Progressive Greetings October 2022

ON THE CARDS

Of course, there is a lot of doom and gloom out there, it’s impossible to ignore it… the Government’s mismanagement, the mayhem caused by the strikes, the innocent casualties of war, the low level of consumer confidence, plummeted value of sterling, not to mention how it is now dark when you get up now.

You don’t need me to take your spirits down, circumstances are doing a fine job of that.

So, instead I am sending you waves of positivity, having been super-charged myself by various industry events over the last few weeks which reinforce the merits of belonging, knowing that others that understand your challenges, frustrations, but also share your joy when something lovely, exciting or significant happens.

The poignancy of Thinking of You Week was even more heightened this year as it coincided with the state funeral of the Queen. As the nation and indeed the world mourned the loss of our longest reigning monarch (who openly showed her appreciation of receiving greeting cards), more retailers, publishers and schools than ever before were engaged with the GCA’s special card sending week. The activity ranged from dedicated displays in major chains, as well as inventive initiatives by indies. I loved seeing the photos of the young players in the Caversham AFC Swans girls football team who were gleefully writing and sending the cards that they had received in the goody bags from House of Cards (which sponsors the team) as part of the Home Counties’ retail group’s support of TOYW.

It was great to hear the tales from St Paul’s primary school in Withington, which Belly Button’s Estelle Johnson visited as part of the publisher’s TOYW activities, telling the youngsters all about greeting cards and them then writing messages inside the cards to school children in Ghana as

Top left: One of the Caversham AFC Swans girls football players with her House of Cards’ TOYW goody bag of cards.

Top right: IC&G’s Amanda Miles (left) with PG’s Jakki Brown, sharing a hug with Barley Bear as the new plush arrives. (see pages 43 and 45)

Right: (Left-right) Paper Salad’s Karen Wilson, Stationery Supplies’ Sarah Laker and Ohh Deer’s Mark Callaby at the social gathering on the evening before the GCA Conference and AGM. (see pages 22-25)

Left: An industry welcome to Tom Rolt (left), Hallmark’s new group managing director from PG’s Warren Lomax and Jakki Brown. (see pages 26 and 27)

part of the GCA Schools initiative. I spoke to the deputy head of the school, Jenny Power (my best friend for over 40 years) and she was full of praise. “The children loved it, we will definitely be involved again next year. What a great idea.”

I felt like a schoolchild myself taking my seat in the packed room of 180 members of the greeting card community at the recent GCA Conference and AGM, which took place at the great seat of learning, Nottingham Trent University. My brain was buzzing the whole day, soaking up all the insights from the heady mix of speakers on both a macro and micro scale (see pages 2225 for just a taster). I eagerly scribbled down all the facts and figures from Kantar’s consumer research as to how greeting card spending was holding up amidst the cost-of-living-crisis and was reassured that it confirms that greeting cards are a long way down the list of what people will give up when times are tough. The slide that Kantar’s Alex Bandini showed of a gloomy scene with a rainbow summed it up for me…things may be tough, but there is light in there too. May it shine brightly!

Max Publishing Ltd, United House, North Road, London N7 9DP Tel: 020 7700 6740 Fax: 020 7607 6411 www.progressivegreetings.co.uk

From

@Prog_Greetings

What’s Inside?

CONTENTS

9-17 News

All the latest happenings and developments in the trade.

18-19 Over The Counter

The Three Rs

David Robertson, co-owner of JP Pozzi goes back to the schoolroom.

20-21 Cardsharp

State of Emergency?

PG columnist clocks some similarities between what was happening 50 years ago and right now.

22-25 Viewpoints

Nottingham’s Riches

Some of the insights and highlights from the recent GCA Conference and AGM at Nottingham Trent University.

26-27 In Conversation With…Tom Rolt

Ground Control To Major Tom

PG meets Tom Rolt, the new group managing director of Hallmark responsible for the UK, Ireland and Australia.

29-37 Focus on Sustainability Regenerative By Nature

Rob Hutchins, Products of Change’s editor and community manager sets the scene and publishers share their sustainability progress.

39-41

Innovations

Publishers’ new ranges and designs.

43-45 Publisher Focus

A Soft Launch

The debut of Barley plush from IC&G.

47-51 Focus on Words & Sentiments

What Are Words Worth?

PG delves into the words & sentiments greeting card genre.

53 Art Source Busy Lizzie

Greeting card designer Lizzie Preston shares her creative life story.

55-56

What’s Hot?

A quad of retailers lift the lid on their best-selling ranges.

57-67

Sources of Supply

Copyright© 2022. 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.

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

PG is the official magazine for the Greeting Card Association

GCA: Amanda Fergusson 020 7619 9266

Email: hello@gca.cards www.greetingcardassociation.org.uk

Tracey Bearton Features Editor traceyb@max-publishing.co.uk

Jakki Brown

Owner

Warren Lomax Joint Owner warren@max-publishing.co.uk

Ian Hyder Joint Owner ianh@max-publishing.co.uk

Tracey Arnaud Sales Manager traceya@max-publishing.co.uk

NEW 3D CARDS

A

TOP STORY

Golden nuggets

Research data provide invaluable industry insights

For many years, the greeting card industry was working in the dark, a lack of credible accessible data making benchmarking impossible. Thankfully this situation has improved immeasurably, not only with the newly published GCA UK Greeting Card Market Report having been published for the last decade, but also with world-renowned consumer research company Kantar now tracking our sector on a continuous basis.

volume has seen some decline since 2019, retail value sales have increased on the pre-pandemic position by +1.8%.

Not surprisingly occasions and age cards have shown growth after the return to normal celebratory activities post COVID while the average retail price of cards has increased a smidge on 2020 (up 0.7%).

“Online retail value sales grew vs 2020 (+5.5%), although market share dropped marginally to 18.9% (from 20.0%) as other channels began to trade normally again,” said Darren.

He also highlighted that “sustainability continues to be a key focus” within the industry with nine out of GCA ten members stating that efforts were underway to make their product more sustainable.

Postal strikes

Bad news for the greeting card sector Royal Mail has promised 19 days of industrial action across the whole network, between the beginning of October and beginning of December.

With a background of Royal Mail saying it lost £1million a day in the first quarter, the Communications Workers’ Union claimed the “rogue big business” posted record profits.

In a major escalation of the action, further actions as PG went to press, further action was planned for 13, 20, 25 October, and 28 November; plus delivery on 4, 10, 16, 25 November and 2 December; processing, distribution, international, collections and admin on 3, 9, 15, 25 November and 1 December; and network on 2, 8, 14, 23, and 30 November.

Top: Postal strikes look here to stay.

Above:

Right:

The recent GCA Conference and AGM, held at Nottingham Trent University, saw the unveiling of both the ‘hot of the press’ annual GCA UK Market Report (which shines the spotlight from a trade perspective, on sales as well as sustainability measures); an industry overview from Danilo md Daniel Prince, a company which places sustainability high on its agenda as well as additional enlightening insights from Kantar, crystalising actual consumer spending patterns.

Treating attendees to the ‘greatest hits’ of the Report (which is freely available to GCA members in the Members’ Library, while nonmembers can buy it for £750), Darren Cave, vp of the GCA and commercial director of UKG painted a reassuring picture. Sharing the highlights, Darren delivered the good news that “After the disruption caused by the pandemic, the greeting card industry in the UK has bounced back” with the UK buying public spending £1.5 billion on single everyday greeting cards in the last year (2021). Delivering a wave of ‘hallelujahs’, Darren revealed how greeting card sales have grown both value (+11.3%) and volume (+ 10.5%) since 2020. While

Amplifying the sustainability progress, GCA treasurer and Danilo md, Daniel Prince, recounted the massive step change in industry norms. “In the last five years, as an industry we have moved from 70% of all cards being cellowrapped to under 15% while glitter/flitter use on cards has been reduced by 90%.”

Drawing on the findings of a recent One

Ports in a storm

A double hit of strikes at Felixstowe ports have been adding to greeting card and calendar publishers’ transport and supply chain woes.

Following the first strike at the Suffolk port at the end of August, another blow was dealt with a walkout of dock workers at the end of September, causing frustration and mayhem to publishers and retailers waiting for their deliveries.

Poll survey, Daniel stressed that “two thirds of greeting card consumers, a whopping 65% are now making greeting card purchasing decisions taking the product’s sustainability into account.”

Kantar’s findings (see more on pages 24-25) highlight that while the cost-ofliving crisis have had a slightly dampening effect on the consumer’s purchasing decisions based on a product’s sustainable credentials, the will is still very strong, with 62% of the UK population still having the good intentions to seek out environmentally friendly product options.

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Danilo Promotions, which produces 50% of its products overseas is among those businesses already impacted with some container loads of its Christmas cards, gift wrap, gift bags and calendars set for major UK high street store clients delayed by two to three months.

In a special Supply Chain Resilience edition of The Raconteur, a supplement of The Times newspaper, Laurence Prince, founder and chairman of Danilo said: “The government could get involved and limit the cost of containers or put a cap on what we can be charged. It’s not only our Christmas products, it’s food and grain and everything else, vital necessities coming into the country”.

Above: Felixstowe is the UK’s largest container port

Above: Danilo founder and chairman Laurence Prince with son and md Daniel

Card Factory’s store sales soar 81%

Customers’ return to High Street brings £14.3m pre-tax profit

Customers returning to the High Street saw Card Factory’s half-year revenue increase by 64.9% to £198million as the reversal of lockdown effects kick in.

While online sales at Cardfactory.co.uk were down year-onyear, more significantly, its store revenue grew by 81.8% for the six months to 31 July 2022, which saw the UK’s largest greeting card specialist retailer post a pre-tax profit of £14.3m in its half year results - compared to a loss of £6.5m for the same period last year.

Card Factory’s chief executive Darcy Willson-Rymer said: “We are pleased to report a strong performance through the half which reflects continued good momentum within the business, as well as the reversal of lockdown trends with customers choosing to return to the High Street.”

new stores in Ireland along with its first central London store in Tottenham Court Road, followed by a second in Fenchurch Street at the start of September, and it also rolled out its new model store format to five outlets.

Having opened 14 stores and closed eight, the estate now stands at 1,026 shops and the company is currently making final preparations for the launch of a trial click-and-collect service in 84 outlets.

Its gaze is also overseas through international partnership with India and the Middle East highlighted as offering true potential.

It implemented targeted price increases as one part of its strategy to manage inflationary pressures, while choosing to protect its competitive entry price point with only around half of the 4.1% Card Factory likefor-like growth having been driven by price.

Stores delivered good like-for-like growth of 6.1%, when adjusted for stores that were open in both the current year and the comparative period.

Marathon trio wash up nicely

Rachel Ellen Designs’ commercial director Paul Roberts lived up to the greeting card industry’s reputation for quirkiness running the recent London Marathon with his ironing board and iron strapped to his back while attached to his leg was a rotary washing line pegged with a t-shirt for each sponsor - Emma Ball, The Little Dog Laughed, Easy Logistics, The Giftware Association, Enveco, and Rachel Ellen Designs - as well as one for Pancreatic Cancer UK, the charity he and his codirector Rachel Church were both supporting following her father’s diagnosis with the disease.

The report revealed a shift from the spring seasons towards everyday ranges which typically represent 70% of sales. And there was good growth in life moments, such as weddings and christenings, as well as in cards with celebratory captions, reflecting a return to more normalised lifestyles and social events following the pandemic.

During the period the retailer looked to increase its presence in “underpenetrated markets” by opening six

Trees a crowd

Looking to trading in the short and medium term for the retailer, Darcy added: “The inflationary pressures we are all facing into are well known, however the pre-emptive actions we have taken, such as the fixing of energy costs until September 2024 and targeted price increases, have helped to offset these.

“While we remain mindful of the challenging economic backdrop as we head towards the Christmas season, we feel well placed to navigate this and retain our focus on transitioning Card Factory to a market-leading omnichannel retailer of cards and gifts.”

