Progressive Greetings Worldwide February 2017 by Max Publishing: Print, Digital Media + Events (London)

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Leader

On The Cards The words ‘Happy Birthday’ graced the stands on thousands of new greeting card designs at Top Drawer last month, and thousands more will be showcased at Spring Fair in February, not to mention the millions that are already out there on retailers’ racks up and down the UK. It is the phrase that anchors greeting card sales, yet how many of us think of the ‘happy’ bit, that lovely emotional state that we all wish to have, and strive to ignite in those around us, whether in our personal or business lives? This year we included a new question in the PG/Cardgains Retail Barometer that all 750 Cardgains independent retail members are involved in – ‘What is the main reason people buy cards in your shop?’ We, together with Cardgains, have been running this annual research for donkey’s years, but it has taken all this time to ask this fundamental business and life-affirming question! While the top reason given was ‘To show someone they care’, not far behind in the ranking was ‘To make someone happy’, seen as the second most potent prompter for over three quarters of the Survey’s respondents. And this retailer perspective is echoed by the data collected from consumers in Carte Blanche’s extensive research mapping exercise ‘The Anatomy of Friendship’, which has ‘Make someone smile’ right up there near the top in the hierarchy of reasons why the public say they buy cards. While all this may sound obvious, many of us have been in this industry for a fair few birthdays after all, but it is sometimes good to stop and take check of what a greeting card can do. (Don’t miss reading about and then watching The Greeting Card Project, Blue Eyed Sun’s Jeremy Corner’s weekly videos about the cards he sends and the emotional journey of which they form a part - pages 75-77). I loved hearing about the stunt UKG’s parent company, American Greetings, pulled with its #DeviceLikeNoOther campaign for the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, attended by techies all revved up for info on the latest gadgets. The

Come and see us on our Progressive Greetings stand (Hall 3, Stand J42) at Spring Fair.

Above: Emily Coxon (centre) with Pigment’s creative director Martin Powderley and PG’s Jakki Brown with copies of The Happy News on the Pigment stand at Top Drawer. Right: Between the Lines has 13 stores now, but it has set its sights on having 50 over the next five years. PG’s Jakki Brown (right) in the retailer’s new London store with owners Florian and Lindsey Kleinlercher. Left: UKG’s ceo Gary Rowley with commercial director Jayne Myers (left) and PG’s Jakki Brown, in front of a mural based on the company’s staff that forms part of the major refurbishment of the publisher’s Dewsbury HQ.

anticipation built for the launch of this revolutionary product that promised unlimited power, brilliant display and unlimited ways to connect you’ve guessed it, a greeting card! (See News page 21). Any one in need of upping their happiness quota should go to the Pigment stand at Spring Fair and ask to meet Emily Coxhead, creator of The Happy News (a newspaper that celebrates all that is good in the world that has been cheering up folk in hospital and elsewhere), the essence of which is now being translated on to a range of greeting cards. And get there quick, as they are also giving away some Happiness Jars that are crammed full of messages that really do make you feel happy. Here’s to lots of happy days in 2017.

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Contents

What’s Inside

With This Issue:

FOCUS ON CALENDARS

Chris Pend leton’s

Garden Birds

Family Organiser 2018

Blackbird

Blue tit Long-tailed tit

Nuthatch Goldfinch

57 11-27 News

75-77 Jeremy Corner’s Journal

30-31 Cardsharp

79-81 In Conversation With UKG’s CEO Gary Rowley

33-34 Over The Counter With Cathy Frost 39-41 Card Retailers’ Viewpoints On Christmas 2016 43-51 The Retail Barometer Findings 53-57 The State Of The Nation 59-63 A Significant Spring Fair Trio 65-67 New Debut Exhibitors At Spring Fair 69-73 International Industry Focus

83-85 Cardgains’ Chris Dyson Explains The Buying Group’s Focus 87-89 Face To Face With Frosts Garden Centre Group 91-93 Card & Gift Retailing Group, Between The Lines 95-97 Publishers Benefiting From A Mentor 99 Debbie Wigglesworth’s Paper Journeys

Chaffinch

103-107 Greeting Card Agents Review 2016 109-113 Through The Keyhole With Some Industry ‘Celebrities’ 115-139 Spring Fair Innovations 141-145 Art Library Experts’ 2017 Trend Forecasts 147-149 What’s Hot? 151-153 Lynn’s Lines 154-166 Classified 167 Appointments

SUBSCRIPTIONS: UK subscription: One year £50 Two year £85 Three year £110 Overseas subscription: One year £75 Jakki Brown

Warren Lomax

Gale Astley

jw@max-publishing.co.uk

warren@max-publishing.co.uk

galea@max-publishing.co.uk

Advertisement Director

Greenfinch

100-101 Card Connections In The Apprentice

Progressive Greetings is a monthly business magazine.

Editor

House sparrow

Deputy Editor

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

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

Copyright© 2017. 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.

PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE

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NEWS How It’s Made

TOP STORY

Festive Cheer Card Retailers Give Christmas A Thumbs Up By most accounts, despite early worries, Christmas trade in the end was pretty good for greeting card retailers, both multiples and independents. “Nervous start, but great finish!” was how John and Jennie Procter, co-owners of Scribbler summed up the Christmas trading period, which ended up 6% up like-for-like on the previous year, experiencing an uplift in sales of both Christmas singles and boxes, the latter reversing a decline. “We did see trade come later than ever so it was definitely a year for holding our nerve,” commented John Lewis’ assistant card and stationery buyer Amie Scull about the retailer’s Christmas card sales, but revealed that the department store chain’s decision to increase space allocated to Christmas card singles paid off in increased sales. Paperchase concurs that the longer run-up to the ‘big day’ with Christmas Day failing on a Sunday made a real difference. “Our card sales were good against a backdrop of difficult market conditions,” said Frances Burkle, director of buying for the design-

Below: A topical gag on an Emotional Rescue Christmas card! Bottom: Paperchase had a “positive” Christmas on the card front.

led multiple. She confirmed that its Christmas card sales were up like-for-like, with sentiment and special captions performing well. “We sensed there was a general feeling of uncertainty out there which naturally makes people more cautious. The cards that stood out for us this year were those cards for a loved one and special friends - all having an emotional hook.” Smaller card retail groups and independents also reported a better than expected Christmas. “Good but not spectacular”, was the phrase Miles Robinson, co-owner of House of Cards used (whose six shops in the Home Counties ended up +2.6% specifically on Christmas products), while Mark Rees, owner of Penmark Cards, was slightly less enthusiastic. “Very challenging overall,” is his verdict. Reflecting a trend experienced by other retailers, Penmark’s sales of Christmas singles were up 3.7%, but its Christmas box sales declined by 7.5%. (For more Christmas trading revelations see pages 39-41).

Festive Flurry From GCA The Greeting Card Association’s Sharon Little had as busy a schedule as Santa’s elves in the run up to Christmas, taking every opportunity to fanfare the greeting card industry on TV and radio right up until the big day. She was filmed by ITV news about sending Christmas cards, which was syndicated and shown on local news stations the length and breadth of the UK. And on 21 December she spent the day in Wogan House, home of BBC Radio, where she appeared on air on 14 of the BBC’s local radio stations talking about Christmas card sending, the growth in the industry and the history behind the Christmas card. But it wasn’t just UK broadcasters who wanted to hear about the British love-affair with Christmas cards, Sharon was also filmed for a Brazilian news programme, Globo Notícia Europa which was screened on Christmas Day in Brazil. Sharon spoke about the British tradition of sending Christmas cards and how it is still important even in today’s digital age. "This year really was a bumper year for Christmas card coverage and the GCA – it was brilliant,” says Sharon, adding, “It was the perfect opportunity to inspire people to write more cards by reminding them how special it feels to receive cards and display them." The recordings are all available to listen to and watch on the GCA YouTube channel. Left: The GCA’s Sharon Little being filmed for a Brazilian news programme that was screened on Christmas Day.

In a festive special of the BBC’s programme Inside the Factory, Gregg Wallace, Cherry Healey and Ruth Goodman travelled around the UK to see how some of our favourite Christmas goodies are made, including wrapping paper, tinsel, Christmas jumpers and mince pies. Ruth Goodman also visited St Bride’s Printing Library in London to see how Sir Henry Cole’s first commercial Christmas card would’ve been printed in 1843. Cherry Healey paid IG Design Group’s South Wales factory a visit to see how wrapping paper is made. She took viewers on the journey from initial design, through to printing and packaging. The programme covered how IG Design Group’s factory is the largest producer of giftwrap in Europe, producing 400 million metres of it every year and creating 6,000 new design patterns. Below: Presenter Ruth Goodman at IG Design Group’s factory.

New Owner For OPC The Original Poster Company (OPC), the successful card publisher that distributes via franchisees, has been acquired by Cathay Investments, which describes itself as a ‘forward looking investment company’. OPC distributes its ranges of cards and wrap through a franchise network to independent retailers and national groups throughout the UK and Western Europe, America and Australia. Commenting on the sale, Mark Thompson, managing director of OPC, said: “We’ve been in business for 26 years this month. Given that franchisees have entrusted their capital and livelihoods to OPC, we are custodians of this business for the longterm. We feel that OPC becoming part of a larger group is the right thing to ensure the continued prosperity of OPC, our franchisees and customers.” Mark is to remain with the company, as are other well-known colleagues, including Kim Richardson (national accounts manager), Martin Parks (art director) and Kerry Sherriff (operations director). Above: Mark Thompson, managing director of OPC.

PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE

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NEWS TOP STORY

Rising To The Challenges PG/Cardgains Retail Barometer Readings Are Revealed “Challenging” is the word that independent card retailers feel best describes their business over the last year, but they are up for rising to the challenge, with 42% gearing up for growth in 2017, and the same percentage aiming to remain steady with 2016’s performance. These are some of the highlights from the PG/Cardgains Retail Barometer. “This is the only annual survey into the health and wealth of Your hopes the independent card and gift retailer and the findings provide not only an insight into the past year, but also track the changing shape of trade over the many years that we have been undertaking this important research project in conjunction with Progressive Greetings,” commented Penny Shaw, marketing director of Cardgains, whose 750 members were involved in the survey. It was people, promotions and products that came out as the top three boons to indies’ businesses over the last year (in that order) while the main bugbears cited were the increase in the

minimum wage, business rates and parking. When it comes to other retailers threatening a card indie’s business it is Card Factory that hits the top spot, with 80% of respondents seeing the value retailer as a real threat to their trade, though supermarkets are only a couple of percentage points behind. Cardgains member, Peter Whiteman, owner of Dzo Dzo, Woodbridge is in no doubt as to what an indie for 2017? now needs to do to progress this year: “The retailers that will go forward this year, especially in the first quarter, will be those that do not sit back and complain about price rises and how this will cripple their business, but those that show initiative to re-invent. Promotions will also play a big part, to keep the public flowing in the doors. If your competition is lack lustre in their inventiveness, then this leaves the opportunity for you to increase your percentage of the market place.” (See pages 43-51 for a full report on the PG/Cardgains Retail Barometer).

Seeing Is Believing Spot a problem, come up with a solution, and see it through to its conclusion, is precisely the chain of events which has resulted in a whole suite of free-todownload Point of Sale items being made available to retailers for all four Spring Seasons events. “Our retail members were rightly bemoaning the lack of freely available generic PoS for the Spring Seasons, feeling Above and below: Among the free to that this lack of promotion in store was resulting in lower consumer download PoS that UKG has created in conjunction with the GCA and Cardgains awareness for the events,” explained Chris Dyson, joint managing to help promote the Spring Seasons. director of the Cardgains buying group (whose membership accounts for 1,000 independent rooftops). The matter was highlighted to the GCA’s ceo Sharon Little and president Ged Mace (md of The Art File), and then UK Greetings offered to design a comprehensive unbranded PoS ‘toolkit’ for retailers, covering poster artwork as well as banners that can be used for social media purposes. This PoS toolkit is now hosted on the GCA website www.gca.cards

What’s Your Favourite Colour? Leading paper supplier GF Smith is seeking to find the answer to one of the important questions in life – what is the world’s favourite colour. Forming part of its activity at Top Drawer, connected to its Colorplan range, GF Smith is inviting publishers and retailers to go online to select their favourite colour. After gathering data from around the world, the most popular Top: GF Smith website. colour will be unveiled at the Paper City exhibition in Above: John Haslam, md of GF Smith. GF Smith’s home city of Hull, as part of its City of Culture 2017 celebrations in July. The world’s favourite colour will be permanently introduced into GF Smith’s Colorplan range, and will bear the name of the survey respondent that picks the shade closest to the overall favourite. To participate in the project, visit: worldsfavouritecolour.com (For more on GF Smith see Paper Journeys, page 99).

Let’s Be Frank Royal Mail will be postmarking all stamped mail across the country between 10 – 14 February with a special Valentine’s Day message. This free piece of marketing for the industry, initiated by the GCA, will grace around 6 million pieces of post every day during the week running up to the event. Below: The Valentine’s Day postmark from Royal Mail.

Top Drawer Winners Greeting cards made more noise at the recent Top Drawer exhibition, partly due to the PaperFest seminar area, within the greetings section, bringing it ‘to life’ with a programme of talks and round table discussions. The winners of the show’s PaperAwards, sponsored by GF Smith, were: Lagom Design for the Emotive Design category; Rhombus & Pineapple, who won the Engaging Print accolade and Roger la Borde who won the Exciting Use of Colour award. Right: Roger la Borde won the award for Exciting Use of Colour, as exemplified on this design licensed from Repeat Repeat.

PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE

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Exposure greeting cards designed by icon order online: www.icon-art.com telephone: 01242 679800 / email: info@icon-art.com / PG Live: stand 208

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NEWS TOP STORY

Spring Fair Line-Up

Below: Mary Portas will offer her unique insight into retail.

Mary Portas And Karren Brady Add To The Celebrity Count Mary Portas, aka Queen of Shops, banged the table over business rates when she met Business Secretary Greg Clark recently, calling for a freeze on the rates’ rises for retailers which are due to come into effect in April. If she had managed to achieve this she would be assured a real hero’s welcome from card retailers at the Spring Fair (which takes place 5-9 February at the NEC). Mary takes to the lecturn to give a keynote speech during the show, on Monday 6 February at 1:10pm at the Fashion and Accessories Catwalk. A determined, passionate advocate of British retail, Mary is at the forefront of making the nation better consumers and the country’s shops better businesses. In the lead-up to the show, Mary spoke about opportunities and challenges for retailers in 2017. “The thing about independent retail today is that you need to create a destination in order to generate the footfall” said Mary. “It’s about the ‘why’ as

opposed to the ‘what’. You have to question yourself, what makes your shop unique to customers? How are you accessible? You need to get into the mind-set of asking yourself these sorts of questions and finding out why people want to come to your shop.” ● Among the other celebrities making an appearance at the show is Baroness Karren Brady (businesswoman, politician, writer, ceo of West Ham FC and aide to Lord Alan Sugar on The Apprentice). Karren is speaking on Tuesday 1.55pm-2.25 in the show’s Trends Theatre. (See pages 100-101 for how the industry was involved in the recent The Apprentice programme). (See Innovations, pages 115-139, for a host of products that will be launched at the show, plus see pages 59-63 to see why for a trio of companies Spring Fair will be significant to them).

A Bright Idea You can order a stunning new range - and receive a book to read on the way home from Spring Fair, thanks to The Art Group. The Bright Collective is a new range of cards featuring the work of artists represented by The Bright Agency, whose creations have proven successful in children’s picture books. The card designs are extracted from book titles: Grandad’s Island by Benji Davies, I’m a Girl by Yasmeen Ismail, The Bear and the Piano by David Litchfield and Alan’s Big Scary Teeth by Jarvis. As an incentive, any customers ordering the full range at the show will be able to select a book. Visit The Art Group, Hall 3 Stand Q52. ● The show also sees The Art Group launch its first ever range of Designers Guild greeting cards. The range reflects the world-renowned fabric, wallpaper design brand’s latest Spring/Summer 2017 collection, resulting in the contemporary florals and patterned cards that are heavily finished. Above: Grandad’s Island book and greeting card. Below: The beautiful new range of Designers Guild cards from The Art Group.

Leading Names, Village People And Debutants

Above: Some 2,500 exhibitors will be showing their wares at Spring Fair this year.

The majority of greeting card companies exhibiting at Spring Fair will be found in the Greetings and Gift sector in Hall 3/3A. In addition to many leading publishing names, both exhibiting in their own right, as well as on ‘pods’ on the Cardigans Village section, is a new section at the show called Debut. This new area is supported by the Greeting Card Association (GCA) and comprises 24 GCA publisher members who have never exhibited at Spring Fair before. (See pages 65-67 for a handful of publishers who will be making their Spring Fair debut in the Debut area).

Competition Wrap Stars Artist Katherine Baxter has won the latest annual Wraptious Art Competition and as a result her artwork has been made into cards, prints, cushions and more. Este Macleod was selected as runner-up. There were over 550 artworks submitted by budding artists to the competition that was judged by a panel of over 50 industry judges. Katherine’s and Este’s work was on show at Top Drawer in January and will also be on show at Spring Fair (Hall 3, Stand K50) and PG Live.

Above: Katherine Baxter won the Wraptious art competition. Left: Este Macleod was runner up in the Wraptious art competition.

Hallmark Exits The Wholesale Market Hallmark has announced that it plans to pull out of the wholesale market to concentrate on other areas of the business. Hallmark has been supplying greeting card wholesalers and cash and carries through its Hambledon Studios brand, but despite cost-cutting efforts the decline in this area of the market no longer justifies the publisher’s decision to remain a player in the wholesale sector. As Steve Wright, Hallmark UK’s managing director, commented: “The business today is in a much improved position but we have continued to see a significant decline in wholesale over the last five years. We need to recognise and respond to changes in shopper behaviour to give our customers the best possible chance of success and embrace other growth opportunities.” He assured that Hallmark would be fulfilling orders placed by Hambledon Studios’ customers.

PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE

A4 Spring Fair 2016.pdf

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NEWS TOP STORY

NEWS IN BRIEF

An Incredible Invention AG’s Stunt Makes Geeks Realise Cards’ Power UK Greetings’ parent company, American Greetings, trounced the leading technology companies for attention with its thoughtprovoking PR stunt for its Device Like No Other launch at the recent Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas. Its marketing campaign for #DeviceLikeNoOther whetted the appetite of techies, with a slick 45-second video clip, made in the style of the latest technological gadget, promising unlimited power, brilliant display and unlimited ways to connect, before finally revealing a ‘newfangled invention’ - a greeting card! The aim was to demonstrate that a greeting card is one of the most-powerful messaging devices on the planet, and that the right occasion calls for the right technology. In today's well-connected world, people share unprecedented amounts of information at the touch of a button - but when it comes to making a connection in a meaningful way, nothing replaces a hand-written card.

Below: Nick Offerman launched American Greetings’ #DeviceLikeNoOther campaign.

● Independent gift and card retailer, Between the Lines, has opened its first store in London, in Battersea. The independent gift and card retailer which has 13 shops, is aiming to expand to 50 stores over the next five years (see pages 91-93). ● Drawing on her 20 years’ experience as a graphic designer, Nicole Orsi from Red Berry Cards is now offering her services (under her RB Designs company) to other publishers to help get their cards print-ready, including designing the card backs and delivering print-ready PDFs to printers. (www.rbdesign.co.uk)

Well-known US actor, author and humourist Nick Offerman fronted the #DeviceLikeNoOther launch at CES and said: “I was sincerely honoured to be asked to represent the venerated sentimentdelivery system known as the greeting card by American Greetings. In my family, we rely on cards to signify moments of great magnitude as well as just simple affection.” Visitors to American Greetings’ stand at the technology show could send their own personalised cards to anyone and were also given a box containing the stylus of the future – a pencil!

Hitting The Sweet Spot ‘Pass the love on’ was the message from Thorntons’ recent TV advertising campaign (see YouTube) that promoted the chocolate brand to the Millennial generation, but that ‘love’ is also being passed on to retailers from its stand at the Spring Fair (Hall 3, Stand M01). Always a ‘sweet spot’ at the show, as well as sharing the business merits of why chocolate and greeting cards go hand in hand, Thorntons will have some great tasting opportunities on the stand too! Left: A still from Thorntons’ recent advert.

Tatty Teddy’s Dinky Sibling Snuggles Up To 3-9 Year Olds Following on from the success of its totally revamped Me to You gift collection at last year’s Spring Fair, this year Carte Blanche will be debuting My Dinky Bear, a new sub-brand aimed at 3-9 year-olds. Following the launch as a 9” plush (retailing at just over £10) and accessories range at Spring Fair, the brand will be extended onto greeting cards and licensed products. Commenting on the introduction, Gerard O’Mahoney, commercial director of CBG, said: “As the sales patterns of our Me to You gift collection testify, it is a very strong adult brand, with our ‘Love you to the moon and back’ Signature bear being our best seller, followed by those for girlfriend, 18th and 21st. We already have Tiny Tatty Teddy that caters for the 0-3 years market, and My Dinky Bear has been designed as a brand that will chime with those in the next age bracket up.” While still obviously from the same ‘family’ due to its blue nose and grey fur, My Dinky Bear has a larger head, is made of softer fabric with a longer pile and has magnets in the paws so that it can clip onto other items and be linked to other accessories. “Dinky T is not designed to sit on a shelf, but to live on the pillow and go everywhere with its owner,” adds CBG’s trade marketing manager Julia Andrews. (Hall 4, Stand D32 - E33)

● Winner of The Henries 2016, Sooshichacha has launched its new website for its greeting cards, prints and artwork. Designed by Skylight Media, the website is a bright and contemporary platform for Sooshichacha’s collections (www.sooshichacha.com). ● Greeting card publisher, Islamic Cards, has changed its name to Jusna Ahmed Designs. The company’s greeting cards cover all occasions, taking in some of the features of Islamic architecture, calligraphy and geometry. Above: Greeting cards from Jusna Ahmed Design.

● Card publisher and designer, Louise Tiler, has launched her new website www.louisetiler.com. The new website from Aura Creative Media showcases Louise’s designs and also allows trade customers to easily log-in and purchase Louise’s products.

Card Factory’s New Year Resolutions It’s that time of the year when a lot of us take stock of where we are and where we want to be. The same goes for retailers. Karen Hubbard, the new ceo of Card Factory, went public and shared her New Year resolutions in B2B publication Retail Week: “My resolutions for 2017 are twofold and interlinked. I’m going to keep listening and working closely with all our colleagues to better understand the opportunities open to us and to make Card Factory an even better place to work. If we do that, it will make us a better place for our customers to shop. I don’t see the economic climate getting much better, but I’m determined that we remain a highquality, value retailer that helps our customers mark and celebrate the big – and not so big – events in their lives throughout the year.” Above: Card Factory’s head honcho Karen Hubbard has some big New Year resolutions.

Right: My Dinky Bear, aimed at 3-9 year-olds. PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE

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NEWS Giving Ways

TOP STORY

A Proper Launch Woodmansterne Welcomes Sibling Division Making its official debut at Spring Fair is The Proper Mail Company, a brand new separate card publishing division, offering ‘exquisite little cards for boutique retailers’. The first sighting of The Proper Mail Company was on a greeting card insert in last month’s Progressive Greetings as part of a teaser marketing campaign to raise interest in the new publishing name. Explaining the rationale behind the launch of The Proper Mail Company, Paul Woodmansterne, managing director of Woodmansterne Publications, told PG: “It is all about serving the market. Different customers have different needs and expectations.” The Proper Mail Company will have a ‘small publisher feel’, with its own website and dedicated exhibition space at the Spring Fair to differentiate it from the other parts of the business. It’s tagline is ‘Send a card. Take the time. Do it properly.’

The launch of The Proper Mail Company coincides with a whole rebranding and segmentation strategy being initiated by the company. As a result there will be three separate greeting card imprints in the Woodmansterne ‘family’ – Woodmansterne (which will build on its strong reputation in multiples, department store groups and varietal stores), CardMix (which will make greeting card outlets its focus) and The Proper Mail Company (that will concentrate on design-led independent gift and other boutique stores). “The three imprints will be carried by the same salesforce, but each will supply different retail customers and have their own terms and conditions. This structure enables us to better serve the market,” adds Paul. ● The Proper Mail Company - Spring Fair, Hall 3-3A Stand M39. Top: As The Proper Mail Company’s logo suggests the designs are aimed at those consumers who appreciate the joy of taking their time to select and then write a properly hand-written message inside a card. Above: The Proper Mail Company is debuting with two initial ranges - Entre Nous and Square One.

Sympathetic Ladder Club Winners Three brand new card publishers have not only been awarded guaranteed retail distribution with leading specialist group House of Cards, but have received money upfront and also have had the cost of the cards covered. As reported in PG last month, Miles Robinson, co-owner of the Home Counties-based House of Cards specialist card shop group, launched a competition that was only open to publishers who attended the first day seminar of the recent Ladder Club to design a sympathy card. As well as prize money (£200), the three designs would be produced free of charge (thanks to The Sherwood Group and Enveco) and the winning publishers would also be paid for those cards that sold over a 12 month period, starting from when the cards go on sale from February 1 2017. The winning designs were from Lynsey Pearson from Pearl of a Girl, Graeme Hall of Uniquely Yours and Laura May from Laura May Designs. These were picked from a shortlist of 48 designs. “The quality and diversity submitted was incredible, reinforcing what is so great about greeting card publishing in the UK,” said Nigel Williamson who coowns House of Cards with Miles. The publishers retain the copyright of these designs. Top right: House of Cards’ Miles Robinson at The Ladder Club. Above right: Lynsey Pearson’s Pearl of a Girl design came top in the competition. Right: Graeme Hall’s design came second. Left: This card from Laura May Designs came third.

A campaign with Age UK Westminster and Caroline Gardner saw over 500 Christmas cards sent out to elderly and isolated people in the West London area. ‘Give to Give’ was launched by card and gift company Caroline Gardner prior to Christmas, encouraging customers online and in its Marylebone store to write a message to an elderly person. The messages were then transferred to cards by the Caroline Gardner team and distributed to the elderly in the week before Christmas. Above: Caroline Gardner’s Give to Give campaign was a success.

Not Out Of Date? Calendars received some high profile positive media coverage in the New York Times recently. The article, entitled ‘Paper calendars endure despite the digital age’ shared data that suggests that far from declining, that some calendar categories are increasing their sales in the States. The sales of appointment books and planners grew 10% from 2014-15 to 2015-16 to $342.7 million, and decorative and other calendars increased by 8% to $65 million in that time, according to figures from the NPD Group. It’s a trend that is echoed in the UK according to Jack Above: The digital age hasn’t killed off the calendar. Straw, managing director of Brown Trout. “There is no doubt that the anticipated downfall of traditional calendars due to smart phones and THE internet has not happened. Our experience in the UK almost directly mirrors that which is described in the US.” ● For more news on trends in the calendar and diary sector, see the Progressive Calendars publication which accompanies this edition of PG.

Little Miracles From L&P Lesser & Pavey will be showing two new licensed ranges based on greeting card brands at Spring Fair this year. The first is Little Miracles, a new range of baby accessories from card publisher Tracey Russell. The second is a fine china range of Christmas gifts from card publisher Hearts Design, under the Mad About Christmas brand. Visit: Hall 5 Stand D10-E1. Above: New china Christmas collection from Hearts Design.

PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE

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NEWS PEOPLE

TOP STORY

The Retas Awards 2017 Open For Entries Who Are The UK’s Best Greeting Card Retailers? The Retas 2017, the only dedicated awards for greeting card retailers, are now open for entries and nominations. Now in their 13th year, The Retas, (owned and organised by Progressive Greetings magazine), recognises the tremendous contribution that card retailers, of all shapes and sizes, make to the success of the greeting card industry. “The Retas awards recognise and celebrate the achievements in the last year, not only of the top independent and multiple greeting card retailers regionally and nationally, but also the new generation of retailers, as well as employees who have gone the extra mile,” explains Warren Lomax, co-owner of Progressive Greetings Worldwide. To ensure that no stone is left unturned, in addition to encouraging retailers to enter, nominations are also being sought from publishers and agents as to which card retailers they feel should be feted in The Retas 2017. An entry form is enclosed with this edition and also available to download from the website (www.theretasawards.co.uk). The closing date for entries is Tuesday March 28. “I have never felt so many emotions at one time - shock, joy and pride,” was how Rachael Barnes, partner of Dragonfly

Below: Artist Heather Flynn created the design for The Retas 2017 entry form.

Cards and Gifts, Knaresborough, summed up her feelings when it was announced at The Retas 2016 last July, that the card shop that she co-owns with her mum Rita Knibbs had won the Best Retail Initiative award for its 10th Anniversary Celebrations. The hunt is now on to find the worthy winners for this year’s awards! ● The winners of The Retas will be announced at a lavish ‘Enchanted Tails’ themed afternoon awards event at The Dorchester Hotel in London on Wednesday 12 July. To book your seats contact Clare Davies of Createvents on 01183 340085 or email clare@createvents.co.uk. ● The Retas already has a strong line-up of supportive sponsors which include: The Art File, Abacus Cards, Carte Blanche, Cherry Orchard, Danilo, GBCC, Hallmark, IC&G, Noel Tatt, Paperlink, Pigment, Progressive Greetings Live, Second Nature, Sensations, Spring Fair/Autumn Fair, Thorntons, UK Greetings and Woodmansterne. ● In addition, respected designer, Heather Flynn, creator of Alice Scott and co-creator of Happy Jackson, has designed the look for The Retas 2017 website and entry form, echoing the sophisticated surreal animal theme of the event.

GCA’s Meet The Buyer Event The GCA is holding its first Meet the Buyer event - with at least 15 different card buyers pledging their participation. These include buyers from Scribbler, Frosts garden centres, Clintons, House of Cards and leading independents. Taking place on the afternoon of February 28 at the Business Design Centre in Islington (at the same venue and straight after PG Live is holding its exhibitor meet up), the format of the Meet the Buyer event is that over the course of the three hours each buyer will spend ten minutes with different publishers. “It will be a bit like greeting card speed dating!” acknowledges Sharon Little, ceo of the GCA. “The aim is to pull our industry together even more and help increase the understanding between publishers and retailers for the common good.” The whole event is being carefully co-ordinated by the GCA, with places being limited. The cost to publishers is £60 plus VAT. For more information contact Sharon Little at the GCA on gca@max-publishing.co.uk. Left: Buyers from Scribbler are among those who are participating in the GCA’s Meet the Buyer event on February 28.

● It’s going to be an industry wedding! Congratulations to Midlands agent, Ian Bradley and Lorraine Rush of card publisher Rush Designs who announced their engagement over the New Year. Above: Ian Bradley and Lorraine Rush after the proposal in the Lake District.

Sad Goodbyes ● George Medina, founder of Intercontinental Greetings, died recently following a long battle with cancer. George pioneered worldwide film sales and licensing of greeting card designs, and acted for a number of British companies with his worldwide sales force carrying their product. Paying tribute, Simon Elvin, founder of the publishing company of the same name, said: “George had an extraordinarily brilliant mind and an incredible optimism and thirst to both educate and develop new business. George handled Simon Elvin’s film sales for more than 40 years, starting at the beginning with writing at least half a dozen licences around the world based on a dozen very poor colour photocopies of original cute designs.” Well into his 90s, George was still looking for ways to develop new opportunities for publishers, and latterly worked with Hammond Gower seeking to develop its USA business. Above: George Medina (far left) celebrating his 90th birthday at PG Live in 2012.

● Richard Dyson, managing director of Trilogy Lasercraft, has passed away. Richard and his colleague Sheila Bailey were instrumental in developing the laser-cut paper market in the UK. Richard’s interest in lasers started in the early 1980s, when he worked at The Laser Cutting Company in Sheffield. In 1999 he started Lasercraft with Sheila. Sheila continues to work as production manager for Trilogy Lasercraft, with Richard’s wife Caroline continuing as sales director. Above: Sadly missed, Richard Dyson.

● A former leading figure of the wholesale sector, Ivor Howard (right), the former sales director of Hambledon Studios (Hallmark’s wholesale division), passed away peacefully on 13 January. He spent 45 years in greeting cards (before he retired in 2008) having worked for Valentine’s of Dundee and Fine Art Developments before Hambledon Studios was launched in 1987. He was instrumental in setting up Hambledon Studios and in 2003 became product director.

PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE

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CARDSHARP

A Merry Christmas

For Many So, the all-important Christmas selling period has come and gone - and those in the card trade are already gearing up for the next one! Cardsharp cannot remember a time when the media was so interested in revealing the festive sales of the major retail players and, contrary to expectations, they generally did seem to be reasonably healthy. But how specifically did the greeting card sector of the retail industry perform, speculates Cardsharp? Was it a cracker or a turkey? ‘Better late than never’ so they say, and that was definitely the case for Christmas 2016, but Santa did his business. The mild weather, plus the fact that Christmas Eve fell on a Saturday, gave it an extra long run-up which was welcome. Cardsharp tracked attentively the stream of mostly positive results from the grocers, department stores, varietal chains and fashion stores. To Cardsharp’s mind this all boded well for the same encouraging pattern to emerge from the greeting card retail scene. Certainly, the reported figures and anecdotal evidence from some notable multiples and respected indies seems to point to a relatively positive picture as well, despite legitimate concerns about how 2017 will develop. And Cardsharp was reassured by the positive murmurings from greeting card publishers about how the ‘Returns’ level has been thankfully very low. In early December there were a number of newspaper columnists reporting the imminent death of the tradition of Christmas card sending and receiving, citing their own experience as evidence. Cardsharp would alternatively probably cite these writers’ own lack of popularity, and the fact that most of these articles were written in the first week or so of December, as proof that they were

PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE

taking an easy option for submitting their column inches! A decade ago Cardsharp would get a feel for how Christmas went from the sales figures emanating from what was the industry’s major Plc then, Clintons. Now the group, though a shadow of its former self in terms of number of outlets, almost uniquely does not reveal its Christmas sales figures, so Cardsharp and others can only speculate. Certainly Clintons will be looking for an improvement on its financial results of the last two years. In the 12 months to February 2015, AG Retail (the official name of Clintons), reported

Above: Scribbler was 11% up on its festive sales from last year. Below: The Christmas tills jingling seem positive for Paperchase.

a £26 million loss on a turnover of £207 million, although in the figures covering the 12 months to February 2016 this had been vastly improved to a £9 million loss on a broadly similar turnover. Certainly a healthy Christmas trade will have come in very handy in helping to get this still significant name in card retailing back into the black. One post Christmas tradition that used to be as common as Boxing Day’s bubble and squeak seems to have made a return. This is the opaque financial ‘restructuring’ of a retail chain, the result basically leaving suppliers out of pocket while the chain then restarts as if nothing has happened. Although Cardsharp has heard rumblings about a couple of players, the hope is that they do not come to fruition, costing publishers dearly and putting a shadow on the sector. This Phoenix bird is about as welcome as those fifth day turkey leftovers post Christmas! Turning Cardsharp’s attentions to a more popular feathered friend, John Lewis Partnership was one of a number of retail chains that recorded very healthy Christmas card sales. The department store group sold an amazing 422,000 single Christmas cards alone, suggesting that the strategy of having its card departments in a prominent

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CARDSHARP position in store, as well as increasing the space devoted to single Christmas cards, seems to be bearing fruit. Scribbler, the metropolitan chain of funky modern cards, with arguably the youngest audience of all the UK’s major card retailers, reported an impressive 11% increase in sales. And although at the time of Cardsharp submitting his column Paperchase had not released its official figures, the suggestion was very much that Christmas card sales had been positive. But it wasn’t just the big boys that reported an increase in card sales. Cardgains, the independent buying group that has over 750 members (accounting for 1,000 rooftops), reported a 7% increase in overall greeting card sales. Although this was for the whole of 2016, a substantial tranche was from Christmas card sales. After two static years of greeting card sales this indeed was a welcome return to growth and reassurance as to the health and wealth of the indie card shop sector.

Left: Clintons used to be the bellwether for how the Christmas period went. Below: John Lewis' had amazing sales of its Christmas card singles.

And just think what could have been achieved if independents had not experienced the supply problems from publishers on Christmas cards, despite early ordering, feeling that multiples were given first dibs. Interestingly, John Lewis, along with many other retailers like Scribbler, highlighted an increase in sales of humorous Christmas cards. Charity boxes, for the majority anyway, seem to have undergone somewhat of a renaissance, which Cardsharp feels must have something

to do with the near complete absence of adverse media publicity (for the first time in years) over the percentage that reaches the charity when purchasing charity cards. Cardsharp hopes that this is because the penny has eventually dropped in the media that the charity sector welcomes the sizeable donations from card publishers (and sometimes retailers) from charity Christmas cards - and invariably at no risk at all to the charity. Continuing a trend of the last few years is the general decline in sales of Christmas boxes. However, Cardsharp was encouraged to hear that this Christmas some independent and multiple retailers reported a reversal of this trend, seeing a welcome recovery in sales, especially of the higher priced boxes.

A Wholesale End Of An Era The news that Hallmark is finally pulling the plug on its wholesale greeting card division, Hambledon Studios, comes as no real surprise to Cardsharp. As Hallmark has increasingly concentrated on enhancing the Hallmark brand and retail distribution, Hambledon has looked a bit of an anachronism. To consolidate on the cost front, Hallmark closed Hambledon’s Burnley office, pulled out of publishing Spring Seasons cards for the wholesale sector and then Christmas. The decision to finally draw the curtain, to Cardsharp’s mind, was really a case of putting its wholesale division out of its misery. In many ways, this closure was inevitable. The wholesale sector of the greeting market has decimated in the last 20 years. The decline of the market trade and the independent newsagency sector started the rot, and then the meteoric rise of Card Factory and the increase in greeting card sales through supermarkets accelerated the process. Hambledon Studios survived longer than most of the other greeting card wholesale publishers, but its time has now been called too. Now it really is down to Simon Elvin and his eponymous company to keep the wholesale flag flying, along with the wholesaler come wholesale publisher, Budget Greeting Cards and the fast growing Xpress Yourself (sibling to Sensations). Cardsharp reflects that while the changing times means so many things come to an end, it’s a shame. Some 25 years ago the wholesale sector accounted for 40% of the value of the UK greeting card market and an incredible 50% of the volume. Hambledon and its sibling wholesale brands, then owned by Fine Art Developments, once had a turnover of £50 million. There were then over 200 regional Hambledon wholesale distributors, one in almost every major town and city in the UK. How things have changed, reflects Cardsharp? These days, by Cardsharp’s reckoning, there can’t be more than 40 bona-fide greeting card wholesalers left now. Cardsharp reflects on a sad coincidence. On the day that Hallmark announced the closure, Cardsharp learned of the death of Ivor Howard, former director of Hambledon Studios. Ivor was one of the greats from the glory days of the wholesale trade, and many will remember this lovable, happy and talented character with affection, and Cardsharp thinks, like Hambledon, he will be sorely missed by many in the trade.

So, reflected Cardsharp, as in all retail sectors, Christmas 2016 had some winners and losers. The recent festive period may not have been a record breaker, but it was one that defied many pundits’ negative predictions. Thankfully the tradition of Christmas card sending and receiving is still very much alive and kicking despite multiple threats to its future. As retailers analyse their Christmas sales figures and sharpen their strategy for this year’s festive buying, and publishers launch or plan their Christmas ranges, Cardsharp reflects that the industry cannot afford to be complacent. As every child knows, if you do not believe in Father Christmas you won’t receive any lovely presents - the industry needs to keep the faith in Christmas cards.

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Over The Counter

Stronger Together

Below: Ipswich’s stylish waterfront has lots of cafes, bars and restaurants. Below middle: A couple of Ipswich Street Rangers outside Loveone.

Independent retailer, Cathy Frost, owner of card and gift shop Loveone in Ipswich, shares an indies’ perspective of Business Improvement Districts (BIDs). “In Whitehall circles, Ipswich is seen as an exemplar of urban regeneration - and urban regeneration effected by localism. I would tip Ipswich as hot. Seriously hot”, stated Jackie Sadek, government advisor on Urban Renewal, autumn 2016. Praise indeed, but why hot and why now? I believe that my town, Ipswich, is now reaping the benefits of having had a Business Improvement District [BID] for 10 years operating in our town centre. The BID, Ipswich Central, overwhelmingly secured a third term in their renewal ballot back in November. Our BID will continue to deliver services for another five years. As an independent card and gift retailer individually I can only play a small part in the future success of the town. However, by bringing all the business interests together under one banner, we, as the business community, can be far more effective. Our BID has been the cohesive force bringing these different communities and sectors together, giving us all a much wider perspective on the town centre and the parts we play. This has given us a much stronger platform to promote the town locally, regionally and nationally. With changing shopping patterns and consumers wanting more from the high street, BIDS can offer a dynamic approach to town centre management. For many town centres this role has historically been undertaken by the local authority, but over the years this role has been underfunded, become a low priority or for some became non-existent.

Ipswich Central does not operate in isolation, and its strength lies in its ability to work in collaboration with many other local agencies, including: Ipswich Borough Council, Suffolk County Council, Local Enterprise Partnership and Chamber of Commerce, whilst representing the interests of the

Business Improvement Districts: The Facts l l l l l

A BID is a defined geographic area within which businesses opt [via a ballot] to pay for additional services. A BID has a maximum term of 5 years before it has to ask businesses if they want to renew it for a further term. The First BID in the UK was formed in January 2005. There are now over 227 active BIDs in the UK. Annual income is typically £200,000- £600,000 but can be as little as £50 000 or as much as £2million per annum. For more information visit www.britishbids.com and National Bids Survey 2016.

business community. This unique arrangement allows a co-ordinated approach towards all aspects of town centre life, including safety, cleanliness, accessibility, inward investment, tourism and marketing. It must follow that a clean, safe and accessible town centre leads to more footfall and hopefully creates an environment that is more attractive to potential investors. In fact, retailers/businesses actively look to invest in BID areas because of the added benefit these organisations bring to a given location. Personally, as a small business owner, the BID has allowed me to share my concerns and ideas about retail and high street regeneration. I am now actively involved in helping to set the agenda for the development of the town. I represent small business as a Director on the Board of Ipswich Central, recognition that I believe of the importance of the independent sector in the town. This has provided me with a much broader appreciation of the retail climate within the town but also sharing in the discussions pertinent to all retailers such as parking, accessibility and footfall. Our BID delivers many key services, there are two however which I think require further PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE

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Over The Counter

discussion as for me they represent the very best aspects of Ipswich Central. Firstly, the Street Rangers: Currently a team of four rangers, they are now an integral part of the town centre life, easily recognisable in their red shirts and baseball caps. They are the eyes and ears of the town, assisting retailers with the recovery of goods [in the last BID term they worked 37,000 hours and recovered over £66,000 worth of goods.] The team are Police accredited and are trained in first aid, dementia awareness and customer service. They help to deliver the Childsafe initiative, with 20,000 wristbands being issued last year. The Rangers also play a vital role in the implementation of Radiolink, a network of communication for the larger retailers, the night time economy and the police. Very often they are the first responders to serious incidents, they provide customers, visitors and businesses alike with the peace of mind that we have a safe and welcoming environment in which to shop and visit. Secondly, the Destination Management Organisation [DMO]: This has recently been set up by the BID to draw together the work already done by Ipswich Central over the last 10 years through its dedicated website and brand for Ipswich into a body to take the ‘Destination Ipswich’ message to a wider audience within the town, its immediate environs and further afield. DMO’s are nationally recognised by Visit England and Government as important and suitable

Ipswich Central Facts l l l l l

bodies to attract tourism project funding. This strategy will look at co-ordinating the visitor, tourism and leisure economies of Ipswich. This is an exciting step for us as smaller retailers within the town, placing retail at the core of the DMO. There is now an obvious link between independent shopping, heritage and the leisure offer of the town; more people staying longer means more money being spent in the local economy. Marketing on this level will lead to far greater exposure than any one business could achieve on its own, and there is a growing coordinated approach to social media as part of this strategy. Businesses are encouraged to get involved with campaigns such as Christmas, Heritage Weekend and Food and Drink Fortnight. A more recent initiative has been to encourage Above: The BID, Ipswich Central, co-ordinates the All About Ipswich Floral Planters (and some beautifully knitted ‘yarn bombed’ posts) on behalf of local businesses. Right: Ipswich’s BID has assisted in running and developing the town’s regular street markets by purchasing the market stalls and assisting with marketing.

Above: One of the services

Ipswich Central won its first ballot in 2006, and has just been re-elected for its third term. Ipswich Central provide is The Since 2007, Ipswich Central has introduced over £4 million investment into the heart of the town. All About Ipswich website. All nondomestic properties or hereditaments with a rateable value of £15,000 or more are required to pay the BIDs levy. The number of properties or hereditaments liable for the levy is approximately 633. Services delivered include Street Rangers, additional street cleaning, All About Ipswich website, regular business communications and networking, Click and Collect shopping portal, Childsafe and Radiolink. l The BID is responsible for the development and co-ordination of the Ipswich Vision and Destination Management Organisation, the future blueprint for the regeneration of Ipswich. For more information visit www.allaboutipswich.com and www.ipswichcentral.com/the-vision-for-ipswich 34

PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE

businesses to offer Trip Inspirations, something my community will be looking at this year. We will be combining the many elements that make our small high street a destination in its own right. Working alongside the BID has enabled my business and my community of 50 plus independents to have a voice about the future of our town. There are many challenges ahead for our town centres, but the key to future success has to be the focus on localism. Building civic pride and encouraging businesses to feel they have a part to play in this strategy will need to be at the core of Ipswich Central’s next five years as our BID; a process the BID has already started. Ipswich Central supported my community’s recent application to the Great British High Street Competition. Last year our high street, The Saints, (which comprises two roads, St Nicholas and St Peters Streets) were shortlisted in our entry category. This gave us a great boost, gaining some recognition beyond the boundary of Ipswich. The BID has also assisted us in running and developing our regular street markets by purchasing the market stalls and assisting with marketing. This has enabled us to reach a far greater

audience and has led to a much increased footfall for our businesses both on market days and beyond. For myself, and many of my neighbours, we really have embraced the sense of attachment to our community and the pride really does show in the customer service that is given, and the attention to detail of many of our shopfronts. If high streets are to thrive, our businesses need to be in the very best environments to entice consumers and visitors to explore and connect with us. A dynamic approach to town centre management has never been more important. I, for one, am glad to be facing the challenges of 2017 safe in the knowledge that I have a strong BID flying the flag for Ipswich.

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The Festive Footprint This year, more than ever before, the Christmas trading figures from supermarkets to specialists were treated as big news by the media, building to Super Thursday (January 12) when retail heavyweights M&S, Primark and John Lewis were among those to reveal their true festive colours - and the majority reported increases. It seems growing inflationary pressures and political uncertainty didn't seem to stop consumers splurging on festive treats for themselves and loved ones, and the timing of Christmas Eve falling on a Saturday, and the mild weather, gave festive shoppers a chance to buy those last minute items. With this being such an important trading period across the retail landscape how did Christmas sales pan out for greeting card and gift retailers? PG asks whether they were as sooty as Santa’s footprints or as rosy as his cheeks.

Verdict: “A year for holding our nerve.” Amie Scull, assistant buyer of stationery, giftwrap and seasonal events for John Lewis: Performance: “The week before Christmas was a record trading week for us and was +47% compared to the previous year. We had a great result in stationery. For the week up to Christmas we finished up on the previous year. Christmas cards also came through with a strong sales result - we sold a staggering 422,100 single Christmas cards! We did see trade come later than ever so it was definitely a year for holding our nerve. Wrap in particular came very late, with customers leaving it until a few days before Christmas to buy their roll wrap and accessories.” Buying Patterns: “We don’t buy Christmas boxed cards in our department, but in the last two years we have increased our space on single Christmas cards and seen a very positive impact on sales. Humorous Christmas cards were very successful for us and we worked particularly hard to make sure we had plenty of choice in this key category.” Customer Favourites: “We saw particularly strong Christmas card singles sales from Susan O'Hanlon, Caroline Gardner, Five Dollar Shake and Cath Tate.” Top: Were indies’ Christmas sales as sooty as Santa’s footprints in 2016? (A card from Alternative Image / (c) Mary Evans). Left: John Lewis’ Christmas advert captured the hearts of the nation.

Verdict: “Mild weather worked in our favour.”

Below: The stunning Red Card Christmas window.

Sally Matson, owner of Red Card, Petworth: Performance: “Red Card's Christmas sales were significantly up on last year. Going into our fifth year of trading, we are still increasing our customer base, and this combined with the fact that our gift offering has increased has meant that the sales followed suit.” Mitigating Factors: “The unseasonably mild weather definitely worked in our favour, particularly given that we are in a market town where people like to wander around all the independent shops, and they were happy to do so as it was not too cold or wet. I had a couple of enormous problems with supply this year. Although I ordered most of my Christmas stock in January 2016 with the larger suppliers, when it arrived in October quite a few of the more popular items were out of stock and so ultimately I didn't receive them. I realise that the bigger stores receive their deliveries in August, and this may be why I didn't receive the items I ordered, but as a small retailer I haven’t the room to stock 100 cases of Christmas deliveries until I start putting them out instore in the last week of October. It made me wonder if independent retailers are bottom of the heap with larger suppliers? Are larger retailers receiving preferential treatment? It is a big problem for small independents.” PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE

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VIEWPOINTS Buying Patterns: “The trading pattern followed similar lines to the previous year, with Christmas packs and single/relations cards selling first along with small stocking filler type gifts, then leading into decorations, tableware and finally wrap and ribbon and larger gifts. Christmas for us selling started in earnest in the first week of November and there was a very long peak throughout the mid two weeks of December. The Above: The festive card offering at Red Card, Petworth. way Christmas fell this year also benefited trade with Christmas Eve falling on a Saturday, ensuring maximum revenue in December.” Customer Favourites: “Our standout cards in Christmas singles were: Counting Stars, Rosie Made a Thing, Forever Handmade, English Graphics, Stop The Clock, Cardmix's Off the Leash range and Museums & Galleries’ Fitzwilliam Museum foiled religious range and our bespoke Petworth House Christmas card by I Drew This. Our bestselling Christmas packs were again from Counting Stars (soooo beautiful!), The Art File’s premium boxes, and Caspari. There is a huge gap in the market for packs of humorous Christmas cards. Our biggest selling gift items with many reorders from all companies were: Bath House - gorgeous soaps, bath salts and lip balms; Happy Socks - gorgeous single pairs and boxed sets of socks for men; Lua - velvet purses in gorgeous colours at a great price point; and Powder - gorgeous gloves and socks for ladies - lots of gorgeousness all around really! For napkins, crackers, gift bags and roll wrap Caspari once again proved to be our most popular seller. Unique Wrap, which is a new company for us this year, also had some really beautiful rolls of wrap.” Approach For 2017 Christmas Buying: “Christmas buying this year will be similar to 2016, although I will stagger deliveries a little more. The decorations will be done mainly at Spring Fair and the cards and wrap through my reps at the shop, as early as possible. The gifts I will do mainly at Harrogate Home & Gift in the summer and then top ups at Autumn Fair and Top Drawer.”

Verdict: “Quite tough.”

Above: The Art File’s Christmas boxes were a winner for Brent Milburn.

PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE

Verdict: “Some suppliers were short-sighted.”

Below: Decorated on the outside as well as in, ReallyFabCards in Eton.

Amanda Bishop, owner of ReallyFabCards.com, Eton: Performance: “Definitely up, and I think that's because there are four distinct retail periods now: Halloween, Bonfire Night, Black Friday and Christmas. If you can tailor and adapt to these in a short space of retail time then you can do well.” Mitigating Factors:“I think the good weather (little rain) really helped, as did the days these events fell on, such as a Saturday for Christmas Eve. We were frustrated that many of our suppliers stopped taking orders at the end of November and early December. What's that all about?! This was incredibly short-sighted. Prime earlier events before Christmas meant that festive shoppers were not hitting their stride until mid-December. By then we had run out of key items and there was little we could do. It was a great shame.” Buying Patterns: “Christmas buying peaked for the shop the weekend before Christmas and for our Amazon store it was about two weeks before. I also sensed the 'Secret Santa' gift send has really gripped the nation now!” Customer Favourites: “Caroline Gardner's ranges are always popular and the company delivers amazing service (it’s incredibly responsive. Well done!), as do the team at Kiss Me Kwik (Simon Spicer). One of its card designs called ‘Choos’ was hugely popular. Our own designed 'grammar' mug was the biggest seller on our Amazon site.” Approach for 2017 Christmas Buying: “I’ll be getting items in earlier and looking out for more small, value gifts under £10 - stocking fillers. I think people now buy, many if not most, of their large gifts on Amazon, so independents can do really well on the small gifts to go with these big ticket items. And we will definitely order many more Wife, Nan and Mum Christmas singles cards from Janie Wilson! The range is gorgeous. Also we decorate our shop on the outside at Christmas. No one seems to do that. It is not too expensive and if you get it done in early November it feels like good value. It makes such a difference and customers really appreciate the effort.”

Brent Milburn, owner of New Frames and Rhymes With Orange, Soho, London: Performance: “Christmas trading for us was down on the previous year, and it felt like there were less people shopping on nearby Oxford Street than usual at Christmas. We are probably one of the few independent card shops left in London’s West-End and it has been quite tough. Our Rhymes With Orange shop [in Marylebone] did well, but for the New Frames store [in Soho] it was difficult going.” Mitigating Factors: “It’s difficult to say what have been the underlying factors but I would say it’s been a combination of Southern Rail strikes (there has been less footfall in the shops’ location for at least eight months), Royal Mail’s pre-Christmas strike, Brexit and possibly potential visitors fearful of the attacks in Europe. It also hasn't helped that a Paperchase has opened nearby in Wardour Street.” Customer Favourites: “We had about equal sales on Christmas singles and boxed cards. For both, The Art File, Five Dollar Shake and Belly Button were favourites, while Tache Crafts and Brainbox Candy’s single designs sold well, in fact humour Christmas cards were often asked for, the ruder the better. On the gifts side we did really well with little bath ducks from Half Moon Bay and the Ladybird Books For Grown Ups by Penguin Books.”

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VIEWPOINTS Verdict: “Very challenging overall.” Mark Rees, managing director of Penmark Cards, a group of card shops, with a heartland in the Midlands/Derbyshire: Performance: “Our like-for-like on Christmas singles were up +3.7%, our giftwrap sales (from Glick) were up +6%, but Christmas boxed cards were down -7.5%.” Buying Patterns: “We didn’t sense any changes in consumer buying patterns over the year previous, but we had hand-picked all our Christmas singles as well as put more emphasis on everyday gift lines that would carry through.” Mitigating Factors: “Consumer confidence was fragile, there was promotional activity everywhere, people’s pockets were being squeezed, plus there was a bit of a backlash against us all having too many material items (because of the terrible events in Aleppo and in the world).” Left: Penmark Cards’ Mark Rees.

Overall verdict: “Not spectacular but good.” Miles Robinson, Co-Owner Of House Of Cards, Six Shops In The Home Counties: Performance: “Overall sales were up like-for-like +6.3% for the five weeks to Christmas Eve, actual Christmas product was up +2.6%, so we saw a good uplift in general gifting and everyday cards for the period too.” Buying Patterns: “There were no wild swings other than our central supplied Christmas counter cards being +16% up. Giftwrap bows/ribbon actually ended up being +9%, with gift boxes being down and gift bags being flat, so this was different to our first thoughts. Sales of Christmas single cards accounted for 75% of our Christmas card sales with boxed cards and charity cello packs accounting for the remaining 25%. Boxed cards showed a 3.5% increase in sales (this was the fifth year running we’ve seen an increase) but sales of charity cellos were down.” Mitigating Factors: “We spent a lot of time Above: House of Cards’ new look store in Tring. choosing product and analysing sales (down to design level) right up to the last minute, in an effort to get the right stock in the right place at the right time. We were quite brave on some lines as well and had one ‘new look’ store, which performed really well. All our stores performed well, but five were very good.” Customer Favourites: “Our top three best selling Christmas singles all featured the ‘To Both of You’ caption. These came from Wrendale, Blue Eyed Sun’s range and Jonny Javelin, in that order. Our top selling Christmas box was a bumper pack from GBCC selling at £4.99.” What Did You Do Differently?: “We worked harder!!”

Verdict: “People came out to the high streets.”

Below: 'Five on Brexit Island', an Enid Blyton spoof book series by Quercus. Below left: Dean Morris’ Christmas singles were popular at Present Surprise.

Dave Hockridge, owner of two Present Surprise stores, Chichester and Portsmouth: Performance: “We are very pleased. We had a good Christmas, better than the previous year. I think that this was influenced by scare-mongering by the press publishing stories about the weak £pound and product prices going up in 2017 (we are wondering if we are going to have to pass the rise on to our customers).” Mitigating Factors: “Because it was a mild December with very little rain I think many people came out to the high streets to shop instead of shopping online; and I feel this weather helped our shops’ sales. I’d be foolish to say online retail hasn't affected bricks and mortar stores like ours, but this past Christmas we felt people tended to spend more on the high street. We also had Black Friday sales on certain lines, which was just as successful as the past couple of years.” Buying Patterns: “Customers start buying gift items late September/early October, but as soon as December hit they went manic for Christmas cards. Christmas singles sold really well, as did boxed, but I’ve noticed some customers wait until the boxed cards are in the sales in January to send the following Christmas.” Customer Favourites: “This year, Quercus’ Enid Blyton parody books were a favourite, as were Jellycat’s plush and toys, which sell especially well around Christmas. Dean Morris’ and Five Dollar Shake’s Christmas single cards were big sellers, and boxed cards from Woodmansterne.”

Verdict: “Nervous start, but great finish!” John and Jennie Procter, co-owners of Scribbler: Performance: “Overall we were 11% up, LFL 6% up.” Buying Patterns: “There was a much better performance with Christmas packs than the previous year, reversing 2015’s decline, but we also had good LFL growth with Christmas singles. We put more emphasis on our window displays and social media. Plus our website growth was fantastic.” Mitigating Factors: “Thank goodness UK retail did not have to deal with the dreadful Paris situation or the tragedy in Berlin. In the UK the weather was pleasant and Brexit bizarrely seems to have given us all a bit of a boost. We also, as usual, had fabulous product!” Customer Favourites: “Mainly Scribbler own-brand products, but we were encouraged by the smaller publishers’ performance Above: Two of Scribblers’ own over our more established partners.” brand Christmas cards.

PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE

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A Heroic Or Whispering Year? The year 2016 kicked off to the upbeat strains of ‘We could be heroes’ (in homage to David Bowie who died in early January) and ended with a ‘Careless Whisper’ (marking the passing of George Michael at the end of December). There is no denying it was a momentous year, with the chaos, confusion and concern that Brexit and the US presidential election decision caused, but how did this percolate through to independent card retailers? The findings of PG/Cardgains’ Retail Barometer, the only annual survey into the health and the wealth of this important sector, shed light on the Space Oddity that was 2016. Given the extraordinary happenings of last year and the ensuing unsettled feelings, both in the build-up to and aftermath of the EU Referendum, Trump’s triumph the other side of the Atlantic, as well as the human suffering in Syria and other war torn parts of the globe, you could argue that the shared sentiment of sending and receiving a greeting card was never more needed and that independent card retailers should have had a bumper year. The actuality was that, while 2016 was definitely not the worst for indies, it was not without its challenges – as reflected in ‘challenging’ being far and away considered the best word selected by indies to sum up the year’s trading. The early Easter date in 2016 meant that the Spring Seasons occasions were super condensed, which never puts a spring in the step of independent card retailers (with Father’s Day and Valentine’s Day cited as the card The PG/Cardgains Retail Barometer is an annual survey that involves Cardgains’ members who account for over 1,000 retail rooftops. All surveys were completed by mid December.

Above: George Michael. Left: Great staff were highlighted as a great boon to indies’ businesses in 2016. Below: Detrimental to independents’ trade was sighted as the rise in the Minimum Wage. Below middle: The way the Spring Seasons fell last year meant the occasions were squeezed together – a Wendy Jones-Blackett Valentine’s card.

categories that saw the greatest decline year on year). Looking broader, while staff were highlighted as having been the greatest boon to an indies’ business, the Minimum Wage was deemed having been the most detrimental to trading for indies. Not surprisingly, Business Rates have been jettisoned up the bugbear list into second place, with the full affects of this being felt in 2017. However, indies are great at rising to challenges, and in actual fact two thirds of the Barometer respondents either saw their business grow or remain stable last year compared to the year previous, and even those experiencing a dip in sales were glad to report it was only marginal. Growth came through a combination of upping average spend helped by continued diversification – with home fragranced products joining scarves and jewellery as sales saviours. An increasing confidence in using social media (fuelled by Cardgains’ ongoing seminar programme) brought benefits for many (coming out as the top promotional tool in the survey), as did other marketing initiatives and collaborations with third parties. And with over 80% of respondents going into 2017 full of vigour, expecting to either grow their business or keep it steady, as Leonard Cohen (another 2016 departee) sang in his 1984 hit remake, “Hallelujah” for the independent card retailer! PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE

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PG/Cardgains Retail Barometer

How’s Business Been?

What main factor(s) have had a positive effect on your business this year? (Last year’s position in brackets)

1st

Staff (3rd)

2nd Promotional activity (2nd) 3rd

Expansion into gifts (1st)

4th

Shop improvements (4th)

5th

Social media (6th)

6th

Upsurge of new customers (5th)

7th

Refreshed card product selection (-)

8th

Local competition closing down (8th)

9th

Website (7th)

10th Winning an award (-)

Average Spend Per Customer 0% 35% 44% 18% 3%

Increased Significantly Increased Slightly Remained The Same Declined Declined Significantly

Below: Vipin Patel and Abby Seyoum of Natsons, Barnes, were presented with a Retas award, for the Best Non-Specialist Independent Retailer - South, last year. Below left: Expansion into gifts helped sales - a Bomb Cosmetics candle. Right: Online retailers are one of indies’ bugbears - a design from Lucilla Lavender. Below right: Business Rate rises in April are sure to affect retailers.

Positive Vibes It was ‘people power’ that took the top spot in the Barometer findings this year, with ‘staff’ jumping up two places from the previous year’s survey as to what has had the most positive influence on an indie’s business in the last year. Continuing a pattern of the last few years, indies have also really upped their game on the promotional front using a myriad of methods (see separate section) and it reaped benefits in 2016. While further expansion into gifts still made it into the ‘Top 3’ boons to business over the last year, partly reflected in the boosted average sale value, clearly many retailers have also seen the benefits of refreshing their greeting card offer, not just for existing customers but to attract new ones too. Investing in the shop environment through partial refits, new lighting or fascias is still up there, with retailers recognising that it is the ‘eye that buys’. A new entrant for this year in the Top Ten line up was winning awards, be that a Retas trophy, regional business award or localised town competition. The awards boost morale with those working in the business, give customers an opportunity for to feel proud of their local card shop and also provide a great publicity hook for the retailer.

The Biggest Bugbears Rather than value retailers and supermarkets being the greatest dampeners to trade in the last year (as was cited in the previous year’s survey), in 2016 it was matters more directly affecting the costs of running the shop that came out top of the bugbears – the Minimum Wage and Business Rates. In April 2016 the Minimum Wage increased to £7.20 an hour for those 25 and over, with another hike to £7.50 an hour coming into effect this April. This, coupled with the Workplace Pensions, left indies with a much bigger wages bill and in many cases some difficult choices to make on the employment front, balancing it against ensuring that customer service did not suffer. Also out of indies’ hands are Business Rates. While the new Business Rates do not come into force until April this year, the fact that they appear so high up the list of detrimental factors indicates the real concern indies (especially those in the south where the rateable rises are the greatest) have over this major cost for their business. Parking remains a constant bugbear for indie card shops who are reliant on consumer footfall which hefty parking charges inhibits. Linked to footfall is a new entry this year – online activity. It is not just that indies feel online card operators are snatching trade away from them (seen in 11th place), but that if the public are shopping from their sofa they are not out and about and so will not be prompted to buy those cards for upcoming events. The Brexit decision does make an appearance in the line-up, but only at number 10, with there having been more pressing causes for concern for an indie in 2016.

How has your business fared over the last year? PG looks back at the last eight year’s of PG/Cardgains Retail Barometer data. 2016 v 2015 Better 30% Same 38% Worse 32% 44

2015 v 2014 Better 52% Same 44% Worse 4%

PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE

2014 v 2013 Better 48% Same 32% Worse 20%

2013 v 2012 Better 27% Same 43% Worse 30%

2012 v 2011 Better 38% Same 35% Worse 27%

2011 v 2010 Better 29% Same 28% Worse 43%

2010 v 2009 Better 30% Same 20% Worse 50%

2009 v 2008 Better 57% Same 20% Worse 23%

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PG/Cardgains Retail Barometer

What main factor(s) have had a detrimental effect on your business this year?

Top Ten Promotional Mechanisms Over The Last Year

(Last year’s position in brackets)

1st

Increase in Minimum Wage (6th)

Social media (1st)

2nd Business Rates (-)

2nd Loyalty cards (2nd)

3rd

Parking issues (7th)

3rd

In-store ‘money off’/discount promotions (3rd)

4th

Expansion of value/discount retailers (2nd)

4th

Charity fundraising (6th)

5th

The UK retail economy (4th)

5th

Customer events evenings (10th)

6th

Expansion of cards in supermarkets (1st)

6th

BOGOF (or similar) (7th)

7th

Online activity (-)

6th

(Joint) Leaflets (5th)

8th

Charity shops selling greeting cards (5th)

7th

(Joint) Gift voucher scheme (8th)

Competition from multiples (3rd)

7th

(Joint) Press advertising (4th)

10th Brexit decision (-)

8th

Free gift promotions (9th)

11th Promotion of print-on-demand cards (8th)

9th

Collaboration with other businesses (11th)

12th Local road closures (-)

10th Radio advertising (-)

9th

13th Rent review (9th)

What local organisations was your business involved with in the last year?

14th Lethargy (-)

Do you feel the price of stamps affects your card sales? 8% Decrease Dramatically 64% Decrease Marginally 28% Not Affected

What is your feeling about the number of Christmas cards people sent this year? 50% Same As Last Year 50% Fewer Than Last Year 0% More Than Last Year

1st 2nd 2nd 3rd 3rd 4th 5th 6th

Charities Chamber of Commerce Federation of Small Businesses Schools Town centre retailing group Local libraries and churches Amateur dramatic group Town hall committee

Top: Indies’ social media marketing came out tops.

Business Predictions For 2017 Below: House Of Cards in the Home Counties’ promotion fundraised for the charity Child Autism.

Going For Promotion Indies really showed their marketing mettle in last year. More undertook promotional activity than ever before in the history of the Barometer. Almost three quarters of respondents embraced some type of promotional activity, many experimenting with a number of different marketing mechanisms. Social media came out tops with indies, an increasing number getting to grips the immediacy of this cheap and effective route to communicate with their customers in the last year. In the ascendency, and helped by having social media channels through which to promote them, were charity fundraising initiatives as well as customer events. These both really reinforced the role of an independent retailer as part of the community and strengthened the relationship with their customer base.

Have you run promotions and/or advertising for your shop in the last year? 74% Yes 26% No

Independent card retailers are still less optimistic about the coming year than they were at the start of 2016, with a greater number expecting to remain on a par with last year. Encouragingly 41% are expecting to grow their business in the coming year, with almost 10% of respondents planning to open another shop during 2017. Looking further ahead, to the next 10 years, while almost half of respondents feel positive about the role of the independent card retailer, sadly almost a quarter (23%) hold the view that the future of the independent card shop as being weak.

Expectations For Your Business For 2017? 8% Significant Growth 33% Marginal Growth 42% Remain About The Same 17% Slight Decline

Continued on page 47 PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE

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PG/Cardgains Retail Barometer

How do you view the future of the independent card shop in the next 10 years? 3% 43% 31% 14% 9%

Very Positive Positive Neutral Weak Very Weak

Below: Sending a card rather than a text message was high on indies’ wishlist. A ‘Happy Birthday’ card from Pigment.

