Progressive Greetings February 2024 by Max Publishing: Print, Digital Media + Events (London)

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From The Editor

ON THE CARDS “We’re just the skint little people,” was one of the memorable lines uttered by Toby Jones in the Mr Bates v The Post Office TV drama which sparked the proper investigation into the Post Office Horizon scandal, hailed as one of the most widespread miscarriage of justice in UK history. Is it wrong that it took a TV programme to ensure that wrongs are being righted after 25 years of so many people’s lives and livelihoods being ruined? I don’t see it that way, the whole situation stinks and anything that brings something wrong to light, and brings people to account can only be viewed as a positive, just a darn shame it has taken so long, too long for some of the postmasters who are no longer with us. Taking up the baton, Jerry Brown, who coowns First Class Greetings and Plum Green in Above: Chris is back! London Stationery Show founder, Chris Leonard-Morgan (left) is back on board, joining the Max Publishing team, which now owns the show as a special advisor. Seen here with (second left-right) former Paperchase buyer Frances Burkle and PG’s Jakki Brown and Warren Lomax at a recent event at Stationers’ Hall. Above right: Dame Zandra Rhodes, the Princess of Punk, is to speak at Spring Fair. Pictured here (centre) with PG&H’s Sue Marks (right) and PG’s Jakki Brown at PG Live 2019. Below: David Byk, ceo of Ling Design, GBCC and Penny Kennedy with PG’s Jakki Brown in the publisher’s Gloucester premises. Rightight: Thankfully many members of the public agreed with the sentiment of this Emotional Rescue Mishmash design, created in collaboration with Paper Salad.

Hadleigh with his wife Debbie, and a postmaster himself has been speaking out vociferously in the media, lifting the lid on the urgent need for fairer remuneration for 9,000 subpostmasters, highlighting how it is impossible to run a viable business based on the current paltry amounts Post Office Ltd pays them. Jerry has the bit between his team and is not going

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to give up. Mr Brown v The Post Office, the sequel! (see page 25). On a positive note, from what I can gather, Christmas card sales delivered for many greeting card stockists, which is good news for retailers, publishers and a big thumbs up for the industry. With little carryover, it means that the slate is clean which bodes well for early order placing this year. (See Viewpoints pages 31-37) The findings of the recent PG Retail Barometer also make for reassuring reading with 55% of indies setting their sights on growth this year, with 47% having experienced an upturn last year over the year previous. And it does seem that there is an appetite for expansion within our sector, with Scribbler’s John Procter telling me that he is planning to open another five or six shops this year, Cardzone is similarly open to expanding its estate and Postmark’s Mark Janson-Smith strongly hinted that he is hoping to secure some additional sites this year. Equally, from what I can see from the wealth of new products being launched, publishers are feeling pretty buoyant. As well as card ranges galore, there is also a deeper dive into stationery, gifts and prints from several key players, including Belly Button, The Art File, Ohh Deer, Wendy Jones-Blackett, Cath Tate and Ling Design. I can’t wait to see a lot of it in the flesh at Spring Fair. Talking of which, the good news is that the PG ‘pub’ will be back at the show, with our friends at N Smith turning their cardboard wizardry skills to making us a bar on their stand (Hall 3 K41). We will be popping the corks from 5.45pm, so please come and see us!

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What’s Inside?

CONTENTS 26

13-25 News All the latest happenings and developments in the trade.

78-79 Publisher Focus The Byk’s in Gear David Byk, ceo of Ling Design, GBCC and Penny Kennedy is all geared up for 2024.

26-27 Over the Counter Marginal Gains

81-87 Focus on…Calendars The Grand Plan

Indie David Robertson takes learnings from sporting psychologist Sir Dave Brailsford.

PG makes a date with the world of calendars.

28-29 Cardsharp Dazed and Confused

89-91 Focus on…Advents Opening Doors

Cardsharp tries to make sense of conflicting views about Christmas trade.

The countdown to Christmas is all the more lucrative if an Advent calendar is involved.

31-37 Viewpointst Santa Delivered The festive reports from all an array of greeting card retailers.

92-95 Design Focus: Peach Fuzz

39-49 PG Retail Barometer Sunshine and Showers

PG cosied up to publishers to get their take on how Peach Fuzz, Pantone’s Colour of the Year, is impacting on their 2024 designs.

Some 47% of greeting card indies saw growth last year, just one of the highlights from PG’s annual survey.

51-53 State of the Nation Steady As She Goes

97-101 Marking Milestones Moments In Time Celebrating some notable company anniversaries happening this year.

It’s not all plain sailing, but the greeting card industry has wind in its sails.

55-57 GCA Council Viewpoints Opportunity Knocks

107-109 Art Source: Design Predictions Aesthetic Foraging Experienced bellwethers of taste cite what they believe will be the cultural drivers of our creative tastes for 2024.

Members of the GCA Council share their views on the industry’s challenges, as well as opportunities for the coming year.

59-69 Innovations

111-112 What’s Hot? Four leading retailers lift the lid on their best-selling ranges.

New ranges and designs, including many Spring Fair launches.

71-75 Agents’ Revelations Scores on the Doors

113-123 Sources of Supply

Independent sales agents to put their fingers on the buzzers as to what points mean prizes on their respective scoreboards.

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Jakki Brown

Warren Lomax

Tracey Arnaud

Tracey Bearton

Editor/Joint Owner

Joint Owner

Sales Manager

Features Editor

Joint Owner

jakkib@max-publishing.co.uk

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Copyright© 2024. 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.

Ian Hyder

PG is the official magazine for the Greeting Card Association GCA: Amanda Fergusson 020 7619 9266 Email: hello@gca.cards www.greetingcardassociation.org.uk

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NEWS TOP STORY

Shop Local Delivers For Indies Over 55% expect to grow this year Independent greeting card Expectations for your business for 2024? retailers have started 2024 3% Major Decline 3% Significant feeling a lot more optimistic than Growth they were this time last year, 21% Slight with over half expecting to Decline 52% Marginal grow this year, according to the Growth findings of the latest PG Retail 21% Remain Barometer. About The Same This comes on the back of 47% reporting that their trade was up last year compared to 2022, with the How do you view the supermarkets’ continued ‘shop local’ drive expansion on the greeting card front? being cited as having been the biggest boon to their takings 30% Serious Threat while the cost-of-living crisis and 39% Neutral postal issues came at the top of the list of banes to their trade. Among the many insights into the independent greeting card 31% Threat retail sector from the latest annual survey, are that humorous cards was the top performing greeting card category. Clearly indies’ tenacity, engagement Christmas card singles took the with their customers, social media second slot as the area that has and collaborative activity as well as grown the most year on year, a improvements in their product reflection that 27% of their selection have borne fruits,” customers sent more Christmas commented Jakki Brown, md of Max cards in 2023 compared to the year Publishing, which undertakes the previous with the GCA Cardmitment independent research every year. campaign coming in for praise. As for which other retail types that In response to what one word indies see as the biggest threats to best describes the industry today, it their business, while it is still was ‘vibrant’ that came out tops, supermarkets that clinch it, with with ‘resilient’ and ‘challenging’ 30% of indies going so far as to see not far behind. them as a serious threat, garden “It is encouraging that the centres, Cardfactory and Amazon Barometer readings show a boost in have crept up as been viewed as confidence for the year ahead. substantial bugbears to their business.

Pen Poised for Chris Leonard-Morgan As registration for the London Stationery Show opened, the other big news to break was that the exhibition’s original founder, Chris Leonard-Morgan (above) is back on board. Chris has joined as special advisor and will work alongside the show’s event manager Chantelle White and the Max Publishing directors, following their recent acquisition of the show – which takes place 14-15 May at London’s Business Design Centre - from Ocean Media Group. “I was thrilled to have been asked by the Max Publishing team to work with them on the exhibition as well as National Stationery Week, the Stationery Awards and the Stationery Matters media,” said Chris, a passionista for all things stationery. “I feel very happy that I will be a part of it, rather than just watching from the sidelines!” he added. It’s full steam ahead with plans for the May show with a whole roster of leading brands and entrepreneurial companies already having booked their stands. To register head to www.stationeryshowlondon.co.uk

WHS shows more Curi-o-city WHSmith has opening of its first Curi-o-city concept greeting card, stationery and gift stores outside the UK, debuted its travel brand in Hungary as well as trialling a new High Street logo. Just before Christmas, the ribbon was cut on two Curio-city outlets in Dubai, which are opening alongside a number of in-store concessions across the United Arab Emirates with strategic partner Al Maya Group. Around the same time WHS opened its first store in Hungary, a 1,200 sq ft airside outlet at Budapest Airport, taking the retailer into 32 countries, and one of over 100 new travel shops set to open this year. However, the unveiling of a trial rebrand at 10 High Street stores in England has not been so warmly received, with many commenting that the new logo, looks too similar to that of the NHS. Below: One of the Dubai Curi-o-city stores and the trial WHS new branding on a store in Preston.

Sherwood Group expands its Far East ops Leading greeting card printer, The Sherwood Group has expanded its Far East operations with the official opening of its Semplice quality assurance and testing office in China by ceo Jeremy Bacon. The Nottingham-based company’s Far East division operates under its subsidiaries SPHK and the Semplice manufacturing site, providing print management services and printed products directly to the UK since 2003. Jeremy flew out to the new facility in Xie Gang City for the official opening recently, which will operate as a hub for component sourcing, purchasing, quality inspections, and quality testing. It follows on from the joint venture operation forged by the group in 2022 with two printing companies, both located in Shenzhen, China. This collaboration offers customers an even more extensive range of

products, services, and production capacities which the state-of-theart new facility complements, and is aimed at positioning The Sherwood Group to further expand its international presence and cater for markets in Australia and the US. The expanded services, in conjunction with the new partnerships, span the printing of greeting cards, toys, games, books, gift boxes, confectionery boxes, wood pulp biodegradable products, and various other packaging options.

Above: Jeremy Bacon (right) with Semplice’s md Derek Lam at the new Semplice office.

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NEWS TOP STORY

Cracker Of A Christmas

Treat Boutique wins Belly Button’s £1,000 prize

Festive cheer across the board from cardies After a problematic Christmas trading period in 2022, hugely affected by the postal strikes, there was a lot riding on festive sales really delivering for greeting card retailers – and the general picture ended up pretty rosy. “Brilliant, beyond expectations,” summed up John Procter, co-founder of Scribbler about its Christmas trade. “It was even better than pre-Covid…all back to full strength!” he added. This positive verdict was echoed, to a greater or lesser extent, by fellow greeting card retailers, including the larger specialists (see Cardfactory’s news on page 21), grocers, indies and non-specialists. Mark Janson-Smith, md of Postmark was equally jubilant. “Refreshingly fantastic!” was his verdict, ending 13% up like-forlike in December, with its new stores having trading “incredibly well” on the whole. Hazel Walker, senior buyer of Waterstones, Blackwells and Foyles was also very positive saying that its Christmas trading was “great across the board, exceeding expectations!” Even the more tempered views delivered good news. Miles Robinson, co-owner of Home Counties group, House of Cards said: “Our Christmas trading was good, but not exceptional. We traded up by double digits, which was welcome after last year’s Royal Mail debacle.”

Similarly, Cardzone described sales from its 180+ store group as “satisfactory, but below expectations”, Above: Contrary to its ending up roughly on a cheeky window graphics, Christmas par with 2022 on both was far from being a bummer for Scribbler. Christmas single cards Middle: The Cardzone and boxed group was trading from 18 stores under the assortments/charity Mooch fascia for packs. “Seasonal gift Christmas 2023. Bottom: Kaye Thurgood dressings performed with Ling rep, Freddie Moise outside one of strongly, up around her shops with a +10%,” shared trading Cardmitment poster. director James Taylor, with a shout out to sales of higher coded cards which “performed well on key titles.” As the person who started the industrywide rally call to promote Christmas card sending among the general public, Kaye Thurgood, owner of Sincerely Yours in Shenfield and Hornchurch is feeling more positive on this front than she was this time last year. “We’ve halted the decline in Christmas card sales!” is Kaye’s view. “Our Christmas sales ended 12% up on 2022… Thank you to the GCA for the Cardmitment campaign, I truly believe this made a difference…thank you to the publishers who embraced the campaign and to my fellow indies for all the support - what a community!”

Abbotprint’s £¼m investment

Right: Brian Frost with the brand-new iFoil machine which can produce up to around 6,000 cards per hour. Far right: The new technology has pleased Rosanna Rossi’s Anna Nelson, seen here with one of the Aria cards.

Spending a cool quarter of a million £pounds isn’t the best way to endear yourself to the accounts department – and Abbotprint’s owner Brian Frost had the trickier task as his wife Lisa looks after the books! But the effects the state-of-the-art AccurioShine 3600 iFoil machine – the only one in the UK in a specialist greeting card printer – has won Lisa and the company’s publisher customers round since it was christened in its own specially-built room at the company’s Rye HQ. “The machine cost £250,000, and we had to build a proper room for it as it’s six metres long – it’s the largest amount of money I have ever spent, other than on our home,” Brian explained. “Lisa was initially against it as it was a hefty investment, but I think we’ve won her round. One of the beauties is that you have no need to make dies for the foiling, so you can use it to print 200 cards or 20,000.” The machine allows Abbotprint to foil, spot UV varnish and give a foiled embossed finish without the need for any dies or expensive make-ready processes.

Belly Button Designs has been super busy with a major launch of new cards, gifts, stationery, homewares and jewellery, all underpinned by extra support for its indie stockists. “Independent retailers have always been at the heart of what we do,” said founder and creative director Rachel Hare. As part of this she and the team sent a Christmas card to all of its independent stockists, with a QR code on the back that could be scanned to enter a draw for new products with a £1,000 RRP value. And it was Treat Boutique in Keyworth, Nottingham, that came out as the winner, with owner Charlotte Duncan telling PG: “It’s amazing! We got sent the Christmas card, but it was so busy that I put it under the desk meaning to enter. Then I found it and thought I must enter, because you never know.”

Above: Rachel Hare (centre), with colleagues Estelle Johnson (left) and Michelle Hindle and the Christmas card that was sent to all their indie stockists. Right: Some of the brand new products in Belly Button Designs’ Blue Daisy collection.

Rosanna Rossi was the publisher who christened the new machine, with its latest Aria range. The publisher’s co-founder Anna Nelson said: “As soon as we heard about the new machine, we were eager to create a collection that highlighted this technology. It's allowing us to be a lot more flexible with our print process and with no foil dies needed. The result is really eye-catching and there is so much scope for possibilities.”

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NEWS TOP STORY

Spring Fair Showbiz Dame Zandra Rhodes and Theo Paphitis to take to the stage Dame Zandra Rhodes is one of several big name draws at Spring Fair as the 83-yearold pocket rocket of the fashion and retail world will be sitting down for a fireside chat. The Fabric Of Success: Dame Zandra Rhodes On Reinventing Fashion And Retail Leadership is the title of the session on the final day of the show, which runs Sunday to Wednesday, 4-7 February at Birmingham’s NEC. And the woman whose influence extends across fashion, homewares, print design, and even founded her own museum will be interviewed by retail analyst Natalie Berg on the Inspiring Retail Stage at 12.30pm on the Wednesday. Nicknamed the princess of punk, Zandra launched her eponymous brand 55 years ago and continues to work fulltime at her Bermondsey studio at the Fashion & Textile Museum she founded and where she also lives. She will be delving into the evolution of British fashion, and her pioneering role in

Left: The Spring Fair speaker line-up includes retail entrepreneur Theo Paphitis and Princess of punk Dame Zandra Rhodes.

home furnishings, and explaining how her own unique pink-haired and vibrant clothing style and daring collaborations shaped her brand, driving innovation and legacy. Soraya Gadelrab, event director Spring Fair, said: “This session is a mustwatch for those interested in the intersection of retail creativity, industry advocacy and the cultivation of female leadership in retail.” The Inspiring Retail Stage programme will also welcome other industry icons and experts to share their experiences, stories, and advocacy across the four-day show. The sessions include Retail Landscape 2024: Insights From The British Retail Consortium by director of insight Kris Hamer, and British Independent Retailers’ Association ceo Andrew Goodacre. There’s also TV dragon, retail entrepreneur and small business champion Theo Paphitis sharing his insights, successes and key learnings from his 40-year retail career while looking ahead to the latest twists and turns of the industry. The majority of greeting card exhibitors will be in Halls 3 and 4. (See Innovations pages 59-65 for a selection of Spring Fair launches)

Sustainable action Also speaking at the Spring Fair will be Helena Mansell-Stopher, ceo of Products Of Change (POC), who will be discussing the trends and emerging products shaping the retail sectors future and reducing its environmental impact in two sessions on February 6. 11.00-11.30 Masterclass Studio: It Takes Two To Tango: Your Role in Conscious Consumerism 13.00-13.30 Trend Talks: Sustainable Trends Unwrapped

Pick your Mugshot A Knutsford collaboration has led to the relaunch of a gorgeously cute range of dog cards. Bex Hassett, founder of Bexy Boo has been pals with Nicholas Child since helping him launch as The Grumble & Co back in 2016 with his Mugshots range of doggy designs and, now he’s moved on to a new career as The Children’s Illustrator, she’s taking on the collection. Nicholas’ drawings were inspired by the pugs he and his now-husband Ross owned – Minnie,

Below: Moonpig’s ceo Nickyl Raithatha is pleased with the group’s performance.

Nicole Elders dashes to join dots Greeting card publisher Nicole Elders has been dashing about joining the dots to bring her latest greeting card ranges to life, including a Morse Code-based one that’s a tribute to her grandad that will be on show at Spring Fair, on stand 3Q47. Having collaborated with the International Morse Code Preservation Society Nicole said: “It’s the original text speak and it would be great if greeting cards can help revive the language.” Nicole’s grandad was Dennis Simpson, who was a flight lieutenant in the RAF for 33 years from the end of the war through to the 70s “starting on Lancasters before moving on to Shackleton aircraft and then Nimrods,” explained a proud Nicole, who balances running her calligraphy-based cards and gifts business with her job as an aeronautical engineer with Rolls Royce. Her grandfather was also a member of the Goldfish Club – “a club for airmen and airwomen who have survived air crashes in the sea “or 'ditching in the drink' as he called it. He’d been flying in a Lancaster that crashed into the sea off Malta,” revealed Nicole. With vintage technology making something of a comeback of late, as shown by increased sales of Polaroid cameras and vinyl records, Nicole recognised that Morse Code is also seeing a small revival as several K-pop bands have used it to leak the names of upcoming songs. “All the aviation beacons still announce themselves in Morse Code so if the systems fail, they can still be heard. The modern technology converts the signal into recognisable letters, but it’s transmitted as code,” she said. Nicole is over the moon that her new range has caught the attention of the 2024 Gift Of The Year Awards judges seeing it shortlisted it in the heritage category. Right: Bex, Nicholas and Ross with their current canine companions. Below: The revived Mugshots collection is ready to launch at Spring Fair.

Tilly and Ruby – with a grumble being the collective noun for pugs. Having realised Bexy Boo was also based in Knutsford, Nicholas got in touch for advice on getting into the greeting card industry who suggesting exhibiting at PG Live where he launched The Grumble & Co. Mugshots became a success, but Nicholas then moved onto illustrating children’s books with his style capturing the attention of the crown princess of Greece, Marie-Chantal, with his

drawings appearing in the second edition of her kids’ book, Manners Begin At Breakfast. Then, a few months ago Bex came up with the idea of getting Mugshots back in the shops by licensing the designs. So, Nicholas refreshed the original drawings and they worked together on captions ready for the launch on Bexy Boo’s Spring Fair stand 4E109.

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NEWS TOP STORY

Cardfactory’s positive greetings To The Pet card sales grow by 49% A “strong performance over the Christmas period” contributed to Cardfactory coming out with an impressive set of figures in a trading statement covering the 11 months to 31 December 2023. CEO Darcy Willson-Rymer revealed that Cardfactory saw “particularly strong demand in the second half of December” with its l-f-l store sales in the last two months of the year ending 7.8% up on last year. The retailer reported strong year-on-year growth in seasonal cards, driven by an increased number of transactions and average basket value – single card sales grew by 37%. Notable performers were captions To The Pet which saw a 49% rise while Wife cards rose by 41%. And an expanded gift offer and introduction of key licensed ranges is credited with a 45% increase in its soft toy sales, and confectionery going up by 77%, marking a combined gifts and celebrations essentials growth of 9.9% l-f-l. The company said the 10.2% uplift in total sales to £476.9m Left: Sales of licensed products, such as reflects “continued Disney Stitch have momentum across the increased for Cardfactory. business and execution Below: Darcy WillsonRymer, ceo of of our strategy to Cardfactory. become the leading,

Right: From the pet cards soared for Cardfactory. As well as its instore selection, online it offered designs that could be personalised. Below: Cardfactory saw like for like sales increase 7.8% in November and December.

omnichannel retailer in the sector”, and store revenue’s 8.2% l-f-l growth over the period was said to be driven by the value and quality proposition and “the positive impact” of the store evolution programme. Given the strength of performance in the financial year to date, the Cardfactory board “expects to deliver full year adjusted profits before tax at the top of the range of market expectations”. Darcy said: “We are pleased to have delivered a strong performance over the Christmas period, further demonstrating the progress we are making on our strategic growth initiatives. Our value and quality proposition continues to resonate with customers at a time when value for money is as important as ever. Even during challenging times, consumers want to celebrate key life moments and this was reflected in the positive performance that we saw in the Christmas trading period and throughout the year to date.”

Taylor Swift is top of the pops Taylor Swift has stormed the charts with a new entry taking her straight to the top of Danilo Promotions’ official licensed calendars hit parade. Having shaken off the competition, the singer came in at number one in the Publisher’s 2024 calendars league table, notching up three million sales for Danilo. Three football teams also made the list, with England’s Lionesses in eighth place behind the ever-popular Liverpool and Man Utd at second and third respectively. As Sir Cliff Richard celebrates 65 years in the music business, there are also plenty of congratulations as his calendar is still ever present in the top 10 at number four, while Barbie is in the pink and moving into the real world at number four as the calendar sales reinforce the film’s position as the highest-grossing movie yet. Stitch follows closely in sixth spot ahead of the expected release of the new liveaction movie in 2024, in Disney’s 100th anniversary year, while the 60th birthday for Doctor Who saw the return of David Tennant and Catherine Tate to TV screens in November and is in at number seven. The overall bestsellers for Danilo’s 2024 calendars are: 1. Taylor Swift 2. Liverpool FC 3. Manchester United FC 4. Cliff Richard 5. Barbie The Movie 6. Disney’s Stitch 7. Doctor Who 8. England Women’s Lionesses 9. Minecraft 10. Kelly Brook

Lola Design’s collaboration with Deva Designs PG Live has led to a licensing deal being struck between publisher Lola Design and giftwrap business Deva Designs. “We had stands opposite each other at PG Live,” Deva’s md Andrew Maddock said, “and we loved Lola’s vibrant creative designs. We followed up with a chat and a wonderful, nurturing friendship has developed.” Launching at Spring Fair is a licensed range of gift bags, roll wraps, double-sided flat wrap, and tissue paper from Deva featuring Lola’s blend of botanical animals and intricate designs. Amanda Mountain, who co-owns Lola Design with her husband Frank said: “We are truly excited about this licensing collaboration. Deva embodies the perfect partnership, and their values resonate seamlessly with ours. Our connection with Andrew and Ann was instant like a match Above: Lola’s intricate made in design heaven!" designs are now on Lola Design will be on stand 3S24, and giftwrappings from Deva. Deva Designs nearby on stand 3Q20 at Right: Amanda and Frank Mountain, co-owners of Spring Fair 4-7 February, at Birmingham’s NEC. Lola Design.

Above: A trio of top selling calendars from Danilo.

Daniel Prince, md of Danilo revealed that one of the company’s calendars is currently on display in around 25% of UK households. “A physical wall calendar is still an important part of family life, whether in the kitchen, hallway or children’s bedroom, to share key dates and events for all the family as well as individual members. Despite us all having our own calendars on our phones these days, there remains a place for a wall calendar to keep track of family movements in a busy household.” (See pages 81-91)

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NEWS TOP STORY

Jerry Brown v The Post Office Greeting card retailer and postmaster speaks out about Post Office Ltd In what has been called “the most widespread miscarriages of justice in UK history”, the Post Office Horizon scandal, which damaged the lives of thousands of innocent postmasters, is at long last being properly investigated, quite rightly receiving Parliamentary and media attention. It took the screening of TV drama, Mr Bates v The Post Office to ram home the extent of how the flawed computer system wrecked the lives and livelihoods of so many subpostmasters. Leading greeting card retailer Jerry Brown, co-owner of First Class Greetings and Plum Green in Hadleigh, Suffolk, a postmaster for 20 years, has not held back in his criticism of the Post Office, speaking out vociferously on various high profile radio programmes and appearing in newspapers, to highlight the urgent need for improved remuneration for postmasters. “Post Office Limited is an abhorrent organisation” said Jerry not mincing his words when he was interviewed on the Jeremy Vine Show on BBC Radio 2 a few days ago, along with Marlene Woods, who owns the Post Office in Comrie, Perthshire. Marlene tried to hold back the tears as

she revealed that the idyllic setting of her Post Office business belies the financial horror of running it and how she is likely to go bust. “My back is against the wall…I only have £120 in my current account. I will end up with no credit rating and no job. It’s toxic,” said Marlene. Echoing the message that he shared on two LBC radio programmes as well as in the Eastern Daily Press recently, Jerry told how the paltry amounts postmasters receive per transaction mean it is just not viable, warning that unless something is done, subpostoffices will become a thing of the past. “To quote Toby Jones who played Alan Bates in the TV drama: “We’re just the skint little people,” he told BBC Radio 2 listeners, explaining that the revenue he generates

from his post office “does not even pay my staff’s wages” and how he has to subsidise it from his greeting card retailing side and his state pension. “I receive just over 2p for every second class stamp I sell and not much more for anything else, so you can see this is an impossible to make a living,” explained Jerry. He feels aggrieved that MPs and the Minister for Postal Affairs, Kevin Hollinrake, have not taken on board the severity of the situation. “All we get are lies, damn lies and more lies,” said Jerry on air. “I am 67 years old and the business is on the market, but who would buy a Post Office now? Something needs to be done to give fair remuneration to postmasters and postmistresses, otherwise there will be none left, and that would be another scandal.” Top: The Mr Bates v The Post Office TV series, in which Toby Jones plays Alan Bates has prompted a proper investigation into the Post Office Horizon scandal, but that is not the only issue postmasters have to face. Left: Speaking out for fairness. Jerry Brown with his wife and business partner Debbie at a Henries judging. Below: Thankfully Jerry and Debbie Brown have the sales from their First Class Greetings and Plum Green shops to offset the overhead costs of running their post office side. Below right: Radio 2 presenter Jeremy Vine found Marlene’s story “heart-breaking”.

Sad loss of Chris Holmes

Case of the missing trousers! There’s always a risk of forgetting something when packing ready for a trade show but Rob Hull’s Top Drawer oversight was pretty obvious – he had no trousers! The creative behind Robert James Hull’s greeting card designs was stranded on his stand at Kensington Olympia on the opening day of the recent show, with only his paint-splattered jogging bottoms from set-up to his name until the famous trade fair camaraderie came to his rescue. “Thankfully Lee Pryke over on Mr Pickles’ stand opposite me had some spare ones right there,” Sheffield-based Rob told PG. “I’d packed everything and thought that Below: Rob (left) and Lee demonstrate their preparation for the show had gone so well, matching taste in trousers. then at midnight on Saturday in my hotel room I checked and realised it was true, I had no trousers! It just so happened that Lee had come straight to the show with his unique soft toy brand from his travels around Hong Kong, Cambodia and Bangkok so hadn’t unpacked his bag, which still contained holiday essentials such as hand gel, and spare trousers.

