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new logo... same old nonsense
Amazing Mum. Would recommend.
Excellent Uncle. Would recommend.
Hap py Birthday
Excellent Grandpa. Would recommend.
Hap py Birthday
Lovely Granny. Would recommend.
Hap py Birthday
Hap py Birthday
Excellent Wife. Would recommend.
Brilliant Son. Would recommend.
Hap py Birthday
Hap py Birthday
5 Star Relations Excellent range. Would recommend.
www.rosiemadeathing.co.uk 01164062000 | office@rosiemadeathing.co.uk 04_PG_May 2021.indd 1
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From The Editor
ON THE CARDS I didn’t fare very well in the introductory conversation with my Uni’s Debating Society, and left with my tail between the legs, never to make even the first meeting. The reason being they sussed that I invariably see the other person’s point of view. Now, I really do not believe I am lily-livered on matters about which I feel passionate/knowledgeable, but on many occasions I take something of a broad church approach when it comes to commenting on other people’s business situations. Current trading level is a case in point. While some retailers with a locals’ customer base (especially those with strong traffic to their online operations or those well placed in staycation hotspots - see Viewpoints pages 25-27) are relishing the best of both worlds, conversely so many others are frustrated, still waiting for that much-needed super bounce. And it is the same on the publisher front. There are those who are fearful of saying too much in case it bursts their bubble of joy, while others, despite their stunning product offer, are still drumming their fingers on the table in anticipation. The argument as to what will be the ‘new normal’ pattern of trade is still raging, but as an eternal optimist I have a firm foot in the ‘things will improve’ camp, but am still respectful that there is likely to be a longer wait for those in major conurbations. But while my Uni days are long past (and thankfully I no longer have to deal with the ignominy of being rejected by clubs during Freshers’ Week), I felt very proud to have played a small part in the GCA’s engagement project with the University of Hertfordshire’s School of Creative Arts which Top: It feels so good to be able to meet up with industry chums again! (Anticlockwise from right) Paper Salad’s directors Claire Williams and Karen Wilson; PG’s Warren Lomax; Really Good/Soul’s founder David Hicks; SW agent Rosie Trow and PG’s Jakki Brown). Above: A Hey Girl design from Pigment that is bound to resonate with many! Left: Student Joana Dionisio’s winning design.
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involved a design project, that was open to second and final year students of its Illustration & Graphic Design degree course. It was not the actual designs submitted for the competition that really ‘did it’ for me, but the inspiring stories, as each student shared what was behind each design, which all sent out a reassuring loud and clear message, that greeting cards very much have a place in modern day relationships, whether you are middle-aged editor who will never make it as a shining star of a Debating Society or a young and thrusting creative undergraduate - and everything in between and beyond. Motion carried unanimously!
PS…I just love the continual inventiveness of publishers on the humorous card front. Have a right old laugh with our Focus on Humour publication which comes to you with this issue of PG. Right: The front cover of the Focus on Humour publication.
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What’s Inside?
CONTENTS 33
40
42
9-19 News
40-41
All the latest happenings and developments in the trade.
Scotland The Brave
20-21
A wee run down on how last month’s retail reopening was for Scottish indies.
Retailer Round-up
Over The Counter
Under Pressure
42-43
David Robertson, co-owner of JP Pozzi in Scotland on the new pressures now stores have reopened.
In Conversation With…Flora Blathwayt
A Clean Sweep How Washed Up Cards’ plastic pollution solution is helping the planet one card at a time.
22-23 Cardsharp
Hangover Blues
45
PG columnist is waiting for the big boom!
Art Source
Ringing The Campbell A day in the life of artist Sarah Campbell.
25-27 Viewpoints
Stayed In Britain Indies share how they are looking to make the most of staycationing.
With thi issue s FOCU : S HUMO ON U CARD R S
46-47 What’s Hot? Retailers share their best selling ranges.
29-33 Just A Card By Its Cover Turning the pages on the inter-relationship between greeting cards and books.
48-59 Sources of Supply
35-39 Innovations Publishers’ new ranges and designs.
Subscribe to Progressive Greetings from £60 (UK) to £90 (International). You can organise this quickly and easily online at our secure site: www.max-subscriptions.net For assistance, please email subscriptions@max-publishing.co.uk
Jakki Brown
Warren Lomax
Ian Hyder
Tracey Arnaud
Editor/Joint Owner
Joint Owner
Joint Owner
Sales Manager
jakkib@max-publishing.co.uk
warren@max-publishing.co.uk
ianh@max-publishing.co.uk
traceya@max-publishing.co.uk
Use your smartphone app to scan the QR code to visit our website.
Copyright© 2021. While every effort has been made to ensure the information in this magazine was correct at the time of publication, the publishers cannot accept legal liability for any errors or omissions, nor can they accept responsibility for the standing of advertisers nor any organisation mentioned in the text. Views of contributors do not necessarily reflect those of the publishers.
PG is the official magazine for the Greeting Card Association GCA: Amanda Fergusson 020 7619 9266 Email: hello@gca.cards www.greetingcardassociation.org.uk
PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE
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BEAN THINKING...
I NEED S0ME FUN NEW CARDS !
For and many other great ranges visit lucillalavender.com, give us a call on 0203 405 1410, or email sales@lucillalavender.com. We’d love to hear from you!
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NEWS TOP STORY
Big Thumbs-Up For PG Live 2021 Leading multiple and indie buyers register for the show, eager for the ‘real thing’ There was a full ‘thumbs-up’ from greeting card publishers large and small who attended the recent Progressive Greetings Live 2021 exhibitor meeting (held on Zoom) to hear all about the plans for the show, how they could make the most of the innovative marketing opportunities - from the card dresses to the free postcards - as well as handy tips about not using car keys to
open boxes, how spirit levels are a ‘no no’ for putting up shelves on a trade show shell scheme and why Velcro is a much more reliable friend than Sellotape for affixing cards to display panels! “We really believe that PG Live 2021 will be a very special show this year,” said Warren Lomax, co-show owner of PG Live addressing the vast array of exhibiting publishers who attended the meeting. “All the indications are that at the end of July, when this year’s PG Live takes place, talk of Covid and social distancing will be a thing of the past and everyone will be desperate to see, touch and feel real new product. And even
Left: Dean Morris’ postcard invite.
more importantly, experience real social interaction.” Registrations for the show (which takes place at London’s Business Design Centre on Tuesday 27 July and Wednesday 28 July) is off to a great start. Many multiple retailers as well as leading indies having already made it a firm date in the diary, including John Lewis, Tesco, Moonpig, Paperchase, Fenwick, Dobbies, Waterstones, Between the Lines, WHSmith, Sainsbury’s, National Trust, Harrods, Funky Pigeon, Clintons, Morrisons and Longacres. And while travel restrictions currently preclude those from certain countries being able to travel to the show, the will to attend is most definitely there - with buyers and distributors from the likes of US, Holland, Germany, Spain, Poland, Italy and even The Falkland Islands having already registered to attend. Buyers can register by going to www.progressivegreetingslive.com/ Above left: Some of the publishers who attended the recent PG Live 2021 exhibitor meeting. Below: The countdown is on for the ribbon cutting at PG Live 2021.
Ohh Deer makes some dough You never know quite what to expect from Ohh Deer, but its latest development really takes the biscuit! Cookie Jar, is a brand new collaboration between Ohh Deer and local Loughborough-based bakery/coffee shop, Bom Bom Pattiserie involving a range of ‘cook at home’ cookie kits. Currently only available B2C, the jars of fresh cookie dough (in a variety of flavours) are being marketed by Ohh Deer to its extensive consumer database. To keep it all super fresh, the base dough, in a variety of flavours, is batch made by the Bom Bom Pattiserie team every Tuesday and then dispatched to fulfill the orders every Wednesday. Each jar contains enough dough to make 15 mini cookies, 10 regular cookies, five big cookies or one mega cookie. Once received, the dough can be kept in the fridge for two weeks. While Mark Callaby, joint owner of Ohh Deer accepts that Cookie Jar is a seemingly rather “random” diversification, he assures that, there is more to come! “It’s still not the craziest plan we have in the pipeline!” he told PG. Left: From cards to cookies for Ohh Deer!
CBG’s Martin Horner gets on his bike while Bill Greeno joins Martin Horner, Carte Blanche Greetings’ long-time head of sales has put the ‘wheels in motion’ to leave the company in July in order to fulfil his long-time dream of starting his own bicycle maintenance business. Meanwhile, industry stalwart, Bill Greeno (the well-known former sales director of Quitting Hollywood and Paperlink) is already moving through the gears of his new part-time consultancy position with the company to support Carte Blanche’s ceo, Alister Marchant with sales channels as well as strategically. Martin, who has been part of the CBG team for the last nine years, praises the progressive culture at Carte Blanche in enabling him to turn his “personal dream into a reality” which sees him embarking on a new chapter in his life. Paying tribute, Alister Marchant, ceo commented: “We cannot thank Martin enough for his contribution to our business over the past nine years and although we are sad to see him go, we are thrilled that he is Above: Martin Horner. leaving to do something Below: Having set up BG he is passionate about.” Consulting Services last All functional August, Bill Greeno currently has Abacus and aspects of Martin’s role CBG as his key clients. are be covered by the existing Carte Blanche team while Bill Greeno has joined the company as a consultant with a focus on national accounts, combining this with his other work responsibilities, which includes working with Abacus Cards as a consultant a couple of days a week. “Having known Bill for a number of years, being able to secure him on a flexible basis was an opportunity too good to miss,” comments Alister. “A true industry doyen, Bill will provide some wonderful expertise and a fresh pair of eyes to help the business grow and achieve our strategic objectives.” As to what attracted him to the CBG role, Bill told PG: “It is hard to think of any other brand in our industry which is as strong as Me to You, as evidenced by all the licensing activity as well as Carte Blanche’s own products. And added to this, of course, are all the other brands in the portfolio from Hotchpotch to Wishing Well as well as the new humour collections. I am delighted to be working with Alister and the rest of the team.” Full of fun as well as experience, in response to whether he thinks his time with CBG will make him cuter, Bill quips: “More than happy to get cuter, but as long as it doesn’t make me ‘Tatty-er’ we’ll be fine!”
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NEWS Wrendale branches out
TOP STORY
Positive Messages From Card Factory Upbeat trading patterns sees share price rise As well as providing a fillip to shareholders and would-be investors as the UK’s largest greeting card retailer, the upbeat announcement from Card Factory of its trading pattern since the re-opening of non-essential retail has also resulted in positive PR for the sector as a whole. The UK’s largest specialist card retailer confirmed in an official trading post that its performance since the reopening of stores in England and Wales from 12 April 2021 “has exceeded its expectations” with the later opening of its stores in Scotland and Northern Ireland not included in the statement. The news was shared widely in the consumer and business media and resulted in an immediate surge in the retailer’s share price. Card Factory has also confirmed that it has “agreed headline terms for refinancing of the Group with its current syndicate of commercial lending banks”. As part of this the company’s banking
Below: Card Factory’s trade since reopening has “exceeded expectations”.
syndicate has extended waivers in respect of anticipated covenant breaches to 31 May 2021, taking account of the retailer’s cash flow projections, subject to certain conditions. Card Factory is to release its preliminary results for the 12 months to 31 January 2021, on 8 June 2021. This is delayed from the previously announced date, due to “logistical challenges in concluding the year end audit in compliance with government guidelines as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic”.
Paperchase is on plan Paperchase has sent out reassuring messages about its trading patterns since the majority of its stores reopened, under its new ownership. While certain of its stores have not reopened, in other locations, its store relocations have been a cause for celebration. “I’m really pleased to say that the sun has been shining on us and we’re currently trading above plan,” confirmed Sarah House, Paperchase’s head of brand. “Our colleagues have worked incredibly hard to welcome customers back to our stores,” she added. Penny Teale has recently been appointed trading director of Paperchase, following the departure of Frances Burkle who decided to leave the business a few months ago. Penny has been in the role on an interim basis, but has now joined permanently. “Penny brings a wealth of retail expertise and ideas with her from some great high street names,” said Sarah. As part of her remit, Penny is heading up the buying, which is now split into two teams - one headed up by Siobhan Freel who is responsible for stationery, collections and wholesale and the other looked after by Carlo Marinelli which covers cards, wrap and gifts.
Well respected for being ‘down to earth’ Wrendale Designs’ founders Hannah and Jack Dale have taken this further, by planting 28,000 trees on their farmland as part of a rewilding commitment, with each and every one planted by hand by them, Wrendale colleagues, friends and locals. “We talk a lot about Wrendale being rooted in the countryside and taking so much inspiration from it for our designs - so really this is about us doing something to protect that and ‘giving something back’,” Hannah, the creative maestro of Wrendale Designs told PG. “When the 28,000 trees arrived, it was all hands on deck to get them into the ground. We wanted to plant them by hand to give them the best start as well as making sure the overall effect looks as natural as possible. It has been an enormous task - I think we underestimated the scale of what we had taken on and there were definitely a few ‘what have we done’ moments. We were very grateful to have the support from local villagers, friends and of course some of our Wrendale team.” Below: Hannah and Jack Dale, mid-way through the recent mammoth tree planting project.
Eulinid Stevenson’s crowned Industry Business Woman of the Year Eulinid Stevenson, ceo of Henderson Greetings and Waterlyn, which distributes many UK publishers’ products in Australia, has recently been awarded the Business Woman of the Year Award in the VANA industry awards, which are organised by the news agency body, in Victoria, Australia. “After being tested in many ways through 2020,” Eulinid said she felt incredibly honoured to be presented with the award at a recent gala event. Ever gracious, Eulinid revealed that she “felt quite selfish receiving this award” feeling it was down to a wide team effort, of her family, work colleagues and the UK publishers whose designs the company represents. “Without doubt our UK publishers have played a major role in our success. So many of our designs are sourced from the UK and the way our product offering is evolving has been noticed by the industry and appreciated by our customers. Coupling industry leading designs with support for our local printers has been the perfect match,” believes Eulinid. Among Waterlyn’s UK publisher partners are Alex Clark Art, Bug Art, Flametree, Glick, Hearts Designs, Janie Wilson, Lagom, Megan Claire, Museums & Galleries, Paper Rose, Paper Salad, Pigment, Redback Cards, Stephanie Dyment and Tache while Simon Elvin and Nigel Quiney designs feature in Henderson’s everyday selection.
Above: The new Paperchase store in the Metrocentre. Above right: Penny Teale’s experience spans a number of leading retail names, from WHS to Argos.
Above: Eulinid Stevenson with her VANA award trophy. Left: UK publishers’ brands featured on Waterlyn’s stand at a recent trade show in Sydney.
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NEWS Making Woody history
TOP STORY
A Boogie Wonderland Henries A real awards event, but entry and judging will be online “The greeting card community deserves a humongous party of celebration and togetherness and that is exactly what we are going to create with The Henries 2021 greeting cards awards event this year,” exclaimed Warren Lomax, joint managing director of Max Publishing, which owns and organises The Henries. “And with Boogie Wonderland as the theme for the awards event on October 7, everyone will be in a fab and groovy mood!” But before the event of course, there first have to be entries, judges and finalists. While the awards event itself will be a full on ‘all singing all dancing’ evening affair (in the Royal Lancaster Hotel, London), the entry and judging will take place online. A revamped website, which will become the portal for all Henries 2021 entries and judging, is on track to go live on Tuesday 25 May with the deadline for entries being Friday 23 July. All new card and wrap ranges (or extensions to existing ranges) launched between 10 July 2020 and 23 July 2021 from UK publishers or distributors, can be entered. As ever entry to The Henries will be free and easy.
Left: We are on for a Boogie Wonderland Henries!