If you had a magic wand, what one thing would you change about the greeting card industry? Among the most popular responses to this one were: ● Make Card Factory disappear ● Forbid people saying Happy Birthday by text ● Protect exclusivity of supply ● For publishers to consult with indies more ● Greater loyalty from publishers ● Remove VAT on cards ● Eradicate computer failures ● Greater consistency in card sizes ● More support and investment in emerging talent ● Get rid of handling charges for returning seasons ● Reduced cost of stamps for Christmas cards ● Minimise packaging to reduce waste

Threats And Opportunities When it comes to threats to an indie’s greeting card business it is supermarkets that top the poll due to their sheer number of stores, invariably free parking, as well improvements in their greeting card selection and display. However, when it comes to severity of the threat, Card Factory trounces the likes of Tesco and Asda, with almost a third of respondents viewing the value chain as a ‘serious threat’ as oppose to only 19% who would view the grocers’ march on cards as a ‘serious threat’. Interestingly, Moonpig (and other print-on-demand operators) are now viewed as much more of a threat to an indies’ business than multiples retailers Paperchase and Clintons.

How do you currently view Card Factory? 31% 39% 30% 0%

Serious Threat Threat Neutral Bonus

Above left: Card Factory was stated as a serious threat to indies.

How do you view Moonpig, Funky Pigeon and other print-ondemand operators? 6% 42% 52% 0%

Serious Threat Threat Neutral Bonus

How do you currently view Paperchase? 3% 9% 76% 12%

Serious Threat Threat Neutral Bonus

Below: Indies used the word ‘Challenging’ to use the retail landscape last year – a card design from Icon’s B&W Exposure range.

In A Word When asked what word they felt would best describe the UK greeting card industry today, top of the picks was ‘challenging’. While there were more positive than negative words selected from the lexicon – with ‘innovative’, ‘optimistic’ and ‘vibrant’ being popular choices - a multiple occurrence of words such as ‘fragile’ and ‘stagnant’ is quite telling.

Among the POSITIVE descriptors: Changing, Creative, Diverse, Good, Innovative, Optimistic, Positive, Steadfast, Thriving, Vibrant.

Among the NEUTRAL descriptors: Challenging, Communication, Flat, Hard, Okay, Stable.

Among the NEGATIVE descriptors Declining, Difficult, Fragile, Over-Carded, Saturated, Stagnant, Suffering, Worrying.

Product Matters How Do You Source Products? 1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th 6th 7th 8th 9th 10th

From reps and agents From exhibitions From the Cardgains rep/newsletter From Progressive Greetings Looking in other shops Feedback from customers From the Internet Cards sent by friends Word of mouth From publishers or Cardgains’ website

Above: Visiting trade shows is just one of the routes to find fresh new product. Harrogate Home & Gifts highlighted last year its new Greetings Hall.

How do you view the supermarkets’ expansion on the greeting card front?

As far as the number of suppliers from whom you order, do you expect to…

19% 67% 14% 0%

10% Increase The Number 81% Remain About The Same 9% Decrease The Number

Serious Threat Threat Neutral Bonus

How do you currently view Clintons? 3% 11% 83% 3%

Serious Threat Threat Neutral Bonus

In the last year would you say that service levels from suppliers have? 3% 26% 54% 14% 3%

Improved Significantly Improved Slightly Remained The Same Decreased Slightly Decreased Significantly

Continued on page 49 PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE

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PG/Cardgains Retail Barometer

Would you consider being supplied via a brokerage system?

Which card categories have you seen sales decline in your shop(s) in the last year?

11% Yes 51% No 38% Undecided

1st Father’s Day 2nd Valentine’s Day 3rd Cute

Do you see geographical exclusivity of supply as an issue?

4th Easter 5th Licensed

45% Yes 55% No

6th Christmas card boxes 7th Handmade or Hand-Finished

Star Performers Given the difficulties of the last year, perhaps it is not surprising that humour topped the greeting card charts for indies as being the card category that showed the largest growth for them. This also reflects the dynamism within the humorous card sector with new players growing in prominence. The positive reaction (from consumers and retailers) to the increased selection of double captioned cards (eg showing the event and relationship to the sender) helped to push relations and occasions up to second place. The launch of larger cards from the leading handmade/hand-finished publishers, plus the greater willingness to offer personalised options is evidenced in pushing the handmade or hand-finished category in the ranking.

Which card categories have you seen sales grow in your shop(s) in the last year?

8th Children’s 9th Photographic 10th Art

Is The Price Right?

Above: There was a decline in Spring Seasons card sales last year.

While the vast majority of indies would like prices to remain the same for 2017, they are having to accept that so many publishers have or are planning to increase prices this year. As for the real price ‘pressure points’, indie’s are most fearful of breaking through the £2.99 barrier, with £1.99 being the next most sensitive, and £4.99 came up strongly at the top end.

In the coming year would you like to see the Recommended Retail Prices (RRPs) of counter cards?

(Last year’s position shown in brackets)

1st

Humour (2nd)

2nd Relations and occasions (3rd) 3rd

Traditional words & sentiment (1st)

4th

Contemporary words and sentiment (6th)

4th

Christmas card singles (5th)

4th

Handmade or Hand-Finished (9th)

4th

Photographic (-)

5th

Art (7th)

5th

Children’s (4th)

5th

Easter (10th)

5th

Male (8th)

5th

Mother’s Day (7th)

6th

Christmas card boxes (10th)

6th

Licensed (8th)

6th

Valentine’s Day (8th)

7th

Trend, Fun and Graphic (10th)

8th

Father’s Day (8th)

9th

Cute (12th)

Below: A Words n Wishes’ Diamond Anniversary card - for higher anniversaries. Bottom left: The Easter Bunny (a card from Abacus) was sitting side by side with Mother’s Day offering last year.

Choices And Future Product Plans

Above: Humour cards had the largest growth in 2016. Tillovision‘s designs were part of the humour ‘selection box’.

10th Other Religious Festivals eg. Diwali, Eid (11th)

Dipping In The early timing of Easter will not have helped Spring Seasons sales in 2016 meaning that in many instances Mother’s Day and Valentine’s Day cards were displayed simultaneously. The work Cardgains has instigated (through the GCA and UKG) to create generic PoS should help to boost awareness for this year’s events.

As to which card categories indies would you like to see more choice, there is a loud rally call for “more male cards”! With humour scoring so well with customers, despite the wide choice that is already available, Barometer respondents would like to see even more. As relations and occasions cards provide the backbone of an indie’s stock control many feel there is further potential to expand the selection of relations cards, with Great Granddaughter and Great Grandson being the highest on the wishlist while a wider selection of age cards too, especially the higher ones as well as higher anniversaries are also being called for. Continued on page 51 PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE

Feb Issue Christmas Velvet Full Page A4 Size.pdf

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16:59

Christmas 2017 from Jonny Javelin

Velvet Wishes is one of our 4 brand new ranges for Christmas 2017. Customers will be coming to your shop expecting the best! We wouldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t want to disappoint them. Velvet Wishes is the same fantastic formula, but with dozens of magical new images across 146 titles.

Also in the package...

Christmas Velvet Moments - 36 titles Festive Fudge - 61 titles

Tel: 01423 563740 050_PG_February 2017.indd 1

info@jonnyjavelin.co.uk

Mistletoe Kisses - 55 titles

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PG/Cardgains Retail Barometer

Into which product areas would you like to further diversify? 1st Gifts 2nd Jewellery 3rd Stationery 3rd Home accessories 3rd Impulse items 4th Fashion accessories 4th Chocolates/confectionery 5th Eco goods

Xpressions received special mentions both for its Pot of Dreams and its chocolate bars while Thorntons and House of Sarunds also tantalised tastebuds for many cardies’ customers too. All that glisters is not gold, as Joe Davies’ Equilibrium jewellery, as well as Byzantium’s collections, sparkled on the sales front. Wrendale’s products had a cracking year, East of India scored on the impulse front, while Boxer’s Starlight Bottles also saw sales dreams come true. On a more general front, balloons, photoframes (especially those from Widdop & Co), giftwrap, scarves, jewellery, age mugs and jigsaws all helped to push up the average sale.

By Other Means

5th Handbags 5th Giftwrappings 5th Calendars Above: Diversifying into stationery was near the top of the list for retailers – beautiful stationery from Katie Leamon.

6th Toys 6th Gardening products 6th China and tableware 6th Crafting products

Other card caption areas in which respondents would you like to see more of a choice include: Grandchildren at Christmas, Anniversary (non-wedding), Same Sex Engagement, Marriage Blessing, Renewal of Vows, Step-Mum/Dad, Adoption, General Congratulations, New School and Going to University.

Must Haves When asked to cite the three ranges of greeting cards they could you not do without in their shop, the responses reflect a healthy diversity on offer in the market, with retailers catering for their respective customer base. As reflected by IC&G winning the Gold Service award in The Henries, the publisher fared well in this section, with its relations collection coming out top, though Jonny Javelin’s Velvet and Nigel Quiney’s Pizazz were not far behind. Other ranges viewed as ‘must haves’ in the last year by a notable number of respondents include Five Dollar Shake’s main range, Second Nature’s Pop-Ups, Paperlink’s Lacie, Noel Tatt’s animal humour, Pigment’s Happy Jackson and photographic humour and UKG’s model line.

What three ranges of non-card products could you not do without in your shop? Clearly 2016 was a very smelly year as fragranced products scored very highly with Yankee and Lilyflame leading the charge on the candle front, while Bomb Cosmetics and the English Soap Company also scoring highly. Jellycat plush was a strong soft touch for sales for many, while gifts from Really Good and Wild & Wolf kept the ‘wolf from the door’ for others.

Above left: IC&G was sighted as one of the top three publishers indies couldn't be without. Left: Jellycat’s plush is one product line indies love.

As in so many other industries, technology continues to be a force for good for independent card retailers – as evidenced by a surging use of social media to promote their shops in the last year. ● Almost six out ten of respondents are now using Facebook and Twitter Above: Social media continues regularly for business purposes. as a great marketing tool for ● Of those not currently active on social media, businesses – a design from Icon’s ranges. over a third (37%) plan to do so in 2017. ● Over half of the respondents have a website for their shops, though only a quarter of these are transactional. Of those who do not have a website, almost one in five are intending to develop one in the coming year.

How do you view texting, emailing or social networking sites as an alternative to greeting cards? 11% 57% 32% 0%

Serious Threat Threat Neutral Bonus

Below: To receive a card from HRH the Queen was independents’ wish - a card from The Lynn Tait Gallery.

Queen Of Cards When asked which person (celebrity, statesperson or fictitious character dead or alive) they would most want to receive a card from, independent card retailers aim high – with the Queen being the most popular choice. Other coveted celebrity would-be card senders range include: State and business: Winston Churchill, Martin Luther King, Sir Alan Sugar. Music: David Bowie, Gary Barlow, Dave Grohl, Elton John. Sport and Arts: Harry Redknapp, George Best, Van Gogh. Acting: Tom Baker, Benedict Cumberbatch, George Clooney.

Why People Buy Cards ‘To show someone they care’ came out as the overwhelming top reason why indies feel customers buy cards. They were asked to select what they felt were the first, second and third drivers in a customer making that decision. While ‘duty’ does play a part, many feel that this is very much the third reason for the purchase. The urge to make someone happy far outweighed the perfunctory reasons.

PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE

Did you know at least one in three adults in the UK have a tattoo? In acknowledgement of this growing obsession Abacus Cards is proud to introduce “Touch of Ink”, a new, beautifully foiled range of birthday cards that feature illustrated, tattooed figures. See the entire range of 14 designs, as well as a whole host of other new products, on the Abacus stand, P30 in Hall 3 – 3A, at this year’s Spring Fair.

For more information contact your local territory sales manager or give our sales admin team a call on 01638 569050

The Studio, Oaks Drive, Newmarket, Suffolk, CB8 7SX | Tel: 01638 569050 Web: www.abacuscards.co.uk | Email: info@abacuscards.co.uk

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State Of The Nation

Calm Waters, But Watch Out For

The Rapids Globally and nationally 2016 was a momentous year, in that there is no doubt. And as a reflection of real life, fashions and beliefs, in this melting pot are greeting cards. And the British public spent £1.7 billion on them in the last year, more than ever before. Amid all the madness of the world about us, PG considers the health and wealth of the UK greeting card industry. Within the space of three months last summer we had the Queen’s 90th birthday, a Wimbledon win by Sir Andy Murray, the abridged European Football Championships, the Olympics - oh yes and the Brexit vote. Not to belittle the magnitude of other events, both within the confines of the UK and outside its waters, while the greeting card industry is affected by both the macro and micro it is impossible to consider the possible knock-on effects of every distinct happening or nuance. So, first the facts: Going by the recent UK Greeting Card Market Report, the industry is in robust health. It might not be at peak marathon running fitness, but for a mature sector it is faring very nicely thank you. The value of the everyday market was up 5% on the previous year – notching up a value of £1.7 billion, a 5% increase on the previous year. What’s even more encouraging is that value increases were tracked in the three ‘big hitting’ areas of everyday, relations & occasions and Top: Watch out for the rapids! Above right: One of the 100,000+ cards the Queen received to mark her 90th birthday. This one was specially made by Ling. Right: There are many industries who would be delighted to have shown a 5% increase in value.

Christmas singles, the three cornerstones of the sector. On the volume front (ie the number of cards bought), yes a decline was tracked, but not by much at all. The report shows a 2.2% dip, which is far from serious when you consider that we are still talking about nigh on 900 million individual cards. The Queen’s 90th birthday (the celebrations for which extended from April right through to the end of the summer) made for a fabulous celebration of just how engrained the habit of sending cards are

among the British psyche. As PG witnessed first hand during a visit to Buckingham Palace (to the deliver the industry’s ‘post bag’ of cards that had been collected at PG Live), the best way the nation saw to send their good wishes to our monarch was in the form of a card – over 100,000 of them. This response even took the Palace staff by surprise with sackful after sackful arriving – and the Queen insisting that everyone who included their address should receive a response of thanks! The industry sustained its broad base on both the publisher and retailer side. Aside from K2, which closed its card publishing side to concentrate on its personalised gift business, there were no industry casualties on the publishing front. And it could be argued that the recent sale of The Original Poster Company, the consignment based publisher to Cathay, is reassurance that outside investors see future growth potential in the sector. PG Live, the world’s largest dedicated greeting card show, was full to the gunnels with publishers, and The Ladder Club seminars (for would-be and fledgling publishers) sold out on both days. There is a real feeling that paper products, from greeting cards to stationery, is undergoing something of a renaissance, despite and in spite of the digital age. PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE

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State Of The Nation

The Christmas Story

UKG’s parent company American Greetings pulled off a great stunt at the recent Las Vegas Consumer Electronics Show, whetting the appetite for its launch of Device Like No Other (see News). The pre-publicity promised this state of the art gadget as being ‘ultrathin, has unlimited memory and offers more meaningful ways to connect than ever thought possible.’ You’ve guessed it! It’s a greeting card! Whether this thought provoking marketing won over the geeks at the show it’s unsure, but the publicity it attracted will have at least made many people think.

As PG went to press the full picture had yet to emerge as to how Christmas card sales went. By all accounts it was pretty good for most retailers, with both independent and multiples reporting decent sales (or at least on a par with the previous year) against all expectations. But in most cases it was the sales of single Christmas cards, rather than boxed, that held the festive ground. While these higher priced single cards puts more money in the till for retailers, is this a good or a bad thing for the sector? Are fewer, more carefully selected and thoughtfully written Above: A tongue in cheek message Christmas cards better than a more ‘blanket send’ with a rushed signature? that Cardmix sent to its trade It could be argued that given the rise of the internet and a Millennial contacts last year. generation not used to writing, this verdict was a bit of a result, and remaining on a par is acceptable. But what is worrying is that a year of stagnation could herald a decline next year. It wasn’t helped that some ‘Rent–a –Gob’ columnists in early December were bemoaning the decline in number of Christmas cards they had received and why they themselves have personally stopped sending them. In a way this is worse than the anti-charity Christmas card stories that we as an industry had to fight for so many years, which thankfully have all but disappeared. What these stories do is spread apathy and inertia about Christmas card sending. When Boris Johnson’s sister Rachel proclaimed in the Daily Mail on December 10 that the tradition of Christmas card sending is ‘biting the dust’, because she has only received six cards by that date, it gives people a let out. The industry needs to write an especially good letter to Santa to ensure this year’s Christmas card sack is bulging!

Meanwhile, on the retail side, expansion has been on the cards both at the top and bottom of the market. Paperchase and Scribbler are among those at the top that have continued to open new doors, both in prime sites in the heart of London as well as elsewhere. Card Factory has remained on course with its pre-set challenge to open 50 stores a year, while Cardzone augmented its presence by ‘acquiring’ Hallmark’s Factory Outlets.

The Population Equation

Below: Among the viral video activity was a piece Hallmark did involving consumers and how they felt sending and receiving cards.

The changing demographics of the UK are bound to have an impact on the card sending habits - for good or ill. By 2021 a quarter of the population of the UK will be over 65 years of age. And hopefully this is a generation, with a degree of wealth that was denied to their predecessors of say 30 years previous, that will continue to celebrate events, whether birthdays, anniversaries or Christmas, with greeting cards. Further down the age group, those in the UK greeting card industry will need to hope that the ‘Millennial’ females that have grown up in the digital age begin to adopt the customs of most Baby Boomers and Generation X’s as they settle down in a home, start a family - and start buying cards. If they don’t (Gen Ys represent 21% of the population) this will signal a big change as their offspring will follow the lead of their parents. The UK population is set to rise quite dramatically in years to come, for a combination of reasons. This is because the birth rate of first generation immigrant communities that have come to Britain is much higher than the indigenous population and additionally, because we are all living longer. Retailers and publishers will need to be mindful that the needs and tastes of the ever changing population mix are properly catered for in order that the importance and value of greeting card sending continues to be appreciated.

Above left: Over 250 publishers exhibited at last year’s PG Live to the delight of retailers and overseas diustributors. Left: Paperchase opened a stunning store in London’s Soho last summer. Below: GCA’s Sharon Little on the red sofa on BBC’s Breakfast TV show promoting the importance of sending Christmas cards.

While routes to market for brand new publishers is a struggle due to the fact that there are not enough agents out there, the brokerage system (if the cost mechanisms stack up) does at least mean that small publishers can access larger accounts. And export wise, the British card industry’s attraction is further heightened to overseas distributors thanks to the weakness of the £pound compared to other currencies. PR wise, the industry has been more in the limelight in the run up to Christmas. Sharon Little, the GCA’s ceo, struggled to fit in all the requests for media appearances, from BBC Breakfast to ITV news, as well as a whole string of radio programmes. Likewise, the industry’s symbiotic relationship with Royal Mail was further strengthened with a whole programme of Continued on page 57 PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE

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State Of The Nation

Taking a different tack, Caroline Gardner, seeking to do something to help counter the enormous loneliness issue (over half a million 60+ year-olds spent Christmas alone), formed a collaboration with Age UK called Give to Give, whereby it sent cards to hundreds of elderly and isolated people in the West London area. For all this good news, as in all relationships, nothing in this day and age can be taken for granted. Which is why the industry cannot take it as a right of passage that it will continue to ‘lick the envelope’

stamp cancellation messages being franked on millions of items of post in the run up to each of the Spring Seasons as well as Thinking of You Week. The latter, an initiative conceived by the GCA to encourage people to send extra cards to show they are thinking of them, chimed with a general consumer trend that is still in the ascendance to show a caring side as well as gratitude. New card and stationery retailer Kikki.K is one company that is perpetuating this Gratitude Movement, with the Scandi designled player inspiring its growing number of fans to send ‘gratitude’ cards and notes.

The Uncontrollables

Above: New card and stationery chain Kikki.K has been promoting gratitude, encouraging people to send handwritten notes and cards. Below: The positive consumer reaction to Thinking of You Week, as evidenced by the public reaction to the ‘taking to the streets’ event initiated by the GCA, that took place outside Kings Cross station, is reassuring for the sector.

The state of the UK economy is one area in which the greeting card industry has no control, but its effects are overlaid onto this and so many other consumer product sectors. The fluctuations and changes in consumer shopping habits are a constant source of concern for those in the card trade. On the one hand, unlike many other consumer products, greeting cards don’t really lend themselves to online buying. There are exceptions of course – Moonpig continues to do a good job (its marketing activity percolating through as general card sending reminders), while Etsy and Not On The High Street offer a plethora of choice for high-end personalised cards. But at most, these only command a 5% share of the market. The British, mainly female, greeting card buyer generally likes to browse, touch, feel, almost smell the card she is buying, which means that she needs to go to a physical location to do that. The plus side of this is that retailers, both large and small, are fully embracing the importance of greeting cards as a way of drawing customers into their stores. A case in point is the John Lewis’ store in Birmingham, which has its greeting cards positioned right at the front, while the new look departments that have debuted in the selected Tesco stores are also near the front. In fact, it could be arguable that greeting cards have never been so important to retailers as they are right now, both as a traffic builder and still as one of the more potent profit per sq ft products there is.

of public tastes and justify a continuing high retail presence. The public mood in the UK, and in so many Western democracies, is becoming increasingly fickle. Habits are changing at an astonishing rate, and the internet is permeating every aspect of our lives in one way or another. Businesses are under pressure from so many different angles and the startling rate of demographic change is having a huge influence on Britain’s make up. While all this makes it difficult to assess what is likely to happen in the future to the UK greeting card industry, we can at least take comfort that despite all the challenges the sector continues to prove its resilience. As long as the huge creativity that has kept the UK greeting card industry so buoyant in the face of so many threats over the last few years continues, there are reasons to be hopeful that it will keep those in this industry in gainful employment for many years to come. Yes, there may be some very choppy waters ahead that we can’t even anticipate, but for now at least this industry remains afloat, if not in the Sea of Tranquillity then in the Sentiment Ocean.

The downside to this though, is that footfall (to bricks and mortar retailers) is diminishing as more and more people eschew physical shopping trips in favour of sitting at their laptop or scanning their mobile device and buying off the internet. And the industry will only prosper if off line retailers prosper. Unfortunately, the already beleaguered shop owner, whether large or small, is facing a number of additional challenges in 2017. The increase in Minimum Wage was a body blow to many in 2016 (and it’s on the up again in April), but with pension auto-enrolment coming into effect for many more indies this year, that will be another additional cost. However, the real sting in the tail for many, notably for those in the Home Counties, the south, as well as the hot spots of the north, will be the Business Rates revaluation. Already prohibitive in many areas of the country (some business rates are already higher than rents), many retailers are bracing themselves for massive increases come April with some almost doubling. And even outside ‘the Southern bubble’, in areas of the country where rates are set to generally reduce, the reduction will be phased in over a long period of time so retailers may not see the benefit for many years to come. This rise could be enough to Inset: The new look card put many independents throw in departments that were the towel and put extra pressure introduced in prime positions in 19 Tesco stores last year have on multiples – in any effect it is a much more ‘boutique’ feel. not good news for the greeting card industry. PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE

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Spring Fair Launches

Spring In Their Step

New year, new opportunities - and loads and loads of new products! PG went behind the scenes of a trio of companies for whom this year’s Spring Fair (February 5-9) will be significant for a number of different reasons.

Really Good Soulful Celebrations This year marks both the 30th anniversary of Really Good and the 20th birthday of its sibling, Soul. With doubly good reason to celebrate, the anniversary antics kick-off at the Spring Fair. ‘This will be the best year yet’ is the uplifting message that will be shared with retailers visiting Really Good’s stand at the Spring Fair - and it is an affirmation that they will be able to take away with them in the form of a limited edition print that has been specially created by Rachel Bright, designer/writer behind The Bright Side range of cards and gifts from Really Good. There will also be yummy treats being given away too, with special chocolate bars being produced featuring the brand new logos for each of the companies. On the product front, as well as new additions to The Bright Side range (including special ages and wooden signs), Really Good’s Deck Chair collection has been completely refreshed and will debut a great new look. Meanwhile, somewhat appropriately, Soul’s brand new Mostly True collection of cards and gifts harks back to a meeting two decades ago, Top middle: The redesigned logos for Really Good and Soul that have just been unveiled. Top right: David Hicks with colleagues Lisa Shoesmith (left) and Lisa Marcuccio at The Henries last October, for which they all embraced the Bollywood theme of the event. Above right: The specially produced The Bright Side print created by Rachel Bright that will be given to selected customers to the Really Good stand at Spring Fair as part of the company’s anniversary celebrations. Right: The Mostly True card and gift range that is launching under Soul, some 20 years after David Hicks first met Brian Andreas, creator of the StoryPeople concept on which the range is based. Far right: A new look for Really Good’s Deck Chair range.

the exact same year that Soul launched as a sibling brand. Elucidating, David Hicks, founder and creative director of Really Good and Soul, said: “I first met the artist and storyteller Brian Andreas at the New York Stationery Show in 1986 when he signed a copy of his StoryPeople book for me. I loved his work and the idea of combining stories onto products. We have kept in touch ever since and always hankered for us to work together. And 20 years later, we are!” The result is the Mostly True collection, which includes 20 cards as well as coasters, books, canvas bags, trays and mugs, all of which feature the musings of this celebrated Californian writer. While the Mostly True products share a snapshot in time, with the words featured being a mini story to connect people, David Hicks has let slip that he is underway with a longer story that is ‘all true’. “A fortune teller in Brighton told me to write a book about my life, so that’s

what I’m doing,” David admitted to PG. “I had some time in Cuba last summer where there was no wifi, so I thought I’d try and make a start - and surprisingly it all came gushing out.” Although David is not certain he will ever have the book published, it has given him time to think about the experiences of developing Really Good and Soul over the last three decades. He shakes off any suggestion that he should feel proud of what he has achieved in putting Really Good and Soul on the map, having trailblazed on the product side (notably with Not Particularly Happy Hefalumps, Edward Monkton and The Bright Side) as well as making things happen industrywise (he was a leading light in the formation of the GCA as it is now). “Not pride, more amazement!” he says with a wry laugh. “I always had a back up plan of course – to go to Nepal and become a Buddhist monk, but that has not been necessary!” With the company’s official birthday not until 10 August, while the celebrations will start at Spring Fair, they will build to a crescendo mid year, but stand by at what marvels that will entail! ● Really Good and Soul will be exhibiting in Hall 6 Stand J14-K15. PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE

GRASS ROOTS INTERNATIONAL

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NEC Spring Fair HALL 3 STAND 3L16-M17

Code 75 R.S.P. £1.99

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For further details contact our Customer Service Team on: Tel: 0151 541 0448 E-mail: sales@writefromtheheart.co.uk

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Spring Fair Launches

Barking Up The Right Tree “We wanted to find something great and quirky as our main launch for Mint Publishing – and A Dog Named Jimmy is it!” says Debbie Williams, co-owner of Mint Publishing, Museums & Galleries and Real & Exciting Designs. Plus, with M&G’s licensing agreement for the V&A now extending into greeting cards and new launches from celebrated designers Matthew Williamson and Cressida Bell, Jimmy joins a stellar line up of Spring Fair launches for the publishing group. Jimmy the Bull Terrier, has already wowed them on social media, has a book published and been feted in newspapers galore – but now A Dog Named Jimmy is bounding onto greeting cards through a licensing deal with Mint Publishing. Good things often come out of adversity and this is a case in point. On his 30th birthday Brazilian artist Rafael Mantesso’s wife left him and she took everything from their home – apart from one thing, Jimmy their Bull Terrier. The story goes that, left alone in an empty allwhite apartment, Rafael found inspiration in the blank walls and his canine chum. Hitting on a winning combination of photos of Jimmy set against simple black marker pen illustrations, the images were posted on Instagram and it went viral. And with 600,000 followers and counting, Jimmy is already enjoying doggy stardom. “We had tasked Jan [Taylor], who works with us on the creative side for Mint, to come up with an idea that would take Mint back to its roots of having something quirky that is not like anything else on the market. We didn’t know what she would find, but Jimmy fits the bill exactly,” says Debbie Williams, co-owner of Mint. Due to quarantine constraints, unfortunately Jimmy cannot make it over to Spring Fair, Birmingham from his home in Brazil, but he will be there in spirit - as well of course on the inaugural 24 greeting cards. From a new star from the digital world to a brand steeped in heritage, this Spring Fair marks the launch of Museums & Galleries’ first V&A Christmas and everyday greeting card collection since the company was acquired from the receivers by Debbie and Alan Williams in 2013.

While the company has continued to produce V&A stationery and giftwrap, the greeting card licence passed to The Art Group for three years. “The V&A is one of the most influential cultural brands in the world, and is actively flying the flag for Britain through partnerships and projects abroad, as well as sending its groundbreaking exhibitions all over the planet. Considered as an archive of commercial imagery, it is inexhaustible,” says Debbie. “In our new ranges we have tried to give a flavour of the wonders the museum can offer, from its historic archives to the cutting-edge designers of today,” she adds. The everyday range consists of around 120 designs, in four different price points, with some special occasions designs too. In addition, the publisher is also launching a premium collection of foiled and embossed square cards. This joins a refreshed V&A gift stationery range that includes new sizes of journals as well as matching pens. Below: A distinctive Matthew Williamson scarf design that is being translated onto cards under licence by Museums & Galleries. Right: The striking artwork of Cressida Bell that is featuring on journals and wrap from Museums & Galleries.

Above: Debbie and Alan Williams with Mint Publishing’s new brochure which features Jimmy on the front cover in Ziggy Stardust mode and the hard backed book that is selling well in bookshops. Left: One of the designs in the Dog Named Jimmy range from Mint Publishing. Below left: One of the 100+ designs in the new V&A card collection from Museums & Galleries.

The lusciously foiled front cover of the Museums & Galleries new brochure celebrates another key focus for the stand at the show – the colourful creations of fashion designer Matthew Williamson, whose stunning imagery graces three distinct card collections as well as new stationery and giftwrap ranges. Also drawing from the contemporary design world is a range of stationery and wrap based on the decorative creations by British designer Cressida Bell, granddaughter of Vanessa Bell, the Bloomsbury Group painter. “I don’t know exactly how many new cards, wrap and stationery products we will have on the stands, but I know that the postage costs for the catalogues we have published to feature them in was rather high!” said Debbie. ● Mint Publishing will be at Spring Fair, Hall 3-3A Stand N16.

PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE

Hearts Designs luxury cards, stationary and gift wrap !

SPRING FAIR Hall 3 T13 www.heartsdesignsgallery.co.uk Call Us On +44 (0) 1424 777491 062_PG_February 2017.indd 1

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Spring Fair Launches

Inking In A Deal Did you know that one in three adults in the UK have a tattoo? – and this percentage is even higher among the younger generation. Sub-dermal art, in all its multifarious styles, is on the increase – hence the reason Abacus Cards inked in a deal with two fashion illustrators to create Touch of Ink, a sophisticated figurative card range, which incorporate tattoos into the designs. “It all started with a conversation I had with what is going on in society and it seemed two different retailers at a retailer that tattoo art was not being forum we held, both of whom had represented. People like to tattoos, so we started talking send cards that are relevant, about them and their place in the and with 30% of the UK adult artworld,” explained Bev population having a tattoo Cunningham, creative director of that is a lot of relevance!” Abacus, about how the idea for the Aiming for a new Touch of Ink range came sophisticated stylish look about. “I was then listening to a that would mean the cards fascinating programme on Radio 4 would appeal to the about the art of tattooing, and mainstream rather than a came into work and there was chat niche sub-culture, Bev felt going on about the TV programme, that fashion illustrators Above: All 14 designs in the Touch of Ink range Tattoo Fixers. Greeting cards reflect have a fashion illustration feel to them. would have the right

creative touch. She found what she was looking for in two artists, Tracy Fennell and Laura Tinald, neither of whom had ever designed greeting cards previously. “As well as searching for the right illustrators I also researched tattoo art and was amazed by the development of the watercolour tattoo art style which I thought would work perfectly on greeting cards, so I added that to the brief,” explains Bev. Although Bev herself does not have a tattoo, she admits to having a “much better appreciation of them from a creative standpoint.” Everyone ordering the range at the Spring Fair show will receive a free tattoo, albeit a temporary one, based on the artwork seen in the range. ● See Abacus Cards’ new range at Spring Fair, Hall 3-3A Stand P30.

Meet The Artists Tracy Fennell has worked as an illustrator for many years, initially within publishing, with her work featuring in many children’s books, balancing her time between lecturing in Stockport College as well as teaching at local workshops. “My work has always been figurative based, using watercolours, inks and the addition of mixed media and digital applications. Recently I have refreshed my technique and gone back to my love of fashion illustration, using line and washes to create a more fluid and seemingly effortless style. When Abacus approached me I was delighted as greeting cards is an area I was keen to pursue. The brief was to create figures, male and female, with tattoos, which is very reflective of today’s current trend and seemed a perfect combination with a fashion illustration style. Though I haven’t braved it myself, I know plenty of people with tattoos or who create tattoos. When inked properly, with a good design they can offer a powerful statement and become a walking advert for the artist. It wasn’t until I started researching tattoos that I truly appreciated the time and effort it takes to create a successful design and the consideration needed when choosing a lifelong work of art. When I started designing the cards I looked at several tattoo magazines, took photographs of friends’ tattoos and then created the designs recognising the importance of marrying the design of the tattoo with the figure.” Above left: Tracy Fennell head down at a teaching workshop she was leading. Above right: The card designs reflect both the scripted and illustrative aspects of tattoos. Left: Tracy’s tools of her trade and a piece of work that is underway.