Long-time cardie Chris Holmes, died recently from leukaemia in his 70s. Well-known for his kind and friendly demeanour, Chris worked for several greeting card and stationery companies over his 45 years in the industry and also served on the GCA Council. Above: Chris Holmes Chris’ career in the greeting card world began back kept up with industry in 1972 at Image Arts Of England where he spent news in his retirement. seven years working with Simon Elvin and Jeff Bottomley, which he described as “great and exciting times being part of the cute revolution in design and a time of great innovation within the industry”. He then moved to Waldorf to set up a sales team for a new direct-toretail range before leaving when Deeko bought the company and move its base south. House Of Camelot was his next job, then Arnold Barton where he worked with Derek Meloy, known as a genius in marketing innovation and design selection and Chris said: “Working closely with him earned us the titles of the sorcerer and his apprentice.” After a takeover by Fine Arts led to the launch of Hambledon Studios where Chris became national sales manager helping it grow to a £40million turnover, he then re-joined Jeff Bottomley at Kingsley Cards, before spending 10 years at Tallon International, retiring in 2018 as its business partnership manager.

FOR THE LATEST NEWS VISIT PGBUZZ.net PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE 25

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OVER THE

COUNTER

BY DAVID ROBERTSON OF JP POZZI, ELGIN AND BUCKIE.

Sir Dave Brailsford is a name that has transcended sport. He is also a man back firmly in the news with his link to Manchester United, my team, as one of a three-person committee – alongside Sir Jim Ratcliffe and Joel Glazer – to manage the football side as part of Ineos acquiring a 25% stake in the club. Man U has not had their troubles to seek in these last few years. In the same way as Clintons, they have the name recognition and at one time the largest following, but in recent times they have been a million miles away from being successful. As Brailsford prepares to put his marginal gains strategy into play with Man U, it got me thinking about how this works for our business. Inset: As Brailsford believes, we would all benefit from slowing our busy minds, like this Buddhist monk.

Sir Dave Brailsford’s history is an interesting one. He left home in his early 20s, heading to France to try and join a professional cycling team. Sleeping rough, facing rejection and not really knowing the best way to get the best from himself he eventually got a chance, but did not quite make it. What followed was him being inspired by this and he enrolled to study what was then the early stages of sports psychology. He then completed an MBA and developed further. In effect, he has been there from the infancy of sport psychology being able to view the

Marginal Gains

mind as being as important to train as the rest of the body. His ethos around finding that extra little something that makes a difference has been honed over 20 years of working with different sports teams. Although most famous for working with cyclists and Olympians he has gone on to use these skills in many settings, including business. His ethos of marginal gains got me thinking about how we could possibly implement some of this in our day-to-day operations. Brailsford’s theory is rooted in that fact that he believes trying to make huge changes in your life or business performance is very difficult. He equates it to those who each January try to alter their diet, their sleep, their exercise and the way they perform. You just swamp yourself and there are very few people who can actually carry this through for any length of time. He believes that you/your team need to set small realistic goals that can be evaluated Above: A graph which author James Clear shared on his blog based on Dave Brailsford’s marginal gain beliefs. Left: Sir Dave Brailsford is bringing his approach and beliefs to Manchester United.

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and achieved. He believes that the feeling of fulfilment and success in turns breeds further commitment to improve and indeed further success. My plan was to start 2024 with more exercise, more sleep and more time, but as always things don’t quite work out that like! The simplest gain that Brailsford often speaks about is smiling. Smiling and asking your colleagues to do the same creates a positive atmosphere. Being genuine and open allows for a culture where customers and colleagues feel safe and welcomed. There are things that require ‘buy in’ from your team and while we are not all striving for a gold medal, we can surely add little things to suit, such as the team all having a coffee together before starting work. Some of the best marginal gains implemented by Brailsford with the cycling team included hiring a surgeon to show each team member how to wash their hands properly to avoid colds. They assessed each rider’s sleep and matched them with the correct mattress and pillows. They even painted everything inside their trucks white to spot any tiny bits of debris that may cause a bike to be slower. As each of these gains was implemented

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OVER THE COUNTER the results kept improving. With each person or their improved set of results the buy in from each income, but could individual improves. cumulatively save We have almost convinced ourselves that around 60 hours of massive success requires massive change. In costs per week truth just 1% better each day will end up as across the business. 37 times better over the course of one year. It So how do we do is not noticeable on day one, but things will that? We have become obvious with these gains over a long been looking at period of time. Change shouldn’t be a start and finish massive challenge. Change shouldn’t be a times to see if chore. Small change just needs to stick. those first 30 and The areas that I want to look at most in this last 30 mins are actually cost effective. We coming year are stockholding/purchasing; have also been looking at the length of staff hours and better communication. working shift and break patterns. Next, we Stockholding is my biggest weakness and looked at days off to see if fixed or floating my biggest issue. It literally eats at my days off improved mood. We have also looked cashflow and causes so much pressure and at staggered start times so that not everyone stress. What we have implemented is that no has an early start and can be used to fit in single person in any store can order stock round appointments etc. without checking first that another key There are obviously cost savings to be member of the team agrees. This includes made, but it also has had a positive effect on myself and my mum. staff in terms of giving them more flexibility. Current stock must be checked and For example, one team member who is counted before new stock is ordered. kitchen-based has changed her hours to allow Placement of orders must be checked by her to finish just before she picks her child up myself or my office manager to ensure that from school. we do not get bunching (ie a lot of orders The point is, you can save, make changes landing close together meaning they will be and still have a positive impact if it is due to be paid at the same time). communicated correctly with open and Large events must have stock staggered honest discussion. over a period of time/and or extra credit Communication is an easy one to improve needs to be agreed. For example, Christmas with simple changes. Regular staff meetings may start coming in August and still be and not swamping team members with arriving in October. We also split larger orders information and most importantly listening, over two drops to make it bring gains. more manageable. The latter is still my On staff hours, in early biggest challenge as I am January I spoke to all key staff like an excitable child and - mostly those responsible for want to get too much rotas and said I was information out looking to make there without sure that wages and listening properly costs were kept and evaluating tight in January what is and February. coming back. I was not really Another any more detailed Brailsford mantra than that, which that I really like was a mistake as it and is very panicked everyone applicable to into thinking I was many small going to be business owners slashing hours. is his love for What I was looking bamboo. He lifts to do was shave an this thinking from hour or two from the Zen Buddhists The positive power of smiling on each team member in these Top: who believe that humans should other should not be underestimated. months which will not have a Above: Brailsford feels we should be be more like bamboo. more like bamboo, able to grow major effect on any one Bamboo is a miracle plant in steadily, adapting to challenges.

Left: The benefits of adopting the marginal gains way brought success for the British cycling team, including Sir Bradley Wiggin. Below: David Robertson (left) beats himself up on not making the changes he wants to on his business and personal life, he, like others should remind himself of the progress he has made! A happy scene from The Retas 2017 with (right-left) Postmark’s Leona and Mark Janson-Smith with Wendy Jones-Blackett.

lots of ways. It releases lots more oxygen than other plants and yet absorbs far more carbon dioxide. Using this as an analogy, we need to be willing to give more while taking on board problems. Bamboo is super resilient and tough, growing steadily in any conditions. From cold to heat it is able to spring back to its former self, stronger than ever each time. Bamboo’s strength is in its roots which provide the ability for it to move, adapt and change, yet never break. It sways with the challenges and continues to grow taller. The Kanji (Chinese character) for smile or laughter actually has the symbol for bamboo at the top of it and that is because they say the noise of the bamboo moving in the wind is like the laughter of the forest, reminding us that growth needs to be fun as well. Bamboo has many other fascinating traits, such as its hollowness, which should remind ourselves to be open to new things, but not to be too full of our own importance. Finally, we need to slow our busy minds to really see what is happening around us in life and business. An old Taoist saying is that we cannot see our reflection in running water, only in a still pool. Fail to prepare - prepare to fail. Brailsford’s set of rules are similar to that of any sensei. They are not trying to make you perfect, no one can be. They do not want you to be spectacular every day. They just want to remind you of the good habits you already have and remind you that the key to success is to keep trying to improve a little and be resilient. Small steps every day… decision away… To contact David email: jppozzi@btconnect.com PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE 27

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cardsharp So, how was Christmas trading? This is the question so many of us in the greeting card industry are asking. To Cardsharp’s mind, we are always a bit dazed in the post festive Christmas period, but also rather confused, confused because despite the general negative media headlines, our sector seems to have performed surprisingly well. Cardsharp embraces his Jimi Hendrix ‘Dazed and Confused’ self while trying to make sense of it all, enjoying what he sees as rays of hope.

dazed

and confused So far, so good, feels Cardsharp as he listens to the feedback from the cardie retail frontline about festive trade. Is it because the winners tend to speak out while the losers keep quiet, wonders Cardsharp before jumping with whoops of delight. Initial feedback from the likes of Scribbler, many good indies and small chains has certainly been very positive. Our largest bricks and mortar specialist, Cardfactory, was among the last of the big retail names to reveal its official festive trading update, but its announcement of a 7.8% increase in like-for-like sales, with bumper single card sales delivered a positive message from the sector too. As for troubled Clintons, the sound of

silence, has been as loud as ever! Certainly, the photographs of ransacked, nigh on empty supermarket Christmas card racks on Christmas Eve indicated that whatever many media commentators might claim, Christmas card sending as a tradition, was very much alive and well. And speaking of his own experience, the number of Christmas cards Cardsharp received from non-industry friends was way up, not just on postal strike affected last year, but the year prior to that too. Thinking about it though, in 2021 we had the Omicron Covid scare, and in 2020 we had Covid and the November lockdown. So, it could be argued that 2023 was the first ‘normal’ festive trading period we have had since 2019? The ‘official data’ is very confusing. Generally, on the face of things, there seems to have been a trend this Christmas of food sales and essentials doing well and non-food sector performing poorly. The British Retail Above: Cardsharp channelled his inner Jimi Hendrix to not be left ‘dazed and confused’ by the true picture of Christmas trading. Left: Scenes of decimated Christmas card displays in Sainsbury’s and Waitrose on Christmas Eve.

28 PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE

Consortium stated that “The festive period failed to make amends for a challenging year of sluggish retail sales growth, as weak consumer spending continued to hold back spending.” It reported a weak build up to Christmas and a subdued Black Friday performance. So, in the words of the immortal Jimi Hendrix, Cardsharp feels ‘Dazed and Confused’, but is attempting to make some sense of it. Firstly, although there were winners and losers, most of the big grocers seemed to do very well with their bricks and mortar sales other than in non-essentials. Which begs the question of whether greeting cards have become essentials, because of the volume of sales compared to previous years? Christmas card sales levels definitely seemed to be at odds with the decline in sales of gifts, housewares, jewellery and many other non-food sectors. As Cardsharp pens this, greeting card publishers will be hoping that he is right and that returns and credits are at minimal levels. As, if this is the case, with retailers left with very little residual stock they can start again from scratch with their buying for this year.

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What is tentatively encouraging though is that bricks and mortar retailing, which is still the channel through which the vast majority of our greeting cards are sold, is having something of a mini-revival meaning it could carry on to claim back more ground from online this year. Cardsharp was interested to see a quote last week from Mark Allan head of mega investment company Landsec saying, “We are convinced the prime retail is a sector that’s going to do well”. And indeed Landsec’s plan to invest between £500 million and £1 billion in retail over the next couple of years is a big show of faith. So, Cardsharp wondered what is changing? Is e-commerce starting to hit some buffers? Certainly, the glory days that e-commerce enjoyed during the Covid years, when online non-food sales soared to almost 50% seem to have gone for good and there has been a stunning drop in the values of many e-commerce retailers, Moonpig being a classic example. Why is this mused Cardsharp? Above: Could we be turning Firstly, the rising cost away from shopping on our phone and enjoying going to of borrowing and the the shops and returning with drying up of investment our goodies? money has forced e-retailers to look for profitability rather than sales growth. You can see this in the way many firms have started charging for returns. The consumer is having to pay the cost rather than the online retailer and this is contributing to a shift in behaviour.

Right: Westfield Shopping Centres have been sending out positive messages about a bricks and mortar revival. Below right: Even High Street retailers’ online nemesis has joined the bricks and mortar brigade.

Secondly, e-retailers’ cost advantages are disappearing rapidly. Rents for bricks and mortar retailers have dropped by a third and thankfully in many areas business rates are dropping too. Meanwhile, marketing costs for e-retailing are soaring. Google, which enjoys a near monopoly on internet searching has been increasing its prices by double digits for a number of years, making the cost of attracting new customers increase at a pace. In many ways, Google has become the e-commerce equivalent of the grasping unscrupulous landlord. Cardsharp is not suggesting that ecommerce will disappear, only that having a high street presence could be more attractive in the next couple of years. People will continue to shop both online and offline, but certainly the scales seem to be tipping in the other direction, as indicated by a number of e-retailers – from Amazon to Gymshark - investing in physical shops. The trend was very notable with the supermarkets in the lead up to Christmas. Nearly all grocers reported a significant decrease in home delivery, while instore sales showed a healthy increase. Cardsharp thinks this in itself is good for the greeting card industry. Footfall not only

means pennies, but also reminds people of their card buying needs. More people making a shopping expedition means more people will be making spontaneous purchases, popping in and browsing. And the investment that will hopefully come into town centres and shopping malls will have a halo effect on more greeting card sales. Perhaps the surprisingly decent Christmas card sales we had is a part of this trend towards a bricks and mortar renaissance? Maybe Cardsharp is not so dazed and confused after all and we could be heading for a purple patch…or at the very least a ‘purple haze’!

The Late Winter Blues Cardsharp reflects this is the time of year when many greeting card publishers take some very deep breaths. If ever there is a time when a major retail chain is going to go pop, or engineer ‘a financial restructuring’, which amounts pretty much to the same thing in most cases, it is post-Christmas and the early new year. This horrid tradition goes back many years. Cardsharp remembers one of the most egregious examples being the Athena chain in 1996 going bust on the day after Boxing Day which left publishers and other suppliers literally £millions in debt. Since then there have been too many others to remember. The various

incarnations of Cardfair, Birthdays, Clintons, and of course most recently Paperchase, come to mind though. We have seen it so many times. A phoenix like rise, ‘pre-pack’ from the ashes. A supposedly new debt-free company leaves so many suppliers and landlords out of pocket. Funny it always occurs after the largest sales quarter and just as the next quarter’s rent is due! As Cardsharp is writing this, so far so good, there have

been no major casualties, but no doubt publishers will be keeping a close eye on the weaker retailers in our sector. Below left: It is just under a year since Paperchase ceased trading as a standalone retailer. Below: Cardsharp reckons that some publishers will still have a sour taste in their mouth from when Athena went out of business the day after Boxing Day in 1996.

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There was so much riding on Christmas 2023, with a full on Cardmitment campaign swinging into action to encourage members of the general public to reboot their Christmas card sending. PG shares the festive reports from all manner of retailers.

Inset: Christmas came good for many greeting card retailers

Santa Delivered Adam Dury, coo of Cardfactory, which trades from 1,000+ stores in the UK Christmas verdict: “A strong finish.” Reveal all: “Christmas continues to be a key trading season for us and this year customers definitely spread their spend throughout the festive period with a strong finish once the weather settled and the Christmas festivities started. Despite the ongoing cost-of-living impact, consumers continue to want to celebrate and look for great value which we were once again well positioned for across both cards, gifts and celebration essentials. Specifically, we were pleased with the performance across our boxed and single Christmas cards and the subsequent support we provide to our charity partners.” Your approach: “We had a fully integrated marketing campaign, including our first ever nationwide radio Above: Cardfactory broadened feature and we continually kept the Cardmitment its Christmas card range to appeal to customers. campaign top of mind across the entire organisation. Below: Adam Dury in full flow at the 2023 GCA Conference Offering the customer great value for money remains and AGM. a key focus and in addition we ensured we broadened the choice of cards to provide something for everyone from the traditional to the humorous to the contemporary while also increasing the level of diversity and inclusion throughout the ranges.” Star performers: “We continue to see strong demand for gifting and celebration essentials alongside our card business and we remain focused on broadening the appeal of the overall offer.” Hunch for 2024: “We are very conscious of the ongoing economic backdrop and will continue to offer great value for money and a quality proposition. The category remains very resilient and the consumer’s desire to celebrate gives us all a reason to be joyful!” (See news for official stats)

John Procter, co-founder of Scribbler, which trades from 38 stores throughout the UK as well as online Christmas verdict: “Brilliant…beyond expectations.” Reveal all: “We had really strong sales across cards and gifts that were even better than pre-Covid…all back to full strength! Our pack sales were fantastic as were singles with more generic captions, such as ‘our house to your house’ and ‘special friend’ selling well. We worked a lot on our relations selection and were delighted by the response.” Your approach: “Our strategy of not discounting any cards or gifts pre-Christmas paid off. Customers also responded very positively to our plastic-free approach on boxed cards.” Star performers: “On boxes our own designs performed very well Top: John Procter (top left) as did those from Five Dollar Shake with some of the Scribbler team in festive mood. and Museums & Galleries. Above: Some Scribbler Christmas spirit. On singles, our own edgy humour sold well as did designs from Objectables, Brainbox Candy, Sooshichacha and Redback.” Hunch for 2024: “Feeling really positive and are back in expansion mode and are looking to open five or six more stores this year.” PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE 31

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James and Paul Taylor, director of Cardzone which trades from 183 stores, 18 of which are under its Mooch fascia and 15 are Yankee Candle/gift stores. Christmas verdict: “Satisfactory, but not as good as we’d have hoped for.” Reveal all: “We were roughly on a par with 2022 on both Christmas single cards and boxed assortments/charity packs. Seasonal gift dressings performed strongly, up around +10%. Our higher coded cards performed well on key titles and we feel additional choice on this from suppliers would be welcome as these sell very well in the final couple of weeks. Single boxed cards also performed strongly late on which was encouraging given the higher cost of these. We made a good start on Christmas singles throughout October however these were clearly far smaller numbers. Sales then dipped a bit through November and the early part of December, but then finished strongly in the final week Below: UKG’s higher coded cards sold well for Cardzone. or so pre-Christmas.” Buying patterns: “Some customers commented that given the price of postage they would be sending far fewer Christmas single cards while others definitely didn’t buy as many boxed assortments or charity packs which was evident in the performance of our ‘3 for 2’ offer on boxed and charity packs in Mooch. We definitely felt consumers didn’t buy into our in-law cards in the same way as previously. This has always been a growing area for us but presumably customers opted for a cheaper, more generic alternative.” Your approach: “We had a larger range of boxed assortments and some great value options to help with cost-of-living, our charity pack selection was smaller but still performed reasonably well. We kept seasonal giftware to a minimum and focussed on core everyday ranges which will sell into the New Year. The only difference in 2023 was our stronger focus on selling through a higher proportion of carryover stock from previous years and being more sensible with initial allocations of new stock. We are confident this worked well and we will enter 2024 far cleaner on Christmas carryover stocks. In our new Mooch locations we tried to push the importance of sending a card in our window messaging initially which looked good. We did however have to update this to a more promotional message to drive traffic.” Star performers: “UKG performed strongly with such an extensive range of beautiful higher coded products. Nigel Quiney’s and Words ‘n’ Wishes’ Christmas ranges also sold through nicely. Ling performed well in certain stores which was encouraging and Paper Rose filled some good options across lower codes and minor titles which were needed. Hallmark and Carte Blanche single boxed products also sold well for us.” Hunch for 2024: “As a team we are feeling motivated and optimistic for 2024. There have been a lot of learnings from 2023 which will help our performance moving into the New Year. One thing’s for sure, customers still absolutely love Christmas and that tradition will hopefully never change!” Right: Cardzone now has 18 stores trading as Mooch, 14 of which were new openings in 2023.

Abi Wilson, head of buying and design for celebrations at Sainsbury’s, Argos and Habitat Top: Abi Wilson (far right) with Sainsbury’s Christmas verdict: colleagues and members of the UKG team at the 2023 Henries. “Positive.” Below: 80s’ popstar Rick Astley had a Reveal all: “We saw cameo role in Sainsbury’s Christmas advert. growth on the year. Customers really valued having the choice in single cards to find the one that represented most to their recipient. We are proud to support charity within boxed cards as part of wider charitable donations at Sainsbury’s.” Hunch for 2024: “As ever, excited for the coming year and seeing how we can go further than ever on inspiring our customers through product which delivers on just what they need and want.”

Jo Sorrell, owner of Cardies in Stevenage Christmas verdict: “We are still sending Christmas cards!” Reveal all: “Our Christmas trade was slightly up on the previous year. Our family captions sold well with Wife being our best seller as always with Mum coming in second place. Other captions that did well for us were Son and Daughterin-law, Daughter and Son-in-law, From the dog, From the cat, grandson, granddaughter. Above: Some of Cardies’ Ponks helping to engender the Christmas spirit in the shop. Singles as ever sold well for us, not just the main captions, but also many of the more obscure ones too, which can’t be found easily elsewhere. Many of our customers commented on the fact that they much prefer to support small independent businesses. They appreciate the service, the selection and the connection indies have with their community.” Star performers: “Our charity packs are always popular, but the boxes of 30 mixed designs from Tracks flew out.” Your approach: “We used Cardmitment in our social media. It’s definitely a useful message.” Hunch for 2024: “Bring it on 2024 - we are more than ready for you!”

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Miles Robinson, co-owner of House of Cards, which comprises seven stores in the Home Counties Christmas verdict: “A good solid performance.” Reveal all: “Christmas trading was good, but not exceptional. We traded up by double digits which was welcome after last year’s Royal Mail debacle. We saw excellent sales of single cards, especially from the more specialist publishers. Gift wrapping products also did very well this year. Our boxed card sales ended Above: House of Cards’ co-owners Miles Robinson (right) and Nigel Williamson with up flat on last year which is colleague Lisa Gilbert (second right) and Glick’s Michelle Airth at PG Live last June. disappointing considering 2021 level, but is probably a sign of the new level. Sales of charity packs were actually quite good in most branches though there were a couple of anomalies.” Your approach: “Display dates were similar to previous years, but we did go out a touch later with single cards in 2023. Cardmitment was promoted heavily in each store which can only have had a positive effect.” Star performers: “On singles, the stand outs were Emotional Rescue (really excellent), Paper Shed, Janie Wilson, Five Dollar Shake, Lucilla Lavender and Wrendale Designs. On boxes Ling Design, Museums and Galleries, Nigel Quiney, Woodmansterne and Rachel Ellen performed well while on charity packs it was Paperlink, Noel Tatt, Tracks, Ling and Lucilla Lavender that scored especially well for us.” Hunch for 2024: “The feeling is positive going forward in 2024.”

VIEWPOINTS Maura Quinn, owner of Bus Stop Cards, Castlederg Christmas verdict: “Steady.” Reveal all: “Christmas trade for us was steady, but no massive rush. Our card sales probably remained much the same as the previous year, however sales of the more expensive cards were slower. Above: Santa’s sleigh stopped at Our sales of single cards were Bus Stop Cards. Below: Maura (far right) and the much better than boxed cards Bus Stop Cards team at their Christmas celebration. while charity multipack cards sold better than ordinary boxed cards for us.” Buying patterns: “We noticed Thinking of You cards, friends, Son and Daughter-in-law started to sell well in early December while closer to Christmas the Husband/Wife/One I Love captions sold better.” Your approach: “We put our Christmas cards out in October at the request of several customers, however sales were very small up until December.” Hunch for 2024: “I have gone into 2024 feeling nervous due to increased overheads and minimum wage increase etc. I will certainly have to review running costs etc, but hoping our card sales will continue to rise.”

Hazel Walker, senior buyer of Waterstones, Blackwells and Foyles Above: House of Cards pulled out the stops on the Christmas front. Right: Noel Tatt’s charity packs were among the strong sellers for House of Cards.

Michael Apter, owner of Paper Tiger, three stores in Edinburgh Christmas verdict: “Jingle Tills, Jingle Tills, Jingle All The Way.” Reveal all: “Our Christmas card sales were well up overall - in the high teens. Stamp sales similarly up. Boxed cards were the big winners for us while our sales of singles cards were fairly static year on year.” Your approach: “We really made an effort with #Cardmitment on our socials, newsletters and in window displays and in-store comms. I think it worked and there is a good basis for a bigger campaign in 2024.” Star performers: “Boxed cards.” Hunch for 2024: “I’m feeling confident in my business, my team, and in my customers.” Above: Paper Tiger’s Christmas window displays were very alluring. Left: Michael Apter spread the Cardmitment message.

Christmas verdict: “Great!” Reveal all: “Christmas trading was great across the board, exceeding expectations! We saw strong card sales throughout the season and finished with sales beating plan and pre-Covid levels. Boxed and single cards performed equally compared to previous years and plan. Although we do sell more single cards, boxed cards weren’t far behind which shows customers are still sending good volumes of Christmas cards – helped I’m sure by the Above: Hazel feels 2024 is full of lots of opportunity. #Cardmitment campaign.” Above: Waterstones had a great Christmas trading period. Hunch for 2024: “We’re excited to start the buying process for Christmas 2024 as there is still lots of opportunity. Valentine’s is off to a great start too so hopefully we’ll see this pattern continue on Spring Seasons. There’s lots to do already and the year has only just started!” PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE 35

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Kaye Thurgood, owner of Sincerely Yours in Shenfield and Hornchurch Christmas verdict: “We’ve halted the decline in Christmas card sales!” Reveal all: “Our Christmas sales ended 12% up on 2022, but I’m certain that our sales would have been even better without an unusually wet October, November and December. I am breathing a huge sigh of relief, as I was very anxious in January 2022 following the postal strikes. Thank you to the GCA for the Cardmitment campaign, I truly believe this made a difference. It can be very lonely as an independent retailer, so thank you to the publishers who embraced the campaign and to my fellow indies for all the support - what a community! The big winners for us were single cards and luxury/high end boxes. Charity packs sold better than the previous year, but we are finding them a much slower seller I think this is because they are Below: Kaye Thurgood with Ling rep, Freddie Moise. small and our customers are wanting bigger and better quality - it’s all about the perceived value. Sales of single caption card sales were through the roof, we reordered major titles three times from the end of November.” Your approach: “We went out with packs and boxes at the end of September and singles mid October, which was in response to repeated requests from customers. Early sales were stronger than in 2022 and it was apparent that the Second Class post messaging resonated as a lot of customers commented on it.” Buying patterns: “The week commencing 18 December was a frenzy and 23 December was our busiest day of the year. The big caption winners were Wife and Mum - I need to increase the order for these even more for 2024 year, but they have to be large, high impact luxury cards. We had lots of requests for specific couples cards like Niece and Husband, Nephew and Fiancé, Granddaughter and Boyfriend etc. We had all of these, but many sold out. We couldn’t sell Across the Miles captioned cards, so we will completely drop this caption going forward. Sales of Friend/Friends captioned cards were down, but this was compensated by the increased sales of open luxury and humour. We sold more religious and traditional cards, in singles, boxes and packs. Our customers clearly wanted ‘thatmas’ as opposed to ‘thismas’!! We found that more customers bought boxes of Christmas cards which represents a broader reach. Overall, this is good news as it appears that with our customers at least we have halted the decline in Christmas card sales after the Royal Mail fiasco of 2022. I believe this presents a delicious opportunity to increase sales in 2024 as more people would have received cards and we can use a PR campaign with case studies. Also, a lot of customers commented on embracing the shop local initiative.” Star performers: “Customers want large very Below: A Ling Design 2023 premium box. special cards for family members, with UKG, Five Dollar Shake, Jonny Javelin and Words ‘n’ Wishes scoring on this front. The big winners in boxes were Ling’s luxury and premium products. Our sales of single open cards were up on previous years, with Five Dollar Shake, Belly Button, Woodmansterne performing well as did various humorous designs.” Hunch for 2024: “For 2024 I will order more high end luxury boxes and charity boxes rather than charity packs; more large, top quality relations cards and more top quality singles and humorous designs.”