Card Factory’s commitment to progress on sustainability as well as on the diversity&inclusion fronts has seen the retailer pledging that 90% of its products will be free of single use plastic by the end of FY24. All new card and gifts produced for Card Factory are now glitter-free and by the end of FY24 it expects to have sold through any existing stock containing glitter. Card Factory has also now entered into partnership with the Woodland Trust to support its work to protect, restore and create native woodland in the UK. In addition, it has appointed an energy consultancy to provide enhanced insight and recommendations to reduce scope 1, 2 and 3 emissions.

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Even with his heavy load, Paul achieved a creditable 5hrs 43mins 14 secs while Rachel clocked in at 4:20:05 while Postmark retail group co-owner Mark Janson-Smith did it in 4:04:42, the latter two doing brilliantly in what was their firstever marathon.

“Some people I knew around the course said I’d got the biggest cheer of the day,” Paul added, “I was interviewed by the BBC as well, I certainly got noticed!”

And there were pictures on national newspaper websites including The Mail and The Daily Mirror.

An emotional Mark told PG: “I did itit was such an amazing day. The crowds and atmosphere are something I’ve never experienced and it definitely makes you consider coming back despite it being one of the hardest things I’ve ever done.

“I felt after my training and long runs that I was more than ready and the extra 5km I was yet to complete would be fine on the day but, oh boy, do you have to dig deep to get over that line. I didn’t quite make my target time, but I was just elated to have completed it!”

Mark’s fundraising was to support the Shooting Stars Children’s Hospice.

Above: Fenchurch Street is Card Factory’s second central London store.

Above: Rachel and Paul. Below: Mark Janson-Smith with his marathon medal.

Birthday treats are beautifully illustrated in this Female range featuring delicate silver foiling. With soft pastels and embossed designs, a premium celebratory look to delight.

Henries 2022 finalist in the ‘Best Traditional Words and Sentiments Range’ category.

Available to order now via your Business

Customer Services team on

at

Thinking put into action for TOYW

Retailers, publishers, schools and media show full engagement

“The engagement with Thinking Of You Week 2022 reached unprecedented heights this year!” exclaimed a delighted Amanda Fergusson, ceo of the GCA about the special week (which ran 19-25 September) encouraging everyone to send cards to show they care, show support or just to say hello.

Joining a host of independent retailers, Asda, Clintons, Tesco, Scribbler, Card Factory, Co-op and Marks & Spencer were among the multiple retailers who pledged their support for Thinking of You Week, while publishers galore put their own spin on their involvement with the event.

As well as holding a tea party in the office for the team to write their own cards, Belly Button Designs joined forces with local hospitals, donating greeting cards to the 10 hospitals in the Manchester Foundation Trust Charity to share with staff to send to friends and family as well as engaging with St Paul’s primary school in Withington, near the company’s Manchester base. As part of the GCA Schools’ Initiative, which has seen hundreds of UK school children

Hide and seek

sending cards to pupils in schools in Ghana. Belly Button’s Estelle Johnson visited St Paul’s Primary School armed with greeting cards earlier this week and addressed all of the year 3 and year 4 pupils.

“It was wonderful,” said Estelle, who talked to the children about Thinking of You Week and the importance of sending cards. “The children practised their handwriting by sending special messages in the donated Thinking of You cards to fellow pupils in a school in Ghana – they also received sweets, so they were happy children!” added Estelle.

Above: Belly Button’s Estelle Johnson with some happy St Paul’s pupils in Manchester.

Dandelion Stationery took the “create a wave of love, caring and happiness” ethos to heart by card-bombing packs of greeting cards and TOYW information at random spots around its Derbyshire base.

“We did a bit of hide and seek,” said Dandelion’s studio manager Jess Greaves, “We left packs in Chellaston, Shardlow, Aston on Trent, Melbourne, Barrow on Trent and Derby city centre.”

Owner Jo Wilson and her Dandelion team put together packs containing bundles of Thinking of You cards, and labelled the packs with information on what the GCA’s TOYW initiative is all about, with instructions to take one card and send it to a loved one during the week.

Left: Dandelion played card hide and seek for TOYW.

Heyyy Cards’ personalised partnership with Stationery Supplies

Publisher Heyyy Cards partnered up with award-winning retailer Stationery Supplies for a special Thinking of You Week promotion, which centred around a personalised card printing event at the retailer’s Wilmslow store.

The plan was not only to push the “send a card deliver a smile” ethos of TOYW, but to also raise money for the East Cheshire Hospice.

“We wanted to create an offering of brand-new cards specifically for the event,” explained Dan Clarkson, who runs Heyyy Cards with his wife Yvette. They worked alongside Sarah Laker, owner of Stationery Supplies to develop five new card designs.

Right: A Stationery Supplies’ window display for TOYW featuring the bespoke Heyyy cards.

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Window of wishes

Over at Earlybird’s shop in London’s Stoke Newington, the TOYW message was front and centre with a full display filling the main window, and the retailerpublisher creating a special delphinium design card, drawn by the team’s in-house artist Hannah Sharman.

The publisher’s printer, Hartgraph generously donated the cost of printing the card meaning the retailer could sell the card in the shop with the profits being donated to a local community garden, run by Peter Bedford Housing Association, which provides safe accommodation for those affected by homelessness.

“We wanted to celebrate how easily sending and receiving cards can bring people together, and made up our window just for the occasion with some ideas of who and why you should send a card,” said Earlybird co-owner Heidi Early. “We covered the window in envelopes with fake addresses like ‘Fabulous friend, who's feeling down. just a note, to brighten your day’.”

Top: Earlybird’s special TOYW window.

Above: Designer Hannah with the special TOYW card.

Consumer PR

The GCA’s TOYW consumer PR campaign, engineered by PR Direct, has paid off with a recent edition of Woman magazine featuring a full page of reader offers of 10% off greeting cards at independent retailers Austin & Co in Malvern, Postmark Online, Giraffe Gifts in Marple, Papilio At Heritage Thornbury and Lark London GCA ceo

Amanda Fergusson explained how bestselling titles Good Housekeeping and Cosmopolitan also really engaged audiences online with their monthlong TOYW competitions offering the chance to win £50-worth bundles of cards.

And, for the first time, the GCA worked with influencers to spread the Thinking of You Week message on Instagram.

Above: Card indies joined in with Woman mag’s TOYW offer.

TOP STORY

InPress-ed Cardies

The Imaging Centre seminar brings cards to life

“Our aim is for you to use our knowledge to become a successful greeting card publisher,” stated Adam Short, managing director of The Imaging Centre printing and fulfilment business as he welcomed the greeting card publisher attendees at the company’s inaugural InPress day seminar.

When The Imaging Centre moved into its new premises in Marden in Kent last year, it was always the plan to host a series of hands-on day seminars for a small group of card publishers who would not only benefit from invaluable information about the industry and its workings but also upload a design onto the company’s system and then actually see it being printed in the factory. A few weeks ago the first of many of these seminars took place with publishers Peony & Pangolin, Papercuts, Philippa Wright Art, Iona Buchanan and Francesca Kemp Textile Art all delighted to christen the initiative.

The ‘classroom’ activity was a mixture of live talks, insightful videos and practical sessions, building up to a tour of the production facilities and witnessing the publishers’ card designs coming off the digital presses.

Commissioned by The Imaging Centre, the Lanther Black team of Dominique Miranda and Jack Parker created engaging videos to cover various aspects with Amanda Fergusson, ceo of the GCA explaining about the support provided by the trade association; Enveco’s Stacey Lee and Lucy Glover stressing the importance of wise envelope choices; GF Smith’s Mark Jessett and Emma Oliver

on the wonders of board; retailer Paul Cheshire of &Quirky shared an insight into an indie retailer while Lucy Creed of Poet and Painter, Jo Clarke of Toasted Crumpet and Lanther Black’s Dominique Miranda added a publisher perspective.

On the practical front, Janna Cossettini of Deckled Edge showed attendees how to set up their artwork to make the most of it; The Imaging Centre's systems manager Stuart Blake showed attendees how to upload files and the importance of proofing; new business development manager Simon Davis explained all about the company’s Simplicity Retail platform, operations director Jessica Short reinforced the sustainable benefits of its operation, customer services manager Alan Miller talked through placing a greeting card order and then production manager Edward Starling led the tour of the factory to see the presses in action with the attendee publishers’ designs.

More InPress seminars are being organised.

Top: Classroom action at the first ever InPress seminar from The Imaging Centre.

Above: Adam Short in The Imaging Centre factory.

UKG’s special Snowdog joins the pack

Playing chase with the Snowdog is the latest game in West Yorkshire as an art trail of 67 giant sculptures has hit the area, thanks to support from UK Greetings.The publisher has sponsored Nacho, one of 30 large Snowdogs and 37 Snowdog pups in the event run by The Kirkwood charity which provides specialist care to adults in Kirklees who struggle with advanced progressive illness.

Towns and villages across the Kirklees area have become home to a pack of these decorated sculptures of the Snowdog from Raymond Briggs’ much-loved tale of The Snowman And The Snowdog.

Named by UKG colleagues, Nacho has been decorated in a Day Of The Dead theme, inspired by The Kirkwood’s work to help families following the loss of a loved one.

“A key focus for us this year is to build strong partnerships within our community and to make a difference to the people who live and work in our local area,” commented UKG HR director Claire Rusby.”

Left: UKG’s Nacho is part of The Kirkwood’s Snowdog art trail.

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Lesser & Pavey taps into greeting card creativity

Lesser & Pavey , the major giftware and homewares company, has double-tapped into greeting card creativity recently, with several of its newest launches being based on licensing agreements with publishers Bewilderbeest and Peartree Heybridge

“To say that PG Live 2022 was a really good show for us to visit is somewhat of an understatement, as it was there that we spotted both Bewilderbeest and Peartree Heybridge and immediately saw the potential of translating several of their brands onto collections of gift and homewares

products in time to catch the Christmas market,” said L&P’s director Jonny Greves, who visited with June trade show with managing director Julian Hunt.

No time was wasted with the resultant products from the licensing collaborations with both publishers which saw mugs, ceramic coasters, drinking glasses, laptrays, tablemats and cotton tea towels - launching at the recent Autumn Fair.

“The Lesser & Pavey licensing deal was a pretty unexpected, but a very welcome outcome from PG Live,” commented Iain Hamilton, founder of Bewilderbeest.

While Bewilderbeest is a relative newcomer on the block, Peartree Heybridge is one of the most established brands in the sector.

On top of Camilla & Rose, Lesser & Pavey has also licensed designs from Peartree Heybridge’s Just Saying, Unravelled Sports and Beetanicals card brands.

“We are very excited with the prospect of our brands extending into new products,” commented Louise Martin, director of Peartree Heybridge. “Working with L&P has been quick and easy.”

Above: L&P’s Jonny Greves on the Autumn Fair stand near the Bewilderbeest products.

Above: A selection of the Camilla & Rose products from Lesser & Pavey.

Windles and Woodies’ Waygooze

Milton Keynes’ Mayor officially opened Woodmansterne’s Magna Park

Marking the end of summer and the official opening of Woodmansterne’s new warehouse building in Milton Keynes, this year’s Wayzgoose event also raised over £1,600 for charity.

After a Covid-enforced hiatus, the annual printers’ celebration around St Bartholomew’s Day, which traditionally marks the seasonal change to working by candlelight, was back with a bang as Woodmansterne Magna hosted sister team Woodmansterne Croxley and industry pals from printer Windles.

Right: MK mayor Andrea Marlow opened the new building with Seth Woodmansterne, md of Woodmansterne.

Below: Plenty of inflatable fun was had by all.

Watford and our dear friends from Windles to Magna Park. It was fantastic to also finally officially open the site, with the mayor snipping the red ribbon.

“It was great to see everyone enjoying themselves. The break hadn’t done anything to dampen the competitive spirit - I have a few bruises to show for my poor efforts in goal on the human inflatable table football and the inflatable assault course!”

WHS revenues ‘comfortably’ ahead

Group revenue at WHSmith was “comfortably in excess of pre-Covid levels” despite the cyber attack on online greeting card arm Funkypigeon.com which “adversely impacted” its High Street sales.