Laura Tinald is an illustrator and fine artist. Art agency Washington Green publishes limited edition prints of her work, and exhibits her original artworks in their galleries across the country. ”I have two tattoos: peacock feathers on my back and a butterfly on my arm. My friend - who owns Modern Body Art in Birmingham city centre - inked both for me. I’m very interested in tattoo art, appreciating that it takes a lot of skill. It’s also interesting how the art has evolved over the years. Years ago, tattoos were considered a bit 'common', or representative of a ‘thuggish’ lifestyle, but that’s not the case now, as they are much more accepted and considered as an art form. I think some people get them for the wrong reasons - like following a fashion trend, for example. I think your tattoo should mean something to you, and be something you have helped to shape and develop. When Bev approached me about A Touch of Ink I was immediately interested for two reasons: firstly, I love to illustrate people and secondly, I agreed with Bev that tattoos are not currently represented properly in the greeting card market. In fact, I don’t think I’ve ever seen a greeting card featuring a girl with a tattoo, especially Top: Laura Tinald in her studio. not an artful one! Above: This Abacus design recognises the need for more contemporary male designs in the market. During the concept development phase I did lots of research - looking at tattoo blogs, magazines and Instagram, as well as talking to my friends. When I was working on the greeting card designs I was conscious that the illustrations needed to be fairly bold, as they need to excite and grab the attention of potential buyers. I thought it was important that the tattoo was not overshadowed by anything else in the illustration.” PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE

The new Rosebud range by Megan Claire features beautiful rose gold foil typography on a luxury cream board with black and cream striped envelopes. Pop by to Stand 3V40 at Spring Fair to see over 90 designs within our new ranges; Rosebud, Confetti, Black Jack & Deck The Halls. The are also new additions to the ever popular Pink Champagne range.

w w w. m e g a n c l a i r e . c o . u k / 0 1 5 3 6 5 6 0 3 4 5 / h e l l o @ m e g a n c l a i r e . c o . u k

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Spring Fair Spotlight

Lights, camera, action... some card publishers will be ‘making an entrance’ at this month’s Spring Fair for the first time. So this year, the show’s organisers, in collaboration with the GCA, have ‘opened the curtains’ on a new area of the fair called Debut, in the heart of Greetings Hall 3, a dedicated space for GCA members to make their Spring Fair inauguration. PG goes ‘back stage’ to ask some of these NEC fair first timers what was their life before cards, artistic inspiration and hopes for their ‘grand greeting card unveiling’ at the show. Helen Wiseman, founder/illustrator for Helen Wiseman Illustration: Behind The Curtains: “I’ve always known I'd be an illustrator, even since school. I went on to train as a children's book illustrator at Falmouth College of Arts and have been creating ever since. Alongside card design, I've been working closely with a board game company designing children's chess sets and games cubes. I also love to paint places and often take myself away on painting trips to Above: Helen Wiseman. inspiring places including Venice and Cornwall. My dream is to one day Below left: Two adorable designs from Helen Wiseman Illustration. travel to India with my paints!” Creative Spark: “I get inspiration from all around. I keep an eye on the latest trends but generally I get ideas from my own surroundings, friends and family. And Quentin Blake is a bit of a hero! I've always loved and admired his quirky style.” Debut Hopes: "Never say no to anything" is my motto!! By exhibiting at Spring Fair I really would love to add lots more retailers to my list. I also hope that 2017 is so successful that I can come back in 2018 with all new ranges.” Hall 3, Debut Stand K29

Sarah Capper, founder/designer of Doodleicious: Behind The Curtains: “I studied textiles design, specialising in embroidery, and I love minute detail, especially working with beads! I now work in the UK for a Swedish fabric manufacturer, assisting with the specification of contract standard fabric on major projects.” Creative Spark: “My inspiration for my artwork comes from repetitive pattern and natural patterns found in nature. I love creating a piece that you can keep looking at and noticing more detail. I also love creating depth with adjusting the size of the pattern. Colour is also a real passion! I only started drawing again a couple of years ago and now I can’t Above: Sarah Capper. stop! I stepped in to the greetings industry after handLeft: The beautifully making cards and giving away far detailed British Bird Collection from too many original drawings! Doodleicious. Becoming a card publisher was a natural progression.” Debut Hopes: “My hopes for Spring Fair is to be noticed! And my Hummingbird collection has proved very popular in the USA and I’m currently looking for a distributor out there.” Hall 3, Debut Stand M43

Husband and wife, John Higgins and Laura Kavanagh, partners of Go La La!: Behind The Curtains: “I worked as an area manager for a corporate social housing provider, managing enterprise across the South-West, and John worked as a broadband technical operations engineer. Both our roles were made redundant within six months of each other giving us the perfect opportunity to evaluate our careers! Other previous roles have included working as freelance journalists, charity management and teaching creative skills.” Creative Spark: “We tend to draw on comedy for inspiration as we both have quite a twisted sense of humour. We never expected Go La La! to evolve in any one particular style, and wanted to develop an eclectic portfolio using different mediums. I like using sculpture and textiles but we’ve only developed one range around that so far (but with more planned). But we’ll do whatever takes our fancy at the time.” Above: Husband and wife team, Laura Kavanagh and John Higgins. Left: Saucy and practical, a cheeky design from Go La La!

PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE

Unit J402 The Biscuit Factory 100 Clements Road London SE16 4DG Tel: 0207 231 2923 info@art-press.co.uk www.art-press.co.uk Â© ArtPress Publishing Limited 2017

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Spring Fair Spotlight

Debut Hopes: “To secure some lovely new orders – ultimately, we are there to build our business. Having said that, we do really enjoy the camaraderie that these events bring and it’s great to meet up with folks we know, as well as learn more about the Above: Pants free on a Go La La! design. industry. But meeting new retailers, learning about their shops and hopefully becoming new publisher partners with them is our main motivation. And securing some more sales agents would be rather nice…” Hall 3, Debut Stand K43

Sarah Knight, director of Stormy Knight:

Katie Phythian, founder/designer for Kate Phythian Design: Behind The Curtains: “I designed my first greeting card at the age of seven and even created my own short-lived card company, selling cards to friends and neighbours. However, it is my dream now that Kate Phythian Design’s cards will make their way into design-led retailers’ shelves all over the world.” Creative Spark: “My designs are born out of my love for colour and illustration, with a broad range of designs offering a clean crisp style into the marketplace. I’m a keen traveller and endurance cyclist and I draw inspiration from every aspect of my environment. My designs reflect everything from lifestyle trends to a flower by the roadside on a country lane in France.” Debut Hopes: “Katie Phythian Design will officially launch at Spring Fair and will showcase the key range ‘Paintbox’. The reception to the collection has been staggering (view the range at www.katiephythiandesign.com) and the studio is bursting with ideas at the moment and we will certainly have one or two more surprises on offer come February!” Hall 3, Debut Stand K47

Behind The Curtains: “I studied illustration at the University of Plymouth and after graduating in 2006 started working as a graphic designer. I carried on illustrating on the side with some editorial commissions, and also took up screen-printing, which allowed me to experiment with colour and texture as well as giving me a great way to start batch producing greeting cards. When I started selling them to a few shops I would often be found printing batches of cards in to the early hours after work... which is when I decided it was time to look at how the business could grow.” Creative Spark: “Although our cards are no longer hand-printed, the theory of silk screenprinting still plays a big role in the style of our cards. My creative influences are animals, nature, children's illustration, handwritten type, current greeting card design trends, and of course... humour!” Debut Hopes: “We are looking forward to seeing some of our regular stockists and favourite buyers, but are also hoping to meet lots of new independents and possibly some contacts for Top: Sarah Knight. Above: Cards to make you smile distributing outside of the UK.” from Stormy Knight. Hall 3, Debut Stand K31

Above left: Katie Phythian. Above right: Featuring birthstones and watercolour washes, a card from the Jewelled range from Katie Phythian Design. Left: Bejewelled butterflies on a design from Katie Phythian Design’s Paintbox range.

Mary Kirkham, director of A Made Hand: Behind The Curtains: “Before A Made Hand I used to fly 30,000 ft above the Atlantic Ocean, hang out in LA, San Francisco, New York, Hong Kong and loads more destinations, company paid! It was however, an exhausting and challenging career in ways I could never have imagined prior to take off. It was very much a love hate relationship! I did however, fall deeply in love with many brands and products that I was able get my hands on that were not available here in the UK at the time and, in particular, the inspiring packaging they came in.” Creative Spark: “A Made Hand was born from a seed planted watching an episode of ‘Sex and the City’, which was hugely popular at the time. I remember wanting to put the catwalk on a card; luxurious, stylish and detailed, mixed with the branding I had consumed while working abroad (Macy's, Saks Fifth Avenue, Nordstrom, Barney's), there were so many great boutiques that inspired my hunger for design. I wanted to carry our audience to a city of glitterati and alter egos!” Above left: Mary Kirkham. Debut Hopes: “Although A Made Hand Above: Gorgeous friendship has experienced a lot of changes over the years, we have sends from A Made Hand. emerged stronger, clearer and more confident. We are sure Spring Fair 2017, and our recent listing with Cardgains, will deliver many opportunities to open the right doors, strengthen our amazing brand and increase our presence, as well as showcasing our fabulously unparalleled product.” Hall 3-3A, Debut Stand K42 PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE

DID YOU GET THE MESSAGE? The UK’s largest, newest and most spectacular collection of greeting cards, gifts, craft items, stationery (and all things paper) is at Spring Fair 2017. Come and explore! GET YOUR FREE TICKET NOW AT:

WWW.SPRINGFAIR.COM

EXPLORE 14 SPECIALIST SHOW SECTORS – ALL UNDER ONE ROOF • Body & Bath • Children’s Gifts, Toys & Gadgets • Christmas Gifts, Floral & Seasonal Decorations • Contemporary Gift • DIY & Home Improvement • Fashion Jewellery, Accessories & Luggage • Gift • Greetings & Gift • Home • Kitchen, Dining & Housewares • Retail Solutions • The Party Show • The Summerhouse • Volume Gift & Home

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International Focus

The

United Nations There is no denying that 2016 was a tumultuous year in the global economy - from the oil prices index, exchange rates rollercoaster, inflation measures, employment rates - and of course the most valued currency of them all... greeting cards! As UK-based publishers seek solace in the fact that the weakness of the £pound should be reflected in soaring exports, PG did a spot of globetrotting, checking in with several overseas greeting card publishers and distributors who shared their takes on the lay of the land in their respective corners of the world.

Switzerland Swiss-based CART has a strong portfolio of British publishers whose cards it distributes. These include: The Art Group/ Paper Rose, Blue Eyed Sun, Cardmix Studio, Georgia Breeze, James Ellis, Louise Mulgrew, Louise Tiler, Paper d'Art, Paperlink, Paper Salad Really Good, Rosanna Rossi, Studio Seed, Soul, Think of Me and Wendy Jones-Blackett.

Markus Keller, managing director of CART - La Compagnie des Arts Sàrl: “In common with what has been happening in many other European countries over the last few years, the Swiss greeting card market has been suffering due to the loss of independent stores that have closed for different reasons. In smaller towns, successors are not there to replace them, while in big cities, the rents of the stores who were in good locations are now too high to be viable for greeting card stockists. This trend affects office supply stores, stationery shops and bookstores (who all stock cards) as well as pure card stores. In both the French-speaking and the German-speaking parts of the country, the Top right: Many of the CART team in its warehouse. Above right: CART’s md Markus Keller. Right: This Rosanna Rossi design is a best seller for the Swiss market, reflecting the country’s mountainous landscape.

book market (sizeable retailers of cards) is dominated (and controlled) by a big retailer player in each area and they have both rationalised the number of card suppliers they are now buying from. While we are still listed as one of the main suppliers to all the important chains, many other publishers/distributors were delisted. This indicates two trends: the greeting card market is decreasing yet there are still too many publishers and distributors for our relatively small market of eight million people. Many department stores may be reducing the space dedicated instore for greeting cards and other paper products, but on the other hand the value of sales often increases as they have improved the retailing environment, displays and product selection. While the number of Swiss people buying greeting cards is not growing, there is an encouraging trend that the handwritten message (invariably in a card) is becoming more popular again. Our card buyers take a lot time and effort when selecting their cards with little price sensitivity. Greeting cards with finishes and enhanced features, unusual formats and high quality design sell well. It is the lower and medium price card sector that is suffering the most. In light of this, we are making adjustments to our buying strategy and company structure with a view to maintain our turnover in 2017. We will continue to invest in high quality cards and are very happy to continue our long-standing working relationships with many of the best British greeting card publishers who are always so open to our product requests, resulting in some wonderful ranges, which sell very well with our customers who are seeking to stock those special cards.” PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE

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International Focus

Spain Busquets is a long-established card publisher, stationery and back to school supplier in Spain with a strong export business.

Toni Renom, export manager of Busquets: “We had a good 2016 with our sales rising not only in our domestic market but also on the export front too. We fared especially well in Central and South America as well as other markets like Italy and Portugal where we have branches. However, on the other hand, we are still hoping to grow our business in Central Europe and the UK where we feel there is more potential for our products. The greeting card market in Spain has changed a lot over the last eight years, especially in the last three ones, and we have been continuously adjusting to the ever-evolving market for greeting cards. When the economic crisis hit in 2008, the consumption of cards decreased considerably. This was not helped by the Spanish consumer’s greater adoption of new, powerful technologies and applications, social media channels of communication, which had an immediacy that greeting cards could not compete

with. There is no doubt that this impacted negatively on the culture of using the traditional card. In common with other publishers we continue to create a diversity of product, implement licensing strategies and restructuring activities to respond to the changing challenges. Retailers are becoming rather risk averse and larger players are growing at the expense of independents and smaller operators. That said, we are anticipating a better 2017, the strength of the $dollar against the euro makes our product more attractive. In fact, the sales forecast for the first three months highlights that some companies are moving their production to us. This, together with a wide collection of new designs and anticipation of growth in the US, means that we have high hopes for the coming year – top of our list now is to find a reliable distributor partner for the UK market!” Far left: Busquet’s export manager Toni Renom is on the hunt for a UK distributor for the company’s products. Left: Busquets is a household name in Spain not least for its back to school stationery. Above: One of the best selling designs from Busquets.

The States Notes & Queries has been a ‘go to’ distributor of UK publisher products for many years. Among the publishers it currently distributes are Archivist, The Art File, Belly Button, Bug Art, Caroline Gardner, Cinnamon Aitch, Dandelion Stationery, Eloise Hall, Ling, Museums & Galleries, Nineteen Seventy Three, Paper Rose, Rosanna Rossi, Really Good, Quire Publishing, Turnowsky and Tracks.

Alan Harnik, president of Notes & Queries: “In general I think retail was OK in the US in 2016. Obviously there are some retailers that have really struggled and you can see it in their sales performance. I think however that the independent retailer has done well, especially if they have been able to capture a retail niche that the big multiples or ‘big box’ superstores haven't. Preliminary numbers about Christmas in the States suggest that bricks and mortar stores sales were up by a small percentage. At Notes and Queries we had a very good year. We attribute this to the success of our trading partners are having in their own domestic marketplace. Both sides of the Atlantic great product at good price points has been the key. I also do think that there has been a backlash against emails as a form of personal communication, with an increasing number of people, be it for personal or business

reasons, using greeting cards or note cards for a more personal form of communication. I do anticipate that 2017 will have some challenging times for independent retailers as they see their rents continue to go up as their leases expire and I also expect a bunch of independent retailers will decide to retire. How to replace these folks will be one of our biggest challenges in the coming year and years. That said, we are projecting another good year for us at Notes & Queries in 2017. We are looking to upgrade our website to make it easier for our retailers to order online, be it during the day or at 2am in the morning, whenever it works best for them.” Above left: Alan Harnik, founder of Notes & Queries is gearing up for a good 2017. Above right: One of the designs from Dandelion Stationery that goes down well with Notes & Queries’ customers. Left: Designs from Bug Art sell well for Notes & Queries.

PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE

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International Focus

Australia The last 29 years has seen McMillan Cards establish its standing as a supplier/distributor of greeting cards, giftware and napkins to the Australian market. Among the long list of publishers for whom it distributes are Art Angels, Belly Button, Berni Parker, Cath Tate, Cinnamon Aitch, Dry Red Press, Portfolio, Rachel Ellen Designs, Really Good, Soochichacha, Soul, Wendy Jones-Blackett and Wrendale Designs.

Jenny Cummins, managing director of McMillan Cards: “I know that 2016 was a mixed year for many and there is lots of negativity out there in Australia with fashion and gift retail at an all time low. The lowering of interest rates, the unseasonal weather, the exchange rate of the US $dollar (the Australian $dollar is on a rollercoaster ride), as well as world events, have all contributed to making many people genuinely nervous. Thankfully, as a business, McMillan has seemed to sail through all of this and we grew in all areas. This was helped enormously by the lovely product and cooperation from our so very talented suppliers, not to mention the hard work from my wonderful staff. To me it is down to basics. It is the smart operators, the people who give their businesses their time and have the passion to achieve who are doing well. You have to be smart to handle the current market, be prepared to take a risk and create a point of difference. ‘Ordinary’ just does not cut it. Australian consumers love anything new and can be tempted, you have to keep feeding that in to keep their interest and to keep them visiting the retailers. We are of course living in a time of massive change, especially affected by the huge growth in online shopping, particularly offshore, so truly excellent customer service is a must. Australia is blessed with enough retailers who do all this well, you just have to know who they are!

The year 2017 has positive vibes, but only for the brave and positive thinkers. You in Britain face the unknowns of Brexit, our American friends face the unknowns of the Trump presidency, there are constant threats to our personal security worldwide, massive changes happening in China, as well as with the stock market and world currencies. This is very unsettling, but life continues on. Yes, the £pound v $Aus is a rollercoaster ride - and I get motion sick on them! – but as a distributor you just have to live with this. There really is no need at all to gamble on the horses or the cricket when you get to buy/gamble on foreign currency! After 29 years trading, McMillan is a mature and financially healthy company, so while the currency affects profitability we know that some years will be better than others. We are very privileged to work closely with our suppliers when our currency is down our publishers always help where they can and vice versa. Numerology tells us that this is year of new beginnings, really it is up to the individual to make it so.” Top left: Jenny Cummins is feeling buoyant about the coming year. Above: One of McMillan’s best sellers – a male design from Sooshichacha. Left: One of the newest Card & Caboodle stores in the trendy Eastlands Shopping Centre in Melbourne. McMillan is the major card supplier to this small group.

Japan Toy Symphony is a long-established distributor of greeting cards to the Japanese market, many of which hail from the UK. Among the UK publishers with whom it works are The Art File, Belly Button, Hammond Gower, Nigel Quiney, Paper Rose and Wendy Jones-Blackett.

Hiroshi Kawamura, ceo of Toy Symphony, shares his take on the market conditions in the Land of the Rising Sun: “The top-end of the market generally is faring well and this is reflected in our greeting card sales. Due to the misguided decisions by our government the economy is not strong at the moment and those who have savings are earning very little interest, which does not build consumer confidence. And there is now a big gap between the rich and the middle-class. Sales of greeting cards are not as strong as they could be, something that is not helped by the fact that young people are seemingly more interested in sending messages via SMS rather than by buying cards.

Left: The Japanese’s love of stationery is enough to sustain Iyoko, a nine storey greeting card and stationery department store in the Ginza area of Tokyo. Below left: Toy Symphony’s Hiroshi Kawamura (right) and colleague Kayoto Kubo.

That said, despite the fact that retailers are ordering less cards and consumers are buying fewer cards, the more expensive cards are selling better than they did a year ago. We will continue to order special and highly unique cards – and for now, the weakness of the British £pound is currently working in our favour.”

PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE

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

Reconnecting Jeremy Corner, owner of greeting card publisher Blue Eyed Sun, reveals how using YouTube is helping him explore, share and connect his new Greeting Card Project. Last month I launched The Greeting Card Project on YouTube. It’s part of my New Year’s Resolution to make a video about greeting cards each week and to post them online. By the time you read this I will have completed five short films and visited a variety of shops in the process. I will also have purchased and sent at least half a dozen cards.

My Motivations This project has its roots in a terrible confession that I have to make. Despite having owned a greeting card company for 17 years, I don’t send that many greeting cards myself. I do send Christmas cards and initiatives like Thinking of You Week and Festive Friday have helped me to improve on my card sending, I just feel that I’d like to send more and get closer to what greeting card sending is all about. When I was a teenager I used to make and send cards. I grew up in South Africa and attended a school in York away from friends and family. In those pre-internet days I would write and send cards and letters every week. I loved sending and receiving them through the post and want to reconnect with this activity.

Social media is the current form of connecting on the internet. It’s on mobile devices in our hands every day and offers more efficient ways of communicating with our loved ones than sending cards. But I’m curious to discover why an old-fashioned industry like ours remains stable with £1.7 billion in annual sales and hasn’t been killed off by the internet. As 85% of card buyers are women I’m also interested to understand why women in particular send cards and how they affect the quality of relationships. I love people and am very active on messaging apps and social media, however, I do believe I could feel closer to my friends and loved ones and am interested to see if card sending will help me to feel this.

Why YouTube? My ten year-old son is a big fan of YouTube and watches it daily. In fact, he doesn’t watch any live TV. He’s not alone. Almost a third of people on the internet use YouTube, which now has over a billion users watching millions of hours every day.

Above: Jeremy’s new endeavor, The Greeting Card Project, can be found on YouTube. Below left: Jeremy and his team get in to the Christmas spirit for the Festive Friday card sending initiative. Below: In the same year that it was the Queen’s 90th birthday, in 2016 Blue Eyed Sun was awarded the Queens Award for International Trade.

More than half of YouTube views come from mobile devices and it reaches more 18-49 year-olds than any cable network in the US. In 2016 the number of hours people spent watching videos on YouTube rose by 60% year-on-year. Other companies like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Snapchat also offer video content. Facebook alone generates 8 billion video views per day. That’s double the video consumption on Facebook in early 2015. Video posts have higher organic reach than photos, and Facebook Live in particular PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE

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2017

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JEREMY’S JOURNAL has seen an impressive take up, with people watching live video for three times longer than video that is no longer live. I like YouTube best because of its focus on video. It’s also not just a singular feed flowing past you each day like the other platforms. I find it easier to embed YouTube videos onto other sites. I like that its search works better than other platforms. It’s also good for categorising and organising your content. My strategy is to experiment with the other social platforms like Facebook and Instagram in order to generate interest in The Greeting Card Project YouTube channel. I’m also incorporating feedback loops by encouraging comments to help me create better content and engagement with my audience.

Above: More than half of YouTube views come from mobile devices. Below: It takes courage to be vulnerable.

I was afraid that people would judge me, that they might think less of me. Fortunately, through being active in our industry, I’ve learned that people already judge me. I’ve also come to realise that those judgments are their business and not really about me at all. So I decided to follow selfhelp author Susan Jeffer’s advice and ‘Feel the Fear and do it Anyway.’

Fears Despite having the idea a while ago, it took me over 18 months to initiate this project. Some of my hesitance was rooted in fears I had - like fear of the extra work that this will mean for me, fear of being good enough and fear of failure. I have a background in film making and know that it can be time consuming. The great thing about YouTube is that it’s very rough and ready. Production values are not expected to be high. I decided to film and edit the videos in iMovie on my iPhone 6 to keep it simple. I also chose to make the project personal to me so I will be sending greeting cards from a range of publishers and exploring the feelings I have about the process. I was afraid of sharing my feelings so openly. You feel vulnerable standing up in front of others. As TED speaker Brené Brown says, “The difficult thing is that vulnerability is the first thing I look for in you and the last thing I’m willing to show you. In you it’s courage and daring. In me it’s weakness.”

I don’t know if the project will be of interest to anyone else. It’s possible that nobody will watch my videos. It’s possible that they may not be good enough. I’m not planning to be perfect from the start though. My goal is to have progression not perfection. I want to make these videos and that is enough for me right now.

Hopes I feel that this project is what I’m meant to be doing this year and that it will open my heart and mind. It is the coming together of skills I have acquired over the years and

See Jeremy speak in the Ecommerce Theatre at Spring Fair, at Birmingham NEC: Tuesday 7 February 12:00 - 12:30: ’10 things to do in your business before using social media’ Tuesday 7 February 13:00 - 16:00: One to One Social Media health checks for retailers Wednesday 8 February 11:00 - 11:50: Gift and Card Retailer Roundtable: Sharing Ecommerce Challenges and Successes Wednesday 8 February 14:00 - 14:30: DIT Export Theatre - '7 Key Insights into Growing International Customer Relationships'

passion for connecting people with one another. It’s a personal journey of exploration within where I will listen more closely to my feelings and those I care about in order to feel closer to one another. It’s also an opportunity for me to get closer to some of my customers by visiting their shops and talking about greeting cards with them. I hope to receive some greeting cards this year and talk about how that feels too. On it’s simplest level I hope that The Greeting Card Project will inspire others. I’ve already had some wonderful feedback and comments from friends since starting.

Getting Started If you are thinking about setting up a YouTube channel yourself it’s pretty straightforward and there’s plenty of advice online for how to do it. There are a number of things worth keeping an eye on when you create videos. Good sound is more important than good visuals. Ideally you want both. Remember to keep an eye on your sound levels and to speak loudly and clearly. It helps if you can be engaging on screen. Try jumping around a little to get yourself into an energised upbeat state before filming. At the same time, YouTubers always recommend being yourself so that you avoid seeming inauthentic. Keep your sound bites to 30-60 seconds at most. Also, have a variety of cutaway shots that show other things nearby so that you can break up any long bits. My son and I have met lots of YouTubers at various gaming conventions. One of their top tips is to plan and create engaging thumbnail shots for your videos. These are the little images that people click on to access your video. The more interesting they are the more clicks and views you will get. Finally, software developers have a term called MVP (minimum viable product), which is the most basic version of your product to launch with. From there it can evolve based on user experience and interaction. Launch your MVP first. This will keep your project lean so that you won’t unnecessarily over-engineer or overcomplicate your YouTube videos. I’d love your support with this project, so please do subscribe to The Greeting Card Project channel on YouTube and drop me line if you’d like to be involved. Read more on Jeremy’s blog at www.blueeyedsun.co.uk/blog PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE

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In Conversation With... UKG’s Gary Rowley

CARRY ON

GARY There was a standing ovation at The Henries last October when it was announced that the winner of the Honorary Achievement Award was Gary Rowley, ceo of UK Greetings. However, due to ill-health Gary was unfortunately not there in person to collect his trophy. While it is just not Gary’s style to hog the limelight or go overboard with valedictory speeches, PG persuaded this leading industry figure to share his insights on the industry as well as his philosophy for running UK Greetings. “I cannot describe how honoured and thrilled I felt when I learned on the night of The Henries that the Honorary Achievement Award had my name on it,” Gary Rowley, ceo of UK Greetings revealed. “This industry has been so very good to me. I feel privileged to have met so many wonderful people over the last four decades, experienced so many industry changes and remained involved in such a special product that brings so much joy to many people,” he added - certainly not bad for an off the cuff comment, over a cup of tea, in an office in Dewsbury on a wet Friday morning! “I really was devastated not to be able to be there at The Henries, but I just wasn’t well enough to travel,” says Gary. “It was lovely to receive so many congratulatory messages and emails from fellow publishers and retail customers. This really is a special trade.” Now back to full health, Gary has returned to what he does best – running UK Greetings.

Above: Gary Rowley, with Jayne Myers, UKG commercial director. Left: UKG met up with many of its independent retail customers at a series of Christmas Showroom events held up and down the country throughout January to introduce the wealth of new products available. Below: Among the new showrooms is one that is dedicated to UKG’s Disney collections.

After 42 years with the same company, he knows the business inside out, upside down and from all other angles, but that doesn’t mean that he takes anything for granted, far from it. As a plucky 17 year-old Gary joined the forerunner of UKG as a trainee cost accountant, and over the decades has risen through the ranks, amassing knowledge, gaining respect and never losing the passion for this business. His grounded ethos has served both him and the company well.

“I remind myself every day that we are only as good as the products we create and the service we offer for our retail customers – whether they are an independent card shop or a multiple group with hundreds of branches,” he reveals. “However, I am very fortunate to be surrounded by a talented bunch of individuals, plus I have the support of my bosses in the States,” he says, the latter referring to the owners of American Greetings, parent company to UK Greetings. This year is something of a new dawning for UK Greetings. There is a palpable feeling of positive change in the Dewsbury HQ. A major renovation of the 140 year-old site is well

Pioneering Ways As an early pioneer of the brokerage system, whereby UKG brings in other publishers’ cards and then delivers them as part of a composite greeting card display into major accounts such as Asda and Sainsbury’s, Gary has long since got his head round the fact that UKG is both a customer to and competitor of many publishers. He sees brokerage as a major boon to the greeting card sector, viewing it as a significant way of pepping consumer interest as well as generating sales (and safeguarding greeting cards’ place in the product mix) for major retailers.“It provides retailers with an easy solution of a differentiated greeting card offer. Yes, we have our cards in there, but in many instances we stand and fall by the performance of the whole card display. It is great that we can draw on the strengths of other card publishers out there to ensure the best display is there,” says a clear thinking Gary. PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE

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In Conversation With... UKG’s Gary Rowley

underway. Quirky artwork (including the fruits of UKG’s creative team) is fanfared on the walls, a suite of carefully curated showrooms (including those dedicated to individual retail customers) are in the final throes of being developed – and thousands of metres of designer carpet (shipped over from the US, to match that of American Greetings new HQ) are being laid. But the changes go deeper than this huge cosmetic overhaul, as UK Greetings starts 2017 with what Gary sums up as “a business structure that is much better aligned to our retail customers’ needs, both independent and multiple.” Even someone full of fake bravado and spin would be hard pressed to shrug off the surprise loss of a customer the size of Tesco as being positive. Gary’s candid honesty admits that the last 18 months has been somewhat “traumatic” as a result of Tesco switching from UK Greetings to Hallmark as its greeting card category manager. “In business whether you like it or not, you win some, you lose some, but that doesn’t make it any easier to take, especially when it has a knock-on effect on people’s jobs,” explains Gary, referring to the inevitable job losses that were incurred as a result. “I personally found it very upsetting to have to let some good people go, some of whom I have worked with for big part of my working career, but we had to regroup and restructure the company to make it fit for the coming years.” Part of the new focus was the formation of dedicated teams (covering all aspects) to look after each of UKG’s major retail customers (including WHSmith, Sainsbury’s, Asda and Clintons) as well as independents. Interestingly, although Clintons is now owned by American Greetings (acquisitive action

not wasted any time getting on with the job at hand. While Gary is glad that UKG has kicked-off 2017 “in good business shape”, with high hopes for the company’s Christmas shows, as well as significant launches, such as its first ever Star Wars collection, he is ever mindful that it all relies long-term on the consumer continuing to buy and send greeting cards. “We in this industry all have to look at the broad picture to help ensure that the strong tradition of greeting card sending continues,” believes Gary. “The industry is strong, but part of that reason is due to its broad base, both at retailer and publisher levels, offering consumers of all tastes and incomes an opportunity to easily find cards that meet their needs at a price they are willing to pay.” When pressed on the issue of Card Factory, which UKG does not supply, Gary takes the holistic view that the prominence of the value retailer on the nation’s high streets and the low prices of its cards has helped keep greeting cards front of mind. “Hats off to Dean [Hoyle, Card Factory’s Top left: Boogie Storm, the Britain’s Got Talent Storm Trooper dance sensation wowed the audience at the recent trade launch of UKG’s first ever Star Wars card range. Top right: The Force is now with UKG with the Star Wars range being delivered into retail in March. Above: Gary’s Honorary Achievement award joins UKG’s impressive line up of Henries trophies. Right: Boofle remains a star of UKG as echoed by his following on social media channels. Below left: A portion of a flowing mural that graces the wall near UKG’s creative studio which incorporates elements from many of the team.

taken in 2012 to protect the publisher’s interests when the retailer’s future looked very rocky), Gary says it is very much treated as a “customer. It is very much a buyer/seller relationship.” Adding further strength to the UKG senior management team, Gary was delighted to welcome Jayne Myers back into the UKG fold into a newly created position of commercial director (after several years as md of Paper Rose). “Jayne’s knowledge, energy and people skills are a great addition to the team,” commented Gary. As Jayne had already spent many years working alongside Gary, James Conn (group sales and marketing director), Ceri Stirland (director of marketing) and many others, she has

cofounder]. He spotted a gap and went for it – and the growth of the business speaks for itself,” states Gary. “But not everyone shops in Card Factory of course, and it is great that there is such a strong presence right across the retail landscape, not least in independents up and down the country.” Gary says that independents continue to be of prime importance “both to UKG and the industry as a whole. Sadly, we missed out on retaining the Gold trophy for Service at last year’s Henries awards, but work is now underway with Tony Roberts [field sales director] and his team to try and win it back again this year. And I am right behind him!”, said a man who while having notched up over four decades of ‘service’ himself has no plans to take the foot off the gas. “Me retire?” questions Gary. “Certainly not, I love what I do – it’s my life!” PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE

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Independent Retailer Issues

Should’ve Gone To...

CARDGAINS

Cyril, the mascot spokesman for the Cardgains buying group, is now sporting some natty new specs, visual shorthand for the ‘focus’ being given to indies to both help and inspire through the upcoming challenges. PG put Cardgains’ joint managing director Chris Dyson through a ‘sight test’ and discovered a pin sharp vision for the buying group, which now represents 1,000 independent rooftops in the UK. As the findings of the PG/Cardgains Retail Barometer reflect (see pages 43-51), last year was not a bad one for the 750 independent card retailers who make up the Cardgains membership, but it was not a smooth easy ride for most. Moreover, the impending cost pressures, notably in Business Rates, minimum wage rate, plus product price rises, means indies will have to be increasingly adept at dodging those bumps in the road in 2017. However, Chris Dyson, joint managing director of Cardgains, has good reason to feel optimistic of indies’ ‘driving skills’ and is putting in place certain measures that will put more fuel in their tanks. “After a couple of static years, our Cardgains retail members fared better in 2016 than they did the year previous,” Chris reveals. While part of this growth came through its retail members’ continued diversification into noncard products, encouragingly greeting card sales from its members were up 6% in 2016 compared to 2015. “This is great news, both for our members as well as our card publisher suppliers,” he says. Chris suggests that the increase in greeting card sales among Cardgains membership is part of a “more selective buying approach” adopted by many. Chris

Above and top: This year is all about focus for Cardgains – and Cyril, the buying group’s mascot, has 20:20 vision thanks to his new specs! Right: Chris Dyson, joint managing director of Cardgains, is focused on helping indies and urges them to embrace the ‘new’ by visiting trade shows and embracing social media to promote their businesses. Below: The Cardgains Village at this year’s Spring Fair is bigger than ever before - incorporating pod displays from many suppliers. Among those new to the supplier portfolio this year are A Made Hand, Arora Design, Crakel, Halligan Raby, Intelligent Retail, The Original Metal Sign Company and Yellow Publications.

acknowledges that the growth of Card Factory and supermarkets selling cards has impacted on the independent card sector, but points out that many who avoided a knee-jerk reaction and didn’t go down the discount route have seen the trade come back to them. “It could take a three year cycle, but those members who have kick-started a fight back, underpinned by the great service they offer customers, have been rewarded.” Also, an increased confidence in promotional activity, notably utilising social media channels, is bearing fruit for Cardgains’ indie members. This is very much an area of activity that the buying group has been keen to encourage, as testified by its ongoing social media seminar programme for both members and suppliers, with Cyril (Cardgains’ alter ego) himself a regular Tweeter.