VIEWPOINTS Priya Aurora-Crowe, co-owner of Lark which trades from 19 stores, mainly in London Christmas verdict: “Chaos.” Reveal all: “Card wise it was better than I had expected as I did not order enough Christmas cards and ran out in all stores 10 days before Christmas Day! Boxed cards did the best for us at Lark, followed by charity card packs then lastly singles.” Your approach: “We put our stock Above: Lark’s new Esher store. Above: The Art File Christmas out later then we should have as we cards sold well for Lark. were busy trying to get our Esher shop open in time!” Star performers: “Stormy Knight did very well as did The Art File.” Hunch for 2024: “We remain cautious until we see how sales are from January!”

Mark Janson-Smith, managing director of Postmark, which trades from 15 stores in London, Birmingham and Glasgow Christmas verdict: “Refreshingly fantastic!” Reveal all: “We were blown away by the results. Our new stores on the whole, traded incredibly well. Like-for-like, we ended up around 13% up Above: Postmark had a fantastic Christmas. for December which was a huge relief as sales definitely came later than normal for us and we were tracking down for a period. We normally have our busiest day two Saturdays before the 24th, but had three record days in the last week. The Christmas category as a whole was around 11.5% up, mainly driven by gift wrappings. The demand for gift bags this year was huge! Card volumes were flat with every department selling near on exactly the same number as 2022, but helped by higher price points, we ended around 10% up.” Star performers: “Six of our top 10 singles were from Bewilderbeest, but the number 1 spot went to a Jaz and Baz London design from Below: The top selling Bewilderbeest card Portfolio, which also claimed another in Postmark. two top 10 spots. Museums and Galleries dominated our pack sales with Woodmansterne, Ohh Deer and Caroline Gardner also performing really well while Great British Card Company did well in the boxed category.” Hunch for 2024: “We’re super excited moving into 2024, a handful of refits and hopefully a couple or more new stores.” PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE 37

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SUNSHINE...

Inset: The business climate has improved for indies, but they still need to be prepared for inclement weather!

...AND SHOWERS While the last year’s trading was not sparkling for all indie card retailers, there are certainly more encouraging signs than in many years gone by, with 55% setting their sights on growth in 2024. A strong ‘shop local’ rally call, Christmas card sending back on the up and an average spend increase saw almost half of PG Retail Barometer respondents report business growth in 2023, while roughly a third held the line on the year previous. PG delved into the findings of the only annual survey into the health and wealth of the independent greeting card retailer to find out more about the boons and banes of the last year’s trade as well as areas highlighted as potential to be realised. How Was Business 2023 v 2022?

24% Worse

47% Better

29% Same

The PG Retail Barometer is an annual survey of independent greeting card retailers. This latest survey includes both independent retailers who are Cardgains members (accounting for around 1,000 rooftops) as well as those who are not a member of the buying group. All surveys were completed by 10 January 2024.

What happened to the average spend per customer 3% Declined Significantly

2% Increased Slightly

18% Declined

65% Increased Significantly

12% Remained The Same

Business Boons For the fourth year in succession, the ‘shop local’ drive has served indies well, cited as having been the biggest boon to their trade in the last 12 months. Broadening their selection of gifts came up trumps for many respondents, knocking greeting cards off the second slot as having made the most positive contribution to their trade in the last year. That said, greeting cards were not far behind in third position, continuing to hold their own as a very relevant and tangible way of communicating with loved ones with almost a third of respondents believing that the consumer’s appreciation of greeting cards grew over the last year, and that’s on the back of the Covid years when they saw a huge jump up. Engagement with customers through social media as well as other promotional activities also made a big difference to an indie’s trade.

Continued on page 41

How Has Your Business Fared Over The Last Year? PG looks back at the last eight years of PG’s Retail Barometer data. 2023 v 2022 47% Better 29% Same 24% Worse

2022 v 2021 44% Better 32% Same 24% Worse

2021 v 2020 65% Better 22% Same 13% Worse

2020 v 2019 19% Better 16% Same 65% Worse

2019 v 2018 31% Better 38% Same 31% Worse

2018 v 2017 37% Better 31% Same 32% Worse

2017 v 2016 38% Better 27% Same 35% Worse

2016 v 2015 30% Better 38% Same 32% Worse

PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE 39

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What main factor(s) had a positive effect on your business in the last year? (Previous year’s position in brackets) 1st

The ‘Shop Local’ Support (1st)

2nd

Broadening the Gift Selection (3rd)

3rd

Broadening the Card Selection (5th)

4th

Social Media (4th)

5th

Staff (2nd)

6th

Promotional Activity new

7th

Increasing Prices (=9th)

8th

Improvements in Shop Displays (7th)

9th= Website/Online Activity (=9th)

Business Predictions for 2024 Indies have started 2024 feeling much more optimistic than they were this time last year. Over half (55%) have gone into the new year aiming for growth, 3% expecting their uptick to be ‘significant’. Sensing that the turbulent times are not yet over, 21% are happy to remain on a par with last year while almost a quarter are bracing themselves for a decline. Looking further ahead to the next 10 years the positivity is on the rise, with half of all respondents pretty upbeat about the role of the independent card retailer a decade hence, up 8% since in the last survey. That said, rather depressingly at the other end of spectrum, 34% see a card indie’s long-term future as weak, which is 14% more than in last year’s Barometer.

Expectations for your business for 2024?

9th= New Customers (8th) 10th Working From Home Trend (6th)

3% Major Decline

11th

Local Competition Closing Down (11th)

12th

Shop Improvements/Refits (10th)

13th

Decreasing Prices (=12th)

3% Significant Growth

21% Slight Decline 52% Marginal Growth

14th= Improvements in Service from Suppliers (=12th) 14th= Participation in Online Platforms 21% Remain About The Same

(eg Trouva, Faire) (17th) 14th= Collaborations with Local Businesses/Groups (14th) 15th= Opening an Additional Store/Expanding/Pop-up (16th) 15th= Winning an Award/Resultant PR (13th) 15h= Improved POS (15th)

How do you feel the consumer’s appreciation of greeting cards has shifted over the last year? 3% Declined Significantly

3% Increased Significantly 27% Increased Slightly

26% Declined

41% Remained The Same

The Big Downers The all-encompassing cost-of-living crisis was, for the second year running, the top reason indies cited as having had a detrimental effect on their business over the last year. Postal issues made a huge jump up the list of biggest banes, into second spot, with the hangover of the postal strikes of 2022, increase in the cost of first class stamps and a general drop in confidence over the postal service having a dampening effect on an indies business. Competition of course never goes away and the supermarkets’ improvements in their greeting card displays, plus the cheaper prices from value retailers appealing to those on a tight budget, clearly gnawed away at some respondents’ trade in 2023. Overheads, notably staff costs have made things tricky for many indies, while thankfully supplier issues were less damaging than a year previous…and the Covid word did not make an appearance.

How do you view the future of the independent card shop in the next 10 years? 9% 41% 18% 26% 6%

Very Positive Positive Neutral Weak Very Weak

What main factor(s) have had a detrimental effect on your business this year? (Previous year’s position in brackets) 1st

Cost-of-Living Crisis 1st

2nd

Postal issues (14th)

3rd

The UK Retail Economy (2nd)

4th

Selection of Cards in Supermarkets (6th)

5th

Costs of Staff/Minimum Wage (new)

6th 7th

Selection of Value/Discount Retailers (11th) Competition from Multiples (9th)

8th 9th= 9th= 10th 11th

Empty Shop Units in the Vicinity (10th) Charity Shops Selling Greeting Cards (7th) Consumer Lethargy (-) General Online Activity (=15th) Parking Issues (5th)

12th= Disruption in Supplies (4th) 12th= Business Rates (8th) 13th= Print-on-Demand Cards (=15th) 13th= Rent Review (13th) 14th= People Going Back to Work in Offices (12th) 15th Reduction in Service from Suppliers/ Reps/Agents (=15) Continued on page 43 PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE 41

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Threats and Opportunities With last year’s Barometer coming on the back of the Covid years when supermarkets nabbed a lot of trade from indies, the grocers were cited as much more of a threat to an independent card retailer Above: The online v physical retail battle than garden centres, continues. Cardfactory, Amazon and print on demand card operators. This year it is a bit of a different picture, with supermarkets having dropped back a tad on the threat strength, putting them closer to Cardfactory and garden centres on the irksome front to indies.

This time last year 72% of indies viewed the grocers as a real concern, four years ago only 17% of indies viewed them in this way. This year’s Barometer shows 61% of indies see them as a threat, with half of these going so far as to view them as a serious threat. Cardfactory’s improvements in product selection and retail layout has seen the multiple jump up to be viewed as a threat by over half of respondents with garden centres and Amazon also increasingly seen as thorns in the side of indies. In the digital space, while less acutely felt than during Covid, the vast product selection and marketing muscle has seen Moonpig, Thortful and other print-on-demand operators are viewed as a real threat by 57% of indies, but only 9% of these see them as a serious threat.

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

How do you view Moonpig, Thortful, Funky Pigeon and other print-on-demand operators? 3% Bonus 9% Serious Threat

39% Neutral

30% Serious Threat

40% Neutral

48% Threat

31% Threat

How do you currently view Card Factory? 6% 50% 42% 2%

How do you currently view garden centres?

Serious Threat Threat Neutral Bonus

12% Serious Threat 40% Neutral

How do you currently view Amazon? 15% Serious Threat 39% Threat 43% Neutral 3% Bonus

Growth Indicators The power of laughter and a greeting card’s ability to cheer someone up continues to be reflected in the Barometer findings, with humorous cards once again topping the greeting card charts for indies as being the card category that showed the largest growth over the last year compared to the year previous. Above: 3D cards, such as this new design Other industry ‘stalwarts’ that are from Alljoy Design, signalled an increase. the backbone of many indies’ card racks, that of relations and occasions cards also held firm in the second position for the second year running, with Christmas singles retaining the third slot.

48% Threat

A new entry into the list this year is 3D and pop-up cards, the new ‘special’ cards while blank/non-occasion sends made it into the list of performers for indies. (See page 45).

Appetite for More When asked in which card categories indies would like an increased choice, once again it is more of the funny stuff they are after! After humorous cards, it’s a wider choice of relations and occasions that there is a call for, with a plea for more contemporary designs for higher age cards. While slipping down a place into 3rd slot, there is still a real appetite for more male cards with words & sentiments designs being the 4th card category where more potential is cited. Continued on page 45

PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE 43

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Sharing the fifth spot are 3D/Pop-up cards and art cards reflecting the appetite for higher priced special cards as well as those non-occasion sends. On the specific caption front, more double caption options would be welcome as would more higher ages. And publishers would be barking/meowing up the right tree if there were yet more offered on the pet front, both to and from our furry friends. While there is still an appetite for more minor captions, including cousin, godchildren and great grandchildren, there is also a cry for more generic captions, such as ‘neighbour’, ‘from our home to your home’ and ‘special friend’. It also would appear that there is still ground to be gained on the LGBTQ front across all events.

Which card categories have you seen sales grow in your shop(s) in the last year? (Previous year’s position shown in brackets) 1st

What is your feeling about the number of Christmas cards people sent in 2023? 27% 9% 64%

What do you see as having had the biggest detrimental effect on your Christmas card sales? 66% 15% 13% 3% 3%

2nd= Christmas Card Singles (3rd)

50%

2nd= Relations and Occasions (2nd) 3rd

Easter (8th)

4th

Pop-up and 3D (6th)

5th

Christmas Packs or Boxes (10th)

6th= Hand-finished or Handmade (13th) Contemporary Trend (4th) Art (7th) Words & Sentiment (5th) Diversity and Inclusion (8th)

8th= 8th= 8th= 9th= 9th= 9th= 9th= 10th

Licensed (16th) Mother’s Day (9th) Valentine’s Day (14th=) Children’s (11th=) Father’s Day (15th=) Cute (new) Male (15th=) Photographic (14th=)

Festive Greetings

The cost of postage Consumers seeing the sending of Christmas cards as less important than previously Consumers saying they are making a contribution to charity instead Negative consumer PR Consumers’ concern over Royal Mail delivery

What do you see as having had the biggest positive effect on your Christmas card sales?

Humour (1st)

6th= 7th= 7th= 8th=

More than the previous year Same as the previous year Fewer than the previous year

13% 13% 12% 9% 3%

Consumers moving to sending more higher priced single cards Consumer sentimentality Better designs on offer Your own promotion The GCA #Cardmitment campaign’s activities The longer run up with many schools breaking up on Dec 15

On The Slide The downside of Christmas singles faring so well in the ‘growth league’ is that for many indies this impacted on their Christmas box sales as reflected in their number one position in the list of sliders. On the Spring Seasons front, Valentine’s Day still clearly needs a bit of love as does dear old Dad’s Day.

Which card categories have you seen sales decline in your shop(s) in the last year? 1st

Christmas Card Boxes (1st)

2nd Valentine’s Day (2nd) Below: A best-selling Bewilderbeest Christmas card design.

After the devastation the postal strikes caused on Christmas card buying and sending last year, the Barometer readings on number of Christmas cards sent in 2023 makes for some happy reading, with indies reckoning that 27% of people increased the number of Christmas cards they sent in the recent festive period. Much better than last year’s Barometer when Christmas card sending in 2022 took a slamming, with almost three quarters of respondents (71%) 48% believing that the public sent fewer Christmas cards than they did compared to the year previous. The shift to the public buying more special single cards as well as promotional activities, including the GCA all-embracing Cardmitment campaign, having helped to boost sales of Christmas cards for indies. However, it is the cost of stamps that indies firmly believe was the biggest barrier to people buying and sending more Christmas cards in 2023.

3rd

Father’s Day (3rd)

4th

Cute (5th)

5th= Easter (6th) 5th= Mother’s Day (13th) 6th

Pop-ups and 3D (10th)

7th

Handmade or Hand-Finished (8th)

8th= Children’s (12th=) 8th= Licensed (12th=) 9th= Words and Sentiments (7th) 10th Photographic (9th)

Sustainability Drivers Concerns about the environment and playing their part in sustainability of the planet once again featured strongly for indies in the last year. Changes were made in relation to their product stocking and/or the running of their business on the environmental front in the last year for 67% of respondents. On the product front, reducing the amount of cellowrapped cards came out tops on the sustainable improvements front for Continued on page 47 PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE 45

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indies, with 12% saying they had made the move to not stock cellowrapped cards in the last year. The dramatic decline on the glitter front continues with over half (56%) of respondents noting that they are stocking fewer products featuring the sparkly stuff. Not making it easy for publishers, indies are not united in how they would like their cards to be packaged. While just over a third would prefer them to be naked and nested, a quarter opt for them arriving in biodegradable bags, card clasps are still the number one choice for almost a fifth while cellowrapping still has its fans.

How do you prefer your cards to be packaged? 34% 25% 19% 16% 6%

Naked and Nested In Biodegradable Bags Card Clasped Cellowrapped Paper Banded

Above: A fabulous Oh Squirrel design which features biodegradable glitter.

To what extent do you think environmental/sustainability concerns have impacted on card buying in the last year? 12% 55% 33%

Greatly Marginally Not at all

What steps did your business take in 2023 on the environmental front?

Reduction in Cellowrapped Cards 61% Reduction in Cards/Giftwrap with Glitter 56% Reduction in Plastic bags in the Shop 44% More Vigilant Recycling 36% Expansion of Eco-products Stocked 28% Increase in Cards in Compostable Bags 28% Persuade Staff to be More Sustainable 28% Greater use of Paper Bags 24%

Top Promotional Mechanisms Over The Last Year (Previous year’s positions shown in brackets) 1st

3rd In-store ‘Money Off’/Discount Promotions (3rd) 4th Collaboration with Other Businesses/Programmes (=7th) 5th Charity Fundraising/Community Engagement (5th) 6th= Customer Events/Private Shopping and Competitions (4th) 6th= Leaflets/Free Gift Promotions (6th) 7th Local Press Advertising (=7th) 8th Gift Voucher Scheme (8th)

Sourcing Matters The strong bonds that indies have with their agents and reps as a lifeline to sourcing new products remain paramount, especially as the cost of staffing makes it all the more problematic to leave the shop during trading hours. The power of the catalogues and actual card samples have been elevated, not only the second best way to source products, but viewed as important by 84% of respondents. Irrespective of how they source the products, placing orders online is now a way of the world for indies. Highlighting that a fifth believe service levels from suppliers have improved slightly year on year, some 29% are on the hunt for new suppliers while exactly the same number are looking to reduce their supplier portfolio. The jury is still out for 62% of respondents as to whether they would consider moving to being supplied via brokerage though it’s a reduction in the number who would consider it on a year ago, while 45% still see geographical exclusivity of supply as an issue, but accept that the reality of ecommerce means the consumer can find products at a touch of a button.

How Have You Sourced Products In The Last Year? 1st

Agents and reps (1st)

2nd Catalogues and leaflets (4th)

Removal of Cellowrapped Cards 12%

3rd

Change of Energy Provider 12%

Trade shows and their websites (3rd)

4th= Looking in other shops (6th)

Introduction of ‘Bags for Life’ 8%

4th= Progressive Greetings and other media (2nd)

Marketing Muscle Indies have become even more adept at promoting their shops and the products they stock, with 65% having embraced the potential of various promotional activities, up 7% from 2022 levels.

5th

Publishers’ websites (5th)

6th

Internet platforms (eg Faire, Ankorstore) (8th=)

7th

Cards sent to you (7th)

8th= Word of mouth (8th=) 8th= 9th

What local organisations was your business involved with in the last year? Bira 16% Chamber of Commerce 17% Charities 33% Federation of Small Businesses 14% GCA 19% Just a Card Campaign 16% Local Retailers Group 53% Local Schools 21%

Social Media Promotions (1st)

2nd Loyalty Cards/Loyalty Initiatives (2nd)

Social media (9th) Feedback from customers (10th)

10th Cardgains’ newsletter and website (11th)

If you place orders online, what percentage? 17% 23% 27% 33%

Under 10% Around 25% Around 50% 75% And Above

Right: Online ordering has increased for indies.

Continued on page 49

PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE 47

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How do you view seeing catalogues and actual card samples?

Into which product areas would you like to further diversify? 1st Jewellery (4th)

16% Not important

2nd= Stationery (3rd) 2nd= Sustainable Products (2nd) 68% Very important

16% Important

3rd= Chocolates/Confectionery (5th=) 3rd= Candles/Home Fragranced Products (6th=) 4th Fashion Accessories and Bags (8th=) 4th Impulse Products (6th=) 5th Home Accessories (7th=) 6th= Plush (new) 6th= Sentiment-based gifts (new) 6th= Giftwrappings (8th=)

Do you see your online ordering as likely to increase in the coming year? 40% 57% 3%

Increase Remain the Same Decrease

8th= Pet Products (7th=)

Increase the number Remain about the same Decrease the number

How have service levels from suppliers been over the last year? 2% 17% 75% 3% 3%

Improved Significantly Improved Slightly Remained the Same Decreased Slightly Decreased Significantly

Would you consider being supplied via a brokerage system? 10% 62% 28%

Yes Undecided No

Do you see geographical exclusivity of supply as an issue? 45% 55%

Yes No

8th= Clothing (7th=) 8th= Gardening Products (11th=) 9th= Advents/Calendars (12th=) 9th= Wellbeing Products (7th=) 9th= Bath and Body Products (6th=) 9th= Balloons and Partyware (7th=) 9th= Kitchenware and Tableware (11th=) 10th= Art and Crafting Products (11th=) 10th= Local/Localised Products (10th) RRPs of cards, but the vast majority (74%) would like them to remain at 2023 levels. As for the real price ‘pressure points’, continuing the trend of last four years, indies are most fearful of breaking through the £2.99 barrier, with (shown in order of responses) £3.99, £3.50, £4.99, £2.75, £2.25, £1.99 and £4.25 being the next most sensitive.

In the coming year would you like to see the Recommended Retail Prices (RRPs) of counter cards? 7% Go Up 74% Remain As Now 19% Come Down

In a Word

The Selection Box On the product diversification front, jewellery has jumped into pole position with stationery and sustainability products sharing the silver spot with chocolate/confectionery clinching the bronze, with plush and sentiment gifts joining the line-up for the first time.

7th= Food Gifts (7th=) 7th= Books (9th)

As far as the number of suppliers from whom you order, do you expect to… 29% 42% 29%

6th= Children’s Products (5th=)

There was an equal balance between positive words and negative descriptors in the Barometer question which asked indies to select the word they feel best describes the UK greeting card industry today. The word ‘Vibrant’ came out tops this year on the positive front while it is also seen as ‘Resilient’ though ‘Challenging’ by many.

Below: Belly Button Designs has been savvy in its expansion into stationery, jewellery, gifts and jewellery.

The top ten POSITIVE descriptors… Vibrant, Creative, Collaborative, Resilient, Exciting, Buoyant, Determined, Hopeful, Innovative and Growing

Is the price right?

The top five NEUTRAL descriptors… Eclectic, Adaptable, Surviving, Competitive and Family

In the face of inevitable cost rises battering us from all angles, some 6% of respondents are actively calling for an increase in

The top five NEGATIVE descriptors… Challenging, Worrying, Fragile, Oversupplied and Declining PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE 49

INDEPENDENT CARD & GIFT RETAILERS

Market Leading Suppliers

About Us Cardgains is the largest buying group in the U.K. catering specifically for independent retailers within the greeting card, gift and associated products marketplace. Trading since 1989 we have helped 1000’s of independent retailers to survive and thrive in ever-changing economic climates.

Spring Fair 2024 The Cardgains Village is back at Spring Fair 2024. Our team will be on stand ready to welcome existing members and independent retailers who are not yet enjoying our generous benefits. In addition, many Cardgains suppliers are exhibiting with us, offering special show discounts to Cardgains members.

Cardgains Village

Hall 3 Stand M10-N11 Spring Fair 4-7 February 2024

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Over 90 suppliers covering all categories within greeting card & gift shops

Preferential Trading Terms Member exclusive discounts negotiated to exceed those normally available

Retro Bonus Scheme In addition to negotiated discounts, we offer a retro bonus scheme of up to 2.5%

Monthly Marketing Activity Offline and digital initiatives that support our members and our suppliers

Operational Efficiency Simple order and invoice system that operates on a monthly cycle

Low Membership Costs Our joining fee and monthly membership costs have been held for 35 years!

25 Carbrook Hall Road, Sheffield 0114 249 0333 info@cardgains.co.uk www.cardgains.co.uk

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State of the Nation

Steady As She Goes ‘Adjusting the Sails’ was the title of the State of the Nation article in last year’s PG February edition. Having emerged from the last remnants of the Covid legacy, most were cautiously optimistic about the industry’s prospects this time last year. So, fast forward 12 months, and the industry is doing OK. The public spent £1.5 billion on everyday cards; the GCA’s Cardmitment campaign not only pulled everyone together, but also helped to drive Christmas card sales back up; there has been no major casualty since Paperchase at the start of last year and many retailers are expanding again.

Inset: 2024 won’t all be plain sailing for the industry, but it is resilient enough to weather choppy waters. Below: Cardfactory’s strong financial performance is an indicator of an industry ‘thumbs up’ to how much the public love sending cards. Below middle: The GCA Cardmitment campaign was a triumph in reminding everyone of the joys of sending and receiving cards. Bottom: Despite the cost-of-living crisis, the GCA UK Greeting Card Market Report showed that there was only a very small drop in volume and value.

Looking at the macro picture, the general economic situation in the last year was not great. Economic growth flatlined, and inflation hit double digits early in the year, necessitating multiple interest rate rises. The cost-of-living crisis became very real for millions of British families. The international situation was (and still is) in turmoil, with the ongoing Ukrainian conflict and the escalating hostilities that broke out in the Middle East last October. Looking at the general retail scene, 10,500 shops closed in 2023. Not good, but better than the 17,000 CARDS D that disappeared in 2022. MAK E It was a final nail in the PE OPL L E coffin for Paperchase as a HAP P Y high street name (although (It’s a fact). the brand lives on in Tesco).

The demise left a nasty taste in the mouth of many suppliers who were left high and dry nursing big losses, but it did spark some opportunities for others. Most notable of these was Postmark, whose bold move to double the size of its estate, committing to take on #cardmitment send a card, deliver a smile several of Paperchase’s station sites as well as other high profile units, including in Battersea Power Station and Glasgow, has paid off, and is good news for its suppliers. Other leading indies, including Between the Lines, Lark and Paper Tiger also expanded, while on the multiple front WHSmith and Ryman courted the Paperchase £pound with the unveiling of their Curi-o-city and Ryman Design respective retail concepts.

The giving and receiving of o greeting cards has been provenn to deepen relationships, build b meaningful connections andd help promote our mental health and wellbeing.

Go on... make your #cardmitment to make someone’s dayy Visit www.gca.cards/cardm mitment to ﬁnd out more

PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE 51

Come and see all the latest funnies from Redback at

SPRING FAIR STAND 3R20-S21

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State of the Nation

And the upside of the retail closure rate is that rents have come down dramatically, which is helping retailers, not just with their existing shops, but with their plans to expand. Cardzone, Scribbler and Postmark are among those to have openly stated they are in expansion mode for 2024. Now the retailer’s frustrations will focus on Business Rates, and the fact that now for some, these are higher than the rent, and the rise in minimum wage which come into effect this April will cause a financial headache on staffing costs. While the year has not been without its challenges, the greeting card sector has certainly outperformed many categories,

including gifts, homewares, furniture and luxury brands to name just a few. Our largest bricks and mortar specialist retailer, Cardfactory produced some excellent financial results, which sends out a positive message to the media that they cannot write off greeting cards. Print on demand online card sales seemed to be pretty static with Moonpig, our largest player, struggling to increase buyer numbers. On the publisher side, there have been no major changes, apart from

Above: Many retailers and overseas distributors were there for the official ribbon cutting for the PG Live show last June. Above right: Cardfactory’s coo, Adam Dury shared this encouraging slide at the most recent GCA Conference which showed how card buying is up among youngsters. Right: Postmark doubled the size of its retail estate in 2023, grasping opportunities which opened up due to Paperchase’s demise.