With WHS’ Travel division achieving 129% of 2019 sales levels in the half year to 27 August, and High Street at 82%, it brought group levels to 112% overall, and WHS expects the outcome for the whole year to be in line with the upgraded expectations following the extremely strong third-quarter performance.

The pre-close update, released ahead of the full report due on 10 November, showed sales at the greetings, stationery, book and convenience retailer’s travel sites worldwide, which include stores at airports and rail stations, surged to 135% of 2019 levels in the 11-week period to 27 August.

And the event also saw Milton Keynes mayor Andrea Marlow officially declare Woodmansterne’s mighty impressive new building in the new city’s Magna Park area open along with company md Seth Woodmansterne - who then dashed off to get into his togs for the oncoming battle!

Adam Osborne, Woodmansterne’s director of operations and IT, said: “It was delightful to welcome our colleagues from

Rosie’s book launch fizzes along

Before enjoying the pop-up bar and street food, the three teams competed at basketball, volleyball, human table football and a 75ft obstacle course, with the Magna team coming out tops overall, and the generosity of publisher friends and fellow businesses provided a fabulous raffle which saw more than £1,600 raised for Woodmansterne’s newest charity partner Greenfingers, which is dedicated to creating magical and inspiring gardens for life-limited children and their families who spend time in hospices.

With a title like Wine Not? there was plenty grape juice of the fizzy variety available as family and friends from Rosie Made A Thing enjoyed a special launch party for the book, which has recently been published by HarperCollins

Held at founder and designer Rosie Harrison’s local stockist Kibworth Books in Kibworth Beauchamp, Rosie told PG: “We had a fab little launch party for family and friends with posh nibbles, fizz and highbrow literary chats. Then Debbie at Kibworth Books also hosted a little book signing event.”

The Wine Not? A Book Of Grown-Up Decisions gift book is a whopping collection of Rosie’s funnies, based on the everyday lives of ordinary people, and came about following customers’ requests, with lots of copies on display on the publisher’s stand at the recent Top Drawer, along with a special selfie frame that also featured at the launch event. The books were also on display on Bookspeed’s stand at the show, as HarperCollins is also supplying the book via distributors, including Gardners and wholesalers.

“We had a lot of fun putting the book together, going back to my very first cards and trying to organise the silliness into coherent chapters. We’re really proud of our little gift book, it’s packed full of funnies and is just in time for Christmas gifting!” said Rosie.

Above rightt: Rosie signing copies of her first book.

Left: Selfie fun at Top Drawer.

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With regards to its High Street side, in which greeting cards feature prominently, the report stated it is performing “in line with expectations. We continue to focus on cost efficiencies and the return on space. We have identified further significant cost saving opportunities, most notably through reductions in rent.”

Above: WHS is a mainstay of UK High Streets.

Carte Blanche and Belly Button push on licensing

More licensing is on the cards for Carte Blanche Greetings and Belly Button Designs with both publishers recently announcing that they have each appointed a licensing agent.

The alliance with Bulldog Licensing signals further expansion of the licensing programme for CBG’s Me To You brand encompassing Tatty Teddy and Tiny Tatty Teddy which has been underway since 2001 on products including apparel, print-on-demand, food, gifting and nursery, up until now handled in-house.

Over at Belly Button Designs, founder Rachel Hare is looking to expand the business by taking the brand into other consumer products categories and has appointed Licensing Link Europe to take this on, focusing on other home-based categories including dated stationery to complement the current offer, soft furnishings, home textiles, bedding and home fragrances.

Above: Me to You is set for more licensing activity.

Above: Belly Button’s designs are perfect to bed into licensing.

Despite a more rounded approach to education today, many of the old school campaigners have championed a return to the basics of the 3Rs claiming this would prepare pupils for the real world.

In my opinion the huge failing is that we don’t teach youngsters the true basics of how to study and learn. We expect them to know how to do these things, where in reality they may be foreign concepts to them and their families. We need to give them the mechanics so that they know how to learn a language or research history. Otherwise, it is not learning, it is remembering. We have to encourage self-exploration and the ability to make mistakes and of course take great strides forward.

Running a business, be it as a retailer, greeting card publisher or anything else for that matter, is again something that no lesson or book can teach you. A business is not a hobby in my opinion, it is something that, while fun, must be taken seriously.

The basics of setting up your store, finding stock, marketing, customer interaction are perhaps the first steps, but there are so many other aspects that those are perhaps the easy bits.

You can learn, read and study business, but until you are actually doing

The 3 Rs...

Some 27 years ago, when my job as a teacher was to stand in front of a class of 30 pupils, their parents’ priority was how their child was performing in the 3RsReading, ‘Riting and ‘Rithmetic. This was then followed closely by the next question, which revolved around their little cherub behaving themselves.

The 3Rs, as they were called then, were a simple way of saying to concentrate on the basics.

All these years later education has undoubtably changed and schooling is as much about mental and physical health as it is about the core education, but what about the learnings in the business climate today?

it, none of it really matters. Every day you will be faced with challenges in dealing with people and events that never happen in the order of the text book.

There is not a curriculum that can teach you how to do this, every day is a test and simply to ‘pass’ is an achievement, never mind being able to excel. Very few of us will be ‘straight A’ students.

With this being the case I want to introduce you all to my 3Rs. Or at least the 3Rs that have been at the forefront of my mind in these last few weeks.

These are the traits and mindset I think you need to allow you to success and move forward…

Relentlessness

The pace of what we do and the nature of running a retail or publisher operation is at this time pretty much all encompassing. The definition is ‘unceasingly intense’ which probably also describes the way we are feeling.

We all have a tendency to keep going against all the challenges, because quite simply if you are the person that the buck stops with, you have no choice.

Left: David’s own ‘succession’… Hudson Robertson.

Bottom: Some Pozzi-tive news as David Robertson was recently awarded the Scottish Local Retailer’s Newstrader of The Year Award for his JP Pozzi newsagents business.

Since the early beginnings of 2020 all businesses have faced significant challenges.

Covid-19 of course, spiralling inflation, rising interest rates, lack of staff, supply challenges, increased expectations of the public, another recession and of course the energy crisis. Yet we are expected to cope with all of the aforementioned, taking it all in our stride and finding a way through and still make some money.

I know many people in our sector alone are understandably tired. They have fought and fought, yet things still remain very difficult. In many ways it feels like we are fighting to keep our heads above water.

This leads onto my second R…

Resilience

If the pace is relentless, then the ability to recover quickly from each of the challenges and each of the knocks is without doubt crucial. So much emphasis is put on the idea that we should be able to cope with stress and challenges, but you have to be mentally, emotionally and physically in the right place for this to happen.

BY DAVID ROBERTSON OF JP POZZI, ELGIN AND BUCKIE.

Resilience is something you build and improve over time. Going through the challenges and coming out the other side allows the brain to know it will be OK. That ability to keep calm, while right in the thick of things is a skill.

‘Thrives under pressure’ is a well-used saying, yet eventually enough pressure can make anything crack.

My final R is what we all need to potentially do with our businesses at some point…

Re-purpose

Covid-19, we hope, is a once in a lifetime event and many of us have adapted during these times. Zoom meetings, home deliveries, Facebook Live selling were just a few of the things we did to keep the lights on.

Now we may need to do that again to make ends meet. Not the same things of course, but as a business we may need to:

l Look at different product categories.

l Work with new people (collabs)

l Physically change our building(s) or maybe even move to a more manageable space

l Look at our operations

l Change our opening/business hours.

This list of possibilities could be much longer, but it really comes down to you and how much drive and fight you have left in you.

The energy cap announcement, patchy though it was it probably gives businesses six months to find their feet and then who knows what will happen. There has been no VAT cut. In Scotland we have no ND Rates support and in real terms this fiscal event gave small businesses very little. The maintaining of corporation tax means little to most SMEs who operate with perhaps one building and a small team of staff. We wanted and needed more.

So, what follows now? Well after R comes S and for me there are many options for the 3Ss.

Perhaps we could Shrink, Shut or Sell? All pretty negative

Perhaps we could Solve, Share, Save? All pretty positive.

A few weeks ago, I attended a seminar called the 3Ss by Stuart Mason. His three Ss were Sell, Succeed or Succumb. In the chat he pointed out that simply putting your business up for sale is not enough. This would not end up with the best result. His figures suggested that 80% of people/businesses sold out for less than their businesses were worth. He also highlighted that three out of four regretted the sale quite quickly after the first flush of euphoria died away. He believes that you need to actively work and plan a sale for a number of years, but in reality, many small businesses don’t, can’t or wouldn’t know where to start.

A clean break was also discussed with only a short handover which is not tied to the sale. Feeling you need to pass your ‘baby’ on is totally understandable, but at the end of the day once a price is agreed and locked in your responsibility is not to clutch on to it because the next person will always do things differently.

His second S was to Succeed and this is of course best realised when you have family to carry on the legacy of what has been built. I know I have a deep-rooted fear of running our business without my Mum. My Dad’s role was a fairly functional one which could be learnt and replicated with hard

Above left: Sarah Arnold Hall’s graphic resonates with David.

Above right: The Queen’s coffin bearers had little room for error.

Below: David favours taking a helicopter view on your situation.

OVER THE COUNTER

work. My Mum’s contribution though is much more subtle. A lot of what she does is based on instinct and feeling; difficult things to learn.

The final S is to Succumb. Whether that means that you exit through death or possibly having to close down again depends on the circumstances. In all cases there is a degree of push and pull factor about the decisions. Should we or shouldn’t we? What will I do if I sell? What can I achieve if I stay? With all of these questions it is crucial that you, as the business person, have someone to speak to; to share the load and the burden and ultimately help you make the right decision for yourselves at that time.

In recent weeks I have made so many decisions, both short and long term that I am unsure if they were correct or not, but at least I have made decisions. Dithering means withering and that is only a few steps

from dying away altogether. One tactic I use is to take the helicopter view. That is when I withdraw from the situation and predict what the outcomes may be from looking at things from above.

In these last few weeks we have all seen the ultimate demonstration of both succession and succumbing. Our Queen succumbed finally after 70+ years of service and conducting her civic duty. The Royal family and King Charles succeeded seamlessly, allowing our fantastic Monarchy to continue, albeit in a different form perhaps.

Running a shop is an exceptionally difficult profession and like the soldiers carrying our Monarch’s coffin in the funeral procession there is little room for error and a huge amount of pressure with the eyes of your community on you. I know it can be difficult, but don’t forget the new 3 Rs… Relax, Recharge and Re-imagine.

To contact David email: jppozzi@btconnect.com

cardsharp

State of Emergency?

On a recent holiday, honing his history geekiness, Cardsharp spent a lot of his time on the sun lounger, reading State of Emergency: The Way We Were: Britain 1970-1974 book by Dominic Seabrook.

But reading this fabulous account of the UK 50 years ago, Cardsharp was fascinated by the similarities with what is happening today. Talk about history repeating itself! 2022 is starting to read like 1972…Plus ça change, plus la même chose!

The early 70s is a period that Cardsharp can remember as the era of Chopper bikes, platform boots, long hair and Jamboree bags. He does also recall cold nights, sitting in the dark in woolly jumpers with just candles for illumination.

The headlines then though were similar to those we are reading now. Rampant Inflation, a cost-of-living crisis, an energy crisis and industrial action. For those under 50, it is hard to understand the utter devastation endemic inflation caused back in the 1970s. Strikes and industrial action were everywhere. The railways, the post office, the dock workers, to name just a few. Sound familiar? With the cost-of-living rising on average at 20%, there was constant industrial action by those in the Unions keen for wages to keep up with this. The Conservative government back then, as now, tried to argue that the pay increases they demanded were self-defeating, as all they did was stoke inflation even more.

And as now, there was a dramatic increase in energy prices brought about by a war in a distant place that sparked the cost-of-living crisis. While it is Russia who is holding us to ransom now, back then it was the Arab oil producers who were intent on punishing the West for supporting Israel in

its war with its Arab neighbours. Then it was oil, now it is gas.