“We had another 20 retail members attend our social media seminars in 2016 and we have places for 60 more members at the seminars we are organising for this year,” confirms Penny Shaw, Cardgains’ marketing director. “ This opens up so many opportunities for retailers to communicate with their customers, for new products, promotions or highlight special events, such as the Spring Seasons,” she added. On the latter, directly confronting a paucity of PoS for the Spring Seasons events freely available for indies, Chris and Penny met with the GCA with an aim of improving the situation. This has resulted in a ‘free to download toolkit’ of generic PoS being designed and created by the UK Greetings’ studio that is now hosted on the GCA website (see news). “This is a great example of how the industry can work together,” says Chris. Pushing his own glasses further up his nose, Chris summed up: “This year is all about focus - on the wealth of new products that are out there, on communicating with customers and on fully embracing the power of being an independent retailer.” ● Cardgains will be exhibiting at the Spring Fair on the Cardgains Village stand (Hall 3 Stand M10 / L11). PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE

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Independent Retailer Issues

Increasingly Sociable Ros Jones, owner of the Celtic Company, a card and gift shop duo in Welshpool, Powys (which won The Retas awards for Best Independent Card Shop – Wales and the Midlands last year) is one indie that is having great ‘beginner’s luck’ for her business on the social media front. Ros has been a Cardgains member for the last 15 years and is in no doubt as to its value for an independent specialist like herself. “Our Cardgains membership continues to give us great value for money, delivering decent discount levels from the many companies that we buy from who are Cardgains’ suppliers”, says Ros. The fact that Cardgains’ supplier portfolio is now far wider than just greeting cards has further improved her profitability. On the social media front, Ros has had some formal training, but says the biggest help has come from her children. Celtic Company has run two promotions recently that were very well received. The first was a one-day free goody bag event on the Sunday before Christmas which was promoted via Facebook - with a post that reached over 18,000 people. “Bearing in mind we are in a small market town with a population of around 8,000 people, we thought this was astonishing,” says Ros. “We offered a goody bag to anyone who came into the shop on that Sunday and quoted the password that had been featured on Facebook – and no purchase was required. We gave out nearly 200 of these goody bags and only two people came and asked for a goody bag and didn't make a purchase! It was the best Sunday trading day we have ever had.” Ros also used Facebook recently for a 'BOGOF Decorations' initiative that she ran post-Christmas: “Again, this saw lots of ‘shares’ and we had a good take up, which means there is not much Christmas stock left for this year and minimal returns - a perfect scenario!” Above: Ros Jones, owner of the Celtic Company, on stage at The Retas collecting the trophy for Best Independent Greeting Card Retailer – Wales and the Midlands from (right) Chris Bryan, general manager of Second Nature, sponsor of the award category. Left: In addition to the Celtic Company’s attractive website, the retailer is also more active on social media.

Some Romantic Thinking Nik Gornall, co-owner of Romantica, a trio of card and gift shops in Bristol (winner of the Best Independent Greeting Card Retailer - South West in The Retas 2016) is well aware that now more than ever before indies are going to need to flex their marketing muscles to encourage their local customers to support them. A committed Cardgains member, Nik cites the amount of time saved on admin as being a major benefit of membership. “We offer such a huge range of cards that inevitably we have a large number of suppliers, which in turn leads to a very high volume of invoices and credit notes. Cardgains compiles a lot of these into one invoice that is taken by direct debit on a set day each month, thus reducing the paperwork and banking effort for us”, says Nik. However, Nik also highlights the retro bonuses, based on the amount ordered through Cardgains’ suppliers over the year previous as being “considerable”. Nik agrees that there is ground to be gained for independents who put effort into promotional activity:“We try to post regularly on Facebook, introducing customers to new products, but also occasionally posting something amusing, which hopefully puts a smile on people's faces.” Above: Romantica’s co-owners Nik and Teresa Gornall at The The plan is to extend the activity using Twitter and Instagram more as well as to look to develop a Retas last July at which it won the award for Best Independent significant online presence. “We have a fledgling website that attracts the occasional order with zero Greeting Card Retailer – South West. Left: Romantica is looking to continue the heritage of marketing and very little updating of new Gloucester Road in Bristol as having long been a healthy high products so there is obviously huge potential if street of indies for very many years - as this photo of W Hepworth’s stationery store in 1910 shows. it is given time and attention,” he says. Nik feels harnessing potential through promotions will be increasingly important as the challenges stack up for indies. He feels that it is vital that local customers are made to realise the importance of supporting their independent retailers. “In our area of Bristol we are about to be hit with increases in business rates of up to 75%. Yes, 75%!! Together with the flood of supplier price hikes due to Brexit, further increases in the minimum wage and the introduction of pensions, this will be unsustainable for so many people,” states Nik, whose shops are located in the UK’s longest street of independent retailers. “The only way we can survive is by expanding, but that is not an option for so many businesses. The hope is that we can get the situation across to the local population and persuade them that if they don't use the high street, they will lose it forever.” PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE

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A Touch Of Frosts There are plenty of fresh green shoots sprouting from Frosts garden centre group - and they are not just horticultural in nature. Frosts is one of the oldest garden centre groups in the UK, but as the recent massive revamp of its flagship Woburn Sands branch testifies, it is not afraid of embracing and investing in new ideas. And, as Alexis Hayward, Frosts’ head of buying confirms, greeting cards are very much seen as an important epicentre of the blossoming ‘leisure’ side of the group. Secateurs at the ready, it’s prime pruning time. Harsh though it feels to hack off seemingly healthy branches, as those with gardening knowhow profess, it is vital to undergo this often unsightly stage to safeguard the future growth and improve the ultimate shape of the item in question. The same could be said for many businesses, whose organic growth often

requires judicious tending, careful re-assessment and invariably hefty investment to enable the company to make the most of the fertile ground in which it has put down roots. Frosts is a company which has never shied away from opportunities. This third generation business, which now comprises four leading centres (Woburn Sands, Willington, Brampton and Millets Farm in Frilford) started off as a traditional plant nursery. While the mainstay of Frosts is still its gardening business of course, the offer has now expanded to encompass extensive restaurants, a full crafts and events programme and even at Frilford a mini zoo and falconry visitor attraction. “So many of our customers see coming to Frosts as being part of a club – they come very regularly. They might meet friends here for coffee or lunch, then invariably wander round, so it is up to us to ensure we have displays that look attractive and a product selection that

Above: Frosts’ Woburn Sands centre incorporates several buildings, adding to its leisure destination feel. Below left: Frosts is a third generation business, now run by brothers James (right) and Jeremy Frost. Bottom left: Alexis Hayward joined Frosts five years ago and now heads up the buying for the group. Below: The greeting card department is in a prime site in the revamped Woburn Sands flagship centre.

exceeds their expectations,” explains Alexis Hayward, Frosts’ head of buying. After a period of upheaval, which is inevitable when undertaking a total refurbishment of a large retail space while continuing to trade throughout, the resultant Woburn Sands flagship is now a delight to shop. This is a major retailing operation, spanning some 30,000 skus, but greeting cards are seen as being of prime importance within its leisure offer.

“Our reputation for greeting cards has grown over the years. They are perfectly aligned to our primarily female customer, as long of course if we inspire them with our selection,” says Alexis. Although the card displays are planned by Noel Tatt (a relationship that has worked very well for many years), Frosts remains fiercely protective of its independent card selection strategy. PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE

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Retailer Face To Face

communication between publishers to their reps/agents and us could be a lot slicker so that nothing is lost in translation. I find it extraordinary how several times we have had to make contact with a publisher to inform them that their sales rep or agent has not been in for six weeks and their pockets were empty. Not good for them or us. Better alignment will result in improved sales all round.” With Pat Barker, Frosts’ longstanding card buyer having retired at the end of last year (see below), the card buying baton has now been handed to Karen Verrall. On the greeting card front, the company currently buys from around 20 different publishers – from the major to the tiny. “We do especially well with humorous cards – helped by the fact that women very often leave their husbands looking at the funny cards while they look at other products!” reveals Alexis. While obviously aware that so many garden centres have made the change to being supplied by brokerage, Alexis is not

Above: While the horticultural side remains core to the business, as evidenced by this display in Frosts’ Millet’s Farm branch, the non-horticultural side of the business has grown massively. Right: A carefully curated collection of gifts and home décor items in Frosts’ Millets Farm Centre. Below: A Frosts’ blast from the past!

inclined to go down this route, but that said, she has a few caveats. “The way we do things works for us and our customers – our card sales were up 8% in the last year, partly as we were able to focus on ensuring we had a fresh selection of designs. Our customers visit us on average every three weeks so we need to have something new for them to see,” says Alexis. However, she does feel there is some room for improvement from some publishers. “The

A Pat On The Back A special lunch celebration was held at Frosts’ Woburn Sands flagship just before Christmas to mark the retirement of someone who has been instrumental in driving its greeting card sales. After 40 years of working for Frosts, the popular and respected Pat Barker is now looking forward to having more time to tend her own garden rather than nurturing fertile greeting card growth for the leading garden centre group. Pat recalls her early days with the company and how the greeting card side of the business has evolved. “I initially joined as a cashier in the Willington branch, but over the years I have been involved in all the areas within our leisure business. Strange to think back to how small the gift department was back when I first joined Frosts and how there was just a lone spinner of greeting cards. Our greeting card side has grown in-line with the expansion of the leisure side, with customers seeing a trip to Frosts as so much more than to just buy plants.” Pat cites a meeting of minds with Esther Marshall, founder of Blossoms &

“We do see that there is more growth potential out there for us on cards. I am so impressed with the way that publishers tap into the ‘currency’ of the day, be it through topical references to say Prosecco and yoga or through the delicate way they can covey just the right level of sentiment,” says Alexis. Looks like Frosts has plenty more fertile growth on the cards!

Bows (a card company that chose to ceased trading due to Esther’s decision to retire) as having been pivotal to Frosts developing on the card front. “As well as Blossoms & Bows we then started to also bring in other publishers to create a wider selection for customers,” explains Pat. “But it was 10 years ago when we started working closely with Noel Tatt to develop the occasions side that things really started to take off,” she adds. It has proved a very successful partnership, with Noel Tatt continuing to plan the card displays in all four Frosts centres to this day. Although very much looking forward to making the most of her retirement, Pat says she will have always have very fond memories of the many years she has spent helping to develop Frosts’ business, notably on the greeting card side. “The UK greeting card industry is lovely – full of so many great suppliers,” adds Pat. Above: Pat Barker (2nd left) with Noel Tatt’s Jacqui Wright (left) and retailers Steve and Esther James of Darwins at The Retas last July. Left: Pat Barker (left) with Blossoms & Bows’ Esther Marshall several years ago.

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Retailer Face To Face

Walking The

Lines

At the end of last year, Between the Lines, the respected gift and card shop group, opened its first ever store in London - and now it has set its sights on expanding to 50 shops over the next five years. PG reads between the lines - and talks to owners Lindsey and Florian Kleinlercher - to gain a better understanding of what makes this successful retail group tick and its ambitious plans for its future. Between the Lines has been an attractive feature on the gift and card shop map for decades. Its 13 stores are currently all located in the South of England (radiating from its HQ in Petersfield, Hampshire) – but that is likely to change in the future, with the opening of its first London store being just the start of a concerted expansion plan that will have no geographical boundaries. The stores reflect the complementary skills of the company’s two founders – Lindsey and Florian Kleinlercher. While Lindsey concentrates on the product sourcing and creative look of the shops, Florian takes care of the financial and operational sides of the business.

Above: Ginny Vere Nicoll, author of Feelgood Books, created this special card based on a Between the Lines shop (complete with the dog bowl that is always outside) featuring Marmite, the wiry Daschund who is the star of the books that are stocked by the group. Right: The Point of Sale items created by Between the Lines invariably features those ‘in the family’, such as this canvas, which is positioned above a feature table near the entrance to the Battersea store. It stars Lindsey and Florian’s daughter Lily taken a few years ago of her dancing in the moonlight.

And although the product portfolio in all Between the Lines stores is wide – including curated collections of homewares, jewellery, fashion accessories, children’s products, gardening gear, books, glassware, home fragranced ranges - greeting cards are very much part of the make-up, with sales accounting for 35% of the revenue for the vast majority of its stores.

Above: Between The Lines’ new store in London’s Battersea. Below: Lindsey and Florian Kleinlercher next to the curated Hygge-themed collection of products in store. Lindsey was early to spot this Scandi trend.

“We sold 859,000 greeting cards last year, 19,000 more than the previous year. The buying habits of our customers certainly dispel the myth that the habit of sending greeting cards is dying out!” states Florian. Consistent with the approach right across the business, Lindsey has her own way of not only creating the right range of card designs for Between the Lines customers (hand-selecting designs from 60 publishers), but also of displaying them instore. “Greeting cards are great at getting people in the shops. We have lots of regular customers who come in and buy handfuls of cards at a time. We also have others who say they have just come in just for a chuckle at our humour cards, though they invariably buy something,” says Lindsey. Lindsey has come up with a spaceefficient way of being able to offer customers a wide offering of occasions and relations cards that works very well. Underneath acrylic shelves that display everyday cards (or their seasonal equivalents) is a row of shallow boxes. Each of these is filled with different cards for a specific occasions or relations, as highlighted by the specially produced caption finder jutting out of each box. “We only include two cards of each design as that way we can offer a broad choice that we can change as and when. It is of course time consuming for our shop staff, PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE

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Retailer Face To Face

Affairs Of The Heart

The retailing of greeting cards has been a part of Lindsey Kleinlercher’s life for as long as she can remember. In 1964 her father Norman Brine opened a stationery, card and gift shop in Midhurst that traded under his name. Having trained as a nurse, Lindsey then spent time working in Australia and Saudi Arabia nursing, before returning to the UK to work in coronary care. “I was living in the flat above the shop and, as I had very little money, I was also helping Dad out with the business. I came to realise that in actual fact I was more interested in retailing than I was in continuing my nursing career,” reveals Lindsey. She then diverted her attentions to caring for matters of the heart through greeting cards rather than medicine by joining forces with her father and opening a second shop, Pepperpot Cards in Godalming in 1985. A few years later, looking for a way to improve the computing side of the business, Lindsey found a perfect fit in an accountant with a penchant for IT who had moved to the UK from his native Austria a few years previously. Florian Kleinlercher improved more than the computer system though, as he and Lindsey fell in love, and the perfect partnership (both personal and business) has continued to this day. Lindsey’s father Norman sadly passed away seven years ago, but his legacy lives on in the growing Between the Lines group.

but customers tell us they enjoy looking through the boxes to find just the right card.” Looking across its’ publisher supplier portfolio, Lindsey highlights Pigment, Hammond Gower, Five Dollar Shake, Icon, Paperlink, Museums & Galleries, Almanac (GBCC) and The Art File as among those to publish Between the Lines’ best sellers, but she also buys from some tiny publishers because she likes what they represent. Although Lindsey ensures that she keeps the card selection fresh, she is constantly amazed that some of the designs that have been best sellers have been so for years. “In fact we were so convinced that two Christmas designs that Five Dollar Shake were discontinuing would still sell well that we committed to a special order of 1,000 cards of each that were produced just for us. We sold 931 of one and over 600 of the other design so we were right,” reveals Lindsey. But as the new London store testifies, Lindsey and Florian are backing their hunches on more than just a few special order card designs. Other than the opening of its Farnham store in 2015 (and the relocation of its Petersfield shop to a unit in a much better location in the same year), the Between the Lines’ estate has been pretty steady, having grown quietly and organically over the last 30 years with the bringing up of their three children (ranging in age from 11-18) adding to the Kleinlercher mix. However, the move to RMR (a sister company to Royal Mail) for the daily deliveries of stock from Between the Lines’ central warehouse opens up the expansion of possibilities for the retailer. “Prior to this, we had our own van with a driver we employed who did the rounds delivering in stock to our shops throughout the course of the day,” explains Florian. “It

Above: Lindsay in front of the occasions and relations card boxes. Right: Gardening-related products are currently displayed on one of the floor standing units. Below: Having sourced this delightful range of children’s products from Coq en Pate, Between the Lines created special PoS to explain the ethics of the French company.

meant that our shops were having to take deliveries during times when they were busy with customers which was not ideal.” Using the RMR network, deliveries are made very first thing in the morning (with the option to pick up any stock to be returned to the warehouse or taken to another store). “It has been a real eye-opener,” admits Florian. “And it means that we can use the warehouse’s network to supply any shops we decide to open anywhere in the UK,” he adds excitedly.

With a grand plan to be trading from 50 stores in the next five years, eyes and ears are out and about hunting for potential sites to suit Between the Lines’ remit. “We tend to work in high streets with a more ‘villagey feel’. We tried operating in a covered shopping centre in Guildford and is just didn’t work,” admits Lindsey. While finding the right locations will be crucial, both Lindsey and Florian share a similar confidence about the future of specialist card and gift retailing. “People are saying that the high street is dying, but it is our belief that if you offer an attractive retail environment and products that interest them then you can do good business,” believes Florian, with the group’s recent Christmas trading figures reinforcing his views. “We had our best Christmas trading period ever - we were up 14.5% on the previous year. Admittedly, we had our new Northcote Road shop, but our like for like sales were up 7%, which we were very happy with,” adds Florian. It is easy to read between the lines that expansion is definitely on the cards for this chain. PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE

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Publisher Focus

Ment(or) To Be Professional guidance, support and advice when starting your business can be invaluable, and even through your journey as the company grows. PG discovers a trio of card publishers who have galvanised the help of a business mentor at some point in their development, and asks the reason behind what triggered this move, the key advice that was given and what were the positive results for their company. Through business guidance and mentoring from kind and generous people within the greeting card industry (and beyond) Eloise Hall, founder of Eloise Hall, has evolved her company: Coach Trip: “They say you need a village to raise a child, but I think it’s much the same for a business. It’s been a very exciting journey with my business, and due to rapid growth there has been a very steep learning curve! At times some of the decisions have been huge and I have craved guidance from those with a voice of experience. I wouldn’t be here without the generous advice of many people and for that I’m hugely grateful.”

Key Advice & Results: “One of the best pieces of advice was from Emma Bridgewater who said, “Promise me you won’t do a stand like everyone else with hundreds of cards on rack, please do something different.” A few months later, I found myself scouring the countryside for suitable trees to be part of the nature installation on my stand for Top Drawer. The calming white backdrop is a distinctive look and it has helped gain the attention of many fantastic retailers. Ged Mace, managing director of The Art File, acts as my on-going mentor, and provides a brilliant sounding board for my brand due to the many years he has spent in the greetings industry. Recently he gave me some excellent sales advice, and this has seriously paid off with the gain of several new accounts. The Ladder Club has collectively mentored me over the last couple of years. This wonderful group has provided me with good friends,

Above: From the classic film Karate Kid, Mr Miyagi mentoring Daniel-san in the martial art of Karate. Below left: Eloise has received some sound business advice from the greetings industry. Bottom left: Eloise’s beautiful trade stand complete with card tree – an element that has got her noticed and remembered. Inset: ‘Daisies and Butterflies’ from Eloise Hall.

tremendous support and invaluable information. The seminars are packed with many useful points and the speakers themselves, including The Ladder Club cofounder Lynn Tait, Blue Eyed Sun’s Jeremy Corner and more recently independent retail advisor Henri Davis, have been all been extremely helpful with their insights. In addition, fellow publishers met at the trade shows (particularly those very kind neighbours at my first one), along with retailers, agents and distributors, have all played a part in the evolution of the Eloise Hall brand. Thank you all so much!”

PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE

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Publisher Focus

Although Jude Kenney and Stacey Barthorpe, co-directors of Molly Mae, launched their publishing company eight years ago, when they won a business award it included the guidance of a mentor which helped them to reevaluate the way they worked: Coach Trip: “We launched the business in 2009 and in the first few years we experienced rapid growth, picking up agents across the UK and some International business. However, there was not an initial business plan in place, therefore after a period of time the natural growth steadied and the business plateaued. We entered a local business award for which we had to write a business plan and the winners received a number of prizes, including mentoring. This first stage made us stop and re-evaluate our business; the fact that we won the competition was a boost but the process of writing a business plan was invaluable.”

Key Advice: “There have been two key elements. The first was to discipline ourselves to take the time to plan ahead and carefully review and react where necessary. The second was having the tools to manage our cash flow and sale forecasting.” Results: “By careful planning we have brought forward our launch dates by setting achievable deadlines and sticking to them! We have launched new public and trade websites and we have also improved communication with both our sales team and customers. These are just a selection of issues we identified as requiring

Finding the right business mentor and creating an ongoing relationship has proved invaluable to Tache Crafts. Frank Nicholls and Pennie Bryant co-directors of the publisher explain: Coach Trip: “In the very early days of our business we used to listen to a lot business related podcasts such as ‘Entrepreneur on Fire’ and ‘The School of Greatness’. We often heard successful entrepreneurs speak of the value of mentoring and how mentors were, and continue to be, a huge contributing factor to their success. It was interesting to learn that no matter what stage of business you are in, the early stages of a start-up or an owner of a big corporate company, you can greatly benefit from mentoring. Based on the many encouraging experiences told by successful entrepreneurs and business owners, our decision to find help and advice from a mentor was an easy one. Luckily, when applying for a Start Up Loan (www.startuploans.co.uk) right at the beginning of our business, one year’s free mentoring was part of the scheme. After receiving our loan, we were paired up with a local mentor through Dormen, a Dorset business mentoring company. We

met with our first mentor a couple of times before deciding that her experience didn’t align with what we needed as a new business and asked Dormen if we could change our mentor looking back now this was one of the best decisions we made in the early stages of our business. Our new mentor, Angela, was absolutely fantastic and we still see her 3-4 times a year to this day.”

Above: A selection of Molly Mae’s gorgeous relations and occasions designs.Left: Molly Mae’s directors, Stacey (left) and Jude, on the day they picked up their local business award.

improvement when we evaluated our business with our mentor. The cashflow and sales forecasting tools have enabled us to feel in control of our business. It has also freed up both mental space and physical time, giving us more opportunity to focus on designing. We are delighted that the result of this refocus has seen sales rise by 60%, by picking up new accounts and reengaging with lost business. Furthermore, we are so proud of the product we launched in 2016 and feel confident and excited about our 2017 greeting card designs.” Key Advice & Results: “Angela has given us countless nuggets of invaluable advice, but one of the key pieces of advice she has drilled into us is the importance of our numbers and how “cashflow is king”. Numbers and finance do not come naturally for either of us, but we have learnt to delegate the things we are not very good at! Talking about important issues with our mentor helps us to see things from a completely different perspective. It’s surprising how eye-opening it is to talk through problems with someone that has so much business experience, and who’s been through all of the same issues and problems themselves many times throughout their own journey. We always leave our meetings feeling really refreshed and motivated, eager to implement the great advice we have received. It really helps to clear our head of the inevitable fog that comes from the life of a start-up entrepreneur, living in an isolated bubble 90% of the time!” Above left: A new design from Tache Crafts. Left: Oliver Bonas’ (left) Hannah Tait and (right) Tierney Stockford on a spending spree at PG Live with Tache Cards’ Penny Bryant and Frank Nicholls. PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE

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Debbie Wigglesworth’s Paper Journeys

All Its

Wondrous Forms By paper passionist Debbie Wigglesworth, founder of The Paper Collaborative and co-founder of The Paper Library.

A Veritable Paper Emporium Paper company GFSmith's new Show Space is hot on the lips (and hearts) of creatives now and will remain so for years to come. Situated on Eastcastle Street in London’s W1, the striking new space is dedicated to celebrating the visual and tactile experience of paper, providing an immersive insight into the company’s remarkable products and history, a place to meet GFSmith paper consultants, and it will also act as an event and exhibition venue. The new Show Space is a culmination of over 100 years of dedicated paper passion, continuing the legacy of all those whose passion for paper has ensured the company has continued to inspire all creatives through the ages. This exciting new Space sums up why GFSmith has continued to thrive for 131 years. In 1885, George Frederick Smith's creative client base were just as excited about the paper delights that were being made accessible to them as the creatives of today. My personal experience with the company spans over three decades (including working in product development as well as spearheading new market sectors, including greetings and retail for the company). I fondly remember presenting an idea a decade ago for a 'Centre of Excellence' (based along the lines of the 'Show Space') to GFS's main board of directors. I was then working closely with those who had joined the company three decades earlier who in turn were shining the same burning torch of their now deceased colleagues from decades prior and so on. Not once have I known of any creative be excluded from the service that GFSmith has offered, be it a student, a sole designer, a creative director of a large agency, any member of their team, a greeting publisher, fashion designer, architect, small, medium or large brand, a tiny back street printer or a £multi million printing concern. Each is treated with the same level of importance, respect and integrity of service. GFSmith is a master of paper curation, creation and marketing, yet it is the dedication of its all embracing customer policy that no order is too Above: A new fixture on the paper landscape - GFSmith’s Show Space. ‘Turbulence’ is Show Space's front window installation designed by Made Thought. Right: ‘Tidal' is a mesmerising 'seascape' installation of rolls of Colorplan paper designed by Made Thought, which grace White Space gallery within GFSmith's Show Space. It features all 50 shades of Colorplan, originally created for the Kyoorius Designnatra festival, Jaipur, in September 2016 to celebrate the launch of Colorplan in India.

small, no creative is unimportant, delivered tirelessly by its dedicated team that is the real key of its success and why the Show Space is a fitting building block laid upon a solid foundation of paper passion. For the first few months visiting the Show Space will be by invitation, but I am in no doubt that all will be embraced. I was delighted to have been invited on the opening day and see how the vision has been realised by the current day GFSmith team and their creative partner Made Thought and Architects D-Raw. It will remain an inspirational ‘go to’ hub for creatives for years to come. Left: Debbie Wigglesworth with GFSmith’s retail director Margaret Sweeney on opening day of the new Show Space in December.

A Singleton Shares With Others I had the good fortune to share the talents of paper artist and illustrator Andy Singleton with Birmingham City University undergraduates recently, commissioning him (as part of The Paper Library programme) to run a workshop. It is wonderful to watch how infectious inspiration from a maestro can be – especially if it involves paper! Above: Andy with an Illustration piece that was commissioned by Larsson and Jennings for the 2nd edition of TwentySix Magazine. Left: Andy Singleton created Himiko the floating fish for Lisbon based band, Memória de Peixe. The paper sculpture uses MagLev technology to float and is touring with the band to promote their new album Himiko Cloud.

A Truly Dolcelicious Idea The greeting card trade is not the only sector to have an increasing ‘appetite’ for interesting new paper options, further fuelling the public’s appreciation of this wonderful substrate. In its quest to constantly push boundaries, UK paper maker James Cropper has launched Dolcelicious, its first ever food contact-approved range of papers. The groundbreaking luxurious range, which encompasses 11 shades including delectable such as Lemon Drizzle, Liquorice, Silver Spoon and Kiwi Fizz, has been conceived to elevate the packaging experience for premium food brands. Columbian-born paper artist Diana Beltran Herrere created a mouth watering fun collection of paper cupcakes to launch the new Dolcelicious collection, which certainly look good enough to eat! Above: Paper artist Diana Beltran Herrere was commissioned by James Cropper to created paper cupcakes to mark the launch of its Dolcelicious collection.

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

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Behind The Scenes

On All Cylinders Over six million people tuned in to watch the final of The Apprentice, a record number for the TV series. And there were connections galore with the greeting card industry. Winner Alana Spencer honed her business skills with a greeting card business, Paperchase is the biggest customer of runner-up Courtney Wood’s Bubblegum novelty gift company, while Henri Davis, head of buying and merchandise of Scribbler, was part of the panel that helped Sir Alan make his final decision as to who to hire and who to fire. And with businesswomen and Apprentice aide Karren Brady confirmed as a key speaker on the Tuesday at the Spring Fair, The Apprentice continues to ‘fire’ on all cylinders. The Apprentice makes for addictive viewing. Over the 12 weeks that a series is broadcast it delivers a potent mix of slick production values, entertainment, strong protagonists, shows human behaviour at its best (and worst!) and provides business insight - all wrapped up in an elimination competition. As a ‘business’ The Apprentice programme model is highly successful, as the viewing figures confirm. And the latest series, which ended just before Christmas, had extra piquancy for those in the greeting card industry due to the links to the winner, runner up and final judging panel members. (This is not the first time however that there have been greeting card references as a

fair few series back The Apprentice teams were tasked to create a new card sending event, with some of the filming taking place in PG’s premises where Hallmark had a design studio at the time!) Although it was for her baking business Ridiculously Rich that Alana Spencer clinched the £250,000 injection from Sir Alan Sugar as

A Pocket Rocket Self-styled ‘pocket rocket’, Frances Bishop made it into the final five of The Apprentice, flying the flag for specialist independent retailers. The 25 year-old is the founder of children's retail outlet The Pud Company, which has stores in Doncaster and Newark. While she has recently expanded the stores’ offer into gifts, in response to customer demand, she is yet to move into cards, though having one of her stores right next to a Card Factory means she is well-aware of the customer traffic it can generate. Going forward, she's determined to open at least another two stores, and to grow The Pud Store's online base. As to the business advice she would give, Frances told PG: "Believe in yourself and back everything up with real world logic and reasoning.” Above: PG’s Jakki Brown with Frances Bishop at the Progressive Preschool Awards, run by PG’s sister magazine.

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PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE

Above: Lord Sugar with all of The Apprentice candidates at the start of the most recent series. Below: Winner Alana Spencer with runner-up Courtney Wood. Below left: Among the novelty gift products that Bubblegum Stuff is currently offering is this emoji range.

winner of The Apprentice, it was in greeting cards that this young businesswoman first showed her entrepreneurial talents. It came to light during the series that this plucky 24 year-old from Aberystwyth got her first taste of commerce as a 14 year-old, setting up a card making business while at secondary school selling them to her classmates. Demonstrating an early understanding of the importance of offering a reliable service in the card trade, Alana admits to firing one of her best friends because she couldn't make the cards quickly enough! Although she went on to many other money-making schemes after this, as in relationships, you always remember your first love. In the final she pipped Courtney Wood to the ultimate prize, but there is little doubt that

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Behind The Scenes

the high profile this laid back chap received as a consequence of the programme will result in more traffic than usual visiting him on his stand at Spring Fair (Hall 6 M62) for his novelty gifts company Bubblegum Stuff. It already counts Paperchase as one of its biggest customers, and there are likely to be many other wannabe stockists, or at least the curious. As the last man standing on the 2016 series, entrepreneur Courtney was a bit of a dark horse in the competition. Non-aggressive and

Left: Baroness Karren Brady will be speaking at Spring Fair on the Tuesday of the show. Seen here with fellow aide Claude Littner and Sir Alan Sugar.

Join The Brady Bunch At Spring Fair? Being an experienced businesswoman, politician, author of several books, columnist and vice chairperson of West Ham Football Club, not to mention aide to Sir Alan Sugar on The Apprentice, Baroness Karren Brady has a lot to say. And there will undoubtedly be lots who want to hear it. Karren has been confirmed as a key speaker at the Spring Fair. She will take to the lecturn on Tuesday February 7, 1.55pm-2.25 in the Trends Theatre to share her advice and suggestions for success as a retail entrepreneur. Left: Baroness Karren Brady will be speaking at Spring Fair on the Tuesday of the show.

The Secret Was Out Henri Davis is a dab-hand at keeping secrets. Having been an independent consultant for many years (advising retailers and suppliers) as well as a high profile buyer (currently head of buying for Scribbler, but previously with National Trust and WHSmith), and now also chairman of the Giftware Association, Henri knows the importance of confidentiality. However, she admits it was tough keeping quiet about being involved in The Apprentice. Henri was invited to joined other experts, including Paula Nickolds, md of John Lewis, as well as senior execs from Not On The High Street and Firebox, to form the panel who listened intently to the presentations made by Courtney and Alana and then quizzed them on various aspects of their respective business proposals. “The filming took place in May in the London Council auditorium, yet the programme wasn’t shown until December. It was a great experience. Filming took seven hours but this was then condensed down into seven minutes when the final episode aired,” reveals Henri. She admits that finding her smiling face in front of a film camera took her back to her previous TV appearances many moons ago when she

was a school girl – during which she appeared on Blue Peter (carol singing) and a pig-tailed Henri also performed as a conjuror’s assistant on Crackerjack! “It did also make me realise how many people in the industry watch the programme as I had lots of emails and phone calls afterwards. While not quite ‘real business’, the programme does at least make people aware of some of the behind the scenes work that goes on in any sector.” Inset: Henri Davis, caught on film in the programme.

unpushy, unlike many of the other candidates, his was a case of 100% self-belief, frequently describing himself as "awesome". Showing his supreme confidence from the very start of the series, he boasted, "this'll be easy to win!", and he was almost right, as he came within a hair's breadth of being crowned Lord Sugar's 'apprentice', with the £250,000 investment in his gift company Bubblegum Stuff so nearly in his grasp. In the final episode in week 12, Courtney pointed out: "You don't get many opportunities to shine and I feel I have the opportunity to shine now and show what I'm made of." While he put up a credible performance, creating a new brand, Purple Whale, which had the tagline 'little gifts, big impressions', in the end he was beaten by bakery. But everyone knows TV is not real, it will be at next month’s Spring Fair where the reality of retail will really be out in force!