Elaborating on the judging process for this year, Jakki Brown, joint md of Max Publishing explained: “While everyone is still adjusting to the ‘new normal’ we wanted to find a way that we could make it as flexible as possible for a wealth of new designs from publishers to still be judged by an extensive panel of retail buyers. This way, they can. And retailers will not need to do it all in one day!” In something of a twist from previous years, the extensive judging panel of retailers from right across the spectrum will be joined by several leading overseas distributors. All judges will have a couple of weeks to complete their task. The finalists of The Henries will be announced in August while the winners will be unveiled at the Boogie Wonderland extravaganza on Thursday 7 October in The Royal Lancaster Hotel, London. For tickets go to Max-Tickets.net or contact Clare Hollick of Createvents: clare@createvents.co.uk or (0)1183 340085.
Fave Dave’s ‘Grand’ retirement plan His boyish looks may belie, but industry fave, the former GCA president and Simon Elvin’s operations director for the last 24 years, David Orr retires at the end of May after 40+ years in the industry and he plans to make the most of it, by having lots of fun time with his grandchildren and gorgeous wife Evelyn (who spent many years as part of the Windles team). “I so love this industry and feel incredibly lucky to have spent the last four decades as part of it,” said David. “I began my career in the greeting card industry working with Simon Elvin, when I joined Image Arts in 1977 and ran a stock control line we installed in Above: David Orr (left) with Simon Elvin. Woolworths, before ending it on a high as operations director of his amazing company. You could not ask for a better boss. Not only is Simon a master of everything he does, but is just a great, generous and thoughtful person.” In between Image Arts and Simon Elvin, David also spent 19 years in a senior management position with Kingsley Cards, which he also greatly enjoyed. As for the key industry changes David has witnessed over his career, he cites “the increasing role supermarkets have played as greeting card retailers, the rise of the online players, as well as emergence of new publishers, facilitated by digital printers,” as three significant developments.” As for what has kept him engaged for so many years, David is in no doubt: “The friendliness, mutual respect and fact that everyone really plays their part in getting this very special product into the consumer’s hands.” Paying tribute, Simon Elvin told PG: “Having worked with David in the 1970s at Image Arts, I was delighted when he joined Simon Elvin in 1996. With all his years of industry experience he has done a great job for us ever since. David has been responsible for overseeing the production of hundreds of millions of cards for us, including regular trips to the Far East, and for motivating our staff to give their all over the past 20+ years. It goes without saying that we will really miss him.”
Ian Blake, Woodmansterne’s art director is making history for the greeting card publishing business in that the designs from his own range creation, Hysterical Heritage have been turned into a book. Panic Ye Not is being published by Portico, an imprint of Pavilion Books. The 90+ page hardback book is true to the hugely successful Hysterical Heritage greeting card range, featuring illustrations inspired by the Bayeux Tapestry juxtaposed with hilarious takes on how our ancestors would have coped with modern day issues. Yes, they had to deal with invasions and plagues, but we have to suffer poor Wi-Fi signals and never ending health and safety regulations! Sharing his views, Ian told PG: “Six years ago, when the first card designs hit the shops, I never could have imagined it would be such a runaway success and it would help me see my name credited as an author for the very first time! Thanketh to everyone who has made this possible!“ (See pages 29-33 for more book stuff) Top: Ian Blake with the book! Above: A Hysterical Heritage Design.
Bright art agency shines Following a year of investment and growth in the face of the pandemic, the Bright Agency, which supplies many greeting card companies with designs, is further bolstering its greeting card division, has just gone live on a brand new state of the art website while the company’s ceo and founder, Vicki Willden-Lebrecht is up for British Book Awards Literary Agent of the Year award.. Bright’s new website (www.thebrightagency.com) includes several key technological investments, such as responsive collections of artwork, new client style collections, and more customisation for artists and authors represented by the agency. Meanwhile, well known to many in the card trade, Amy Fitzgerald is to continue overseeing the agency’s Greetings & Gift division but has also been promoted to also lead the licensing division, covering Bright’s art brands and licensing portfolios. To support Amy, the company is recruiting two new team mates. Above: Amy Fitzgerald, who oversees Bright’s Greetings & Gift portfolio.
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Delightful New Designs
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NEWS TOP STORY
Top Marks For GCA’s University Challenge Engagement with the next generation through the design competition The winner and two runners-up of the GCA’s Thinking of You design a card competition, run in conjunction with University of Hertfordshire’s School of Creative Arts have now been announced. Joana Dionísio’s ‘Sending Hugs’ design created with her long-distance boyfriend in mind, was pronounced the winner, while Anna Zelasko’s ‘I’ve got you on my mind’ frog and snail design and Ally Williams’ sentiment-based card, inspired by her grandfather, are the two runners-up winners. All three will see their designs turned into actual cards, printed by Loxleys, with Joana’s going on sale in House of Cards’ six shops. The competition, which involved issuing a design brief to the university’s second and third year Illustration & Graphic Design undergraduates, is part of the GCA’s thrust to engage with the next generation of card designers, making them aware of the potential and creative opportunities in the greeting card sector.
The GCA’s ceo Amanda Fergusson and Chris Bryan, joint general manager of Second Nature (and vice president of the GCA) attended a meeting (via Zoom), organised by Dr Thomas Cuschieri, the senior lecturer of the course, with all the students who had submitted entries. They were able to share feedback on all the designs from the judging panel (which included House of Cards’ Miles Robinson. Adriana Lovesy of Mrs Lovesy, Loxleys’ Alice Buck, PG’s Jakki Brown as well as Amanda and Chris). Commenting on the project, Dr Thomas Cuschieri said it “was a really fantastic experience for our students, and a great opportunity for them to gain a better understanding of the greeting card world. It’s great to see the industry nurturing the next generation of illustrators
and designers especially during such volatile times.” Explaining more about her winning design, Joana Dionísio explained how it is “based on the idea of a hug or hugging. Considering the tough times we live in and how hard it is to meet up with people who are far away, I wanted a design that would be pretty universal that anyone could choose to send. I leaned into the idea of hugging and created some type that itself is hugging (with the arms wrapping around the letters). Not only that, I also wanted an emphasis on love, so I designed a heartshaped floral crown around the typography. With this, accompanied by the soft and warm colour palette, I hoped to convey a ‘cosy’ feeling to the card design.” The hope is that more members of the greeting card community will be inspired to forge relationships with schools, colleges and universities using the resources on the GCA website. Top right: Joana’s winning design. Top left: Ally took a scripted approach with her submission. Above: Historic reference came to play in Anna’s design. Above left: After meeting all the students, GCA’s Amanda Fergusson (top right) and Second Nature’s Chris Bryan (top left) and senior lecturer Dr Thomas Cuschieri spent extra time with (bottom left-right) Joana Dionísio, Ally Williams and Anna Zelasko.
Tache x Movember collab
Pressing matters from Fedrigoni Paper Already revered in greeting card publishing circles for the versatility and product quality of its papers and board, Fedrigoni’s latest collaboration takes creativity to another dimension. Taking centre stage in the windows of Mount Street Printers’ store in London’s Mayfair is a beautiful installation of a printing press, that is made entirely of Fedrigoni papers. To commemorate its 40th anniversary, Mount Street Printers collaborated with Fedrigoni and creative powerhouse Makerie Studio to create the Make Your Mark installation. Taking inspiration from the printing presses dating back 80 years that have been collected and carefully restored by the printers, Makerie Studio created an intricate, three-dimensional sculpture of an antique printing press made entirely using Fedrigoni paper.
Above: The showstopping installation in Mount Street Printers store window.
Commenting on the project, Penny Greenwood, paper consultant at Fedrigoni UK, said: “We continually aim to inspire creatives working with paper, providing them with materials which allow them to push the boundaries of their craft. Alongside being an ode to print, this installation also showcases the versatility and creative potential of paper.” As Alex Cain, director at Mount Street Printers, added: “Over the years, we have sought out beautiful printing machines from all corners of the world and have worked tirelessly to transport and painstakingly restore each one. Every machine has its own unique characteristics and personality. They allow us to produce exceptional work for our clients and this installation really captures the essence and ethos of our business, bringing to life the craftsmanship and skill behind the art of printing.” The installation will remain on view at Mount Street Printers, 4 Mount St, Mayfair, London W1K 3LW until 1 June 2021.
Greeting card publisher, Tache is living up to its name by teaming up with Movember, the men’s health charity to create a new Modern Mister card range, sales of which will raise funds for the charity. The range of 15 handmade cards are being sold in John Lewis and Waitrose stores as well as online. £1 from every card sold via tache.co.uk is to be donated to Movember, while 25% of the trade sales will be going to the charity. The charity was a natural choice to support for Tache co-founders Pennie Bryant and Frank Nicholls. Aside from the brand parallels, both of their families have been affected by prostate cancer. Pennie commented, “Frank and I have both unfortunately had family that have suffered with prostate cancer, my grandad passed away nearly two years ago, and Frank’s grandad is still fighting it. We wanted to work with Movember to help raise awareness and do our bit to support men’s health issues, and this year is more important than ever as prostate cancer referrals have dropped by half during the pandemic to the lowest levels for a decade.”
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NEWS TOP STORY
The CD Card Company Presses The Replay Button Publisher revitalised following the collapse of distributor Arabesque Coming as music to the ears to its many retail customers, The CD Card Company has pressed the ‘replay button’ as the company has relaunched under its own steam with an expanded range of products which build on the success it has enjoyed with its year-based ranges. This follows on from the news that longstanding music distribution company Arabesque, which was the distributor for The CD Card Company’s products, went into liquidation several months ago. Chris Leaning, who has headed up The CD Company since it started over 20 years ago is now the majority shareholder of the business with his fellow shareholder and general manager, Laura Jablonski.
Top: The new Birthday Gazette range from The CD Card Company. Above: Chris Leaning surrounded by a tiny part of his own music collection.
Chris was part of the Arabesque team for 38 years, but latterly spent a lot of his time on developing The CD Card Company. “It was extremely sad to see Arabesque go after almost 50 years as a distributor of, initially music and then cards and gifts,” commented Chris. “The pandemic has been ruthless in its effect on businesses and Arabesque had for some time been carrying the weight of heavy overheads, having been a huge record and then CD distributor in the '70s, '80s and '90s. Thankfully we managed to ensure all of our suppliers and employees were paid which is always the biggest worry in cases such as Arabesque's,” added Chris. As it turns out, these enforced changes with Arabesque, gave “the perfect opportunity to streamline the
business and brought an acute focus to what our priorities are for The CD Card Company,” says Chris, which has seen an expansion of the product portfolio, including those incorporating a video streamed element as well as music downloads. “It's been obvious to us for some years because of our continued sales growth that the consumer isn't bothered about the status of CDs or DVDs as a physical format when it comes to our products. They buy into the year of birth concept in an instant,” explained Chris referring to its Classic Years and Birthday Star CD ranges as well as The Time of Your Life and Birthday Star DVD collections. The company built its own music download platform some time ago, and so has been offering that with its CD Cards for the past couple of years and has also just launched its own video streaming platform too, “so anyone receiving one of our cards now has multiple options of benefiting from additional high quality music or video content,” says Chris. Chris pays tribute to the ongoing support from the company’s retail customers as the new set-up for The CD Card Company was being finalised. “Closest to our hearts will always be the bricks and mortar store and we have been particularly touched by the incredible support we've had from our retail partners. It's at difficult times such as the last year that you find out who your friends are.” Another area of expansion for the company is drop shipping, whereby the company’s products are featured on a third party website, but are despatched direct from The CD Card Company. “There are some products, such as our Booklet Card Range, which involves a 24 page booklet, which just does not work in a retail environment as it needs to be explained, but online it works a treat.”
Emma Clooney joins Waterwells The Swan Mill Group, which incorporates Ling Design, GBCC, Penny Kennedy and Waterwells, has made a raft of new appointments to strengthen the team on the management, brokerage, marketing, licensing, sales fronts, with more to come on the creative side. Former Paperchase greeting card buyer, Emma Clooney (above) has joined the Waterwells team as its new brokerage category controller. Emma is standing in for Bianca Mastrodomenico who is on maternity leave. “Emma is known by most of the great publishers that Waterwells works with, that, coupled with her knowledge of the market, has meant she really hit the ground running to provide the full brokerage offer to garden centres and department stores,” commented David Byk, ceo of the whole group. Meanwhile, Emma Puzey has joined the company to run its Penny Kennedy division and look after some key Penny Kennedy customers too. Formerly licensing manager of Wild and Wolf, Emma brings a wealth of product, sales and licensing experience and expertise to the role. Joining the Penny Kennedy product line-up is a licensing collaboration with Toasted Crumpet, for gift packaging featuring its designs for Spring 2022. This news coincides with Toasted Crumpet joining the Waterwells brokerage programme too. Charlotte Wiberg has also joined as marketing manager for the group. Charlotte’s marketing experiences includes working for Lego and more recently as a marketing manager for English Heritage.
The lovely Viv retires Emma Puzey appointment to Penny Kennedy (see above story) coincides with Viv Barlow’s (right) decision to retire after 17 years in the trade. Paying tribute to Viv, David Byk said “she’s everyone’s favourite and will be sorely missed.” Viv initially joined the team as part of the Saffron acquisition, but most recently has been looking after PK and also some of the group’s speciality national accounts. “I am going to so miss this industry and all the folks in it,” said Viv who retired at the start of this month. “A big milestone birthday (obviously 40!) this year and arthritis has got the better of me, so I am off to have a few more bits of titanium stuck in and then take time to relax and recover and take life a little slower,” shared Viv. A real ‘glass half full character, whose warmth and interest in people earned her countless fans.
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NEWS TOP STORY
GCA Sparks Interest From FT Over VAT
Below left: The panellists. (Top leftright) Amanda Fergusson (GCA); John Welch (2WL); Emily Lambert (DIT), Tom Dixon (DIT); Richard Asquith (Avalara); David Falkner (Cardology) and Daniel Prince (Danilo).
VAT changes on July on EU exports to affect cardies Forewarned is forearmed is sage advice, most definitely on VAT changes that are due to come into effect on 1 July this year that will affect many card publishers and retailers who are selling cards direct to the consumer in EU countries. This was just one of the many aspects which was covered in an informationpacked GCA panel discussion on international trade in this post-Brexit
period. This second panel discussion, chaired by GCA ceo Amanda Fergusson brought together leading VAT expert Richard Asquith (of Avalara); Emily Lambert and Tom Dixon from the Department of International Trade; John Welsh (industry logistics company 2WL); Daniel Prince (of Danilo) and David Falkner (of Cardology). Sharing their vast collective knowledge and experience, topics covered included suppling small orders to the EU, the varying rates of VAT in different EU countries; the benefits of registering for IOSS (Import One Stop Shop); country of origin; how intermediaries is the new cuddlier term for ‘fiscal reps’; clarity on when you should include your company UK address on the backs of cards and the
DIT help that is available for those looking to grow their export side. Dominating the agenda however was the imminent changes to VAT requirements for EU exports. “The Brexit changes are challenging for all, but one big change which will have dramatic impact on those selling their cards to EU countries direct to consumer are the new requirements for small value shipments,” highlights Amanda Fergusson. Up until the beginning of July any publisher or retailer can ship cards to the value of 22 Euros to any EU country free of VAT. However, a little known change is that from July 1, any shipment up to the value of £150 will have to charge VAT at the rate of the EU country where the cards are destined. This means for Germany that would be 19% while Hungary, for example would be 27%. Shortly after the Panel Discussion the Financial Times contacted Richard Asquith to ask for input on which business sectors would likely to be affected by the VAT changes on July 1 and he immediately put the journalist in touch with Amanda Fergusson. “It is great that the FT is taking an interest in our sector which is oft forgotten as one of the UK’s great British success stories,” Amanda told PG. “We will endeavour to do all we can to keep members up to date on changes that will affect their business.” Above: During the pandemic, like many other publishers, David Falkner of Cardology explained that the company’s B2C sales have soared, both in the UK and overseas.