The current dock strikes at Felixstowe, Britain’s largest container port, has posed a real threat to our greeting card industry this Christmas in terms of getting greeting cards into the shops in time. As Cardsharp penned this column some 1,900 workers at the Felixstowe port, which transports 48% of the containers coming into the UK, have started eight days of industrial

action. After all the problems of soaring container prices and supply chain problems last year, this is all publishers and their customers need.

Back in the 1970s, the dockers’ strike affected all UK ports, leading to food shortages in the shops. Mercifully, and unusual for the time, the strike only lasted two weeks. And because this was before the age of globalisation, greeting cards were not really affected by it, Cardsharp assumed. Let us hope the 2022 version stays at the present eight days. A 7% pay rise, and a one-off payment of £500 has been rejected by Unite, the dock workers union.

Another eerie similarity with 50 years ago, are today’s postal strikes. The recent ones have been crippling for our industry. For the last few years we have had to contend with a deteriorating postal service service and much higher stamp prices. If these strikes (and it’s not just the strike days but the build-up of unsent post that lies dormant in the sorting offices) continue, how many people will not bother to buy a card and get out of the habit of sending them.

Some 50 years ago, a particularly bitter strike went on without any breaks for seven weeks. God forbid anything like that occurs now, thinks Cardsharp especially with the internet and so many other ways of communicating. The present situation must be hell for the print on demand boys and girls like Moonpig, Thortful and Funky Pigeon.

With the present energy crisis, there is talk of energy rationing and some retail and hospitality closing on certain days or permanently. Cardsharp was interested to read a report by BIRA, which represents many retailers of greeting cards, which stated that 88% of all its members intend to raise their prices by an average of 8% in October.

Moreover, 65% have been forced to

Above left: There are some uncanny similarities between the period covered in Dominic Seabrook’s tome and today.

Above: The Chopper was one of the high points of the 1970s.

reduce staff numbers and 40% were considering limiting opening hours. Most worryingly though, was that 23% of its retail members said they would be looking to temporarily or even permanently close their business. It seems obvious to Cardsharp, that businesses need an energy boost in more ways than one.

Hopefully these gloomy scenarios are overly pessimistic, but it is clear that we all face significant challenges in the months to come. Let’s hope this energy crisis does not reach the depths of 50 years ago, when the country went down to a three-day week and there were frequent power cuts. Mind you, candle sales in card and gift shops would certainly be booming!

What we definitely are in need of in the greeting card industry at present is a bit of our own inflation. Even if the rate of inflation drops it doesn’t mean prices drop, just the rate of cost increases is slowing.

Cardsharp knows economists have a name for this. It’s called ‘the ratchet effect’. Once a higher price is

set it becomes the norm that is accepted by consumers. You can see this in the price of a cup of coffee. How did the £3 cup of coffee become the norm? It seemed an unthinkable until a couple of years ago, but once people could be persuaded to pay that much, the ratchet effect took over.

Once that taboo of the £3.00 latte was broken, you can see how easy it was to push the price up further and now some shops are charging £3.50 or even £3.75 for an extra large version, which in effect just means an extra glug of milk. In fact, Cardsharp realises he was charged £3.95 for a medium sized cup at a service station Costa yesterday!

Cardsharp thinks we desperately need that ratchet effect when it comes to our greeting card prices. Retailers and publishers need to be able to break that £3.00 mark. It seems ludicrous that for all the creativity and care that goes into making a quality greeting card, most are cheaper than a cup of coffee.

And this has to start with the large greeting card publishing brokers. To Cardsharp’s mind, rather than resisting price increases, they need to start pushing the grocers and having some grown up discussions about significantly upping price points and passing a chunk of that increase back to their publisher partners. They can’t indefinitely keep trying to push the pain back onto the publishers. They, like the

brokered publishers need a better deal. And supermarket prices going up, would mean other retailers would be emboldened to significantly increase their prices as well.

But, Cardsharp, hears the reader think. What about the elephant in the room, Card Factory? Won’t that leave the market even more open to this industry giant maximising its price advantage? Cardsharp is not so sure. CF would probably use this to its advantage up its prices. And going back to the coffee analogy. Just look at McDonalds. It charges just £1.00 for its cuppas, and like Card Factory sells loads, but that has not stopped Costa and their ilk ratcheting up their prices.

So, are there any lessons we can learn from 50 years ago? concludes Cardsharp is reminded of the saying attributed to Karl Marx, “That history repeats itself, first as a tragedy, and then as a farce”.

If so, the next stage will be the farce.

But Cardsharp takes comfort from the conclusions that Dominic Seabrook took from a half century ago. Eventually inflation was bought under control, the energy crisis abated, and new legislation restricted industrial action. And things improved pretty dramatically after that. Let’s hope the same thing happens this time around.

My word is my ‘Bond’!

Unlike now, back in 1972 we could not blame our business woes on Russia. Although a few years later in the late 1970s we could try!

Back in 1978 and 1979, the big Russian news story in the greeting card industry was that the Soviet Union was illegally dumping millions and millions of Christmas cards into the UK market at ridiculously low prices. As well as undermining British publishers, there was a lot of sanctimonious talk along the lines that as the Soviet Union being an atheist state where religion was discouraged we should also not allow this to happen given that Christmas was a religious celebration. Strange to think of that now, given how powerful the Orthodox Church in Russia is today.

Cardsharp recalls that the ‘Russian Christmas Cardgate’, even led to a debate in the House of Lords and in perhaps one of the best jokes ever cracked in the Upper Chambers. This was when Lord Nugent, enquiring on the sentiments featured in these cards, asked the question “My Lords, do they include the message, ‘From Russia with Love’?”

Oh Miss Moneypenny!

Above: A Pyramid International licensed poster of the famous 007 film.

Nottingham

Riches

“Welcome everybody,” said Chris Bryan, joint general manager of Second Nature and reigning president of the GCA to a packed audience of publishers, retailers, trade suppliers and agents, at what was the best attended GCA Conference and AGM ever.

Sure, the punchy agenda was a good enough reason for so many members of the greeting card community to book their seats, covering as it did the benchmarking from the GCA UK greeting card market report on the year just gone (see News), the overarching economic climate and the challenges this brings to the sector as well as important issues of consumer spending, sustainability (see News) and how to ensure the industry’s lifeblood by attracting new designers and welcoming new publishers. Adding to this big picture stuff and providing a somewhat local flavour, Richard Bacon, md of The Sherwood Group; Jon May, co-owner of indie Mooch Gifts and Home and Ged Mace, managing director of The Art File, each shared their stories, sharing their respective poignant insights into life as a printer, independent card and gift retailer and publisher.

But there was also a palpable feeling, almost a craving, for everyone to feel part of something bigger; a belonging which offered

’s‘Steal from the rich to give to the poor’ was the ethos of Robin Hood, Nottingham’s famous legendary hero. Certainly, all the 180+ members of the greeting card community who attended the recent GCA Conference and AGM, held in Nottingham Trent University went home a lot richer in inspiration and insights - and fuelled by a super-charged spirit of camaraderie.

PG joined the many merry men and women at the UK greeting card trade association’s annual gathering.

some protection from the hardships staring us in the face. There were a lot of smiles as industry friends caught up, with a great turnout from retailers including WHSmith, Card Factory, Sainsbury’s, Scribbler, Cardzone, House of Cards and Stationery Supplies joining specialist suppliers, many of whom showed their support as official sponsors.

While incredibly active throughout the year, the Conference was also a great opportunity for the GCA to summarise its achievements, with ceo Amanda Fergusson, and Adriana Lovesy, the association’s marketing and membership co-ordinator leaving no one in any doubt as to the value of being a GCA member, including its links to government, Chamber of Commerce, DIT and Royal Mail through to the wide reach of the Thinking of You Week initiative, the innovative Dragons Speed-dating event, progress on D&I as well as the growing number of helpful blog posts and toolkits on the website.

Above: The special livery that The Art File team created for the recent event.

Left: GCA president Chris Bryan welcoming the delegates.

Below left: The packed audience at the GCA Conference and AGM.

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Drawing on a recent personal experience, Amanda relayed how, when standing in a queue in the bakers, she heard a man ask: “Does anyone know where I can buy a greeting card near here?” It was music to her ears. “I quickly reeled off a list of five retailers all within a few hundred yards, from independent card and gift shops to Tesco and WHSmith, it really struck me of the diversity of retail stockists and card publishers which together give the consumer so much choice and mean that they have remained so engaged with the category,” she said before highlighting the huge take up by consumers of the Thinking of You Week promotion in Woman magazine as well as the wide support from retailers for the special card sending week as a case in point, made all the more poignant as it fell in the week of the Queen’s funeral.

“We are making our voice heard,” assured Amanda, aware that the ongoing Royal Mail strikes are a matter of concern for all in the industry, making it all the more important to get behind Festive Friday, which falls on December 2, to kickstart Christmas card sending this year.

“Rest assured we are making our voice heard at Royal Mail, pressing hard to safeguard six day a week postal delivery,” relayed Amanda.

But with Royal Mail strikes being one of bumps in the road ahead, as Chris said in his introduction: “There will be challenges for

us all, but in the dark times we as an industry deliver that love and sentiment that everyone needs.” And in his concluding speech at the end of the day, he added: “We all have a responsibility to nurture and protect our industry. Greeting cards have always been resilient to economic downturns. I believe the market can still grow. There will be over a million birthdays celebrated next week and another million the week after. Let’s not dwell on the past, but instead look to the future of what is possible. So, to all envelope companies out there, the great paper companies, brilliant creatives, innovative printers, wonderful publishers, talented marketeers and visionary retailers… Thank you all for playing your part. Like you, I am passionate about this industry. Together let’s take this industry to that £2 billion mark.”

Above: (centre) Matt Lyons of 2WL, one of the trade supplier sponsors of the event with James Mace of The Art File and Kay Patel of The Seed Card Company in the reception area.

Left: Amanda Fergusson in full flow. Below: Sir John Peace (centre front) with some of the GCA members based in and around Nottingham, including The Art File, Rosie Made a Thing, Ohh Deer, Laura Darrington, Molly Mae, The Sherwood Group, Bug Art, Dandelion Stationery and Stationery Supplies.

Above: Geoff Sanderson (left) who is spearheading the GCA Open Call for design students, which soft launched at the Conference with Andrew Gentilles, now of Scribbler who gave Geoff his first break into the industry when he worked at Fine Art Developments.

Above: In the Open Call area which saw under graduates share their artwork with publishers and retailers. Student Kirsty Topley (second left) with (right-left) Card Factory’s Jo Bennett and Danny Sykes with Hallmark’s Fiona Pitt and Cardology’s David Falkner.

Above: Poet and Painter’s Lucy Creed (left) and Raspberry Blossom’s Rebecca Green spending time with student Katie Jones.

Above: Stationery Supplies’ Sarah Laker (left) catches up with Marina Brook of Marina B.

Above: UKG’s Ceri Stirland (right) with Abi Wilson of Sainsbury’s.

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Peace of mind

Something of a superstar of the business world (having been chairman of Burberry, ceo of GUS, cofounder of Experian and chairman of Standard Charter) and, let alone his high standing in the Nottingham community, not least as Chancellor of Nottingham Trent University, Sir John Peace’s pedigree was certainly not in question as he took to the lectern. However, what surprised was his appreciation of the UK greeting card industry and the important role he recognised it plays in UK society.

“Very few industries touch as many people, bringing happiness to the nation,” acknowledged Sir John. He cited the greeting card sector as “a very important creative industry that is also very important to the economy as well as to our wellbeing.”

Not shying away from the harsh realities of what has been a very difficult time. “A war in Europe, who would have thought we would see that, we’ve seen the markets losing confidence and the end of the Elizabethan era. We are in a sombre mood with the cost-of-living crisis impacting all of our communities while the pandemic has not gone away.”

