. Welcoming guests, PG’s co-owner Jakki Brown paid tribute to The Retas finalists and winners, highlighting that in one of the most torrid times for retailers ever, “so many showed their true grit and determination, learning new skills and instigating initiatives to enable them to nurture their customers’ loyalty.” To see all the winners and pics of the event go to pages 29-43. Above: Host Stuart Goldsmith on the Finery of Greenery stage at The Retas. Above left: Paul Taylor, managing director of Cardzone shares the joy in the ultimate trophy with his colleagues.
Amanda Del Prete, md of Hallmark UK heads to OZ Amanda Del Prete, who has been managing director of Hallmark UK and Ireland for the last three years and a GCA Council member during that time, has taken “the family decision, after 10 years ‘on the road’” to head back to her native Australia with her husband and their 14 year old son. The news was announced internally at Hallmark a few months ago and active recruitment is underway for Amanda’s replacement. Speaking on her last day in the role (30 November) she said: “As I close out my last day, I am definitely a sad Hallmarker, but being closer to our friends and family has never felt more important.”
Amanda explained that her “love of this industry” and Hallmark brand has spanned over 28 years, involving posts in Australia, the US and the UK. Of her UK experience, Amanda said that she feels “very lucky to have had the opportunity to be part of the UK market. There is no doubt that the greeting card category in the UK is one of the strongest and most resilient across the globe, which is fantastic!” In her farewell message to fellow GCA Council members, Amanda praised the association and its leadership. “I truly believe the work of the GCA, and the support that you all provide as Council members continues to make a real difference. And it has always been very refreshing to see everyone coming together for the ‘greater good’.” To continue Hallmark’s commitment to the GCA Fiona Pitt, the publisher’s commercial head has joined the Council to replace Amanda with immediate effect. Above: Amanda Del Prete on the Hallmark stand at PG Live 2019.
James Ellis and Stationery Supplies’ antidote to Black Friday Greeting card publisher James Ellis Publishing and Retas-award winning indie, Stationery Supplies (in Marple and Wilmslow) turned Black Friday on its head with a major charity giveback initiative. The activity, which continued both companies’ philanthropic alternative action to Black Friday, saw James Ellis donating a whole batch of its greeting cards which were sold in both Stationery Supplies’ shops, with 100% of the money from their sale donated to Moors for the Future, a charity that helps to protect and promote the Peak District. “This is my fourth year of 'giving back' instead of indulging in Black Friday consumerism,” explained Sarah Laker, owner of Stationery Supplies, which won Best Non-Specialist Independent Retailer of Greeting Cards - North in last month’s Retas awards. “Previously we've collected for food banks and stationery for inner city low income families, so I'm excited to take this to another level. Instead of Black Friday madness we are giving back to the planet for future generations,” added Sarah. This charitable drive very much is in line with the James Ellis’ ethos, which donates 1% of its annual turnover to the sustainable charity movement, 1% For The Planet. As James Stevens, md of the publishing business elaborated, “I’ve never been a fan of Black Friday and the mayhem it produces in shops, business and on our roads, so we wanted to do something different for this year’s Black Friday and the tie-up with Sarah was perfect.” Above: The proceeds from the James Ellis sales during Black Friday week in Stationery Supplies were donated to Moors of the Future, which protects the Peak District.
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Cardzone Has Acquired Mooch The five-store group takes Cardzone to 191 stores Cardzone has acquired Mooch, the five-store group of award-winning gift shops owned by Rachel and Paul Roberts. From a standing start four years ago, Rachel and Paul have opened two Mooch stores in Northampton as well as a store in Olney, Towcester and Rushden Lakes. This acquisition takes the Cardzone group up to 191 stores and boosts its profile on the gifting front.
Rachel and Paul are to work with the Cardzone team until the new year to ensure a smooth integration. “We are thrilled to welcome the Mooch brand to our group portfolio and its team of dedicated staff who have all been excellent throughout this transition period,” James Taylor, director of Cardzone told PG. “We had been aware of the growing Mooch brand for a couple of years and were delighted to start discussions back in the late summer about a potential sale. Paul and Rachel have built an excellent business in a very short space of time and we are keen to learn what makes Mooch so popular with its customers before looking at expansion across different parts of the UK. We love the brand name!” James added.
The deal was actually clinched during The Retas awards event, which saw Cardzone winning Best Specialist Multiple as well as the prestigious Greeting Card Retailer of the Year award. Mooch was feted in the 2019 Retas, when it won the award for Non-Specialist Greeting Card Retailer of the Year. “We will certainly always remember The Retas 2021, not just for our awards, but because it was half an hour into the event that we received the final go ahead on Mooch. Exciting times!” said Paul Taylor, managing director of Cardzone. Paul and Rachel are now planning to spend some time fulfilling their dream of spending time by the sea. “We’re excited to be handing the baton over to Paul and James Taylor,” commented Paul. “We’ve been really impressed by them and their team and we know they’ll do an amazing job enabling Mooch to reach its full potential.” Sharing her thoughts, Rachel paid tribute to their team, suppliers and retail friends: "We’re really proud of what we started at Mooch and we couldn’t have done it without the support of our beautiful team, our suppliers, their agents and, of course, our Retail Buddies who have been there every step of the way with advice and encouraging words." Rachel spearheaded the Retail Buddies group of like-minded card and gift retailers following a roundtable discussion instigated by Progressive Gifts & Home magazine a few years ago during the Harrogate Gift & Home show Above left: The Mooch shop in Rushden Lakes. Above: (left) Rachel and Paul Roberts at PG Live with Jo Wilson from Dandelion Stationery.
IGDG to bring Niquea.D to the UK in 2022 IG Design Group, the major greeting card, giftwrap and gifts AIM-listed company has reported a “challenging” first half of its financial year (to end of September), citing the “significant headwinds and supply chain limitations” as having impacted on turnover as well as crushing its margins. That said, the group’s turnover was actually up 11%, due to strong trading for the four months to July and it also managed to report a 11% increase in pre-tax profit, of $18.9 million. Greeting cards, as part of IGDG’s Celebrations business, continued to perform well, including across the early Spring Season events of Valentine’s Day and Mother’s Day. Paul Fineman, ceo of IGDG said that the “order book” for its greeting card/Celebrations business is showing “growth” around the world. “Our Celebrations business has shown double digit growth. Demand is not the problem!” Part of IGDG’s plans for 2022 is to bring the Niquea.D brand, the brainchild of Dominique Schurman, to the UK. This designled brand, which is now part of the IGDG stable, has been introduced on greeting cards and other products in the States, in leading retailers such as Paper Source and Barnes and Noble. There are also plans to further expand its sustainable Eco-nature range of greeting cards, stationery and giftwrapping, which debuted in the UK with Tesco, contributing to IGDG winning Tesco’s Supplier Partner Award for Sustainability. “We are very proud to have received this award, as it underlines that we are walking the walk on sustainability, not just talking the talk.” Top: The group’s Eco-nature sustainable product range is due to be expanded. Above right: Paul Fineman says that acquisitions are not out of the question.
Fabian Santoro met Prince Charles Santoro, one of the longest established greeting card publishers, has been officially presented with its second Queen’s award for Enterprise for International Trade, at a ceremony at Windsor Castle. Fabian Santoro, the son of Meera and Lucio Santoro who founded Santoro in 1985, joined dignitaries, fellow business executives and met Prince Charles at the event for the Queen’s Award 2020 recipients. As well as being involved in Santoro, Fabian, together with his sister Tara co-founded Santorus, a luxury fashion and interiors brand. This award, the UK’s most prestigious accolade for international trade, comes a couple of years after Santoro was recognised in the 2018 Queen’s Award roll call and continues the line of UK greeting card companies which have been decorated with this award in recent years, including Blue Eyed Sun, The Art File and Wrendale Designs. Right: Fabian Santoro (right) talking to Prince Charles at the event that was held in Windsor Castle.
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“Christmas Trade Is Brilliant” Festive trading stacks up for cardies “Trade is brilliant at the moment,” rejoiced Mark Rees, managing director of Penmark/Henry & Co, echoing the positive experiences of many card retailers in this year’s run up to Christmas. “We 25%-30% up on 2019 levels, with customers definitely shopping earlier than in previous years,” he added. While Mark is not anticipating this huge sales surge continuing right through to Christmas Eve, like other retailers, he’s more than happy to enjoy this early run. “I would rather have the money in the bank now than be living in hope of
playing catch up in the final run up to Christmas. My optimistic view is that we will end up around 5%-10% up on 2019 levels, which would be good,” Mark added, with the retail group now trading from four of its stores under the Henry & Co branding, with its Heswall store the latest to be refurbished.
Paul and Helen Southgate, owners of Cards ‘n’ Things in Hellesdon Norwich, are also feeling buoyant about their Christmas trade this year. “Last month was our busiest November ever! People are certainly shopping local and we have already had to order top ups! From what we’ve seen and the current footfall we are confident that the strong start will continue,” said Paul. “We just hope the weather doesn’t change and stop people coming out!” Meanwhile, up in Scotland, things are also looking bonny. “Customers were definitely organised early. “Just in case” seems to be a commonly used phrase as to why people are buying early,” Pam Ness, co-owner of Bearing Gifts in Troon told PG. “Our town as a whole has been very busy. We are lucky to have lots of independent shops and find people are travelling to Troon as a destination shopping experience. Hopefully the trend of shopping small and local will continue.” Top: Paul and Helen Southgate with their dog Boris (named after Boris Becker) outside their shop. Above left: A Second Nature Pop Up that features on Cards ‘n’ Things’ social media channels. Above: Mark Rees at The Retas with the company’s retail director Sharon Green.
Card Factory’s early Christmas sales Chiming with other greeting card retailers’ experiences, Card Factory’s Christmas sales got off to a strong start with the like-forlike figures (compared to 2019) showing “gradual improvement” according to the trading update the UK’s largest card retailer gave last month. The retail group also revealed how the average transaction value has continued to exceed pre-pandemic levels by 22.5% (compared to the 2019 period) which has offset a 21% drop in actual transactions. To respond to the early buying patterns for Christmas, the retail chain brought forward the third phase of its festive products, into some 350 stores. Meanwhile its online trading has been “in line with expectations”, which, as to be expected, are up compared to pre-pandemic levels. Its Getting Personal’s stronger performance has mitigated the dip from its cardfactory.co.uk platform. Commenting, Darcy Willson-Rymer, Card Factory’s ceo said "We continue to see improved performance of the business as customers steadily return to shopping in stores. This gives us confidence as we engage to realise a refreshed strategy and build our omnichannel offering.” The trading statement acknowledged the supply chain issues caused by shipping and haulage delays, but played down the potential impact on its business, as only a relatively small proportion of its products now come from the Far East and Card Factory’s “contingency planning will ensure any delays to store deliveries are minimised and short lived.” Above: Card Factory has been actively promoting its Christmas selection on social media to drive traffic to its stores as well as online platforms.
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Norway’s Posten inclusive Christmas advert This year the Christmas advert prize went to Norway’s state owned postal service, Posten’s creation. Dubbed ‘When Harry met Santa’, the Christmas advert, featuring Father Christmas in a gay relationship was made to mark the upcoming 50th anniversary since homosexuality was decriminalised in Norway. The four minute ‘love story’ advert has gone viral worldwide, attracting considerable media coverage. The headline in The Independent read ‘Norway’s ‘gay Santa advert is achingly beautiful and something we should celebrate’ while The Guardian also praised the creative for being beautiful, powerful and progressive. Above: A still from Norway’s Posten Christmas advert.
Cards, crackers and a stationers’ Christmas Instigated by The Stationers’ Company, the GCA’s ceo Amanda Fergusson joined forces with Katherine Howells, visual collections researcher at The National Archives to speak on an enlightening and enjoyable webinar which championed our UK Christmas card traditions. Entitled Cards, Crackers and a Stationers’ Christmas - The Victorian (re)invention of Christmas, the webinar was hosted online by The Stationers’ Company (the historic City of London livery company for the communications and content industries) for its members as well as for those in the greeting card sector. It covered how while some festive customs have ancient origins, most of the traditions we associate with Christmas today were created by the Victorians. The 19th century saw the introduction of the Christmas tree, the Christmas card and the Christmas cracker, and also witnessed the birth of modern Christmas consumerism. Using the wonderful images registered from 1842 to 1912 with the Stationers’ Company, visual collections researcher at The National Archives, Katherine Howells, showed some of these treasures from the Victorian era while Amanda Fergusson, added a contemporary view of how Christmas cards continue to resonate. Above: A drawing of four illuminated Christmas cards by T Sulman dating back to 1871.
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Inside The Factory Visits Woodmansterne
Below: Gregg Wallace and co-presenter Cherry Healy filming in the Watford-based publisher’s premises.
BBC Christmas greetings from Gregg Wallace to reach millions The BBC is to deliver a Christmas present to the greeting card industry, with a festive episode of its popular Inside The Factory to include extensive coverage on Christmas cards as a result of filming at Woodmansterne Publications’ Watford premises. The Christmas Special (scheduled to be broadcast on BBC 2 on December 22 at 9pm) promises to fanfare the nation’s enthusiasm for sending cards, providing an insight into just what is involved in bringing a Christmas card to life. On the programme presenter Gregg Wallace follows the journey of ‘The Red Stag’, one of Woodmansterne’s best sellers from design concept with senior designer Amy Eastland, right through production to it being shipped to retailers and distributors all over the world. “We are delighted that the BBC were so excited to capture the work and wonder that goes into making Christmas cards,” commented Seth Woodmansterne, managing director of Woodmansterne Publications. “I’m really proud that the industry is being represented at Christmas (especially in these unusual times) and that the value of people connecting in meaningful ways with loved ones has been reinforced.”
The programme details how the process begins with a delivery of 1.2 million sheets of sustainable Italian paper or board. Gregg is then filmed making the printing plates that he will use to transfer his design onto what is described as ‘the Rolls Royce of printing presses’. He likens loading this huge 23 ton machine with rich vibrant inks to be ‘like spreading jam on toast’ and when it’s fired up, it prints a whopping 10 cards per second. Using blisteringly hot metal dyes, foil is then pressed onto the cards, before they are cut to size by a laser sharp guillotine that terrifies Gregg! The finished cards go to Woodmansterne’s warehouse, described as a “giant Xmas card grotto” which can hold nine million cards.
Festive Friday activities Festive Friday on November 26, the special day spearheaded by the GCA to kickstart Christmas card sending got everyone into the Christmas card sending spirit. In addition to the initiative being embraced by those within the greeting card industry, with card publishing teams and retailers putting time aside to write and post their Christmas cards, a collaboration between the GCA, Spring Fair, Retail Trust, Ling Design and The Art File saw some extra Christmas cheer being sent by the residents of the Marshall Estate in north west London, one of five Retail Trust supported living estates in the UK. Through discussions with Amanda Fergusson, ceo of the GCA, the Spring Fair team, as part of its ongoing support of the Retail Trust charity, came up with the idea of celebrating Festive Friday with the retired residents of the Mill Hill-based Marshall Estate. Ling Design and The Art File donated boxes and packs of Christmas cards and the residents were ready and willing to send their festive greetings to their friends and loved ones. Stuart Thomas, head of global partnerships of Hyve Group (which owns Spring Fair) who joined the residents at the card writing event, said: “We are really pleased to have collaborated on such a wonderful project with the GCA, Retail Trust, and our generous greeting card exhibitors The Art File and Ling Design to support Festive Friday. It was wonderful to see the lovely Retail Trust residents to get together for an hour or two to write their Christmas cards to send on to their loved ones.”
