PG Live Hit The Spot

Laurence sets hearts aflutter at a very positive gathering

Everybody who was anyone was at the PG Live show last month - from all the major retailers and leading indies to overseas distributors from all corners of the globe - and even the self-confessed “Original Gangster of Maximalism”, Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen made sure he didn’t miss out!

In his impeccable suit and trademark bouffant hair, LLB appeared on The Great British Card Company’s stand on the first morning of the show to promote the latest licensing collaboration between the publisher and designer - and his very presence set a few hearts set aflutter as he charmed the folks and made time to talk and have photos with retailers and exhibitors alike.

that is LLB who said he liked my cards. Absolute highlight of my life!”

Of course, Laurence was actually at the show to launch the range he’s produced with GBCC, and David Byk, ceo of the Swan Mill Group which owns the publisher along with Ling Design, Penny Kennedy and Waterwells, is absolutely delighted with the collaboration.

Card buyers on the move

There are new and moving faces on the buying front in the greeting card world with a number of changes at John Lewis and WHSmith.

Jason Billings-Cray is the new card buying name at John Lewis and Waitrose, having jumped in at the deep end with a visit to PG Live on only his third day as the buyer for everyday cards and collections.

“It was a great opportunity to introduce myself to publishers, meet colleagues, and get to know the wide variety of products out there,” Jason told PG.

He’s been with John Lewis for seven years, having started on curtains, then cushions, before moving to the Christmas Shop, and now cards and collections where Jason joked “there’s a theme there, only C products so far!”. He has taken over from card and stationery buyer Claire Taylor, who has moved onto housewares to replace former card buyer Lisa Rutherford, who is taking a sabbatical.

Jason added: “One of my favourite areas in Christmas was paper, wrap, crackers and cards so I’m delighted with the move and excited to delve deeper into the wonderful world of cards.

“I studied history of art and contemporary art theory at university, studies that I loved, combining my interest in art and all things visual with analytics and theoretical

For Lampeter-based indie Creative Cove’s Sandra Jervis, meeting Laurence was the icing on the cake for her first trip to the PG Live and she had no qualms about sharing her crush: “I’m completely giddy over LLB! I was actually emotional as I knew he was coming to the show and he’s beautiful! I messaged my husband and said ‘I’m leaving you’ and he asked if he wanted transfer fees!”

Having spent time on GBCC’s stand, Laurence was taken around the show, including up to Springboard and Springboard Intro – which took quite some time as he didn’t turn down anyone who asked for a photo.

“What I loved about him was his graciousness,” commented Sarah Laker from Stationery Supplies. “He knew everyone would want a photo and just went with it.”

Jess Crawford, Icka Print owner said exhibiting at PG Live was “amazing - I had the chance to catch up with lots of my lovely stockists plus I met the legend

“We really enjoyed having Laurence on the stand and he was so chuffed with the cards we’ve created from his designs - and we took loads of orders for them too. He was really charming and had so much time for everyone. He has a store in Cirencester so can really relate to lots of retailers and chatted to so many people for ages about his experiences and how he designs.” From the GBCC perspective, David said “LLB is keen to do more cards with us having seen them and, with so much positivity from all those who visited the show about them.” observations. This is why I love my job as a buyer, I'm very visual in my approach, attracted to great design and colour, combined with a desire to edit, curate and build the perfect assortment for the JL and Waitrose customers.”

(See pages 27-33 for retailers picks from PG Live and pages 35-37 for the show in pictures) l Over 60 stands have already been booked for PG Live 2024, which takes place June 4-5 at London’s Business Design Centre.

The demise of Paperchase has seen senior buyer Carlo Marinelli move to WHSmith Travel as buying manager, where he’s working alongside buyer Louise Chambers and merchandiser Lauren Moore, while in the WHS Retail side Scarlett Ford has joined as a new card buyer to work with buying manager Claire Castle and assistant buyer Christina Worthy

And the new WHS-owned Curi-o-city retail chain now has Clare Morant as buying manager for cards, assisted by Stephanie Bassant

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