Although it did not appear on the programme, Henri asked the candidates several questions, largely about what margins they were working to and how they were going to ensure profitability. Having mentored many individuals and businesses over the years (including several in the card sector), Henri is steadfast in her advice: “In any business you really need to know your stuff. You have to do your numbers thoroughly to know that your business stacks up. However creative a business is aiming to be, it has to make money. There should never be any embarrassment about making a profit.” As Paula Nickolds, then commercial director at John Lewis and now managing director, said on the programme to Lord Sugar about Courtney Wood: "I think his ideas are fantastic, his products are great, but he does need a guiding hand." If he needs an industry consultant, Henri Davis is not that far away! PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE

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Agents... The Plot Thickens

On Your

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Left: As actor/commentator Groucho Marx (part of a card from the Alternative Image Card Company) once said: “I’m not crazy about reality, but it is still the only place to get a decent meal”. Agents reveal the reality than puts food on their tables.

With Oscar nominations in for the Academy Awards, feting the best films of the last year, PG caught up with some of the greeting card industry’s ‘A list’ of independent sales agents for their ‘film review’ of the last year and their expectations for the 2017 ‘sequel’.

Maria McKenna Pitch Perfect: The South East, incorporating Surrey, Kent, Hampshire, East and West Sussex. Been an agent since 1999. Current Cast: Deva Designs, Portfolio, CardMix, Blue Eyed Sun, Molly Mae, Rosanna Rossi. 2016 Film Review: “2016 started out as a bit of a surprise hit, but then with the Spring Seasons falling so close together it turned into less ‘Easter Parade’ and more Bleak House’! Thankfully from April onwards trade seemed to build into a succession of box office winners, despite the suspense of the Brexit vote. Even the normal horrors of the summer season weren’t too scary. The end of the year kept building and hopefully Christmas will have proved a blockbuster for everyone.” The 2017 Sequel: “2017 could go either way, but hopefully confidence will remain high and we can all build on the successes of 2016 to create another blockbuster and avoid box office flops!!” Film Alter Ego: “I think I’d like Cameron Diaz to play my part in a film based on ‘It’s a Wonderful Life’ – but maybe with a bit more RomCom and adventure thrown in along the way, but definitely with the same happy ending!” Above: Maria McKenna (right) with Kate and Andrew Hodgson of Design@Six in Wetherby. Left: It’s a Wonderful Life with a few twists would suit Maria as a filmscape of her life. Below: The launch of Jaz&Baz from Portfolio was one of the product highlights of Maria McKenna’s 2016.

Beth Robson Pitch Perfect: London. Been an agent for 25 years. Current Cast: Museums & Galleries, U Studio, Vivid and GBCC. 2016 Film Review: The year started off like an enjoyable RomCom, but the romance side of the plot lost its lustre from Valentine’s Day as the Spring Seasons were not great, then Brexit saw off the humour part too! It then turned into something of a horror film with retailers understandably concerned. There was not great drama last autumn, but thankfully Christmas did at least mean there was a happy ending.” The 2017 Sequel: “I am hoping for an all action musical that everyone will enjoy, but the Business Rates revaluation which comes into affect in April will take things down a beat no doubt for a while.” Film Alter Ego: “It would have to be Breakfast at Tiffany’s - where else does one enjoy the first meal of the day when you are an agent. However Mr Crumpet [Beth’s Daschund] would play a starring role and would replace Cat.” Above: Beth Robson in Audrey Hepburn mode! Left: Where else does one have breakfast than at Tiffany’s darling?!

Jo Bannister and Joanna McFarlane Pitch Perfect: London and Middlesex. Been agents for 22 years and 16 years respectively. Current Cast: The Art File, Meri Meri, Think of Me, Glick, Paper Salad, Emily Burlingham, Eloise Hall, Bexy Boo, Meraki, Sally Scarfardi, Rush and Two’s Company. 2016 Film Review: “If 2016 was a film it would be one which was something fast paced with plenty of tense moments and real cliffhangers where you had to rely on all your skills. Like our retail customers, as an agent you had be adaptable in 2016, the plot did not always follow the obvious pattern.

Above: Jo Bannister (right) and Joanna McFarlane (left) with Evelyn O’Flaherty who co-owns Mooch in Ealing with Sandra O’Connell. PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE

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We experienced some ‘Sliding Doors’ moments, such as Mooch, a great gift shop opening up in Ealing, replacing Darch & Duff, a long-standing customer who shut its doors after many years.” The 2017 Sequel: “We foresee 2017 being very much a continuation of 2016, something akin to the arduous climb in Everest (the 2015 film), but hopefully we will not be set off course by a blizzard.” Film Alter Ego: “It would have to be Thelma and Louise, though with the parking issues in London we would swop the open top Thunderbird for a tube train and London bus - and wouldn’t drive off the edge of a cliff!” Above: Jo and Joanna would be perfect replacements for Thelma and Louise! Left: The ‘two Jos’ foresee 2017 being something akin to climbing to the top of Everest, but there will eventually be a happy ending!

John Rebbeck Pitch Perfect: East of Scotland. Been an agent for 18 years. Current Cast: Words n Wishes, White Cotton Cards, Jean Barrington, Museums & Galleries and Unique Giftwrap. 2016 Film Review: “It was less ‘Great Expectations’ and more ‘Going Steady’. The oil price fluctuations (which was very low at the start of the year, but rallied towards the end) impacted on trade in and around Aberdeen. The weakness of sterling, the trend of staycationing and the appeal of destination ‘shopping’ had a positive affect on trade in visitor attractions and garden centres.” The 2017 Sequel: “Similar to 2016, a gentle RomCom with a few tense bits no doubt!” Film Alter Ego: “It would have to be Local Hero - and I would love to be played by a fatter, less handsome Ewan McGregor.” Above: John Rebbeck or Ewan McGregor? Below: The oil industry has a strong plotline for John Rebbeck’s customers, as well as in the film Local Hero.

Nigel Hunter Pitch Perfect: Western Midlands, Oxfordshire, Mid/South/West Wales. Been an agent for 23 years. Current Cast: Artists’ Cards, Quire, Artebene, Museums & Galleries, Pulp, Roger la Borde, Meri Meri, ArtPress, Green Pebble, Wildcard. 2016 Film Review: “Imagine a low budget, slow-burn thriller. I play the agent in ‘Life Of A Sales Agent’, a film based on the famous play ‘Life Of A Salesman’. In the film I go out in my humble Bentley Continental, calling on my valued customers, conversing with them and thanking them for orders placed with me. The film shows clearly that I enjoy my job, I get on well with my customers and principals, and at the end of the working day I return home for a simple seven course supper. The next day, and subsequent days, I do it all over again. It should be mentioned that the film has no beginning or end; it’s on a continuous loop. At the end of 2016 it turns out to have been quite a good year. The End.” The 2017 Sequel: “Notwithstanding the ghastly Brexit stuff and some consequent price increases, I think it will be OK generally. Our trade is highly creative and our customers will be impressed by the quality of new and beautiful products and designs.” Film Alter Ego: “A film about me and my life? It would be like a black and white short from 1964 called ‘A Home Of Your Own’. Playing me would be Bernard Cribbins.” Above: Nigel Hunter. Left: Get the popcorn ready for a Nigel Hunter performance!

Rosie Trow Pitch Perfect: South West (Bristol, Bath Wilts, Dorset, Somerset, Devon and Cornwall). Been an agent for 27 years. Current Cast: Blue Eyed Sun, Fizz, Glick, IC&G, Jellycat, Jean Barrington, Museums & Galleries, Paper Rose, Paladone, Peartree, Redback, Transomnia and Wrendale. 2016 Film Review: “It was a Mary Poppins of a year! ‘Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious’ is how I would sum up 2016. It started slow as the Spring Seasons were so early, (the early Easter does not help tourism in the South West). Sadly, even Mary Poppins’ magic did not help when we had the EU Referendum hanging over us, but as soon as this was over the cloud lifted as at least everybody then had a direction. Above: Rosie Trow (left) with Lorelei’s Lolly Blackman (right) and Jane Hall at The Retas last July. Left: Spit spot, that’s 2016 for you! PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE

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Agents... The Plot Thickens

Rachel Williams and Neil Anthony Redwood (aka Reil Agencies)

Summer brought a lot of foreign cars to the Above: It’s the shared ‘blonde moments’ that makes Rosie Trow South West roads, which helped increase the think ‘Alice’ from Vicar of Dibley would be on her wavelength. power of positivity within the tourist trade, and some hope to retailers who decided to ‘Let’s go fly a Kite’ and throw caution to the wind, and the holiday makers still had ‘tuppence to feed’ the pesky gulls! With a bit more effort than a click of Julie Andrews’ fingers retailers made sure their shops were stocked with fantastic products, fabulously displayed for Christmas. And while Black Friday delayed the festive feeling in the independent world, in the end it was a happy ending for many.” The 2017 Sequel: “I will be a thriller with some great car chases, such as Bourne Identity, as I attempt to get to more appointments on time! As an agent, if you don't go out with a positive belief that you can help make a difference to the retailers you call on, and the principals you work with, I guess it would be time to hang up the carpet bag… and go and fly a kite myself.” Film Alter Ego: “My film would be...’Secret Agent 00Trow’ and it would be all about my passion for what I do in the job I love and all the great people I have met on this adventure which I am lucky to call work and I would be able to show off my skills of how to dodge traffic wardens! If I couldn't play myself, it would have to be Emma Chambers who plays Alice Tinker in Vicar of Dibley. I think she and I share similar blonde moments.”

Charlotte Colclough and Lewis Holmes

Pitch Perfect: North West, including North Wales and Isle of Mann. They have been agents for seven years and counting. Current Cast: Including Cinnamon Aitch, Deva Debut, Gift Wrap UK, U Studio, Museums & Galleries and Handcrafted Card Company. 2016 Film Review: “2016 had a 5 star rating with a great start, middle and end. Ever interesting, it kept us gripped on the edge of our seats towards the bitter end. The start of the year is always a little like Finding Dory, with that deja vu feeling of starting the year over again and getting back into the swim of things as it gets crazy busy for spring. After the storm there was a sense of calm and it was a Deadpool until the sudden demands kicked-in again and customers sprang back into action, followed by the magic of Christmas and the excitement of Things to Come!” The 2017 Sequel: “We hope for a steady and progressive year with a few new twists and turns.” Film Alter Ego: “If they ever make a film about Will and Grace we would like Neil and I to play the lead roles. Having been friends for over 25 years and working together in some capacity over all this time, and now as agents in Reil Agencies. We have shared ups and downs with never a dull moment, pushing each other to succeed, enjoying what we do and always with laughter.”

Pitch Perfect: North West. Between Top: A great double act - Rachel Williams them they have notched up 40 and Neil Anthony Redwood. years as agents. Above: The year started as usual, with everyone getting back into the ‘swim’ like Current Cast: Blue Eyed Sun, in Finding Dory. Deva Designs, Five Dollar Right: If only they were to make a film of Shake/Counting Stars, Hammond Will and Grace, Neil and Rachel would be ideal to play the protagonists. Gower, Katie Phythian, Love Your Nation, One Button/Hem&Edge, Really Good, Special Editions and Wendy Jones-Blackett. 2016 Film Review: “It was quite an endurance test with shades of ‘The Revenant’, sometimes feeling like we were being mauled by a grizzly bear. The beginning of each year is always an ‘action adventure’ but can feel a bit like ‘Groundhog Day’ as you are back at the start once again and a bit ‘Clueless’ as to which of your new product will sell in well. The hope that the Spring Seasons product we sold in at the end of the previous year would sell through and that there would be a happy ending, turned out not to be the ‘Romantic Love Story’ that we wanted, as there wasn't much ‘Love Actually’. And the summer had us ‘Dazed and Confused’ as usual and you almost need subtitles to understand the buying patterns of the independent retailer. Christmas however, was less ‘Bad Santa’ and more ‘Miracle on 34th St’. ‘The Grinch’ didn't steal Christmas, which was good for everybody’s mental ‘Elf’!" The 2017 Sequel: "The Good, The Bad and The Ugly." Film Alter Ego: “If you did make a film of our lives it wouldn't be very interesting, and the chances of booking Bradley Cooper and Jennifer Lawrence are remote at best! But sometimes it does feel a bit like ‘One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest’!”

Above left: Charlotte Colclough and Lewis Holmes. Above: It would lovely if Bradley Cooper and Jennifer Lawrence could find time to play Lewis and Charlotte in their RomCom film!

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The Original

Starlight Bottles Beautifully coloured bottles with twinkling stars that light up heart-warming sentiments and celebratory ages. NEW!

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• Silver And Gold Foil • Pearlescent Bottle • Beautiful Gift Tag

Full Range Of Ages

Exciting New Designs Being Added!

Exquisite new wedding and new baby designs are being launched this Spring to compliment our occasion titles, celebratory ages, love & friendship designs and relation titles.

Come And See Us At The Spring Fair!

We would love to show you all our lovely stuff:

Hall 5, Stand A4-B3

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Industry Spotlight

Through

The

Keyh le

In a creative industry such as the greeting card trade it helps if your office, studio or work hub inspires and stimulates. So, in the guise of Lloyd Grossman, early days presenter of TV series Through The Keyhole, PG ponders ‘Who works in a place like this?’, and asks some industry ‘celebrities’ to let us see a glimpse into their ‘nerve centre’ - where the magic happens -and to reveal any unusual quirks (such as a secret hoard of biscuits), also pinpointing an item in the room that would represent them or their card designs.

The colourful Roger la Borde card library Roger la Borde’s delicious homemade lunch Laughing and eating around the big hexagonal table Bombay Bad Boy Pot Noodle and a slice of cake

Tim Solnick, director for Roger la Borde: A Peek Inside: “Roger la Borde HQ is located on a quiet street in North London, sandwiched between leafy West Hampstead and lively Kilburn. We work inside two knocked-together terraced houses, which might explain why the space feels more like a home than an office! The team is surrounded and inspired by colourful things: giant collaged mood boards, flowers from the garden, framed giftwrap from our archives, mock-ups of new designs... and of course our floor-to-ceiling library wall of greeting cards. We are fuelled by endless cups of tea, plentiful pastries, and of course, lunch cooked in our cosy in-house kitchen (we take it in turns to cook!)” Object Personified: “Our big hexagonal table surrounded by comfy pouffes - we eat lunch here as a team every day, which reflects our passion for giving and sharing, as well as our love of laughing, socialising and collaborating! These are exactly the things we try to encourage through the products we design and create. We often surround this table with DIY paper decorations adorning the walls and windows (sometimes even the ceiling) – we love to be immersed in colour and creativity as much as possible.”

Where the magic happens

Leonard Smith, director for Leonard Smith: A Peek Inside: “I love my studio. It’s built onto the back of our garage, so we’ve got our lovely old VW Camper and Beetle just through the wall to remind me of adventurous travels. The other way we overlook the garden and we can keep an eye on our cheeky hens to check they are laying. The kitchen is not too far away, so along with a mug of sweet chai, it’s a Bombay Bad Boy Pot Noodle minus the peas for Vic, our wonderful designer, and a big slice of my victoria Leonard’s inspirational studio window sponge for me.” Object Personified: “The item that inspires me most is my window right next to my image library computer screen. It keeps me real and entices me to get back out with my camera and not get too cosy sitting down. The trees are always changing through the seasons and I have a bird feeder up close so there are often sweet little visitors looking in at me as well.” PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE

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View and buy online at www.davora.co.uk Contact us for a full catalogue of designs /DavoraGrettingCards

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Industry Spotlight

Rebecca Crouch, creative director for Raspberry Blossom:

Rebecca scribbles down some ideas Yum! Scrambled eggs and coffee Cacti No1

The many colours of the studio’s bike

Claire has a light-bulb moment

A Peek Inside: “My studio is a room in our East London flat situated on a quiet residential leafy street. It is a compact space, however a huge window allows light in throughout the day and a high ceiling gives it an airy feeling. The one side has been patiently painted with sage grey stripes, curving around the quirky rounded wall. The wall is adorned with some of my favourite pastel prints and a little shelf I keep all my trinkets, small vases and stationery items on. I have a large pastel pink pin board, which keeps me organised with current orders going out or scribbles and ideas for new collections and products. The other side of the studio is crammed full with stock, envelopes, packaging and art supplies.” Object Personified: “I think it would have to be my little cacti in my spotty blush and gold pot. The new saying ‘Crazy Plant Lady’ quite suits me as I have a vast amount of succulents and cacti around our home. They even feature on my New Home card in my Blossoming Blooms collection. Flowers are also my favourite indulgence for the studio, often finding it hard to resist buying a bunch on the way back from the usual daily post office run. My fuel for the day starts with a healthy breakfast - my go to is avocado or scrambled eggs on rye bread with a black coffee. I love the morning sitting with my coffee while writing my to do list for the day.”

A caffeine treat The epic Doodle Wall at UKG

Clare Titterington, art director for UKG: (Clare has orchestrated (along with UKG’s talented design teams) some of the wonderful artwork and editorial displays around UK Greetings’ building in Dewsbury). A Peek Inside: “We love our studio spaces here at UKG! Our walls have been an expression of all the talent we have here, and it feeds the positive energy! Our epic Doodle Wall is a huge collection of doodles and thoughts of all our artists, designers and editors, carefully weaved together to create a 32ft long, 4 ft high mural. We love the way the variety of styles work together to create one big dramatic piece of art. It was a great collaborative experience! - of course powered by tea and a large strong pot of coffee.” Object Personified: “Since exhibiting at PG Live in 2016, we have had the joy of having in the studios our pink bike full of flowers and our card designs that were on our stand! It’s so joyful! Bold bright and colourful, and we’ve had it set up against the wooden wall in our studio. For us, it represents colour and fun. Also flowers are often such an important part of what we create, it’s inspiring to be surrounded by them!”

Holly’s sketchbooks, paints and pencils Moonpig’s inspirational clipboards

Holly Sims, senior designer for Moonpig: A Peek Inside: “Our studio space is really fun and we were lucky to be given free range to design it ourselves. We have clipboards up on the walls that we change every month and take turns to choose a theme, then everyone from the team adds an image that inspires them to their board. This month we had to illustrate out favourite word! I try and keep my desk tidy but it is usually cluttered with piles of drawings, sketchbooks and various pencils and paint brushes, as well as the many various toys I have dotted around, my favourite of which is the Lego Milhouse.” Object Personified: “I'd say that the item that represents my designs is Washi Tape - I have loads of these, and bright colours and patterns are usually featured in my designs. Drink choice - most people are really stunned to find out that I don't drink tea or coffee, so Diet Coke is my treat when I feel like a caffeine hit! We're never far from sweet treats at Moonpig as we all love baking, so there's always some treats being passed around, which are hard to resist.” PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE

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S T O R E

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S O L U T I O N S Contact us

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Industry Spotlight

Matt Nguyen creative director for Jolly Awesome:

Some Jolly Awesome designs

A Peek Inside: “We (my partner Katie Littlewood) work from our home studio in South-West London. It's bright and colourful, filled with plants, art materials, neon lights and prints we have collected on our travels around the world (including my 50+ collection of trainers). Every morning we usually start with a walk around the block with our Frenchie (bulldog), always followed by a stop-off at the local coffee shop to grab a coffee and much needed energy kick. We'll throw on the radio or put a lively hip hop playlist on Spotify and I'll look to clear all my emails by 11am, then head for a run or to the gym and I'll pick up some lunch on the way back to the studio to get working on the 'fun stuff'. There're so many moving parts to our business and even though there's only two of us, we work to the capacity and productivity of a 20 person team. It's just lucky we both have different strengths that complement each other so we're able to do everything in our business. I tend to work in 1-2 hour spurts - after that I start to lose focus and go play with the dog, watch TV, or go get another coffee (the coffee shop is literally 30 seconds around the corner). A vanilla latte or Coke Zero helps me get through anything, basically anything with caffeine.” Object Personified: “A snoring, farting, French bulldog who has his bed between our desks.” Making it to Marrakesh, Bruce’s Hummer runs on vegetable oil

Bruce’s latest toy, the Spider Mower A Wine Gum habit

Tools of the creative trade

Katie and Matt’s French bulldog Matt with his caffeine fix

Michelle Mills, business development and marketing manager for Windles, explains how the md of the printing company, Bruce Podmore, considers the whole factory as his ‘office’. A Peek Inside: “Bruce has a huge minimalistic office but he’s rarely in it! He considers his office the whole factory and surrounding landscaping. He is a hands-on machine man but the hands-on bit takes him to every area of the factory, so you’ll often find him getting involved helping out, getting his hands dirty working alongside everyone whatever they do. He might be smashing up dis-used pallets one minute, prepping them for crushing and making briquettes, which warm the factory and several homes of the staff. Gardening is something we hadn’t been involved in before because we didn’t have one! The surroundings are very important to all of us. It gives a great first impression so there have been many an afternoon when no one can find Bruce but we know he’s in. He’s been out mowing! A hand-held push along, the sit on mower or with the latest Windles’ device - you might find him with the hugest grin as he uses a remote control to mow, called a Spider Mower! Bruce would no doubt be thinking up new schemes and ideas whilst he does such things. His inspiration definitely comes from talking to people. He listens to everyone in the factory and offices, customers, locals etc. He might not always see it right away but then seems to churn it all over and then comes up with a great way of doing something. Bruce loves quirky things - well, a Spider Mower, driving a Hummer, his love of boating - then come his sweets. He probably eats Wine Gums every day and he has a funny habit when it comes to the shortbread fingers, which are stocked up for him when he fancies a treat. He always taps the biscuit first to remove any loose sugar or crumbs, and he does this in between every munch. How to eat a biscuit like an engineer!” Object Personified: “Inspired engineering - we aren’t just a manufacturing house, we are a group of inventive minds who serve as the creative thoroughfare between the designer and the assembly line. Our factory of the future oozes this message from first sight - smart, green, clean, professional, diverse and forward thinking. It’s full of highest specification machines and lovely people who form our unique collaboration of experts where imaginations can run wild and are not suffocated.” PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE

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Innovations

Spring Fair A selection of Animal cards launching at Spring Fair, NEC Birmingham, 5-9 February 2017.

ANIMAL ATTRACTIONS

Life In Miniature Claire Louise has designed a new botanical and wildlife range with pencil and ink in warm earthy colours. There are initially 12 designs, sized 155mm square, sold wrapped with a cream envelope with more cards being added throughout 2017. Claire Louise www.clairelouise.eu 07715 373344 Hall 3 Stand W20

Wild At Heart

Gone Cuckoo

Henries finalist Lola Design is launching a multitude of new cards at Spring Fair, including a series of beautiful additions to the Wildlife Botanical range, bringing the number of designs to 24. Each card is printed on heavyweight FSC board of the finest quality, supplied with contrasting grey envelope wrapped in the Lola signature branded cello. Lola Design 01904 675514 www.loladesignltd.com Hall 3 Stand M37

Best Ever Cat is Paper Bird’s mascot for this publisher’s first appearance at Spring Fair. This design just one of a lovely lot of additions to the Henries-shortlisted Cuckoo range, including some stunning new birthday and occasions designs, come and see its best ever display at this show! Paper Bird www.paperbirdpublishing.co.uk 07766 164807 Hall 3, Debut - Stand L41

Love Is In The Air Louise Mulgrew’s best selling Wild Love range is growing with another 24 designs being launched at Spring Fair. Using quirky captions and puns alongside loveable furry and feathery characters, these designs cover birthdays, Mother’s and Father’s Day, Valentine’s Day and Easter. All cards are sized 150mm square and are sold wrapped with brown kraft envelopes. Louise Mulgrew Designs 07810 304 414 www.louisemulgrew.com Hall 3 Stand V50

A World Inside For beautiful meticulously hand-painted animal cards look no further than The DM Collection, publisher of the works of award winning artist Daniel Mackie. The range now has over 60 5” x 7” cards, all blank and supplied wrapped with complementing envelopes. The DM Collection 07808 923371 www.thedmcollection.com Hall 3 Stand V32

Around The Block Wild Wood is a gorgeous new British Wildlife range from Perkins & Morley, with eight new designs of animals and birds with a nature inspired woodblock style design as a backdrop. The cards are sized 140mm square, printed on recycled board and sold with a brown recycled envelope. Perkins & Morley 015395 64247 www.perkinsandmorley.com Hall 3 Stand V20 PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE

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Innovations

Spring Fair A selection of Art cards launching at Spring Fair, NEC Birmingham, 5-9 February 2017.

ART-TASTIC

Maker’s Mark

Wild And Free

Natural Partners is launching an extensive new range of cards featuring the beautiful work of York-based artist, Mark Braithwaite. As well 12 designs starring young Rosebud (pictured), there will be several featuring her friend Charlie and a number exquisitely depicting professional dancers at work. The cards are 177mm x 127mm in landscape or portrait formats, printed on lightly textured board and come wrapped with a white envelope. Natural Partners 07714 768956 www.naturalpartnersart.co.uk Hall 3 Stand V31

Ling Design is launching its brand new range The Wildlife at Spring Fair. Designed by top Ling artist Cordelia Hutchison, favourite British wild animals and loyal family pets are depicted with loads of character and quirky features in this range 16 open card designs. Ling Design 01892 838574 www.lingdesign.co.uk Hall3-3A Stand Q18-R21

Spring Fling Building on the popular Botanical range, HartDeco is adding 12 more fresh seasonally inspired designs to the collection. There are now 18 designs in the range including tulips, cherries, herbs, a lemon tree, apples, ferns, allium and an iris. All the cards are sized 150mm square and sold wrapped with a kraft envelope. HartDeco 0203 532 6352 www.hartdeco.co.uk Hall 3 Stand V61

Art Of The Matter In its mission to promote Isle of Wight art and artists, The Arty Card Company has published the work promoting a dozen local artists across different media including illustration, watercolour, mixed media, acrylic and digital. All the cards will be on display on its stand at Spring Fair, beautifully printed and supplied wrapped with complementing envelopes. The Arty Card Company 01983 862616 www.theartycardcompany.co.uk Hall 3 Stand L44

Holy Moley Among Holy Mackerel’s 2017 launches is a new range of mini cards by textile artist Sarah J Perry into the Small Fry range. Sarah’s exquisite embroidered designs feature the wildlife around us, and this collection of some of our best-loved British birds really showcases her talent! There are 12 designs so far, with more to follow all sized 100mm square. Holy Mackerel 01395 578571 www.holy-mackerel.co.uk Hall 3 Stand U11

On The Wing Originali Art is adding to its popular Bird Collages range with some beautiful new sea birds, including avocets and oystercatchers. There are six new designs, sized 120mm square, printed on crisp white board and sold wrapped with craft or white envelopes. Originali Art www.originaliart.com Hall 3 Stand H30

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quotable - greeting cards and gifts -

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

visit us at spring fair, stand 3S18 to see our new winter collection. (please mention seeing this ad when you stop by.)

+44 (0) 1243 780501 info@quotablecards.co.uk www.quotablecards.co.uk

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Innovations

Spring Fair A selection of Cute cards launching at Spring Fair, NEC Birmingham, 5-9 February 2017.

CUTE AS PIE

Little Donkey This playful donkey foal is so cute you want to cuddle it! It is one of 16 new images from the Country Cards Animal range, which comes in either blank or happy birthday titles. This extended range of animals and all things ‘country’ continues to have wide appeal and goes from strength to strength. Country Cards 01835 822485 www.countrycards.co.uk Hall 3 Stand N21

Over The Dale Wrendale Designs is adding eleven beautiful new designs to its award winning Country Set card range. With more characterful watercolour illustrations painted by Hannah Dale, the new collection now includes a leaping hare, a barn owl in flight and a curious deer. The cards are 150mm square, are printed on textured board and supplied wrapped with a gold-foiled kraft envelope. Wrendale Designs 01652 680253 www.wrendaledesigns.co.uk Hall 3 Stand R10

That Loving Feeling

Tom Tom Beats Tomcat Cards wants to know if you can you guess the name of its new range of purrfectly fabulous fluffy cats? One of Elton John's songs? Frank Sinatra’s nickname? And Hugh Grant’s character Mickey in the film? Yes, it’s Blue Eyes! A collection of 16 deliciously cute and humorous cats by the paint brush of super-talented Kim Haskins. The cards are all glossy, 150mm square and blank inside - come and ‘purruse’ on the Tomcat stand. Tomcat Cards 01243 837300 www.tomcatcards.co.uk Hall 3 Stand W31

Talk To the Animals New from Stormy Knight is the Animal Attraction range comprising 10 very cute humorous designs across Valentine’s, Mother's Day and friendship titles. The A6 sized cards are all printed onto lovely recycled manila board and sold wrapped with complementing envelopes. Stormy Knight 07875 027551 www.stormyknight.co.uk Hall 3, Debut - Stand K31

The Art File is launching over 400 new designs at Spring Fair including The Piccadilly Set by award winning designer Sara Miller. This beautiful collection of 16 designs features an array of light-hearted animal designs including a frog, an octopus, a cockerel and a giraffe amongst others. The cards are finished with embossed lines and hot foils and come with very nice cream envelopes. The Art File 0115 850 7490 www.theartfile.com Hall 3 Stand S07

Cuddle Up Carte Blanche will showing the latest additions to its Me to You plush and gifts collections as well as unveiling an exciting new character brand at the Spring Fair. The company is also celebrating its 30th Anniversary in the business! Carte Blanche 01243 792600 www.cbg.co.uk Hall 4 Stand D32-E22 PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE

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Innovations

Spring Fair A selection of Word and Typography based cards launching at Spring Fair, NEC Birmingham, 5-9 February 2017.

WORDS OF WISDOM

In A Word Dandelion continues to expand its 2016 Henries award-winning Words of Wisdom range. There will be six new designs – bringing this range to 360 designs, covering all occasions. All of these cards are sized 114mm x 162mm, handfinished and supplied wrapped with rustic brown kraft envelopes. Dandelion Stationery 01332 695359 www.dandelionstationery.co.uk Hall 3 Stand U51

Savoir Vivre Heart And Soul

The Breton Collection from Laura Darrington Design for Spring 2017 includes 26 new designs covering Valentine’s, Mother’s Day and Easter. The range features the classic Breton stripe combined with Laura’s signature eclectic florals, pattern and colour. Each design sized 165mm square and finished with beautiful foil and embossing. Laura Darrington Design 0116 2849660 www.lauradarrington.co.uk Hall 3 Stand U30

DAD, YOU’RE A DAFT BUGGER BUT I LOVE YOU!

A Bit Northern Dialectable has added six new Mum and Dad cards to its Nationwide range for Spring 2017, bringing the range to 46 cards. In its characteristic bright retro palette each design has a witty one liner perfect for Mother’s and Father’s Day and/or Mum and Dad birthdays. The cards are sized 125mm x 175mm and sold wrapped with an ivory envelope. Dialectable 0114 2134126 www.dialectable.co.uk Hall 3, Debut - Stand L33

Brian Andreas has been writing uplifting short stories for over 25 years and has a dozen books to his name. Now 20 years later, Soul is publishing some of his work on a selection of gifts and cards. There are 20 140mm square blank cards in this range, supplied wrapped with pebble coloured envelopes. Soul UK 01235 537816 www.souluk.com Hall 6 Stand J14-K15

Hitting The Spot Inspired by the red dot, which signifies ‘sold’ on paintings, the Sold on You range from Papagrazi is a bright happy collection of 20 designs by Rosy James, perfect for sharing cute loving messages with friends and loved ones. Printed on satin finished board, this blank range is sized 150mm square and sold wrapped with red envelopes. Papagrazi 07775 833065 www.papagrazi.com Hall 3 Stand M35

Let’s Talk Fontilly is a brand new open range from Talking Pictures, comprising 12 text-based designs inspired by the current trend for chalk-board typography and quirky captioning. All the cards are packed with the tip-ons, foil, flitter and gems and sold wrapped with a white pearl envelope. Talking Pictures 01892 838574 www.talking-pictures.co.uk Hall 3 Stand Q18-R21

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Innovations

Spring Fair A selection of New Products launching at Spring Fair, NEC Birmingham, 5-9 February 2017.

NEW PRODUCTS

Mardi Gras Cherry Orchard has added 14 brand new open designs to its popular Carnival Celebrations range with a selection of bright and spritzy designs showing everything from birdcages and cupcakes to cyclists, golfers and toolboxes. With white backgrounds and foiled finishes, the cards are sure to add some sparkle to your shelves. Cherry Orchard Publishing 01684 295500 www.cherryorchardpublishing.co.uk Hall 3, Cardgains Village - Stand L10/M11

On The Button Spring Fair sees the launch of Buttoned Up, a new contemporary range of 16 cards from Second Nature with a fresh colour palette and on-trend open birthday and celebratory icons. With a clever combination of photography, etchings and illustration, these designs are beautifully hand-finished with a range of cute miniature buttons in various colours, sequins and other delicate embellishments. Second Nature 020 89600212 www.secondnature.co.uk Hall 3 Stand P50

Warp Speed Space Age is Paper Saladâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s brand new male birthday range â&#x20AC;&#x201C; all neon bright and finished with gorgeous copper foil. This galactic 175mm x 125mm range has eight designs, which come wrapped with a neon orange envelope Paper Salad 0161 427 0001 www.papersalad.co.uk Hall 3 Stand U10

Setting Sail Sabivo Design launches the Great Times male range featuring hand-illustrated images, handdrawn lettering, copper paint detail and handfinishing with a gold and silver star. There are 20 designs, across everyday and popular relations captions, sized 145mm square and sold wrapped with kraft envelopes. Sabivo Design 01858 433 716 www.sabivo.co.uk Hall 3 Stand W18

Tres Elegant

In The Pink

Elegant and sophisticated aptly describes the new Little Black Dress range from Peartree Heybridge. The range comprises 24 lightly humorous designs across blank, birthday and occasions. All the cards are presented in a 125mm x 175mm format and supplied wrapped with pink pearlised envelopes. Peartree Heybridge 01423 876311 www.peartreeheybridge.co.uk Hall 3, Cardgains Village - Stand L10/M11

Pink Pig is excited to unveil its brand new Blooming Gorgeous range of feminine designs just bursting out all over with pretty flowers in vibrant shades. There are 85 cards which covering birthday, female relations, occasions, and Mother's Day, all sized 150mm square and sold with pretty coloured pearlised envelopes. Pink Pig 07795 574548 www.pinkpigcards.co.uk Hall 3 Stand L32 PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE

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5 - 9 FEBRUARY 2017 NEC BIRMINGHAM UK

HALL 3 N15

Have the of years by stocking themed collections from This is just one of many themed ranges that can be seen on www.socialstationery.biz or by contacting sales on 01628 526711

Top designs, top quality and outstanding value for money. Only available through your local specialist wholesaler. SIMON ELVIN LTD. SPECIALIST CARD PUBLISHER Wooburn Industrial Park Wooburn Green Buckinghamshire HP10 0PE T: (01628) 526711 F: (01628) 531483 W: www.simonelvin.com

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Innovations

Spring Fair A selection of New Products launching at Spring Fair, NEC Birmingham, 5-9 February 2017.