Morrisons postcard giveaway to combat loneliness Morrisons is giving away half a million free colouring in postcards in a nationwide initiative to help tackle loneliness within communities. The free postcards are making their way to recipients in a number of ways, from employees’ children, care homes, schools and the supermarket’s home delivery service. The project’s background research that was commissioned by Morrisons revealed that 46% of Brits are currently feeling more isolated and alone that they normally would. Reinforcing the potency of sending a card, the research highlighted that 67% members of the public say that a simple act of kindness, such as receiving a greeting card, helps them to feel reconnected with their community. Over three quarters (77%) said this would positively change their entire outlook for the day. Above: The free postcard giveaway is all part of Morrisons’ philanthropic ethos. Left: The postcards are spreading joy.
Huetribe’s Tineka Smith hits the media with her book Mixed Up, the book Tineka Smith, founder of diverse card publisher Huetribe co-wrote with her husband Alex Court about life as an interracial couple has hit the headlines. The book launch (published by Headline) has seen Tineka and Alex appear on Sky News recently talking about the prejudice, racist comments and discrimination they have faced in their relationship while the Sunday Times dedicated two full pages to an article on the couple and their book in a recent edition of its Style magazine. Tineka, who has long been among those at the forefront of the drive for greater diversity in the greeting card sector, is especially delighted that Above: Tineka Smith, founder of Huetribe, WHSmith is among the with her husband Alex. stockists of not only her Below: In the book, new book, but now also Tineka mentions Huetribe and the Huetribe cards. greeting card industry. “I'm thrilled that Huetribe cards are now stocked in select WHSmith stores and so is our book! I think this shows a real step in the right direction on seeing diverse products achieve broader distribution in retail. We have also partnered with a leading supermarket to launch our cards in their stores this summer,” Tineka revealed. “I think we're definitely seeing a positive shift when it comes to diversity in publishing, whether that's books, greeting cards or mainstream magazines - but it's important to always remember that we're not there yet, but we will be one day," she added.
Riverside’s rebrand It is no secret that having been able to trade throughout the lockdowns as ‘essential retailers’ many convenience stores have fared incredibly well over the last year. And this increase in footfall, from both existing and new customers, has opened their eyes to growth opportunities on the non-food front, including greeting cards. Partly in response to this, Riverside Greetings (which has specialised in supplying the convenience and forecourt trade sector for years) has invested in a relaunch of its brand, backed up by a host of merchandising and marketing initiatives to help accelerate the growth for both sides and highlight the sales potential of greeting cards. Above: The new branding.
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OVER THE
COUNTER
BY DAVID ROBERTSON OF JP POZZI, ELGIN AND BUCKIE.
Under
Pressure
‘Um boom ba bay...um boom ba bay...ba ba boom ba be be... Pressure, pushing down on me…Pressing down on you…’ If you are like me, this little riff from the Queen and Bowie song sticks in your head as a tenacious earworm. These last few months have seen us all feel pressure like never before and now we are all open again, there are new pressures with which to contend. We have all become worry experts. We have worried about how long we would be closed. We have worried about opening again. We have fought to get the help we deserved. We have tried to find ways to work and trade that keep to the rules but allow us a sense of normality. We thought that we had faced the ultimate pressure, but far from it. Pressure now comes as we are all fully open. The pressure now comes as we have to build the most difficult thing - customer confidence. Pressure is listening to others and worrying that what is happening with our respective businesses is not enough. Pressure is looking forward and believing that things will work out. Pressure is dealing with the reality and truth of the situation. This could be money, the staff, the PAYE, the rent and everything else that being your own boss means. It is easy to give what I call ‘the shop answer’ where you give a bit of truth, a bit of positivity and enough generalisation so that everyone feels OK…including yourself. This ‘shop answer’ however doesn’t really cut to the heart of where we are right now and I think the first step to really dealing with pressure is being honest with yourself and others. We are all big boys and girls and the truth, while sometimes not the popular or pleasant answer, is the right thing to deal in. 20
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This last month I have seen so many examples of people finding it difficult to be honest with me. I felt that by sharing this you might feel just a little bit better about where you are, and if you are lucky enough to be doing well then that’s fantastic. My first real bugbear is when people speak in percentages. “How’s your week been?” “Oh, we were 30% up each day”. Without the context of the actual numbers that means absolutely nothing. It could be £30, £300 or £3,000. If I trust someone and they are in business I will tell them my numbers. Business is a lonely place to be and if you find like-minded people you can have a really truthful discussion with, it can be a powerful thing. The truth can lift the pressure, as you see others are experiencing the same day to day challenges as you are. I see this in the two main business What’s App groups of which I am a part. The support and honesty shines Top left: The Queen and Bowie Under Pressure song resonates with David Robertson and many others right now. Above right: A Kiss Me Kwik classic design. Left: David Robertson at the last PG Live.
through. We offer each other advice, but sometimes just laugh at the absurdity of it all, from socks being returned by customers to a gift shop to staff members sadly helping themselves from the till. The sanctity of these groups work well because we don’t let anyone and everyone join and we all have a shared experience. It is a bit like a self-help group…”I am David Robertson and I have been a businessaholic for 20 plus years”. If you can find a group like this cherish it, but be prepared to invest yourself in it. As with everything in life if you don’t commit, you won’t get anything from it. You need honesty in these groups and I am delighted to say that is what I get from them. The next instance of honesty was within our newspaper operation where we managed to get all the parties publishers/distributors/retailers around the same table. I could clearly see what was happening with the guys in the middle, blaming the guys we could never speak to and the whole thing was a mess. By cutting to the heart of the problem we have made huge strides with the distributors admitting that they had to improve their communication and language. This whole instance again reminded me of the positivity of a direct conversation and while we are still struggling to meet everyone physically, through Zoom and all the other
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OVER THE COUNTER video apps we can get a sense of the truth by seeing people as they speak to us. I know how difficult people find straight talking, but sometimes there is no other way. Sometimes an open chat will be needed and if things go wrong then usually they can be put right. Speaking of honest chats this week also sees the Scottish Parliament election and one group of people who find direct chat difficult are politicians. They seem to avoid it like the plague. In the last week I have been on four Zooms with the four main party leaders. I was able to ask questions about retail to three of the four and it was obvious that some of the leaders had personal experiences of running a small business with both their parents being shopkeepers. The Labour and Lib Dem leaders engaged fully, listening, answering and discussing, but the bottom line is neither will be in power so are not in a position to do anything. Speaking to them it struck me that perhaps it is easy to be honest and open when you are not the person who ultimately has to make the decisions. The other leaders answered in a round about way, saying what we wanted to hear, but without engaging fully. Further lessons here. We are the power in our business. We do make the decisions and to still be standing after the last 14 months we will have made some really difficult ones. Taking direct action is something I have done in recent weeks. This was to deal with some serious issues that will hopefully change my relationship with my staff going forward. I hope that my business will benefit in the long term, but it has not been easy and there have been a few tense moments along the way. The other pressure is of course data the numbers never lie. Any good business looks at their data - eg sales figures, footfall and stockholding. Not many of us indies have EPOS and I always feel a bit inadequate with the old pen and paper method. So much so that I had started investigating systems that worked with our online and could generate all kinds of numbers. I am someone who does daily cashflows, lunar and monthly comparison figures going back five years and a nifty
Above: Timpson shuns excessive data collection, but has a firm grip on what makes its business tick. Below left: Which road are you on? Below right: David loves the sentiment of this patch which he spotted on agent Lucy Sharp’s Instagram.
spreadsheet which looks at worked hours and staff cost to percentage ratio. All of these are important, but really it is just the cashflow that makes a true difference. In a recent Sunday Times, James Timpson, ceo of the Timpson, the key cutting/shoe repair retail group, wrote about how he glazes over with data. He said that while he was well aware that guys like the founder of Nike poured over figures to make their business a success, at Timpson, James breaks it down to a few key elements. Are all stores open? Are our staff happy? What do our customers think of us? He rightly argues that collating data is no use if you don’t analyse it all fully, and few of us can afford a six figure data director. He receives an email at 7pm every night with the stores’ figures generated not from a computer but from colleagues filling in a simple online form. He also asks them to write the figure down on a piece of paper and to store it in a bulldog clip. I can almost hear the collective gasp. Are they living in the dark ages? He believes that his staff engage more with the numbers if they physically write them down. He goes on to say that when Timpson has acquired numerous failing businesses in the last 25 years the first thing they do is switch off the EPOS system. To his mind, all it does is cause people to concentrate on data rather than the most important person, the customer. Timpson’s focus is on customer satisfaction and James rightly argues that failing businesses can become obsessed with looking at data and numbers and trying
to find trends rather than looking at the basics. The final gem in his article is the lesson his father, founder of the business, taught him 25 years ago. Simply look at how much cash was in the bank today compared to that day the previous year. That is a true barometer on the strength of the cashflow and you can ultimately forget paper wealth, asset-based borrowing, value of your stock etc. It was a fantastic article from someone being so honest. Whether in life or business the truth is almost seen as confrontational. As someone once said ‘we can’t handle the truth’. But telling the truth avoids wasting time and energy and also saves you having to have a good memory. The thing is if you tell the truth you have to be able to have the truth told to you and that in itself can be uncomfortable as well. My final example of this is with a guy I have worked closely with for five years. I really wasn’t happy with some work he had done for me, but I could still see there had been a lot of effort put in. I probably hadn’t communicated well enough about what I wanted, had given him too many options and was a bit vague. I set the task when I was distracted and reviewed it when I was tired, saying things which, while true, came across in the wrong way. In this case I learnt a lesson as I could have lost that connection which I value. I realised that how you deliver the truth is as important as the words themselves. The truth should relieve pressure as being honest with others and yourself is liberating and if you start from this position it is much easier to build real connections and a future, whether in life or business. ‘The truth hurts’ so they say, but I would argue you that not being honest with yourself and others is far worse. I prefer the saying ‘I speak my mind because it hurts to bite my tongue…’ now I bet Freddie Mercury would have sung that line well! To contact David email: jppozzi@btconnect.com PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE
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cardsharp
Hangover Blues Post lockdown boom? Frustrated by lockdown restrictions, a boom is what Cardsharp and most of us in the trade were so hoping for once nonessential shops were allowed to reopen. Well, it has not quite happened yet. Perhaps we were all too unrealistically optimistic. Just because we, as business people, were all desperate to get back to normal, that is not necessarily the case for everyone. Cardsharp thinks this first month of ‘freedom’ has revealed that some people are suffering from what could be called a Covid hangover.
Making stuff in the UK is booming at present. Many of those involved in the manufacturing sector of the economy have been working pretty much straight through since last March, albeit under Covid restrictions. But, Cardsharp observed, for the retail sector it has been a somewhat different story, and so he was interested to see the recent British Retail Consortium footfall report. The long and short of it is, that people are not visiting shops as much as they were, despite the reopening last month. High street footfall last month was down 44% on ‘normal’ levels two years ago, shopping centres were down 50% and
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retail parks down 30%. London, apocryphally, is still very quiet as commuters continue to work from home. And while there was a mini boom for many publishers in late March with retailers keen to ensure they had the best product selection to open up with, things have been much quieter in the last few weeks as retailers look to shift all the stock they ordered in anticipation of pent-up demand. Our largest specialist greeting card chain, Card Factory, has been pretty upbeat in the last few weeks, claiming
Above: The Covid ‘hangover’ does not seem to respond to taking a couple of Anadin Extra! Below left: Cardsharp is interested to understand the extent of the ‘expectations’ of Card Factory that have been exceeded. Below: How there is a yearn for the throngs to return to our high streets and city centres.
that sales were well “above expectation”, but being a PLC, Card Factory has a depressed share price to boost, and Cardsharp wonders what its expectations were. Cardsharp has noticed this condition is common at present in some of his contacts and friends. They may have had their jabs or, in the case of younger ones, not be at any real risk of serious illness, but all the same they have become domestically institutionalised. In some cases, almost agoraphobic. It’s almost like they don’t want to face the world again (or maybe have forgotten how) and are using the Covid threat, however remote, as an excuse to not return to the real world.
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Cardsharp was amazed to read details of a recent survey that claimed a third of us apparently preferred lockdown and one in ten want restrictions to last forever! Cardsharp has his doubts about the veracity of some of these figures, but it is certainly true that some people have become rather stuck in their ways. To Cardsharp’s mind this is a shame as so much pleasure can be gained from acting on impulse. Trips out to the shops and discovering new ones would be a great way of getting out of the rut that some people have fallen into.
The British Retail Consortium does not expect any rapid pick up of footfall, but Cardsharp is a lot more optimistic. The gradual ending of furlough will see more people leaving their homes and getting back into the office. Central London, for starters will start to come back to life again. By the time this edition of PG is published, the pubs and restaurants will be fully open both inside and out. The curtains will be up once again at theatres, the films will be rolling at cinemas and a host of other venues will be open hosting events. With Covid rates in the Above: We have all done enough ‘nesting’, believes Cardsharp, it is time to get out shopping! Right A Rosie Made a Thing design which is aiming high for Father’s Day.
Wholesale Changes
UK predicted to be minimal as the vaccination programme further accelerates, even the most ardent ‘home birds’ will not have an excuse for not going out and shopping again. By June 21, when it looks odds on that there will be no social distancing and even no mask wearing requirement, the world will feel a totally different place and even the most risk averse will hopefully want to get out and about. That last roadmap date of June 21 comes one day after this year’s Father’s Day. Last year’s reopening of non-essential retail came a week too late to help the last of our Spring Season events. So, this year’s will be our first ‘normal’ one for two years. Father’s Day has never been the largest of our Spring Seasons, but this year it could be ‘the daddy’ of all days! Left: Simon Elvin, on his recent 80th birthday. Below: An Out of the Blue Studios’ design.
One of the interesting consequences of the Covid crisis and the periodic closure of nonessential retail, is that the wholesale card publishing sector has undergone something of a revival, reflected Cardsharp. True, it is never going to reach the heights of over 30 years ago, when the wholesale sector represented over half the greeting card market in the UK in terms of value. In those days there were nearly 300 wholesalers, not the 30 or so that survive today. In those days some of the wholesale publishers had huge turnovers. As well as the so-called big three of Simon Elvin, Kingsley Cards and Hambledon Studios boasting turnovers of over £20 million, there were several other publishers with turnovers of £10 million+. Cardsharp (being of a certain age) recalls the names of Astor Green, Beaucards, Second Generation, Giesen and Wolff and Regent Greetings as having peppered the card racks in wholesalers’/cash and carry premises. Today of all of those companies, only the eponymous Simon Elvin remains as a standalone company, still led by the redoubtable Simon Elvin, who recently celebrated his 80th birthday. Unfortunately, all those aforementioned smaller companies are now long gone, victims of the rise of the market share of the supermarkets, the decline in market trade, and the rise of Card Factory and its vertical integration model. The trend to shopping local, necessitated by the crisis and the closure of non-essential retail, certainly aided the recent wholesale publisher revival, with newsagents, convenience stores and post offices finding themselves with card hungry customers. But Cardsharp suspects there is more to it than just that. Those wholesalers that have survived and prospered have had to adapt and modernise. Many, like Budget Greeting Cards, Crosswear and Jacksons now offer fantastic easy to navigate websites or like Archway in East Anglia offer a first class door to door delivery service. The suppliers have changed and offered a more modern offering than previously. Publishing companies like Sensations, Kingfisher Cards, and Regal Greetings now offer their own wholesale alternatives to Simon Elvin’s offering. Meanwhile, Budget Greetings, the largest wholesaler has its own brand studio which is prolific in its product development to service the retail customers of its many branches. One of the most interesting wholesale publishers that has made a huge impact in a short time is Out of the Blue Studios. This company utilises the best artists, many formerly from Hambledon Studios, to give its ranges a ‘direct to retail’ look and certainly seems to have gained a real fan base. The wholesale sector of the market will never return to the glory days of the late 1980s, but Cardsharp for one, is pleased to see such a historic market segment experience a ‘shot in the arm’ due to Covid shopping patterns.
PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE
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VIEWPOINTS
The fact that very few of us are likely to be venturing beyond UK shores this year for our holidays (what are they?!) should signal a bonanza time for retailers located in UK hotspots. Ditching its passport, PG ventured forth to find out how card retailers are ready and waiting to welcome the wave of staycationers in their part of the world.
Sarah Pringle co-owner of Spencer Thorn, Bude, North Cornwall: Should I stay(cation) or should I go? “For us staycationing is going to be nothing but a good thing in terms of an increase in the footfall through the door. Cornwall is the most popular UK destination I believe. Almost without exception, pretty much all the local businesses we know who offer accommodation are fully booked already from the end of May right through.” The holiday mood: “We worked throughout lockdown building our own website (www.spencerthorn.com) which now features around 3,000 products and we have created marketing material to promote this, especially to visitors, in the hope of them continuing to use us for their gifting needs once they have returned home. Above: The retro image of the Bude Sea Pool that Sarah’s daughter Alice created for this Summer. As well as greeting cards, the image also appears on magnets, prints, postcards and tea towels. Left: Spencer Thorn is in the heart of Bude.
In terms of product displays there will be a heavy emphasis on local cards and gifts at the front of the shop. Holidaymakers love all our local Dave Thompson Bude images in anything from greeting cards and postcards to prints, tea towels and coasters. We use Star Editions for creating all this for us and will sell shedloads of it from April to October and then very little during the winter! Our daughter Alice has created a Above: The Stephen Millership very cool retro vintage travel style Sea Pool image which is Bude image for this season which will exclusive to Spencer Thorn and is in its third year of bumper sales be unique to us and will translate on greeting cards, prints, postcards etc, all fulfilled by Star beautifully onto greeting cards etc Editions. Below left: A Padstow design by from which we expect good sales. Hannah Beech. This summer we are also selling some work by Hannah Beech who I spotted on Etsy. Her colourful illustrations of well-known Padstow, Port Isaac and St Ives caught my eye and now she has created a Bude image as well for greeting cards and A4 prints. As ever, the other star this Summer I’m guessing will be the Jellycat ‘seafood’ range, just hoping I can get enough stock to keep us going on that one!” Must visit tip: “I’d say the one thing anyone who comes to Bude should do is to swim in our Sea Pool. With wild swimming becoming more and more fashionable for enjoyment and for its health benefits, our pool has literally quadrupled in popularity over the past few years and it’s in an idyllic spot. Personally, I hate the cold though and rarely swim in it myself even in the height of summer!” Magic carpet: “If I had a magic carpet, I’d head right back to where I spent my last holiday, which was at Constance Moofushi in the Maldives. It is heaven! Never have I felt so relaxed in all my 58 years as I was there!” PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE
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VIEWPOINTS Phil Hammill manager of Jessica Hogarth Designs, Robin Hood’s Bay, North Yorkshire (and love partner of Jessica Hogarth): Should I stay(cation) or should I go? “Since we only opened the shop on the 31 July 2020 we are yet to experience a summer where the staycation is not the trend for the season! In recent years, Robin Hood’s Bay and the surrounding area has been becoming even more popular than ever before and I think we are in for a very busy summer with both daytrippers and those coming for longer stays. Years ago, the area used to quieten down out of school holiday times, but the line between ‘high’ and ‘low season’ is becoming more blurred than ever before and I am sure this year will be no exception. Even with restrictions easing and us now having the ‘green light’ to visit some foreign destinations, I think some people will remain cautious and choose to holiday in the UK for some time to come.” The holiday mood: “We will certainly be ensuring we are stocked up and prepared for continuously busy days throughout the summer. We were a bit overwhelmed with just how busy the shop was day in, day out last year. We are delighted to have collaborated with our friend and fellow designer Ilona Drew from I Drew This. She has created a beautiful illustration of ‘the dock’ in Robin Hood’s Bay, based on images we sent her, and it’s now available on cards, prints, coasters and magnets. The artwork is exclusive to us except for on Ilona’s own online shops and compliments our own created products perfectly. We hope to build on our collection of bespoke products over the coming months to ensure we continue to have a point of difference. Visitors are usually looking for souvenirs or keepsakes from which to remember their visit so the majority of our magnets, tea towels and coasters are purchased by them. Interestingly, we also saw an uptick in locals purchasing our Robin Hood’s Bay and Whitby products in the lead up to Christmas, to give as gifts. Jess’ collection of locally-inspired artwork is what led us to open the shop to begin with, so this will continue to be the focal point of our product offering. We have also started stocking coastal cards by Onneke Northcote-Green. Although they are not specific to our area some of the themes within the cards fit perfectly as does her colourful and illustrative approach to design.” Must visit tip: “It’s very hard to give one ‘must do’ for an area that offers so much but walking the coastal path from Whitby to Bay (or vice versa) is pretty spectacular and of course you Top left: Phil and Jess must have a cold beverage and some fish & chips as a outside their shop. Above right: The picturesque reward once you get to your destination!” Robin Hood’s Bay. Magic carpet: “We had a trip booked to New York Above middle: Some coasters featuring Jessica for last May which was cancelled and that’s the first Hogarth Designs. Above: Ilona Drew from I place we will be going to once we are able - we can’t Drew This created a special wait to go back and experience the hustle and bustle of image of Robin Hood Bay’s dock. this vibrant city again! 26
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Pete Whiteman co-owner of Dzodzo, Woodbridge, Suffolk:
Below: Shell Shingle Street, one of the Gill Moon greeting cards which Dzodzo sells. Below right: Dzodzo is hoping for a good tourist season.
Should I stay(cation) or should I go? “We do believe that we will see an upsurge in visitors to our area this year, (especially after Woodbridge was named the best place to live in the East of England), which should be good for business, but there is a caveat to this. Some older locals are nervous about the ‘invasion’ of visitors. Although happy to see the town bounce back to life, they also would like everyone to be sensible. It’s a fine balancing act between welcoming new people and keeping locals happy.” The holiday mood: “The style of visitor is changing this year, with many people who normally go abroad staying in the UK and they are after a different type of souvenir. Instead of the magnet and tea towel, they are looking for larger pieces for the home, such as cushions, prints, canvasses, which reflects the level of spare income they have to spend. Also, this year we will miss the visitors from abroad, especially from the USA, who normally come over to see relatives from when we had the airbase here. On the product front we love to make the most of our amazing heritage. Our own designed range of confectionery and souvenirs is based on a painting by my mother-in-law, Dobrilla Popovic (the company is named after her, it was her maiden name). Secondly, from Gill Moon, a local top-quality photographer, who recently appeared on TV with Kate Humble. Gill has a great eye for image and light and had created our cards and Woodbridge calendar for over four years now.” Must visit tip: “The Woodbridge Tidemill Sutton Hoo, which recently was the subject of The Dig film, but most importantly to enjoy the slow way of life - the beaches, countryside and a pint of Adnams Ghostship!” Magic carpet: “It would have to be to USA to drive Route 66. Big road, wind in the hair kinda feeling.” Above left: Pete has developed a range of products featuring artwork by his mother in law. left: The Woodbridge Tidemill is one of only two in the UK.
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VIEWPOINTS Alison Aitchison co-owner of Presents of Dawlish, South Devon: Should I stay(cation) or should I go? “We opened our doors 25 years ago selling gifts, jewellery and T-shirts and relied heavily on the holiday trade. As the holiday trade started to decline as package holidays became more popular and affordable and the laws changed around taking children out of school during term time, we included cards hoping to attract locals into the shop all year round. This section has just grown and grown over the years and we now have one of the biggest selections of cards in the South West. Dawlish has always been a popular holiday destination for both short breaks and longer family breaks. This year we are excited that many more people will be staying in the town and local area for the first time due to the uncertainty around foreign holidays. We have a holiday let in Dawlish and we are already fully Above: The blue fascia of Presents stands out in Dawlish. booked until the end of September. The local holiday Far left: Impact Souvenirs has produced a retro Dawlish image parks have all experienced unprecedented demand this onto cards, cushions, tea towels, year too. 2021 is definitely the year of the staycation!” coasters, aprons, fridge magnets etc for Presents. The holiday mood: “We sell a variety of products Left: Presents includes a section of celebrating the town, including cards, magnets, cushions, Dawlish-themed products in the shop as well as in the window. coasters etc and one of our three windows is dedicated to Below: Dawlish’s black swans are very popular with visitors and Dawlish and seaside products. locals, which helps boost sales of The town is well known for its black swans and also the famous Brunel railway line. These two icons this design from Nigel Quiney’s Pizzaz range. feature in our retro ranges from Impact Souvenirs. We also stock a range of cards from local railway artist John Austin as well as Nigel Quiney’s black swan card from its Pizzaz range. My husband is a keen photographer and each year he produces a Dawlish calendar for us to sell in the shop. Our regular, local customers predominantly buy cards with the occasional gift. The visitors tend to buy more gifts (treating both themselves and others) although over the last few years many more buy cards as well. In fact, we now have holidaymakers making a bee line for our card section with a list of all the cards they need for the period until they visit again!” Must visit tip: “To follow the stream flowing through the lawns in the middle of the town and discover the famous Black Swans of Dawlish.” Magic carpet: “I have been to Peru and loved it. So, South America - Chile for starters!”
Tim Gould co-owner of Objectables, Folkestone, Kent:
Left: Tim Gould’s wit and wisdom is unmistakable! Bottom left: Objectables has become something of a tourist destination in itself, helped by its ever changing signs. Below: One of Objectables’ postcards.
Should I stay(cation) or should I go? “We moved here four years ago and it’s become more of a place to visit just over that time, let alone the pandemic causing the growth in UK holidaying. There is also a huge arts festival running through the summer which always brings people in.” The holiday mood: “Locals usually come in for something specific whereas holidaymakers are much more likely to be browsing and looking for something that catches their eye. The whole reason The Old High Street, where we are based, is so popular is because it has lots of little independent shops, cafes and bars to explore. We like to think spending half an hour having a laugh at our idiotic cards is part of the day trip activity list. The guy who does the town tours often stops his tour outside our shop so his customers can read the funny cards in our window! We always try and support local card makers anyway but we have just started our first licensed range of art cards and one of our first artists is local so we are hoping to hire another space in the summer to curate an exhibition of these works. Being a publisher ourselves we are always experimenting with cards themed around the town. Having been popular before, we are just relaunching our own postcards which are our own take on our home town.” Must visit tip: “The Folkestone Triennial commissions large scale outdoor permanent works of art which are situated throughout the town. Consequently, the town has become host to one of the largest permanent outdoor art exhibitions in the world. You can spend a day wondering round following sculpture trails or coming across works by Tracy Emin or Anthony Gormley just by luck. And, at the end of the day you can enjoy a glass of champagne outside the champagne bar in the lighthouse at the end of the Harbour Arm, a promenade that juts out half a kilometre into the sea.” Magic carpet: “First of all San Francisco then Thailand because my wife's two best friends live there and she really misses them and that would make her happy, which would make me happy!” PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE
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Turning The Pages
Judging A Card
By Its Cover One of the silver linings of the pandemic is that book readership has soared, right across the generations, with lockdowns and home working leading us to find solace and entertainment between the book covers. With the two-way traffic between books and greeting cards - just as publishers are tapping into book brands by licensing the illustrations for greeting cards, book publishers are seeing merit in producing books based on greeting card concepts - PG eagerly turns the pages on the chapter about this ever engaging inter-relationship.
Eddie Clarke, licensing manager of Museums & Galleries: The plotline: “Books are full of text and the engine of greeting cards is the image, so at first sight this would appear an unlikely partnership. However, at Museums & Galleries we have always noticed an affinity between cards and books and reading, and this is the case, more so now than ever. I think the sheer power and appeal of literature is exemplified by the way our classic literary properties leap from the page into readers' imaginations and then become embodied as cultural icons worldwide. The interplay of the literary and the visual is enduringly fascinating and fruitful.” Chapter and verse: “Probably M&G's longest lasting licensing relationship is with the British Library and today we publish very successful British Library branded everyday and Christmas card ranges as well as other products. Probably the largest library in the world, the archives contain an inexhaustible supply of imagery to unearth. Book illustrations from the golden age of
Left: Judith Kerr’s The Tiger Who Came to Tea features across a variety of products from M&G.Below left: The owl and the pussycat has enduring appeal.
fans here at M&G and are thrilled to be working with the classic Paddington illustrations of Peggy Fortnum, the original Paddington illustrator from the 50s. We tend to find what works best for M&G are literary properties with a bit of history to them, that have achieved classic status, so that there is a multi-generational appeal. We are so proud to have so many of these real British treasures in our Illustrators range - Quentin Blake's stunning illustrations to the Roald Dahl books, Judith Kerr's The Tiger Who Came to Tea, Anita Jeram's illustrations to Sam McBratney's Guess How Much I Love You, and Dick Bruna's Miffy. Our latest signing this year is the beautiful world of Brambly Hedge by Jill Barklem. The contemporary design house MinaLima has produced the most extraordinary, original, and beautiful versions of classics including Hans Christian Andersen's fairy tales and we are delighted to present a selection as greeting cards. Other books include their takes on Alice and as well as Kipling's Jungle book.”
illustration (late 19th to early 20th century) are a big favourite with our customers including names like Rudyard Kipling (who illustrated some of his own books), but also Arthur Rackham, Louis Wain, Jessie Wilcox Smith and Cecil Aldin. Victorian stars like Mrs Beeton and especially Sir John Tenniel's Alice in Wonderland illustrations are still very relevant. Another big Victorian name is Edward Lear, whose original wonderful quirky bird illustrations we have sourced from the V&A. Lear's most iconic poem is Reading between the lines: “I The Owl and the Pussycat am currently catching up on and illustrations to this are last year's Booker winner, just as popular as Tenniel's Shuggie Bain by Douglas are for Alice. Stuart. It’s a beautifully written We all love Michael account of a harsh Glaswegian Bond's Paddington Bear, childhood, and very different and this evergreen classic just from the other book I'd like to seems to go from strength to recommend, Susanna strength with the wonderful Clarke's Piranesi - a film series, TV adaptations, haunting story set in a magically-realised fantasy world.” Above: Eddie Clarke with one of his fave books. and stage shows. We are big
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Turning The Pages
Rosie Tate, director of Cath Tate Cards: The plotline: “Books and greeting cards really do go hand in hand. There are a large number of brilliant greeting card illustrators and artists who also beautifully illustrate books and there is also a crossover of language as the wordsmiths of cards can also turn their hand (or pen) to be the wordsmiths of books as well, because a little gift book is a lot like an extended version of a card. Both can work as a gift you give to someone on a particular theme, hobby, interest or sentiment that suits someone you know down to a T!” Chapter and verse: “We now have seven gift books based on our bestselling evergreen Photocaptions range that are published by Pavilion Books. The Inking Woman book (co-written by my mum Cath Tate) covers 250 years of women cartoonists and comic artists in Britain published by Myriad Editions. The Inking Woman book came about because of Cath’s experience of selling popular cards with the work of women cartoonists on them in the 1990s. She became aware of just how many good women cartoonists existed (and had existed for the past couple of hundred years or so) hidden in plain sight. An exhibition in 2017 and then the book the following year brought all the work from her cards together and more, raised the profile of women cartoonists, so people became aware that they actually existed. One of the artists whose work we publish on cards is Katie Kirby aka Hurrah for Gin who topped the book charts with four bestselling books Hurrah for Gin, Hurrah for Gin: the Daily Struggles of Archie Adams, Hurrah for Gin: reluctant adult and in 2021 The Extremely Embarrassing Life of Lottie Brooks. Katie’s first book aimed at tweens has become a number 1 best seller since its publication in March this year.” Top: One of the books based on Cath Tate Cards’ Photocaptions card range. Above: A recent Photocaption card design. Right: Rosie Tate with her current read.