UKG taking over as the broker for Morrisons, an MBO at Nigel Quiney, Hallmark welcoming a new head honcho in Graeme Karavis and Woodmansterne making a move into giftwrappings. Thankfully there has been a bit of a respite with the fall in board prices, and for those manufacturing in the Far East a dramatic drop in the price of container shipping. The biggest relief was that there were no postal strikes prior to Christmas although what Royal Mail’s plans are long term on the delivery front remains a real worry. The worries from the greeting card community that the public would lose Above: GCA council members David Byk (left), of GBBC/Ling, and Cardology’s David Falkner (right), with GCA ceo Amanda Fergusson (2nd right) pushed the industry’s plight to Royal Mail’s Fiona Hamilton and David Gold. Right: Getting MPs on board with the Cardmitment campaign should bode well when the industry needs their support over future issues, including Royal Mail’s delivery promises.

the Christmas card sending habit, not helped by the increase in first class stamps were thankfully unfounded. While it is not possible to quantify the impact the GCA instigated Cardmitment campaign had on resurrecting Christmas card sales, the far-reaching embrace of the activities truly must have helped, from the posters in shops encouraging Second Class stamps, to positive PR, engagement with MPs, care homes, schools, it was a Christmas card extravanganza. And the upside of a decent Christmas hopefully means returns are at a low level, which gives a positive start to the year for publishers and retailers alike. And this is encouraging for Spring Seasons in the next few months. With a bit more love, can the trend of falling sales for Valentine’s Day be reversed? The omens are certainly encouraging. The economy may not go into boom mood, but cuts in interest rates plus a tax cut in the budget should make the situation a little rosier than last year. Creatively the UK still retains its place as the hub of the global greeting card industry as evidenced by the hundreds of international distributors who visited PG Live in June and the huge interest in The Henries greeting card awards which champions this publishing prowess. Our beloved trade association, the GCA has never been in better shape, with a super-engaged Council and a whole programme of initiatives to protect and promote card sending. Sure, there will invariably be some choppy waters to face in the coming year, but 2024 could be ‘steady as she goes’ for our industry. Hoist the mainsail! PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE 53

A stunning collection of charity Christmas packs, bumper boxes, luxury boxed cards and single captioned cards all available to pre-order

www.abacuscards.co.uk

Tel: 01638 569050

Email: info@abacuscards.co.uk

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GCA COUNCIL VIEWPOINTS

opportunity knocks Chris Bryant, joint general manager of Second Nature Opportunity knocks: “The world is a bit of a mess at the moment. As an industry our job is to keep producing the sort of product that reflects the need to share and care. Our designs need to be relevant, bold and beautiful, but still warm and cuddly and our verses need Above: Second Nature’s Chris Bryant at the to be the words that recent GCA Conference people cannot find to say. and AGM. Left: An unwelcome front The GCA needs to ensure cover of a pre-Christmas Daily Mail edition. that card sending is still at the forefront of people’s minds as a way of sending love, keeping in touch and reaching out. We also need to fight, where necessary, to make sure the Royal Mail delivers our cards in accordance with the Universal Service Obligation that it agreed to when it was entrusted with our national postal service.” Key Challenges: “Continued rising costs, due to global economic issues were a significant hurdle in 2023, but the biggest challenge for our industry has been the media messages that started at the end of 2022 and continued throughout 2023. The outrageously negative stories, articles and headlines from many of the TV channels and newspapers to stop sending cards were heartbreaking to see. An industry that spreads so much love and support to millions of people is being damaged by ill-chosen and careless words of attention-seeking bodies and individuals, with little or no thought of the goodwill they’re destroying and the livelihoods they’re threatening. We as an industry, headed up by the GCA, need to continue to fight back and get that message of positivity back on the agenda, instead of succumbing to the doom and gloom merchants.” Wishlist for 2024: “If the good fairy could renationalise the Royal Mail and guarantee an affordable, reliable way of our messages of support, love and hope continuing to get to the people that so badly need them, that would be perfect!”

“Despite the challenges and tribulations for many, associated with trading in the costof-living crisis, our industry continues to remain robust,” said UKG’s Darren Cave, president of the GCA at the association’s recent Conference and AGM. Following on from last month’s PG several more members of the GCA Council air what they see as the industry’s challenges, as well as the opportunities and wishes for 2024.

Sarah-Jane Porter, global design and licensing director of Moonpig Opportunity knocks: “I think from a greeting card industry point of view, ensuring we are embracing new technologies in design and production processes is essential for staying relevant in the market. AI has had a huge impact this year and will continue to do so. At Moonpig we have used AI technology in our ‘Smart text’ functionality to help customers express themselves. From a GCA perspective we need to build on the great things already achieved, including the focus on sustainability, diversity and inclusivity as well as initiatives to connect publishers, retailers, creators and production experts.” Key Challenges: “The economic uncertainties have been challenging, with the fluctuation in consumer spending often resulting in consumers making decisions as to what is an essential purchase. Also, many retailers and publishers have seen supply chain disruptions due to global events, such as the Ukraine war impacting paper supply.” Wishlist for 2024: “Top of Above: The GCA’s participation was a triumph on the D&I front my wishlist would be and reinforced the power of greeting cards. preserving the service and Below: Moonpig is embracing AI to value that Royal Mail gives to help consumers to know what to write in a greeting card. customers to enable it to continue to be accessible for all and to help people connect reliably and affordably.”

PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE 55

bags of fun Reusable shoppers that hold loads of stuff and fold into an attached pouch

1oo% recycled & recyclable trade.rosiemadeathing.co.uk | 0116 4062000 | office@rosiemadeathing.co.uk

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Nick Carey, managing director of Abacus Cards Opportunity knocks: “Our industry needs to continue to innovate to increase its global position as the leader in greeting cards. We need to continue to nurture younger card senders and work on the value proposition of a posted greeting card. For the happiness they give, and work involved, they are truly stunning value. The GCA has a powerful and considered voice which Above: Abacus’ Nick Carey benefits all in our industry, (right) with fellow GCA council member, Brainbox we just need to continue to Candy’s Mark Williams at the involve publishers and recent GCA Past Presidents tribute event. partners to champion our Below: Nick Carey believes that if Ed Sheeran wrote a great industry to the press, cardcentric song it would give a boost to card sending. politicians, retailers and the general public.” Key challenges: “Key challenges are the fallout from the postal strikes in late 2022, the external factors outside of everyone’s control, like interest rates, cost-of-living, rates increases, rent increases and the constant bad news in the mainstream media. This has stemmed appetite for entrepreneurial action and has slowed the footfall to our broadways and high streets.” Wishlist for 2024: “One for the mystical fairy... I wish that Taylor Swift and Ed Sheeran both have huge hits this year with positive songs centred around sending greeting cards.”

Fiona Pitt, head of commercial of Hallmark UK and ROI Opportunity knocks: “I see a lot of opportunity in innovation, giving the customer something really special and unusual that surprises and delights the recipient. In a world that can often seem quite bleak, we are uniquely placed to bring warmth and happiness to people’s lives at an affordable price.” Key challenges: “Like so many industries, the greeting card industry has been impacted by the challenges of a cost-of-living crisis and high levels of inflation. This has put pressure on margins as customers have been seen to trade down in some areas while input costs have risen.” Wishlist for 2024: “My wish would be to make postage affordable for everyone!” Below: Hallmark’s Fiona Pitt (centre) with the GCA’s Adriana Lovesy (left) and fellow GCA council member, Wendy JonesBlackett at a recent association meet-up. Right: A 3D, light up Star Wars Hallmark Christmas card which delivered unexpected delight to recipients.

GCA COUNCIL VIEWPOINTS Karen Wilson, co-founder of Paper Salad and vice president of the GCA Opportunity knocks: “The GCA’s Cardmitment campaign made massive strides in 2023 and really helped both publishers and independents to spread the word on card sending. It is so important that we all continue with this message this year. The GCA has put in place plenty of initiatives and frameworks to really Above: Paper Salad’s help publishers, such as Dragons’ Speed Dating, GCA Locals, co-founder Karen Wilson, vp of the GCA Virtual Coffee Mornings so there is plenty to look forward to.” with Darren Cave, Key challenges: “The industry has progressed massively on the UKG’s customer and channel director who is sustainability front over the last few years, but there are still some president of the GCA. challenges out there with some independents being reticent about going plastic-free.” Wishlist for 2024: “That the industry will continue to flourish and that Publishers will see merit in coming up with original design styles that inspire retailers and the public to buy.”

Seth Woodmansterne, managing director of Woodmansterne Publications Opportunity knocks: “Inflation for 2023 was 7.5%, and in April 2024 the Minimum Wage will increase by almost 10% to £11.44. The rise of costs in the UK isn’t going to stop for a long while, and a new government will not have any magic levers to pull. While retailers are understandably price-conscious, consumers know that any sale below £3 – whether for a greeting card or cup of coffee – makes it increasingly impossible for a trader to pay its staff, rent, rates, heating and lighting. However, when it comes to cards, there is ample evidence from the numerous trials done over the years in many different environments, that the majority of shoppers do not make their purchase based on price. Retailers just need to keep their cool, charge what they have to, and continue to buy creatively. Publishers must support their retailers with exciting and extraordinary publishing that is relevant to shoppers. At under £5, greeting cards remain the single most tangible and cost-effective means of conveying our thoughts and wishes when they matter most.” Above: Seth Woodmansterne.

Brett Smith, managing director of Emotional Rescue Opportunity knocks: “The GCA must keep reminding people to send cards and the pleasure they bring, at every opportunity.” Key challenges: “For many greeting card publishers this would be profitability (as they are being squeezed from all sides) and the Brett Smith (second left) ability to reinvest in product. Product is at the heart of Above: captured in discussion with the GCA’s Amanda Fergusson (right), our industry, but innovation and ‘newness’ does not Moonpig’s Sarah-Jane Porter and come cheap (well it can, but it will be rubbish!). UKG’s Darren Cave. Below: An Emotional Rescue We’re an aging industry (sad, but true) so it would Mishmash card. be great to see more younger people viewing the industry as a serious, long-term career. Our product is nothing without a route to market and supporting retailers is key - they are all little (and big) national treasures. We need to work with the big and small to find products that suit their particular part of the market, being flexible in the way we work to suit each retailer’s needs and being sympathetic to the challenges every retailer is facing.” Wishlist for 2024: “I would wish for a super duper gizmo in a card, that lets the sender see the recipient’s face when they open their card.” PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE 57

Celebrating our 10 th anniversary of inspiring everyday moments of joy with our colourful products. 2024 will see Raspberry Blossom bring more colour, more joy and more success to your retail offering. With over 500 greeting cards and stationery products to choose from, we also have new colourful retail merchandising units perfect for your store. Plus, our new gift and homeware with Widdop & Co. and our new gift packaging with Penny Kennedy will enable you to inspire everyday moments of joy for your store and your lovely customers. Come and see us at Spring Fair Stand 3S25 or contact us for a new catalogue.

raspberryblossom.com • wholesale@raspberryblossom.com • +44 (0)1926 257757

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A taster of some of the wonderful newness on show at Spring Fair.

If The Capy Fits “Will you please do a capybara card?” was a request from Caryn, Earlybird Designs’ agent in the Midlands which is how the fascinatingly social capybara ended up inspiring a completely new range, Capy & Co. The range combines characters full of humour, colour, cuteness, and sarcasm. And, in keeping with Earlybird style, the cards pop with neon colours and an embossed spot UV finish. All the cards are printed on ecofriendly 100% recycled 320gsm board. Earlybird Designs 01227765372 www.earlybirddesigns.co.uk Spring Fair stand 3Q35

Fancy Playing Kaleido? Skin In The Game Tattoo style artwork was the inspiration behind Hand and Flowers, a new range from Middle Mouse. There are 24 designs in the range - romantic roses and positive messages with the thorns on the stems included to add a bit of edge - plus two wrap designs. They are printed on FSC-approved luxuriously matt, thick Callisto board and are accompanied by a white envelope. Middle Mouse 07855 959176 www.middlemouse.co.uk Spring Fair stand 3Q39

There is tons of newness from Ohh Deer, on cards, wrappings and stationery. Among the highlights is a new stationery collection under its new Kaleido brand. The addition of Kaleido moves the publisher into the luxe stationery world. In addition, after a two-year break, Ohh Deer is also bringing back its Riso Prints collection. . Ohh Deer 01509 812075 www.ohhdeerwholesale.com Spring Fair stand 3Q10-R11

Part Of The Gang

Small Is Beautiful

Menagerie is a brand new range from Louise Mulgrew featuring intricate and free flowing illustrations of ‘collections’, including shells, strawberries, insects and lots more. There are 14 designs in the range, all enhanced with some subtle gold foiling, each measuring 115mmx160mm. Louise Mulgrew 01273 783833 www.louisemulgrew.com Spring Fair stand 3R37

Poet and Painter’s newest collection of Mini Cards comprises 40 everyday and occasion designs, in the publisher’s trademark, off-kilter, bold palette. The cards are 90mmx118mm, and are printed on high quality, matt FSC-board. The cards are supplied with a nested FSC Kraft envelope and are blank inside. Poet and Painter 07779 064894 www.poetandpainter.co.uk Spring Fair stand 3R39

Sunny Vibes Hebe Studio is one of Redback’s latest ranges. Featuring the artworks of artist and globetrotter Rhi James, the cards are a visual feast of bold brushwork and bright colours which exude exotic energy. Debuting with 12 designs, the 120mmx170mm arch-shape cards are finished with gold foil details, printed on sustainable board, and are paired with a vibrant sunset yellow envelope. Redback Cards 01752 830482 www.redbackcards.com Spring Fair stand 3R20-S21 PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE 59

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A taster of some of the wonderful newness on show at Spring Fair.

Page Turners Santoro has augmented its 3D Swing Cards collection. Among the new additions is The Book Café design which unfolds flat from an envelope into a vibrant storefront scene. With moving elements and intricate details, it even has a door that opens and closes which is sure to delight daydreamers and storytellers who relish cosiness and the joy of long chats over coffee. Santoro 020 8781 1100 www.santoro-london.com Spring Fair stand 4H27

Life’s Blessings Add To The Wishlist Rosie Made A Thing is helping to keep people organised with its new range of Mini Jot Pads. With humorous motivational quotes, the six new designs complement the publisher’s other stationery lines, such as magnetic list pads and desk planners. Each Mini Jot Pads is 97x97mm in size and contains 50 pages of 100gsm paper. Rosie Made A Thing 0113 406 2000 www.rosiemadeathing.co.uk Spring Fair stand 3P21

Raspberry Blossom is launching over 100 new greeting card designs spanning five new everyday collections - Modern Life, Nurture, Sunshine, Bow-Wows & Meow-Wows and Little Joys as well as additions to its existing collections. Modern Life (pictured) is a collection that finds the funny side of relatable moments in present-day living. Raspberry Blossom 01926 257757 www.raspberryblossom.com Spring Fair stand 3S25

Natural Leanings The Eco-friendly Card Co is launching a new collection of art cards by Julia Crossland, based on Julia’s illustrative mixed media paintings created in her riverside studio in Yorkshire which reflect her observations of birds, wildlife, textures of the landscape and the change of seasons. The 153mm square cards are printed on a 100% recycled textured FSCcertified board, carbon-balanced with The World Land Trust and are supplied either with a compostable bag or naked with a card clasp label, accompanied by a white textured 100% recycled envelope. The Eco-friendly Card Company 01626369269 www.ecofriendly.cards Spring Fair stand 3M52

Christmas Cuteness Jonny Javelin has launched two brand new ranges, Xmas Poppets and Christmas Twilights, as part of its 2024 Christmas collection. Xmas Poppets (pictured) featuring delightful, quaint figures with a nostalgic and whimsical feel. There are two sizes, both with a colour printed leaf insert, with all the designs finished with silver foil, red flitter and embossing. The Jonny Javelin Card Co 01423 563740 www.jonnyjavelin.co.uk Spring Fair stand 3N40

Must Dash Louise Tiler's newest range, Dots & Dashes, comprises 20 designs, each featuring Louise's unique hand-painted illustrations. The cards exude bright fresh colours, eyecatching polka dots and a whole bouquet of attractive hand-painted flowers, all enhanced by gold foil detailing. Louise Tiler Designs 01535 957878 www.louisetiler.co.uk Spring Fair stand 3S11

PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE 61

February 2024 Issue New Releases Full Page PG.pdf

08/01/2024

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A taster of some of the wonderful newness on show at Spring Fair.

Lunar Landscape Nature springs to life in Mimosa Moon, Five Dollar Shake’s latest collection. The 80 designs are overflowing with butterflies and blossom; cherry, peach, lilac and mimosa - pure flower power! Handpainted in peachy hues and brilliant iridescent coloured glitters, each design is finished with genuine crystals. Five Dollar Shake 01424 434062 www.fivedollarshaketrade.com Spring Fair stand 3P31

Winging ItRising To The Occasion

Wishes Granted Museums & Galleries’ stand will be overflowing with new collections of cards, gifts and homewares. Among these is Imaginarium, a new greeting card range based on the illustrations of revered contemporary artist, Emma Frances Grant. Imaginarium debuts with a suite of 12 everyday greeting cards, as well as four Christmas pack designs, featuring images of wildlife, birds and nature with a distinctly mystical atmosphere. A rich palette glows against sombre backgrounds illuminated by flashes of gold foil on textured board. Museums & Galleries 01373 462165 www.museumsgalleries.co.uk Spring Fair stand 3L30-M31

Boxing Clever

Life Stories Paper Rose fanfares Fable as a range that transforms heartfelt messages into whimsical wonders. This enchanting collection of 12 designs features detailed illustrations of woodland animals, each creature telling a story of its own, while rhyming verses add a poetic touch to the sentiments. Each card incorporates gold foil detailing and is supplied with a Kraft envelope. Paper Rose 0115 9860115 www.paperrose.co.uk Spring Fair stand 3M02

As well as lots of gift and homewares products, Meg Hawkins has launched over 130 new greeting card designs, that now all feature in their own catalogue. Joining Meg’s trademark animal card offerings, based on her distinctive watercolours are several new takes, including a full occasions and relations collection as well as a striking age card range. In addition, there are brand new Christmas ranges. Meg Hawkins 078311672460 www.meghawkins.co.uk Spring Fair stand 4K10-J11- 31

For the first time in a long while, UK Greetings is showcasing a new Christmas charity boxed card collection. The range includes designs under popular UKG brands, such as Camden Graphics, Kindred and Boofle. There’s a wide of choice of new designs available in beautiful keepsake boxes. UK Greetings 01924 465200 www.ukgreetings.co.uk Spring Fair Cardgains Village stand 3M10-N11

In A Spin(ner) In addition to launching new designs to its 3D greeting card portfolio, in answer to retailers’ requests, Alljoy Design is introducing a spinner which accommodates both its Message in a Bottle cards as well as its 3D Square cards. Each spinner has room for 12 Message in a Bottle designs and 12 of its 3D Square cards. Alljoy Design 00353 16301213 www.alljoydesign.com Spring Fair stand 3L25 PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE 63

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A taster of some of the wonderful newness on show at Spring Fair.

Join The Jamboree Paper Salad has extended its award-winning Jamboree range with 16 bright and vibrant birthday designs. The new additions are an explosion of colour with a retro feel, featuring shiny foil and embossed details. Printed on recycled board and complete with the publisher’s signature patterned envelopes, the 125mmx175mm cards can be either cello wrapped or sent naked as per the retailer’s preference. Paper Salad 0161 427 0001 www.papersalad.com Spring Fair stand 3R10

Looking For Laughs

In Focus The Art File’s stand will be overflowing with over 420 brand-new designs across cards, gift packaging, stationery and gift products. Among the burgeoning newness is The Bigger Picture, a photographic collection of 21 design which champion the importance of fighting climate change and protecting our planet. 10% of the revenue from the sale of this card range is to be donated to the Cool Earth Action environmental charity. The Art File 0115 8507490 www.theartfiletrade.com Spring Fair stand 3P11

Book Yourself In

Coded Messages Long Live Morse Code is a new card collection from Nicole Elders that was created in memory of her grandfather and in collaboration with the Morse Code Preservation Society to celebrate International Morse Code - the original text speak! Each card features a different shorthand code from International Morse Code, with information on the back of the card about the inspiration and the Morse Code shorthand used on the card. Nicole Elders 07758947384 www.nicoleelders.com Spring Fair stand 3Q47

Noel Tatt is launching two new humour collections. Queens, is the publisher’s new female humour range which comprises 12 designs depicting comical situations from everyday life, highlighting the joys of getting older. Life’s Laughs comprises 12 topical male humour designs. The cards in both ranges are 125mmx169mm, printed on a premium FSC board and are available wrapped or nested with a kard klasp. Noel Tatt 01227 811600 www.noeltatt.co.uk Spring Fair 3L21

Cath Tate Cards will be adding a literary touch to its offering with a new range of hand-illustrated designs by artist Lucy Stephens. Each design in the Lucy Loves Literature range features quotes from beloved classic works of fiction, framed by beautiful illustrations relating to the stories and author. Printed on high quality textured board, each 12cmx17cm card comes with a kraft envelope. Cath Tate Cards 0208 671 2166 www.cathtatecards.com Spring Fair stand3P34

Floral Tributes Day Dreams and Months of the Year Blossom are two new everyday ranges from Jonny Javelin. The Day Dreams designs, covering everyday, relations and anniversaries, are contemporary with a dreamy and airy feel enhanced by embossing, gold satin foiling and a leaf insert. Blossom (pictured) is a floral range featuring watercolour illustrations, with a card design for each month of the year, finished with fluted gold satin foil and embossing with a colour printed leaf insert. The Jonny Javelin Card Co 01423 563740 www.jonnyjavelin.co.uk Spring Fair stand 3N40 PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE 65

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PG Innovations February 2024.qxp_38-39/40-41 19/01/2024 19:47 Page 5

A selection of lovely new ranges and products that have just been launched.

Chicken Licken Favourite Hens is one of the cards in Paper Bird’s new range based on designs by the from gardener, author and illustrator Arthur Parkinson that featured in his memoir, Chicken Boy. Arthur is joined by two other new artists, Joanna Layla and Kate Boxer whose creations now also feature in Paper Bird’s portfolio. All the cards are blank inside, printed on FSC board and eco packed with kraft envelopes. Paper Bird Publishing 020 8613 8085 www.paperbirdpublishing.co.uk

Delicate Touch

Sparklingly Successful Sabivo Design has added 30 new designs to its best-selling range, Bijoux. Launched eight years ago as an experiment range, the popularity of the collection has seen it to grow to over 200 designs. The new additions are open birthday and occasion titles, all hand-finished with signature cup flower sequins. The cards are sized 145mm square, supplied with brown kraft envelopes and wrapped in biodegradable cello bags. Sabivo Design 01858 683 278 www.sabivo.co.uk

Simpatia is a new capsule collection from Rosanna Rossi focused on Thinking of You and Sympathy sends. The range features thoughtfully illustrated designs in a mix of styles – spanning from the traditional through to the more contemporary feel. Each 120mmx170mm card is enhanced with embossing and satin silver foil and are accompanied by a soft white envelope. Rosanna Rossi 07900 698522 www.rosanna-rossi.co.uk

Woof Woof

Animal Prints

In a change of step for I Drew This, as the range name suggests I Drew Dogs is nothing to do with buildings. The range features 25 of the nation’s favourite breeds of pooches all in Ilona Drew’s distinctive colourful style. The cards measure 130mmx178mm and come with a recycled envelope. I Drew This 07813 005707 www.idrewthis.co.uk

Animals of the World is a new collection from ArtPress based on Nancy McKie’s quirky art with a naïve sensibility. Nancy’s signature style features the use of lines and spots and the ‘imperfect’ finish of painting on discarded surfaces such as cardboard. The cards are 150mm square, blank inside and come with an accompanying recycled kraft envelope. ArtPress Publishing 020 7231 2923 www.art-press.co.uk

Smile Please Love Country’s new Selfies range features designs of animals getting up close and personal. The idea is the designs capture animals’ antics if they were left alone with a camera to show off their curiosity. There are 14 designs in the inaugural range, all printed on top quality British board.. Love Country 01502 507352 www.lovecountryuk.co.uk

PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE 67

BEXY BOO FEB 2024

SPRING FAIR Stand 3S36 EXCITING COLLABORATION Nicholas Childs new Mugshots range

5 NEW RANGES Butterfly Beauties Mugshots Lily Loves Because Spring

Polypropylene & biodegradable bag specialists Over 40 years quality service to the trade Hotfoiling also available

GREETING CARD

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18/01/2024 14:57

PG Innovations February 2024.qxp_38-39/40-41 19/01/2024 19:47 Page 6

A selection of lovely new ranges and products that have just been launched.

Well Seasoned Following on from the success of its Opulence greeting card collection and inspired by bold spring colours, AfroTouch Design has created Seasons. The collection continues the publisher’s use of liquid foil lettering and spot UV finish with designs which cover Mother's Day, Valentine's Day and Father's Day. All cards are 150mm square and are printed on FSC board. AfroTouch Design 0208 798 2645 www.afrotouch.design

Annual Events

Ciao Bella New from Hotchpotch London is the Sardinia collection. Hand-painted by one of the publisher’s talented illustrators, the designs bring some warm Italian vibes to the current chilly weather! You can almost taste the oranges and Aperol! Meanwhile, Doodle is a new super-fun die-cut kids’ collection, printed with the brightest of neon inks. Hotchpotch London (CBG) 01243 792600 www.hotchpotchlondon.com

Clare Maddicott is adding eight new milestone age designs into both its Boujee and Indigo ranges, aimed at female and male sends respectively, covering ages 18 to 80. The new Boujee designs feature large gold foil numbers, lots of sparkly details, embossing, and popular themes such as cocktails with sparklers, tiered birthday cakes and champagne gifts. The new Indigo designs include crafts beers, candles, balloons, vintage red wine and celebratory pints with candles. All cards are oversize 5x7 and come with a gold envelope. Abacus Cards/Clare Maddicott 01638 569050 www.maddicott.com

Parental Love

Dib Dabs

Lucy Maggie Designs is spreading the love in the direction of parents. For Mother’s Day is a heartfelt collection for those wanting to send a warming love-filled message to Mum on her special day while sports-themed designs, catering for fans of football, golf, rugby and cricket are on the cards for Father's Day. All the cards are printed on 350gsm textured FSC board, are A6 in size and are available either cellowrapped or plastic-free. Lucy Maggie Designs 07763 239731 www.lucymaggiedesigns.co.uk

New from Lucilla Lavender is Smudges, a cheerful collection of 12 designs featuring cute new characters that bring colourful dabs of paint to life. The backgrounds are soft vignettes which set off the brightly-coloured characters. Finished with embossed spot-varnishing for extra detail and impact, they are suitable for a wide range of ages. Lucilla Lavender 0203 405 1410 www.lucillalavender.com

Stay In Tune Bringing music to everyday living, Say it with Songs has launched a Song A Day Notebook Collection. With different five designs, each A5 soft touch, cloth bound notebook features a QR code printed on each blank page, each of which links to a different music track. Scan each page with a smartphone camera and you can instantly stream the song of the day from Spotify, Amazon Music or You Tube. Each notebook is made up of 196 pages, featuring 96 songs in total. Say it with Songs 07793945182 https://wholesale.sayitwithsongs.com PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE 69

THE GLOBAL GREETING CARD GATHERING OF PUBLISHERS, RETAILERS, DISTRIBUTORS AND SUPPLIERS

PG Live has lots of great retailer fans… “PG Live was SO very good and we came away completely inspired. Everyone we saw brought their A game to the show. There was lots of inspiration, newness and clear points of difference between the stands. We came en masse as it’s such a great show and we see it as important for everyone to come along to see the publishers and all the new product they have been developing and are on working on.”

Sam Ody, lead buying manager of everyday cards for Tesco

“I really feel that PG Live is absolutely the heart of our industry. It’s our absolute favourite show from both a publisher and retailer perspective. There’s everyone there who I love and want to talk to. We really feel looked after - the free tea and coffee, the free lunch, the drinks in the evening - all of these really make it stand out as a show. This kind of connection and community is absolutely priceless.”

Heidi Early, co-owner of Earlybird Designs in Stoke Newington

SAVE THE DATE Don’t miss PG Live 2024

Tuesday 4 June – Wednesday 5 June Business Design Centre, London +44 (0) 7734 111633 www.progressivegreetingslive.com @PGLiveLondon #pglive2024

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“What a show! We love visiting PG Live, as it always has such a great atmosphere – and this year’s event felt particularly inspiring and there really seemed to be excitement in the air! It was lovely to see so many card publishers under one roof, existing suppliers, as well as discovering some new ones. We came away excited and inspired, with a very long list of highlights – the product standard was so high!”

Hazel Walker, senior buyer of Waterstones

A fabulous exhibitor line-up, from brand new start-ups to well-loved brands An upbeat vibe, newness galore - and free refreshments, lunch and opening night party

CELEBRATING THE BEST IN OUR INDUSTRY – THE PRODUCTS AND THE PEOPLE

Registration is now live at: www.progressivegreetingslive.com

18/01/2024 15:59

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Agents’ Revelations

Scores on the doors With TV game shows enjoying something of a renaissance, as evidenced by the warm welcome back Deal or No Deal and Gladiators have received by the general public, PG asked some independent sales agents to put their fingers on the buzzers as to what points mean prizes on their respective scoreboards.