Austin & Co’s Festive Giveback Sean Austin, owner of Austin & Co has come up with an initiative that is helping to spread the love to those in the community as well as putting some left over Christmas cards to good use. Taking his cue from the GCA’s Thinking Of You Week held every September, Sean has extended the sentiments of the week to Christmas. "We are asking customers to write one of their spare Christmas cards to someone they don't know, but someone who would really appreciate receiving it,” he explains. Sean’s Thinking of You Week at Christmas initiative, which launched in midNovember encourages Austin and Co customers to ‘post’ their written cards at the shop which will then be delivered to local charities, such as Age Concern and Community Action Trust, as well as to local care homes. "We have no quibbles of where the cards were bought. It's all about sending a Christmas card and delivering a smile,” said Sean. Above: Sean Austin of Austin & Co with artist Hannah Lawson with whom it has collaborated on some Christmas card designs.
Antalis decked the halls with Mount Street Printers Paper supplier Antalis (which supplies many greeting card publishers) has collaborated with Mount Street Printers, the Mayfair-based high end card and stationery retailer to create a stunning Christmas installation. Entitled Deck the Halls, the magical creation, made of Antalis paper is anchored by a replica of the Mount Street shop set against a backdrop of some of London’s best-known landmarks, including St Paul’s Cathedral, The Shard and the London Eye. The installation, designed and produced by Joyanne Horscroft of Makerie Studio, will remain on display in the window of Mount Street Printers, 4 Mount Street London, until the new year. Below: The wonder of paper, Christmas and London combine in this stunning installation.
Above: A Marshall Estate resident who was delighted to start writing her Christmas cards. Left: Another resident concentrates on what she is going to write.
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Cardies’ Upcycling Initiatives Industry to push for UK-made recycled paper pulp Coming up with greeting card upcycling initiatives, driving for quality recycled paper pulp to be made in the UK, as well as making it easier for greeting card publishers and retailers to take account of their carbon footprint, were just some of the topics covered at the inaugural Products of Change Cardies Green Team online meeting last month. “The greeting card industry has made great progress on the sustainable front, but there so many more opportunities. By working together, learning from each other and those in other fields, we can achieve so
much more,” said Helena Mansell-Stopher, the founder and ceo of Products of Change. While hosted by Products of Change (the membership organisation committed to sustainable change), the meeting was spearheaded by Heidi Early, the co-founder of Earlybird Designs, the London-based independent greeting card retailer and publisher. Among those who attended were Claire Bates (Danilo), Jakki Brown (PG), Alice Buck (Loxleys), Jeremy Corner (Blue Eyed Sun), Dan Grant (Danilo), Amanda Fergusson (GCA), Rob Hutchins (POC), Julie Kirkwood (POC advisor), Sarah Laker (Stationery Supplies), Tony Lorriman (Loxleys), Helena Mansell-Stopher (POC), Sue Morrish (The Eco-friendly Card Co), Steve Plackett (Carousel Calendars), Chris Shaw (UKG) and Alison Solnik (Roger la Borde).
Earlybird Designs' Heidi Early kicked off the meeting with an emphatic speech on the importance of taking climate change action now. “I don’t want my customers to question why they are buying greeting cards. We need to find ways not just for people to recycle their greeting cards, but to upcycle them too,” stressed Heidi. Sue Morrish of The Eco-friendly Card Co highlighted a key issue surrounding the UK greetings’ sector recycling systems, noting that “the carbon footprint of recycled pulp” is still a cause for concern, seeing as it is all currently imported from the EU or further afield. “There’s an issue that everyone who recycles their cards in the UK, sees them turned into toilet rolls and newsprint. That should be at the end of the cycle, not right at the start. There needs to be pressure put on the government to address this and bring the production of high quality pulp to the UK,” stated Sue. Discussions also included potential methods of upcycling excess stock, such as by working with the UK’s food banks, possibly prisons and local communities to come up for new methods of prolonging the life of a greeting card. A follow up meeting is to be scheduled for the new year. Above: The recent meeting in motion. (Some attendees had their cameras switched off). Above left: Paper pulp being stirred at James Cropper’s Lake District factory. Above: Carousel’s Steve Plackett on the POC stand at BLE which included a section on greeting cards, supported by the GCA.
PEOPLE l Briony Clarke (right), who was part of the Card Factory buying team for over six years has now joined Scribbler to take on the role as head of product. Briony’s greeting card experience began in 2013 when she was the greeting card, wrap and party buyer at Wilko. Having joined Card Factory in 2015, she brought wrap and bags, before taking on the role as senior buyer for greeting cards. l Sainsbury’s senior buyer of greeting cards, wrap and party, Kate Goss (left) has left the grocer to take up a new role as creative manager of Golden Bear, the toy company. Holly Whait has been appointed as Sainsbury’s new senior buyer for cards and wrap and will be starting in mid-December.
Bev and Hannah launch Creative Card Collective Creative Card Collective has just been launched as a ‘home’ for creatives. The brainchild of card industry experts Bev Cunningham and Hannah Curtis, Creative Card Collective’s online membership hub will provide invaluable information, advice, inspiration and insights about the greeting card industry as well as bringing everyone together as a community of supportive like-minded creatives. Bev, founder of Ginger Bee Studios, has many years’ experience in the greeting card industry, (with Abacus for many years) and more recently as a freelance design consultant and photographer, specialising in the card and gift industries. Hannah’s industry expertise spans over 15 years as an artist agent and creative director. She now owns and runs her own art licensing agency, Creative Sparrow. The idea for launching the Creative Card Collective as a membership ‘place for greeting card creatives’ arose from a Facebook group, of the same name, that Bev founded two years ago.
Explaining the rationale, Bev said: “When I made the leap from being employed to self-employed, I began to appreciate how difficult it can be for creatives working alone and so struck upon the idea of creating a Facebook group specifically for creatives in the card industry.” The Facebook group, which now has around 300 members, underlined the need for further support, which prompted Bev to partner with her industry friend, Hannah and progress the concept into a subscription membership model. Membership will allow access to an online members’ community, in which there is an archive of ‘how to’ guides, trends, a members’ chat forum facility and a jobs and briefs noticeboard. Hannah and Bev have also teamed up with a number of industry suppliers, ‘Collaborators’, to offer members exclusive discounts on a range of relevant products and services. In addition to the online support, there will be a monthly ebulletin with more development plans in the pipeline including portfolio surgeries, seminars and workshops. The annual membership fee is £180. Three month and six month memberships are also available. www.creativecardcollective.com Above: Bev Cunningham (right) and Hannah Curtis have a wealth of accumulated experience and passion for the industry that they are sharing in the creation of CCC.
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The GreATesT COLLeCTiOn OF GreeTinG CArDs in The WOrLD
Here’s what people thought of the 2021 show! Well, that has to be the best come back show of all time! We have definitely missed the excitement of PG Live! Miles Robinson, co-owner of House of cards, seven shops in the Home Counties
We had a wonderful time at PG Live. It was really great to be out meeting brands again and seeing new ranges in person! Steph Lloyd buyer for Utility
SAVE THE DATE Don’t miss PG Live 2022
Tuesday 7 - Wednesday 8 June Business Design Centre, London +44 (0) 7734 111633 www.progressivegreetingslive.com @PGLiveLondon #pglive2022
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What a warm and welcoming show. PG Live was the perfect kickstart to trade shows for us. Mark Janson-Smith, managing director of Postmark, a group of five shops in London
The FuTure OF GreeTinGs Book your frEE TickETS now www.progressivegreetingslive.com
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NEWS TOP STORY
“Record Performance” From Funkypigeon WHS expands greeting cards in some stores
Below: Funkypigeon.com has enjoyed a “record” year. Below middle: WHSmith’s high street sales actually grew by 4% year on year (up until 31 August).
Greeting cards featured prominently in WH Smith’s recently announced preliminary results. The retail group fanfared a “record performance” from its Funkypigeon online platform as well as highlighting how it has expanded the greeting card selection in some of its high street stores and still sees potential growth opportunities on the greeting card front. Impacted by Covid, overall the retail group reported a £104 million pre-tax loss for the 12-month period to 31 August 2021 (which is an improvement on the £226 million loss for the previous year) but Carl Cowling, group chief executive stated the company is “well positioned to return to meaningful profit in 2022.” Turnover of the group was £886 million (13% lower than the previous 12month period), however sales from its high street business were actually up by 4%. “The market has changed significantly during the pandemic, resulting in a shift in consumer behaviour over the past 18 months. High street footfall is down 25% versus 2019 levels with internet retailing growing,” explained Carl. “The speed of this change has accelerated during the pandemic.” He elaborated that, as a consequence, it has reacted to this changing market in a number of ways, including in its greeting card selection.
“We have reviewed our categories and extended them where appropriate to ensure we have greater relevance in this market and where competitors have closed,” said Carl, citing how it is catering for the surge in those working from home as an example. He also highlighted how WHSmith has increased its ranges of cards “where competition has weakened”. The group’s trio of online platforms whsmith.co.uk, funkypigeon.com and cultpens.com - have all received considerable investment and have shown “significant growth”. Of these, Funkypigeon receives a special mention, revealing that it generated £54 million in sales for the year. As well as championing the record performance for Funkypigeon, the results announcement also banged the drum for greeting cards generally, describing the market as “substantial” and “stable”. Referencing research company OC&C’s forecasts, Carl predicts that online penetration in the single greeting card market will grow from 15% to 20% by 2024. “We therefore see significant growth opportunities with funkypigeon.com,” he said. As well as investing in Frances Burkle joins WHS the Funkypigeon site, the The highly popular, Frances Burkle (left) last year has seen the has joined WHSmith High Street as its development of the business unit director for stationery (which includes greeting cards). funkypigeon.com app; an Following her decision to leave extension of the fulfilment Paperchase in February (after 20 years capability to support the with the retailer, latterly as product director) Frances has been significant increase in new working on special projects for Scribbler for the past few months. customers over the past Frances has several decades of industry experience. She 18 months; introduce next joined Paperchase as card buyer back at the start of 2001, moving day delivery service seven from Harrods where she had been assistant buyer for cards and stationery. During her time with Paperchase Frances was not only days a week and has a leading light on the buying side, she was also heavily involved in added a new production the product development. facility in Swindon.
Spring Fair to include Curated Meetings Following its trial at Autumn Fair in September, an expanded Curated Meetings will run on two days of Spring Fair (February 7-8 2022, NEC Birmingham). The programme will include buyers and publishers from the greeting card sector. Among those to have already committed are Pango Productions, Clinton Cards, Notes & Queries and Nest. These Curated Meetings will be short, pre-scheduled 1:1 appointments between vetted buyers and relevant companies. All the appointments will take place in a dedicated Curated Meetings Lounge with complimentary food and drink available. The Autumn Fair trial of the concept saw over 300 face-to-face, time-efficient meetings, each lasting 15 minutes. The Curated Meetings programme is to more than double for Spring Fair, and the programme will include suppliers across all sectors, including greeting cards. The idea is that buyers will be able to ‘supercharge’ their sourcing by pre-scheduling the new brands they want to meet with and benefit from a £250 travel expense subsidy. “Mutual matching sets Curated Meetings apart - it’s not networking, it’s not speed-dating; meetings only happen when buyers and brands mutually express interest to explore new business together,” emphasises Monica Todd, product manager, Curated Meetings. Suppliers are not required to exhibit at Spring Fair to take part. Above: A scene from the Curated Meetings area at Autumn Fair.
Seedlings Cards & Gifts’ SeedFolk win Seedlings Cards & Gifts’ SeedFolk triumphed in the BLE Kelvyn Gardner's License This! competition with the sustainability-focused brand winning the Character and Animation category in the Brand Licensing Europe competition after a live pitch. The environmentally-focused SeedFolk concept was developed by Joel Mercer and the innovative creative team behind Seedlings Cards & Gifts. Above: The charming SeedFolk concept would lend itself to being animated.
FOR THE LATEST NEWS VISIT PGBUZZ.net PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE
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OVER THE
COUNTER
BY DAVID ROBERTSON OF JP POZZI, ELGIN AND BUCKIE.
“I’m A Retailer Get Me Out Of Below: It’s a jungle out there in the retail sphere.
Hereeeeee” The month of November is peppered by a number of traditions. In the States there’s Thanksgiving, worldwide we have Movember (when men sport all kinds of dodgy taches for charity) and for the 21st year in a row, Ant and Dec take to the jungle/castle for the ‘I’m a celebrity’ TV series. Now whether you love or hate the show with its bugs, trials, cold showers and revealing conversations you can’t miss it as the camp’s shenighans are all over the newspapers, radio and TV.
Switching on to see Ant and Dec make their debut on this year’s inaugural episode got me thinking that actually the retail game is a bit like ‘I am a celeb!’- though without the red dungarees and blue t-shirt. Every day we launch ourselves into different scenarios, making sure we interact with different people and trying somehow to make sure we ‘win’ enough money to put food on our table. Often we have to swallow unpleasant things, whether it is price increases, damages or just generally dealing with difficult members of staff or the public to get through the day. Now, while running your own business may not be as easy as eating a camel’s testicle or a fish’s eye I am not sure that any of us signed up for quite the amount of challenges we have faced over the last 24 months. While this column will be published in December I am penning it on 21 November, the first night of ‘I am a Celeb 2021’. It is the day after our Christmas lights were switched on locally and a day where I have thought long and hard about retail and the challenges we all face. I usually love the Christmas lights as they lift the town from the dark early nights and somehow darker mornings, but today they have not given me that same sense of optimism. I feel like i am locked in that dark box in the jungle floor, waiting for the critters to 20
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be put in. The fear of not knowing really what the next few weeks until Christmas will bring and the need for me to see it through to the end is very real. It really is a sense of the unknown. Will the locals support us? What do they want to buy this year? Will the expected bounce of a proper Christmas really happen? Have people re-evaluated what and how they spend? Will people send as many Christmas cards? November is usually the run up month where we are all gearing up for that last big festive push. Normally it is the culmination of a year of ordering, planning, sorting and soon after all the stock has arrived we suss the early winners and order more if needed. We normally would have had all our Christmas stock out for two maybe three months by now but with deliveries and stock Above right: Having to undertake difficult tasks in retail is like forcing yourself to eat crickets! Below: Ant and Dec are all revved up for this year’s I’m a Celebrity series.
situations as they are we are still receiving cards and gifts deliveries! Never have I seen a situation like it! What it has done though is allow different products to come to the fore. It’s a bit like the reaction to the quiet or lesserknown celebrity in the camp, if you give them a little time to shine, people warm to them. In our case this year Ling’s boxed Christmas cards and Tracks charity cards have sold really well, receiving a warm welcome from our customers. Ling used to be a fave in our stores, but we have rested it for a number of years, so it is great to see customers respond so positively. Just as the public fall in and out of love with celebs it is the same in store with products. Each year we all try to find that ‘next big thing’ and make sure we have the ‘on trend’ products, but this has been problematic due to the lack of trade shows and therefore very little physical hands-on experience with the product.