NEW PRODUCTS

For Keeps

Wrap And Roll

Pippi & Me is super excited to be exhibiting at Spring Fair for the first time! There will be new cards added to its hugely successful and wellestablished super cute Little Creature ranges as well as a unique new range, Simply Porcelain (pictured). The new range features a sweet handmade porcelain keepsake across 12 occasions. All the cards are sized 125mm square, blank inside and sold with a white recycled envelope. Pippi & Me 01803 864109 www.pippiandme.com Hall 3, Debut - Stand K46

Instawrap® from Wrap Nation is set to revolutionise gift giving with the world’s only fully coated lick and stick wrapping paper. With a double-sided adhesive surface sticky tape is a thing of the past. It can be cut and stuck around any shape, making wrapping gifts fun, quick and easy. It's also manufactured in the UK and 100% recyclable! Wrap Nation 07472 455973 www.instawrap.co.uk Hall 3 Stand H18

Good Clean Fun Dean Morris Cards is excited as always to be adding lots of new designs to his ever popular Fabulous range, which has now been delighting customers for over ten years. More than ten new designs have been added to this humour collection for Spring Fair, ranging from cheeky to naughty and everything in between. Dean Morris Cards 01902 560247 www.deanmorriscards.co.uk Hall 3 Stand V64

In The Mood The popular Seasonal Skies range from Ryland is expanding to 30 designs for Spring Fair. These deeply atmospheric oil-painting-esque images of country life feature moody skies and a nostalgic feel, and are very often kept and framed by the recipients. This range is sized 155mm square, printed on linen textured board and wrapped with ribbed kraft Envelopes. Ryland Studios 01400 261745 www.rylandstudios.co.uk Hall 3 Stand W13

Heavy Metal Zippy Pocket is a collection of open humour cards from JellynBean – all with a striking look. The range covers birthday and blank captions with an amusing view of modern themes, and all with a hint of sarcasm! There are 20 5” x 7” designs printed on an unusual metallic lustre board to add to the styling. JellynBean 01423 871881 www.jellynbean.com Hall 3 Stand T50

Head For The Hills Discover artist Katharine Baxter’s new range of cards on the Wraptious stand at Spring Fair. This stunning new range of flora and fauna cards features over a dozen intricate animal floral designs including a Scottie dog, tiger, fox, hare and even a Highland cow. The cards are sized 150mm square and sold wrapped with a metallic silver envelope. Wraptious 0161 221 0109 www.trade.wraptious.com Hall 3 Stand K50 PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE

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W W WoodWick

crackles as it burns™

HOT TODDY Tempting notes of ground cinnamon and nutmeg swirled with caramel drizzled apples and sweet maple wine.

Experience the NEW fragrances at Spring Fair - NEC Birmingham

Xystos Flame & Fragrance • Bath & Body

The UK’s No.1 Home Fragrance Supplier to the Gift Industry

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5th - 9th February 2017

Stand 4H50-J51

For more info, contact our Customer Service Team Email: sales@xystos.co.uk or Tel: +44(0)191 499 1570 www.xystostrade.co.uk

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Innovations

Spring Fair A selection of New Products launching at Spring Fair, NEC Birmingham, 5-9 February 2017.

NEW PRODUCTS

Love Struck Spring Fair will see the launch of Lucy Monkman’s LOVE range, comprising playful new cards for girls and for boys. The designs feature bold text in shades of pinks and blues with a variety of sweet animal characters. With ten designs in the range, the cards measure 144mm square and are supplied wrapped with a white envelope. Lucy Monkman 01904 630043 www.lucymonkman.com Hall 3 Stand W33

To Bee Or Not Two Bee

Child’s Eye

Linda Wood is adding 13 new designs to her popular Metallica range of luxury handmade copper foiled cards, with even more diamante bling. These include two new bee inspired designs to go with the existing bee themed metallic giftwrap. All the cards are size 150mm square and sold wrapped with a gorgeous copper metallic self-seal envelope. Linda Wood 01376 562535 www.lindawood.co.uk Hall 3 Stand W30

Maisie & Milo is the latest release of children’s cards from Twizler, featuring Maisie, a beautiful unicorn celebrating her birthday with her woodland animal friends, and Milo the birthday boy who loves being outdoors. There are 20 cards available covering ages 1-6, general birthday and relations, the cards are 163mm square and all tastefully flittered to create a real birthday sparkle. Twizler 01959 532 532 www.twizler.co.uk Hall 3 Stand X53

Back To Black One of the new ranges on the Megan Claire stand at Spring Fair is the distinctive male range Black Jack. The range comprises 12 smart black and grey typographic phrases, which go ‘pop’ on the luxury cream stock. This range is sized 109mm x 155mm and sold wrapped with a stunning black and white striped lined envelope. Megan Claire 01536 560345 www.meganclaire.co.uk Hall 3 Stand V40

Capital Idea

Floral Abundance

In celebration of the Capital, the Illustration range from Ezen Designs features London icons across an array of over 70 designs. All the cards are produced in Ezen’s London studio and printed on high quality pearlescent board, with a beautiful shimmer, and with elegantly handcornered edges. The cards are sized C6 and sold wrapped with complementing envelopes. Ezen Designs 020 7354 5000 www.ezendesigns.com Hall 3 Stand T40

Eco-friendly card publisher, Glebe Cottage, has launched a new collection of fine art cards and notecards from renowned watercolour artist, Shirley Trevena RI, who has published many books and DVDs on watercolour painting. There are 12 bank designs, all made from 100% recycled board, sized 153mm square and sold wrapped with 100% recycled envelopes. Glebe Cottage 01626 369269 www.glebecottage.co.uk Hall 3 Stand U60-61 PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE

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@lauradarrington

5th - 9th February 2017

Laura Darrington Design Ltd.

Stand 3U30

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Innovations

Spring Fair A selection of New Products launching at Spring Fair, NEC Birmingham, 5-9 February 2017.

NEW PRODUCTS

Totting Up Nicely

Soft And Fluffy

Abacus will be showcasing 20 new milestone adult age birthday cards at this year’s Spring Fair. The 20, 5” x 7” format designs comprise 10 female and 10 male birthdays covering the key ages from 18 to 100. The female designs are new additions to the Life & Soul range and feature a large foiled and embossed number with confetti patterning, and the male designs (pictured) have an industrial look reminiscent of rusty, riveted metal and the gorgeous foil and emboss finishing. Abacus 01638 569050 www.abacuscards.co.uk Hall 3 Stand P30

New from Saffron is Merino, an elegant, handfinished range of 24 occasions cards embellished with beautifully illustrated designs, plush felt shapes and pretty coloured gems. Printed on luxury white linen board, the cards are sized 160mm square and sold wrapped with complementing envelopes. Saffron (distributed by Is It Art?) 01926 747900 www.isitart.co.uk Hall 3 Stand L13

Minion Dominion Danilo has created Crafty Minions, a fabulous alternative style for the hugely popular Minions aimed at delighting tweens, teenagers – in fact everyone! Inspired by screen-prints, these cards are printed on a textured matt board using a fluorescent yellow die and finished with a hot spot varnish. There are six cards so far in the range – but the sky’s the limit on this one! Danilo 01992 702900 www.danilo.com Hall 3 Stand M16

Right On Track Tracks is delighted to launch over 50 new designs into its best-selling Sparkle range at Spring Fair. This range has grown to cover most birthday and occasions captions and features lots of lovely cold foil, embossing and flittering to accentuate the designs. Tracks Publishing 01480 435562 www.tracksltd.com Hall 3 Stand P31

We Are Family The new Paper House Family Relations range features lots of family captions for Christmas. There are over 200 designs in new and exciting formats encompassing 3D designs, laser-cuts and cards hand-finished with ribbons, snowflake attachments or gems. From large traditional elegant sends to simple and small sophisticated squares, this opulent offering comes complete with red, silver or gold envelopes. The Great British Card Company 01452 888999 www.greatbritishcards.co.uk Hall 3 Stand P22-Q23

Man Made Blueprint is the latest new male range from Noel Tatt, with strong male themes from the talented Claire Coxon. There are 16 designs in the range, covering birthday, occasions and male relations captions, all in a 7”X 5” format, finished with emboss and foil detail. All the cards are supplied wrapped with a crisp graphite grey envelope. Noel Tatt 01227 811600 www.noeltatt.co.uk Hall 3 Stand K14-L15 PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE

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HARRY & HARRIET everybunny needs somebunny

To see our full range please contact IAn Morgan +44 77 8668 2381 or email Enquires@justalittlenote.co.uk

www.JustalittleNote.co.uk

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Innovations

Spring Fair A selection of New Products launching at Spring Fair, NEC Birmingham, 5-9 February 2017.

NEW PRODUCTS

Rising Moon An exciting new giftware collaboration is being launched by Half Moon Bay with card company Jolly Awesome. Director, Matt Nguyen’s on-trend illustrations have produced a truly awesome range of giftware, including glassware, mugs and tinware in summery pastels, or with loveable cartoon animals and humour that will appeal to millennials everywhere. Half Moon Bay 01225 473873 www.halfmoonbay.co.uk Hall 6 Stand G22-H23

Blooming Great! Deckled Edge will be launching lovely handdrawn floral additions into its Blooming Ages range, now with lively bright coloured foiling across all designs. As well as adult ages, this range now has open birthdays and key occasions. The cards are sized 120mm x 170mm and come with matching coloured envelopes. Deckled Edge 0800 771 0771 www.decklededge.co.uk Hall 3 Stand V17

For Men

Loch Chaim!

A new release of 55 brand new designs from Nigel Quiney includes an exciting new male range, the Pizazz for Men range (pictured) and a selection of new contemporary female Pizazz designs. There are also new young characters with attitude for ages 7 through to 12… and a selection of stylish ages. Nigel Quiney Publications 01799 520200 www.nigelquiney.com Hall 3 Stand P10-Q11

Davora is updating its Jewish card ranges with 56 new designs on show. New relations captions include cards for parents and grandparents such as 'Mazel Tov on your son's Bar Mitzvah' and 'Mazel Tov on your granddaughter's Bat Mitzvah'. There are also new additions to the Jewish festival cards for Hanukkah, Jewish New Year and Passover. Davora 0161 641 0653 www.davora.co.uk Hall 3 Stand W40

The Midas Touch Lots of new additions to Lesser & Pavey’s The Gold Edition will be on show at Spring Fair. Gorgeous new gifts will include LED lights, Champagne and Prosecco, gin and vodka themed mugs and glasses, jewellery dishes, compact mirrors and manicure sets, stationery and shopping bags. Lesser & Pavey 01322 279225 www.leonardo.co.uk Hall 5 Stand D10-E11

Glick Thinks Glick is proud as punch with its latest collaboration launch with Think of Me! This new range includes Femme and Homme gift bags, giftwrap and tissue papers, as well as Daisies and Butterflies designs and birthday Block Bags – all beautiful, fresh and contemporary. Glick 01274 655980 www.glick.co.uk Hall 3 Stand P10-Q11

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Tomcat Cards

Proudly present our BRAND NEW, ever so fluffy range

"BLUE EYES" a stunning collection of 16 highly glossy, delightfully indulgent cards w: www.tomcatcards.co.uk e: info@tomcatcards.co.uk t: 01243 837300

We'll be at Spring Fair in Hall 3, stand W31

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(t) 0116 230 4197 (f) 01536 401 031 ( w ) www . mint - publishing . co . uk

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Innovations

Spring Fair A selection of New Products launching at Spring Fair, NEC Birmingham, 5-9 February 2017.

NEW PRODUCTS

Be Burnished Coppersmith is a stylish collection from UK Greetings designed around modern language and masculine subject matter. The on- trend colour palettes are complemented by embossed copper foil offering something different for the stylish man. There are six designs in total, sized 121mm x 184mm, sold wrapped with complementing envelopes. UK Greetings 01924 465200 www.ukgreetings.co.uk Hall 3, Cardgains Village â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Stand L10-M11

Current Trend

Golden Screen

In addition to its calendars and diaries, Brown Trout will also be exhibiting a stunning handmade greeting card and social stationery range as well as the Printed Range, which includes illustrated and photographic humour and sentiment, printed on a variety of boards with plenty of gorgeous embellishments! Brown Trout 0117 317 1880 www.browntroutuk.com Hall 3 Stand P41

Alternative Image will be showing 100 new black and white photographic cards to accompany its classic bestsellers for 2017. Featuring a brilliant mix of vintage celebrity, nostalgic fun and retro fashion, there is also a collection of 20 square cards depicting lives and landscapes of days gone by. The Alternative Image Company 020 3478 4804 www.altimageco.com Hall 3 Stand V11

Casting A Spell Moongazer Cards captures the magic of childhood through Sally Anne Lambert's delicate watercolour illustrations. The Secrets Faerie, guardian of our most precious secrets, is one of the latest additions to the Spellbound range, now with 30 cards each illustrating a poem which is printed on the reverse. Moongazer Cards 077454 81411 www.moongazercards.com Hall 3 Stand W51

Fabric Of Life Fabricadabra, the latest launch from Blue Eyed Sun, is based on colourful original embroidered artworks by award winning textile artist Jo Corner. There are 12 beautiful birthday cards printed on thick watercolour board, embossed and hand-finished with jewels. These are all blank inside, sized 160mm square and wrapped with a coloured envelope. Blue Eyed Sun 01273 823003 www.blueeyedsun.co.uk Hall 3 Stand X31

A Nice Cuppa Simon Elvin is expanding its Simply Gifts range with a new exciting set of milestone age and relations mugs that tie in neatly with its foil balloon and wall banner collections. All foiled and covering ages 18 through to 65, the mugs are made from the finest china and supplied with a matching gift box. Simon Elvin 01628 526711 www.socialstationery.biz Hall 3 Stand N15 PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE

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2017 Collection

Showing all new Gift Stationery and Greetings Cards at Spring Fair:

Stand P17, Hall 3

sales@mgml.co.uk Tel: 01373 462165 www.museumsgalleries.co.uk

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Innovations PG Showcases A Collection Of New Product Launches

Bye Bye Baby A New Baby range has been released by Seasonal Words. Written by Layne Estell and designed by artist Emilia Azusa, this range comprises 12 cards for girls, boys, twins, baby shower and Christening. Each card is sized 150mm square, printed on high quality textured board and sold wrapped with a white envelope. Seasonal Words 07722 844719 www.seasonalwords.com

By Scott!

From The Heart

Scott & Robson is growing its Waggish range, bringing the range to over 100 cat and dog designs, with 80 different breeds all painted in watercolour and ink by the irrepressible Jo Scott. The cards are all blank, sized 150mm square, and come cellowrapped with a coloured envelope. Scott & Robson Designs 07506 630626 www.scottandrobson.com

Designed by David and Sarah Blake, the Ella Bella Rose range from Heritage Art and Design is a flourishing of repeat patterns of heartwarming imagery. There are 36 145mm square cards, all fresh and very contemporary. Heritage Art and Design 0330 223 1644 www.heritageartanddesign.co.uk

Just My Type Meet Fizz, the latest design to be added to the Things wi' legs range created by Ann Worsnip from oi Doris on her very own typewriter. There are now 12 adorable designs in the range including dogs, cats, rabbits and stags. The card are sized 150mm square, printed on textured board and sold wrapped with recycled kraft brown envelopes. oi Doris 07918 180413 www.oidoris.co.uk

Neon Equation Hotchpotch is launching a new eye-popping Hello Neon range of cards stationery and wrap. This range combines two fluorescent pantones and are finished with trending rose gold foil and gorgeous brush lettering. The brand new stationery and flat wrap comprises notebooks, pencils, notepads and planners. Hotchpotch 01243 792600 www.hotchpotchlondon.com

Bug Eyed There are six new designs being launched by Bug Art into the Amy's Card range, based on the original embroideries of Amy Butcher. Now with 34 cards in the range, each card is embossed with gold foil and spot varnish with special attention given to recreating a textile effect onto the card. Bug Art 0115 9074776 www.bugart.co.uk PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE

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half page advert laura sherratt jan 17.indd 1

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Innovations PG Showcases A Collection Of New Product Launches

A Nice Bit Of Cheese Cheesy Does It is a mildly crackers new 16 card range featuring Caerphilly-crafted Plasticine characters in Tillovision's trademark style. Featuring age and general birthday with some really ripe puns, it's the freshest cheese on the shelves! Roule over and say halloumi to the full range! Tillovision 07934 430029 www.tillovision.com

White Light

Wafting Through

Natural White is a new range of plant inspired designs from Belinda Morris of 1790 Cards. All 16 cards feature white printed outlines with a splash of colour and are produced on 340gsm ribbed kraft board. The cards are sized 150mm square and come cellowrapped with a white laid envelope. 1790 Cards 01904 448130 1790creative.co.uk/cards

Fab is a funky new range from Georgia Breeze. This range still has its signature handcrafted feel, but now with a hint of geometric, Aztec patterns and brightly coloured fruity motifs. There are 20 designs in the range, covering open birthdays, relations and occasions. All the cards are printed on textured board, handfinished with gems and supplied with coordinating envelopes. Georgia Breeze 07966 932059 www.georgiabreeze.co.uk

Lucky Numbers A new take on age cards is the new Years Young vintage style range from April Rose. Covering ages 18 through 90, all the cards are handfinished with a handcrafted wooden number with a fabric finish. There are nine cards in the range, all sized 135mm x 185mm, and sold wrapped with a white hammer embossed envelope. April Rose Illustration 07957 738711 www.aprilroseillustrates.com

Russian Tales Kapelki Art presents the renewed and extended Fairy Tale Collection, based on the wonderful art of the Russian artist and illustrator, Yuri Vasnetsov (1900-1973). There are 16 colourful and quirky eye-catching designs, sized 155mm square and sold with blue envelopes. Kapelki Art 07761 778144 www.kapelkiart.com

Chick Lit New titles are being launched into the Angela Always collection from Angela Chick, featuring unusual special titles including chief bridesmaid and best man cards. There are also pet sympathy, hard times as well as friendship, anniversary and more. The cards are sized 127mm x 177mm and sold wrapped with white envelopes. Angela Chick 07828 432859 www.angelachick.com PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE

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visit us at Hall 3-3A Stand 3Q16-R19

www.jeanbarrington.co.uk

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info@jeanbarrington.co.uk

tel. 01751 430081

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Innovations PG Showcases A Collection Of New Product Launches

Invisible Hand…

It’s A Wrap

New publisher Unknown Ink is launching with Peeps, a fun range featuring quirky characters and captions, illustrated onto food and other everyday objects and bringing them to life. With an initial 12 designs there will be more to follow very soon. Unknown Ink 01702 815016 www.unknownink.co.uk

New sophisticated giftwraps for adults are being launched by Kali Stileman. A swan and a fun flamingo wrap are perfect for weddings and Valentine’s. There are also two new giftwrap multipacks, including a ditzy flower wrap pack of three designs of eight sheets of each colour way, a spots wrap pack too that is bright and bold and fabulous to wrap with. Kali Stileman Publishing 01305 848899 www.kalistileman.co.uk

Red Ram Gary and Heather Ramskill are the husband and wife team behind Little Ram Studio with a new range being launched under Dry Red Press. The six cards in this eye-catching range are from beautiful hand-printed linocuts of British wild animals and birds. All cards are sized 150mm square and sold wrapped with an envelope to complement each image. Dry Red Press 01273 241210 www.dryredpress.com

On Message This Moon + Back design is one of a new range called Happy Messages from Alice Palace of eight 114mm x 178mm designs, all handpainted in gorgeous watercolour and ink. All the cards are printed in the UK using quality uncoated recycled board, and are supplied with recycled white envelopes and are sold in biodegradable bags. Alice Palace 01386 424977 www.alicepalace.co.uk

Food And Friends

On A Whim And A Prayer

The Taste Buds are a series of comical happenings between food and various kitchen utensils... with a huge handful of puns added for good measure. There are now 600 C6 designs in the range with hand-drawn digital artwork encouraging folks to send a card just to make that special someone smile. The Taste Buds 07906 367 663 www.the-tastebuds.co.uk

Desito is adding 22 new designs to its cute Whimsicals range. These little characters are handmade with love and patience and are photographed baking, sailing and painting among other hobbies (like drinking – but not on the children’s designs!). The 150mm square new designs cover young ages 1-5 for boys and girls and general/open birthdays. Desito 01959 534852 www.desito.co.uk

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ARTSOURCE SECTION OF PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS CONTACT TRACEY ARNAUD ON

01234 740 051

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Art Trends & Design Focus

Uplifting Eulogy With the uncertain and erratic times of last year, and more to continue in 2017 with the inauguration of Donald Trump and both the Italian and French presidential elections, art and design trends will be searching for visual ways to lift our spirits with colour and light, poetic and poignant prose, or escape into fantasy worlds of magic, eccentricity and beautiful ‘unexpected’ object d’art. Revealing some of the hottest visual trends for this year, a gallery of image library aficionados critique some key influences that are transgressing in the art sphere in which greeting cards oscillate. Hannah Abbo, manager for Advocate Art: Cultural Movers & Shakers: “The political and social upheavals of 2016 have left most of the world going into 2017 confused and unsure what this year is going to bring. During the economic crisis earlier this decade we saw consumers react to this uncertainty by returning to classic brands and the comfort of nostalgia. This time, I think people will respond by escaping into childhood fantasy worlds, places of wonder and safety. Think unicorns, fairytale forests, glitter and mermaids - a return to the magic and wonder of childhood, which people can inject into their everyday lives.” Key Trends For 2017: “As well as the fairytale trend, I think we will also see a lot of rose gold metallic, perhaps inspired by the release of the new rose gold MacBook. Teamed with neutrals, teal and navy blue, it’s a sophisticated palette that can span clothing, interiors and stationery, as well as Christmas product. Lastly, I think we will also see an interest in the more mystical elements of nature. The phases of the moon, constellations and crystal formations will all inform a more elegant, dark take on the fantasy.” Top: A beautiful use of rose gold on artwork from Charlotte Pepper, courtesy of Advocate Art. Above: An ‘out of this world’ design by Gareth Williams, courtesy of Advocate Art. Left: Fairytale comfort will be a trend this year, as seen on Katie Abey’s unicorn design, courtesy of Advocate Art.

Luci Gosling, sales manager for Mary Evans Picture Library: Cultural Movers & Shakers: “It is a truth universally acknowledged that 2016 was a shocker of a year. So while 2017 must be approached with caution, there seems an overriding hope that the new year will bring better things. Perhaps then, the theme of 2017 should be optimism? If it is a ‘trend’, then it’s one that can be interpreted in many ways, whether that’s in a love of nature or relishing the eccentric and wacky British sense of humour.” Key Trends For 2017: Natural Instincts “Nature will undoubtedly continue to be a huge trend. We’re already licensing Robert Gillmor’s beautiful linocuts of birds and wildlife for a Museums & Galleries’ stationery range and set of cushions by We Love Cushions; we expect there to be further interest. And the artfully arranged colour pages of eggs, feathers and butterflies from our vintage volumes of the Larousse encyclopaedia are in tune with a desire to bring nature into the home, and perhaps some order to chaos!” Throwback To The 70’s “As Generation X ages, the nostalgia for the 1970s gets stronger, which is why we think our illustrations of everyday life in the People You See series from Teddy Bear magazine are right on-trend. A little kitsch, with a dash of the Ladybird Books' style, these scenes are ripe for pastiche but also hark back to what feels like a more innocent age.” British Eccentricity “Finally, if all else fails, escape to a world of absurdity with the weird and wonderful William Heath Robinson. The opening of a museum in Pinner this autumn, dedicated to his life and work, demonstrates a growing interest in this most eccentric and well-loved of British illustrators.” Top: ‘Sunset Flight’ from Robert Gillmor, courtesy of Mary Evans Picture Library. Above: The Record Shop Man. People You See, from Teddy Bear Magazine, 1967/Mary Evans/Play Hour. Right: The Kinecar illustrated by William Heath Robinson (c) Illustrated London News Ltd/Mary Evans Picture Library.

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Art Trends & Design Focus

Flora Spens, account manager for Bridgeman Images: Cultural Movers & Shakers: “In 2017 we turn our attention east, to Russia. We are fast approaching the 100th anniversary of the Russian Revolution. The 15 years directly after the Bolsheviks came to power were a time of transformation in Russian art and culture. The exhibition Revolution: Russian Art at the Royal Academy will showcase artists from Kandinsky to Malevich this year. Other major events include: The band, Pink Floyd, will be celebrating the 50th anniversary of their first single with an exhibition at the V&A. Photography, graphics and lighting featuring the psychedelic rockers will emerge on 2017 product designs; Royal fashion is set to continue with the wedding anniversary of Queen Elizabeth and the Duke of Edinburgh in 2017; Next year Scotland will celebrate its Year of History, Heritage & Archaeology and should drive interest in Celtic art, stunning castles and imagery from the Scottish Enlightenment. Scotland’s creative past will become a source of celebration as we mark the 70th anniversary of Edinburgh Festival, leading us to revisit architectural styles, including Art Nouveau designs by the architect Charles Rennie Mackintosh.” Key Trends For 2017: Painterly Florals “A flurry of designers are returning to the Old Masters as sources of inspiration for their striking painterly florals. There has been a return to tradition as a side effect of living in the digital world. The allure of English florals and traditional prints will grow next year due to the revival in oil painting, and large scale florals with Impressionist undertones will return.” The Beauty Of The East “Eastern/Tokyo trends are prominent on the catwalks for Spring 2017, ranging from kimonos, origami patterns, exotic mixes and delicate Oriental paintings. It’s all about over scaled designs and bold contrast patterns, explosive abstract prints and embellishments. Tokyo is the city where bold colours and noisy prints jump out, so it’s no surprise designers pushed out matching print sets that are bound to influence.” Princess Portrayal “Having marked the 50th anniversary of Walt Disney’s death last year, next up in 2017 is the release of the new Beauty and the Beast film, and Disney princesses are back in the limelight! The Bridgeman archive is full of beautiful depictions of princesses through the ages, our stunning collections include the British Library and Christies.” Above right: Shakti dance, 2016, (oil on canvas), White, Helen / Private Collection/Bridgeman Images. Above left: Tokyo Night, Paul, Sylvia/Private Collection/Bridgeman Images. Right: Beauty and the beast/British Library, London, UK/Bridgeman Images.

Harriet Steger, global marketing manager for Bright Group: Cultural Movers & Shakers And Key Trends For 2017: Sentiment And Emotion “Ultimately we are tipping into a new era. At this time of change and uncertainty, words and sentiment are more important than ever. We see poetry and moral typography recognised as political influencers and comforters, as well as illustration. This year, singer/song writer and poet Bob Dylan won The Nobel Prize for literature. Another artist worthy of this prize is the late Leonard Cohen whose haunting and thought provoking lyrics inspire creativity and a sympathetic ideal with political values. Words are important, but typography is not the only way to convey a message. A thought provoking illustration can do the same at a glance, as can the intonation of a sound.” Colour Connecting “Using colour to engage and challenge personal, cultural and social emotional responses in a visually technological world: Where screens and devises take over our daily visuals there can become a sense of the impersonal, but by connecting with our landscapes, culture and politics using colours designers are reinstating the human touch in their work. This can be achieved by using design techniques to establish ‘emotive technology’ - content based on how we feel rather than calculated and programmed. This translates as surfaces and objects in flux, possessing otherworldly or trancelike qualities. Much like cultural differences when identifying what is beautiful, disconnected colours challenge our aesthete ideals. A nuance of colours can also reflect our social situation. This means colours are becoming more harmonious with their surroundings whether bright and bold in making a statement or wistful and dreamy with a sense of exploration and ambiguity.” Light & Hope “The use of light, lighting up the dark times, gives a sense of hope, freedom and weightlessness; we look for the light in any dark situation as the world shifts into uncertain territories. Art has always been an expression of freedom and storytelling, and it is becoming readily apparent that the more we teeter on the brink of war, the more we search for an antidote to this politically Top: A way with words, a design from suffocating atmosphere. Karl James Mountford, courtesy of Bright. A lot of design is focused on Above left: Bright and bold colours on artist’s Jane Newland’s design, courtesy measurement and tracking, but of Bright. nonetheless, architects, designers and Above: Paper lanterns feature in ‘Moon artists are turning away from these ideals Festival’ by Jon Lau, courtesy of Bright. and instead focus on creating buildings and art with a feeling of light, freedom and weightlessness.” Continued on page 145 PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE

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cards and gifts PG live

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Art Trends & Design Focus

Emma Gray, sales and creative manager for Image Source: Movers & Shakers And Key Trends For 2017: Indian Summer “With ‘2017 India-UK Year of Culture’ looming, and the Arts Council’s 'Re-imagine India' event planned to celebrate the 70th anniversary of India’s independence, we are in for an enchanting visual treat. The very best examples of culture and art from India and England’s collective history will showcase a well-travelled glimpse of voyages past and a visual reminder of our cultural links. Both textile design and striking art tells of a richly creative interchange between both countries, so will undoubtedly influence beautifully vibrant and decorative designs in 2017.” Icomic “Superheroes and comic characters will soon be back in vogue due to the huge timetable of films set for 2017. Scheduled films such as Batman, Logan, Wonder Woman, Spider-Man, Thor and Justice League will undoubtedly pack cinemas and propel the art style back into the spotlight! Inspirations from renowned artists such as Roy Lichtenstein, whose iconic cartoon-style images play on traditional comic strip themes, and classic Marvel and DC styles, will bring an element of amusement in 2017. Daring and forthright graphics, ubiquitous speech bubbles, bold dots of colour and hand-drawn typography make up this powerful style!” ‘Good Dog’ “Dogs are adorable, happy and loyal, and undoubtedly bring us joy! 8.5 million UK households have at least one dog and a staggering 70+ million in the USA, so it's no wonder that doggythemed cards, art and decor has never been as popular. Top: Gorgeous Indian-inspired art by The link between dogs and Nicola Gregory, courtesy of Image Source. Above right: Superheroes combined with people remains strong, and Roy Litchenstein inspired Pop Art, by Sue scientists have discovered that Reeves courtesy of Image Source. humans love their pet dogs in the Above: ‘Man’s best friend’ by Nigel same way they love their children. Hemming courtesy of Image Source. In today's fast paced and stressed-out world, that emotional connection we have with our pet dog can be the point between having a good day and a bad one... so it’s no surprise we will see more and more designs featuring images of ‘Man’s Best Friend’ in 2017!”

Jehane Boden Spiers, director for Yellow House Art Licensing: Cultural Movers & Shakers: “Art buyers and curators love an anniversary, so prepare for a Auguste Rodin rush in 2017! A father of modernity, his genius will be celebrated at Paris’ Grand Palais and the Art Gallery of South Australia. Fine art images will continue to flourish, whilst our questioning around the modern pursuit for happiness will see a rise in the trend for magical, alternative and edgy images. Supporting the growth of the Brutalist trend, New York’s Museum of Modern Art will be showcasing the brilliance of 1867-born American architect Frank Lloyd-Wright in 2017. (Creator of the spiralling Guggenheim museum). We are without doubt living in uncertain times. Visual backlashes will become increasingly visible with an expansion of both cartoon and comic art and images conveying positive messages. It’s definitely a place that requires humour and mindfulness! Yellow House predicts a renewed interest in the work of Glaswegian artist Charles Rennie Mackintosh. This Scottish architect, designer and painter is perennially popular and with the build up to the commemoration of 150 years since his birth in 2018, we anticipate increased enthusiasm for his style and those of his contemporaries.” Key Trends For 2017: Contemporary Blues “Indigo trends are making a huge comeback, shades varying from royal blue to navy and pale blue, set against fresh white backgrounds. Picking up on the revival of interest in the handmade, collectable ceramics and cyanotype photography, the influence of Chinese porcelain from the 14th century and Delftware from the 18th century is impacting strongly on this trend. We can predict that artists will reach for the indigo ink instead of black for ‘InkTober’ in 2017!” Objet D’Art “Glass domes and terraria containing small decorative or artistic objects, regarded as collectable items, is one of the biggest emerging trends for 2017. It’s an extension of the vintage and memorabilia themes from recent years with a highly contemporary twist, offering a view through the keyhole into magical worlds. Imagine a kaleidoscope of butterflies or a treasured threadbare toy set on top of a cotton reel, even taxidermy will feature, igniting our imagination and interest in the ‘unexpected’, combining craft with something slightly offbeat but highly fashionable.” Bold Brutalism “Brutalism is a key design-led trend for 2017, which sees aesthetic value in the industrial processes of post-war Britain. Raw, rough, unpolished architecture is re-interpreted as aesthetically beautiful. Going beyond minimalism, it’s a strippeddown version of design that is confident and bold, where usable-meets-modern. A classic backlash against society, this trend creates beautiful, bold, strong results that, perhaps unexpectedly, still have a harmony of colour, shape and design elements. The influences will be visible in a host of creative Above right: Indigo Cats © Suzy Taylor courtesy of Yellow House Art Licensing. responses. Appealing to the Above left: Terrarium © Joy Laforme courtesy of Yellow House Art Licensing. male audience, this trend is Right: Defining the urban environment: Beautiful Estate Hackney © Oscar Francis courtesy of Yellow House Art Licensing. pure gold-dust.” PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE

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PG asked a selection of card retailers for their ‘hot’ card sellers. Bev Thomas, owner of Etcetera, Rugby, Warwickshire A medium shop in an affluent area of a market town with a loyal locals and destination shoppers customer base. Category

Name of Publisher

Product/Name Range

Comments

Cute

Rosie Made A Thing

General

Humour

Dandelion Stationery

General

Photographic

Woodmansterne

NGS

Art Contemporary

Art Marketing Wendy Jones-Blackett Belly Button Designs Jenny’s Designs

Across The Board Cloud 9 Across The Board General

Jelly Cat

Plush

Lily Flame

Scented Candles

Quirky designs with relatable amusing captions that make you smile. Funny, clever puns and attractive designs; there’s a good selection of male cards too. Stunning images, with generic appeal, of people’s gardens –who open them up to the public as part of Above: Beautiful machine stitched cards from Jenny’s Designs. the NGS scheme. Contemporary art images that appeal to all ages all genders. Large size age and occasions cards that are big, big sellers for us. Nice designs that are always on trend. With designs for many occasions, Jenny Weston creates card motifs of beautiful patterned papers that are machine stitched. A wide variety of gorgeous, adorable soft toys, that are well made and baby safe. Beautifully scented candles attractively packaged and made in England.