Reading between the lines: Rosie Tate - “I am currently reading The Midnight Library by Matt Haig, I love his books they are the right balance of fantasy/ history and character and I’m also a big fan him as a human being. I also read a lot children’s books due to the age of my kids (4 and 7) and I have a whole host of my favourites. These include Interstellar Cinderella, an alternative Cinderella story with fab illustrations by Meg Hunt and I also love the Storm Whale books by Benji Davis, again lovely illustrations and sweet story about loneliness and friendship.” Cath Tate - “I am currently reading Welcome to Lagos by Chibundu Onuzo, a fascinating story about life in modern Nigeria. I love a book that takes one out of the familiar but that is familiar at the same time. I also devour art and photographic books.” 30
PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE
The brains behind the company Until five years ago, Emma Lawrence, founder of Emma Lawrence Designs was juggling a career as a clinical neuropsychologist specialising in brain injury rehabilitation with her desire to draw and publish her creations based on nature and the countryside, encouraging children to appreciate the minibeasts (insects and invertebrates), small mammals as well as wildflowers. Then, in 2016, having published her first Little Nature Explorers book, featuring her own detailed coloured pencil drawings while still working full time, she took the decision to concentrate her efforts on her own business which has spawned greeting card ranges (based on illustrations from her three books that have now been published) as well as licensing the designs onto other products. As Emma sees it, her cards and books both have the same role. “They are both accessible ways of getting a message out there, both educationally and psychologically. Even if the cards’ main mission is to send a smile and cheer someone up, the detailed nature of my drawings also means that hopefully those who receive them will gain a greater appreciation of our natural world.” In addition to the trio of books in Little Nature Explorers (the worm; slugs & snails; butterflies), Emma also launched some colour-in cards too which are aimed, like the books, at encouraging children to learn about all our wonderful little creatures and to be creative. “The aim of my Little Nature Explorers series has always been to increase the awareness of all the little creatures and wildflowers that are often overlooked and to encourage children to explore outside. With the increasing interest in nature and its value for our wellbeing and our future, they are great for children of a wide age range,” she explains. Emma is currently busy working on some new children’s books which cover caring for the environment. “I am sure some of the illustrations will make great cards too,” she told PG. Top: One of Little Nature Explorers books. Above: Emma Lawrence loves drawing detail through close observation as her books and cards show. Below right: Emma Lawrence with a prized Tunnicliffe book.
Reading between the lines: “My favourite books are non-fiction ones relating to wildlife. I find that older books contain more detail which I find so inspiring and informative so am often on the scout in second-hand book shops. One of my favourites is C.F. Tunnicliffe’s A Sketchbook of Birds. Tunnicliffe was an incredible artist who studied birds and nature in such close detail.”
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Turning The Pages
Linzi Russell-Watson, co-founder/co-owner of ArtPress: The plotline: “Beautifully illustrated books generate all sorts of emotions, from nostalgia, (how wonderful it is when your favourite childhood books are loved by a younger generation), to humour (empathy with the ‘story’) and quite frankly awe of the artwork. All these qualities cross over with the careful selection and sending of greeting cards.” Chapter and verse: “We publish several book related artists, including Brian Wildsmith, Sally Muir and Jamie Shelman to name a few. Brian Wildsmith (1930-2016) is an internationally renowned British illustrator, artist and author of more than 80 books for children. Everything in Wildsmith’s illustrations sings with vibrancy, colour and life. His work conveys the importance of
such things as kindness, compassion, generosity, friendship, and beauty. Sally Muir‘s books, which include A Dog a Day (literally creating a dog portrait every day for a year) and the recently published Old Dogs, captures the very essence of man’s best friend in all their many varieties. Jamie Shelman, under the brand of The Dancing Cat illustrates
the feline side of things, and her two books Life Lessons I Learned From My Cat and How to Land on Your Feet humorously show all the quirks and foibles that cat owners are quick to recognise in their own fur balls.” Far left: The Brian Wildsmith There’s a Hedgehog in my Garden design from ArtPress. Left: A Sally Muir portrait from her A Dog a Day book. Below: Linzi is having a rest from Scandi noir books.
Reading between the lines: “Turning away from Scandi noir, I am currently reading Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell by Suzanna Clarke. Judging from the reviews it’s a real marmite of a book, but it is pure escapism from the current news, by way of early nineteenth-century magic, Napoleonic wars, rivalries and fantasy.”
David Greaves, joint managing director of Emotional Rescue The plotline: “I’ve always thought the biggest similarity between cards, books (and music for that matter) is that they are two of the few products where consumers are not paying for what they are buying but also for all the stuff all publishers have to throw in the bin, in that they also pay for the stuff that doesn’t sell!” Chapter and verse: “We think we [Emotional Rescue] might have had the most successful crossover, cards to books, book ever?! We made it to number 4 in The Sunday Times bestseller book list with The Wit and Wisdom of Mum book, one of 12 titles based on our On The Ceiling brand, published by Templar. This is not books to cards, but the other way around.” Left: One of the 12 books that have been published based on Emotional Rescue’s On The Ceiling brand. This one reached number 4 in the Sunday Times best sellers list in 2019.
Reading between the lines: Brett Smith, joint managing director of Emotional Rescue: “The only book I’ve ever read more than once (five times so far!) is Graham Greene’s Brighton Rock. As I was a small child living in Brighton it pulls on the heartstrings a little (plus my Dad was in the original film as a small boy!) A great book I’ve just finished is Green Lights, which is Matthew McConaughey’s autobiography, and I would thoroughly recommend it. And, a ‘business’ book everyone should read is Sam Walton’s Made In America book. Just fascinating. My fondest memories concerning books are of reading the James Herriot stories as a child - it conjures up a particular memory of reading on a coach trip to London with my mum.”
Kali Stileman, founder of Kali Stileman Publishing: The plotline: “There is a strong link between children’s picture books and children’s greeting cards - in both cases the imagery has to really stand out. Because my artwork has appeared in several books over the years and I do a lot of kids’ cards, they have the same audience. I changed the company name from The Square Card Co to Kali Stileman Publishing so customers would link the two.” Chapter and verse: “Over the years I have been the author/illustrator for several books for Penguin Random House, including Peely Wally, Big Book of My World and Time for Tea Polly Wally. I also illustrated a series lovely quality felt books with mouths for Make Believe Ideas which led on to the Mouthies card collection that we publish. I am now working on a range of personalised books which will use my favourite card images, and have just finished a science book about space with my brother.” Above: One of the books based on Kali’s artwork, published by Make Belief Ideas. Left: Kali is a big fan of Steven Galloway’s The Cellist of Sarajevo book.
Reading between the lines: “One of the last books I read was The Cellist of Sarajevo by Steven Galloway - just brilliant!”
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Turning The Pages
Richard Ford, co-owner of Hype Associates: The plotline: “Everybody at Hype loves reading books and browsing in bookshops, so we find that working with book illustrations is a very natural and enjoyable fit for us. We like book illustrations because at their best they are beautiful and distinctive and remind people of the books they love. Characters from books are the work of the original artist and tend to work well on other printed paper products (unlike, say, film or TV characters which have to be redrawn for styleguides). We find that some of our strongest book-related characters are tremendously appealing to children, but then keep their hold pretty much throughout adult life. Miffy and Dr Seuss are good examples.” Chapter and verse: “We have a number of ranges where the images first appeared in books (Moomin, Miffy, Mr Men, Dr Seuss, Elmer, Little Grey Rabbit, Leo Lionni, Little Prince, Beatrix Potter, Mr Benn, Alice in Wonderland). We also have some where the images weren’t originally from books, but which now have a very strong book-publishing programme (Pusheen, Snoopy, Beano, Hello Kitty, Roy of the Rovers). The timeline of the illustrations we use stretches all the way from Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland (1865) to I am Pusheen the Cat (2013). Sir John Tenniel’s images for Alice in Wonderland are probably the first recognisably modern book illustrations, fixing the characters in people’s minds and creating a strong brand through their whimsy and simplicity. Over 150 years later they are still powerful and alluring. Most of the book illustrations we use are very familiar in the UK, but it’s always exciting for us to try to establish ranges where we particularly love the illustrations and the back-story, such as Leo Lionni. He was a very successful advertising art director (like Dr Seuss) who wrote and illustrated his first children’s book aged 50 and went on to have an amazingly prolific second career.” Above: Miffy has endured over 70 years and is a popular licence for Hype. Left: Moomins’ creator Tove Jansson wrote and drew the first books during the depths of World War Two, giving them meaning and insight while also tying in with the growing interest in all things Scandinavian.
Reading between the lines: “I love reading and I’ve usually got two or three books on the go. My highlights of the last 12 months are Radical Technologies by Adam Greenfield and Psychedelic Apes by Alex Boese. My lifetime favourites are the Alice in Wonderland books, which I re-read every couple of years, and the Collected Fictions of Jorge Luis Borges. Weird and wonderful.”
Dominic Greyer, founder of Lesser Spotted Images The plotline: “Both are forms of communication. However, while the majority of people aren't going to write a book (I could only manage a couple of words max on each page!), a greeting card provides the opportunity to express yourself in a more considered manner than a text/facebook post.” Chapter and verse: “We have two-way traffic at Lesser Spotted. Some of my own designs feature in two books - Far From Dull and other Places published by Sort Of Books and Lesser Spotted Britain, published by Portico. Meanwhile, I have also tapped into the book publishing world for our card range of James Murray aka Jim'll Paint It. James’ artwork has been published on Electric Dreams by Faber & Faber and Of Mouse & Man, published by Unbound.” Above: A Star Wars Night Out At Kebabba The Hunt from the Jim I’ll Paint It card range from Lesser Spotted. Left: Dominic Greyer with his two books.
Reading between the lines: “I am a big fan of Pies & Prejudice: In Search of The North by Stuart Maconie. This is a hilarious look at the cultural mores of the North hoping to find "where the cliches end & the truth begins"! Written by a Northerner in exile and currently being read by an enlightened Southerner living in blissful selfimposed exile in Manchester!”
Kate Leach, head of marketing of Woodmansterne Publications: The plotline: “The advantage of tapping into book-related licences and translating them onto greeting cards, means that you start off with a readymade audience. And in addition, the illustrations are always good quality, having already proved themselves on the nation’s bookshelves.” Chapter and verse: “We have published many greeting card designs with literary connections over the years - from those with a strong heritage, such as The Very Hungry Caterpillar, Quentin Blake and Fred right through to current favourite brands, such Oi! and our most recent signing, The Brilliant World of Tom Gates, based on the phenomenally popular children’s books by Liz Pichon. Added to this, we have had a bit of excitement in the other direction with Pavilion Books getting in touch about turning our popular Hysterical Heritage range into a book (created by our own art director, Ian Blake, which is due to published this month." Above: One of Woodmansterne’s latest licensing signings is for The World of Tom Gates, based on the books by Liz Pichon. Left: One of Woodmansterne’s Hysterical Heritage card designs that spawned interest from Pavilion Books.
Reading between the lines: Kate - “I have just finished reading, for the second time, Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman. A completely captivating character and an important message about mental health. I also recently enjoyed Caitlin Moran’s More Than a Woman, a witty and pithy book that addresses crucial issues of feminism, motherhood and general everyday life.”
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THE GREATEST COLLECTION OF GREETING CARDS IN THE WORLD “Of course we’ll be at PG Live 2021. I can’t wait to see all the new products and the faces behind them. No better place to find them!” James Taylor, trading director of Cardzone.
“I really love Progressive Greetings Live – if you are a retailer reading this and have never visited, I implore you to put it on your list to visit. We always come back with new and exciting ranges. The hospitality at the show is brilliant! After a lot of ordering there is the after party for some socialising with old and new friends, which is a great end to a very successful day.” Maggie Wynn, owner, Just Cards, Honiton “I can’t think of a better show to kick off the return to normality than PG Live. I’ve missed everyone from the industry a lot this past year and this will be a show like no other. Roll on July!” Mark Janson-Smith, managing director, Postmark
Where the card community comes alive! www.progressivegreetingslive.com
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PG Live 2021 Tuesday 27 - Wednesday 28 July Business Design Centre, London +44 (0) 1635 297070 www.progressivegreetingslive.com @PGLiveLondon #PGL2021
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Innovations May 2021 GF.qxp_38-39/40-41 13/05/2021 11:33 Page 1
PG showcases a selection of new product launches
Wild At Heart Roaring into the market is Type and Story’s new Wild-Life collection. This new collection of playful designs celebrate nature and the wild in all its glory. The collection was born through the lens of an inquisitive five year-old’s eyes, encapsulating the cheer of nature's energy. Type and Story 07738 285884 www.typeandstory.com
The Number’s Game Popsy & Plum’s popular Awesomely Fab collection has been augmented with a whole host of number celebration cards. The new additions cover animal print designs featuring numbers ranging from 16-100. Blank inside - the cards are printed on FSC-certified board and come with a kraft envelope. Popsy & Plum 07769 212269 popsyandplum@outlook.com
Artistic Impressions The wonderful artistry of Rotterdambased muralist and screen printer Ilse Weisfelt features on a new range from Lagom Design. The latest collection comprises 13 greeting cards, which are all hand-embossed with recyclable gold foil. Lagom Design 03331230101 www.lagomdesign.co.uk
Encouraging Eco
Classic Appeal
Plants on Pink is a brand new range from newbie eco-greeting card publisher Studio Noodles. All A6 cards (blank inside) are printed using only vegetable inks on eco eucalyptus thick pulp on 350-400gsm board. As part of its environmental thrust all Studio Noodles’ cards are supplied plastic-free. Studio Noodles 07811756941 www.studionoodles.com
Lesser and Pavey has launched an addition to its popular William Morris range of fine ceramics to join the collection of tabletop items. The Lily range, featuring bold floral depictions of a William Morris design, is captured on a ‘tea for one’ (a teapot and cup combined), a butter dish, fine mugs, a jug, melamine trays, lunch boxes, environmentally-friendly bamboo items and social stationery items. Lesser & Pavey 01322 279225 www.leonardo.co.uk
Pressing Issues Among a wealth of newness from GBCC is Wildflower Press, a bright floral range inspired by 2021’s pressed flower trend to bring a fresh outdoor feel to any display. GBCC’s creative designer Miki Rose has combined her own photographs of pressed wildflowers with inspired illustrations, which are enhanced by rose gold foil, luxurious embossing and elegant tip-ons to create a very special final look. GBCC 01452 888999 www.greatbritishcards.co.uk PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE 35
Dandelion Stationery - PG Advert.pdf
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6 fabulous designs to choose from
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From the team behind Progressive Greetings Worldwide, PG Live, The Retas and The Henries, PGBuzz.net has launched as the new online central resource for the greeting card sector online...
Cards you probably shouldn’t send to your Grandma. See the full range at www.theswearycardco.com or get in touch at hello@theswearycardco.com to discuss a trade account.