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OVER THE COUNTER Arguably this applies less for greeting cards where samples are still readily available, but some of our best Christmas gift items have already sold out and if I had seen them in the flesh I would definitely have ordered more than I did. One particular Heaven Sends’ Advent calendar sold out in one day! In ‘camp’, dealing with difficult deliveries - especially the food that is won is a tricky task. Meanwhile in our store ‘camp’, the pallet deliveries we have been receiving have also been a challenge picking your way through broken glass and smashed gonks is not the best fun and is somewhat akin to sticking your hand into one of the holes on the show with no idea of what is on the other side. We have had way more damages than normal with companies, desperate to get stuff out, piling pallets way too high or using third parties which don’t show the necessary care resulting in lots of breakages by the time they have worked their way to the North of Scotland. It is so soul destroying for great Christmas ornaments to arrive, but with only one in four having survived the transit. And to make matters worse you then find out the supplier has no stock available to replace the damaged goods! Retail continues to be a tough place to be and there seems to be no set pattern to what we are all experiencing. It’s like we are being constantly voted for to undertake the trial and wonder when it will be someone else’s turn! Just like in the TV series, everyone reacts and is frightened by different things. While some are now totally over Covid, others are frightened to come into the shops, so we intend to do our private shopping service again this year to allow the more nervous to shop with confidence. Like the camp mates’ mood, my own shops seem to swing from a great day to a poor day with little or no reason. Footfall is without doubt still the biggest issue as when people do come into our shops they are liking what we have and are spending. So again, like camp life, we have no idea what the next day will bring and in
Above: David Robertson (second right) at The Retas a few weeks ago with fellow retailer (far left) Michael Apter (Paper Tiger) and publishers (right) Matt Genower (Five Dollar Shake) and Raj Aurora (Davora). Below right: Who knows what is lurking in the jungle of the future. Below left: A Really Wild’s Politically Incorrect sound card from Second Nature. Bottom: No one really knows how the final run up to Christmas will look like for retailers.
some ways you just have to embrace that and accept that you can’t control it. Two of the most iconic tasks undertaken on ‘I’m a celebrity’ are jumping out of the plane or walking the plank from a high place. Now in both cases, the contestants have the security of a parachute or a wire so if you were to fall you know at the back of your mind that you will be OK. I would like to think that we as retailers do have the support of our customers, and suppliers for that matter, but you just can’t see the parachute! For a long time we spoke about a cliff edge when furlough ended, but that never really came about. In some ways we stepped off that cliff but landed on a little ledge just below. In April next year though we face critters, disgusting food, heights and gunk all at the same time! The Minimum Wage increases, business rates and the end of the suspension of chasing rent will have to be faced against the backdrop of prices being driven down by internet competitors, increased customer expectations, rising costs of inflation, fuel, bank, electric, gas and delivery charges. All this at a time when
footfall that has not fully returned, we will really face our toughest challenges yet. Forget about running up a hill with water cannons against the wind, it will be gruelling on our cash-flow and our sanity. However, while Christmas and conditions in general will test individuals like never before, I am sure that just as the celebrities in the camp find an inner strength, we will also find ways round, through or over these challenges. Normally the celebs come out of the jungle having found themselves or having experienced some sort of epiphany. Phrases like “it’s the best thing I have ever done” and “I never realised I could do it” are oft uttered as Ant and Dec do the exit interview. If Ant was asking me tonight I would say the following: “I can honestly say that I am delighted with our shops just now. I am proud of the stock, of the different selections of cards and gifts, of the window displays and indeed in what we offer our local community.
I just want to be honest about my doubts about retail now and in the coming months. I am not being negative and I will fight for the public to see and support us. In fact, I undertake every task!” Doubts though are OK. Like the celebs spending their first night in the camp, it is the fear of the unknown. “Find what you love to do and you will feel like you never work a day in your life…” I don’t know many indie retailers who feel like that these days but with the many bush tucker trials we have faced it’s good to remind ourselves that we are still in control of our own destiny even if sometimes it feels we are not. We can get through anything with a little grit and determination. There is no way anyone is stopping the trial on me and by God there is no way that I will shout those words: “I am a card and gift retailer get me out of hereeeeeeeeeeee!!!!!!!!!!” To contact David email: jppozzi@btconnect.com PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE
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cardsharp
A Large Slice Of
Pie Please!
Cardsharp was thinking about pies recently. He was cutting into a delicious home-baked apple one, when he reflected that it’s not the size of the pie that’s important, but the portion you are allowed to take for yourself. This set Cardsharp reminiscing about the state of greeting card publishing of 20 years ago, compared to the present… Anyone remember any of the following publishers…Images and Editions, Regent Greetings, Gemma Designs, Kingsley Cards, Cartel, Second Generation, Wishing Well, Grassroots International and PopShots? To younger readers of Cardsharp, these names might not mean much, but back in the 1990s these publishers would all have had large, and in some cases double decker, stands at the Spring Fair. As publishing companies they have gone to that great greeting card heaven in the sky, although in several cases (Wishing Well, Kingsley and Grassroots) the brands live on under different ownerships as part of a brand portfolio. Is this all part of what the economist Joseph Shrumpeter calls ‘Creative Destruction’ or has something more fundamental occurred, mused Cardsharp? The 1990s (and early noughties) were the glory days of the UK greeting card industry. Bricks and mortar retailing in this pre-economic crash and the Top: How big a slice of pie would you like? Above: Card Factory now commands over 30% share of the market. Left: Birthdays was the forerunner to Card Factory.
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internet was also booming. Margins were handsome, and although there were value chains then (Birthdays and Card Warehouse in particular), they were not so omnipresent as the Card Factory group is today. In those days, the largest hall at the Spring Fair, Hall 5 was jammed to the gunnels with hundreds of card publishers, with loads having massive stands. Many of them had ‘towers in the sky’. Cardsharp remembers one particular castle that International Greetings had built, that was three storeys high! In fact, such was the demand for stand space that potential new exhibitors were forced to exhibit at Autumn Fair, before they could be considered for a stand at Spring Fair. Even with space restrictions there were usually over 300 publishers exhibiting in those days. How things have changed? Since then, the greeting card sector has been moved to smaller halls while next year it is back to Hall 3 but contained in a much smaller space. And there are around 90 publishers on the exhibitors’ list at present. Yet, if industry statistics are to be believed, the UK greeting card industry is as large in terms of sales as it’s ever been estimated to be worth in the region of £1.4 billion, even during a pandemic.
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Left: Clintons’ investment in its own studio means that there are fewer pockets available for other publishers. Below: Publishers are seeing their margins squeezed, and we’re getting down to the bitter pips in some cases.
So, what has happened in those intervening years? Where are all those larger publishers now? Why the dichotomy between the huge size of the industry now and the apparent shrinking of the number of major players? Cardsharp thinks a lot of water has passed under the bridge since those halcyon days. Firstly, the exponential growth of Card Factory, now probably responsible for over 30% of the total sales of the greeting card market. The Card Factory model of publishing the vast majority of the cards it stocks itself means a considerable chunk of the card market is off limits to other publishers. Admittedly, Card Factory is
now being supplied with licensed, humour and some contemporary designs by ‘outside’ publishers, but all the main controls are nearly all own brand products. This has meant a significant chunk of the greeting card market is not available to other publishers. Then there are online sales. Although the percentage of the market that the likes of Moonpig, Funky Pigeon and Thortful have collectively gobbled up is much smaller than in most other prodiuct sectors, it has accelerated in the last two years of the Covid crisis. Moonpig was predicting a rise to 23% of the market by 2023, and although this might be overly optimistic, this is another significant chunk of the market that is on different margins. Yes, Cardsharp knows many of the publishers receive
a decent royalty from any design bought online but it does not bring the same riches as selling physical cards. Then there many larger retailers like Clintons going down the own brand or own studio route. Or a fast-growing chain like Cards Direct, with 40 or so outlets, largely following the Card Factory vertical integration route. So, mused Cardsharp, all this means in effect, probably only about half of that £1.4 million worth of sales, is up for grabs for non-retailing publishers. And a massive chunk of this is taken up by the big two US-owned publishers, Hallmark and UKG. It really in effect means there is only a quarter to a third of the market open to independent UK publishers Given this, reflects Cardsharp, it is not surprising that the number of major publishers with £3m+ turnovers has fallen, as dramatically as the big stands that used to be built for the Spring Fair all those years ago. To Cardsharp’s appetite, less and less publishers are going to get ‘pie-eyed’ on this slice of the action!
Zone-ally Effective Cardsharp was delighted to see specialist multiple card chain, Cardzone, winning the Best Greeting Card Retailer Award at last month’s Retas. This followed its founder and owner, Paul Taylor, being awarded the Honorary Achievement Award at this year’s Henries in October. Cardzone has had an eventful few years. The progress has been steady. From a couple of outlets to now 191, after its recent acquisition of the five Mooch gift shops. And, given the ambition of Paul and his son James, Cardsharp expects them to continue to grow and grow. The expansion into London with their joint venture set-up with Postmark was also an inspired move, giving them Mark and Leona Janson-Smith’s intricate knowledge of London card retailing. Cardzone has always been recognised as a great trader, but unlike Card Factory and to a lesser extent Clintons, it has eschewed the own brand route, and bought from a myriad of publishers, both large and small. What’s more, accepting its tough negotiating skills, the company has behaved incredibly ethically throughout its growth and has been particularly supportive of publishers during the Covid crisis of the last 22 months. Oh, if only there were more retailers like Cardzone, mused Cardsharp. During Covid we witnessed the worst of corporate behaviour with the demise and phoenix-like resurrection from Paperchase, and now Cardsharp hears examples of more aggressive bullying from major players that should be behaving better. One major mixed multiple chain is unilaterally demanding free stock for every pocket in its stores, while a major grocer has increased the retail price of its cards to its customers, but meanwhile has asked its supplying publishers to take back stock that has already been delivered, re-price it and then return it. Publishers are already having to deal with soaring paper costs and supply issues. The last thing they need is ‘Big Brother’ tactics that are becoming all too common among many major retailers. But some of these should tread carefully thinks Cardsharp. They may find in the end that some of their strongest publishers will find supplying their chains unprofitable or end up going bust trying to cope with demands. Cardsharp concludes that the multiples would be the losers here as well. Above: Paul and James Taylor, directors of Cardzone at The Retas. Right: Postmark’s new Wimbledon shop.
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Inset: High street battles have very much extended into the virtual space.
VIEWPOINTS
The Virtual Battleground The proliferation of online marketplaces for greeting card retailers, publishers and consumers is continuing to prompt reactions, present opportunities, cause some confusion, spark competitive incentives and most definitely is keeping us all on our virtual toes - and there is a lot to be played out yet. Just a Card’s Indie Week (which fell 22-26 November this year) was sponsored by Neartoo, the new online marketplace that is in the process of being launched by Bira (British Independent Retailer Association). While it will not be until February until Neartoo is planning its full blown launch to the consumer, it signals another significant intent in the ever evolving ‘high street battlegrounds’ of the online platforms. Neartoo’s debut comes at a time that the likes of Ankorstore, Orderchamp, Faire and others are on their respective mega charm offensives in the UK, while Trouva, Etsy and of course Amazon continue to find fans from participating retailers and brands. And then of course both Spring Fair/Autumn Fair and Clarion (Harrogate and Top Drawer) are pitching their respective online marketplaces. It is getting mighty busy on the omnichannel megahighway. PG spoke to a handful of publishers and retailers about the emerging online platform landscape. As to what extent they will be embraced in the longer term as alternative routes to potential business remains to be seen. The research findings are showing that from a consumer behaviour front, while online sales of cards in the UK are higher than they were pre-pandemic of almost all other product categories, the public have been pretty swift to shift their purchasing back to bricks and mortar. Good news certainly if you are a well-supported bricks and mortar retailer, but the general thrust is to have the best of all worlds. Neartoo’s vision is certainly to amplify the ‘shop local’ rally call and to encourage and facilitate the public to make the most of their independent retailer community close to home, while the big bucks investment recently secured by several of the existing online platforms suggests the stakes are high. All’s still to play for, but the clicks and bricks game is most definitely hotting up. Above: Just a Card’s Indie Week last month was sponsored by Neartoo. Right: Having made a name for itself in the US, Faire is now setting its sights on the UK too, including in the UK card sector.
Sean Austin owner of Austin & Co, Malvern: “I've become familiar with the likes of Faire, Abound, and Ankorstore over the past 20 months. With the pandemic, and the lack of physical trade shows, they seemed to offer a good alternative, and a way to source new items for the shop. I have placed a few orders; one was from an existing supplier in the UK with whom I took advantage of a £200 discount. Plus I placed a couple of orders from the US for new dog giftware lines, especially as the US tends to be ahead of the curve on gifts and accessories for dogs. But the main thing about trading through a pandemic was to continue selling what I knew could be sold. I remained loyal to my existing suppliers, and especially UK-based greeting card publishers. I really think we have some of Above: Sean Austin at PG Live 2021 spending his Sunshine Ticket with East End Prints.
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VIEWPOINTS the best card designers in the UK and there's no real need to cast the net further. You could be tempted by a design on one of these sites, but I find most greeting card retailers like to buy their cards in the same way the public buy their cards - in person and not online. I'm very much a tactile buyer and if I can't feel that 300gsm in my hand, I tend not to pursue it. I did place an order a few years ago based on an online design and was disappointed with what arrived. I do have a few concerns with these sites. There have been a couple of instances locally when designs I thought I had some level of exclusivity would appear in other shops pretty close by. So, it would be interesting to know how publishers can manage this. Also, more down the Big Brother route, these companies seem to be offering incredible deals to get us to sign up, such as £200 off here and there, paying import duties etc. Talk is that those companies behind the websites are selling on our data to other organisations as an income generator, but I am not clear how this plays into the confusing world of GDPR. In summary, a physical trade show and/or rep will always be my main port of call. The websites are very much secondary. Especially when you're a timepoor sole trader who can do far more on a two day visit to PG Live rather than sitting in front of a PC for hours on end!”
Cathy Frost owner of Loveone in Ipswich: “I believe that anything that encourages and serves a community has to be for the greater good. And for that reason I had no hesitation in being one of the first to sign up to Neartoo. I still have to work out how this will dovetail into my ecommerce side, but as a big fan of Bira and what it is doing to support the independent retailer community of course I am on board. Whatever can be done to help people engage with their local community or indeed enrich a visitor experience to a town like Ipswich, by making it easy for them to plan their trip and be excited by the independent shops, cafes and theatres has to be encouraged. The ‘shop local’ message is definitely gaining traction and with the new life/work patterns, this offers opportunities for indie retailers such as Loveone and Neartoo. I did look at participating in Trouva, but felt that it wasn’t for me as it didn’t really encourage supporting your local retailers and meant you’d just be in a ‘best price’ race, whereas Neartoo will work on the local indies’ merit. On my own product sourcing front, while I would rather go to trade shows to see and feel products, in their absence I have used Faire and Ankorstore, but essentially to order from our smaller, existing suppliers, some of whom do not have their own ecommerce websites. I am always open to new ideas, as that is how progress happens - so I love the idea of tech helping to nurture the ‘feelgood’ of a real community, which is at the very essence of Neartoo.” Above: Cathy Frost at Loveone’s shop door. Left: Loveone was an active participant in the local street market as well as embracing the recently launched Ipswich Gift Card which is able to be spent in many indie businesses.
Davina Parkhouse owner of The Bean Hive, Kettering and Bean Hive by the Sea in Falmouth: “I have used these B2B sites all year. Missing the convenience of trade shows they have been a godsend in enabling us to find new suppliers, especially small, UKbased, independent brands. We have found dozens of great new suppliers and only a couple ended up being disappointing. The sites themselves are a bit of a mixed bag, but I have used Abound, Faire, Ankorstore, Tredo, Creoate and Fairling. On the whole I find Faire and Abound the easiest to use. Being able to get free postage once combined orders reach a certain level has been very helpful and means it has been worth me testing a few companies that I may not have tried otherwise. There have also been some really great discounts at times as well as opening offers. For some retailers, I imagine the credit terms are a good temptation although I don't personally need it. The downside is that although it has been so helpful in the absence of trade shows it is incredibly time consuming. One or two good days at a trade show generally sorts us out for a season, so while these sites are very useful, they are not a substitute for the trade shows. However, one or two of the suppliers with whom I've discussed these sites have told me they have found so many customers via the sites that they no longer plan to do trade shows.” Above right: Davina Parkhouse and her daughter Emelye at The Greats with The Bean Hive/Bean Hive by the Sea’s award for Best Newcomer Gift Retailer - South and Wales, they collected from Carte Blanche Greetings’ Richard Holmwood, sponsor of the award category. Left: The ‘shop independent’ message is strong at The Bean Hive.