Championing the strength of the greeting card sector - a knowledge he gained when, as Lord Lieutenant of Nottingham, he presented The Art File with its Queen’s Award for export in 2017 -Sir John stressed how “despite a decline in retail, this industry has shown a resilience and is worth £1.6billion - that’s not small!” recognising that the GCA forms an invaluable link.

“One loud voice is more powerful than a thousand whispers,” he highlighted, but urged no one to rest on their laurels, to grab the opportunities that present themselves, using the example of the proliferation of farm shops and delis to demonstrate a changing retailing landscape.

“It is time to think differently,” he stressed. “Out of diversity comes opportunity,” said Sir John questioning whether there could be better selections of cards for Eid and Diwali for example.

Pulling no punches Sir John ended saying that things are not going to ease up any time soon. “Be very clear, the months coming are going to be very tough. Talk to each other, be one loud voice and look for the opportunities.”

Rainbows in the gloom

It is strange to think that all those shopping receipts that accumulate in our purses and wallets, collectively tell the tale of our shopping habits, how we are reacting to circumstances, how we are feeling. Alex Badini and Ni Wang, from leading research company Kantar did not gloss over the challenges the industry is facing reflected in the changes in consumer shopping habits, but also stressed the positives and how greeting cards are in a much better position than so many other product areas.

And how do they know this? That’s down to the 106,000 Brits on its Worldpanel Plus team who, on a daily basis, photograph the receipts of everything they buy, with Kantar receiving a receipt photo every second.

To put it into context, starting with the “bad news”, Alex rattled off the list of dampeners to consumer spending. “We have a war in Europe, personal finances are under strain, there’s a new Prime Minister, the death of the Queen and consumer confidence being at the lowest level since the 1960s, not helped by a Government who doesn’t really know what it’s doing,” he said, his engaging delivery immediately dismissing any preconceived thoughts that data people are dull!

Making a great double act, Ni Wang then explained that while that pressure on spending is relative, the eight months to July 22 has seen a noticeable increase (7%) in those admitting to be struggling while the group of consumer who described themselves as ‘comfortable’ or not seeing a need to restrict their spending in any way dropped by 8%, a pattern that is likely to have been amplified further since the data was captured. This was reinforced by Google Trends’ findings which has

seen a spike in cost-of-living becoming a prominent topic of conversation, but adding some light and reassurance for those in the audience, searches for the Love Island TV series also tracked highly.

“In tough times, we still need to find happiness and ways to feel better, and greeting cards are part of that,” assured Alex.

Kantar’s findings show that against the stark reality of price rises, with the average price paid per item up by 9% over the 12 weeks to w/e 7 August, consumer shopping was only up by 1%, meaning that people have either bought less items, bought less often or shopped cheaper.

Drawing on the learnings of the past, Alex explained that looking at the grocery purchases across the board, in the recession of 2007/2008 while some moved to cheaper own brand alternatives, premium operators Waitrose and Marks & Spencer also fared well.

That said, this time round Aldi and Lidl have almost quadrupled their market share since 2011 alone, from 4.4% up to the 16% they now command. Though not historically significant greeting card stockists, their growth as part of the wider push by lower-priced retailers should not be underestimated.

The next slide delivered a mighty punch, showing a significant jump in sales for both Card Factory (up 15%) and Cards Direct (up 22%) for the three months to w/e August 7. However, while the upturns

Left: Sir John Peace added gravitas to the event.

Left: Kantar’s Alex Bandini and Ni Wang. Below: The pressure is mounting on consumer spending.

are significant, it does not necessarily signal that people are trading down on cards, it could be due to them rebuilding up their card stash in readiness for the full return of children’s parties and the like.

“It is not about going cheap, it is all about conveying value,” says Alex.

Ni then shared a slide that was uplifting to all present. “There are lots of things people will cut back on to save money before cards,” she said detailing how takeaways and deliveries followed by eating/drinking out were right at the top of the list for doing without

to save pennies with cards and gifts for family and friends coming way down in 12th position, well after clothes buying and streaming services subscriptions.

As she reminded, the average cost of a greeting card (£1.71) is far cheaper than a bottle of wine, bunch of flowers or even a cup of coffee.

“Some things are worth more than the cost” reinforced Alex, citing cards as one of them. “The flowers will die and the wine will

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be drunk, but you still have the card,” said Alex, believing that as long as the designs remain relevant to the buying consumer their purchases are highly unlikely to be as negatively affected as other product areas during this cost-of-living crunch, especially given how engrained they are in the British psyche.

“Nine out of 10 UK households buy greeting cards, and they buy them nearly every month,” reassured Alex, sharing a slide which showed the pattern of card buying up the age scale.

Simply put, “As we get older, we buy more,” stated Alex, though encouragingly the difference between 18-24 year olds, the group with the lowest card penetration (86.3%) and those buying the most cards (94.7%) in the 65+ years generation is only 9%.

“In a tough climate there is still light,” said Alex delivering a positive message of the greeting card sector’s place in the consumer’s shopping basket as well as his/her heart, but also how there are still enclaves of opportunity, citing courting more sales from those living in London as a case in point.

“In London, only eight out of 10 households buy cards, and those that do, only seven times a year, a lot lower percentages than the UK average. Those living in London come from a wide range of cultures, could it be that the cards available do not reflect these?” he questioned.

Having been tracking consumer sales of greeting cards for Kantar since April, they have clearly got under Alex’s skin. “Greeting cards do a lot of good. They encourage literacy and uplift people, for starters. So, dial up the value, continue to make the designs relevant and make the most of the London opportunity,” he urged.

Bringing home the Bacon

Being given the session before the lunch break needs a pacey delivery to take people’s minds off their tummies, and it was not just his surname that made Richard Bacon, md of The Sherwood Group the ideal speaker.

After a quickfire chapter on Nottingham claims to fame - who knew that the French Bulldog in fact hailed from the city or that traffic lights were the invention of Nottinghamite John Peake Knight, that HP Sauce hailed from there, rechristened after the brown sauce condiment was popular in Houses of Parliament lunchrooms. Richard maintained the interest with a highly entertaining recount of The Sherwood Group’s evolution from its humble beginnings, co-founded by Richard’s father Maurice through some somewhat self-effacing lessons Richard has learned in his journey with the company, from his ill-fated rejection of being employed by the company on a YTS scheme for fear of what his mates would think, instead joining on a lower wage through to the value of knowing that ink and water do not mix as well as the merits of recognising the importance of relationships in business and life.

Here are Richard’s Top Ten Lessons…

Lesson 1… Don’t ever be too proud

Lesson 2… Hard work

Lesson 2B... Work hard, but enjoy yourself, laughter lightens the load

Lesson 3… It’s better to change direction even if it costs you in the short term as it can be better for the future

Lesson 4… It’s all about relationships

Lesson 5… It’s not always what you say, sometimes it is the way that you say it!

Lesson 6… Take business seriously, not yourself

Lesson 7… Don’t take work home with you

Lesson 8… Treat people with respect

Lesson 9… Be honest and be helpful. Do what is right not what is always easy Lesson 10… Love what you do. And if you don’t, do something else.

Above left: Richard Bacon held the audience’s attention with his engaging delivery.

Above: Down memory lane…Maurice Bacon (centre front) next to his sons Jeremy (now ceo) and Richard to his right.

Above: One of the lessons learnt that Richard imparted.

Above: Kantar’s insight into greeting card penetration by age and region.

Ground Control To Major Tom

As the many posts on LinkedIn reinforce, Tom Rolt leaving the health and beauty world after an 18 years upward trajectory career path to join Hallmark as group managing director responsible for the UK, Ireland and Australia, is a big deal.

Seven weeks into his new role, PG headed up to Yorkshire to meet the man who is now to add his gloss to the major UK greeting card publisher’s future direction.

four walls so I was keen to meet customers and suppliers - and Gold Crown retailers and indies are the next on my list,” he revealed.

Tom has also been keen to get to know the Hallmark team. It is not for him managing the business from afar, relocating from Richmond, in south west London to his new home in the centre of Leeds to be close to the office in Bradford.

When Amanda Del Prete returned to her native Australia after three years in the ‘big chair’ as managing director of Hallmark UK, there was much talk as to who would replace her, especially as the tendency has been to promote from within the global publishing group.

But changing times seemingly call for a change of approach, evidenced by the appointment of Tom Rolt, whose whole career up until now has been within the beauty and healthcare sector.

Tom fully accepts that he has taken on this top job with no direct industry experience.

“For that reason, I came in with no preconceived ideas. I first need to listen and learn, which will help me to identify what is working super well and what areas have room for improvement,” he says candidly.

Within just a few weeks into his role, Tom has not only met all of Hallmark’s major customers - from the grocers to specialist retail group Cardzone - but also those in its supply chain, which includes specialist printer Herbert Walkers which form part of its reshoring to UK manufacturing.

“I am a firm believer that you cannot learn everything from within the company’s

“It would not be my style to run a business, especially the size of Hallmark from an ivory tower several hundred miles away from the head office. You need to be there, connecting to the people who make the company

Above: Tom Rolt has embraced the steep learning curve of joining the greeting card industry.

Right: A design from Hallmark’s Woodstone range that reached the finals in The Henries this year, combining contemporary artwork with sentiment.

Below: Tom was delighted by the Hallmark team’s creative approach to designing The Henries 2022 ticket. (Leftright) Hallmarkers Becca Clapham, Kelly Wykman and Andy Rhoades.

tick,” he believes. In taking on the role Tom clearly recognises that he has a wonderful opportunity to build on Hallmark’s rich heritage, high brand awareness and trusted reputation for quality, transitioning it as a brand that over delivers and pre-empts the consumer’s current and future needs, be it supplied via bricks & mortar retail or online.

“But I can’t do that on my own, I need good people around me - customers that we can work in partnership with, strong suppliers that share our sustainability vision and, at the heart of it all, outstandingly creative products that meet the consumer’s needs,” he says touching on his own 5Ps (detailed below right), which he has imparted to his Hallmark team.

As to his first impressions of the sector, Tom admits to having been “bowled over” by the sheer creativity that abounds, not just from Hallmark, but from the huge diversity on offer from so many other publishers. “I am not surprised that the UK greeting card industry leads the world, the quality of the design out there is superb,” admits Tom. “I love that this role gives the opportunity of being so close to true creativity and manufacturing of a consumer product that really is very dear to people’s hearts. It is a true end to end job,” he told PG. As he sees it: “Greeting cards go right back to the insights of us as people. It feels like a

In conversation with... Tom Rolt

huge responsibility and a privilege, in equal measure, to be creating a product which channels and conveys human emotions and connections. Seven weeks into the role and it has been an eye opener, in a very positive way.”

Tom highlights that there are some valuable crossovers and similarities from his 14+ years with L’Oréal, the last four and half as general manager of its commercial operations UK and Ireland.

“My role there was a lot about retailer relationships. As part of this we provided products to salons, 10,000 of them in the UK and Ireland! We helped the salons to grow their business through our products, not dissimilar to the remit at Hallmark when you think about it,” he says astutely.

A key at L’Oréal, Tom recognises is also likely to unlock the doors for Hallmark’s retail customers. “It is all about being a partnership and recognising that without a

Left: As well as forging partnerships with the grocers and other multiples, the Hallmark team is also looking to further grow with independent retailers. It has recently installed new greeting card displays into a trio of Irish bookshops, The Book Centre, Waterford, The Book Centre, Wexford and Barker & Jones, Naas.

Below: As part of its inclusive approach is Hallmark’s Feel the Love braille card range that was feted in The Henries finalists list this year.

mutual understanding that just will not work.” Tom reinforced that L’Oréal and Hallmark, while both are global companies, they both rely on the interface with retailers and the consumerunderestimate that triangular relationship at your peril, he believes.

Another similarity between the two sectors is as Tom highlights they are ostensibly “feelgood products”, though

accepts that in the case of L’Oréal these are more directed at oneself while in greeting cards it is the recipient that derives the greatest pleasure.