Handmade/ Hand-Finished Ancillary

Jayne Waterfall, owner of The Village Card Shop, Streatham Vale, London A large shop in a city suburb with a loyal locals customer base. Category

Name of Publisher

Product/Name Range

Comments

Humour

Brainbox Candy

Chalk

Simon Elvin

General

Correspondances.com

The Funny World of Lali and Izou

Cardigan Cards

Loving Words

Jonny Javelin

Velvet

Wendy Jones-Blackett

Cloud 9

Paper D’Art

General

Bug Art

General

Simple designs with quick quips - we find that if a card is too complicated customers lose interest. Traditional humour about getting older or wine and pints that remain a steady seller. A wonderful French company that publishes a variety of different illustrators’ artwork. The feel and quality of the cards is second to none and the designs are beautiful and unique. Our customers love wordy cards and these new ones Cardigan has created have three pages of sentiments! Lovely words, but not too many, on stylish designs with touches of foiling. With two whole spinners dedicated to these large cards they are huge sellers, especially with men. Unusual and stunning lasercut popup cards and lovely Christmas packs. These fly out! Unique, very nice, black and gold designs with a lovely envelope that enhances the cards.

Art Right: Simple and direct, a Chalk design from Brainbox Candy. Below: A stunning Black Ink design, featuring gold and black and embossing, from Bug Art.

Traditional

Contemporary

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Ben Ong, owner of Cards & Co, Wellington, Somerset A medium shop in a town with a loyal locals and older generation customer base. Category

Name of Publisher

Product/Name Range

Comments

Cute

Carlton (UKG)

Boofle

Humour

Paper House (GBCC)

Photographic

The Art Group

Eric The Penguin, Humour Factory, Two Fat Gherkins, Young At Heart General

Art

General General

Contemporary

Medici Cards (GBCC) The Robertson Collection Woodmansterne Paper Rose

Traditional

Cherry Orchard

Down Memory Lane

Ancillary

Joe Davies

Photoframes, baby collection, push etc

It's Boofle’s knitted look that appeals to customers… and the sweet captions. Such a strong offering of humour ranges that sell very well with both men and women. Funny, romantic, contemporary or arty, there is a good variety of imagery to appeal to everyone. Although there are Birthday titles within the ranges, often the blank Above: A design from The Art designs are bought for all kinds of occasions… Group’s Blooming Gorgeous range. from thinking of you to sympathy. The collection features fun, quirky characters that are bright and flittered. It’s a good idea to feature on the cards facts and photos from the year the person was born. An incredibly wide range of gift items at very reasonable prices; the company has practically everything, and I mean everything!

General Portobello

Melinda Cooper, owner of Thinking Of You, Skelmanthorpe, Huddersfield A large shop in a village with a loyal locals customer base. Category

Name of Publisher

Product/Name Range

Comments

Everyday

Abacus and Clare Maddicott Paper Rose Paperlink Lucy Ledger

Across The Board

Cute

Carte Blanche

Me To You

Humour

Paperlink

Across The Board

Art

Green Pebble

Across The Board

Contemporary

Louise Mulgrew Dandelion Stationery

General General

Soul

Crazy Girl

Traditional

Jonny Javelin

General

Handmade/ Hand-Finished

Belly Button, Wendy Jones-Blackett, Tracey Russell, The Handcrafted Card Company Clare Maddicott and Abacus Paper Rose

General

There’s a card for every occasion and they’re such good value. All of its cards sell really well. A great choice of titles. Quite new to us (we found them at PG Live) and they have sold through well. The blue-nosed bear is still popular, especially on occasions cards. One of our best sellers - always face-achingly funny and new designs on a regular basis. Also a very nice company to work with. Good for all sending occasions and for men too. Beautifully painted animal cards. These have been very successful. Unusual cards with lovely words, they even tackle tricky subjects when you don't know quite what to say. A little bit different and again, good words. There is every title you could wish for! We sell a lot of handmade cards. All of these companies make beautiful cards and large cards for special occasions. I’ve also just received some really lovely White Cotton Spring Seasons cards too.

Children’s

General General General

General

Lots of colour and choice.

Marzipan

Nice and bright with a bit of fun!

Top: A Tracey Russell Mother’s Day design with a tiny envelope and note. Above: A gorgeous design from Lucy Ledger’s Prairie range.

PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE

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LYNN’S LINES

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

Poppy Power! For me, 2017 has got off to a fantastic start, as right from the beginning, on January 1st, I have taken on a full-time manageress for my shop the wonderful Poppy, a young lady who has been with me since she was 17 years-old as a Saturday girl. I'm so lucky that she has taken on the role at The Lynn Tait Gallery as it means I can put into practice lots we need to do to ensure this year is a great one. Let me introduce the reason I am so happy Poppy! Initially, while still working for me parttime, Poppy Beckwith went to Chelsea College of Art to study textiles. She then got a job at London’s art gallery, Tate Britain, but still helped me out working one day a week in the store with displays. And I have seen Poppy flourish during the last eight years I have known her. While working for me she has been responsible for building the shop’s Santa’s Grotto, creating the displays instore of the various greeting card competitions we have run, helping me out with art exhibitions I have curated at London’s Oxo Gallery, plus much much more. Poppy is a treasure. Now Poppy brings something else to the table in her new role as manageress - she is helping me sort my shop, my life and 30 years of hoarding! Today (in the first week of January) we had our first planning meeting to take the shop by the scruff of its neck and make some changes. I've had the shop for 30 years, and although I am still as enthusiastic as ever, my challenging and returning ‘no cure for my type of cancer’ is forever lurking. I've got a great philosophy for dealing with this threat hanging over me, and I'm definitely not ready to give up my beloved shop yet.

With Poppy now working full-time and handling the shop’s day to day running I get to keep the shop with all the best bits but hopefully none of the stress and yucky bits. It’s a bit like having fun with the grandchildren then handing them back to their parents to do their washing and feeding. Ironically, because of major staff problems last year I've never been more hands-on in the shop, but my faults don't lend themselves to being in charge. In business everyone should learn to delegate and I'm quite an expert at this. One of the first jobs Poppy will be undertaking is finding out my staff's strengths and what hidden talents they have and what they feel they can contribute to the business.

Left: The new Lynn Tait Gallery manager, Poppy Beckwith. Below: Poppy has a natural flair for creating displays instore.

We have five young staff as well as three mature staff and they have varying talents from computer skills, numeracy aptitude, organisational skills and display flair. The staff members will be asked for ideas as to how we can improve the shop and what contribution they could make with their ideas or their talents. I want them to take ownership and pride in their job and work well as a team. A long time ago we took part in Investors in People, an accreditation to set the standard for better people management which defines what it takes ‘to lead, support and manage people well for sustainable results’. Since then, our staff training has been rather erratic and so Poppy, with input from me, will devise a scheme along the same lines to train the staff in all aspects of retail. It's a long time since I looked up the Investors in People criteria, and not surprisingly things have changed to reflect the times we live in and the challenges retailers and suppliers face. But have a look at its website and you will find parts that will be an excellent starting point to making your business more commercial, your staff feel more valued and your life less stressful. PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE

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LYNN’S LINES Right: One of the vintage postcards from Lynn Tait’s series of Old Leigh. Below: Old and Edwardian artefacts and memorabilia have been used as display props in Lynn’s shop.

When I took part in Investors in People... gulp... 17 years ago, the person who was my mentor had to tailor the training to my unconventional 'free spirit' ways of trading. I really enjoyed the journey and having someone outside of the business to bounce ideas off made me look at what I was doing through different eyes. Now, although I’m not actually taking part in the initiative this time, I have been inspired by it and I am allowing Poppy to make some decisions on my behalf - to buy stock for the shop with a younger person’s outlook and who also brings in good practices she has learnt from other companies. In the past, because of time constraints, I ended up only 'half doing' things; everything was done in a rather haphazard way with a scant system. With Poppy’s fresh outlook this can now be rectified. And once we have identified everyone's strengths, each member of staff will be responsible for certain aspects of the business. There will be a formula for everything and we will all be singing from the same hymn sheet with regular staff meetings. It will be important to encourage and praise

Clear Out The Clutter After we’ve tucked away the Christmas tree and tinsel, the first few months of the year are usually a time for a spring clean and de-clutter. But for me it’s no mean feat! I have over 100,000 old postcards, collected over 35 years, of both collectors’ postcard sets and my own photographic recordings (printed on postcards) of Southend’s history throughout the 90s - the hurricane, arctic weather, boats crashing through the pier and its pier fires - really there was only locusts left! Then there are 25 years of local nostalgic calendars and art and photographic images from 10 major exhibitions. Not to mention the historic artefacts, including four old delivery carts, Edwardian prams and high chairs, cots, school desks, mannequins, vintage toys, local memorabilia, blackboards and brass tills. I also have the originals of all the artwork I have had commissioned, both as limited edition prints and greeting cards. And as a photographer I have thousands of transparencies and prints from my travels around the world. All this is just the tip of the iceberg. I anticipate it would take two years to sort and sell this collection of memorabilia, with a couple of days allocated each week to arrange this in an organised fashion. But I am optimistic that, with the help of Poppy, we can do it in bite size pieces... inch by inch it's a synch!

staff and to be able to quantify success. In our hey-day we won 14 business awards in Southend and Essex, which brought pride and self-esteem to the staff and recognition for all their hard work. All the staff attended the high profile awards dinners and they were able to reflect on how well-regarded and respected we are in Southend and Essex. In the past we have concentrated on local community projects, competitions, exhibitions and charity projects, but now is the time for the staff to have some attention.

Piggybank Those Pounds This year, with retailers bracing themselves for a rise in the price of cards and gift products because of the weaker £pound, we may all have to tighten our belts a little, so I’ve highlighted a few money saving tips for us indies for 2017: 1. I’ve changed the company who take my refuge. The previous contractor wouldn't allow me to cancel a pick up if we didn't have anything to pick up and with the new company’s competitive rates we will save about £500 a year. 2. We have changed to a new paper/ plastic bag supplier, plus we ask customers if they need a bag. If they want a plastic bag we ask for a small donation to charity. 3. We have cut down on our opening hours. At busier times, such as in the summer, we keep the shop open half an hour later from March to December and, in winter, close earlier January to March. We have been monitoring

We've set out what we want to achieve in the year and how we are going to do it. A training programme, how to involve the staff, stock control, how to make savings, tightening up on health and safety, preparing accounts for the VAT returns, managing the rotas, staff holidays and customer service are just a few things to revisit and work on. Another element I have in store for Poppy is a greater regular presence on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. Everyone should have a Poppy, I'm the lucky one! Left: Lynn will be embracing public transport in 2017 to help save money. A card by Debbie Powell from Lagom.

how much we take at specific times of the day during the year so by making these opening hour adjustments in line with this we will probably save another £2,500. Due to having no Christmas grotto last year we were open an hour less each day in December and it didn't affect sales; once it's dark in Old Leigh people disappear. 4. I will be buying provisions for the shop in bulk - ie toilet rolls, tea/coffee, bleach (we seem to get through a lot of this stuff!),

till rolls - to last three months, saving time and money. 5. My mobility has improved so I'm going to use my bus pass more rather than taxis, of which I spend a small fortune. 6. I'm going to book hotels to visit trade fair 11 months in advance to get the best savings. 7. I am not going to pay invoices until my suppliers send their credit notes (I’ve lost so much money in the past because of not using credit notes). 8. I’m going to use Facebook and Instagram more to promote the business. 9. One thing that has been on the backboiler for years has been checking that I am not paying too much in business rates. 10. Make sure that stock that isn't selling is reduced asap and not leave it to take up valuable selling space of stock that does sell. PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE

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154-161_Product Directory Feb 2017 10/01/2017 16:23 Page 154

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PRODUCT DIRECTORY

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PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE

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GRASS ROOTS

INTERNATIONAL

G RASS R OOTS INTERNATIONAL S end i n g YOU Y YO O OU U

WISHES

Diwali

A w o n d e rf u l id! Eid Eid

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

BRANDS â&#x20AC;&#x153;Write from the Heartâ&#x20AC;? brand includes; Corsage, Sentiments, Champagne, Celebrations and Jelly Beans.

M ETHOD OF SALE

Ch nese Chinese

Jewish

Direct to Retail

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

HE IS

THE

WAY

THE AND TRUTH

LIFE

THE

_ubvŕ˘ź-m

Welsh

Polish P olish o sh

and more!

from the

Eye catching, luxurious Gift Wraps, Gift Tags, Gift Bags, Roll Wrap, Tissue Papers & Ribbons for all occasions Glick, Unit 1 Allenby House, European Industrial Park, Knowles Lane, Bradford BD4 9AB Tel: 01274 655980 email: sales@glick.co.uk www.glick.co.uk

Tel: T Te e el: 0161 1 64 641 641 0655 0655 06 Email: m sales@davora.co.uk sales@da Email: sales@davora.co.uk 135 13 1 35 H Heaton eaton ea on Moor Moorr Rd Rd | Stockport S Sttockp ock o kpo port ort SK4 4HY 4 4H HY

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

Market leaders in Humour, Art, Photographic, Occasions and Relations cards offering

Online Shop www.colneisgreetingcards.com

a full planning service with merchandising and retail development opportunities.

High Quality Greeting Greeting Cards, Cards, Gift Bags, Gift Wrap Wrap & Tags Tags a for every occasion. occasio

*GCF 1HĆ&#x201A;EG * GCF 1HĆ&#x201A;EG +353 (0)404 20528 Email info@garlanna.com www.garlanna.com .garlanna.com www

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

The T he UK No. No. 1 in Licensed Lic ensed Greetings Greetings etings Over O Ov verr 30 licenses licens nses ses including: includin ng g: g: Disney, D Disne y, Peppa Peppa Pig Pig, Kitty, He Kitty Hello Kitty, Mr Men Men Birds a d Angry and A Bir dss t: +44 + (0)1264 388400 e: enquiries@gemma-int enquiries@gemma-international.co.uk co.uk erna national. ti w: gemma-int gemma-international.co.uk ernational. ona co.uk

CARDS CARDS â&#x20AC;˘ WRAP â&#x20AC;˘ PARTY PARTY â&#x20AC;˘ GIFTS GIFTS

To appear in the Product Directories simply contact

Warren Lomax on:

020 7700 6740

or email on warren@max-publishing.co.uk or contact

Tracey Arnaud on:

07957 212 062

or email on tarnaud@btinternet.com 156

PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE

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

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)

CHARITY GREETING CARDS One of the UKâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s leading publishers of Charity Greeting Cards. Impress offers a wide collection of images, including fine art, graphic, photographic and cute. We also offer a bespoke design service for bulk orders and/or mail order fulfilment. Impress Publishing Appledown House Barton Business Park New Dover Road Canterbury, Kent CT1 3TE Tel: 01227 811 611 Fax: 01227 811 618 email: info@impresspublishing.co.uk

ARTISTS AR RT TISTS C CARDS ARDS g glebecottage.co.uk lebecottage.co.uk 01626 369269 E Established stablished 1993

H OTC H P OTC H PUBLISHING

60 years

To appear in the Product Directories simply contact

Warren Lomax on:

020 7700 6740

PHO PHOTOGRAPHY TOGRAPHY g glebecottage.co.uk lebecottage.co.uk 01626 369269

Order s can be placed on our trader site

E Established stablished 1993

w w w. c b g t r a d e r. c o. u k or call our customer ser vice team on

Huge selection with immediate deliveryy. Buy direct or from your wholesalerr.

or email on warren@max-publishing.co.uk or contact

Listan Labels 3 Isis Court, Wyndyke Furlong, Abingdon Business Park, Oxfordshire Abingdon, Oxfor dshire OX1 5JN

on:

T el e 01235 465489 Fax 01235 532118 Tel www.listanpublications.co.uk www .listanpublications.co.uk sales@listanpublications.co.uk

Tracey Arnaud

L U X U RY C A R D S P R O U D LY M A D E I N T H E U K

Yo our N Number b O One S Supplier li off Numerals, Name, Relation & Age Labels for Greetings Cards.

07957 212 062

or email on tarnaud@btinternet.com

+44(0)1243 792600

PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE

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

L E T U S TA K E YOU BAC K

For further details please get in touch.

info@vincentmcevoy.com

+44 (0)7779 578340

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

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

An exciting and innovative range of quality Birthday, Relations, Special Occasions, Art and Humorous greeting cards. Full range of Christmas and Spring Seasons merchandise. Comprehensive collection of handmade cards. Pizazz Gifts.

Brand Names Pizazz, Pizazz Gallery, Pizazz Jewell, Pizazz for Men, What a Picture, Time Out, Bon Bon, Marshmallow Cloudesley House • Shire Hill • Saffron Walden • CB11 3FB T: 01799 520200 F: 01799 520100 www.nigelquiney.com

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Design-led Stationery, Gifts, Calendars, Diaries and Cards Brands Laura Ashley, Roald Dahl, Lily & Val, Vintage Ladybird, Caroline Gardner, Monsoon, Born to Shop, Flash Gordon, Boofle and many more. Our In-house design studio and established supply chain enables us to offer bespoke services. tel: +44 (0) 1225 329494 email: sales@porticodesigns.com website: www.porticodesigns.com

originalposter.com

All our cards are supplied on consignment, so you only pay for what you sell. We also supply card fixtures and spinners free-on-loan. We replace slow sellers and damaged stock free of charge. We merchandise regularly, so you don’t have to. THAT’S WHY WE’RE ORIGINAL!

01932 267 300

paperlink... pap erlink... the home of fa fabulous bulous cards!

356 56 Kennington Rd London SE11 4LD T 020 7582 8244

Exquisite Design, Beautiful Cards Key brands include Marzipan, Portobello, Mosaic, Daisy Patch, Aquarupella and Designers Guild, plus many more. Tel: T el: +44 (0)115 986 0115 Email: info@paperrose.co.uk www.paperrose.co.uk www.paperrose.co.uk www.artgroupcards.co.uk www.artgroupcards.co.uk PaperRoseCards TheArtGroupCards The_Art_Group

Uk publisher of Greetings Cards with an extensive range of quality Birthday, Relations, Occasions and Seasonal product... available from

LING DESIGN To appear in the Product Directories simply contact

@paperlink.co.uk info@paperlink.co.uk www.paperlink.co.uk

Suppliers of humorous & contemporary Birthday, Christmas, Spring Seasons, Occasions & Relations cards Brands include: Bottomline, Bestie, Wrinklies, Hat Trick, Route 69, Bangers & Flash, Humdingers, Lacie, Sassy, Stay Wonky, Patisserie, Tinklers, Made With Love, and many many more! Method of Sale: Direct Paperlinkcards Paperlinkcards @paperlinkcards @ paperlinkcards

Warren Lomax on:

020 7700 6740

Our Brands: Laughter with Animals, Sporting Fun The Funny Side of Life.

Method of sale: Direct to Retail 14-20 Eldon Way, Paddock Wood, Kent TN12 6BE Tel: 01892 838574 enquiries@lingdesign.co.uk www.lingdesign.co.uk

or email on warren@max-publishing.co.uk or contact

Tracey Arnaud on:

07957 212 062

or email on tarnaud@btinternet.com PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE

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&DUGV & DUGV & DOHQGDUV &DOHQGDUV & RDVWHUV &RDVWHUV 1 RWHERRNV 1RWHERRNV

Greeting Cards that are unique & special with creative wit. Looking for top-notch agents to join our expanding team.

www.tomcatcards.co.uk w: www .tomcatcards.co.uk e: tomcat@tomcatcards.co.uk t: 01243 837300

rosierobins.com 01992 536461

DIRECT TO RETAIL & EXPORT

Products: Greetings Cards, Gift Wrap, Social Stationery, Gift Bags, Keepsakes, Partyware.

Brands: Designer Collection, Feelings, Impressions, Inspirations, In Touch, Isabel’s Garden, Paper Wishes, Planet Happy.

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

Sensations International Ltd Unit 6, Quad Road,East Lane Business Park,East lane, Wembley,MIDDLESEX HA9 7NE Tel. 0208 3854470 Fax: 0208 385 4471 Email: sales@sensationsinternational.com 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: Direct to retail.

TEL: 01480 435562 FAX: 01480 450599 www.tracksltd.com UNIT 2, 12 BLACKSTONE RD, STUKELEY MEADOWS IND EST, HUNTINGDON, CAMBS, PE29 6EF

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

To appear in the Product Directories simply contact

Warren Lomax on:

020 7700 6740

or email on warren@max-publishing.co.uk or contact

Tracey Arnaud on:

07957 212 062

or email on tarnaud@btinternet.com

160

PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE

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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

01923 200600 | www.woodmansterne.co.uk

l PRODUCT DIRECTORY

Top-notch British Greeting Cards for Thoughts that Count

PRODUCT DIRECTORY

To appear in the Product Directories simply contact

Warren Lomax on:

020 7700 6740

or email on warren@max-publishing.co.uk or contact

Tracey Arnaud

Orders can be placed on our trader site

on:

www.cbgtrader.co.uk

07957 212 062

or call our customer services team on

+44(0)1243 792600

or email on tarnaud@btinternet.com

PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE

161

Wholesale Directory February 2017_whole sale dirSeptember 2004 17/01/2017 15:19 Page 162

DIRECTORY OF WHOLESALERS

NATIONWIDE

MERSEYSIDE

WALES

UNIT 4, THE ARGENT CENTRE, SILVERDALE ROAD, HAYES, MIDDLESEX, UB3 3BS TEL: 020 8573 2975 / 1768 FAX: 020 8561 2349

MERSEYSIDE GREETING CARDS LTD

Merseysideâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Largest Greeting Card Distributor

Email: info@abbeycards.com

Due to our massive buyer power, we are able to offer you the best prices and also take a pride in our friendly service.

LONDONâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S NO 1 GREETING CARDS STATIONERY PARTY AND BALLOON CASH & CARRY

Greeting cards â&#x20AC;¢ Gift ranges â&#x20AC;¢ Pocket money toys â&#x20AC;¢ Balloons â&#x20AC;¢ Badges â&#x20AC;¢ Banners â&#x20AC;¢ Soft toys â&#x20AC;¢ Stationery â&#x20AC;¢ Collectables , including dolls â&#x20AC;¢ Photo frames

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

Always something different Check us out now!!! Mon-Fri 9.30 to 5.30 Sunday 10 to 1 Late night Thursday till 8pm Tel: 0151 227 2555 Fax: 0151 207 1564 mgconline@hotmail.com

To appear in the Wholesale Directory simply call Warren Lomax on

25 Dickson Street, Liverpool L3 7EB

HERTS & LONDON

SUMAN BROS Stationery and greeting card wholesaler

020 7700 6740

Crown House Otterspool Way Watford WD25 8HL

magnus RUPERT

T: 01923 200 900 F: 01923 200 909

TRADING

LONDONâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S NO 1

Great deals Great location Plentiful parking Just off the M1 Junction 5

WEST MIDLANDS

GREETING CARDS STATIONERY PARTY AND BALLOON CASH & CARRY

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

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

EUR EUROPEâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S ROPEâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S LEAD LEADING ING G GREETINGS REETINGS CARD CARDS, S, PAR ART TY PRODUCTS, PRODUCTS, GIFTS, PARTY GIFTS, CAND CANDLES, LES, TOYS, TOYS, S STATIONERY TAT TIIONER RY AND FLORIST S UNDRIES FLORIST SUNDRIES D ISTRIBUTIO ON CENTRE DISTRIBUTION 75000 SQ FT BESCOT CRESCENT CRESCENT, T, WALSALL, W ALSALL, WEST MIDLANDS. WS1 4NG 01922-646666 www.greetingshouse.co.uk www.greetingshouse.co.uk info@greetingshouse.co.uk info@greetingshouse.co.uk MON,WED,FRI 8.00am-4.45pm TUES,THURS 8.00am-7.45pm SAT,SUN 8.00am-1.45pm SA AT,SUN ,

NORTH WEST

& $ 3 6 &DUG 3DUW\ 6WRUH /WG ZZZ FDUG SDUW\ FR XN 1(: ,03529(' ZHEVLWH IRU DOO \RXU (YHU\GD\ 6HDVRQDO &DUGV DQG 3DUW\ 3URGXFWV 6DYH 7LPH 2UGHU 2QOLQH ,W V 6R (DV\

Your One Stop Shop 0DQFKHVWHU 5RDG %XU\ %/ 6: 162

PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE

BLACK COUNTRY GREETINGS LTD

Unit 16 Maple Leaf Industrial Estate, Bloxwich Lane , Walsall WS2 8TF.

Wholesale â&#x20AC;¢ Greeting cards â&#x20AC;¢ Gift wrap â&#x20AC;¢ Gift bags â&#x20AC;¢ Stationery â&#x20AC;¢ Banners â&#x20AC;¢ Badges â&#x20AC;¢ Balloons â&#x20AC;¢ Helium cylinders

E: bcgreetings@outlook.com T: 01922 610190 Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 9am to 5pm Wednesday â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 9am to 8pm Sunday â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 8am to 1pm TRADE ONLY

Classified February 2017_Layout 1 12/01/2017 15:02 Page 163

CLASSIFIED

BAGS

CLASSIFIED

BAGS

Polypropylene & biodegradable bag specialists

GREETING CARD

Over 40 years quality service to the trade Hotfoiling also available

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

GIVE Y YOUR OUR

BAGS

Manufacturers Manuf facturers of hi high igh qua quality lity fflexible l xible pac le packaging kaging 30 YEARS EXP EXPERIENCE PERIENCE - Q QUALITY UALIT A T Y SER SERVICE VICE EXTENSIVE EXT TENSIVE STOCK STOCK RANGE R - QUIC QUICK KD DELIVERY E ELIVE RY ASSURED

- HEADER BAGS -W WALLET A ALLET BAGS - ZIPPER BAGS - FLEXOGRAPHIC, HOTFOIL & THERMAL PRINTING THERMAL PRINTIN Gwww .transrappackaging.co.uk www.transrappackaging.co.uk sales@tr ansrap.co.uk sales@transrap.co.uk

VIP

CALL ALL US TODA TODAY AY

TREATMENT TREA ATMENT T

01773 0 1773 7 537810 5378 810

HIGH CLARITY BAGS FOR GREETING CARDS, CALENDARS AND ARTWORK

ENVELOPES

ŏ ŏđŏ ŏ ŏ ŏ ŏ ŏ FOIL BLOCKING EXTENSIVE RANGE OF STOCK SIZES AND BESPOKE MANUFACTURE WRAPPING SERVICE AUTOMA ATED T WRA PPING SER VICE NEW AUTOMATED

CALL US TODAY

01228 560526 www.fulcrumﬁlms.co.uk

F FOR OR A ALL LL Y YOUR OU R E ENVELOPE N V ELOPE N NEEDS! EEDS! Largest L argest range range of iin-stock n- stock ccolours olours Over 400 Bespoke Envelope Sizes 8 Sizes Permanently in Stock RECYCLED

100% Recycled Paper A vailable v Available

PAPER

Stock & Bespoke Cello Bags Peel & Stick Envelopes Bespoke Service on Request

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

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

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CLASSIFIED

ENVELOPES

CLASSIFIED

PRINTERS

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

FLITTERING

LITHO OR DIGIT DIGITAL, DIGITA GIT TAL, LES GROUP GR ROUP R O WINDLES ALWAYS AL LWAY AYS MAKES MAKES THE RIGHT GHT HT PRINT IMPRESSION. RESSION. RE

FOR ALL YOUR FLITTER REQUIREMENTS

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

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

WWW.WINDLESGROUP.CO.UK WWW W.WINDLESGR W OUP P.C . O.UK

PRINTERS

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

Specialist UK and Global manufacturer for the greeting card industry

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

PJ - PRINT

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

www.sherwoodgroupuk.com

E-mail: sales@pj-print.co.uk The Print Works Colville Road, Acton London W3 8BL tel 020 8993 5160 www.pj-print.co.uk Hadden Court, Glaisdale Parkway, Glaisdale Drive West, Nottingham, NG8 4GP

164

PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE

Classified February 2017_Layout 1 12/01/2017 15:03 Page 165

CLASSIFIED

PRINTERS

CLASSIFIED

Introducing a joint venture from

The home of greeting cards eting e r g adinugrer e l s ’ K ct The Umanufa card

Following new investm estments in our digital printing facility we can help you with short run prints, rapid stock replenishment, market testing, design sampling and promotional products. Our expert digital printing, ﬁnishing and packing facilities allow us to provide

1150

Our specialist services include:

• high quality • fast turnaround • competitive pricing

Digital and personalised greeting cards Short-run print Flitter, foil, emboss, die-cut ﬁnishes Bespoke gifts including mugs, coasters, notepads and much more

250eys.co.uk 4 1 1 0 @loxl

Promotional items Marketing literature

sales

Exhibition graphics /stands Stationery any more ribution

If y you ou w would ould li like ke to disc discover over h how ow w wee could help y you, ou, please contact our sales team:

0114 250 1150 •

07974 133735 • sales@digitalhubuk.com

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

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

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

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

PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE

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CLASSIFIED

PRINTERS

CLASSIFIED

WAREHOUSING & DISTRIBUTION

LB Warehousing (Women in Transport & Logistics Finalist)

S AME DAY order turnaround A CCURATE fulfilment and same day turn round V ALUE ADDED only as you sell the product E XCLUSIVELY Greeting Cards D EDICATED Account Managers With an excellent reputation we work as an integral part of your TEAM bringing much more than fulfilment. Our costing structure is SIMPLE and TRANSPARENT. We carry out ALL aspects of hand finishing and assembly and provide whatever ADDITIONAL services YOU need Our select team of outworkers carefully hand wrap any size or format of cards urgently, OVERNIGHT!

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

01274 305832

info@hellocards.co.uk

www.hellocards.co.uk

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

WAREHOUSING & DISTRIBUTION

The Professional and Caring Approach..

DISPLAY AND SPINNERS Tel: 01929 550085 Email: sales@westminsterwire.com Web: www.westminsterwire.com

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

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

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

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PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE

Immerse yourself in the greeting card world

Advertisers Index_v8_Layout 1 18/01/2017 18:30 Page 167

CLASSIFIED

APPOINTMENTS

SALES AGENT REQUIRED Tracks Publishing Ltd is looking for an experienced Agent to represent them in Norfolk, Suffolk, Essex and Cambridgeshire. Tracks Publishing are one of the leading Independent Card Publishers in the UK specialising in humour, photographic and cold foil designs. For more information please contact us on

01480 435562 info@tracksltd.com

+44 (0) 1635 297070 @PGLiveLondon www.progressivegreetingslive.com Immerse yourself in the greeting card world

Advertisers Index Company Abacus Anniversary House Art Press Artige Axiom

Page (s) 52 96 66 42 112

Badger Converters Belly Button Designs Bernie Parker Blue Eyed Sun Boxer Brainbox Candy

106 116 136 74 108 92

Card Manager Cardigan Cards Carte Blanche Group Cherry Orchard Clare Maddicot

152 114 70 19 24-25 54

Danilo Davora Dean Morris

98 110 128

East West Emma Ball Emotional Rescue Enveco

35 86 20 150

Gemma Grassroots

56 60

Hallmark Hammond Gower Hearts Design Heartstrings

8-9 10 4 62 130

Company

Page (s)

Icon Image Source Imaging Centre

16 140 150

Janie Wilson Jean Barrington Jo Stockdale Joe Davies Jonny Javelin Just a Note

18 138 132 122 50 130

Laura Darrington Laura Sherratt Lesser and Pavey Ling Design Louise Tyler

128 136 130 146 130

Megan Claire Mint Molly Mae Museums and Galleries

64 94 132 104 134

Nigel Quiney Noel Tatt

48 88

Oliver Preston

104

Paper Rose Paper Salad Papagrazi Piccadilly Pigment Quotables

28-29 58 38 26 32 22

Company

Page (s)

Rachel Ellen Redback Cards Regent Envelopes Rush Designs

76 102 106 90

Second Nature Simon Elvin Soul Spring Fair

148 124 6 68

Think of Me Thorntons Tom Cat Cards

72 14-15 132

U.K. Envelopes U.K. Greetings Unique Paper Company

110 2-3, 78, 80 120

Wendy Jones-Blackett White Cotton Cards Widdop Windles Woodmansterne Outside Front and Back cover and Words n Wishes Wrapid Wraptious Xpress Yourself Xpressions Xystos

12 144 82 152 18 46 106 138 36-37 84 126

118 PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE

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07/01/2017 17:50