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VIEWPOINTS Sarah Hopkins director of Holy Mackerel:
Left: Sarah Hopkins with her daughter Beth and husband Wyn on the Holy Mackerel Top Drawer stand promoting the companies presence on some of the online platforms.
“During the depths of Covid we felt it was time to dip our toes in the water of the online platforms and so signed up to Ankorstore, Faire and Orderchamp. Our initial thoughts were that we would use it as a way of expanding our export side, especially as we could blank off the countries where we have existing distributors. However, we soon recognised that this could be a way of enabling our customers to receive some free cards, by placing their orders through the sites. We also realised that for it to work, we would need to shout about it so went for it on our stand at Top Drawer in September promoting the significant incentives for retailers on their first orders placed for Holy Mackerel on the sites - £200 is not to be sniffed at! While we did receive some interest, understandably there was some suspicion from retailers thinking it was too good to be true. However, those who did set themselves up on the platforms realised it was in fact a real offer. Over the last few months we have learned a lot about working with the platforms, understanding the different processes and timings involved. There is, for example, a short time delay between the customer placing the order on the platform and us receiving it. When you pride yourself on getting orders out on the same day as they are placed, like we do, this takes a bit of adjustment. While our participation on the platforms has resulted in financial benefits for some of our existing customers (as well as extended credit terms and SOR), it has also broadened our customer base. Our feeling is, like anything new you need to try it and think things through as they happen. Yes, there are challenges, such as how you make this work alongside our agents network, but there are also advantages. It is about making the most of the latter.”
Mark Callaby managing director of Ohh Deer: “We've been on Faire a while in the US and it has proved to be really successful for us. I do believe that it's started to change the landscape of wholesale in that market. The benefits they offer - 60 days to pay for customers while the seller gets payment quickly as well as vast amounts of free cash to lure people in - are really attractive, which is why we don't look for agents in the US anymore. Faire seems to understand how the market is evolving. That being said, I wouldn't want to give up trade shows, there is too much value in meeting your customers face to face and showcasing your products in the flesh. While you can make the most beautiful imagery in the world online it sometimes isn't always enough to convert a potential customer. I feel the same about bricks and mortar Above: (right-left) Ohh Deer’s Mark Callaby with Laura Philbin (commercial manager), Harriet Secrett (key shops and the reason they will always be here. account manager) and company co-owner Jamie Mitchell. For us, it makes sense to be on wholesale platforms. We're on Faire and Peeba and are Below: Part of Ohh Deer’s presence on Faire. currently building our presence on Ankorstore and we normally end up on tradeshow platforms as part of the packages we take. We are also looking into other platforms. These platforms definitely offer opportunities. Local will always win and initiatives like 'Click it local' have a real opportunity to help small independents take on someone like Amazon. Delivering same day, often within minutes, will really help us all compete. Get it right and I'm confident that someone about to go to a party and remembering that they hadn’t bought them a card could open their phone, buy one, get it delivered to them within half an hour (maybe even with a gift) and bob’s your uncle. They wouldn’t have had to make a detour into town or show up with their tail between their legs. I wouldn't be surprised if we start seeing gift options from the likes of Deliveroo - the whole idea is about setting up a local delivery service. They just started their USP with food, but that could easily expand, just like Amazon did with books. The current shipping issues are a nightmare so there could be potential for online platforms to start consolidating overseas wholesale orders to reduce the shipping rates but I've no idea how this could happen. I'd definitely like to see it happen if it helps improve profit margins for us and the end retailer. I'm very happy that the market generally is bouncing back - if anything, it's forced us to find alternative ways to sell cards which will only help our industry expand. While we never want another lockdown, at least we are more likely to be prepared next time if it does happen. I chatted to lots of bricks and mortar customers at The Retas and some of them are booming - doing better than they were prepandemic which is incredible. Yes, the landscaping is changing, but ultimately we're just going to have to share the market with online. While Ohh Deer does very well online, our bricks and mortar trade is still our strongest arm and we're rooting for it to continue to thrive. I just feel that we just need to keep adapting - online is just providing a different opportunity to sell and potentially could create more profits for everyone. Selling via an app, for example is likely to help you find new customers instead of making your loyal customers ditch you for online.” PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE
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EFIN ING TRENDS
BREAKING B O U N
E I S R , A D D
S/S 16-18 January 2022
Olympia, London
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The Retas 2021
A Verdant Comeback
Over 300 of the very best UK greeting card retailers, publishers and trade suppliers all shared an incredibly uplifting afternoon at The Retas 2021 greeting card retailer awards event that took place a few weeks ago in the Ballroom of the Grosvenor House Hotel in London. PG shares a flavour of this wonderful reunion.
Above: One of the glittering prizes!
Above: The Retas winners took to the stage with their trophies joined by (centre on stairs) host Stuart Goldsmith and PG’s Jakki Brown and Warren Lomax. Right: The Card Factory team was out in force. (Right-left) Adam Dury, Jo Bennett, Paul Scholefield, Disa Keeling and Megan Pearce. Below: Cheers! (left-right) Linda and Holly Bygrave (Celebrations Hallmark, Aylsham); Ken Roberts, Fiona Pitt and Matt Critchlow (all Hallmark); Helen Nixon and Claire Linton (Hallmark Cards Widnes and
Above: The tables celebrated the Finery of Greenery theme of The Retas, with Hallmark’s pop-up pot plant cards as ‘place cards’ and Abacus providing the menu cards which included a packet of Mr Fothergill seeds for everyone. Left: All winners of The Retas 2021 will receive a Golden Ticket worth £150 to spend at next June’s PG Live show and all finalists will receive a Silver Ticket worth £75 to spend at the show.
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The Retas 2021
Below: Steve Baker, sales and marketing director of Pigment presented the ‘Higher or Lower’ joint winners, (centre) Threads’ Jane Atkinson and Between the Lines’ Meghan Bricknell with the prizes of a magnum of champagne each and a book about pot plants.
Above: There was a fun ‘ice-breaker’ of an elimination ‘Higher or Lower’ quiz, sponsored by Pigment, with the questions based on plant life. Below: (left-right) Rachel Roberts (Wishlist); Jo Bannister (London agent); Adam and Harriet de Wolff (The Indigo Tree); David and Theresa Colman (The Only Place for Pictures) and Maggie Rose (Magi Gifts).
Above: The wonderfully attired (left-right) Ollie GuiseSmith and Carl Dunne (Cards & Gifts Sheffield) with The Guisborough Bookshop’s Lloyd and Kirsty Brooks. Left: The host for The Retas was comedian Stuart Goldsmith. Below: Musical duo, Matt and Marcel got into the Retas theme!
Above: (Left-right) Oliver Bonas’ Jennifer Hutchinsion and Emma Guthrie with Ohh Deer’s Harriet Secrett. Right: Looking fabulous. Zo and Co’s Paul and (right) Zoe Carter have lost 81/2 stones since the last Retas, thanks to Herbalife shakes. PG’s Jakki Brown is envious!
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The Retas 2021
Left: (right-left) Hugs and Kisses’ Caroline and Jon Ranwell with Wendy JonesBlackett’s Jacqui Godlove.
Above: Agent Mike Rignall with Love & Best Wishes’ (centre) Jane Ranwell and Vicky Hamilton. Below: Five Dollar’s Matt Genower (right) in fine fettle with Steve Miller (Serendipity, Newcastle).
Right: GCA president and Second Nature’s joint general manager Chris Bryant shared the honour of drawing the charity raffle for The Light Fund with Amanda Fergusson, ceo of the GCA. Below: The HBB gang! Owner Hayley Bastable (centre) with her husband Bal Budesha, sons (left) Chris and Charlie as well as friend Fran Lincoln.
Below: Happy camaraderie! (Left-right) Heidi Early (Earlybird); Karen West and Sally Matson (Red Card); Dominic Early (Earlybird); Annie and Tim Gould (Objectables) and Sarah Laker (Stationery Supplies).
Below: (left-right) Scribbler’s Rebecca Hendry, Aisling Crosland and Tiago Giral.
Left: Independent kindred spirits! (Right-left) Southbourne Cards’ Deborah Tingay with Cardies’ Andrew McReynolds, Jo Sorrell and Millie Brooke.
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Best Independent Greeting Card Retailer
London (inside the M25) Winner: Earlybird, Stoke Newington Initial Reaction: “So how did we feel when our name was read out? Numb, shock, scream! Was I think how it went. So utterly delighted to be recognised. More than we ever thought.”
Heidi and Dom Early, co-owners of Earlybird Designs
Left: A proud moment for Earlybird’s Heidi and Dom.
Above: Earlybird directors Heidi and (second right) Dominic Early were all smiles as they were presented with the first trophy of The Retas 2021 by Mark Callaby, managing director of Ohh Deer, sponsor of this category.
Right: Mark Callaby, managing director of category sponsor Ohh Deer, at the lectern.
SPONSORED BY
Best Independent Greeting Card Retailer
Home Counties and South East Winner: Red Card, Petworth
SPONSORED BY
Initial Reaction: “It is pretty unusual for me to be speechless, but we were just so delighted and surprised to win our award that it really took quite a few seconds for me to realise that our shop has just been announced! For us the event was about celebrating the survival and growth of the businesses on our table - Stationery Supplies, Earlybird and Objectables as well as friends in the room - Number Fourteen Ampthill and Austin & Co among others. It was about being able to get back together and celebrate our successes as an industry and we were honestly thrilled to be part of it!!!”
Sally Matson, owner of Red Card 32
PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE
Above: Simon Davis, new business development manager of The Imaging Centre/Simplicity Retail had the pleasure of announcing the winner as sponsor of this award category. Far left: Joy in abundance from Red Card’s owner Sally Matson (second left) and shop manager Karen West who collected their trophy from Simon Davis, new business development manager of The Imaging Centre/Simplicity Retail, the sponsor of this award category. Left: The win was a ‘red card’ to be very happy for Sally Matson and Karen West.
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Best Independent Greeting Card Retailer Below: Ian Hyder, director of Products of Change and joint managing director of Max Publishing did the honours in announcing the winner.
East Anglia
Winner: Celebrations Hallmark, Aylsham
Right: Mother and daughter duo, (right) Linda and Holly Jade Bygrave were delighted to hold their trophy.
Above: (second right) Linda Bygrave, owner of Hallmark Celebrations and her daughter and colleague Holly Jade Bygrave collected the award from (far right) Ian Hyder, director of Products of Change, the sponsor of this award category.
SPONSORED BY
Initial Reaction: “My thoughts when our name was called out, was wow we've finally done it. It was nice to be there with my daughter as well after her hard work and input last year.”
Linda Bygrave, owner of Hallmark Celebrations
Best Independent Greeting Card Retailer SPONSORED BY
South West Winner: Expressions, Cats Whiskers and Polkadot, Swindon, Bishops Cleeve and Keynsham
Initial Reaction: “Did they just say our name? Was it really our shops that had just been announced? Winners?? were our first thoughts! We are still smiling! So chuffed. It was such a lovely afternoon and great to catch up with our industry friends but with the best bonus of being winners.”
Chris and Tracey Bryant, Expressions, Cats Whiskers and Polkadot
Above: Tracey and (second left) Chris Bryant, directors of the trio of card and gift shops were delighted to be presented with the winning trophy by Peter Goodman, managing director of award category sponsor, Heritage Art & Design.
Above right: With Heritage Art & Design the sponsor of this award category, the company’s managing director Peter Goodman announced the winner.
Inset: Tracey and Chris Bryant with their prestigious trophy.
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Best Independent Greeting Card Retailer
Wales and the Midlands Winner: Austin & Co, Malvern Left: (centre) Sean Austin, owner of Austin & Co was wonderfully ‘suited and booted’ to collect the trophy from Chris Bryan, joint general manager of Second Nature, sponsor of this award category. Below right: Chris Bryan, joint general manager of Second Nature, sponsor of this award category opened the gold envelope to reveal the winner. Below: Sean Austin with his prized trophy.
Initial Reaction: “In the last 20 months, I've come through three national lockdowns, built a successful website, relocated our shop, and not forgetting losing two of my closest 4-legged companions, including my trusty Nessa. To be just here and still trading is reward enough, but then to recognised by my peers in the industry for what I've done is literally the cherry on the cake. It's a wonderful industry and I am so proud to be part of the card family. It just makes me want to do more going forward. Here's to a successful 2022!”
SPONSORED BY
Sean Austin, owner of Austin & Co
Best Independent Greeting Card Retailer
North and Northern Ireland Winner: Reflections, Rugeley and Nantwich
Initial Reaction: “We were delighted to even be nominated for a Retas award, but to win it against all the competition in the north west was totally unexpected! It has been a great boost to ourselves and all our staff members. We love the greeting card and gift industry and are very determined to keep our stores refreshed and interesting for our customers.”
Philip and Maxine Nield, co-owners of Reflections SPONSORED BY
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Above: Maxine Nield (centre) with colleagues Lisa Truan (left) and Anne-Marie Ridgeway. Above left: Philip Nield celebrating. Above right: (right) Darren Cave, commercial director of UK Greetings, sponsor of this award category presented the trophy to Emma Cain, who collected it on behalf of Reflections’ co-owners Philip and Maxine Nield, who were unable to attend the event.
Inset: Reflections’ co-owners Maxine and Philip Nield with their trophy that was delivered to them shortly after the awards event.
Above: Darren Cave, commercial director, UK Greetings, sponsor of this award category prepares to share the good news about the winner.
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Best Independent Greeting Card Retailer
Scotland Winner: Paper Tiger, two stores in Edinburgh
Above: Wendy Jones-Blackett, director of Wendy Jones-Blackett, award category sponsor had the pleasure of announcing the winner.
Left: Michael Apter, managing director of Paper Tiger holding the trophy that was presented to him by Wendy Jones-Blackett, director of award category sponsor Wendy Jones-Blackett.
Right: Paper Tiger’s Michael Apter carefully packing his Retas trophy into her box for the journey back to Edinburgh.
SPONSORED BY
Initial Reaction: “Wonderful! It was really great to catch up with fellow retailers, card publishers and suppliers and do something sociable especially after everything that we have all been through recently. All of the businesses on the regional shortlists have had a tough year or so and this recognition is both really important and really emotional.”
Michael Apter, managing director of Paper Tiger
Best Independent Greeting Card Retailer SPONSORED BY
Newcomer or New Branch Initial Reaction: “We were blown away and so excited when we heard the announcement. I couldn’t really take it in straight away. I am so proud of the team and it feels amazing to be recognised for all our hard work - we couldn’t wait to tell the girls. She [The Retas’ trophy] is going in the window to be shown off. We’ve had so many lovely comments from people coming in the shop to say congratulations and over social media, it’s quite overwhelming. We are still smiling from ear to ear.”