“Both companies are also involved in relatively inexpensive ‘pick me up’ products. In L’Oréal it may be that lipstick that you purchase for yourself to cheer you up while with Hallmark it could be a funny card that you buy because you know it will bring a smile to your friend’s face.”

While Tom is clearly getting to grips with his new role, he freely admits that there is probably some work to be done on his own personal card buying habits. “I have always bought cards, be it for me to give to my parents and friends or on behalf of my children, but admittedly up until now I have been a true a convenience shopper, invariably time-pressurised and buying them from a supermarket when doing the grocery shopping or ordering one last minute from Moonpig. Ask me again in six months about

Tom’s Five Ps

Tom’s core business beliefs can be summed up in his ‘five ps’, that are all equally important…

1. People - “You need to fully appreciate that you are only one person, with your own perspective and a limited set of skills. You need the talents and skills of others to enable you to deliver your mission.”

2. Product - “It is crucial that the greeting card designs we publish chime with the public’s needs and aesthetic nuances.”

3. Partnership - “Having good relationships right through the supply chain - with everyone involved from our creatives, our paper suppliers through our printers, sales team, warehouse team, merchandisers, customer service team and accounts - is paramount.”

4. Planet - “We all have a responsibility to leave this planet in a better state and so need to do as best as we can on the sustainability front. Hallmark was a long way down this path when I joined and we will continue our progress in this direction.”

5. Performance - “We are a business and need to not only perform on the sales front, but in how we are to deal with. Arrogance has no place in this.”

Above: Hallmark has recently further upped its commitment to sustainability by donating 20p for every card sold via Hallmark.co.uk to the Woodland Trust.

my card shopping habits, I promise to have improved them!” he says with a smile.

Tom takes a positive view of broad reaching distribution of greeting cards at retail, fully embracing omnichannel opportunities, not just for Hallmark, but the industry as a whole.

“Looking holistically we need cards to be available where consumers want to buy them. There is a most definitely a place for both a physical presence across the retail landscape as well as in the digital space. It is our job, as an industry to engage with the consumer, creating cards that engage with them and making them easily available, where and how they choose to shop,” he says assuredly.

With the bit between his teeth, and an energetic personality, you get the feeling Hallmark is in for an exciting chapter. And, if you want any advice on what shampoo to use, Tom’s your man!

In conversation with... Tom Rolt

Industry Issue: Sustainability

It would be irresponsible to begin hitting you over the head with the Products of Change sustainability stick without addressing the elephant in the room first. At the time of writing, the UK’s economy is spiralling out of control while interest rates, mortgages, and the cost of living is soaring upwards.

It’s true, with every headline and Bank of England update, the idea of going hell for leather on slash and burn politics - or Investment Zones and as our new Chancellor would frame it - grows ever more appealing.

With the chips seemingly down, it’d be all too easy to put our grand net zero sustainability plans back in the ‘nice to have’ folder. Which is why we mustn’t.

The country has reached a crucial fork in the road of economic history. But the truth of it is, there really is only one viable option. Growth at all costs - at the cost of natureis a fast-track road to disaster.

The reason of course, is that nature is our economy. You don’t need to be told that. A sector dependent entirely on the continual regeneration of the natural materials that drive its total revenue? Please, talk about preaching to the choir.

Food and water security, protection from climatic extremes, the carbon cycle, public health, and the air we breathe. These too are all dependent on nature. Tony Juniper CBE, the chair of Natural England really is onto something when he says: “growth that results in the destruction of nature will, in the end, cease.”

By contrast, economic development that moves towards net zero greenhouse gas emissions and the recovery of nature is

a very different ball game. And it’s here that the greeting card industry really is coming into its own.

We are delighted to count a growing number of greeting card and allied companies as members of Products of Change - Danilo, Hallmark, Glick, Out of the Blue/Into the Green Publishing, Cath Tate Cards, Carousel Calendars, Talking Tables, Belly Button Designs and Amscan to name a few - and hope to see these joined by many others.

It has been so encouraging to track how the greeting card community has made such impressive strides on the sustainability front right through the supply chain, from the paper and envelope companies, specialist printers, warehouse operators, publishers and retailers, from the largest companies through to the tinies. And the GCA recent Conference and AGM included some great insights, both from its members

and consumer research findings from Kantar that signal the future green path (see News).

It was great to see that Card Factory, the largest greeting card retailer in the UK included news of its sustainability progress and commitment as part of its half year results, partnering with the Woodland Trust, appointing an energy consultancy to provide some enhanced insight and recommendations to reduce its Scopes 1, 2, and 3 emissions as part of this.

There’s no doubt that sustainability is a tricky topic to navigate. But while the world’s focus is on money, it’s important to remember that sustainability measures can also be money-saving measures. It is also the right thing to do.

It's a fundamental principle of the Circular Economy to design waste out of your production cycle while products are retained at their highest value state. When a greeting card, at its end-of-life state, can be planted to grow food, we’re suddenly looking at a model that increases that product’s value at end-of-life. We’re looking at the future of regeneration.

At the recent Brand Licensing Europe show a few weeks ago the deputy director for the United Nations’ Regional Information Centre, Caroline Petit told an audience in attendance of her keynote address that “sustainability is not a limitation, but rather a trigger to bring more passion and real creativity into the industry.”

The very same can be said of the greeting card sector. And when you’re an industry whose affinity lies closer to the regeneration of nature than most others, there’s even more reason to unlock the potential.

The UK is at a sustainability crossroads right now, with only one viable option to take. Rob Hutchins, editor and community manager of Products of Change, the sustainability membership organisation looks at how the greeting card sector is aligning itself with the economy of nature.

Below: Products of Change’s ceo Helena Mansell-Stopher and Rob Hutchins, editor and community manager.

Below middle: The Seed Card Company is one of many publishers to have gone plastic-free, including on intransit banding.

Below: The POC/Junk Couture Catwalk saw students share their creations made out of twine, bread packets, sweet wrappers, plastic bottles and spoons.

Industry Issue: Sustainability

Inset:

Battening down the hatches may be an understandable reaction to the current cost-ofliving crisis, but saving the world is even more important. With industry campaigners like Carousel Calendars’ md Steve Plackett concerned that “none of the politicians are focusing on the environment and it’s all about cost-of-living”, PG shines the spotlight on what just some greeting card and stationery publishers have been doing to continue the sustainability push.

On a roll to eco-friendly wrap

On a mission to eliminate all single-use plastics, Caroline Gardner has taken another step towards its December 2023 deadline with the launch of plastic-free roll wrap.

In its latest development towards improving sustainability across the greeting card, wrap and gift business - from retail shop, through to every stage of the production process - the company’s new product is made entirely of paper, including the sticker.

Senior account manager Luca Bridges explained: “The eco-friendly rolls are created without the need for an inner core, leaving space for an additional two extra metres of wrap and, where plastic wrapping has previously been used to prevent damage to the edges of the roll, an extra 10cm of paper has been added to allow for trimming instead, so no paper will be lost due to wear and tear.”

Since 2020 all finishes on Caroline Gardner greeting cards have been dispersible and biodegradable, so both cards and envelopes fully and naturally biodegrade after use, or are completely recyclable.

The publisher also has a full patent for the plastic-free packaging solution InFold, which fits over the corner of a card and envelope to keep them together, and every order dispatched from its warehouse uses biodegradable paper packaging and is taped with a paper alternative.

Left: No plastic wrap required on Caroline Gardner’s new rolls, and its InFold clasp has a full patent.

Push on plastics

Reducing plastic usage is a big push at Zebra MTD, home of Carousel Calendars, Otter House and Calendar Club, where 65% of its product range is already in plastic-free packaging, and this improves every year.

Covering greeting cards, wrap, gift and calendars, the group is signed up to the Science Based Targets Initiative (SBTi), having measured its carbon footprint back in 2019 to give an important baseline against which to set the targets for reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

Managing director Steve Plackett heads up the group’s sustainability team, known as Zest, which is tasked with reducing plastic and carbon and also covers its wildlife project and mapping waste streams.

“To reduce our carbon footprint we took a long hard look at offsetting, and decided against it - it felt like an easy way out,” Steve said. “Our facilities manager Andy researched the SBTi scheme and we felt it was what we were looking for as it’s a way of planning how to cut carbon by 46% by 2030, and is aligned with what we need to do as citizens, companies and countries to get to net zero.”

The group has also changed power sources to renewable energy and biogas, its small car fleet is now electric or hybrid with EV charging points in the car park, and it uses simple tricks such as LED lighting, cutting thermostat levels, switching off lights and closing doors. The company is encouraging the use of sustainable materials in its supply chain as well as aiming to persuade at least half its key product suppliers to sign up to SBTi by 2025.

Above: Steve Plackett leads Carousel’s push on sustainability.

Riding the recycling route

Cath Tate Cards was one of the first publishers to recognise the importance of being eco-friendly: “As a business we’ve printed on 100% recycled paper for almost 40 years,” said director Rosie Tate. The business was started by Rosie’s mum Cath four decades ago but the recycled paper she began with was low quality, thin, and it was very hard to achieve a crisp, bright-white look to the board.

Rosie added: “Now recycled paper really has come on leaps and bounds. Mark Rawson from Paper Gould helped source and develop our 100% recycled version of the Veltique paper with an Italian paper mill, and the board we have is really premium board.

“Being an eco/green publisher has always been very important to us and we’re keen to encourage other publishers to print on recycled paper. We might all produce a single-use product but that doesn’t mean it has to be completely single use - if you see what I mean!”

Designs on reuse

Continuing on from the LED lighting installation and other key environmental projects Danilo completed last year, the company has made significant progress across many areas of its sustainability plan.

“We’ve been working closely with the Climate Partner organisation to evaluate our carbon footprint and find ways we can reduce this going forward,” md Daniel Prince said. “We’ve installed electric vehicle charging points at our office and are in the process of getting solar panels fitted.”

Embracing sustainability challenges as opportunities to innovate and improve, Danilo now includes labelling on all products to help consumers with the recycling process, with its desk easel and desk block calendar range completely plastic-free and recyclable, and this year has worked hard to double the amount of plastic-free wall calendars in its portfolio.

And by putting reuse as well as recycling at the forefront of product design, innovations include the monthly prints in the deluxe calendars being able to be detached and framed, while the postcard desk easels have removable pages for posting off to friends and family, and the new PAW Patrol gift bag has a game of snap cards on the sides that can be cut out and played with.

Daniel added: “We continue searching for new and cost-efficient ways to reduce our cellowrapping even further, ensuring we communicate frequently with our suppliers to discuss ideas. We also appreciate that tackling the climate crisis requires collaboration at all levels so we remain an active member of Products of Change and the GCA, where discussions are ongoing within the greeting card industry on how we can all work together to improve sustainability.”

Above and left: Solar power is set to help Danilo reduce plastic usage.

Industry Issue: Sustainability

Cutting out the core

Super eco-friendly Christmas roll wraps have arrived at Deva Designs where the sustainablysourced and recyclable 50cm x 5m rolls have been made in Italy without the customary central cardboard tube, so cutting down on waste.

Available in 15 designs, the festive wrap has biodegradable packaging and is an extension to the full range of rolls available, some of which is also sustainably-sourced and recyclable.

Above and below: Deva Designs has lost the cardboard core.

Luxury which does no harm

After 18 months of research, design, and planning, Flame Tree has pulled off the feat of turning its entire 2023 calendar range shrinkwrap free.

“That’s allowed us to print several hundred thousand calendars plasticfree, printed on and packed in recyclable materials,” md Frances Bodiam said. “It’s a significant contribution to improve the long-term sustainability of our publications. This has totally removed our calendars’ single-use plastic so that it doesn’t harm our oceans or environment.”

The calendars stand alongside Flame Tree’s eco-friendly range which also includes ethical, sustainable, and earth-friendly jigsaw puzzles - locally sourced with renewable board and a recyclable bagas well as the use of FSC-certified paper on all new art diaries, planners and fiction books.

Frances added: “We all live on a planet that needs protecting and, with climate change concerns at an all-time high, Flame Tree is actively striving to promote ethical development and environmental conservation. We look forward to a greener future, developing luxury products sustainably that will protect generations to come.”