Contestant: Ian Bradley Your Wheel of Fortune: “I cover the Midlands representing Glick, James Ellis, Katie Phythian Design, Lagom Design, Louise Mulgrew, Lucilla Lavender, Paper Salad and Rush Design.” Was 2023 a Deal or No Deal? “Overall, 2023 was a ‘Higher or Lower’ year. Shops had some of their best trading days/weeks and some of their worst too. I would rank my year as a solid ‘8 out of 10 cats’ and think we are finally ready to put the dramas of the last few years into the Dusty Bin. I have plenty of customers reporting increases in 2023 and some reporting decreases. Christmas reports have also been generally very good. So, all in all I am pleased with 2023.” The Weakest Links: “Among the Weakest Links was the weather, at times too hot or too wet. It’s amazing how much both affect footfall. Which leads me on to say that footfall has been and remains definitely one of the biggest challenges for retailers right now.” The Mastermind high scorers: “All my principals did a fabulous job in 2023 and I look forward to working with them all in 2024. I have to say that Glick has been exceptional, and I managed a Record Breaker year. Participating in the Cardgains Charity Challenge was a personal highlight for me too.”

Top: Ian Bradley in his fundraising posing pouch at the end of the Cardgains’ Charity Challenge walk with (right-left) Hugs & Kisses’ Caroline and Jon Ranwell; Presentation’s Andrea Pinder and Lorraine Bradley, founder of Rush Design and Ian’s wife. Above: Dusty Bin was the unconventional prize on the 3-2-1 game show hosted by Ted Rogers.

Your Catchphrase for 2024? “My catchphrase would be ‘Bring it On’. I’m optimistic and ready to build on last year.” Fingers on buzzers: “I would say Golden Balls. I do love a good gameshow and The 1% Club has been a particular favourite. That said if I were to actually get the chance to go on one it would have to be Deal or No Deal.”

Contestants: Jo Bannister and Joanna McFarlane of JJ Agencies “Wheel of Fortune: “We cover retailers in the London area, but Joanna also covers Oxfordshire. We represent The Art File, Emily Nash, Glick, Louise Mulgrew, Paper Salad, Sally Scaffardi, Think of Me Designs and Tipperley Hill.” Was 2023 a Deal or No Deal? “As Above: Eyes down…for Jo Bannister (right) and Joanna McFarlane. the months went by Below: Blind Date has a special everyone tended to be a poignancy for the two Jos. bit poker faced and it wasn’t obvious how well the year would end. Thankfully by December the game ended well with a crescendo of bigger numbers.” The Weakest Links: “Strikes, strikes and more strikes.” The Mastermind high scorers: “Top scorers were Christmas wrappings and a good full run up to December 24th.” Your Catchphrase for 2024? “Limitless wins for everyone.” Fingers on buzzers: “Blind Date.” PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE 71

Stand 4H22 Hooli Mooli Trading Co are pleased to announce a distribution agreement with leading US publisher/design company, Expressive Design Group (EDG) in 2024.

Hooli Mooli Trading Company works with talented British artists, illustrators and designers to offer a range of unique and appealing cards and gifts. RICHARD PARTIS DESIGNS Wholesale Card Range

For further information:

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info@hoolimooli.co.uk www.hoolimooli.co.uk +44(0)7449 318975 18/01/2024 15:13

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Agents’ Revelations

Contestant: Corinne Forbes Wheel of Fortune: “My territory is Scotland and with my two sub-agents the card companies we represent are Belly Button Designs, Five Dollar Shake, Janie Wilson, Molly Mae, Paper Salad, Think of Me, Wendy Jones-Blackett and White Cotton Cards.” Was 2023 a Deal or No Deal? “It’s too early to comment on Christmas as we only started back seeing customers a couple of days ago, but so far I can definitely say it was ‘a Deal’ for us as a business. I am delighted with our figures for 2023. Any customer comments so far have been of very positive Christmas sales and the majority of our customers were happy with the whole of 2023.” The Weakest Links: “I am not very doom and gloom! Everyone has little frustrations or setbacks, but we work in a fabulous industry selling beautiful products and working with lovely talented people – it doesn’t get much better than that really!” The Mastermind high scorers: “I think for me it is becoming so clear that high street retail may be decimated with so many stores closing and empty units appearing which leaves some of our main shopping streets looking very tired. This however is having a positive effect on our independent customers. There are still a huge amount of people who are working from home at least two days a week now. These people are shopping local. It started during the pandemic and I do believe our customers went above and beyond to keep their shops Above: Corinne Forbes is trading in any way they could. These shops are encouraged by the positive effect now reaping the benefit of home workers WFH is having on indies. Below: The 1% Club is the game shopping locally when in the past they worked in show Corinne believes offers her city centre offices five days a week and probably the greatest chance of winning. hardly ever visited their local gift/card shops.” Your Catchphrase for 2024? “To coin a phrase from Bruce Forsyth on the Generation Game: “Nice to see you, to see you…nice” This is what our whole job as an agent is about and as long as customers continue to see us regularly to buy beautiful cards then I’m happy!” Fingers on buzzers: “If I had to participate in a game show it would have to be The 1% Club as this is the only one I would any chance of winning!”

Contestant: Carl Stirk of Carl victor Agencies “Wheel of Fortune: “I cover the North East representing The Art File, Cinnamon Aitch, Five Dollar Shake, Hammond Gower, Mr Mq, Rachel Ellen, Rosie Made A Thing and some smaller publishers.” Was 2023 a Deal or No Deal? “2023 was a challenging year for all with the cost-of-living crisis and people watching how they spent, Above: The whole greeting card scene is a Generation budgeting their incomes to what Game reckons Carl Stirk. they needed and could live Below: Ever the showman, Carl Stirk with his friend Beki. without. Retailers in my area said they have been through two recessions and a pandemic and have never known anything like it, but the show must go on and tough times don’t last, but tough people do.” The Weakest Links: “Retailers were very cautious with their Christmas ordering as they had quite a lot of stock left over from the previous year due to the postal strikes, negativity in the media, the increase in postage costs which sullied the attitude towards the tradition of sending Christmas cards. Thankfully Christmas this year showed it is about tradition and goodwill.” The Mastermind high scorers: “Happy customers and industrious creative publishers. It felt great to have these relationships, sharing feedback and imparting information that had a positive contribution on their businesses.” Your Catchphrase for 2024? “Life is a game.” Fingers on buzzers: “My first choice to host or participate in would be the Generation Game, especially as our whole industry is all about births, marriages, milestone birthdays, retirement and sadly sympathy.”

Contestant: Rosie Trow Wheel of Fortune: “The South West of England with a portfolio of Blockbusters, including Belly Button Designs, Bewilderbeest, Crumble & Core, Emotional Rescue, Glick, Go La La, Janie Wilson, Jellycat, Life Charms, Museums & Galleries, Paper Salad, Redback, Wendy JonesBlackett and Wrendale Designs.”

I also feel that the principals that I work with have helped with ‘the price is right’ and not imposing price increases for 2024 has boasted confidence for the year ahead.”

Was 2023 a Deal or No Deal? “2023 was really a case of just trying to ‘Play your cards right’ and continue to keep the ‘wheel of fortune’ going for both customers and principals. There is always an obstacle cropping up in most towns, whether its road works, scaffolding in all the wrong places and increases in parking in Right: Rosie Trow is well known for playing her cards right. most towns, so keeping customers Below: “We’ll have a C for cards, please Bob” positive was “the name of the is the Countdown plea from Rosie Trow. game”. Every month had ‘The Chase’ to do better than the year previous, which brings a bit of anxiety at the end of each quarter to whether you have reached the ‘Sale of the Century’, but generally I believe it was a positive year.

The Weakest Links: “I think the weakest link in my trading year was me behind the wheel and the ‘Jeopardy’ of driving into what I thought was a puddle and not coming out the other side!” The Mastermind high scorers: “I think the ‘Countdown’ to Christmas with the previous year’s experience of Royal Mail letting the industry down, hung in the air, fortunately the GCA and the Cardmitment campaign was the ‘Tipping Point’ we needed to ‘Strike it Lucky’ with consumers wanting to keep in touch with friends afar and recognising that a 75p second class stamp went a long way.” Your Catchphrase for 2024? “My catchphrase would be ‘Nothing is Impossible’.” Fingers on buzzers: “I would like to be a host on ‘Give Us a Clue’ as it’s funny, full of laughter and nobody takes it seriously.” PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE 73

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Agents’ Revelations

Contestant: Richard Pass Wheel of Fortune: “I cover the North of England and represent Alljoy Design, Dandelion Stationery, Natural Partners, Ohh Deer, Redback Cards and Two Little Monkeys. I also represent Ginger Betty and Lucilla Lavender in the North East.” Was 2023 a Deal or No Deal? “2023 was a DEAL year, however there was a lot of hard work and some very committed retailers and publishers. Most of the shops have reported that overall they are pleased with the year. Christmas was interesting with a mix or early buying or very late buying.” The Weakest Links: “The weakest link was Autumn Fair, with all the negativity surrounding Connect. At least Hyve saw sense to say “goodbye” to that!”

Above: Richard Pass is glad that Hyve has seen Connect as ‘The Weakest Link’ and says cheers to being in Al Murray’s Pub Quiz.

Fingers on buzzers: “This would have to be Al Murray’s Pub Quiz. We travelled with friends on the York to Inverness train, and I set up a pub quiz. By the end of the journey we had the whole carriage playing. Although I do get competitive at pub quizzes, I think Laura at Wild at Heart, Tynemouth has banned me from ever participating in her local one!”

Contestant: Beth Robson Wheel of Fortune: “My ‘wheel of fortune’ is London, representing Charlie Rabbit, Mint Publishing, Museums & Galleries, Real and Exciting Designs, Redback, Special Delivery and U Studio.” Was 2023 a Deal or No Deal? “Customers’ confidence returned and saw a marked resurgence in willingness to stray from the norm. Great new products from all publishers always Top: If it means it put’s her in with a change of winning makes everyone ‘Who wants to be a Millionaire’ Beth Robson is happy happy and last to phone a friend. year was no Above: Answering questions on University Challenge was a pocket money earner for Beth Robson. exception. Christmas was late again but sell through was excellent. So, all in all it was a Deal.” The Weakest Links: “Spiralling costs for the self-employed salesperson coupled with the ongoing closure of beloved independent sites were not good news. The hangover from the postal strikes and the fear they may do it again certainly prayed on people’s minds in the early part of the year. Also tube and train strikes and the continued WFH trend hit sales. The price of stamps was a major topic of concern too.” The Mastermind high scorers: “The feeling of winning new business in the midst of the constant sales war of attrition was a great winning feeling. Plus, finally finding a fabulous place to stay near the NEC after many decades of searching scored some points, but the best was the never-ending joy and happiness I derived from the wit and unexpected kindness of others.” Your Catchphrase for 2024? “Let’s make another appointment.”

Fingers on buzzers: “As a teenager I used to receive 50p from my parents for every correct answer I got on University Challenge so I’d like to host that quiz. I also would also sort of like to appear as a contestant on Mastermind so I could swat up on some bonkers subject.”

Contestant: Brendan Cahill Wheel of Fortune: “I cover Wales and Gloucestershire representing Dandelion Stationery, Glick, House of Marbles, The Original Welsh Candle Company, Tracks Publishing, Woodmansterne, Words ‘n’ Wishes and WPL.” Was 2023 a Deal or No Deal? “2023 was most definitely a ‘Deal’ for myself and my wonderful customers. I started 2023 with the loss of a principal that I had been carrying for five years, having been replaced by a full-time sales rep, but every cloud has a silver lining and I was very fortunate to be appointed to represent House of Marbles for Wales, thereby opening up my little brain to opportunities of its gifts, toys, books, games and puzzles.

The Weakest Links: “This has to be the continued worry and concern of rising costs of mostly everything we need and spend on every day.” The Mastermind high scorers: “It was great how some many members of the public appreciated how important independent shops are to the High Street, meaning some experienced an excellent trading year for 2023 and a bonkers Christmas trade. The Chocolate Box in Llantwit Major, owned by the most remarkable lady, Elaine Smith is a fine example of this. Whether a Royalist or not, the Kings Coronation stood out as a high point. The feelgood factor and happy spirit among customers and celebrated in the fabulous window displays brought a lot of togetherness and smiles to a lot of faces. Signs are that Christmas trade was very good. No repeat doom and gloom caused by last year’s postal strikes in the run up to Christmas. Lastly, the continuous stream of new products from the companies I represent, so important for our customers, was so impressive, all helping to keep the tills ringing.” Your Catchphrase for 2024? “It would have to be: “I have a cunning plan,” from Blackadder which I know is not a game show, but it sums up how I plan to continue to show all my customers the best greeting cards and gifts in the industry to ensure we all to have a successful 2024.”

Fingers on buzzers: “I would have to be on Family Fortunes.”

Top: Brendan Cahill is buoyed up by the consumer’s appreciation of what indies offer. Above: Brendan is a contender to be on Family Fortunes.

PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE 75

THE GLOBAL GREETING CARD GATHERING OF PUBLISHERS, RETAILERS, DISTRIBUTORS AND SUPPLIERS

THE ESSENTIALS When: Tuesday 4 – Wednesday 5 June Where: Business Design Centre, Islington, London N1 0QH Times: 9.30am-6pm on 4 June (1st night party ‘til 8pm) 9.30am-4.30pm on 5 June Tel: +44 (0)7734 111633 www.progressivegreetingslive.com

A fabulous celebration of publishers, retailers, overseas distributors and suppliers, where business meets pleasure Don’t Miss PG Live 2024… Here Are Five Fabulous Reasons why… 1. The Incredible Exhibitors

Known the world over as having the greatest selection of greeting cards, the exhibitor line-up for PG Live 2024 is incredible. From leading established brands through to fresh and amazing start-ups, what an amazing opportunity to meet the people behind the brands and see their stunning new products.

2. Newness Galore and Show Only Offers

Thousands and thousands of brand new designs will be making their debut, with a host of ‘show only’ incentives and promotions to boot.

3. The Upbeat Vibe

PG Live brings everyone together – with retailers large and small, overseas distributors from all corners of the world, sales agents, leading trade suppliers, and a whole array of publishers and other exhibitors will all be under one roof.

4. Loads of Treats

Free tea and coffee for all, a delicious free lunch, opening night drinks party for everyone and a keepsake goody bag.

5. The Wonderful Venue

With its high curved ceiling letting in loads of natural light, the Business Design Centre just doesn’t feel like an exhibition venue. Nestled in vibrant Islington, the BDC is not only easy to get to, but is surrounded by lovely shops, restaurants and bars!

Don’t miss out…just book your free tickets

Registration is now live at: www.progressivegreetingslive.com Call us on +44 (0)7734 111633 Email: jimb@max-publishing.co.uk Follow us @PGLiveLondon #pglive2024

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An upbeat vibe, newness galore – and free refreshments, lunch and opening night party, PG Live 2024 is not to be missed! Here’s just a ‘starter for ten’ of some of the great exhibitors who will be showing at PG Live 2024, all ready to give you a warm welcome… A GIFT FROM THE GODS ABACUS CARDS AFRO TOUCH DESIGNS ALPHA COLOUR ALFF A BET DESIGN ALL SHADES CARDS ALLJOY DESIGN ANTHOLOGY CARDS APPLE & CLOVER APRICOT CARDS ARCHIVIST ARGUS ARRTHI ART PRESS BARE CARDS BELLY BUTTON DESIGNS BETTIE CONFETTI BEWILDERBEEST BEXY BOO BIRD & CO STUDIO BOLD & BRIGHT BRAINBOX CANDY BRIGHT AGENCY CAMBRIDGE CONFECTIONERY CARDGAINS CARDOLOGY CAROLINE GARDNER CAROUSEL CALENDARS CARTE BLANCHE CATH TATE CARDS CHARLOTTE FARR ILLUSTRATION CINNAMON AITCH CITRUS BUNN CLAIRE MADDICOTT COACH HOUSE PARTNERS COMEDY CARD COMPANY CREATIVE SPARROW CURIOUS PANCAKE DANDELION STATIONERY DANILO DEAN MORRIS DESIGNER GREETINGS DEVA DESIGNS DICKY BIRD DINOSAURS DOING STUFF DOTS ALLOWED DYSON DESIGNS EARLYBIRD EAST END PRINTS EMILY NASH ILLUSTRATION EMOTIONAL RESCUE ENVECO FEATHER INK FIVE DOLLAR SHAKE FUNKY ADI GENIALITY ART GINGER BETTY GRACE JACKSON DESIGN

GRAPHITE CREATIVE HALLMARK CARDS HANDS AND HEARTS HAPPY STREET CARDS HEATHER TREFUSIS ART HEYYY CARDS HOLY MACKEREL HYPE IG DESIGN GROUP INFORMA JAMES ELLIS STEVENS JANE BUURMAN HANDMADE JEHANE JEN WINNETT ART JESS HOGARTH KALI STILEMAN KATIE TINKLER KDEE DESIGNS KIRIORI KIRSTY TODD ILLUSTRATIONS KLARA HAWKINS LAURA DARRINGTON LAURA LONSDALE LETTERBOX LANE LIBRA FINE ARTS LIL WABBIT LING DESIGN LION CAT PAPER CO LITTLE ROGLETS LORENZO LOUISE MULGREW LOUISE TILER LOVELY PAPER STUFF LOWLAND STUDIOS LUCILLA LAVENDER LUCKY INK LUCY DRIVER LUCY MAGGIE MARINA B MEGAN CLAIRE MERAKI MICHELLE FIEDLER MIFKINS MIND OVER MATTER N.SMITH NICOLE ELDERS NIGEL QUINEY NOI NOW THEN SUNSHINE OBJECTABLES OH SQUIRREL OHH DEER OLIVER STOCKLEY ORIGAMO PANGO PRODUCTIONS PAPER BIRD PAPER MIRCHI PAPER ROSE

PAPER SALAD PAPER SHED PAPERLINK PAPERSHEEP PBS WAREHOUSING PENGUIN INK PENNY KENNEDY PHIL JARVIS DESIGN PIGMENT PINK AND MINT POET & PAINTER PORTFOLIO POSH PAWS INTERNATIONAL PRETTY LITTLE SCRIBBLES PRINTESS RASPBERRY BLOSSOM REDBACK RICICLE CARDS ROBERT JAMES HULL ART ROSANNA ROSSI ROSIE MADE A THING RUNNING WITH SCISSORS RUSH DESIGN SABIVO DESIGNS SAKINA SAIDI SARAH KELLEHER SAY IT WITH SONGS SHERWOOD PRESS SIGMUND LINDNER SOPHIE BRABBINS STEPHANIE DAVIES STOATS AND WEASELS STORMY KNIGHT STRIPEY CAT STUDIO FREWB SUNSHINE BINDERY SUSAN O’HANLON TACHE TEEPEE CREATIONS THE ART FILE THE CHARMING PRESS THE IMAGING CENTRE THE LAURA WALLACE COLLECTION THE PORCH FAIRIES THE SEED CARD CO TRACKS UK GREETINGS VEB COMPANY VERSED AID WENDY BELL WENDY JONES-BLACKETT WHITE COTTON CARDS WIDDOP & CO WOODMANSTERNE ZOE SPRY

…and this is just the line-up of exhibitors as we went to press, with plenty more in the pipeline!

Want to exhibit at PG Live 2024? We have a few stand options available to suit all shapes and sizes Contact Tracey Arnaud on traceya@max-publishing.co.uk or Warren Lomax on warren@max-publishing.co.uk

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Publisher Focus

Up until eight years ago, David Byk, ceo of Swan Mill had little reason to be interested in greeting cards – masses of disposable tableware, crackers and own brand rollwrap were what filled his days as custodian of running the family business which dates back to 1892. But that was before his attentions were turned in the industry’s direction, buying Ling Design in 2015 and then four years later acquiring GBCC, which together with its giftwrappings business Penny Kennedy will dominate the greeting card hall of Spring Fair. PG ventured to its impressive Gloucester hub to meet him to find out more about the launch of the Ling Design planning side, the strides being made on GBCC’s brokerage, its latest licensing collaborations and how he is among those at the frontline of the industry’s ongoing battle to safeguard deliveries from Royal Mail.

THE BYK’S IN GEAR There was a momentous happening on the Ling Design stand at last year’s Spring Fair when indie retailer Kaye Thurgood, owner of Sincerely Yours in Shenfield and Hornchurch made her impassioned plea to David Byk and PG’s Jakki Brown that the industry urgently needed to really pull together to promote the sending of Christmas cards, rather than just hoping that the devastation caused by the postal strikes in 2022 was just a blip. “David, you can’t just sit back and assume that Christmas card sending levels will return,” said Kaye, securing David’s buy in to safeguard this important festive tradition. That day, Kaye forged the way for the GCA launching the all-embracing 78 PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE

Cardmitment campaign, part of which saw David appearing on BBC Breakfast last Autumn alongside GCA ceo Amanda Fergusson banging the drum for card sending which, having been embraced by so many in the greeting card community, came good. So, when asked what significant event he hopes will happen on the company’s stand at this year’s Spring Fair, David’s business head came into play: “Twice as many orders would be great!” Certainly, there is an enormous amount of new product that will be on show from all three of its greeting card and wrappings brands to tempt retailers. “Bigger, deeper, better,” is how David

Above: David Byk (second right) in the company’s enormous warehouse in Gloucester with the GCA’s ceo Amanda Fergusson and BBC Breakfast presenter Ben Boulos (second left) with a BBC cameraman last October.

sums up the group’s move on all of its brands, with Claire Twigger having worked her magic on the Ling Design and Penny Kennedy new collections and Lucy Ledger now totally in her stride with GBCC’s renaissance. David encourages a healthy sibling rivalry between the two greeting card companies,

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Publisher Focus

Right: Spring Fair to Ling so yes I will see the launch do stir it up with of a revamped Humour Factory the salesforces, range of 50 encouraging designs. competition and to take each other’s lunch if they can!” says David mischievously. Exhibiting for the first time at the recent Harrogate Christmas gift show was something of a warm up act to Spring Fair. “We will be showcasing 2,000 brand new SKUs on What a laugh our Spring Fair stand. We will Since joining as GBCC’s head of creative two years ago, have 1,250 Christmas card Lucy Ledger set herself on a mission to overhaul its entire designs alone. I portfolio, with the revamp of Humour Factory very much hope retailers will Above: As a part of that. be able to see the precursor for its Humour has always been an important part of GBCC, improvements we major presence at Spring Fair, Ling but in keeping with the brand’s remit is to ‘be the whole have made and GBCC package’ Lucy decided to cast the net far and wide, through really exhibited at the launching a competition to find some new funnies. Harrogate drilling down into Christmas and Gift As well as several designs published under licence from essence of each show for the first Bewilderbeest, a new Humour Factory selection of 50 time this January. and every design, Right: Sentiment designs will be on show at Spring Fair. considering the is strong in GBCC Christmas singles sentiment, how this year. feeling that the greeting card businesses have we can add value as well as bringing a newness to our humour received the lion’s share of his time in the last couple of years especially. each with their dedicated own studio and offer and introducing other leading brands “I can’t deny it, greeting cards do get under salesforce. While GBCC’s remit is to be through licensing,” says David enthusiastically, your skin. It has been wonderful to work with something of an allrounder, and the face of the showing how greeting cards really have got both the GBCC and Ling Design teams to not group’s brokerage side (which now involves 23 under his skin. only improve our product selection, but to other publishers), Ling Design is positioned as Swan Mill is a huge business, run from its come up with service solutions that answer a strong traditional contemporary publisher. HQ in Swanley, it produces 30 million retailers’ needs, including the brokerage “When we bought GBCC I was adamant Christmas crackers, sells 35 million metres service we offer through GBCC or the new that it would remain a very separate business of own brand wrapping paper produced in its planning service we have launched as part of Wales facility to the likes of Ling Design,” explains David. “I have also really Sainsbury’s and Tesco, while Brand and deliver enjoyed being active in the GCA Council, its Swantex Asia operation What started as a chat after a GCA meeting has resulted working with other publishers and of course includes a massive Christmas in a colourful collection of stationery products Amanda and Adriana. With the ongoing issues decorations showroom, on from GBCC under licence from Paper Salad. with Royal Mail fighting the industry’s corner on top of its heartland of “We had just clinched the Cath Kidston licence and I was the very real threat of reduced deliveries, now disposable/reusable telling Karen [Wilson, co-founder of Paper Salad] about it really is a time for us all to pull together. It is tableware for both the retail and asked if she would be interested in working with us too not just about our individual businesses, it is and catering trade. on a stationery range. And it has happened, not only that about the industry as a whole.” While David continues to but we are also producing Paper Salad crackers under spin those diverse plates Penny Kennedy!” reveals David. (“reusable these days rather And there is another licensing collaboration involving a than disposable ones”, he fellow GCA Council member as Penny Kennedy will also be hastens to add!), you get the

debuting a collection of giftwrappings based on a licensing partnership with Raspberry Blossom at Spring Fair. These join the group’s other licensing signings, which include Morris & Co, Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen, The World of David Walliams and Rocket68.

Inset: A selection of stationery products from the new Paper Salad range that is being produced under licence.

Right: Having clinched the Best Christmas Box or Pack award at The Henries 2023 for Ling’s Luxury boxes, this year’s collection is a further step on. Below: Debuting at Spring Fair from Penny Kennedy is a giftwrappings collection being produced under licence from Raspberry Blossom.

PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE 79

LEADING THE WAY IN CALENDAR PLASTIC FREE PACKAGING Continuing our commitment to reducing plastic, now nearly 90% of our calendars and diaries are plastic free, encompassing most of our wall and slim calendars, and all desk calendars and diaries. Additionally, all Carousel products are printed on FSC certified paper.

MEASURABLE CARBON REDUCTIONS • Making progress towards our SBTi target of reducing emissions by 46% by 2030. • Anticipated enrolment of 70% of our suppliers in Net Zero targets by 2024. RECOGNITION FOR CLIMATE ACTION! We were among the four winners at the inaugural Products of Change Sustainable Development Goals Members Awards 2023, recognised for climate action, pioneering innovation, sharing our processes, and being the first in our sector to obtain approval for our science-based targets from SBTi.

TO FIND OUT MORE ABOUT OUR WORK IN REDUCING PLASTIC AND OUR DRIVE TO BE A CARBON NEUTRAL COMPANY – SEE OUR WEBSITE FOR MORE DETAILS ON ‘WHAT WE CARE ABOUT’

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THE GRAND PLAN We may be living in the digital age, but there are certain aspects of the analogue world that simply can’t be beaten – and calendars are a prime example. Here PG makes a date with the world of writing appointments on these paper wonders that keep us on plan.

Forget trying to programme your phone with vet’s visits, dentist’s appointments, football training, ballet lessons and all the clashing dates and times of keeping busy lives straight. Despite all the fancy technology and apps which have been invented over the past few

Bearing up Michael Rosen’s classic award-winning British children’s book We’re Going On A Bear Hunt has been a firm favourite with children and parents for many years. Carousel Calendars’ new licence sees an A3 family organiser to will help and bring joy to families going on their own bear hunt.