- South
Winner: Kingfisher Cards, Sidmouth
Tiffany Leach, owner of Kingfisher Cards & Gifts
Above: (second right) Tiffany Leach, owner of Kingfisher Cards & Gifts and colleague Pip Norrington were delighted to be presented with their winning trophy by Matt Critchlow, commercial director of Hallmark, sponsor of this category. Right: Smiles from Tiffany and Pip. Left: Matt Critchlow, commercial director of Hallmark had the velvet touch as sponsor of this category.
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Best Independent Greeting Card Retailer
Newcomer or New Branch Winner: Henry & Co, Bridgnorth,
- North
Nottingham and Ormskirk Initial Reaction: “After years in the making this award has real significance for me, as it marks a new beginning for the business and is our family’s brand. Receiving the award will give a real boost to our business plans and the teams that make it all possible - a big thank you to all of them. So great that the industry got back together at The Retas fabulous awards event.”
Mark Rees, managing director of Henry & Co
Left: (centre) Mark Rees, managing director of Henry & Co was delighted to receive the trophy from (right) Richard Mortimer, national accounts manager of Carte Blanche Greetings, the sponsor of this award category. Left: A triumphant moment for Mark Rees for his new Henry & Co retail concept. Far left: As Carte Blanche Greetings was the sponsor of this award category, it fell to Richard Mortimer, national accounts manager to open the gold envelope and announce the winner.
SPONSORED BY
Best Independent Bookstore Retailer of Greeting Cards Winner: The Bookshop, East Grinstead Right: Andy Paterson, sales director of Woodmansterne Publications won the award for receiving the biggest cheer as he came to the stage to announce the winner. Left: (second right) John Pye, managing director of The Bookshop East Grinstead with Krystyna O’Brien, the store’s ‘high princess’ were presented with the trophy by Andy Paterson, sales director of Woodmansterne Publications, sponsor of this award category. Below: Pleased as punch!
SPONSORED BY
Initial Reaction: “At the exact moment of the announcement my mind couldn`t quite believe it, and it took Krys’ shriek of excitement, her leaping into the air, and the whole of the room looking in our direction as she hugged me so tightly, for the enormity of what had just been announced to bring me back into the room. I think my amazement, my surprise, and my sheer joy on stepping onto that stage to receive our Retas award are writ large for everyone to see. One thing I did know, however, stage fright was not going to be a problem for myself and Krys. This was a day to remember, to enjoy to its fullest, and to celebrate.”
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Best Non-Specialist Independent Retailer of Greeting Cards - North
Below: Jack Wilson, manager of Paper Salad, sponsor of this award category were ready to do the honours.
Winner: Stationery Supplies, Marple and Wilmslow
Right: Sarah Laker could not contain her delight!
SPONSORED BY
Initial Reaction: “Complete overwhelm! I’ve read about the winning Retas retailers in PG for many years, always thinking that shops like mine never won awards so when I was shortlisted I was totally amazed and never thought for one minute that I’d win. When my name was read out and my table started cheering it took me a few seconds to realise that it was my shops! My family, staff and customers are beyond thrilled, my social media went bonkers! And ‘Reta’ is being much admired by all on the shop counter!”
Sarah Laker, owner of Stationery Supplies Above: Sarah Laker, owner of Stationery Supplies had a beaming smile that said it all! She was delighted to collect the trophy from Paper Salad’s manager, Jack Wilson, sponsor of this award.
Best Non-Specialist Independent Retailer of Greeting Cards - South Winner: No. 14, Ampthill
Above: Steve Baker, sales and marketing director of Pigment, sponsor of this award, was very happy to share the good news about the worthy winner. Right: Jo Barber cradling her shiny trophy.
SPONSORED BY
Above: It was a proud moment for Jo Barber, managing director of No. 14 Ampthill as she collected the trophy from Steve Baker, sales and marketing director of Pigment, sponsor of this award.
Initial Reaction: “Winning this award means everything… it’s difficult to put into words. We were up against some incredible businesses and the self-doubter in me was convinced wouldn’t win. Oh, my goodness, when your name is called out everything goes into slow motion, winning this award goes down as one of the best days of my professional career – thank you so much!”
Jo Barber, owner of No.14 Ampthill
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Best Greeting Card Small Multiple 4+ stores Winner: Postmark - Balham, Blackheath, Chiswick, East Dulwich and Greenwich Initial Reaction: “Wow! We were so shocked to hear our name called out, but a truly lovely surprise after an extremely tough and challenging time. It's a true testament to the hard work of our teams and we shall be taking them out to thank them in the New Year as we couldn't do it without them.”
Leona and Mark Janson-Smith, directors ofRight: Postmark After all the hard work of opening two additional stores in quick succession, Postmark’s Leona JansonSmith was very happy to have a trophy in her hands!
SPONSORED BY
Above: Leona JansonSmith, director of Postmark was so happy to collect the prestigious trophy from (right) David Byk, ceo of Great British Card Company, sponsor of this award.
Right: David Byk, ceo of Great British Card Company, sponsor of this award, opened the gold envelope to reveal the winner.
SPONSORED BY
Best Department Store Retailer of Greeting Cards Winner: John Lewis & Partners Left: (second left-right) John Lewis & Partners’ buyers Chloe Cartwright and Sarah Moughtin with Anni Abrahams, merchandiser collected the trophy from Tom Mitchell, consumer insight director of Kantar, sponsor of this award category.
Below: A proud moment for the John Lewis’ team.
Left: Tom Mitchell, consumer insight director of first time Retas’ sponsor Kantar revealed the winner of this award.
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Initial Reaction: “We were so thrilled when our name was called out. This is testament to the hard work of all the team from head office to branch partners who make our department so special! It is a complex area to manage within a department store and much of what we achieve is down to the partnership with Woodmansterne. Thanks also to our publishers who provide such brilliant product for selection! We really are chuffed to pieces to have the recognition and will continue to strive to put together the best assortments for future seasons! Such a wonderful industry to be a part of.”
Sarah Moughtin, buyer of greeting cards, stationery collections and gifts for John Lewis & Partners
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Best Supermarket Retailer of Greeting Cards Winner: Sainsbury’s
Above: With a touch of finery of greenery, Warren Lomax, co-owner of PG Live took to the lectern to announce the winner.
Left: (second left-right) Sainsbury’s Abi Wilson, buying and design manager; Emma Tanner, buyer; Becca Cauldwell, assistant merchandiser and Matt Tomeo, senior merchandiser were presented with the trophy by Warren Lomax, co-owner of PG Live, the sponsor of this award category.
Right: A happy Sainsbury’s crew!
SPONSORED BY
Initial Reaction: “We are so thrilled to win. It really does mean so much to us all, and we are grateful all our partners who have made it possible!”
Abi Wilson, buying and design manager – Celebrations for Sainsbury’s
Best Non-Specialist Multiple Retailer of Greeting Cards 4+ stores Right: (right-left) Rosie Tate, director of Cath Tate Cards, the sponsor of this award presented the trophy to WH Smith’s Claire Castle, senior buyer; Chrissi Bee, assistant buyer and Jen Morgan, buyer. Below: As sponsor of this award category, a verdant Rosie Tate, director of Cath Tate Cards announced the winner.
SPONSORED BY
Winner: WHSmith - 1,100+ stores in the UK
Above: It was all smiles from (left-right) Jen Morgan, Claire Castle and Chrissi Bee.
Initial Reaction: “It was fabulous to win an award for WHSmith, and to share the occasion with Jen and Chrissi! It couldn’t have been a better year for us to win, in a year when we have rolled out a number of new initiatives on greeting cards with new POS and increased space. The directors are suitably proud.”
Claire Castle, senior buyer of WHSmith PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE
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Best Specialist Multiple Retailer of Greeting Cards 20+ branches Winner: Cardzone – 180+ stores in the UK Initial Reaction: “We feel extremely humbled to have won this award and every employee of Cardzone who has played a part in achieving this award deserves to know they have truly contributed.”
James Taylor, director of Cardzone
Right: Emma Young, managing director, Paperlink, the sponsor of this award was only too happy to do the honours and announce the winner. Left: James Taylor with the shiny trophy.
SPONSORED BY
Above: James Taylor, director of Cardzone collected the trophy from Emma Young, managing director, Paperlink, the sponsor of this award.
Best Garden Centre Retailer of Greeting Cards – independent (1-4 centres)
Winner: Bernaville Nurseries, Cowley, Exeter Left: Bernaville Nurseries’ assistant manager Adrian Heath and greeting card assistant Karen Halliday, were presented with their trophy (right) Rachel Hare, creative director and managing director of Belly Button Designs, sponsor of this award. Below: Rachel Hare, creative director and managing director of Belly Button Designs, sponsor of this award did the honours at the lectern.
SPONSORED BY
Below: It was well worth the trip up from Exeter for Bernaville’s Adrian Heath and Karen Halliday.
Initial Reaction: “"We were so thrilled and surprised to be nominated earlier in the year and then to win was amazing. I would like to say a big thank you to those who nominated us for such a prestigious award. Both Karen and I really enjoyed our first Retas, it was such a wonderful day.”
Adrian Heath, assistant manager of Bernaville Nurseries
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Best Garden Centre Retailer of Greeting Cards – Multiple or group (5+ centres) Winner: Blue Diamond Group - 37 centres in the UK
Above: A diamond moment for Angie Goosen.
SPONSORED BY
Right: Seth Woodmansterne, managing director of Woodmansterne Publications and W Select, sponsor of this award at the lectern about to announce the winner.
Left: As her swansong as Blue Diamond’s greeting card category manager before moving onto the children’s department. Angie Goosen was delighted to receive the trophy from Seth Woodmansterne, managing director of Woodmansterne Publications and W Select, the sponsor of this category.
Initial Reaction: “It was such an honour to be involved and to win another award too. I got a huge surprise when my name was called, but also I was so chuffed as I’d worked so hard on getting the range where it needed to be while I was on maternity leave and the team did such a great job maintaining it. I’m very proud of our efforts!”
Angie Goosen, now category manager of the children’s department of Blue Diamond Group
Best Greeting Card Retailer Initiative
SPONSORED BY
Winner: Earlybird, Stoke Newington - for its Hope Programme Initial Reaction: “When our second win was announced, well! I thought I might fall off my chair! Never in a million years did I think we'd win two awards. But it means so much, like a really huge pat on the back, which is something as a small business owner, you realise you never do. This is why these awards are so important. We REALLY needed this. Thank you to everyone.”
Heidi and Dom Early, coowners of Earlybird Designs
Above: It was a second win of the day for Earlybird! Directors (second left) Heidi and Dominic Early (second right) were delighted to be presented with the trophy from Angela Anderson, sales director of Danilo Promotions, sponsor of this award category.
Above: Angela Anderson, sales director of Danilo Promotions, sponsor of this award category, opened the gold envelope to announce the winner. Left: It was a doubly good day for Earlybird’s Heidi and Dom!
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Best Greeting Card Wholesaler Winner: BGC Wholesale, nine branches
Right: (second left) Paul Lavery, managing director of Budget Greeting Cards accepted the trophy from (right) Ade Longe, managing director of Sensations International/Xpress Yourself, sponsor of this award category.
Initial Reaction: “Absolutely fantastic to hear our name read out on stage – we were elated. The team here at Budget Greeting Cards were honoured to receive such recognition from our industry. During these unprecedented times over the past 18 months, we continued to put our customers at the heart of every decision we made. We are privileged to supply 15,000 independent traders across the UK and Ireland - our colleagues have worked tirelessly to support the people who rely on us to keep their businesses going. I’m incredibly proud of what we have achieved and this award for Best Greeting Card Wholesaler is testament to the team at BGC Wholesale and their hard work and is one I dedicate to them.”
Above: Ade Longe, managing director of Sensations International/Xpress Yourself, sponsor of this award category at the lectern announcing the winner. Left: Budget’s managing director Paul Lavery celebrated the win with BGC’s ecommerce manager, Kim Potter.
SPONSORED BY
Paul Lavery, managing director of Budget Greeting Cards
Greeting Card Retailer of the Year Winner: Cardzone Left: Paul Taylor, managing director of Cardzone held the trophy aloft, joined on stage by his co directors and colleagues, having been presented with the award by (4th left) Ged Mace, managing director of The Art File, sponsor of this final accolade of the event. Right: Cardzone director Jo Hancock with the trophy, surrounded by colleagues.
Right: Ged Mace, managing director of The Art File, sponsor of this prestigious category said a few words about the worthy winner.
SPONSORED BY
Initial Reaction: “We’re euphoric! A significant amount of hard work has gone into the past 18 months to both navigate the challenges of the pandemic, but also to take advantage of any growth opportunities available to Cardzone as a result of it. On one hand we have faced falling footfall and sales in our existing stores (which thankfully has gradually been improving since coming out of the third lockdown); and on the other we have been opening roughly a new store every fortnight and explaining to our staff that this growth is a means of supporting the business’ financial health in the longer term. It may have often felt like we were prioritising growth ahead of the performance of our existing stores when truthfully both aspects are of equal importance and without these combined elements we wouldn’t be where we are today, almost 17 years on since opening the first Cardzone store. These awards meant so much more given that eight members of our management team could also be present to share in the success. We feel extremely humbled to have won this award and every employee of Cardzone who has played a part in achieving this award deserves to know they have truly contributed.”