Above and below: No plastic at Flame Tree.

Top and above: Cath Tate’s new Max Made Me Do It range is on 100% recycled board.

Industry Issue: Sustainability

Building circularity

Having put sustainability front and centre of the company for several years, UK Greetings’ goal is to do the right thing and only use materials and processes that are ethical and do not prohibit the recyclability of the card. When planning, creating, and launching each design into the market, this is the publisher’s key principle.

“Naturally all our boards are FSC,” explained Julian McGowan, creative director of creative services and sustainability product pillar lead. “This is a standard now for all ethical publishers but, in addition, we’ve introduced boards that are from 100% recycled content. To add to this, we partner with World Land Trust and every single card and envelope we produce has been carbon balanced.

“At UKG we go beyond the basic expectation of paper sourcing, by directly protecting threatened areas and offsetting our carbon emissions.

Long-time campaigners

The clue is in the name at The Ecofriendly Card Company, the long-time campaigner for saving the planet has been banging the sustainability drum since starting producing greeting cards back in 1993, winning various awards along the way.

“Our relationships with World Land Trust (WLT) and Carbon Zero are really important to us as a way of both off-setting carbon emissions and also making a positive contribution to the environment and impoverished communities,” co-owner Sue Morrish explained.

Having moved to compostable cello bags over 15 years ago Sue, who runs the business with husband and photographer Scott, has been offering a card clasp alternative since February, and she said: “Now 50% of our orders are going out clasped, and we only supply independent retailers, no supermarkets or brokerage, so our percentage isn’t skewed by large volumes of unbagged stock going to big chains.

“The only issues we’ve had are from a handful of retailers who price their cards individually and use non-peelable price labels. We’ve also developed two different labels with different glues, one for our gloss-coated cards and another for heavilytextured boards.”

Despite current stock shortages and spiralling costs, the company remains fully committed to using 100% recycled papers for all cards and envelopes, Sue added: “The only thing that isn’t is our calendar which is 40% recycled and that was due, in part, to issues with paper availability.

“We’ve also designed a new format calendar that doesn’t need a bag. It has an extended fold-over cover, sealed with an easy-peel calendar label. This removable flap is hidden inside the calendar when it's labelled. The flap holds the grey-board stiffener in place inside the calendar and protects the base of the pages. However, retailers still have the option of adding a compostable bag if they want.”

“While our goals are clear, we also need to take consumers on this journey with us, so they understand the choices they make. Our insight shows many consumers believe greeting cards are recyclable anyway. So, where elements of cards aren’t recyclable our job is to advise the consumer what they need to remove before recycling. All new designs released from our studios will do just that, with special sustainability messaging on the back page giving clear direction how best to recycle the card.

“All these key approaches are enabling UKG to build circularity into its product. We’re all very proud of the journey we have been on, excited for the one ahead and continue to challenge ourselves with our sustainability goals.”

Growing Woodland Trust partnership

Sending cards is helping trees thanks to a partnership between Hallmark and the Woodland Trust which sees 20p from every order placed on the publisher’s www.hallmark.co.uk website going to the environmental charity.

The monies aid the UK's largest woodland conservation charity in its efforts to create, protect and restore more of the country’s native woodlands, where it owns and cares for more than 1,000 free, public woods.

“We’ve been FSC-certified for the last 14 years,” explained Hallmark head of brand marketing Jess Lovelace, “but we want to do all we can to protect our environment and to sustain the woodlands that provide so much for us all, and we know this exciting new partnership will help us to do even more.”

The 20p donation from each order is at no extra cost to the customer, and each online sale helps the charity protect and restore Britain’s precious ancient woodland and plant native trees and woods, creating resilient landscapes for the benefit of people and wildlife.

Jess added that sustainability is at the core of everything at Hallmark: “We’ve always been driven by the desire to put more care into the world, and our goal is to help people live a more caring and connected life, whether that be caring for and connecting with people or caring for the planet.”

Know your carrots

Post-consumer waste and vegan-friendly inks are par for the course at The Seed Card Company, and the publisher has now added to its seed store with a brand-new 12-design collection embedded with carrot seeds so the card can be planted once the occasion is over.

With seed cards gift tags supplied with twine, and the newlylaunched wrapping paper completing the company’s offer, customers can gift the perfect card and present in a great sustainable fashion.

Inset: Sue with a WLT certificate for carbon balancing.

Right: UKG’s Julian McGowan.

Above and left: The Seed Card Co’s Kay Patel and Lewis Stevenson show off their carrots.

Left: All Hallmark card-stock is sustainably sourced.

Continued on page 35

ENVIRONMENTALLY FOCUSED

CAROUSEL CALENDARS HAS SIGNED UP TO THE SCIENCE BASED TARGETS INITIATIVE

The initiative provides companies with a clearly defined pathway specifying how much and how quickly they need to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions, in the context of their longer-term business growth. Its aim is to champion fact-based target setting in the transition to the low-carbon economy.

adopted by

reduce

based” if they are in line with what is required to keep global temperature increase below 2 degrees Celsius, and pursuing efforts to limit warming to 1.5 degrees, compared to preindustrial temperatures.

Natural inclinations

Committed to building a “truly sustainable business model”, IG Design Group has launched phase two of its Eco Nature brand, including a move into single cards, offering 33 designs featuring affirmations, positivity, coordinated designs and honest sentiments, along with eco facts.

With the company’s mission being to make a difference through producing carbon neutral, recycled, sustainable and ethical products made in the UK, the whole Eco Nature range uses 100% recycled papers, and is fully recyclable - even the brochure is printed on recycled material.

“IG Design Group UK is committed to building a truly sustainable business model,” stated commercial director Adrian Coates. “We’re achieving this by creating a sustainable organisation of like-minded colleagues who truly believe in using methods that do not harm the environment and so contribute to securing natural resources and quality of life for future generations.”

As a global manufacturer and producer of commercial celebrations products, Adrian said the group “understood it’s our duty to launch a brand which steps away from Far Eastern manufacture and transportation, in favour of supporting and celebrating UK manufacturing and UK employment within all participating functions”.

The UK arm of the global group is continuing to invest in its manufacturing capabilities with a third bag machine arriving in 2023 to secure UK jobs and offer shorter lead times.

Above: Showing off IG Design’s eco credentials.

Stripping down bio bags

Compliments were flying at the recent Autumn Fair where Sabivo Designs debuted its unique biodegradable strips that keep the cards and envelopes together as well as offering some protection for the jewels and foiling.

Founder Sabina Kovacheva explained: “I partnered with Transwrap to design them so I’m the first to do this. I had the bio bags and first my idea was to cut them in half, just using the bottom half of the bag, but I didn’t like it, so we’ve gone for the band.

“I did them because I have foil and jewels that I wanted people to see. The band can be moved up the card to cover my sequins.”

Having a truly ripping time

Danielle Vaughan enjoys a thoroughly ripping time every day as tearing up waste paper is what she does for a living.

As a mixed-media artist, Danielle rescues rubbish from landfill and is best known for her paper collages where she makes detailed portraits that she then photographs and turns into greeting cards, which she sells under the Paperpeutic brand.

And she also runs workshops in places such as prisons and schools, where the therapeutic benefits of tearing up paper go down well on the mental health front: “Every workshop I’ve ever run, someone always says ‘this is so therapeutic’, so that’s where the name came from.”

Danielle’s latest product is art boxes which contain everything needed to make a version of one of her portraits which will be unique to the maker as “every box will be different because of what paper I get in - even the box is recycled as the backing for the cardboard canvas I include.”

She turned her large portrait of the late Queen into a card which was sent to Her Majesty for her platinum jubilee in the summer, and Danielle received a letter from a lady-in-waiting. She now hopes the original could go into the Queen’s portrait gallery.

Above: Paperpeutic’s Danielle on her stand at Top Drawer.

Going for the eco ethos

The Creative Ox owner and founder Kirsty Tizzard has set up her company with an ecofriendly ethos as everything is sourced in the UK and she uses post-consumer pulp paper made from recycled coffee cups and the like.

There’s 100% renewable energy for the production process with the cards hand screen-printed in Wales by Peris & Corr and even the packaging is compostable.

Below: Kirsty Tizzard sources everything in the UK.

Industry Issue: Sustainability

Above and left: Sabina with Transwrap owner Peter Yorston and the new bio-strips.

stationery with style

Seeds of change

Hannah Marchant creates eco-friendly cards with a difference as they’re all made of seed paper, including the envelopes as well as her business cards, which she works with a manufacturer local to her Somerset base to produce.

Hannah said: “The paper is collected from schools and offices and pulped with mainly a wildflower mix added, although I do have some carrots and a few herbs, and lettuce and veggie seeds.

“I have to be careful with the size of the seeds as I print them all myself so the paper has to fit through the rollers!”

No opportunity wasted

Industry Issue: Sustainability

Finding a use for offcuts

Lizzie Parker and her Penguin Ink team are doing lovely things to make sure the offcuts of 100% recycled paper from their letterpress-printed cards don’t go to waste.

All the bits are collected up to make belly bands for the publisher’s tea towels, hang tags for aprons and pot holders, and a whole new range of Tiny Notes luxury florist cards.

Lizzie said: “In the past our offcuts have been used for our lovely correspondence cards and compliment slips but we're really excited about our newest additions and how they're helping us to reduce our waste. Also, we're excited that about 95% of our cards now go out naked and those that don't are wrapped in biodegradable cellos.

“Sustainability is very important to us as a company and utilising the way letterpress cards are printed to reduce waste is just a no brainer for us.”

Below: Penguin Ink uses its offcuts.

As Christmas approaches there can be a balancing act for retailers to stock festive ranges but not be stuck with it on Boxing Day as it can be harmful to the environment if stock simply ends up in landfill.

Vent For Change founder Evan Lewis has a trick for this: “We’ve created simple Merry Christmas page markers for our standard notebooks - presented and displayed well these give a highly effective Christmas feel to the range, yet once the big day has passed they can be removed so no stock is wasted.”

With ethical options set to be a cornerstone of retail for many years, the stationery brand is a great example of how a small company with a sustainable and social philosophy can capture the attention of both retailers and consumers.

Set up in 2017 by Bristol-based environmental and social entrepreneur Evan to highlight the issues surrounding both people and planet, the brand also supports children’s education projects worldwide with every item sold.

While offering a full range of recycled, reclaimed and sustainablysourced items such as its new refillable, recycled and sustainable nondated weekly planners with covers made from recycled leather and 100% sustainable paper refills, Evan said: “Beautiful design is still paramount! Gone are the days when consumers were happy to accept poor design and bland colourways to help the planet, these days eco-friendly options absolutely have to stand alongside their competitors from a design and quality perspective.”

As consumers become more discerning, another issue facing retailers is how and where products are made. The Vent range is all produced in the UK and mainland Europe.

Above and left: Vent For Change’s beautiful design is reclaimed and recyclable.

Seeing red on climate change

Redback believes that a quality product can only be classed as such if it can be disposed of and brought into being in an ecologically-responsible way - owner Chris Stanley said: “We may only be a greeting card company tucked away in a sunny corner of Devon, but we’re doing our bit! As Greta Thunberg would say, ‘no one is too small to make a difference’.”

And the artists Redback works with are keen to make sure the cards are printed on sustainable board with Amber Fossey, the illustrator behind the Zeppelinmoon range, specifically requesting recycled envelopes and boards for her cards which Chris and the team enthusiastically agreed to.

Chris added: “We’re proud to say the board we use is FSCcertified, and we use compostable cello to transport our naked and clasped cards. These efforts mean we can sleep easy at night knowing Redback produces its products in a sustainable and future-focused way.”

Right: Redback’s Zeppelinmoon range has recycled envelopes and board.

Below and right: Hannah at Top Drawer and her latest designs.

Classics by name. Classics by nature.

In an ever-changing world it’s sometimes good to know that quality never goes out of fashion. The Classics range from Museums & Galleries continues to earn its stripes, with the artists and artworks on show all deserving of the accolade.