Inset: Calendars show the road to the future.

years, a decorative paper calendar is still a go-to way of keeping track of who needs to be where and when. And, with all the recent success in making the genre as sustainable and ecofriendly as possible, dramatically reducing plastic packaging, much of the development focus has been on improving the way planners and calendars work in the real world. Adding to its existing range of family organisers Danilo has a new format with The Deluxe Planner aimed at busy households so its four columns have space for each member, along with a To Do pad, stickers and sticky notes on the side giving space for shopping lists and notes. And it’s an approach that’s really working, as marketing manager Claire Bates explained: “Overall our 2024 calendars experienced a positive uplift, with licensed calendars performing exceptionally well. We’re delighted that sales were up on last year and our Christmas Eve sales on

Left: An RHS family organiser from Danilo which accommodates five family members’ appointments. Below left: Emma Ball’s distinctive calendars have a loyal following. Below: Danilo is continuing to score with its licensed calendars as well as on the sustainability front.

calendars were the strongest they’ve been for a few years, showcasing that calendars are still seen as attractive, affordable gifts.” Claire elaborated that positive sales and feedback has underlined

Game on With gaming being very much core to youngsters’ downtime, Danilo is continuing to expand on this front on the calendars side with Minecraft very much part of this, including a plastic-free gift pack.

FLAME TREE CAL EN D ARS

HIGH QUALITY CALENDARS, GIFTS AND STATIONERY

FLAME TREE continue to produce beautiful Fine Art calendars and diaries and are passionate about working with, and publishing new, diverse and upcoming artists as well as promoting museums and galleries across the UK and the exhibitions that they will be holding through the calendar year. 2025 calendars continue to be produced to the highest quality with Plastic Free Packaging and FSC materials.

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Enjoy the black stuff Guinness has been achieving firsts ever since the worldfamous Irish stout was created in 1759 and Carousel Calendars’ new Guinness Firsts title has stunning imagery from the brand’s long history that will appeal to new fans and lovers of the black stuff. that “there is a strong demand from families to have a practical calendar that gives enough space for important notes and activities, and we feel this new format will continue to help serve that organisational need.” It’s slim calendars where Avonside Publishing is making its main move, extending the 2025 range, to expand the company’s diverse collection of subjects – from Porsche and Tropical Islands to the cute capybara!

By the book Museums & Galleries has a new licence with award-winning traditional children’s book illustrator Chris Dunn which includes a 2025 calendar. Chris’ big break was a large commission from Galerie Daniel Maghen in Paris for a series of watercolours based on The Wind In The Willows universe which began his love affair with all things Ratty, Mole, Badger and Toad. Chris said: “I found Kenneth Grahame’s masterpiece a rich seam to mine illustrating an imaginary – alas – world of woodland animals interacting at home, in the trees, city, sea coast, school and even in the air. “Another Galerie DM series commission followed to illustrate Willows properly and I finally became a full-time artist specialising in traditional children’s book watercolour illustration.”

Managing director David Higgins said: “We have experienced a strong season and continue to enjoy a healthy export customer base, even with the difficulties experienced due to Brexit.” For Carousel Calendars, development has included working with even more leading brands as well as increasing its range of photographic calendars. “Our local view range is easily the UK’s largest range of regional

Delightfully slim After a strong season Avonside Publishing continues to enjoy a healthy export customer base and its extended range of slimline calendar titles is perfect with photographic designs for various cities and countries.

Right: Avonside has diverse subjects and a healthy export base.

calendars featuring over 250 cities, counties, areas of special interest and national parks, from Ireland to the Norfolk Broads, Scottish lochs and mountains to the south Devon coast, and much more,” said md Steve Plackett. The bestsellers include Becky Bettesworth’s Seaside Poster Art, Cornwall and Scotland A4 calendars, and the West Country Deluxe, while the slimline style tops sales overall, with the most popular titles being Coast & Countryside National Trust, RSPB Birds, Emma Bridgewater and Kew. Left and below: Seaside Art is one of Carousel bestsellers while the WWF licence chimes with the publisher’s sustainability commitment.

As well as constantly developing the range of products for the UK, Carousel has also been growing its overseas business from £500,000 five years ago to exceed £1.1million in 2023, and still growing from its 1,083 calendars and diary titles across 6m units. On the sustainability front, Steve is proud that 88% of the 2025 range will be in plasticfree packaging, and he added: “We are on

course with our net-zero target. Our nearterm target is a 46% reduction in emissions by 2030. And our target with our suppliers was to have 50% signed up to the Science Based Targets Initiative for net zero by 2025. We’re pleased we will achieve close to a 70% sign up by May 2024!” It’s also a very important matter at Danilo where md Daniel Prince chairs the GCA sustainability committee, and he explained: “We’re keen to continue our great progress on how we can make our calendar range more sustainable. For example, we have redesigned our desk blocks to reduce packaging so that the cover flips over to double up and make a stand for the product.”

Dance to it New for 2025 from Carousel Calendars is an exciting partnership with the internationally-renowned Royal Ballet and Royal Opera House, showcasing stunning imagery in a photo-led deluxe diary and wall calendar.

LOOK AHEAD WITH

DANILOʼS 2025

CALENDAR & DIARY RANGE

As we head into another year, Danilo are delivering an exciting portfolio of calendars and diaries for 2025.

New for 2025 We are consistently reviewing our portfolio of brands and are delighted to introduce some new titles this year. A popular series, which came to our screens in 2022, is Wednesday. After the series’ first week on Netflix, it became the most-watched English language television series with 341.2 million hours of viewership, surpassing the previous record held by Stranger Things season 4 and we are happy to see that a second series is set to launch in November 2024.

Presenting nostalgia with a twist of darkness, comes Steven Rhodes. Focusing on a retro feel, Steven is a graphic artist and illustrator best known for his reimagining of children’s activity books from the 70’s & 80’s. Danilo are excited to have this great brand included in our 2025 calendar collection.

Following the huge success of the Brightside range, Danilo are excited to add ‘The World of Rachel Bright & Jim Field’ to their calendar range. These internationally bestselling, multiaward-winning stories, aimed at ages 2–7, help kids grow, laugh and learn together. Danilo will be adapting the book series into a fantastic calendar, including beloved characters such as The Lion Inside and The Koala Who Could.

Gaming and Anime In a report published by WGSN, the global gaming market is set to be worth over $218bn by 2024 and with 87% of Gen Z claiming they play games daily or weekly, this a growing trend that shows no sign of slowing down. Sonic The Hedgehog is one such example, with the third movie out in 2024, and Danilo will be releasing a new calendar to go alongside our greeting card range. It is also the 15th Anniversary of Minecraft next year, so we will be promoting the official calendar and card range in line with this milestone event. Danilo will continue to publish other popular gaming titles such as Animal Crossing, The Legend of Zelda, Dungeons and Dragons and more. Additionaly, with online streaming services such as Netflix offering an extensive array of anime programmes, this genre has become more accessible than ever before. In line with this, Danilo will be publishing titles for 2025 such as Tokyo Revengers, Jujutsu Kaisen, Spy X Family, Hatsune Miku, One Piece Anime, Naruto Shippuden, Dragon Ball Z, My Hero Academia, Hunter X Hunter, One Piece Anime and Tokyo Ghoul.

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Movies 2024 is another great year for movies. Despicable Me 4 is one highlighted on the calendar, which will follow Gru, his wife, and their adopted kids in the Anti-Villain League. We will be updating our calendar and card collection, creating new designs targeting kids 6-10+. Plus Disney’s Mufasa is another big blockbuster, where Simba is determined for his cub to follow in his paw prints & there will be a 2025 calendar. Beetlejuice 2 is an American fantasy horror comedy film directed by Tim Burton that is set for release in September 2024, as the follow-up to the original 1988 cult hit. Starring Michael Keaton and Winona Ryder, the new official calendar will feature amazing imagery from the new movie. For fantasy fans, The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim is another one that is shaping up to be an epic animated journey for 2024 , which is set in the same universe as the Lord of the Rings films and books.

Danilo will be publishing 2025 calendars for other great movies such as Disney Pixar’s Inside Out 2, following Riley in her teenage years, as well as Transformers One, an animated prequel exploring the origins of Optimus Prime and Megatron.

Sports With the UEFA European Championship taking place in June, Danilo will once again be publishing the England men’s and women’s calendar and card range in addition to the premier league teams. Plus we are delighted to be adding Manchester City to the Danilo range this year. The Rugby Six Nations kicks off the year in February. Danilo will be publishing the official 2025 calendars for the England, Scottish and Welsh Rugby Union teams.

Also taking place in June is the Tour de France, which is always a great watch, and there will be an official 2025 calendar which will showcase imagery and routes from the event. The T20 and the Ashes returns for another year, and so will the England cricket team calendar.

01992 702 900 | SALES@DANILO.COM | WWW.DANILO.COM /danilocalendarsuk

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@CalendarsUK

/danilocalendarsuk

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FLAM E TREE P UB L I SH I N G FLAME TREE are the exclusive distributor for Andrews McMeel, Rizzoli Universe, Abrams and Amber Lotus calendars

High quality calendars, gifts and stationery Day-To-Day, Wall, Mini Wall Calendars, Planners & Diaries

Come and see us at the Spring Fair, Hall 4, Stand B23 Contact us at sales@flametreepublishing.com. flametreepublishing.com 0086_PG February 2024.indd 1

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80 years of Moomin A Scandinavian classic, the Moomins have been captivating audiences with their adventures since 1945 and Flame Tree is celebrating with a selection of 2025 calendars in various formats, each featuring touching colour illustrations of the muchloved characters. “We’re working hard each year to continue reducing the plastic cello wrap used and making our products completely recyclable and, where possible, reusable,” adds Daniel. As part of the latter, a selection of the publisher’s desk easel calendars has pages with perforated edges so they can be easily removed and used as postcards. The deluxe calendars Below: The Eco-friendly Card Company developed its own approach to plastic-free packaging for its 2024 calendars and that will continue with its 2025 versions. Centre: Flame Tree Publishing continues to publish printmaker Angela Harding’s work on calendars. Right: A new Emma Bridgewater six column family organiser from Carousel Calendars.

have also been designed with perforated edges on each calendar page so the prints can be framed and reused, plus its gift boxes with calendar, diary and pen, are made so the boxes themselves can be reused as a keepsake box. After introducing plastic-free packaging two years ago, all Flame Tree Publishing’s calendar formats now have this and are produced using FSC materials, as it continues to work with and publish new, diverse and upcoming artists as well as to promote museums and galleries across the UK and the exhibitions they’re holding.

Familiarity is also a big factor for smaller calendar producers, as their customers know what they like, and like to see their favourites return. Emma Ball updates her distinctive artwork each year for the Coastal and Cornwall calendars which always sell out – “and we never ever reprint”! And at The Eco-friendly Card Co has a trio of photographic titles its customers love, with licences for The Wildlife Trusts, The Lost Gardens of Heligan and Dartmoor National Park, and it’s all guns blazing on the sustainability front. From alcohol-free print, vegetable-based inks, and green energy-powered presses, through compostable bags where used, to everything being made in the UK so it’s easily recyclable, Eco-friendly more than lives up to its name. Whether you’re after the latest Netflix trend, newest pop star, or want to cocoon yourself in a warm haze of nostalgia and favourite views, the calendar industry has proved there’s no sell-by date looming.

Striking landscapes Showcasing 12 striking landscapes mixing Liz Somerville’s print and paint technique, Flame Tree’s wall calendar shows how the artist is drawn to the lie and flow of the land, unexpected colour, traces of past use, texture and form.

Painting an extensive range Flame Tree Publishing is continuing to work as the UK distributor of Andrews McMeel Publishing in 2024, as well distributing AMP nonexclusively throughout Europe. The list for 2025 continues to grow with four imprints in total offering an extensive range of calendars. Amber Lotus covers Katie Daisy’s botanical-themed calendars and diaries; Frida Kahlo’s indomitable spirit, creativity, originality and empowerment; and the Year Of The Witch with symbolic monthly art for reflection and growth. The Andrews McMeel imprint specialises in calendars from Thomas Kinkade, the celebrated painter of

light who is the world’s most widely-collected artist. There are his tranquil, light-infused paintings as well as the timeless charm of the Disney Dreams Collections by Thomas Kinkade Studios. The imprint also has Johanna Basford’s imaginative and detailed works on a colouring planner and calendar, and offers the chance to discover some of the globe’s most extraordinary places in the Lonely Planet collection. You can start each day or month with your favourite characters from the Peanuts gang, and Sandra Boynton offers merrymaking as her exuberant animal characters highlight 365 fantastic holidays for 2025. From the Rizzoli Universe the official Bob Ross 2025 Wall Colouring Calendar features 12 signature landscapes that can be coloured in to create happy little clouds, friendly trees, and powerful mountains, a spiral-bound planner showcases SpongeBob and his world in new imaginative ways. Abrams has Marvel by Thomas Kinkade Studios bringing the universe’s characters, places and stories to life, along with Heartstopper where people can join Charlie, Nick, Elle, Tao, and their classmates from Truham and Higgs as they explore love, friendship, and life in the hit Netflix series – and the 16-month calendar has a bonus poster and six notecards. Far left: Frida Kahlo’s indomitable spirit, creativity, originality and empowerment comes across on this Andrews McMeel calendar from Flame Tree. Left: Thomas Kinkade is the world’s most widely-collected artist.

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Below: An Emma Bridgewater Advent from Caltime. Bottom: Roger la Borde’s signature Pop & Slot calendars.

OPENING DOORS The season of Advent dates way back to the fourth century, but the tradition of marking the countdown to Christmas with Advent calendars and Advent cards seems stronger than ever. PG opens the doors on publishers’ developments and retailers’ views. Big business for small design

“I remember I had a paper Advent calendar when I was young that I packed away every year and I used it again the following Christmas. I got to know the images behind the doors and got excited when I reached the stocking behind door 15 – that meant only 10 days until Christmas Day!” reminisced GBCC head of creative Lucy Ledger, “With the cost-of-living crisis we’re slowing down and focusing on the little things that bring us joy, Advent calendars play a part in that.” Roger la Borde is one company that has built on the public’s joy of having an Advent calendar as part of their festive traditions, seeing its Pop & Slot 3D Advent calendars as one of its “signature Christmas products.” As Helena Maratheftis, marketing manager of Roger la Borde elaborates: “We find

they’re becoming increasingly popular as customers focus more and more on sustainability. They are made from a biodegradable material – cardboard – and can be disassembled after Christmas and reused year after year. We had this in mind when we Above: Marvling Bros’ designed them with big idea for a tiny Advent attracted a lot an emphasis on of interest. durability, as well as looking gorgeous and festive when on display.” Flame Tree Publishing has two new advent calendars for the 2024 Christmas season, welcoming Swedish illustrator Maja Lindberg into its catalogue as well as continuing to work with

From the world’s smallest advent calendar to a jewelleryfilled option coming in at an astounding £100,000, consumer expectations have expanded for these festive staples. Marvling Bros attracted a lot of attention when it unveiled The World’s Smallest Advent Calendar In A Matchbox, which houses 24 magical door-shaped decorations numbered for the days of December leading up to Christmas Eve, all ready to hang on the tree or around the house. Each festivelydecorated door belongs to a character from a fairy tale or Christmas story – from Robin Hood to Sleeping Beauty, the company wants people to guess who lives behind each door and, for extra festive frivolity, there’s a knock, knock joke on the back. “We wanted to create something truly magical, a festive experience that resonates with all ages. It's more than just an advent calendar; it's a pocket-sized treasury of nostalgia and stories,” said Emma Dobie, director of Marvling Bros.

Dog Breeds

Animals

Artists

Bikes

Cars

Flowers

Scenic

Travel

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FOCUS ON: ADVENT CALENDARS

Above: A new Kate Heiss Advent from Flame Tree Publishing. Above right: A new religious design aimed at children from Ling. Right: Ancient and modern scenes from GBCC.

British printmaker Kate Heiss among others. As managing director Frances Bodiam said: “These sticker advents are popular with adults who want to countdown to Christmas – without the chocolates!” Twelve Days of Christmas has a hint of dark amid the colourful art as Maja is inspired by fairy tales, dreams and childhood memories, while Winter Wonderland has an evocative countryside scene where each door reveals

one of Kate’s delightful woodland animals. At Alison Gardiner there’s the Christmas collection from the UK artist and royal favourite, with her bright and colourful paper calendars inspired by quintessentially British festivities and traditions. Her traditional picture advent calendars have been created as a nostalgic nod to the magic of finding a surprise behind each window on December mornings. David Byk, ceo of Ling Design and GBCC sees Advents and Advent cards as “an important category” for the company, which also deliver “a great return for our customers”.

He added: “Both companies have seen real growth in advent calendars and our sellthrough in 2023 was really strong. Ling’s sales were up 40% on 2022 and this is the continuation of exponential growth since we first launched them about eight years ago.” For the coming year customer feedback has been taken on board so there’s an increased SKU count and they’ve looked at who buys advents and what they’re looking for, covering styles from juvenile to whimsical cutes along with traditional illustrations of iconic Christmas scenes. “It’s also incredibly important for our customers to ensure we cover scenes from the religious story of Christmas too,” commented Clare Twigger, head of design at Ling, “from the journey to Bethlehem to a traditional representation of the scene around the manger. And David added: “On top of children’s religious designs we’ve expanded the selection of general children’s Advents as we know this is the target market – these are for those who want the excitement of opening a window every day in December without the need for chocolate for breakfast! “They’re very well priced and I think parents appreciate the fact they don’t have sweets, when opening before school. I think the market for the cheaper paper ones and then the very premium advent calendars that are filled with stationery, perfume, or whatever, continues to grow – obviously, I’d be happier with an alcohol one!”

Advent of tradition Indie retailers share their verdicts on 2023 Advents sales… ■ Miles Robinson, co-owner of House of Cards group of seven Home Counties stores: “We had record sales of advents – we’ve never known anything like it on the advents front, no doubt helped by so many high-profile beauty brands promoting their take on advents.”

■ Sandra Jervis, Creative Cove, Lampeter “Our Advent calendar sales were really strong, particularly the calendar cards. We sell Roger la Borde and Rachel Ellen ones, and I practically sold out them. People love sending them, especially to go abroad as a little gift.”

Above: Exciting options at A Stone’s Throw with the EXiT game advents.

Right: Rachel Ellen’s calendar cards sold out at Creative Cove.

■ Rob Sampson, A Stone's Throw, Sherwood: “We don't sell chocolate advent calendars at all, but do offer traditional card ones, as well as more interesting options. For the third year in a row, we sold out of the EXiT game advent calendars despite increasing our order each year, and Roger la Above: Roger la Borde’s Borde's Pop & Slot advent calendars have Pop & Slot designs did done very well for us for the second year on the well at A Stone’s Throw and Creative Cove. trot. We'll certainly be looking at other exciting advent calendar options for next year to try to capitalise on this.”

■ Janet Ross-Jordan, Cards And Gift Wrap, Isle Of Lewis: “I saw a definite increase in advent calendar cards sales. I only sell traditional advent calendars, both full size and cards. Traditional advent calendars are what Christmas memories are made of. I sold a lot more than usual with sales of the card versions definitely outstripping the full size. With people wanting to send single cards that are special, the advent calendar card market is booming.” ■ Donna Stocks, Beverley Card Company, Beverley “Our traditional card advent calendars sold out weeks before the start of December! We’ll stock more in 2024.”

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Design Focus: Peach Fuzz

FEVER PEACH

Pantone’s pick for its Colour of the Year 2024 is Peach Fuzz, described by the Pantone Colour Institute as a comforting hue 'softly nestled between pink and orange' that expresses a yearning for community and cosiness during uncertain times. PG cosied up to publishers to get their take on how peachy fuzziness is impacting on their 2024 designs as well as asking them to reveal a personal peachy or fuzzy moment in their life. Above: Pantone 13-1023 is deemed the perfect hue for 2024.

Sophie Edwards, founder of Petimo

Above: Sophie Edwards with some peachy loveliness from Petimo’s cards. Above right: Nixie, the ‘Queen of cuddles’ even has peachy-brown fur.

“Peach Fuzz is a warm and gentle colour that’s perfect for spreading messages of love and friendship which are so needed right now with so much conflict around the world. It’s a nostalgic colour for me as I remember back in the 80s peach was absolutely everywhere, including my childhood bedroom walls! It’s a favourite

of mine because it’s a cocooning cosy colour which is a gentle reminder to be kind to ourselves and others in 2024.” On the cards: “I was already using this peach tone in my bestselling Wonderful You range so I’m happy to be introducing more. In my new Little Notes collection, Peach Fuzz features as a warm backdrop to a simple design where text is the focus. Also, brand new for 2024, Camille is a feminine and flowery range in a palette of peachy shades.” Peachy moment: “I have plenty of Peachy Fuzzy moments with my Cavalier, Nixie. She loves being in our shop, where she has a bed behind the counter. Every time she fancies some attention she comes out and says hello to our customers who are always charmed by her sweet personality - she’s an absolute peach!”

Georgi Doig, director of happiness of lil wabbit On the cards: “While designing our newest collection, Numbers, Letters and Animals, I focused carefully on the colours, as a beautifully complimentary palette has become a staple of our ranges. As always, I picked out individual colours from screengrabs of my favourite films. This is something I started doing last year while missing my old career in the movie industry as it gave me a fabulous excuse to spend the day rewatching my favourite scenes by Wes Anderson and other colour-experts directors.” Above left: Georgi Doig was colour inspired by her favourite films. Left: A peachy tone was chosen for lil wabbit’s new Happy Birthday Sister card in its new Numbers, Letters and Animals range.

92 PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE

Louise Pike, director of Crumble and Core “It has been a challenging few years for all businesses to navigate with so many factors that have been completely out of our control. I think we are all looking to 2024 to be more peaceful and easier to navigate. Translating this into colour, Peach Fuzz in essence perfectly reflects those sentiments in its calming, tranquil and peaceful qualities.” On the cards: “We have set a lot of our designs on a peach background as it works so beautifully with Jilly's [Mercer] soft watercolours.” Peachy moment: “A sentimental peachy moment for C&C was reaching our seven year milestone of being in business. I think that when you run your own business you rarely get a chance to stop, let alone pat yourself on the back. Anniversaries give you a little moment to be reflective and to actually acknowledge how far you’ve come and be proud of how you’ve grown.” Left: Louise Pike (left) with her co-directors Jilly Mercer (middle) and Lucy Rigby. Below: A Crumble & Core boxed card.

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Design Focus: Peach Fuzz

Liz Ellis, studio manager of Abacus Cards

Lucie Cox, lead designer of The Art File “I think peach fuzz is appropriate as a Colour of the Year as it is a nod to the kitsch nostalgic trend that is going to be prevalent for 2024. The colour embodies a feeling of warmth, nostalgia and happiness, which is very much needed in the current economic climate. “ On the cards: “Hints of this colour have been seen in various mood boards we have been creating for both SS24 and AW24. The design team feel this colour can replace the pops of sweet pinks that were huge with Barbiecore and create a fresh, contemporary and more unisex colour palette. We feel this colour will be huge for spring seasons, such as Valentine’s and Mother’s Day.” Peachy moment: “My one-year old, Elowen, has just learned what a kiss is, and without prompting I will receive little pecks on the cheek from her – it’s definitely a cute, warm and fuzzy moment!” Above left: Elowen looking peachy! Above right: Lucie Cox is a fan of Peach Fuzz. Left: Peach contrasts well with navy on this Natural Phenomenon card from The Art File.

“Peach Fuzz is an appropriate ‘colour of the year’ for 2024 as it represents warmth, softness, and kindness. This kind of warm and cosy colour is a muchneeded antidote to the current unsteady political and economic climate. It feels safe, inviting and calm.” On the cards: “We have recently introduced some stunning new relations designs into our Clare Maddicott contemporary female range Boujee, where we have tied the Peach Fuzz colour with a more vibrant palette and gold foil to give a sense of cheerfulness and joy. In Abacus Cards we have also just launched some beautiful Christmas designs for 2024, featuring a similar colour to Peach Fuzz to add softness and warmth to the female Christmas offering. Peachy moment: “A ‘peach fuzzy’ moment in our lives recently was when our team delivered Christmas cards to a care home, where the residents were able to choose their cards to send to family and friends. We spent time chatting to residents and helping them to write messages inside the cards. The team met some wonderful characters and delightful staff members, and it felt like such a wonderful way to spread Christmas joy.” Above: Liz Ellis in a care home helping residents write their Christmas cards. Left: A design from Clare Maddicott’s Boujee range.

Heather Williams, trends strategist; Ruth Turner-Blood, head of writing and Jessica Lovelace, head of marketing at Hallmark “Peach Fuzz is described by the colour experts as a ‘heartfelt peach hue bringing a feeling of kindness and tenderness, communicating a message of caring and sharing, community and collaboration’. This makes it a true colour manifestation of what the greeting card category is all about…the need for people to connect with and care for others. The soft, warm and welcoming tone was chosen to embody our need for empathy and compassion in times of turmoil. It serves to remind us of the importance of being close to others and nature – with a nostalgic and tactile quality we all crave in our increasingly digital worlds. It embodies a whimsical, evocative quality that taps into nostalgic sentiments, serving as a gentle reminder of the power of cherished memories to ground individuals and provide solace in the face of adversity. It also holds a lightness that feels positive and future-focused.” On the cards: “As a tone to be used in our creative palette, it has the ability to blend as a neutral while also

enhancing earthy tones. It appears across our product portfolio, from classic Forever Friends designs to our contemporary Doodly Doo range. Its comforting essence makes us want to reach out to touch it. Not only that, but as conversations around sustainability and environmental conservation gain momentum, the choice of Peach Fuzz serves as a visual reminder of the need to protect and cherish our natural surroundings for the benefit of future generations.” Peachy moment: Jessica Lovelace: “I enjoy many peachy moments with my little girl, who is actually called Raya Peach Lovelace.”

Above: Raya Peach Lovelace in a peachy jumper practising her drawing! Left: A Forever Friends’ card from Hallmark that exudes peachiness.

PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE 93

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Design Focus: Peach Fuzz

Rebecca Green, creative director of Raspberry Blossom “I think this year the colour of the year is softer to reflect how everyone wants a calmer existence. This peachy hue definitely gives this feeling of tranquility and calm.” On the cards: “Even though Raspberry Blossom is known for our brights, this peachy hue is a colour we use in our palette to soften and calm things down, so the designs have a luxe and sophisticated feel to them. I love how this colour looks Above: Peach features in this with a more vivid orange or design from Raspberry pink, or paired with different Blossom’s Sunshine range.

shades of green. The colour is a feminine one which I love and has a lightness to it which I think will work on many products. Plus, I just love the fun name!” Peachy moment: “The world has become such a fast-paced environment and everyone has forgotten to look after themselves. I know this resonates with both Mark [Green, Rebecca’s husband and business partner] and I, so our resolution for 2024 is to prioritise ourselves, plus enjoy some hobbies and give ourselves some breathing space to feel more refreshed…more peachy moments ahead.”

Sally Hamilton, co-owner of Happy Street “Peach Fuzz is appropriate for 2024 as it’s a colour neutral alternative to a strong pink and a gentle tone that sits so well with contemporary olives and ochres. It’s also so warm and welcoming, particularly at 2 degrees today!” On the cards: “For Spring 2024 we have indulged in a myriad of playful pink and perky peach tones which will warm the coldest heart.” Peachy moment: “Fuzzy moments happen daily when I gaze at Dusty, my peachy-hued Labradoodle.” Above: Sally Hamilton with Dusty. Right: Two new Happy Street designs reflecting this peachy passion are Money plant from the Secret Garden floral range and Tea, a cute friendship card from the Apple Tree Lane range.

Rani Moochhala, founder of Paper Mirch “I think Peach Fuzz has quite a unique quality of being a lovely colour on its own as well as being a great neutral which can be paired effortlessly with other colours to create stunning combinations.” On the cards: “I have incorporated tones of peach across all my product ranges - block print, marble, as well as my new range of deckle cards. Paired with gold, peach looks very regal indeed.” Peachy moment: “I actually think this is such a wonderful and calming colour, that I recently got my bedroom painted peach!” Above right: Peach features in Paper Mirchi’s greeting card collections. Right: Rani has selected peach paint for her bedroom walls!