Paul Taylor, managing director of Cardzone PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE
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Innovations December 2021 .qxp_38-39/40-41 03/12/2021 11:58 Page 1
PG showcases a selection of new product launches
Earthly Pleasures Dandelion has launched a duo of earth-friendly plastic-free collections. Bun & Bear comprises 14 designs (140mm square), created in collaboration with Elliot Luca at The Whimsical Apple. These fun cards feature woodland characters partying in the forest. Meanwhile, Wild Thing is an animal-themed collection of 21 designs, which are all printed responsibly onto luxury FSC board made from post industrial waste. The 114x162mm cards come with a bespoke star patterned envelope. Dandelion Stationery 01332 504940
A Parkin Ticket Keen As Mustard(s) Who can fail to smile when looking at Sam Toft’s incredible Mustard family and the adventures they undertake together. The latest Sam Toft range from ArtPress comprises 12 everyday designs (seven 150mm square designs and five standard 120 x 170mm) with your heartstrings bound to be pulled by Mr. Ernest Hemmingway Mustard and his dog, Doris, contemplating the importance of small things while gazing out to sea as well as the unbridled joy as the Mustards jig together, in celebration of their enduring romance. ArtPress Publishing 020 7231 2923 www.art-press.co.uk
Earlybird has expanded its collaboration with artist Bex Parkin by publishing a new range of relations birthday cards, featuring her rich and beautiful artwork. These new additions join the 30 existing designs in Earlybird’s Bex Parkin collection, with the new jungle themed titles covering many relations from mum to cousin. They are carbon balanced, are printed on recycled, FSCaccredited board and come with craft fleck envelope. Earlybird Designs 01227 765372 www.earlybirddesigns.co.uk
Piecing It Together Flame Tree Publishing has launched a new range of ethical, sustainable and earth-friendly jigsaw puzzles. These highquality, 1000-piece jigsaws are manufactured in Europe using locally sourced FSC paper and board with a recyclable bag. Featuring powerful and popular works of traditional and contemporary art, the first selection include works from the V&A’s collections as well as from Angela Harding and Annie Soudain. Flame Tree Publishing 020 77519650 www.flametreepublishing.com/
A Cute Move Kingfisher Cards’ new cute range, Caboodles is a fluffy bundle of fun. There are 36 designs in the collection, covering relations and ages. Each code 75 card is printed on beautiful white soft touch board with a fluted foil finish and come with a full colour insert. Kingfisher Cards 01245 327226 www.kingfishercards.co.uk
It’s Your Turn Santoro has continued to expand its impressive paper engineered Pirouettes collection with new designs. One of these is the Secret Garden which is an intricate explosion of flora that invites the card recipient to discover hidden details each time they take another peek into the ‘greenhouse’. While the Pirouettes range has moving elements, the cards simply fold completely flat to allow postage in a standard envelope. Santoro +44 (0)20 8781 1100 www.santoro-london.com 44 PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE
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PG showcases a selection of new product launches
The Golden Touch Expanding on the collaborative textile-inspired collection, Bug Art has welcomed a new clutch of animal designs to its Amy’s Cards range. Based on the original embroideries of Amy Butcher, each card is embossed with gold foil. All blank inside, the cards measure 167mm x 118mm, come with a with an ivory pearlised envelope and are individually wrapped in a biodegradable bag. Bug Art 0115 929 4776 bugart.co.uk
Taking Note Painterly Persuasion From glamorous ballgowns and luxurious bottles of champagne to cosy home scenes and stylish skateboarders, IC&G’s new standalone Brighstone collection covers female and male sends in equal measure. There are 26 designs in this range of delightfully illustrated watercolour designs (13 male, 13 female) on textured board, are each finished with delicate foiling, flitter and blind embossing. The 274 x198mm cards come with a bespoke envelope. IC&G 01202 897494 www.icgcards.com
Abacus Cards has introduced a new range of sustainably packaged hanging note card packs. The designs are presented in smart plastic-free, printed wallet style packs. Each pack contains four cards, each of two designs. Full images of the designs are printed on the face and reverse of the pack to clearly show the contents. This latest range features on the company’s new website. Abacus Cards 01638 569050 www.abacuscards.co.uk
To Have And To HOLD
Growing Gains Incorporating Wrendale Designs’ love of nature and the environment, Say it with Seeds is the company’s brand new range of eco-friendly seed cards, Each of the 12 designs (all featuring the distinctive art of Hannah Dale) contain a mix of wild flower seeds (grown in the heart of the Lincolnshire countryside) that are perfect for attracting wildlife into the garden. Made in the UK and printed on sustainably sourced textured board, each comes with a recycled Kraft envelope. Wrendale Designs 01652 680253 www.wrendaledesigns.co.uk
Following on from its successful debut earlier this year, Lagom has expanded its HOLD collection (named after the publisher’s Brighton store). The latest 13 cards takes the collection to 49 designs, each of which is embossed using various foils. Lagom has also augmented its Ruby Taylor collection with the addition of six cards, taking it to 18 designs in total, each embossed with gold foil. Lagom +44 333 123 0101 lagomdesign.co.uk
Witty Quips Quip & Wit is Out of the Blue Studios’ latest everyday in-stock range of humour cards. The collection, which comprises 12 female and 12 male orientated designs has just landed in all leading wholesale/distributors. The Code 50 cards feature foil finish, have full colour inside and are printed on sustainably sourced FSC-accredited board. Out of the Blue Studios Tel: 07795 957995 www.outofthebluestudios.co.uk PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE 45
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Inset: As ever, children’s greeting cards reflect the lives, times and tastes of the youth.
For even the tiniest of tots, greeting cards that depict their favourite characters are always a winner. “In recent years, we have significantly grown our greeting card portfolio to include popular children’s TV and literary brands such as PAW patrol, L.O.L Surprise!, Elmer The Patchwork Elephant, CoComelon, Thomas and Friends, Peppa Pig, PJ Masks, Guess How Much I Love You and many more,” says Claire Bates, marketing manager of Danilo. “Using vibrant colours, key characters and well-known captions, these official cards are designed to reflect the brand as well as appeal to children who are fans of the show.” Hype Associate’s marketing manager, Jane PattersonWright, says that children have an insatiable appetite for an infinite range of subjects and characters, “from the ordinary to the incredibly fantastical, and beyond. Pretty much anything and everything goes in a world of pure imagination. “For example, Sesame Street features colourful, familiar characters that children love, whether they are blue or red, or covered in fur or feathers, plus the show has always led the way in gender-neutrality, and diversity. Top: With Elmer such a well-known book, Danilo’s licensed range resonates with kids and adults. Middle: A 100% recyclable Disney cards from UKG, with an envelope that becomes a basketball. Left: Hype Associates’ Elmo from Sesame Street. Right: Part of the Kids Club range from Cherry Orchard.
When it comes to kids’ card designs, it’s almost anything goes - from the most up-tothe minute licences to animals, unicorns, dinosaurs, rockets, nature and the environment, say card publishers, plus much more besides. With diversity and inclusion continuing to gain ground, PG takes a look at what else is driving the children’s cards market, and also discovers what kids - and their parents - really, really want. Elmer too, is a firm favourite with young children and their parents, with the thoughtprovoking stories advocating tolerance and diversity in the most fun way possible.” Highlighting nostalgia, Jane says that parents, and grandparents also want children to experience the same stories they remember fondly from their childhoods. “Our Little Grey Rabbit cards, although from another era, seem completely timeless.” UKG’s Ben Whittington, creative director, humour and character, adds, “Speaking from personal experience, I’m thinking about what the child would like and appreciate. I feel this is one of the reasons licences work so well in kids’ cards, as children have such an affinity with these franchises. My kids love our Disney cards, particularly where the cards offer novelty or surprises such as popups and/or activities on the inside. I love this Mickey design (above), where as well as being 100% recyclable, the envelope also offers play value as it can be scrunched into a makeshift basketball.” PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE
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Kids Cards
Aside from licensed cards, a myriad of greeting card designs abound to make a child’s birthday memorable. “Birthdays are always special days for children, full of excitement as they open their cards and presents,” comments Helen Pallen, marketing manager at Cherry Orchard Publishing. “For younger children, we’ve found that animals and make-believe are very popular, as are unicorns and mermaids. For older children, when their interests have developed, we can reflect these on our cards, to include sports, gaming and fashion.” UKG’s Ben Whittington concurs that gaming is trending and on the increase. As he points out: “There’s more choice on these platforms for younger players too now, as kids are becomingly increasingly tech savvy.” At the other end of the trending scale, while dinosaurs may have roamed the earth millions of years ago, they’re still hugely in demand on greeting cards. “Dinosaurs are always trending, kids love them,” says Earlybird Designs’ co-director Dominic Early. “In fact, our best selling card is our neon T Rex which remains a really strong design.” Like many publishers, the company has also found a strong, growing market for nature, to include penguins, turtles and jungle-themed designs. “As we become more environmentally aware, the world of wildlife nature has become more prominent,” Dominic states. “The beauty of the natural world is in its colours and wonderful imagery which make perfect kids’ cards. And you can’t beat cats!” he enthuses. “Funny cats, kitsch cats or beautiful cats. We will always have cats in any new range because they are so popular.” Top left: A general birthday gaming door hanger from UKG. Above: Dinosaurs are top sellers from Earlybird Designs. Far right: Rosanna Rossi’s new rocket design. Right: A selection of animal designs from Caroline Gardner. Left: Paper Shakies from James Ellis Stevens.
Pop Culture “Pop culture seems to play a large part in what we work on in the studio,” says Lucy Ledger, senior designer at Paper Rose. “And while the big brands focus on the actual characters, we find it will filter down to general trends, such as the surge in popularity for dalmatians after the release of the film Cruella. The same happened recently with sea creatures after the Disney Pixar release of LUCA.” Other than being on the lookout for pop culture trends, Lucy agrees that animals are always popular with children due to their inclusivity, “in fact, more so than ever, as the younger generations take an interest in their environment,” she adds. Right: Paper Rose’s award-nominated Marzipan Toybox range.
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Celebrating Age While adults might rue an extra candle on their birthday cake, children it seems are just the opposite, delighting in fanfaring that they’re another year older. “As children move onto the next year, age cards are important to them as well as to the people buying the cards for them, because they like celebrating that they’re one year older,” says Cherry Orchard’s marketing manager Helen Pallen. Emma Lawrence, illustrator and founder of Emma Lawrence Designs, concurs. “There’s a great demand for age cards for children with numbers on. Children love to receive a numbered card because each birthday is of great significance to them. Aunts, uncles, godparents and grandparents seem to particularly enjoy choosing an age card to celebrate each milestone.” Right: Among the age cards from Emma Lawrence Designs.
Of course, it’s not only cats that delight little ones. Louise Amesbury, sales account manager at James Ellis Stevens, says that the company has continued to see an increase in animal-related cards featuring dogs as well as cats, with animal themed children’s cards in general hugely popular with both girls and boys. “Additionally, for us, bikes, scooters, bees, cupcakes and sweets seem to be replacing diggers, tractors and fairies,” highlights Louise. “We have a brand new children’s Paper Shakies range out now which contains age and general happy birthday cards. They are filled with paper confetti and are 100% recyclable,” At Rosanna Rossi, the company’s Confetti Sprinkles range features a set of cute animals, with a rocket design having recently joined the line-up. “Rockets have always been an attractive theme for kids along with the attraction of outer space,” says designer and co-founder Anna Nelson. “With the recent big news about rocket launches, it could well be the reason for all the interest and fascination.” Highlighting the perennial popularity of animals is Caroline Gardner’s sales director Carolyn Verderame. “Animals and nature remain a best selling trend within our children’s ranges,” confirms Carolyn. “Coinciding with the ever-increasing emphasis on environmental awareness, and protection of those we share the earth with, many of our cards turn animals from everyday
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Kids Cards
popular culture into engaging child friendly characters, placing them as a central part of their celebration.” Meanwhile, the appeal of the familiar is something Carte Blanche Greetings’ marketing manager, Grace Elphinstone is very well aware of, pointing out that adults like to purchase birthday cards for very young children that feature illustrations they may recognise. “Zoo animals play a big part in our Wishing Well designs, ranging from monkeys and lions to elephants and pandas,” confirms Grace. “Current trends for school age kids vary, featuring classic dinosaurs, fairies and bikes, with traditional pink and blue still proving popular in My Dinky Bear cards.” Other best sellers for the company include make believe play, in the form of pirates, superheroes, mermaids and unicorns. As for older ages, Grace says it’s about clothes, make up and shopping, and being on trend, with activities such as skateboarding, sport and technology reflecting signs of the times. “Teenage designs tend to focus on the age and become more gender neutral, featuring strong, solid patterns and colours, so that the card giver is more confident. Nobody wants to upset a teenager!”
The Growth Of Gender Neutral With many parents eschewing the ‘pink for a girl, blue for a boy’ tradition, it comes as no surprise that gender neutral is trending. “Many adults still want to see blue for boys and pink for girls, while others prefer the gender neutral aspect,” comments Laura Murphy, director, Twizler. “We created our first gender neutral range last year - Tiger Tots - which has done well, but there’s a definite divide in customers for or against gender neutral. At the moment however, I think there is room for everything, and this year we have gone for Yummies, a deliciously yummy range. We have a lot of animals so we are trying something different. However, animals are always a great option for children’s cards.” Emma Lawrence says that, “from bugs and insects, rodents and rabbits to welly wearers playing outside, these cards have the benefit of being attractive to both boys and girls of all ages. Our new Welly Wearers range features males and females on one card in order to appeal to everyone.” Adds Emma: “a sense of fun is always welcomed in children’s cards and they love funny little details that make them smile.”
Top left: A best seller from Carte Blanche Greetings. Above left: Yummies is new from Twizler. Left: Stripey Cats’ Birthday Buddies Safari Birthday Bus. Riight: A great card from Out Of The Box for sporty girls.
What Adults - And Children - Want Publishers give their views... Georgie Palmer, founder of White Cotton Cards, has brought out a new kids range, Rainbows, with 36 designs including unusual and diverse cakes to sloths, koalas, sharks, microphones and dream catchers. “I designed these after talking to my little boys, (Harry, aged 9 and Jake, aged 6), who have told me just what a boy wants on a card, as did an employee’s two little girls, aged 10 and 7.” Continues Georgie: “it’s been very helpful and lovely seeing their faces when their ideas come to life. The kids did ask for things on the cards that I don’t think adults would buy iPads, phones etc - items that maybe adults don’t want to promote, but kids would love!” “Buying for my children and their friends, I am always on the lookout for a card that relates to them personally, either based on their pet or an animal they love or a sport or hobby they like doing,” says Louise Amesbury at James Ellis Stevens. “Football, bikes, skateboards and camping are popular themes, plus I always seem to be buying dog, cat or guinea pig cards!” At Paper Rose, Lucy Ledger adds: “I think adults look for bright, cheerful designs with a simple caption. While children aged 3-7 may love a colourful character, older children aged 8 and above seem to be drawn to more colourful icons and typographical designs highlighting their age.” Top: A Rainbows design from White Cotton Cards. Above: Zing from Paper Rose has been designed for older children.
Girl Power With inclusivity becoming more important than ever, Jenny Baker at Out Of The Box Cards explains: “a card is a small interaction between two people but it's a really meaningful one, as we know, so we wanted to create cards that cater for a more diverse range of girls and give adults the opportunity to communicate positive messages.” She explains: “We set up Out of the Box Cards after my experience of looking for a card for my niece. A lot of cards for girls portrayed them as passive and posing, or seemed to only focus on their appearance. I didn't want to send anything like that to my niece as she is active, courageous and adventurous - as well as being beautiful!” This year Out of the Box created a special card with Festival of the Girl, an online festival for girls aged 7 to 11, which aims to build their confidence, give them positive role models and to work towards a more equal society. Jenny relayed that research shows that by the age of six, girls' confidence is significantly lower than boys' and that by age 11, girls are already struggling with issues such as low self-esteem and negative body image. “A card is an opportunity to tell someone that you believe in them and want the best for them, and the type of card you send can have a big impact,” believes Jenny.
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The Henries 2021 Winner & Finalists
For the third year running Paper Salad’s Hoopla range was named the winner of The Henries 2021 Best Children’s Range category. PG spoke to the company’s co-founders, Claire Williams and Karen Wilson, as well as the other category finalists, to find out more about the ranges, where the inspiration came from, plus what gives children’s cards the X factor. Above: Paper Salad’s Karen Wilson (centre) and Claire Williams on stage at The Henries, having received the trophy from Tony Lorriman, md of Loxleys, the sponsor of this award category.
Finalist: Mouthies from Kali Stileman Publishing Kali Stileman, founder of her eponymous company Kali Stileman...
Winner: Hoopla from Paper Salad Claire Williams and Karen Wilson, co-founders and directors of Paper Salad... On winning: “We were delighted to win a Henries in the Best Children’s Range at this year’s awards. It completes a hat trick for us in this category, as we have won the award for the last three years in a row. In addition, for the past two years, we have also won Best Children’s Range at The Louies (the American greeting card awards) so we think it is safe to say we think we know what we are going when it comes to designing for kids!” About the range: “Certainly our use of colour helps. We pride ourselves on making all of our cards ‘pop’, and add to this beautiful embossing and foiling to complete the look. We also include a rainbow envelope designed especially for our Hoopla range.” Where does the inspiration comes from? “Animals feature in our latest additions, and always seem to have mass appeal to children of all ages. They do have to be fun and very cute though, and we have used them in different scenarios: all aboard, a boat, fire engine and ice cream van to name just a few!” What are the essentials? “Young ages sell very well for us, with ages one to five in both boy and girl adorned with cute little icons. From six to nine, the cards have a more generic feel. Stars, spots and stripes always work well on these ages.” Above: For the third consecutive year, Paper Salad’s Hoopla range won The Henries Best Children’s Range award.