Jakki Brown Joint md & editorial director jakkib@max-publishing.co.uk
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The very latest news, views, articles and analysis
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Up to date information on PG Live, The Retas, and The Henries
Tracey Arnaud traceya@max-publishing.co.uk
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Advertising, Recruitment and Sponsorship Opportunities:
News • PG Worldwide • Interviews • PG Live • Newsflash • Events Gallery • Jobs • Ladder Club • GCA
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News, Editorial and Content Opportunities:
30/06/2017 16:3 16:33 14/05/2021 11:31
Innovations May 2021 GF.qxp_38-39/40-41 13/05/2021 11:34 Page 2
PG showcases a selection of new product launches
Fabulously Festive Frost, Apple & Clover’s new Christmas collection features 38 hand-finished designs featuring red and gold, sparkly and ribbon bows. Marking Apple & Clover’s largest Christmas collection to date, the new festive range features radiant robins, delightful dogs and fabulous foxes. Apple & Clover 07790 900976 www.appleandclover.com
Christmas Cheer Jessica Hogarth’s Christmas range includes 32 gold foiled designs, which include 18 brand new ones for 2021. The publisher’s best-selling London designs remain in the collection, with new additions including an eclectic range of designs from snowmen and Dachshunds to cottages inspired by Jessica’s childhood home. The cards are all available singly as well as in packs. They measure 120mm x 170mm and come with a gold or red envelope. Jessica Hogarth 07786 906648 www.jessicahogarth.com
A Woman’s World Clare Maddicott Publications has collaborated with the talented artist Sarah Long to create the Boujee age cards collection, a stunning, contemporary series of new female milestones. Each design features a prominent number, along with lavish gold foil highlights and embossing details to accentuate the bold, vibrant palette. Formatted to oversized 5” x 7”, the designs are accompanied by metallic gold envelopes. Clare Maddicott Publications 01638 569050 www.maddicott.com
The Finer Details
Patching Things Up
Inspired by living in the countryside and enjoying woodland walks, artist (and owner of Doodlelicious) Sarah Capper has created a wonderful new collection depicting the wonders of nature, from ferns unfurling around a fungi-rich scene to a pheasant in full plumage in her imitable detailed hand drawn style. The 150mm square cards are printed on top quality 300gsm board and come with a fern green envelope. Doodlelicious 07734034039 www.Doodleicious.co.uk
Daisy Patch, one of Paper Rose’s best loved ranges, has been developed and expanded as a brand-new collection for 2021. Pretty and feminine, Daisy Patch is blooming with 13 new floral patterns and charming characters in a cheerful colour palette. Each card (everyday and occasions) is accented by delicate highlights of beautiful holographic silver foil, and each card comes with a pink envelope. Paper Rose 0115 986 0115 www.paperrose.co.uk
The Natural World Hidden Nature is a beautiful collection of 24 designs from Objectables, based on upclose nature photos by Devon-based photographer Andreanna Weedon. The images that Andreanna captures of bugs having ‘special time’ are very popular. Objectables 01303 255287 www.objectables.co.uk PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE 37
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Innovations May 2021 GF.qxp_38-39/40-41 13/05/2021 11:35 Page 3
PG showcases a selection of new product launches
A Panoramic View Card Baste Designs has launched a collection of 10 three-fold panoramic cards featuring beautiful Spring and Summer floral designs. The cards, which measure 387 x 152mm when fully open, feature a coloured French fold linen paper inside. The cards and papers are then sewn together, with the card sealed with a tied ribbon, a colour coordinating wrap and are presented in a slim, elegant box. Card Baste Designs 07342 762300 www.cardbastedesigns.co.uk
Zooming Great
Folding Fun
ExaClair, the UK subsidiary of the Exacompta-Clairefontaine Group, has expanded its selection of 100% recycled Forever products with the Forever Young stationery range (stylish ring binders, elasticated three-flap folders, filing boxes, multipart files and display books). Targeted at ‘Zoomers’ (15-25 year olds), the products, manufactured from post-consumer recycled plastic waste are accredited with a Blue Angel environmental label. ExaClair 01553 696600 www.exaclairlimited.com
Brushstroke Wisdom He’s already stolen everyone’s hearts, but now Oh Deer has encapsulated the charm of artist Bob Ross onto a range of 16 greeting cards. After 20 years working in the US Air Force, Bob came back down to earth to make his mark with his landscape art and gentle philosophy. Ohh Deer 01509 812075 www.ohhdeer.com
A novel alternative to a greeting card, Dandelion Stationery’s new Origami Note Card pack provides the wherewithal to be transformed into animal-faced greetings. Each pack contains four sheets of notepaper along with four envelopes, ready to be folded to bring you face to face with a tiger, fox, penguin and owl! Aimed at children aged seven and above, full folding instructions are included with each pack and also online by scanning the QR code on the pack. The cards are made from FSC certified material and are 100% recyclable. Dandelion Stationery 01332 504940 www.dandelionstationery.co.uk
A Colourful World ArtPress has launched a new range of cards entitled Colour Palette by the ever-popular designer Jenny Frean. The eight designs are a celebration of all that is colourful, from flowers to rainbows. The simple and yet sophisticated hues are a testament to Jenny Frean’s mastery of textile design. The cards are 150mm square and come with an accompanying Kraft envelope. ArtPress Publishing 020 7231 2923 www.art-press.co.uk
Pretty Paws Neon Cats is a new illustrated range from Lucy Maggie Designs. Known for designing cards with a vibrant colour palette, adding a new dimension to this feline series, the use of neon ink really helps the cards 'pop' on the shelves. Lucy Maggie Designs 07763239731 www.lucymaggiedesigns.co.uk PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE 39
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Retailer Roundup
Scotland The Brave
It was a long wait, but having been closed for four months in the last lockdown alone, the end of last month saw greeting card retailers in Scotland at long last being able to fling open their doors to welcome back their customers. PG spoke to a clutch of retailers in various parts of Scotland about the early signs. “Back. For. Good. After four long months we have reopened our Edinburgh shops. It feels great,” stated Michael Apter, owner of the two Paper Tiger stores in Scotland’s capital, on social media. However, he followed up with a serious message for the public: “Every independent business on the High Street is gasping for custom. As sectors reopen, please get out and about this week, this month, this year, and support them too!” Michael revealed that his stores’ first
day of trading was “in line with expectations” and encouragingly “much better than Day One back in June last year”. That said, he admitted that Edinburgh is still fairly quiet, with the cold wind and drizzle not exactly shopping weather. However, average transactional value has been up: “People are spending more per visit, which was very much in line with our experience last time around, stocking up on impulse cards rather than just specific occasions cards.” Over in Glasgow Fiona Fabien, owner of Papyrus describes the whole reopening experience as “very emotional” largely due to 40
PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE
the lovely comments from customers. “I will never ever take any customer for granted - not that I did anyway - but somehow I appreciate them even more! I could have hugged them all, but that's not allowed!” said Fiona. While Fiona said there was “a real buzz about the place” on reopening day, she added that “trade settled down after an initial flurry of excited customers” but that Papyrus is still trading well up on same period in 2019. Encouragingly, Fiona revealed “Greeting cards are selling well, with customers buying in bulk to restock their collection, but there doesn't seem to be the same frantic shopping frenzy that followed the first lockdown. However, despite footfall being down, the average spend is up.” Fellow Glasgow-based retailer, Denise Laird, co-owner of Spirito feels equally uplifted. “It is wonderful to see the shop and neighbouring businesses coming to life again. All the businesses made such a big effort to make their customers experience the best it can be with the cafes and restaurants extending outside - the only thing we need is warmer weather!” She is encouraged by the early signs. “Trade has been brisk and we have been seeing a lot of new faces as well as regulars. I think because there are a lot more Above left: A lot of the Paper Tiger team met up just prior to the reopening. As part of this they enjoyed sketching workshop with Edinburgh Sketcher. Above right: Papyrus experienced a reopening buzz. Right: Paper Tiger’s Michael Apter.
people still working from home and shopping locally.” In Spirito it is greeting cards that Denise says “have definitely been the most popular, and customers have been buying some extra cards too.” A few miles south west of Glasgow in Barrhead, Chris Waters, owner of Giftscene, reported that early trading patterns have been “very encouraging” since reopening. “Customers have been telling me how pleased they are to be able to get good cards again. Loads of customers are buying their cards in bulk in case of another lockdown. Just hoping for everyone’s sake that won’t happen!” said Chris. “I’m the eternal optimist so I’m confident trade will be strong and steady over the coming months.” Over in Campbeltown, despite being new to the neighbourhood (having relocated the shop from Gourock) Coorie Doon’s co-owner Katrina
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Retailer Roundup
Roberts-Pollock said: “people have been very welcoming.” The level of trade, Katrina says has been “fairly good since reopening” notably with “a lot of customers stocking up on cards (as well as buying gifts). Many have said they want to support local shops and that they’re not rushing up to the larger shopping areas at this time. While they are really happy to see shops open again and are enjoying being out and about, many are still being cautious.” Further north the weather was definitely not kind, pelting down with heavy rain for much of the first day which did dampen footfall. “Results today were very mixed,” admitted David Robertson, md of JP Pozzi and Bijou in Elgin and Buckie on reopening day. “Elgin was really busy. Buckie less so.
The weather was definitely against us.” Sharing the same patch of sky in Elgin, Sarah Holmes, owner of Pencil Me In said that she was relieved that at the end of the first day of trading that she had “double normal takings”, buoyed up by some larger purchases. “We had a quieter first morning while the rumours of queues at TK Maxx and everyone's favourite breakfast spot were reported, but lots of people were around in the town. It was lovely to see our customers selecting their own products in store.” However, since that first week, Sarah elaborated that while she has been happy to see “a small sprinkling of tourists,” as well as her regular local customers, sadly, the county of Moray, where her shop (as well as David Robertson’s Bijou store) is based, “is the worst place in Scotland right now for Covid, and it looks like we won’t be moving into the next level down of tiers come May 17. The Scottish national media classed Elgin as the ‘epicentre’ which has Above left: Giftscene in Barrhead benefitted from a pent-up demand for greeting cards from its customers. Above right: The newly decorated Pencil Me In gave a sunny welcome to customers, despite the rain outside! Left: Katrina Roberts-Pollock has been delighted by the warm reception from customers.
led to cancellations in our neighbouring hospitality businesses and footfall has been much quieter.” She is braced for the next few weeks of not being “quite the recovery we were hoping for” but remains “confident that things will pick back up once our cases of Covid settle down and they’ve expedited the vaccine programme.”
Echoing Sarah’s sentiments, David Robertson added: “It is such a shame. Trade has not come back as we had hoped. People both locals and potential visitors - have been a bit spooked. We will just have to wait it out and look forward to that feeling of freedom!” So, while it is a case of Scotland the brave, certainly in parts of the country the wee braw light of hope is shining through the glens.
Island life
While card retailers in mainland Scotland have had to endure an extended lockdown, those on Orkney (among other Scottish island groups) were placed in a lower tier meaning that non-essential retail was allowed to remain open. Robert Petrie, owner of Kairds in Kirkwall, the largest town in Orkney, shares his trading experiences. “We have been open since June 29 after the first lockdown and were not forced to close again at Christmas. However, movement to and from the islands was restricted and we have had to rely purely on local trade. This was however also greatly restricted as many older residents were shielding, no office staff were working who would normally come into the town centre at lunch times or on the way to and from work. We put all the safety requirements in place and changed some of the ways we operated. Initially I did home deliveries or took samples to customers to look at and also took orders. With customers restricted I had to reduce staff and keep a good control on stock purchases which meant I have been at the shop full time every day myself. Historically in the summer we rely greatly on the tourists with over 100 cruise ships calling into the islands, however this trade was lost so we were purely down to local trade. However, with travel restrictions it has meant that islanders have not been able travel to the mainland for shopping, and with the ‘shop local’ messages given out we were well supported at Christmas and actually saw an increase in our seasonal trade. The other seasons, Valentine’s Day, Mother`s Day and Easter were similar with our Mother`s Day and Easter cards selling out. With travel restrictions now lifted we look forward to welcoming some British tourists to the islands, but I don`t think we will see many cruise ships this year. It has been hard work, but although turnover has been reduced, I have actually shown a greatly increased profit. I think our future is looking good whereas unfortunately some other businesses have not been able to survive the lockdown restrictions.” Above: The fresh fascia of Kairds in Kirkwall, the largest town in Orkney. Right: A local customer card shopping in Kairds.
PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE
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In Conversation With... Flora Blathwayt
A Clean Sweep “Everything has been a bit of a whirlwind since the Channel 4 programme!” exclaimed Flora Blathwayt, founder of Washed Up Cards. Receiving almost 4,000 orders since the documentary aired about her greeting card publishing business would be seen as rather more than ‘a bit’ in most people’s eyes, but then it is ‘bits’ that have turned this plucky eco-entrepreneur into something of an industry media star. PG squeezed in a call with the lovely Flora to find out more about her innovative upcycling business that is delivering the plastic pollution message, one greeting card at a time. Left: Flora Blathwayt on the River Thames ‘beach’.
“I just cannot believe the attention and level of orders Washed Up Cards received after the TV documentary. It is brilliant and terrifying at the same time,” admitted Flora. “I then realised that to make the 3,600 cards just to satisfy those orders would take me months and months, so I roped in friends and family to help. Etsy had to shut down my shop to allow me to catch up a bit. Thankfully I now have several lovely people helping me on the card making and to get the process smoother and an intern is due to start, so we are coming out the other side, but I have lots of other ideas too,” says Flora enthusiastically. All this might never have happened if she had not made her sister (who had been living plastic-free) a wedding card using micro plastic elements that Flora had collected on a River Clean walk in 2019. Then, finding herself furloughed during lockdown Flora started making a few greeting cards, initially for self-therapy. Nothing unusual in that in itself, with card making being one of the most popular hobbies, even before the pandemic struck, but Flora’s cards were ‘rubbish’, quite literally, river rubbish to be precise. 42
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Left: The wedding card Flora made for her sister which sparked the idea for Washed Up Cards. Below right: On the rear of each card there is a space to write where the piece of plastic that features was found. Below left: Just a small selection of the discarded plastic that Flora has retrieved from the shore of the Thames.
Urged on by neighbours’ positive comments about the cards that Flora had given them (she was new to the area and used the cards to get to know people) as well as necessity (as she was made redundant), she took the plunge and set up Washed Up Cards, launching on Etsy. Attracting ‘five star’ reviews almost immediately, news of Washed Up Cards quickly gathered momentum in the media with BBC Breakfast, BBC Radio 5
Live, Metro, Guardian, Huff Post, Main Online, Big Issue and Time Out, as well as a host of local press, all keen to share Flora’s story, which is inspiring on sustainable and entrepreneurial fronts as well as uplifting on a human level. In what must rank as one of the most unusual production and creative processes of any greeting card publisher, a ‘day at the office’ for Flora might start with a bike ride to a stretch of the river near her South London home, where she will don her gloves and scour the river edge up, picking up discarded plastic ‘treasures’ - from brightly colours bottle tops to cable ties, bits of ketchup wrappers to broken buttons - which are then stashed in all their muddy stinkiness into a bag. “You might think it is all manky, but it is like a little bit of treasure,” says Flora, who gets excited when she finds a purple bottle cap that can be turned into a ‘balloon’ on a card, or a piece of blue plastic that is calling out to be repurposed as a whale spout! Back at her home her plastic stash is then given a double wash, making them
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In Conversation With... Flora Blathwayt
ready for action, invariably being cut up into little pieces and affixed to her currently handstamped ‘pun-tastic’ cards to add colour and texture. “When I started I was hand drawing every card. I thought hand-stamping would make it quicker, but it still takes a long time, so I am now investigating printing the base design,” Flora explained. “Weirdly, the cutting up of the plastic is strangely therapeutic and the most enjoyable bit, seeing it bring the design to life,” she adds.