94 PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE

Luka Webb, senior designer of Redback Cards “I believe Peach Fuzz has been chosen as the 'colour of the year' for 2024 due to its warm and comforting undertones that symbolise hope, optimism, and a fresh start. In a world seeking solace and connection, this delicate hue reflects a desire for positivity and unity in the upcoming year.” On the cards: “Our brand-new range for 2024, Hebe Studio, hits the mark with its peachy tones. The exotic landscapes feature warm sunsets and tropical flowers in varying hues of peach to create designs that transport your imagination across the globe.” Peachy moment: “Winning The Henries 2023 Best Humorous Range award for a fifth time was a fantastic achievement for our company. This recognition not only reaffirms our commitment to crafting witty and delightful designs, but also serves as a testament to the dedicated team behind our humour ranges. It is a ‘peachy’ happening that celebrates not only our success, but also the enduring spirit of humour that connects us with people around the world.” Above: Luka Webb is in the pink about peach! Below: A design from Redback’s new Hebe Studio range.

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Design Focus: Peach Fuzz

David Nichols-Rice, director of Ricicle Cards “Peach Fuzz is a great colour of choice for 'colour of the year' because in my opinion, it's gender-neutral. It's a beautiful tone and if it's paired with the right caption, it's perfect for all ages.” On the cards: “I use this colour a lot in my greeting card collection. In one

design, I even went as far as to use the colour to complement a birthday card with an illustration of a peach and hand-lettered on it reads 'hope your birthday is peachy'. It's a great seller for me because it's fun, tongue-incheek and a great all-rounder.”

Above: A full on peachy design from Ricicle. Above right: A design from Ricicle’s new Beautiful Bunches range.

Ella Rose Frere, founder of Ella Rose Frere “I love peach, it is such a lovely warm and optimistic colour which I think is a lovely way to think of 2024. It is a fresh and feminine alternative to pink which compliments so many colours making it such an exciting new shade to work with.” On the cards: “When I design new collections, I like to use a focal colour to build a colour palette around that gives each range its own unique feel. One of my new ranges for 2024 is Peach Pink, which has been so much fun to use as a softer alternative to pink. I really enjoyed pairing the peach with shades of terracotta and burgundy to develop some really exciting new designs that still feel playful, but with a sophisticated edge.” Peachy moment: “Peach always makes me think of my wonderful grandmother (Patma) and after losing her just before Christmas last year I couldn't think of a more perfect way to remember her than creating a range of designs focused around her favourite colour. She was a prolific card sender and loved seeing what new designs I had for her to send to friends and family so she has been very much in my heart while developing this special collection.”

Lucy Nicolson, founder and creative director of Lucy Maggie Designs “Peach Fuzz is such a warm colour; I get strong early summer vibes from the colour and it transports me back to drinks and food in the park with friends. It is a much needed positive, healing colour in the aftermath of the Covid world.” On the cards: “We're working the Peach Fuzz colour palette into a selection of card and print designs for release in 2024, in particular Thinking of You cards and motivational prints.” Peachy moment: “A peachy moment has to be finally quitting my graphic design role to focus on my card business and illustration work full time. Since having my daughter in 2022, my perspective on life has shifted - and the amount of time to work on non-child related activities has significantly reduced. So far, it has been the best decision and I don't regret it for a second. I hope for lots of great new things for Lucy Maggie Designs in 2024!” Above: Lucy Nicolson with daughter Cora. Below: Peach is on the cards to feature even more prominently in Lucy Maggie Designs’ ranges.

Above: Peach makes Elsa Rose Frere think of her beloved grandmother. Right: An array of Elsa Rose Frere designs.

PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE 95

14-15 MAY 2024 BUSINESS DESIGN CENTRE ISLINGTON, LONDON

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Marking Milestones

Moments In Time

Being an industry whose very raison d’être is to mark all of life’s moments – not just hatch, match and dispatch – it is fitting to celebrate some of the notable company anniversaries which are happening this year. PG asked a handful of celebrators to share some of the significant moments in their business’ evolution as well as their plans to mark the milestone.

10th Anniversary of… Raspberry Blossom Rebecca Green, director of Raspberry Blossom is planning a lot of cake eating this year… Potted history: “I have always wanted to run my own design business, I had grew up with my parents running a jewellery design and manufacturing business so it was always something I aspired to do. After leaving university I bought the domain name ‘Raspberry Blossom.com’ with the intention to set up a company one day. Fast forward ten years of working in London in marketing agencies, about to turn 30 and settling down with my now husband Mark, I thought if I didn’t set up a company then, when would I? I have always loved stationery and greeting cards. I have a memory box from when I was a child and inside are greeting cards from special moments in my life. They have such meaningful messages and are written by my friends and loved ones. In the crazy modern tech world in which we live, the power of the handwritten note should not be underestimated. A folded piece of card has the power to bring a smile to people’s faces by spreading messages of love and joy and furthermore, create special memories and moments through the connection of people. So, in 2014 we launched Raspberry Blossom - the home of joyfulness!”

Top right: Rebecca and Mark Green kicking off Raspberry Blossom’s 10th anniversary celebrations. Above: The company’s Leamington Spa warehouse. right: Nurture is just one of the publisher’s new ranges.

Significant moments: “We will always remember our first large order in our first year of business - it was from Waterstones for just over 30,000 cards. Mark and I were still working full time then and I remember receiving the email from the buyer Claire [Quinn] and thinking how on earth are we going to fulfil that?! We roped in all members of my family and packed the cards on my parents’ dining room table (as our one bed studio basement flat was definitely not fit for purpose!) then had to get the pallet picked up at the end of my parents' pebble drive in the rain! It was a logistical nightmare, but it gave Mark and I the belief that we could make the business work. In 2017 both of us quit our other jobs and put everything into our business. It was also the year we got married so it was a crazy time in our life. Mark would take our cards on his bike around London to existing and potential stockists. Another significant step was getting our own warehouse and moving to Leamington Spa. We moved in just over two years ago and it has really focussed our business and allowed us to put a lot of structures in place for the future!” Marking the milestone: “We are inviting our customers to celebrate our 10th birthday with cakes and bubbles on our stands at trade shows this year. We are also going to feature a tombola where if you place an order at the show you get to spin and pick a colourful ball, which will be a number of free cards on top of what you have just ordered. Plus, we have over 100 new products launching at Top Drawer and Spring Fair, across five new everyday collections. We will also have lots more for our Summer launch at PG Live, ideas for which are already swimming around in my head! Not only is there growth with our greeting cards and stationery, but also with our licensing partners. Widdop & Co. launched the everyday home and giftware collection at Top Drawer of which I am super proud with more to follow. Penny Kennedy is our new licensing partner for giftwrappings, with the collection launching at Spring Fair and I have finalised Christmas 2024 which will be launching soon too. PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE 97

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Marking Milestones

We also have a new website which should be launching later this Spring that will really help our customers with ease of ordering and supply them with all the necessary information and imagery they require. On a personal level Mark and I will reflect on what we have achieved in the past ten years and what we want the future to look like for Raspberry Blossom. Oh, and we’ll be Above: The licensing partnership with eating lots of cake!” Widdop & Co takes Raspberry Blossom into Fave design: “Ooh they are like homewares and gifts. Right: One of Becky’s fave cards. my children so it’s too hard to choose! One is from our children’s collection Zoopa Doopa. I designed these when I was having PGD IVF to conceive Reuben and at the

time it was lockdown, so I was traveling from Norfolk to London for treatment. I drew the collection while on my train journeys and it really helped me forget everything and just enjoy drawing. I love how punchy the colours are almost looking like we have used special neon inks. We have introduced three new designs into this collection this year which I love.” The next chapter: “Raspberry Blossom’s mission is to inspire everyday moments, one colourful product at a time. While our vision is as exciting as it is broad, we know that the next chapter will bring more in the way of product diversification, building a strong inspired team in Leamington Spa, bringing a more balanced life with our family and business and having fun every step of the way.”

40th Anniversary of Cards n Things, Hellesdon Paul Southgate runs Cards n Things with his wife Helen continuing the retailing legacy started by his parents. Potted history: “It all started back in 1975 when my parents David and Ruth Southgate decided to close their building firm and start something completely different, a shop selling toys and gifts, called Hellesdon Toy & Gift Centre. It was a very popular shop, but was very hard to manage with the amount of stock. As the years went on the small greeting card section within the shop got larger and larger they decided maybe it was time for a change of direction and focus more on greeting cards with a small selection of gifts and partyware. Over a family dinner we had a discussion and in 1984 the business Cards n Things was started.” Significant moments: “In 1995 I joined mum and dad in the business from college and started to learn the ropes. In 2004, drawing on Dad’s building experience we undertook our first significant refit with all the family helping. In 2012, Helen and I took over the running of the business although initially Helen was still very much involved in our other catering business. Then came 2020 and lockdown! It was then we decided it was time to focus on one business and Helen came into the card shop full time. We made use of the three months lockdown to completely refit, rebrand and update the shop again. The shop has such a loyal customer base with customers traveling to the shop from surrounding towns as they know they will always find the right card and gift. We have expanded by adding some lovely gift lines that complement our wide selection of greeting cards and

Above: The contemporary fascia of the shop. Right: Paul with his mum and dad and Tatty Teddy.

98 PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE

Left: Paul and Helen Southgate with Paul’s parents David and Ruth in the shop as it is today. Above: The early days.

work hard on our social media which has really helped reach more customers. We’ve also invested in solar panels to cut down on our impact on the environment and it’s great to see card companies doing the same by reducing plastic and looking at alternatives.” Fave designs: “In the early years, the business went from strength to strength as the choice of greeting card ranges grew. The popularity of cute brands, Forever Friends and Country Companions and then later Carte Blanche’s Me to You made a major contribution to our business. Nowadays there is such an incredible array of ranges with the brilliant publishers and designers keeping everything fresh.” Marking the milestone: “We are going to plan a special day at the shop to celebrate its 40 years, with plenty of giveaways and prizes throughout the year.” The next chapter: “It’s now 40 years since the shop opened and while we have seen certain ranges and phases come and go we see no decline in the popularity of sending cards with people recognising the power of this kind gesture. We are so grateful for the hard work Mum and Dad put into the shop in the early years as they built the reputation for great customer service and quality of range that we like to believe we are continuing. It really is such a lovely industry of which to be a part. Here’s to the next four decades!”

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Marking Milestones

40th Anniversary of…Paperworld Suzanne Mizzi, managing director of Paperworld, a leading greeting card distributor in Malta for many UK publishers, shares her journey so far.. “Greeting cards are a life-long passion for me, having fascinated me from a very young age. I remember, back in those days, the Christmas cards, decking and decorating every corner of the house and them forming part of any occasion. I loved cards so much that I always dreamt of working in the industry. My first real opportunity came while I was working as a secretary. Going through a UK business directory, I spotted an advert from the Medici Card company looking for overseas agents for their cards. I posted a letter to their representative, Norman Dodd who then came to Malta to meet me. It was the opportunity I needed, and that’s when my amazing 40 year greeting card journey really all started. In order to import greeting cards you needed to be granted a special licence from the trade department, but despite being only 19 years old, I was determined and so I got my licence and started my business. I had no car, but had great determination, resilience and loads of passion. I travelled by bus showing my few samples to shops. As with all new businesses, it was not easy, but my enthusiasm prevailed and I soon added Museums & Galleries’ and Paper House cards to my Medici offer. These are brands that I still represent, even though they have changed ownership since I started carrying them. Business in those early years was done after my normal working hours and on Saturdays as I still had to keep my full-time job. It was only later, when my business grew and I had my family that I could afford to dedicate more time to it. Today we are a team of five, but I still handle the sales.

Left: Suzanne Mizzi is celebrating 40 years of her Maltese greeting card business, Paperworld. Below: Suzanne is still very passionate about cards.

My first real breakthrough came in the early 90s when I attended my first trade fair, the Spring Fair. I still remember the awe I felt seeing all those greeting card publishers’ stands. It was back then that I managed to start representing Talking Pictures and later Ling Design. Handmade cards were an innovation that my customers loved, even though they were pricey. When demand for handmade cards waned, the market for verse cards started increasing. This created an opportunity that proved to be another pivotal moment in my journey. I started to represent companies such as IC&G, Nigel Quiney and Grassroots who all had such cards, which were very well received in Malta and their demand remains very strong today. During my 40-year long journey I have met some incredible people. After my initial meeting with Mr Dodd, I met others who have inspired and motivated me to achieve more, including Peter Reichwald, Robin Littman, Ian Bant and Simon Elvin, to name a few. My journey would not have been so successful had it not been for my suppliers, past and present, that have supported me all the way. I accept that 40 years sounds a long time, but when you do the job you love, you never have to work a day in your life.”

30th Anniversary of…TMS Vincent Schumann, commercial director of Tailor-Made Studios International, is quite rightly proud to be banging the drum for the Netherlands-based business that was set up by his father three decades ago. Potted History: “TMS has come a long way since my Dad, Ron Schumann set up that small Dutch company who sold cards in a few countries in Europe. Here we are three decades on and we’re now producing around 80 to 90 million greeting cards a year as well as high end stationery and other products, selling to companies in 40 countries around the world. I feel privileged to have grown up with the business, working alongside Dad until he

retired five years ago. It is rather lovely that we still have 38 customers who have been on board since the company started.” Notable Changes: “You cannot ignore the huge strides that have been made on the sustainability front. The days of producing cards covered in glitter or flitter are now gone, but what is exciting are the new sustainable Above left: Vincent Schumann, commercial materials and finishes director of the business. Left: The TMS stand at Ambiente will mark that we are able to the start of the 30th anniversary celebrations. use to make the Above: Ron Schumann, the founder of TMS in 1993. products special. Our latest collections, for example feature vegan leather, linen and cold foiling while the effects that can be achieved on the lenticular front now is incredible. PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE 99

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Marking Milestones

The ways of communicating with customers have also moved on immeasurably during TMS’ history. Our new Virtual Gallery is a case in point. Developed for us by a computer games specialist, this online tool means that customers can do a ‘walk through’ of our ranges, creating a wishlist as they go. Design styles are constantly changing and different markets have different tastes though several European countries are now responding very positively to UK design styles, which is great as in addition to our team of 20 designers we also work with Carte Blanche/Hotchpotch

and more recently Laura Darrington Design to offer their designs.” Marking the milestone: “We will be kicking off the celebrations on our stand at Ambiente. Even though Dad has officially retired, he will of course be there to celebrate and to see our 800 new products that will be on show.” Left and Right: In addition to the new vegan leather and linen cards (pictured), TMS’ wide product portfolio also includes wooden cards, 3D lenticular cards, handmade cards, sound cards, high end stationery collections (pictured) as well as Christmas packs and boxes.

10th Anniversary of…Tache Pennie Bryant, co-founded Tache with her partner Frankie Nicholls a decade ago and like Pennie herself the company has enjoyed many different looks over the years… Significant moments: “In just ten years, Tache has taken some giant leaps. Frank and I often find ourselves awestruck – a decade? It feels like only yesterday that we sent PG our handmade fox card. Perhaps the Above: Pennie and biggest stride was Frank are always up making our entire for a celebration. Right: Tache’s range of greeting licensing tie-up with cards fully recyclable. Heinz saw the company reach the This move wasn't just finals of The Henries 2023. good for the Below: Tache is launching its first environment; it felt Elmer licensed range right, echoing our at Spring Fair. commitment to the planet. And then, within just half a year of starting up, we found ourselves in John Lewis, a milestone that marked our entry into the world of premium retail. Now, we're creating exclusive gift and stationery collections with them. Our journey didn't stop at design. We set up a complete operation in the UK, handling design, manufacturing, and fulfilment. Not only did we go global, but we also managed to do so profitably, all from under one roof. By 2017, we had moved into our first dedicated premises, and a few years later, we hit a major

sales milestone, selling over a million handmade cards in a year. The heart of Tache is our team. We started small, but now have 16 employees and a family of 45 remote workers who are central to our operations. Our collective efforts have been recognised with several industry awards, notably our first in The Henries 2019 in which we won Best Handmade Card Range. Above and below: Tache has developed gift ranges for John Lewis and Next. Along the way, we've formed incredible partnerships and licensing deals with well-known brands like Smiley, Movember, Unilever, Heinz and Elmer. And how can we forget when our cards caught the eye of superstar Adele, making national headlines and capturing hearts!” Marking the milestone: “We are hoping to celebrate our 10th anniversary in style, with a big colourful Tache Party.” The next chapter: “Looking ahead, Tache aims to continue forging dynamic partnerships and licensing agreements, with the dream of collaborating with Disney.”

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Treasure troves Greeting cards have long played a leading role as the most easily accessible works of art, spreading joy both through the images that they grace as well as the messages written inside. PG caught up with some publishers who re-present all manner of licensed treasures which raise awareness of these venerable institutions and brands.

Museums & Galleries Museums & Galleries was founded in the mid-1980s and right from the beginning worked with two giants of the British heritage scene, the Victoria and Albert Museum and the British Library, with both remaining core to the company’s activities today which spans greeting cards, gifts and homewares. M&G has added a lustrous roster of some the UK’s biggest heritage names, including the British Museum, Tate Gallery, Natural History Museum, and Transport for London as well as lauded contemporary artists and designers. Eddie Clarke, licensing manager of Museums & Galleries highlights some key evolutionary stages of museum and heritage licensing that is reflected in the company’s product development: “Since 2013 repeat pattern – notably the classic textile and wallpaper heritage of the V&A spanning the last four centuries - has helped drive an explosive growth in various aspects of M&G’s product output. Working with the larger museums we are privileged to have access to almost bottomless archives which effortlessly deliver just the right image to suit the current market. There are different standards pertaining to each museum, and we are fastidious about respecting each museum’s IP, and cooperate closely with the museum curators and the product development teams within the museums' licensing departments. Notably, the V&A has a founding mission to inspire, and V&AE actively seeks innovation and creativity within the products it licences, so we have broader creative parameters than, for example, a fine art gallery like the Tate which needs living artist’s (or artists’ estate’s) permissions to publish. Over the years, the larger museums especially have grown hugely in sophistication, with many actively researching and responding to commercial trends as they emerge.” Any new Museum & Heritage licensed ranges? “Yes! M&G’s foray into organic cotton products goes massive in 2024 with the launch our new kitchen textiles products and also a small range of cushions. Designs are spearheaded by our licences with the V&A and British Museum.” Your fave museum, gallery or heritage site? “My degree was in medieval architecture, and to this day I am thrilled by ancient stonework, whether a ruined castle or a majestic cathedral. I think Durham Cathedral is awesome for its truly magnificent setting as well as its historical importance.” 102 PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE

Above: A greeting card display in the RA, one of the many galleries to have appreciated the value of licensing their artworks for greeting cards. Left: Eddie Clarke. Below: The V&A remains a core licence for M&G. Bottom: Museums & Galleries’ stand at PG Live 2023 which showcased many of its licensing partnerships.

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Focus on…heritage and museum licensing

As a greeting card publisher, you really rattle through imagery and we soon ran out of suitable subject matter and needed to approach the museums themselves for repro rights. I remember pleading to allow us to select details of paintings, and saying: “If we print the whole picture on the back as well, would you then let us crop it for the front of the card?” Thankfully the stuffy rules soon melted away. In the early 90s we were approached at a trade fair by two enthusiastic women from the newly created V&A Enterprises, who asked us to have a special licensing arrangement with the museum, something which lasted for 15 years. Other major licences have followed, including the Ashmolean Museum, Sanderson and The National Trust.”

Woodmansterne Publications Interpreting culture through visual imagery has been at the core of Woodmansterne Publications since its inception in 1953 when Graham Woodmansterne founded a business specialising in colour slides from many heritage sites. This evolved into a greeting card business which broke new ground in challenging historic practice by featuring just a detail of a masterpiece. Its current licensing partnerships with National Trust, Ashmolean Museum and Sanderson continue the company’s links with treasures of the past to appeal to the tastes of today. Paul Woodmansterne, chairman of Woodmansterne Publications reflects on the past four decades: “In the 1980s, museums were very picky over artistic integrity and visual authenticity. When licensing images for reproduction, they would only allow the complete image to be reproduced, but we wanted to pick out interesting details. It was a little like Radio 3 always playing complete movements of classical music, whereas rogue Classic FM was happy to play just the best bits.

Blank Inside

Flora and fauna are depicted in this range of cards to celebrate the beauty of our much loved countryside. The National Trust has been looking after wildlife and habitats since 1895 and, with your support, it’s a job they will continue for generations to come.

nationaltrust.org.uk

A minimum of £55,000 will be given to the National Trust through

the sale of products in this range.

Produced by Woodmansterne Publications Ltd under licence from The National Trust (Enterprises) Limited (a subsidiary of The National Trust for Places of Historical Interest or Natural Beauty, a charity registered in England & Wales, number 205846).

GREETING CARD

©National Trust Images/Joe Cornish

card, ink, varnish all recyclable as paper

D 70

ENVELOPES - 100% RECYCLED

ArtPress Publishing ArtPress has worked in collaboration with The Royal Academy and The Courtauld Collection, publishing a collection of cards and wallets. Linzi Russell Watson, director of ArtPress shares how these relationships have developed: “Adding licensed museum collections to the ArtPress portfolio felt like a natural fit. We started with a small RA range back in 2014. Since then, it has expanded annually with everyday and Christmas products. In 2021 we added The Courtauld Collection to our portfolio. Our licensing expansion chimes with the recent uncertain times, recession, Covid etc. There is a two-pronged reaction to art, the familiarity of classic imagery provides comfort that life continues and the brand new challenging artwork enforces the feeling of a bright new horizon. Both the RA and The Courtauld have embraced making their artwork

Printed at the Croxley Press Made in the UK

5 015877 4 1 4 7 3 2

Top left: Since 1995 the Woodmansterne Art Conservation Awards have seen approaching 100 paintings conserved and many bursaries granted. Paul Woodmansterne pictured with one of the many post grads who have benefitted from a bursary from the Woodmansterne Art Conservation funds. Above middle: One of the designs from Woodmansterne’s Sanderson range. Left: The front and rear of a National Trust card from Woodmansterne which helps to spread awareness of the organisation and the joys and importance of card sending.

contemporary and suited to the current market. This is seen in the layout, font and the introduction of bold colour on the backs of the cards and the wallet design.” Your fave museum, gallery or heritage site? “I have a complete soft spot for the V&A. I worked there for a while, have donated vintage clothes (Dior, Balenciaga etc) and shoes from a collection of over 100 pairs of stilettoes and have even been spotted in an exhibition about street fashion. Nothing makes you feel so old as being a museum exhibit!” Above: Some ArtPress licensing products on display in the RA shop. Right: Products from The Courtauld Collection from ArtPress.

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In our experience the Morris & Co. studio make considered adaptations of archival documents to bring William Morris’ designs and artistic vision to new audiences. Always in dialogue with their rich past, Morris & Co remains in line with Morris’ vision of beautiful, quality design for everyone today.”

Ling Design and GBCC Ling Design and its siblings GBCC and Penny Kennedy are have recognised the merits of welcoming licensed brands into the group portfolio, with Morris & Co at the Clare Twigger, head of creative at Ling Design relays her views: “We feel so privileged to be awarded the licensing partnership with the Sanderson group for Morris & Co. Over time we have evolved the Morris brand from our greeting cards from Ling Design to include our premium gift packaging from Penny Kennedy and taken the brand onto stationery through our sister company GBCC as the brand recognition of Morris & Co. has grown year on year.

Your fave museum, gallery or heritage site? “I am a member of the National Trust as I appreciate the beauty of our landscapes, architecture and landmarks in the UK. We have so much history in the UK and I am so grateful that the National Trust is committed to preserving this.”

The Pattern Book Press The Pattern Book Press has licensing relationships with Wellcome Collection, The Garden Museum, Science Museum and The Royal Entomological Society.

Top: The Pattern Book’s co-founders Nick Crowe and Neil Baber. Above: Anatomy is a two-sided design from The Pattern Book’s Wellcome Collection range.

Nick Crowe, director of The Pattern Book Press shares his thoughts: “Much of the Wellcome digital archive is in the public domain and we’d already been using some of their images on our cards before we met them and formalised our relationship becoming an official licensing partner. Working within the heritage sector and its charities we feel the added satisfaction of supporting and publicising these great institutions through royalties and donations. We’re particularly delighted to be working with The Royal Entomological Society, whose support for the study, practice and understanding of insects and insect science is especially important for the nation’s threatened biodiversity. We take it as a compliment that all our licensors have allowed us the creative freedom to alter works in tasteful ways which respect and celebrate the original artworks.”

Your fave museum, gallery or heritage site? “We love libraries at The Pattern Book as there’s always something just waiting to be discovered. The Wellcome Collection library in London was crucial in launching our business, particularly for research into our colour theory range back in 2015. However, two libraries I love are The London Library in St James’s Square and The New York Public Library. The first I used as an unofficial office when working as a freelance writer. It has the most beautiful collection of art history books, and the literary output of its thousands of members over 180 years (including Charles Dickens and William Thackery) and their contribution to culture is phenomenal. The online archives of the New York Public Library we’ve trawled many times and are amazed by the quantity and quality of its collection. It was established in 1895 on ‘the ideals of free and open access to knowledge and opportunity for everyone’ and now has 92 locations across the city.”

104 PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE

Above: A Morris & Co card design from Ling Design.those in Ghana.

Portfolio A pioneer in photographic art cards, Portfolio has also forged licensing agreements with The National Gallery, The British Museum and now also The National Galleries of Scotland. Jayne Diggory, founder and managing director of Portfolio shares her take: “Since gaining the licences from The National Gallery and British Museum over seven years ago, we have grown the ranges so that they now form a very important and integral part of our core everyday and Christmas ranges. In the last few years, licensors have really wanted to focus on more design-led and innovative products which has helped these brands appeal to a wider audience. This has meant we have been able to adapt the designs intellectually and sympathetically to produce a more commercially-viable product.” Any new Museum & Heritage licensed ranges launching in 2024? “We will be officially launching The National Galleries Scotland range at Spring Fair 2024.” Your fave museum, gallery or heritage site? “North Yorkshire Sculpture Park, a stunning huge 500 acre setting with amazing modern and contemporary sculptures.” Above right: One of the designs from Portfolio’s new range based on a licensing agreement with the National Galleries of Scotland. Right: Portfolio’s Jayne Diggory and David Corner (right) with indie retailer Rohit Patel of Paper Art at PG Live.

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Lagom Design Having built up a strong reputation for contemporary design-led greeting cards from a portfolio of revered artists, a few years ago Lagom took an aesthetic licensing leap into the archives of the Royal Botanic Gardens Kew and then Warner House. Kelly Hyatt, creative director and founder of Lagom relays the whys and the wherefores: “Our Kew range has been a great success and has undeniably propelled us to a new level. Our licensing partnership with Warner House, another heritage brand with a rich history has followed, allowing us to reach a whole new audience. It's imperative for brands, both new and old, to stay relevant and embrace innovative ideas. Kew chose us over two other major greeting card publishers who had Above left: A Kew design from Lagom. Above right: One of the new designs from Lagom’s Warner House collection. Left: Kelly Hyatt in front of Kew’s famous glasshouse.

pitched for the licence because of our ability to apply new creativity to the brand.” Any new Museum & Heritage licensed ranges launching in 2024? “We are producing more Kew and Warner House products, and our upcoming product line will include roll wrap and stationery.” Your fave museum, gallery or heritage site? “I loved visiting Centre Pompidou, Palais de Tokyo and Musée d'Orsay when I lived in Paris. I found a tremendous amount of inspiration in them all.”

The Art File and Tall Boy Prints In addition to many longstanding licensing agreements with contemporary artists, The Art File and its sibling prints company, Tall Boy Prints, has licensing agreements with English Heritage and V&A. Father and son duo Ged and James Mace, md and sales & marketing manager share their thoughts: “We have always viewed heritage collections as complementary to The Art File gallery, and so we were thrilled to partner with English Heritage on a collection of greeting cards which we launched at the PG Live show last year.