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About the range: “Our Mouthies range is a series of delightfully quirky birthday cards featuring friendly animals and creatures with fun, laser-cut mouths.” Where did the inspiration come from? “The inspiration for the collection initially came from my illustrations for Make Believe Ideas, with a fab card range including a fluffy and formidable yeti, a delightful dinosaur and a growly tiger. Following the success of the first collection - we were up for Best Children’s Range at the Henries in 2020, too! - we brought out even more lasercut loveliness. This range celebrates the animal kingdom, to include a cheeky monkey, smiley polar bear and friendly giraffe.” What are the essentials? “In the Mouthies range, the toothy laser cut smiles make for lots of interaction for little fingers an essential element in designing a birthday card that children will love.” Above: Mouthies from Kali Stileman encourages interaction.
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The Henries 2021 Winner & Finalists
Finalist: Shine from Redback Cards Chris Stanley, founder of Redback Cards... About the range: “Market research is essentially for us when it comes to designing, especially for children. Once we had the first samples, we showed them to the kids of everyone in the office and saw their reactions to them. This was so important to us. It not only gave us the confidence to push forward with the range but provided valuable, honest feedback on how to improve the products.” Where did the inspiration come from? “The Shine range was inspired by my daughter who one day chose to wear a t-shirt that featured a reversible sequin patch. We take inspiration from real life and it’s always the everyday moments that give us the best ideas. We wanted to design something that was interactive, would prove popular with kids and would serve as both a gift and a card.” What are the essentials? “The most important thing in designing kids’ cards is that they have to be fun and we have to have fun designing them. Shine works because the cards are colourful and interactive, which ups the fun level. We also always make sure that we’re designing concepts that fit into current trends. The unicorn sequin patch card was a winner from day one and remains a best seller to this day. We’re always looking for the next best thing or trend to feature.” (New additions to the Shine range are currently being printed and will be available to order in January). Right: Shine, an interactive children’s card from Redback Cards.
Finalist: 3D Children’s Pop Up Range from Alljoy Design Lingxiao Ji, founder, Alljoy Design... About the range: “3D pop up cards for children. Designs include a princess, mermaid, dinosaur, bear, farm and under the sea.” Where did the inspiration come from? “During the lockdown in Ireland, I got the chance to spend some decent time with my 5-year old daughter at home, which I was very grateful for. It was fun at the start, but it became very tiring after a while, so we kept thinking of different ways to keep her busy. She particularly loves little cartoon characters, so after I’d drawn lots of characters for her, I got an idea to cut them out and make them stand up and that inspired our children’s 3D pop up cards.” What are the essentials? “For children's cards, it’s important to ask children's opinions and to look at the cards from a child’s perspective.” Below: A princess design from Alljoy’s 3D pop up children’s range.
Finalist: The Storybook Collection from Natalie Alex Designs Natalie Alexander, founder of Natalie Alex Designs... About the range: “Featuring different skin colours, a boy fairy and a princess riding off on a dragon instead of being rescued, The Storybook Collection designs break stereotypes and promote inclusivity.” Where did the inspiration come from? “The inspiration behind the collection was to create modern versions of old fashioned story books. I love the intricate details and magical feel of old book covers and I wanted to recreate that quality.” What are the essentials? “I think the X Factor for kids is to create something a bit unexpected. I like sophisticated designs for kids and designs that feel magical and make them feel special. I’m planning to design more cards that challenge gender stereotypes with more added to this collection in January.” Right: Designs from Natalie Alex Designs’ The Storybook Collection.
Finalist: Tiny Sparkles from Louise Tiler Designs Louise Tiler, founder of her eponymous company Louise Tiler Designs... About the range: “The Tiny Sparkles range is mostly based around hand painted animals for birthdays and celebrations, featuring a wide range of vibrant colours and creatures, with something for everyone.” Where did the inspiration come from? “We were looking to create a set of modern looking cards that incorporated some of the cute animal themes that were popular with our previous animal designs - bright backgrounds and more vibrant colours. Our stylised detailed animal illustrations were very popular with all ages and we wanted to expand our ranges to cover more captions and younger relations.” What are the essentials? “Vibrant colours and recognisably familiar images are very important. Our cards are different as they are stylised with cute illustrations and have a sophisticated feel too, so they work well for kids, but are also appealing to the buyers who appreciate the nice design.” Above: Tiny Sparkles’ animal-led designs from Louise Tiler Designs.
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Research Insights
Party On or Not? So many birthday celebrations, weddings, anniversary parties and Christmas gatherings just didn’t happen over the last two years, so surely we all deserve to get back out there? A recent survey undertaken by Kantar into consumers’ celebration plans shows that while indeed there are those who are planning to be proactive on the party front, and they are the ones more likely to frequent specialist card shops, there are others who still need some cajoling back to sociability. PG shares some of the findings…
In something of a gift to the greeting card industry, having been a sector that, despite its size (£1.7billion) and widespread engagement with the general public, has not really shown up on the radar of the major research companies for years, Kantar is now putting paid to that, using its Worldpanel Plus (which tracks the purchases of 100,000 UK adults) to drill down into the purses and minds of the nation’s greeting card buyers. Encouragingly, after a somewhat subdued Christmas last year, 6% of shoppers plan to spend more on Christmas this year with Kantar’s latest research findings reporting that almost 20% of shoppers are likely to spend more on Christmas cards and giftwrap this year, predictions which chime with the early buying habits experienced by many greeting card retailers. Being able to benchmark against the performance of other consumer products has already delivered some encouraging insights, such as how, while the online sales of greeting cards is still higher than prepandemic (now standing at around 12%), it has been one of the quickest to see the return to bricks and mortar sales.
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PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE
Above: There are lots of missed celebrations to make up for, but not everyone is in the party mood yet. Left: As part of its commitment to the greeting card sector, Kantar was a sponsor of The Retas. The research company’s consumer insights director, Tom Mitchell, presented the Best Department Store Retailer of Greeting Cards award to John Lewis & Partners’ (second left-right) buyers Chloe Cartwright and Sarah Moughtin with Anni Abrahams, merchandiser. Below: Almost one in five of us are planning to spend more on Christmas cards and wrappings this year, according to Kantar.
Jo Parman, strategic insights director of the Worldpanel Plus Team at Kantar, recognises the important role greeting cards play in human behaviour: “There is a sense of an emotional impetus driving change as people longed for connection to one another last year - the greeting card sector offered an important way for people to stay in touch and to show they care from afar. We’re still facing challenging times and it will be interesting to see how that desire to show the special people in our lives how much they mean will convert into sales for the sector.”
As to why Kantar has decided to start tracking greeting card sales, Jo clarified: “It’s a dynamic time for the greeting card sector and that flux creates demand for highquality data and insight. That’s what we can offer to retailers and publishers, helping them to understand, respond to and anticipate trends.” Highlighting just one change in circumstance from last year to this, which will have an impact not only on Christmas card sales, but also engagement with the sector, is school children giving cards to their classmates and their teachers. “This just didn’t happen last year as the schools were closed. It is not just the number of these extra Christmas cards that will be written this year, but also that positive engagement with the next generation of card senders that is important,” stresses Jo. “And sending a card to say thank you to your teacher at Christmas further reaffirms the positive role of cards,” she adds. As well as its ongoing tracking of greeting card purchases, Kantar also undertakes affiliated projects which also have a bearing on our sector. The most recent of these is its Celebration Survey Insights (based on
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Research Insights
51,000 consumers’ reactions in midOctober). This divides the UK adult public into three groups - Proactive, Unaffected and Cautious - with regards to their plans to hold parties or gatherings. The Proactive group, which made up 10% of the sample, intend to plan more parties than before. But these were in the minority. The Unaffected group, who plan to hold the same number of parties as before, made up 29.1% while the Cautious group, who are intending to hold no parties, or fewer than before, made up the majority of respondents with a 43.6% share. Home is where the party will be this year, with 43.6% of respondents saying they are planning gatherings at home (good news for those retailers who sell partyware and also, think about the thank you cards afterwards!) with only 12% expecting to visit venues outside the home over the next three months.
Some 64% of all respondents are planning to host Christmas this year, while 50% are organising gatherings with friends and family. Some 49% are planning to organise birthday parties, with this percentage rising to 55% among the Proactive group. Taking these insights onto another level, Kantar is then able to overlay the shopping
patterns of these three groups and which types of retailers are likely to benefit from their respective spends. As Jo explains the Proactive planners are much more likely to head to specialist retailers to satisfy their greeting card and party purchases, than the other two consumer groups. “Some 70% of Proactive planners are likely to claim specialist stationery and card stores as their main destination,” assures Jo. Overall though supermarkets have come out as the favourite destination for party supplies, with 39% saying they would shop there for supplies, 27% plan to shop in bargain retailers, 23% plan going online and 4% plan going to party stores. When buying party supplies, cost was the biggest factor affecting decisions with 60% of respondents said low prices were important, some 33% said convenience was important and 23% were looking for quality products. Party on!
Above: Proactive planners among us are most likely to beat a path to specialist and indie card shops. Right: Supermarkets remain the most likely choice for partyware spend.
More Rich Pickings Kantar’s Jo Parman reveals some other juicy nuggets from its research data… l What are the retail channel shifts? Are people buying more from specialists? - In the 12 weeks to 7 November (compared to 2019), sales from card, celebration and gift shops are down by 1% on cards in terms of share of spend, whereas card purchases from supermarkets are down nearly 2%. - The trend suggests shoppers are back to buying locally again, particularly for greeting cards. l Are there any differences over the last 12 weeks (to November 7) in the ways different demographics have returned to buying cards? For instance, are households with children taking longer to get back to pre-Covid levels as there have been no parties happening? - Households with children aren’t spending as much as in 2019. - In middle families - when the youngest child is between 5-9 years (prime party age) - spend on greeting cards is down 31% from physical stores purchasing (for the 12 weeks to 7 November 2021 versus same period in 2019). - Compare this to households without children and they are behind 2019 by 9%, which highlights how children’s birthday parties generate considerable greeting card sales. l What is the average spend/trip in the latest period for cards and is that up or down versus 2019? Are we seeing the levels of spend and footfall on greeting cards that we did in 2019? - Spend is still down in the 12 weeks to 7 November versus 2019, mainly because there are 7% fewer trips/transactions being made versus 2019. - The average amount of spend each trip is also down by 3% compared to 2019. Above: Kantar’s Jo Parman knows her way round reams of data about card buying habits. Left: The high street and local indies are continuing to claw back greeting card sales from online and the supermarkets.
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on to Su lin the bs c e at new rib PG s e Bu flas zz h .n et
ART SOURCE
From the team behind Progressive Greetings Worldwide, PG Live, The Retas and The Henries, PGBuzz.net has launched as the new online central resource for the greeting card sector online...
TO APPEAR REGULARLY IN THE
ARTSOURCE SECTION OF PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS CONTACT TRACEY ARNAUD ON 01234 740 051
Jakki Brown Joint md & editorial director jakkib@max-publishing.co.uk
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Advertising, Recruitment and Sponsorship Opportunities:
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News, Editorial and Content Opportunities:
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Art Source
Kathryn The Great
Kathryn Selbert is an illustrator and designer currently living in Montclair, New Jersey with her French bulldog Margot and tea loving boyfriend. As well as creating illustrations for children’s books, her work has also graced greeting cards for many leading companies, from Hallmark to Up With Paper, American Greetings to Calypso Cards. Here she shares some of her life loves and inspirations. “I grew up near Long Island Sound in Connecticut in an area known for its revolutionary history, rich Autumn foliage and coastal atmosphere. My father was a landscape architect and my mother (a former art teacher) is a professional gardener. Growing up our home was filled with art books, patterns, colour, music and a deep love for plants. My creative parents always tried to give me as much as exposure to different types of artwork as possible. My father would often bring home stacks of books from the library that he hoped I’d find interesting. My love for children’s illustration came from reading books with my mother and father as well as from an encouraging 2nd grade teacher (Barbara Mariconda). She was beginning her journey as an author as well as teaching in the public school system. She encouraged us to write our own stories and learn about children’s illustrators. I didn’t realise until much later in life how much of an influence that year had on me. My father passed away while I was in high school and I turned fully to working on artwork as a distraction while I was grieving. I attended college in Providence, RI at the Rhode island School of Design where I gained a degree in Illustration. While at RISD, I took a class called Top left: Kathryn Selbert is a devoted plant ‘mummy’. Top right: Margot, Kathryn’s French bulldog was a handy model in this Halloween design. Above middle: Her love of nature shows through in Kathryn’s work. Above right: A cute Christmas design. Left: Floral and sentiment combine in this design.
WANT TO BE FEATURED?
‘Picture and Word’ taught by Jude Sue Goodwin Sturges. We wrote and illustrated a children’s book dummy to present to editors and art directors at the end of the course. My book was chosen to develop and the rest is history! Most of my work is inspired by joy found in nature and with animals. I have always loved hiking through the forest and seeing all the little critters and light coming through the trees. Working in my mother’s garden with her when I was young and nurturing plants from seeds to sprout to fruit has also influenced my work. For the past few years, I’ve also found that I focus a lot on the changing seasons and holidays in my greeting card and book work. The change of motifs, colours and subject matter throughout the seasons is very invigorating and keeps my work fresh. I try to create images that make me happy and hope they bring the same feeling to others! For my digital work I use an iMac, Photoshop CC and an Wacom Intuos Tablet. My scanner is a Brother DCP-7065DN printer/scanner. For brush pens, I primarily use Pentel fude brush pen, medium (XFL2L) or the thinner version. For watercoluor work, I use Winsor & Newton Cotman watercoluors. I create using Photoshop on a desktop computer with a wacom tablet. I collect folders of images and photos that pop up and spark something in me for later when I need to put together mood boards for a project. It is a unique thrill to find a project you’ve worked on printed as a greeting card or gift wrap or book in a bookstore. Over the years as well as greeting cards and giftwrap, I’ve been lucky to work on children’s clothing, children’s books, puzzles, wall art and packaging. I never get tired of seeing someone come across an item of mine that draws them in and uplifts them.” l Kathryn Selbert is represented by Advocate Art for licensing.
If you are an artist, photographer or verse writer and would like to be considered to appear in Art Source, please contact PG’s Jakki Brown on jakkib@max-publishing.co.uk. This is an editorial feature and as such is free of charge. PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE
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Pen, paper, partyware
Celebrate the occasion
6-9 FEBRUARY 2022 | NEC BIRMINGHAM
Take note, our Greetings & Stationery hall is full of the most creative and colourful cards, stationery and decorations. Now, that’s a reason to celebrate. springfair.com
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PG ASKED A SELECTION OF RETAILERS FOR THEIR BEST SELLERS. Paul and Helen Southgate, co-owners of Cards ‘n’ Things, Hellesdon. Whistlefish designs hit A specialist independent card shop on the outskirts of Norwich. Below: the spot in Cards ‘n’ Things. Category
Name of Publisher
Product/Name Range
Comments
Everyday
Caroline Gardner
Various
“Eye catching and on trend.”
Relations and Occasions
IC&G
The relation and age combined designs
“Good mix of traditional and cute designs with words.”
Humour
Dandelion
Words of Wisdom
“Fresh look and on point humour.”
Art
Woodmansterne
Lucy Grossmith
“Beautifully captured scenes.”
Children’s
Whistlefish
Various
“Good price and designs.”
Adult ages
Ling Design
The Curious Inksmith
“Imaginative range aim at millennials.”
Thinking of You
Clare Maddicott
Boujee
“Bright and cheerful art by Sarah Long spot on!”
Giftwrappings
Glick
Rollwrap and dressings
“All occasions covered and great designs.”
Gifts/ancilliaries
Rachel Ellen Designs
Children’s gifts
“We’re forever re-ordering!”