Adding provenance, the rear of each card even includes a handwritten location of where the plastic element was found. And, as a final touch, the cards are then wrapped in freshly ironed quirky paper packaging from sustainable toilet paper brand Who Gives a Crap? (the patterned paper sheets being given or sent to her by members of the public) before being sent out to fulfil the stack of orders. “I am astonished by the goodwill of people. That they will not only save their Who Gives a Crap wrappings, but will then iron them and post them to me, all for nothing. Just wonderful,” says Flora joyfully. Flora has always been a lover of greeting cards and feels that their role is more important now than ever before. “The more digital our lives become, the more important the tangible becomes. I am so sentimental and never throw a card away, the sight of seeing someone’s handwritten
message fills me with joy,” reveals Flora. And while she accepts that the younger generation card buying habits may differ from older demographics, she still feels that greeting cards very much resonate. “I speak to my younger cousins about their card buying. While they won’t buy big packs of Christmas cards like their parents, they still buy special cards to send to their friends and family, and even more so in the last year when those handwritten messages of ‘I miss seeing you’ have meant so much,” believes Flora. On the environmental front, while Flora is ever mindful of the importance of caring for the planet, she says that she would “hate anyone to think I’m overly virtuous. My mum goes out every week litter picking, it is just something she does. Same with me. It is partly a mental health thing. To my mind if helping the environment makes you feel better, as it does for so many people, then it is a win win.” In addition to her own weekly plastic picking trips to the river, Flora is also a Thames 21 River Action leader and fronts monthly river beach clean ups and sees real merit in these as a team building experience, with the added benefit of removing at least some of the disturbing amounts of plastic littering our waters. Flora laughs off the suggestion that if Washed Up
Cards’ expansion continues at pace that she will run out of the plastic bits that give them their USP. “Sadly, there is no chance of that happening. I would love that to be the case, but there is still loads out there, much more than we will ever need for our cards,” says Flora. “I just hope that by spreading awareness of plastic pollution in this feelgood and engaging way, it will show people that little actions do make a difference.” While, Flora is delighted to have received interest from leading retailers, like John Lewis and Selfridges, asking for samples, she feels that right now, the right course of action for Washed Up Cards is “to go steady and grow the business organically, concentrating on supplying independent shops as well as direct to the public.” That said, she is also full of ideas. “I would love to develop a Washed Up Cards card making kit to encourage people to do their own beach cleans and make their own cards, and I’ve also had discussions about replicating what we do, elsewhere in the world.” Just as there is only one Greta Thunberg, there is only one Flora Blathwayt! Top left: The message on Washed Up Cards’ Etsy shop. Top right: To start with Flora was hand-writing and individually drawing each cards, but now she has started handstamping them before adding the plastic element by hand. Above left: Little bits of plastic waste add dimension and colour to Washed Up Cards’ puntastic designs. Above: All the cards are wrapped in re-purposed Who Gives a Crap’s loo paper packaging. Left: Flora leads a monthly beach clean up as part of the Thames 21 River Action team. PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE
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ART SOURCE
The Lesser-Known Patron Saints
TO APPEAR REGULARLY IN THE
ARTSOURCE SECTION OF PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS CONTACT TRACEY ARNAUD ON 01234 740 051
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A unique range of humorous “medieval” designs available to buy or license
www.Chiz.ink hello@Chiz.ink
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Art Source
Ringing The Campbell
Verve, love of pattern and colour, and inventive freshness are the hallmarks of all Sarah Campbell’s work. Internationally acclaimed textile designer, Sarah was the cofounder of the renowned design partnership Collier Campbell with her sister Susan Collier and they worked together for more than 50 years. Since Susan's early death in 2011, Sarah has worked independently as designer, artist, lecturer and author, seeing her new designs as well as those from her archive feature on all manner of products, including on the recently launched range of stationery and giftwrappings from Museums & Galleries. Here Sarah shares what drives and inspires this leading lady of pattern. “I've drawn and painted since childhood. My whole career has been as a painter of patterns, a textile and surface designer - work I love! I love the physicality of painting, especially with gouache. I usually paint designs and compositions in gouache onto paper, but I do also sometimes draw on an iPad - a very different look. And I like to work directly onto cloth, using fabric paints with all sorts of different brushes including old toothbrushes - as well as linocuts, potato prints, monoprinting and papercutting. I'm always experimenting. I’m intrigued by the nature of repeat pattern, the comforting reassurance it brings, the cleverness of it. As for inspiration - I'm a magpie and gather thoughts, ideas and interests from all over the place. And of course by now I have quite a library of images in my head, as well as a huge archive of around 60 years of working paintings and drawings into which I can delve! I still even have a few childhood works, studies of animals and plants, reminding me of some of my lifelong interests. I painted a kingfisher recently which reminded me how I loved to see them dart like magic across the nearby ford when I was a little girl.
WANT TO BE FEATURED?
Above: Just a few of the products in the Museums & Galleries collection featuring Sarah’s work. Left: The kingfisher Sarah painted recently that reminded her of her girlhood days. Far left: As well as a designer, Sarah is a speaker and tutor in design, runs workshops and is involved in education at several levels, from mentoring textile graduates to volunteering in her local comprehensive. (Photo: Kasia Fiszer). Bottom: Sarah peeking through some handpainted curtains. Below right: Colour is a constant in Sarah’s work.
I work from home which requires having plenty of stuff to hand, and then of course, by the nature of it, more stuff is generated. I have a lot crammed into my modest flat. Add to this the fact that I’m not a great ‘thrower-awayer’ and there are times when the only actual space available is in the pathways between the piles. How I long for some more square metres! The fabric paints might have to take second place to the gouache - or vice versa depending on the work at hand. The sewing machine and fabric shears need to retreat somewhere when the paper scissors and glue are in ascendence. From the earliest days, working with my sister Susan Collier on designs for Liberty, Habitat, Jaeger, M&S, John Lewis I've always been involved in making pattern for both apparel and the home - furnishings, wallpapers, bedlinens, ceramics. My recent collaborations include working with West Elm, Magpie, and Michael Miller Fabrics. I am thrilled with my current licensing partnership with Museums and Galleries which draws on both my new and classic resources. It's been great to revisit that favourite design Cote d'Azur with M&G, as well as to develop Folkbirds, a more recent pattern into gift wrap, tissue paper (my favourite) and gift bags among many other products. All in all, I continue to be fascinated by pattern, colour and composition, and the pleasure they bring.” l Sarah Campbell is represented by Yellowhouse Art Licensing.
If you are an artist, photographer or verse writer and would like to be considered to appear in Art Source, please contact PG’s Jakki Brown on jakkib@max-publishing.co.uk. This is an editorial feature and as such is free of charge. PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE
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WHAT’S HOT? PG ASKED A SELECTION OF CARD RETAILERS FOR THEIR ‘HOT’ CARD SELLERS Lorraine Brunt, owner of Issey in Mevagissey. A popular gift and card shop in the popular Cornish harbourside village. Category
Name of Publisher
Product/Name Range
Comments
Art
Museums & Galleries
Coastal scenes
Humour
Redback
Cloud Nine
Rosie Made a Thing
Gin & Frolics
Everyday
Wot Ma Like
The Posh Bit
Thinking of You
Rosie Made a Thing
Gin & Frolics
Giftwrap
Museums & Galleries
Across the board
Gifts
Cornishware
Mugs
Jellycat
Ocean Life
“Such a wonderful selection of designs.” “The ‘shits and giggles’ design has become a modern day classic; we do well with the licensed signs from Transomnia too.” “Great designs for during lockdown and beyond.” “The localisation of ‘Happy Birthday from Cornwall - the posh bit’ makes the customers (and me) giggle!” “Sentiments like ‘Here’s a bear hug’ are meaningful, but not sickly sweet.” “Ticks lots of boxes. The Hokusai’s wave design is a real attention grabber.” “We had the Cornish greeting “Alright? Yeah, you?” put onto mugs and they sell so well.” “Being close to the sea, Odell Octopus, Larry Lobster, Ellie Jellyfish and Sheldon Shrimp and co just sell!”
Right: Two designs from Wot Ma Like’s The Posh Bit range. Below right: Sheldon Shrimp from Jellycat’s Ocean Life collection.
Tabi Marsh, director of Papilio (Heritage), Thornbury. A popular large card, gift and cafe at the heart of the South Gloucester market town. Category
Name of Publisher
Product/Name Range
Comments
Everyday
Coulson Macleod
Wise Words
Alex Clark Art
Classic square cards
Thinking of You
Dandelion Stationery
Words of Wisdom
Art
Museums & Galleries
Matthew Williamson
Wrendale Designs
Across the board
Humour
Rosie Made a Thing
Gin & Frolics; Babble
Adult ages
Molly Mae
The Centrepiece
Giftwrappings
Museums & Galleries
Across the board
Self-purchases
Wrendale Designs
Gifts
Scentiments
Fashion and garden items Light Up Your Life candle and lid Loose Belgian chocolates
“Such a brilliant range that covers a huge range of interests.” “The illustrations work across all ages - and at a fantastic price.” “Customers love the combination of heart and humour in these cards.” “Stunning colours and designs - they cry out to be put on display on a mantelpiece.” “A perennial favourite. Hannah Dale manages to infuse such character to the animals.” “Great ranges for both men and women. Customers stand at the spinner chuckling away and rarely buy only one at a time.” “Works for both men and women. It’s the wording ‘celebrating x years’ that has been resonating in a year where celebrations have become all the more important.” “Absolutely stunning designs, thick wrap, at brilliant prices. The Natural History Museum range has been particularly popular.” “Customers are loving the new socks and are treating themselves to pretty garden kneelers, bird houses etc.” “Being able to mix and match the candle fragrance and the occasion lids is a brilliant idea at a fantastic price.” “Customers love being able to choose the individual chocolates for the box. Putting in this cabinet was one of the best things we’ve done.”
Above right: A Coulson Macleod Wise Words design. Right: A Light Up Your Life candle and lid from Scentiments.
Sarunds
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Nicky Stephenson and Claire Jarvis, co-owners of The Tutbury Present Company, Tutbury. A popular medium sized card and gift shop in an attractive Staffordshire village. Category
Name of Publisher
Product/Name Range
Comments
Everyday
Rosanna Rossi
Fiori Rosa
Tracks Publishing
Fluff
Thinking of You/support
Dandelion Stationery
Words of Wisdom
Humour
Redback
Holy Flaps
Rosie Made a Thing
Gin & Frolics
Icon
Generally
Relations and Occasions
Paper Salad
Hunky Dory
Children’s
Rachel Ellen Designs
Cherry on Top
Adult ages
Second Nature
Champagne
Giftwrappings Gifts
Glick Jellycat
Across the board Amuseables
Self purchases
Sarunds
Handmade chocolates
“Beautiful illustrations, neon colours and lovely textures make these cards stand out.” “Fresh, fun, photographic designs with added fluffy bits that are great for all ages.” “Perfect cards to help express your thoughts - especially in these slightly surreal times! Our ‘Hugs from Staffordshire’ design has sold particularly well.” “Simple typography with very funny straight- talking designs.” “Just brilliant. The ever expanding range covers topics from hummous to Lycra, with plenty of age inappropriateness in between.” “We have a spinner outside and the photographic humour cards do particularly well. “ “These slightly larger cards are bursting with bright colours and lots of embossing. They are suitable for all ages.” “Perfect for little ones with their cute and colourful characters in Rachel’s unique style.” “Just the right amount of sparkle with hand-finished embellishments; perfect for celebrating milestones.” “Great designs and quality; always refreshing the offering.” “Fabulous characters that are collected by both adults and children. A happy carrot can’t fail to make most people smile!” “Our glass cabinet is strategically placed next to the till and resistance is futile!” Top: A Cherry on Top design from Rachel Ellen Designs. Above: There is spinner of Icon cards outside the shop.
Laura Houlston, owner of West Kirby Cards, West Kirby and Paper Wishes in Prestatyn Two card and gift shop in the Wirral and North Wales respectively. Category
Name of Publisher
Product/Name Range
Comments
Everyday
Children’s
Hallmark Special Delivery Cards UKG GBCC Bug Art Kali Stileman
Good Mail Across the board RHS Medici Cards Across the board Wheelies
Humour
Emotional Rescue
Spitting Image
Pigment
Edward Monkton
Relations and Occasions Thinking of You
IC&G
Across the board
Paper Rose
Marzipan Rainbow
Gifts
Dandelion Stationery Berni Parker Designs
Notebooks Wine and gin glasses
“Great new modern range of cards.” “3D cards that are so unique.” “Bright colours that make a big impact.” “All of the designs sell well.” “Blank cards that customers love.” “A new range of children’s cards that are something different.” “Very relevant designs at the moment that attract everybody.” “Pigment always delivers on its humour ranges.” “Always creating new designs and catering for all ages.” “Cards that have been produced due to lockdown that customers are loving”. “They are perfect for any age.” “Humour on a glass.”
Art
Above: One of Bug Art’s beautiful cards. Right: A Berni Parker gin glass being put to good use!
PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE
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PRODUCT DIRECTORY
l PRODUCT DIRECTORY
l PRODUCT DIRECTORY
To appear in the Product Directories email Warren Lomax warren@max-publishing.co.uk or Tracey Arnaud traceya@max-publishing.co.uk
Te l : 0 1 6 3 8 5 6 9 0 5 0 w w w . a b a c u s c ard s . c o . u k Em ail: in fo @ ab a c us c a rds .c o.uk
To appear in the Product Directories contact
Warren Lomax
020 7700 6740 or email warren@max-publishing.co.uk or contact
Tracey Arnaud
07957 212 062
or email traceya@max-publishing.co.uk
Publishers of quality blank greeting cards Tel: 0115 929 4776 enquiries@bugart.co.uk Order Online
www.bugart.co.uk
To appear in the Product Directories contact
Warren Lomax
020 7700 6740 To appear in the Product Directories email Warren Lomax warren@max-publishing.co.uk or Tracey Arnaud traceya@max-publishing.co.uk 48
PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE
BEXY BOO bexyboo.co.uk enquiries@bexyboo.co.uk Tel: 01565 830546 @BexyBooLtd
or email warren@max-publishing.co.uk or contact
Tracey Arnaud
07957 212 062
or email traceya@max-publishing.co.uk
Classified Complete 2021.qxp 14/05/2021 14:51 Page 49
PRODUCT DIRECTORY
l PRODUCT DIRECTORY
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PRETTY ELEGANT DESIGNS | LONDON
Available online Wholesale & Licensing
hello@emmabryan.co.uk www.emmabryan.co.uk
SALES AGENTS WANTED
www.ch w eekyc w. ychoppstrrade.cco o..uk k phone: Da Danielle :07946 056571 email:wholesale@speciall--day yss.co o..uk Granny-safe
HUMOROUS CARDS E 70% TRAD * T* NT DISCOUN
and posters
P INTED PR K IN THE UK
75 DES + IGNS ORDER A TRAD E PACK * for most onlin ne orders
07566 742677 hello@Chiz.ink www.Chiz.ink
made with great imagination
LOTTIE COLE
@thecuriousinksmith
01892 838 574
sales@thecuriousinksmith.co.uk
Beautiful, Soulful Cards www.lottiecole.com
info@lottiecole.com
www.cathtatecards.com
lottiecoledesigns
AGENTS WANTED Caspari Ltd Linden House, John Dane Player Court
Witty, gritty, switched on humour. Cards and gifts with a real difference. Unit 1, 45 Morrish Road London SW2 4EE Tel: 0208 671 2166 Fax: 0208 678 1119 info@cathtatecards.com
East Street, Safffrron W Waalden Essex, CB10 1LR Teel: 01799 513010 T Faax: 01799 513101 F Email: inffoo@caspari.co.uk ww ww w.CaspariOnline.com
Products: Everyday cards - birthday, blank & occasions, charity Christmas cards, gifftt wrap, bags, tissue, ribbon, hankies, napkins, paper plate, candles, placemats, crackers,invitations, placecards, notecards,diaries, address books, journals, advent calendars and bridge gifftts.
Method of Sale: Direct to Retail
To appear in the Product Directories contact
Warren Lomax
020 7700 6740 or email warren@max-publishing.co.uk or contact
Tracey Arnaud
07957 212 062
or email traceya@max-publishing.co.uk PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE
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PRODUCT DIRECTORY
l PRODUCT DIRECTORY
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High Quality Greeting Cards, Gift Bags, Gift Wrap & Ta Tags for every occasion.