Our sibling prints company, Tall Boy Prints has held a V&A licence for nearly two years now, and it’s absolutely fantastic to be able to work with such an iconic institution in our field, with the result that we now have over 60 prints available under this licence. Regardless of the pedigree of the heritage property, most brand owners now have relaxed their approach to translating their works onto greeting cards. First and foremost, the cards need to be commercial and further to this we felt there was an opportunity to take inspiration from the English Heritage assets, rather than just ‘cut and paste’, to create a new vibrant collection which would appeal to a wider audience. Similarly on wall art with Tall Boy Prints we partnered with the V&A to take inspiration from the likes of Alice in Wonderland and William Morris. Both wall art collections retain the essence of the originals, but are modern and contemporary and therefore have appeal to a new audience.” Any new Museum & Heritage licensed ranges launching in 2024? “We are launching English Heritage roll wrap and gift packaging this month. We also plan to launch some more everyday English Heritage cards at PG Live in June this year.”

Above: The Art File’s James Mace (left) with Adam Bass of Golden Goose (licensing agent for English Heritage) at PG Live 2023 where the inaugural range was launched. Left: Some of the English Heritage range from The Art File.

Your fave museum, gallery or heritage site? James: “I love castles. I am a huge fan of medieval history, and an avid member of English Heritage, as it’s one of the only organisations that works specifically to upkeep and restore the history of England, one castle at a time.” PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE 105

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Aesthetic Foraging

Art Source

A hark back to traditional techniques which exude authenticity, imagery of decadent desserts, retro hues and foraged and folkloric treatments are just some of the trends predicted by experienced design bellwethers. Hot on the heels of last edition’s smorgasbord, PG serves up a second helping of the cultural drivers of our creative tastes for 2024.

Hannah Curtis managing director of Creative Sparrow “It looks like we are in for another tumultuous year. With worldwide displacement, disruption, political tensions, and a growing fear of inevitable events an uncertain anxiety is yet again changing the way we think, act and react. Drivers include the very real fear and Above: Hannah Curtis subsequent reaction to climate change, the believes we will be screaming out for a rise of AI and economic uncertainty while also feeling of calm this year. Below left: Pure artistry grappling with the fear of ‘tipping point’, the will be appreciated, such as by fine artist Cordelia need for individuality and familiarity, as well as Hutchison (represented a scream out for calm.” by Creative Sparrow). Here Hannah shares her trio of trends…

Traditional Authenticity “Traditional art will be a key trend in 2024, a way of breathing new life into long forgotten techniques as a direct backlash and reaction to the rise of AI. There will be a longing for art that has been obviously created, whether digital or through a traditional medium; we will want to see the creative behind the creation. This is a direct link to the emergence of AI-free zones which will be a trend in 2024, with creatives making the viewer aware that their designs were ‘created by humans’.”

Soula Zavacopoulos founder of The London Studio “Nostalgia for the past is something many consumers rely on when the future is uncertain, while others turn to escapism and playfulness. From countries battling wars, to the cost-ofliving crisis, soaring inflation and a turbulent economic and political climate, there is a lot of discontent at present. In such uncertain times, people are drawn to aesthetics that provide them with familiarity and comfort. Nostalgia for the Above: Soula Zavacopoulos believes past grows, and consumers are drawn to imagery the yearning for the safety of the past will be which help build feelings of calm and comfort. prevalent in 2024. Right: A pair of designs Similarly, artworks which evoke escapism are also from The London Studio popular, as consumers look for ways to escape which re-present the past for today. the realities of difficult times and feel uplifted. As such, trends for retro design and nostalgia will continue to grow in 2024, with iconography from across the decades 60s-00s mixed

Right: Green and retro hues on artworks from Ginger Deverill (xxxx) and Julia Cornelius (xxxx). (All represented by Creative Sparrow). Below right: Flowing typography by Letters from Julia. (Represented by Creative Sparrow).

Nostalgic Hues “Nostalgic colour palettes and the continued love of all green hues seen in 2023 will be very visible in 2024, with a nod to the nostalgic eras of the 1970s to 1990s, bright combinations paired with peachy hues eventually ending with hints of brown. Both calming and familiar, these palettes recognise attention and emotion, two important social aspects at the forefront of our minds in the current climate.”

Tackling Typography “We will also see a lot of new and exciting ways to tackle typography. This is another reaction to the rise of AI and a need to stand out as a brand, with handrendered fonts and calligraphy being key in 2024. Users will want to find new ways to come across as authentic and unique in a world where so much of the ‘same’ is seen across brands and retail. Bold fonts as well as a take on the classic, such as a compressed serif gives a stylish take on a constant and nostalgic typeface.”

together to create fun, nostalgic and tongue-in-cheek visuals. Similarly, seaside and coastal themes will be popular, as they are both nostalgic and uplifting.” Soula elaborates on three trends…

Nostalgic Retro “Nostalgia for the past is something consumers rely on when the future is uncertain. Particularly targeted at Gen Z and Millennial consumers, we are going to see more iconography from across the decades 60s00s, creating fun and playful visuals. We will also see more pattern and playfulness in design. Retro themes and fluid wavy designs are popular, with wiggly graphics and hand-drawn type give a whimsical carefree feel and a nod to the past.” PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE 107

Visit us at Spring Fair NEC

Stand 3R42

4 - 7 Feb 2024

Fantastic new stock colours and sizes Ask us about our bespoke stationery manufacturing

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Art Source Food & Drink “In uncertain times, people look for connection and for comfort of the familiar - as such, the joy that our favourite food and drinks bring will be a big inspiration this year. Food and drinks are often central to celebrations and connecting with others, so images of decedent dishes, fruits, desserts, baking and drinks will be more prevalent. Fruits will be getting a makeover to appeal better to contemporary tastes. We are starting to see more cheeky personifications, such as fruit characters, unnatural colours and interesting layouts.”

Folklore Escapism ““People are looking for escapism and playfulness in design. The comfort of folklore and the natural world bring both calm and escapism in one, with popular themes including magical worlds, myths, legends, fairies and gnomes, as well as the natural

Vicki Thomas founder of Vicki Thomas Associates “The rarer a greeting card delivered by the postman becomes, the more highly is it valued. It is that design on a card on the doormat that speaks for us. A card is a silent hug. It has to say a lot,” says Vicki. Having looked across fashion, interiors and the gift industries Above: Vicki Thomas says cards to see how wider societal changes are will become ever more special. Below right: A Gellie Design by reflected in the narratives underlying the Geraldine Millett which Vicki feels echoes the Spruced Up trend. images and designs, Vicki shares a Bottom: Vicki feels this Isobel handful of trends she predicts will Bushell design from her Edge Wood range as a new approach be in evidence in 2024… for a birth announcement.

Spruced Up “Spruce is a story about forest greens, natural materials, environmental concerns. But is also about being spruced up to prepare for the unexpected. So, we expect the green and neutral hues from fashion to come though into crafting and also into greeting cards. The gravitation to look back to the Arts and Crafts movement or Scandinavian design will continue. Words are minimal with patterns such as simple stripes and textures that express a calm order.”

Am I Dreaming? “In a seeming contrast to Spruce, Am I Dreaming? predicts that we will see designers and consumers using AI programmes and their own imaginations to create or purchase something they see as unique for their loved one. ‘Vuja-de’ is a term coined by George Carlin to describe “the strange feeling that, somehow, none of this has ever happened before” even though it has already happened many times over. There will be an urge to look for their special way to express very simple messages like ‘I love you’, which are profound to the purchaser.”

Right: A feast for the eyes from The London Studio’s portfolio. Below: The folkloric magical lure will be strong as evidenced by these designs from The London Studio family of artists.

world - woodland creatures, mushrooms, flowers and botanicals. Designs are not sticking to the rules when it comes to folklore-inspired art in 2024 though - while we will see intricately-detailed florals across many designs, they’ll often be combined with more playful layouts and more bold, dynamic colour palettes.”

Forage “There will be an urge to buy vintage or antique, may be foraging for old images from packaging Above: Vicki sees Washed Up and advertising. Forage is a term that will Cards’ designs as part of the not be confined to the natural world of the Forage trend, incorporating bits plastic collected as a result of hedgerow. Greeting cards will continue to ofcombing riverbeds or beaches. feature add-ons - pencil sharpener shavings, beach plastics, dried leaves and flowers for example. Cards that look handmade or crafted using traditional skills and techniques will feature strongly. Letterpress, lino cut, watercolours, techniques with depth and texture that a computer can only mimic will win out. Consumers will want to show an appreciation of artistic skill even if they do not have the creativity themselves. They want to show they value art, nature and their friends and family.”

Biodiversity Celebrated “Looking forward to spring and summer 2025, we expect positive images of biodiversity and the natural environment to feature highly. Sir David Attenborough’s BBC television programmes have proven themselves to have an influence on greeting card design. Endangered animals like the orangutan represent the inter-connectiveness of life on earth. Or closer to home, images of British wildlife, those that visit our gardens and or we see on countryside walks will continue to have appeal. Images linked to days out and travel that embrace a oneness with nature and celebration of life will resonate.” Right: Vicki cites Isobel Bushell’s orangutan image from her Go Wild range and as well as GeraldineMillet’s Swallowtail and lemons design reflecting the Biodiversity Celebrated trend.

PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE 109

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PG ASKED A SELECTION OF RETAILERS FOR THEIR BEST SELLERS Michelle Cardy, co-owner of Trinkets & Treasures, Warwick. A card and gift shop located in the oldest part of the city. Category

Name of Publisher

Product/Name Range

Comments

Everyday

Bexy Boo

Because…

“They just fly out.”

Humour

Go La La

Generally

“Customers really laugh at these cards.”

Children’s

Raspberry Blossom

Generally

Pango Productions

Magnet Cards

“Eye catching designs in great colours at good price points.” “Good add-on of a removable magnet.”

Sentiment

Fox Under The Moon

General

“Wonderful range, featuring beautiful quotes and positive messages.”

Gifts

Boxer Gifts

Games, mugs and books Prints, plush, calendars

“Great ranges, some books we stock permanently.” “We have a section dedicated to the brand.”

Fox Under The Moon

Above: A Bexy Boo Just Because design. Right: Fox Under The Moon products feature prominently in Trinkets & Trinkets.

Debbie and Jerry Brown, co-owners First Class Greetings and Plum Green, Hadleigh. A greeting card shop cum post office and a gift lifestyle store in an historic Suffolk town. Category

Name of Publisher

Product/Name Range

Comments

Everyday

Paper Salad Nigel Quiney

Across the board Pizazz

“Stand out bright contemporary cards.” “Appeal to lots of different people.”

Relations & Occasions

UK Greetings

Across the board

“Everything from traditional to contemporary.”

Humour

Rosie Made a Thing

Across the board

“We have a spinner in both shops; the humour is instant.”

Art

Museums & Galleries

Catherine Rowe

“The sales rate took us by surprise.”

Children’s

Woodmansterne

Quentin Blake

“They remind the adult buyers of their childhoods.”

Adult Ages

UK Greetings

Across the board

“They cover all styles.”

Cute

Paper Shed

Animals

“Not sickly sentimental, just great cute animal designs.”

Photographic

Woodmansterne

Framed

“Something for everyone.”

3D and Pop-ups

Second Nature

Generally

“The cards just sell so well.”

Gifts

St Eval Widdop & Co Joe Davies

Candles Bambino; Amore Snoozies

“Bay & Rosemary is still our best seller.” “They bring out new designs regularly.” “They just sell.”

Above: One of Catherine Rowe’s designs from Museums & Galleries. Below: A design from Second Nature’s new Paper Celebrations range.

PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE 111

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Alice Crowley, owner of Swagger, Chipping Sodbury. A popular card and gift shop in a Gloucestershire market town. Category

Name of Publisher

Product/Name Range

Comments

Everyday

Pigment

Across the board

“Cover all ages in a variety of styles.”

Humour

Rosie Made a Thing

Gin & Frolics

“Great for the ladies that lunch.”

Adult Ages

Wendy Jones-Blackett

Hey Fresco

“Bright designs with great finishes; makes any 80 year old feel young again.”

Art

Suzy Furse Illustrations

Generally

“Illustrations from a local artist.”

Relations & Occasions

Pigment

R&O

“Designs span from the serious to a light-hearted send.”

Children’s

Paper Salad

Hoopla

“Very good, colourful cards for all kids’ ages.”

Alljoy Design

Message in a Bottle

“Real eye-catchers.”

Giftwrappings

Glick

Generally

“The display management keeps everything fresh.”

Gifts

Jellycat Wendy Jones-Blackett Langs

Generally Journals Generally

“The best fluff ever.” “Great new additions.” “Very affordable gifting.”

Right: Pigment’s Life in Pencil cards on display in Swagger.

Right: A counter top display of Wendy JonesBlackett notebooks.

Georgina Black, owner of Pretty Shiny Shop, Stroud Green and Oval. A duo of gift and card shops, in north and south London. Category

Name of Publisher

Product/Name Range

Comments

Everyday

The Art File

Natural Phenomenon; Sakura Heights

“The Art File, Cath Tate Cards and Ohh Deer are three publishers I couldn’t live without for their wide offering.”

Cath Tate Earlybird Noi

Hot Foils; Lost Plots Super Fab Wild Lines

“I love these cards.” “This has a special place in my heart.”

Relations & Occasions

Ohh Deer

Generally

“There are just so many options.”

Humour

Cath Tate

“Two of several key Cath Tate ranges.”

U Studio

Life is Rosie; Pina Colada Scrawl

Children’s

Mifkins

Generally

“Natalie Alexander creates wonderful bold, bright, fun designs.”

Cute

Artificial Ink

Generally

“Fantastically cute and a bit different.”

Men’s

Cinnamon Aitch

Cobalt

Elsa Rose Frere The Art File

Sexy Man Vertigo; Mulberry and Olive

“Finally a card for the cricket lover in your life.” “Just fabulous.” “Very strong male designs.”

Sentiment

Think of Me The Right Lines

Howl Generally

“These sell well.” “They say the things that are hard to say.”

Art and illustration

East End Prints The DM Collection The Art File

Generally Generally Cat Walks

“They offer all sorts of art ‘moods’.” “These two ranges offer a touch of class to my shelves.”

112

PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE

“Really funny ‘word’ cards.”

Top: A design from the Lost Plots range from Cath Tate Cards. Above: Cinnamon Aitch’s Cobalt range sells well in Pretty Shiny Shop.

113-123_Classified Complete 2024.qxp 19/01/2024 13:43 Page 113

PRODUCT DIRECTORY

l PRODUCT DIRECTORY

To appear in the Product Directories contact Warren Lomax T: 020 7700 6740 email: warren@max-publishing.co.uk

or contact Tracey Arnaud T: 07957 212 062 email: traceya@max-publishing.co.uk

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BEXY BOO

Publishers of quality blank greeting cards Tel: 0115 929 4776 enquiries@bugart.co.uk Order Online

www.bugart.co.uk Te l: 01638 5 6 9 0 5 0 w w w . a b a cu s c a rd s . c o . u k E ma i l : i nf o@a ba c us card s . co . uk

To appear in the Product Directories contact Warren Lomax T: 020 7700 6740 email: warren@max-publishing.co.uk

THE GREATEST COLLECTION OF GREETING CARDS IN THE WORLD

&$5'6 )25 :+(1 :+$7 6 ,16,'( &28176

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or contact Tracey Arnaud T: 07957 212 062 email: traceya@max-publishing.co.uk

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PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE 113

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PRODUCT DIRECTORY

l PRODUCT DIRECTORY

THE GREATEST COLLECTION OF GREETING CARDS IN THE WORLD

To appear in the Product Directories contact Warren Lomax T: 020 7700 6740 email: warren@max-publishing.co.uk

Greetings Cards Plush & Giftware Gi G ft Dressings & Wrrap Gift

or contact Tracey Arnaud T: 07957 212 062 email: traceya@max-publishing.co.uk Innovative high quality gift wrap, gift bags, tissue paper and accesssories galore for all seasons and occasions.

Also acting as the exclusive UK distributor fo forr Bl Blue Mountain M t i A Ar ts t

Order s can be placed on our tradeer site

www.cbgtrader w. r..co.uk

01274 655980 sales@glick.co.uk glick.co.uk trade.glick.co.uk Glick Gift Packaging Ltd Unit 1 Allenby House European Ind. Park, Knowles Lane Bradford BD4 9AB

or call our customer ser vices team m on

+44(0)1243 792600 @glickgiftwrap

To appear in the Product Directories contact Warren Lomax T: 020 7700 6740 warren@max-publishing.co.uk or contact Tracey Arnaud T: 07957 212 062 traceya@max-publishing.co.uk

1b-Ѳbv|v |_mb1 u;;ࢼm] -u7v "r; S end i n g YO Y OU OU

WISHES

from the

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Including firm favourites and brand new designs

Ch C hin nese ese

Brands include: Keepsakes, Words of Love, Jelly Beans, Bella Rose, Champagne and many more

HE IS

Hallmark Cards PLC Dawson Lane, Bradford, BD4 6HN UK&NI: 0800 90 20 900 ROI: 012 480 104 customerqueriesUK@hallmark.com

THE

WAY

THE AND TRUTH

LIFE

THE

THE GREATEST COLLECTION OF GREETING CARDS IN THE WORLD

Polissh Po h

Te T el: 0161 1 64 641 0 06 655 Email: m sales@daav sales@d avora.co.uk 135 Hea 13 135 eaton Moorr Rd | Stockp ock kpor port ort SK4 4HY 4 4H HY

114 PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE

Tel: +44 (0)115 986 0115 customerservices@paperrose.co.uk www.writefromtheheart.co.uk

113-123_Classified Complete 2024.qxp 19/01/2024 13:44 Page 115

PRODUCT DIRECTORY

l PRODUCT DIRECTORY

To appear in the Product Directories contact Warren Lomax T: 020 7700 6740 email: warren@max-publishing.co.uk

originalposter.com

or contact Tracey Arnaud T: 07957 212 062 email: traceya@max-publishing.co.uk

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

To appear in the Product Directories contact Warren Lomax T: 020 7700 6740 email: warren@max-publishing.co.uk or contact Tracey Arnaud T: 07957 212 062 email: traceya@max-publishing.co.uk

)

Great brands, Great service Bespoke planning We can help with all your planning requirements. From smaller displays to redeveloping complete card departments

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

@NoelTattGroup 01227 811 600 sales@noeltatt.co.uk www.noeltatt.co.uk

THE GREATEST COLLECTION OF GREETING CARDS IN THE WORLD

To appear in the Product Directories contact Warren Lomax T: 020 7700 6740 email: warren@max-publishing.co.uk or contact Tracey Arnaud T: 07957 212 062 email: traceya@max-publishing.co.uk

PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE 115

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PRODUCT DIRECTORY

l PRODUCT DIRECTORY

Send Love ( ll year round) (al d)

paperbirdpu blishing.co.uk

Enquiries: warren@max-publishing.co.uk or Tracey Arnaud traceya@max-publishing.co.uk

info@papersheddesign.com www.papersheddesign.com tel: 0118 9744283

Te l : + 4 4 ( 0 ) 1 1 5 9 8 6 0 1 1 5 customer ser vices@paper rose .co.uk

p p paperlink...

w w w. p a p e r r o s e . c o . u k

the home of fabulous cards!

6 Heron Trading Estate Alliance Road, Park Royal, London W3 0RA T: 0208 385 4474 F: 0208 385 4471 E: info@Xpressyourselfcards.co.uk WWW.XXPRESSYOURSELFCARDS.CO.UK

PRODUCTS: World’s leading publisher of high quality plastic greeting cards. Also an extensive range of quality greeting cards covering Everyday, Occasions, Christmas and Spring seasons. BRANDS: Cherished Thoughts, Sweet Sentiments, Buddies Always, Symphony, Thinking of You, Style, Special Wishes, Special Times, Young Editions, Groove Sensations, Forever Blessed, Grey Skies, Classics.

356 Kennington Rd London SE11 4LD T 020 7582 8244 info@paperlink.co.ukk www.paperlink.co.uk Paperlinkcards

METHOD OF SALE: SENSATIONS – Direct to retail XPRESS YOURSELF – Now one of the leading wholesale publisher suppliers in the UK

@ @paperlinkcards

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

Greetting i g Card C ds

Brands:

THE GREATEST COLLECTION OF GREETING CARDS IN THE WORLD

Blossom & Bows Card Essentials Greetings Impressions In Touch Isabel·s Garden Planet Happy Sentiments With You In Mind Word Play

Method of sale: Wholesale Distributors

Simon Elvin Limited

Quality Greeting Cards ww ww.passelllpublisshin ng.com m iinfo nfo o@ o @ pas ssel ellpu lpu u blis sshin hin ng n g..com @pas ublis m

01423 876311 www.peartreeheybridge.co.uk

116 PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE Peartree Small Ad.indd 6

24/02/2022 15:52

Wooburn Industrial Park, Wooburn Green, Bucks HP10 0PE Tel: 01628 526711 Fax: 01628 531483 www.simonelvin.com mail@simonelvin.com

113-123_Classified Complete 2024.qxp 19/01/2024 13:45 Page 117

PRODUCT DIRECTORY

l PRODUCT DIRECTORY

Enquiries: warren@max-publishing.co.uk or Tracey Arnaud traceya@max-publishing.co.uk

DIRECTORY OF WHOLESALE

Market Leaders in

Verse &

entimen

an extensive range of superior quality,

design-led Greeting Cards for all occasions, Spring Seasons & Christmas.

Method of Sale: Direct to Retail Orders can be placed on our trader site

www.cbgtrader.co.uk or call our customer services team on

+44(0)1243 792600

EUROPE’S LEADING GREETINGS CARDS, PARTY PRODUCTS, GIFTS, CANDLES, TOYS, STATIONERY AND FLORIST SUNDRIES DISTRIBUTION CENTRE 75000 SQ FT BESCOT CRESCENT, WALSALL, WEST MIDLANDS. WS1 4NG 01922-646666 www.greetingshouse.co.uk info@greetingshouse.co.uk

We offffer a COMPREHEN

MON,WED,FRI 8.00am-4.45pm TUES,THURS 8.00am-7.45pm SAT,SUN 8.00am-1.45pm

range of high Greeting Cards f ALL Occasions,

CHRISTMAS an

THE GREATEST COLLECTION OF GREETING CARDS IN THE WORLD

Season f Sale:

mail: inffoo@words-nWeb: www We w..words-n-wishes.co.uk

Tel: 01942 233201

PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE 117

113-123_Classified Complete 2024.qxp 19/01/2024 13:45 Page 118

DIRECTORY OF WHOLESALE

l DIRECTORY OF WHOLESALE 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

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01274 220 220 www w.wrapid.co.uk sales@wrapid.co.uk

BAGS

GIVE E YOUR

Manufacturers of 30% recycled content packag ging

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BDP

www.transrappackag ging.co.uk sales@transrap.cco.uk CALL US TODA AY

01773 537 7810

30 YEARS EXPERIENCE - QUA ALITY SERVICE EXTENSIVE STOCK RANGE - QUICK K DELIVERY Y ASSURED

ŏ ŏđŏ ŏ FOIL LB BLOCKING NG G EXTE XTENSIVE NSIV VE RANG V R RA ANGE OF S ST TOCK SIZES SIZ ZES AND BES AND BE ESPO OKE KE MANUF KE MANU UF FACTU TUR TURE T U E AT TED D WRAPPING SERVICE NEW AUTOMA

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118 PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE

113-123_Classified Complete 2024.qxp 19/01/2024 13:45 Page 119

l CLASSIFIED

CLASSIFIED

l CLASSIFIED

WALES

To appear in the Product Directories contact CRAFT & ORNAMENT

Warren Lomax T: 020 7700 6740 warren@max-publishing.co.uk or contact Tracey Arnaud T: 07957 212 062 traceya@max-publishing.co.uk

ENVELOPES

l ENVELOPES

Manuffa acturers off high quality envelopes

W W W. EN VE CO .CO .U K

01 90 83 78 86 6

ENVELOPES

IN FO @E NV EC O. CO .U K

‘we we make Envelopes and Stationery’

MOREE THAN 50 COLOURS 6 POPULAR GREEETINGS CARD SIZES 50+ WH HITE SIZES IN STOCK BESPOKE ENV VELOPES AV AVAILABLE PEEL A AND SEAL CLOSURE RECYCLED / KRAFTT / 140GSM / 120GSM 11 SUPER BRIG GHT NEON COLOURS BESPOKE NOTEBO OOKS & STATIONERY

PLEASE GET IN TOUCH FOR TARY RY YOUR COMPLIMENTA ENVELOPE OR NOTEBOOK WATCH PA PACK SWA

10 popular greetings card sizes in stock recycled & kraft envelopes in stock RECYCLED PA P APER

CALL US TODAY

01773 537810

www.transrappackaging.co.uk sales@transrap.co.uk

PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE 119

113-123_Classified Complete 2024.qxp 19/01/2024 13:46 Page 120

CLASSIFIED

l CLASSIFIED

l CLASSIFIED l PRINTERS

To appear in the Product Directories contact Warren Lomax T: 020 7700 6740 warren@max-publishing.co.uk or contact Tracey Arnaud T: 07957 212 062 traceya@max-publishing.co.uk ENVELOPES

l CLASSIFIED

l PRINTERS

THE SPECIALIST GREETINGS CARD PRINTER Litho Print

D Die-cutting

Digital Print

F ering Flitt

Foiling

Packing

Embossing

D Distribution

Tel:0127 e 4 4531828 Email: info@herbertw o alkers.c co.uk

www.herbertwalkers.co.u uk

l ENVELOPES

PJ PRINT LONDON The Capitals Only Specialist Greeting Card Printer All Industry Finishes Available In-House Including Laser Cutting

PRINTERS

Hello Cards are FSC approved digital printers, offering high quality print at competitive prices, working with both large and small publishers. Contact us to discuss your requirements. Additional Services • Foiling with no dies • Inhouse fulfilment

• Distribution • Wiro Bound Notebooks

T 01274 305832 E info@hellocards.co.uk

www.hellocards.co.uk

120 PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE

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

113-123_Classified Complete 2024.qxp 19/01/2024 13:46 Page 121

CLASSIFIED

l CLASSIFIED PRINTERS

l CLASSIFIED

l PRINTERS

l CLASSIFIED

l PRINTERS

l CLASSIFIED

l PRINTERS

PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE 121

113-123_Classified Complete 2024.qxp 19/01/2024 13:46 Page 122

CLASSIFIED

l CLASSIFIED

PRINTERS

l CLASSIFIED

l PRINTERS

l CLASSIFIED

WAREHOUSING & DISTRIBUTION

WAREHOUSING & DISTRIBUTION WA WAREHOU USING & DISTRIBUTION

• We Store

• Sa ame Day Dispatch

• Hand Finish

• Ac Accurate ccurate Fulﬁlment

• Wrap Wrap, Band

• De edicated Line Manager edicated

• Pick

• Transparent Invoicing

• Pack

• Cos o ts Reﬂect Cash Flow

T: E: E: www.lb-warehousing.co.uk

122 PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE

To appear in the Product Directories contact Warren Lomax T: 020 7700 6740 warren@max-publishing.co.uk or contact Tracey Arnaud T: 07957 212 062 traceya@max-publishing.co.uk

113-123_Classified Complete 2024.qxp 19/01/2024 13:46 Page 123

CLASSIFIED

l CLASSIFIED

DISPLAY AND SPINNERS

l CLASSIFIED

APPOINTMENTS

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Progressive Greetings February 2024

Articles inside

Over The Counter: Marginal Gains

Cardsharp: Dazed and Confused

Over The Counter: Marginal Gains