Self-purchases
Gnaw Chocolate
Handcrafted chocolate
“Made in Norwich with lots of innovative products.”
Above: Gnaw’s Norwich-made chocolate range includes vegan options too.
Cathy Frost, owner of Loveone, Ipswich. A well loved medium sized gift and card shop in the Suffolk port town. Category
Name of Publisher
Product/Name Range
Comments
Everyday
Nineteen Seventy Three Wrap
Carolyn Suzuzki Charlotte Trounce
“The plant designs are really cheery.” “Very popular great designs.”
Relations and Occasions
Wanderlust Lagom
Florals Meghann Rader
Stormy Knight
Bloom
“Simply beautiful.” “The new baby and wedding designs are especially strong.” “Great seed cards.”
Humour
Wrap
Rozalina Burkova
Art
Art Angels Laura Stoddart
Angela Harding; Angie Lewin Generally
“People are very familiar with both artists - classic and multi-use.” “Absolutely beautiful botanical designs.”
Thinking of You
Lagom
Postco
“Simple but beautiful.”
Children’s
Hutch Cassidy
Magical Party Animals
“Bright and cheerful.”
Giftwrap
Petra Boase
Leopard/ zebra prints
“Funky.”
Gifts
Plum and Ashby
“British made, at a good price point.”
True Grace Lisa Angel
Hand creams and candles Candles Jewellery
Fruu
Lip balms
“Great back story and vegan friendly.”
Self-purchases
Right: A Charlotte Trounce design from Wrap.
“Great quality and many repeat purchases.” “A wide selection of affordable jewellery.”
Above: Some Magical Party Animals from Hutch Cassidy.
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Roy Nesbitt, owner Ballyholme Post Office, Bangor. A newsagents and Post Office at the heart of the Ballyholme community in Bangor. Category
Name of Publisher
Product/Name Range
Comments
Everyday
Caroline Gardner
Across the board
Humour
Rosie Made a Thing
Across the board
Relations and Occasions Art
UK Greetings
Across the board
Rocket 68 UK Greetings Gruff Pawtraits
Kimono Cards RHS Main range
Thinking of You
Emma Bryan Design
Main range
Children’s Adult ages
Janie Wilson Earlybird Second Nature
Animals Across the board General
“Our customers love the contemporary ranges.” “These cause hysterics from some customers!” “A real breadth of choice and variety of design with regular updates.” “We picked this up at PG Live.” “These sell well as blank cards.” “A PG Live find. The cards go down well with our many dog lovers/walkers.” “Beautiful cards for those keeping in touch.” “Great designs.”
Giftwrap
Deva Designs
Across the board
Ohh Deer Woodbridge Yankee Crème d’Or Butlers
Cath Kidston giftbags Candles and home fragranced products Chocolates
Right: Bright blooms from Rocket 68’s Kimono Cards range. Below right: Canine loveliness from Gruff Pawtraits.
Gifts
“These complement our UKG age cards.” “Always stunning new designs and collections.” “This has proved to be a winner.” “We are enjoying a recent upsurge in home fragrancing sales.” “The boxes are good for gifting, the premium bars for self-indulgence!”
Lara Wares, owner of Threads of Harpenden. A popular medium sized card and gift shop in a Hertfordshire town. Category
Name of Publisher
Product/Name Range
Comments
Everyday
Belly Button Designs
“Consistent best sellers.”
Right: This Dandelion design has been a best seller for Threads this year and last.
Louise Mulgrew
No. 78; Electric Dreams Across the board
Think of Me
Jot
Relations and Occasions
Caroline Gardner
Across the board
Paperlink
Mimosa
Rosie Made a Thing
Across the board
Redback
Holy Flaps
Children’s
Paper Salad Woodmansterne
Across the board Across the board
“Lovely bright, eye-catching designs.” “The Quentin Blake cards have a huge following.”
Adult ages
Wendy Jones-Blackett
Cloud 9
Second Nature
Pop Up Cards
“Large cards that customers love for special birthdays.” “We have a spinner of these and they Above: The packaging adds to the appeal sell really well.”
Humour
“A new company for us that our customers are loving.” “These fly out.” “Lots of customers specifically ask for CG cards.” “A very popular, easy to give.” “The humour is spot on for our customers.” “Hilarious!”
of the Thomas St Candle Co. products.
Thinking of You
Dandelion Lagom
Personalised cards Mini Cards
“The ‘Sending Hugs from Harpenden’ is one of our best selling cards.” “Customers buy handfuls of these at a time.”
Giftwrap
Glick
Across the board
“Great designs with something for everyone.”
Gifts
Pulp
Thomas St Candle Co
“These fly out, the brown glass is very on trend and a fantastic price.”
Self-purchases
Peace of Mind
Scarves
“Really fabulous Spring/Summer and Autumn/Winter ranges.”
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PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE
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To appear in the Product Directories contact Warren Lomax T: 020 7700 6740 email warren@max-publishing.co.uk or contact Tracey Arnaud T: 07957 212 062 email traceya@max-publishing.co.uk
Publishers of quality blank greeting cards Tel: 0115 929 4776 enquiries@bugart.co.uk Order Online
www.bugart.co.uk
To appear in the Product Directories contact Warren Lomax T: 020 7700 6740 warren@max-publishing.co.uk or contact Tracey Arnaud T: 07957 212 062 traceya@max-publishing.co.uk
Te l: 01638 5 6 9 0 5 0 w w w . a b a cu s c a rd s . c o . u k E ma i l : i nf o@a ba c us card s . co . uk
around at
BEXY BOO To appear in the Product Directories contact:
Enquiries: warren@max-publishing.co.uk or Tracey Arnaud traceya@max-publishing.co.uk
www.bexyboo.co.uk 01565 830 546 @BexyBooLtd
BexyBooLtd
@BexyBooLtd
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Greetings Cards Plush & Giftware Gi G ft Dressings & Wrrap Gift
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or contact Tracey Arnaud T: 07957 212 062 email: traceya@max-publishing.co.uk
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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.
John Faulkner’s artwork probably represents some the mo distinc humor image availa today To view: www.johnfaulkner.co.uk which also includes trade information To contact: sales@johnfaulkner.co.uk
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
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Tel: +44 (0)115 986 0115 customerservices@paperrose.co.uk www.writefromtheheart.co.uk
To appear in the Product Directories contact Warren Lomax T: 020 7700 6740 email: warren@max-publishing.co.uk
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l PRODUCT DIRECTORY
l PRODUCT DIRECTORY
Enquiries: warren@max-publishing.co.uk or Tracey Arnaud traceya@max-publishing.co.uk
Products: Greetings Cards, Gift Wrap, Gift Bags, Social Stationery, Partyware
Brands: Blossom & Bows Card Essentials Greetings Impressions In Touch Isabel·s Garden Planet Happy Sentiments With You In Mind Word Play
Method of sale: Wholesale Distributors
Simon Elvin Limited Wooburn Industrial Park, Wooburn Green, Bucks HP10 0PE Tel: 01628 526711 Fax: 01628 531483 www.simonelvin.com mail@simonelvin.com
The UK’s leading publisher of highest quality handmade Greetings Cards. Products: Greetings cards for all occasions, Christmas and Spring Seasons. Spinners and other retail displays available. Talking Pictures Cards Ltd 14-20 Eldon Way, Paddock Wood, Kent, TN12 6BE
Tel: 01892 838574 enquiries@talkingpics.co.uk www.talking-pictures.co.uk
7RPFDW &DUGV 6 Heron Trading Estate Alliance Road, Park Royal, London W3 0RA T: 0208 385 4474 F: 0208 385 4471 E: info@Xpressyourselfcards.co.uk WWW.XXPRESSYOURSELFCARDS.CO.UK
PRODUCTS: World’s leading publisher of high quality plastic greeting cards. Also an extensive range of quality greeting cards covering Everyday, Occasions, Christmas and Spring seasons. BRANDS: Cherished Thoughts, Sweet Sentiments, Buddies Always, Symphony, Thinking of You, Style, Special Wishes, Special Times, Young Editions, Groove Sensations, Forever Blessed, Grey Skies, Classics. METHOD OF SALE: SENSATIONS – Direct to retail XPRESS YOURSELF – Now one of the leading wholesale publisher suppliers in the UK
To appear in the Product Directories contact Warren Lomax T: 020 7700 6740 email: warren@max-publishing.co.uk or contact Tracey Arnaud T: 07957 212 062 email: traceya@max-publishing.co.uk www.tomcat.cards info@tomcat.cards PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE
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EUROPE’S LEADING GREETINGS CARDS, PARTY PRODUCTS, GIFTS, CANDLES, TOYS, STATIONERY AND FLORIST SUNDRIES DISTRIBUTION CENTRE 75000 SQ FT
We offffer a COMPREHEN
BESCOT CRESCENT, WALSALL, WEST MIDLANDS. WS1 4NG 01922-646666
range of high Greeting Cards f ALL
DIRECTORY OF WHOLESALE
Occasions,
www.greetingshouse.co.uk info@greetingshouse.co.uk
CHRISTMAS an Season
MON,WED,FRI 8.00am-4.45pm TUES,THURS 8.00am-7.45pm SAT,SUN 8.00am-1.45pm
f Sale:
mail: inffoo@words-nWeb: www We w..words-n-wishes.co.uk
Tel: 01942 233201
Market Leaders in
Verse
& entimen
an extensive range of superior quality,
design-led Greeting Cards for all occasions, Spring Seasons & Christmas.
Method of Sale: Direct to Retail Orders can be placed on our trader site
www.cbgtrader.co.uk or call our customer services team on
+44(0)1243 792600
Enquiries: warren@max-publishing.co.uk or Tracey Arnaud traceya@max-publishing.co.uk
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PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE
To appear in the Product Directories contact Warren Lomax T: 020 7700 6740 warren@max-publishing.co.uk or contact Tracey Arnaud T: 07957 212 062 traceya@max-publishing.co.uk
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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
BAGS 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
BAGS
GIVE E YOUR
Manuffacturers of high quality fllexible packaging 30 YEARS EXPERIENCE - QUA UALITTY Y SERVICE EXTENSIVE STOCK RANGE - QUICK DE ELIVERY ASSURED
- HEADER BAGS - WA WALLET BAGS - ZIPPER BAGS - FLEXOGRAPHIC, HOTFOIL & THEERMAL PRINTING www.transrappackagin ng.co.uk sales@transrap.co o.uk
CALL US TODA AY
01773 5378 810
V VIP
TREA AT A TMENT HIGH CLARITY L TY Y BA AGS FOR R GREETING G 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 SIZES SIZ 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
CALL CA CAL C LL US ST TO ODAY OD
0122 1228 228 2 28 8 5605 56 60 052 26 6 www.fful ulcrumfilms. ulcrrum mfillm ms s co.uk uk
PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE
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ENVELOPES
FOR ALL YOUR ENVELOPE NEEDS! Largest range of in-stock colours Over 400 Bespoke Envelope Sizes 8 Sizes Permanently in Stock RECYCLED
PAPER
100% Recycled Paper Available Stock & Bespoke Cello Bags Peel & Stick Envelopes Bespoke Service on Request
ORDER ON LINE AT:
W W W. EN VE CO .CO .U K
01 90 83 78 86 6
www.regentenvelopes.com 01274 583000 sales@regentenvelopes.com
IN FO @E NV EC O. CO .U K
‘we we make Envelopes and Stationery’
MOREE THAN 50 COLOURS 6 POPULAR GREEETINGS CARD SIZES 50+ WH HITE SIZES IN STOCK BESPOKE ENV VELOPES AV AVAILABLE PEEL A AND SEAL CLOSURE RECYCLED / KRAFTT / 140GSM / 120GSM 11 SUPER BRIG GHT NEON COLOURS BESPOKE NOTEBO OOKS & STATIONERY
PLEASE GET IN TOUCH FOR TARY RY YOUR COMPLIMENTA ENVELOPE OR NOTEBOOK WATCH PA PACK SWA
SPECIALISTS IN SHORT RUN MULTI IMAGE PRINT s Foiling Services without the need for dies s Wiro bound notebooks, no minimum quantity s In House Fulfilmment Services
T 01274 305832 E info@hellocards.co.uk www.hellocards.co.uk
The simplest way to order your greetings cards
FLITTERING FOR ALL YOUR FLITTER REQUIREMENTS
ABL Foil Ltd Unit 1, Industrial Estate East Hanningfield Chelmsford Essex, CM3 8AB 68
PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE
Contact DAVID JIGGINS Tel: 01245 400104 Email: david@abl-ltd.co.uk
Powered by
Unit 8, Archers Park, Branbridges Road, East Peckham, Kent TN12 5HP www.theimagingcentre.co.uk Email: info@theimagingcentre.co.uk Tel: 01622 871449
we print
we finish
we pack
we deliver
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PJ Print PJ woulldd lliike to w isshh our clliie nts and co lllee aaggu gue s in thhee gre eting card industry Meerry Christmas M and a very Haapppppy Ne w Ye ar The Pr int W Wo orks Colville Road, Acton London W3 8BL tel 020 8993 5160
e-mail sales@ppjj-pr int.co.uk www w..ppjj-pr int.co.uk
cturing ufa an m
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Your saf ep ai
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Outstanding, cost effective and efficient production of Greeting cards, Packaging and Social stationery, ideal for intricate and hand finished products. • Over 15 years experience providing high-quality printed products direct from the Far East • Trusted and financially stable, UK owned by The Sherwood Group • Socially responsible manufacturing: SMET TA A, ISO9001, ISO14001, FSC certification • Full product prototyping in the UK for competitive speed to market requirements
To find out how we can benefit your business, contact Derek Lam +00 (852) 3527 3471 / derek@sherwood-press.com or The Sherwood Group Head Office Hong Kong Office: 13/F, Kam Chung Commercial Building, 19-21 Hennessy Road, Wanchai, Hong Kong
www w..sherwoodgroupuk.com
000510
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Social Sta tationerry Printer of the Year
Award winning U UK & Global specialist manufacturer ffor the greeting card industry fo or over 40 years To discuss how we can worrk together, contact Richard Bacon: Tel 0115 928 7766 Email ric chard.bacon@sherwoodgroupuk.com
www.sherrwoodgroupuk.com Hadden Court, Glaisdale e Parkway, Glaisdale Drive West, Nottin ngham NG8 4GP
WAREHOUSING & DISTRIBUTION
Same day order turna around Accurate fulfilment Value added only as you sell the product
THE SPECIALIST GREE ETINGS CARD PRINTE ER
Exclusively Greeting Cards Dedicated Account Managers
Litho Print
D Die-cutting
Digital Print
F ering Flitt
Foiling
Packing
Embossing
D Distribution
With an excellent reputation we work as an integral part of your team bringing QYGL QSVI XLER JYPǻPQIRX 4YV GSWXMRK WXVYGXYVI MW WMQTPI ERH XVERWTEVIRX ;I ; I GEVV] SYX EPP EWTIGXW SJ LERH ǻRMWLMRK ERH EWWIQFP] ERH TVSZMHI [LEXIZIV EHHMXMSREP WIVZMGIW ]SY RIIH 4YV WIPIGX XIEQ SJ SYX[SVOIVW GEVIJYPP] LERH [VET ER] WM^I SV JSVQEX SJ GEVHW YVKIRXP] 4ZIVRMKLX ;I GEVI EFSYX ]SYV TVSHYGX EW QYGL EW ]SY HS &XXIRXMSR XS HIXEMP 6( .WWYIW ;I
Tel:0127 e 4 4531828 Email: info@herbertw o alkers.co.uk
www.herbertwalkers.co.u uk
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