Hue tribe
www.huetribe.com t: +44(0) 7943416562 e: info@huetribe.com facebook: www.facebook.com/huetribedesign
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CHARITY GREETING CARDS One of the UK’s leading publishers of Charity Greeting Cards. Impress offers a wide collection of images, including fine art, graphic, photographic and cute. We also offer a bespoke design service for bulk orders and/or mail order fulfilment.
Including firm favourites and brand new designs
Polissh Po h
Te T el: 0161 1 64 641 0 06 655 Email: m sales@daav sales@d avora.co.uk
Brands include: Keepsakes, Words of Love, Jelly Beans, Bella Rose, Champagne and many more
135 Hea 13 135 eaton Moorr Rd | Stockp ock kpo port ort SK4 4HY 4 4H HY
Hallmark Cards PLC
• UK Market leaders with humour, art, photographic, contemporary and traditional occasions & relations cards, plus seasonal. • 2HULQJ D IXOO SODQQLQJ VHUYLFH with merchandising and retail development opportunities. • Specialists in garden centres and the independent trade.
Dawson Lane, Bradford, BD4 6HN UK&NI: 0800 90 20 900 ROI: 012 480 104 customerqueriesUK@hallmark.com
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
Tel:: +44 (0)115 986 0115 Te customer t ser vices@paper i @ rose .co.ukk www.writefromthehear t.co.uk
Contact Warren Lomax warren@max-publishing.co.uk or Tracey Arnaud traceya@max-publishing.co.uk for Product Directory enquiries
Innovative high quality gift wrap, gift bags, tissue paper and accesssories galore for all seasons and occasions. Find The Great British Card Company on:
0127 74 4 655980 sales@glick.co.uk www.glick.co.uk
SUPPLIER
www.greatbritishcards.co.uk Waterwells Drive, Gloucester GL2 2PH Tel: 01452 888970
Glick, Unit 1 Allenby House, European Ind. Park, Knowles Lane, Bradford BD4 9AB
@glickgiftwrap
50
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PRODUCT DIRECTORY
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WIDE RANGE OF PRODUCTS
l PRODUCT DIRECTORY
Marina B Designs from me to you with love
UK
“Art that tells a story…”
Happy Mother’s Dayy D
An exciting and innovative range of quality Birthday, Relations, Special Occasions, Handmade, Art and Humorous greeting cards. Full range of Christmas and Spring Seasons merchandise.
B rand N ames a Pizazz, Pizazz Gallery, G Pizazz Limited Edition, E Pizazz for Men, Doodle, D A of Nature, Whatt a Picture, Art Designers Corner Cloudesley House, Shire Hill, Saffron Walden,, CB11 3FB
T: 01799 520200 F: F: 01799 520100 www.nigelquiney.c w ww ww.nigelquiney.com om
Love Country by Sarah Reilly
www.marinab.co.uk mar in a@ m a rinab. co.u k Agents wanted
e in the U
+
years
Your Number One Supplier of Numerals, Name, Relation & Age Labels for Greetings Cards. Huge selection with immediate delivery y.. Buy direct or from your wholesalerr.. Listan Labels 3 Isis Court, Wyndyke Furlong, Abingdon Business Park, Abingdon, Oxfordshire OX1 5JN
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Tel: 07735 918118 sarah@lovecountryuk.co.uk www.lovecountryuk.co.uk
LING DESIGN
originalposter.com
All our cards are supplied on consignment, so you only pay for what you sell. We also supply card fixtures and spinners free-on-loan. We replace slow sellers and damaged stock free of charge. We merchandise regularly, so you don’t have to.
Te T el 01235 465489 Fax 01235 532118 www.listanpublications.co.uk sales@listanpublications.co.uk
THAT’S WHY WE’RE ORIGINAL!
01932 267 300
www.lingdesign.co.uk
01892 838 574 information@lingdesign.co.uk Great brands, Great service Bespoke planning We can help with all your planning l i requir i ements. t From smaller displays to redeveloping complete card departments
@NoelT Ta attGroup 01227 811 600 sales@noeltatt.co.uk www.noeltatt.co.uk
PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE
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PRODUCT DIRECTORY
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p p paperlink... the home of fabulous cards!
356 Kennington Rd London SE11 4LD T 020 7582 8244 info@paperlink.co.uk k www.paperlink.co.uk Paperlinkcards
@ @paperlinkcards
greeting cards & contempoRary gifts
Send Love e
www.redbackcards.com e: info@redbackcards.com t: 01752 830482
( all year round )
To appear in the Product Directories simply contact
Warren Lomax
LUXURY GIFT PACKAGING
on:
020 7700 6740
or email on warren@max-publishing.co.uk or contact
Tracey Arnaud on:
07957 212 062
t: 0208 6138 085 paperbirdpublishing.co.uk u
Exquisite Designs Beautiful Cards Key br ands include: Wr ite from the Hear t Ar tisan, Marzipan, Capisco Designer s Guild, Clare Tupperr Lucy Ledger plus man y more
or email on traceya@max-publishing.co.uk
ICONIC LICENCED BRANDS
01892 838 574 www.pennykennedy.co.uk
To appear in the Product Directories simply contact Warren Lomax on:
Uk publisher of Greetings Cards with an extensive range of quality Birthday, Relations, Occasions and Seasonal product... available from
t. 07779 654 694 e. info@ruby-tuesday.co.uk www.ruby-tuesday.co.uk
LING DESIGN
020 7700 6740 or email on warren@max-publishing.co.uk or contact
Tracey Arnaud on:
07957 212 062 Te : +44 (0)115 986 0115 Tel: customer ser vices@paperrose .co.uk www.paperrose .co.uk www.ar tgroupcards.co.uk
52
PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE
Our Brands: Laughter with Animals, Sporting Fun The Funny Side of Life.
or email on traceya@max-publishing.co.uk
Method of sale: Direct to Retail 14-20 Eldon Way, Paddock Wood, Kent TN12 6BE Tel: 01892 838574 enquiries@lingdesign.co.uk www.lingdesign.co.uk
AGENTS WANTED
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PRODUCT DIRECTORY
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The UK’s leading publisher of highest quality handmade Greetings Cards. Products: Greetings cards for all occasions, Christmas and Spring Seasons. Spinners and other retail displays available. Talking Pictures Cards Ltd 14-20 Eldon Way, Paddock Wood, Kent, TN12 6BE
Tel: 01892 838574 enquiries@talkingpics.co.uk www.talking-pictures.co.uk
Products: Greetings Cards, Gift Wrap, Gift Bags, Social Stationery, Partyware
Brands: Blossom & Bows Card Essentials Greetings Impressions In Touch Isabel·s Garden Planet Happy Sentiments With You In Mind Word Play
DIRECT TO RETAIL & EXPORT
Method of sale: Wholesale Distributors
Simon Elvin Limited Wooburn Industrial Park, Wooburn Green, Bucks HP10 0PE Tel: 01628 526711 Fax: 01628 531483 www.simonelvin.com mail@simonelvin.com
7RPFDW &DUGV TEL: 01480 435562 FAX: 01480 450599
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.tracksltd.com
WWW.XXPRESSYOURSELFCARDS.CO.UK
UNIT 2, 12 BLACKSTONE RD, STUKELEY MEADOWS IND EST,
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.
HUNTINGDON, CAMBS, PE29 6EF
BRANDS: Cherished Thoughts, Sweet Sentiments, Buddies Always, Symphony, Thinking of You, Style, Special Wishes, Special Times, Young Editions, Groove Sensations, Forever Blessed, Grey Skies, Classics. METHOD OF SALE: SENSATIONS – Direct to retail XPRESS YOURSELF – Now one of the leading wholesale publisher suppliers in the UK
www.tomcat.cards info@tomcat.cards
To appear in the Product Directories email Warren Lomax warren@max-publishing.co.uk or Tracey Arnaud traceya@max-publishing.co.uk PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE
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PRODUCT DIRECTORY
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WHOLESALE
view by rufus designed in thames ditton
We offffer a We COMPREHEN
range of high Greeting Cards f ALL Occasions,
CHRISTMAS an
... and if we fall into the ountain, we will just prosecco ffo ha av ve to drink our wa ay y out!
Season f Sale:
topdog@view by rufus.com 020 8972 9706
viewbyrufus.com
mail: inffo o@words-nWeb: www We w..words-n-wishes.co.uk
register ffo or a trade account: www w..viewbyrufus.com/b2b
Tel: 01942 233201
Market Leaders in
& entimen
an extensive range of superior quality,
design-led Greeting Cards for all occasions, Spring Seasons & Christmas.
A Cards e Art Botanical Fine
Verse
Vibrant and nd elegant gree greeting cards A fr freshly modern perspective on nature
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
54
PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE
Call Now 075 7700 1145 www.zaquarella.co.uk info@ zaquarella.com
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 MON,WED,FRI 8.00am-4.45pm TUES,THURS 8.00am-7.45pm SAT,SUN 8.00am-1.45pm
To appear in the Product Directories email Warren Lomax warren@max-publishing.co.uk or Tracey Arnaud traceya@max-publishing.co.uk
Classified Complete 2021.qxp 14/05/2021 14:55 Page 55
DIRECTORY OF WHOLESALE
CLASSIFIED
l CLASSIFIED BAGS
Polypropylene & biodegradable bag specialists
GREETING CARD
Over 40 years quality service to the trade Hotfoiling also available
T 01206 396209 E sales@badgerconverters.co.uk www.badgerconverters.co.uk
BAGS We’ve been producing p bags of high clarity and high quality q for over 30 years. 01274 220 220 www w.wrapid.co.uk sales@wrapid.co.uk
BAGS
GIVE E YOUR
Manuffacturers of high quality fllexible packaging 30 YEARS EXPERIENCE - QUA UALITTY Y SERVICE EXTENSIVE STOCK RANGE - QUICK DE ELIVERY ASSURED
- HEADER BAGS - WA WALLET BAGS - ZIPPER BAGS - FLEXOGRAPHIC, HOTFOIL & THEERMAL PRINTING www.transrappackagin ng.co.uk sales@transrap.co o.uk
CALL US TODA AY
01773 5378 810
V VIP
TREA AT A TMENT HIGH CLARITY L TY Y BA AGS FOR R GREETING G ET T NG CARD DS, CALEND EN N ARS ARS AND AND D ARTW TWORK WORK ŏ ŏđŏ ŏ FOIL LB BLOCKING NG G EXTE XTENSIVE NSIV VE RANG V R RA ANGE OF S ST TOCK SIZES SIZ ZES AND BES AND BE ESPO OKE KE MANUF KE MANU UF FACTU TUR TURE T U E AT TED D WRAPPING SERVICE NEW AUTOMA
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0122 1228 228 2 28 8 5605 56 60 052 26 6 www.fful ulcrumfilms. ulcrrum mfillm ms s co.uk uk
PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE
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CLASSIFIED
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PRINTERS
ENVELOPES
FOR ALL YOUR ENVELOPE NEEDS! Largest range of in-stock colours Over 400 Bespoke Envelope Sizes 8 Sizes Permanently in Stock RECYCLED
PAPER
100% Recycled Paper Available Stock & Bespoke Cello Bags Peel & Stick Envelopes Bespoke Service on Request
ORDER ON LINE AT:
W W W. EN VE CO .CO .U K
01 90 83 78 86 6
www.regentenvelopes.com 01274 583000 sales@regentenvelopes.com
IN FO @E NV EC O. CO .U K
‘we we make Envelopes and Stationery’
MOREE THAN 50 COLOURS 6 POPULAR GREEETINGS CARD SIZES 50+ WH HITE SIZES IN STOCK BESPOKE ENV VELOPES AV AVAILABLE PEEL A AND SEAL CLOSURE RECYCLED / KRAFTT / 140GSM / 120GSM 11 SUPER BRIG GHT NEON COLOURS BESPOKE NOTEBO OOKS & STATIONERY
PLEASE GET IN TOUCH FOR TARY RY YOUR COMPLIMENTA ENVELOPE OR NOTEBOOK WATCH PA PACK SWA
SPECIALISTS IN SHORT RUN MULTI IMAGE PRINT s Foiling Services without the need for dies s Wiro bound notebooks, no minimum quantity s In House Fulfilmment Services
T 01274 305832 E info@hellocards.co.uk www.hellocards.co.uk
The simplest way to order your greetings cards
FLITTERING FOR ALL YOUR FLITTER REQUIREMENTS
ABL Foil Ltd Unit 1, Industrial Estate East Hanningfield Chelmsford Essex, CM3 8AB 56
PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE
Contact DAVID JIGGINS Tel: 01245 400104 Email: david@abl-ltd.co.uk
Powered by
Unit 8, Archers Park, Branbridges Road, East Peckham, Kent TN12 5HP www.theimagingcentre.co.uk Email: info@theimagingcentre.co.uk Tel: 01622 871449
we print
we finish
we pack
we deliver
Classified Complete 2021.qxp 14/05/2021 14:56 Page 57
CLASSIFIED
l CLASSIFIED PRINTERS
l CLASSIFIED
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PJ PRINT Celebrating 166 years of service to the printing industry...
LONDON The Capitals Only Specialist Greeting Card Printer All Industry Finishes Available In-House Including Laser Cutting
Over a century and a half of expert printing knowledge, Loxleys are the home of specialist lithographic and digital greeting card production
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
Your saf ep ai
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Outstanding, cost effective and efficient production of Greeting cards, Packaging and Social stationery, ideal for intricate and hand finished products. • Over 15 years experience providing high-quality printed products direct from the Far East • Trusted and financially stable, UK owned by The Sherwood Group • Socially responsible manufacturing: SMETA, ISO9001, ISO14001, FSC certification • Full product prototyping in the UK for competitive speed to market requirements
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To find out how we can benefit your business, contact Derek Lam +00 (852) 3527 3471 / derek@sherwood-press.com or The Sherwood Group Head Office Hong Kong Office: 13/F, Kam Chung Commercial Building, 19-21 Hennessy Road, Wanchai, Hong Kong
www w..sherwoodgroupuk.com
000510
PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE
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CLASSIFIED
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l CLASSIFIED
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Social Sta tationerry Printer of the Year
Award winning U UK & Global specialist manufacturer ffor the greeting card industry fo or over 40 years To discuss how we can worrk together, contact Richard Bacon: Tel 0115 928 7766 Email ric chard.bacon@sherwoodgroupuk.com
www.sherrwoodgroupuk.com Hadden Court, Glaisdale e Parkway, Glaisdale Drive West, Nottin ngham NG8 4GP
WAREHOUSING & DISTRIBUTION
Same day order turna around Accurate fulfilment Value added only as you sell the product
THE SPECIALIST GREE ETINGS CARD PRINTE ER
Exclusively Greeting Cards Dedicated Account Managers
Litho Print
Die-cutting
Digital Print
Flittering
Foiling
Packing
Embossing
Distribution
With an excellent reputation we work as an integral part of yourr team bringing QYGL QSVI XLER JYPǻPQIRX 4YV GSWXMRK WXVYGXYVI MW WMQTPI ERH XVERWTEVIRX ;I ; I GEVV] SYX EPP EWTIGXW SJ LERH ǻRMWLMRK ERH EWWIQFP] ERH TVSZMHI [LEXIZIV EHHMXMSREP WIVZMGIW ]SY RIIH 4YV WIPIGX XIEQ SJ SYX[SVOIVW GEVIJYPP] LERH [VET ER] WM^I SV JSVQEX SJ GEVHW YVKIRXP] 4ZIVRMKLX ;I GEVI EFSYX ]SYV TVSHYGX EW QYGL EW ]SY HS &XXIRXMSR XS HIXEMP 6( .WWYIW ;I
Tel:0127 e 4 4531828 Email: info@herbertw o alkers.co.uk
www.herbertwalkers.co.u uk
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