Whether the images were made a hundred years ago or earlier this year, Classics cards prove that ‘style is eternal’…and eternally appealing. Please contact our sales team or visit our website to view the full collection and our other brands.

Sporting chance

Pink Pig has expanded it popular Three Up range, to include lots more sports and hobbies for both male and female. The new additions include one inspired by the Lionesses amazing recent victory. The cards are all 150 x 150mm, printed in the UK on quality FSC board, and are available naked with envelope nestled inside card with a peelable clasp or with cello. The envelopes are made from Eko Kraft recycled paper. Pink Pig 07795574548 www.pinkpigcards.co.uk

Where there’s a William

Lesser & Pavey has added a new design collection into its William Morris stationery portfolio, this time featuring the British Arts and Crafts Movement designer’s Anthina pattern. The collection includes an A5 Notebook with pen, an organiser memo pad with ‘Things To Do’ and ‘Memo’ Sticky notes; a pack of 10 note cards with envelopes; and a handy magnetic shopping list.

Lesser & Pavey 01322 279225 www.leonardo.co.uk

Spreading the love

Posh Paws’ new licensed range of Swizzels Love Hearts plush and gifts cover all key seasonal buying opportunities and everyday gifting with their fun and sentimental messaging that appeals to all ages. In addition to the extensive range of plush characters, are mugs, mug and plush sets as well as decorative cushion gifting lines. Posh Paws 01268 567 317 www.poshpawsinternational.co.uk

Man and boy

Cath Tate Cards has been ‘manning up’, creating a selection of brilliantly bright and bold male card designs to join its popular new Hot Foils range. The result is some vibrantly foiled, blank and birthday male cards that pack a punch! Printed on high quality 100% recycled board, the 12cm x 17cm cards come with a kraft envelope.

Cath Tate Cards 0208 671 2166 www.cathtatecards.com

Poetry in motion

As well as launching a clutch of 12 new Motley Crew designs and 11 new Spring Seasons cards, Poet and Painter has given its Poetry Cards collection a revamp. Some 14 beautifully illustrated poems by the British poet, Trevor Parsons have been refreshed and revived. They are 150mm x 150mm in format, printed on matt FSC-rated card, come with white envelope either naked, eco clasped or eco ‘cello’ wrapped. Poet and Painter 07779 064894 www.poetandpainter.co.uk

Spot on

Deckled Edge has continued to expand its Eureka blank art card range, with all the 36 designs drawn in colour pencils by artist and company founder Janna Cossettini. Among the newness is a delectably drawn illustration of a sleeping leopard which would appeal to any cat lover. The cards measure 127 x177mm, are printed on thick tactile FSC 350gsm board and come with an Eco Kraft envelope.

Deckled Edge 0800 771 0771 ww.decklededge.co.uk

A selection of delectable new launches and additions.

Worth the Wait(es)

The latest collection from Sunshine Llama (the sibling brand of Lucy Maggie Designs) features designs by artist Chelsea Waites. Chelsea’s collection exudes a playful style with bright colours and humour that are perfect for celebrating birthdays, friendship and girl power. All cards are printed on 350gsm textured board and available either cello-wrapped or plastic free. Sunshine Llama, Lucy Maggie Designs 07763239731 www.lucymaggiedesigns.co.uk

Sending wishes

With captions such as ‘You make the world a lovelier place’ and ‘You are an amazing friend’ this month sees Danilo launch some new sentimental card designs from The Bright Side brand into the range represented by Words ‘n’ Wishes to indies. There are also cards from a plethora of licensed brands such as X-Box, Minecraft, Super Mario, Baby Shark, The Gruffalo, PAW Patrol, Bluey, Peppa Pig, Mr Men/Little Miss, Minions and Barbie.

Words ‘n’ Wishes (representing Danilo in indies) 01942 233201 www.words-n-wishes.co.uk

It’s a wrap

Ahead of time

IC&G is going all out with a 150 new designs across four ranges that its sales team is now preselling. Building on the success of its Year You Were Born and Month You Were Born are a clutch of new designs. Joining the portfolio is new cute sentiment in the Big.Little.Love range while male birthday celebrations are fully covered in the Make Your Wish collection. IC&G 01202 897494 www.icgcards.com

Suds law

The clean-living Dandelion Stationery team are all geared up for the upcoming gifting season, having expanded its range of fun soap bars. With nonconventional scent names to make the recipient laugh, the aroma is summed up in a witty tagline describing the person it is aimed at – and it has nothing to do with bathing or cleanliness! The bars are 100% natural, handmade in Derbyshire and suitable for vegans. Dandelion Stationery 01332504940 www.dandelionstationery.co.uk

Garlanna has taken an innovative approach with its latest giftwrappings collection, Wrap it Up! This comprises 30 wrap packs including two sheets of wrapping paper and two gift tags presented in cardboard eco-packaging covering titles like wedding, baby boy, baby girl, open male and female and birthday. The range also includes 12 ribbons and bows sets, six matte finished bows and six shimmery effect bows. It also includes 15 tissue packs presented in cardboard eco-packaging with eight coloured tissue paper designs, and seven coloured designs with foil flecks. Garlanna + 353 404 20528 www.garlanna.com

Party time

Party Pop is the latest new range from Rush Design featuring 30 bright and ‘popping’ designs that cover female birthday, female relations and special friend captions. The cards are printed in the UK on high quality textured board, finished with gold foiling and diamantes. They come with a matching textured envelope. Rush Design 01788 521745 www.rushdesign.co.uk

A selection of delectable new launches and additions.

There has been something of a brown bear invasion in Dorset - 30,000 of them have been spotted arriving in Wimborne and, by the looks of it, they’re set to be roaming the UK’s High Streets in the coming weeks and months! PG hot-footed it to IC&G’s headquarters to find out more about the soft launch of its Barley Bear plush.

As of a few days ago, IC&G can now claim to live up to its full name. “We’re called International Cards & Gifts but, until now, our sole focus has been on greeting cards. While cards will always be the backbone of what we do, thanks to Barley we can now justify the & Gifts part too!” quipped Ian Wagstaff, who co-owns the business together with his brother Simon.

The proof filled two enormous containers that arrived at the publisher’s warehouse after eight weeks at sea, containing 30,000 plush Barley Bearsmany of which had hardly any time to fluff themselves up before making their way to the independent retailers who have been placing pre-orders for the cute ursines since February when their arrival was fanfared on the IC&G stand at Spring Fair.

Representing a significant development for the respected card publisher, the decision to expand into plush by translating cute card star Barley from a 2D brand into 3D isn’t one the IC&G team has taken lightly, especially given the complexities of such a product diversification, not to mention the investment of both time and money.

“We’ve been working on this launch for several years,” Simon added, “knowing that, if we go down this path, we need to do it properly and create a range that not only our

retail customers would really want to get behind, but that we’d have the right tools to give to them so they could promote the brand to their customers and build a following for Barley.”

As part of the latter, each Barley delivery is being accompanied by a counter-top stand of caption tags, window posters, door signs,

Top: IC&G’s Simon (left) and Ian Wagstaff giving the lifesize Barley Bear costume character a welcome hug in the company’s showroom.

Above: A full suite of POS has been developed to support the launch.

Right: It was when a furry Barley started appearing on IC&G’s cards that retailers began asking for plush to match.

Below: Barley holding some of the 9” plush versions.

shelf stripes and balloons, plus goody bags to give away to customers - and a full-size Barley costume character has been created by Rainbow Productions whose diary is being filled with shop appearances to add some store razzamatazz.

In true humble IC&G style, Simon describes this as a “soft launch”, which would generally suggest a rather under-played debut but, to anyone looking in, it seems rather fully fledged with the launch activities, dedicated consumer-facing website and Instagram campaign in support of the retail stockists and to boost the brand awareness of Barley.

“Admittedly, we’ve had a few years to get this together, thanks to Covid!” said Simon. However, he revealed the move was partly prompted by retail customers, sparked by the Barley card range’s evolution.

The first incarnation of Barley was as a felt bear, which successfully debuted on a range of cards based on designs by artist Tracey Colliston (see boxed story 45) launched at PG Live four years ago, Then, when Christmas cards launched featuring Barley as a furry character, there was a stream of retailer comments saying they’d love to see him being made into actual plush, and the seed was sown.

Publisher Focus

Simon added: “While we know a fair amount about cards, we knew nothing about plush and knew we needed some expert advice, which we were very fortunate to receive in abundance from Paul Haines, and even more fortunate that he agreed to work with us as a consultant and see the project right through.

“Any business needs to move forwards and we didn’t want to look back and regret that we had missed an opportunity. Being able to draw on Paul’s huge expertise and knowledge gave us the confidence to diversify in this direction.”

Paul, who offers a specialist product design and sourcing service through his company Moses Frank, was able to draw on his 30-plus years’ experience in developing and overseeing the manufacturing of many leading plush brands to bring Barley to life.

“I can’t tell you how many swatches of fur we’ve considered, and shades of brown we’ve mulled over,” laughed Amanda Miles, IC&G’s creative director. “And then, of course, we had to make sure he was as huggable as possible!”

Wanting to create a range which comprised enough SKUs to make a presence in store, but not too many for it to be a major commitment for the retailer, the team came up with the idea of creating 15 different tags, covering occasions, relations and key sentiments, that retailers receive in a counter-top display to be selected by the consumer and affixed to a bear.

Heart’felt’ motherly love

Artist Tracey Colliston is young Barley’s bear mummy - while she has her own card publishing company in Ginger Betty, she has also created several enduring cute brands for other publishers, including Lots Of Woof and Elliot & Buttons for UKG and Barley Bear for IC&G.

She still has the original pencil sketches from which Barley has evolved, at first she made him out of felt and then gave him the fur look that graces the IC&G cards today.

This means that, while there are currently 13 different designs of Barley plush with a dozen in a 9” size plus a large version, by using the tags the personalisation options extend the permutations.

So, what are IC&G’s hopes and dreams now for Barley? “While we’re still finding our feet in the plush arena, we know the public and retailers have a real affinity with the character,” said Simon.

And Ian added: “We’d love to see Barley plush in 1,000 stores, for the consumer to take him to their heart and who knows maybe we could licence him for different products in other areas.”

Barley may be joining a menagerie of existing bear brands, not to mention other plush characters, but as Amanda said: “Everyone knows there’s always room for one more at a teddy bears’ picnic!”

Tracey is in awe of how the Barley plush has turned out, especially as she recalls the tough job she had to create a model that would be suitable to photograph for the cards.

“It took a lot of searching for the correct fur,” revealed Tracey. “It had to be the right colour and texture. First, I tried to source some online but, with colours on screen not being accurate, the samples which arrived just weren’t right. So then I began looking in fabric shopsthese mainly sold very synthetic-looking fur, rainbow fur and long-pile types. Then I hit upon the idea of looking in shops that sold cushions and throws. The eureka moment came one day when I was in TK Maxx and I spotted the perfect cushion, so I bought a few!”

Fresh from her shopping trip, Tracey set about making a pattern based on the first felted Barley version she’d made: “He was quite a sturdy model, so I was able to make a mould of him using kitchen roll and tape. Fur fabric though isn’t easy to work with and I had to wear a mask and itched constantly while making him!”

While the first felted Barley had eyebrows which gave a cute expression, Tracey found it impossible to give the furry version the same effect, so instead made sure the fur pile was going in the correct direction so it could be brushed upwards to make him look sincere or surprised depending on the sentiment the card design required.

“His eyes were handmade and varnished to give some sparkle while I made his nose from a rustic type of felt I then padded. All his body parts are separate from each other, so photographing him has been something of a delicate balancing act,” Tracey said.

Having met the new plush versions of Barley, she’s delighted to see how her original creation has “come to life”, and Tracey added: “All the hard work and to-ing and fro-ing has been worthwhile, as the plush is so close to the original model - his personality has been captured. I think all the love that went into creating him really shows.”

Below: Barley has come a long way since his felted debut.

Publisher

Left: The die-cut tags the consumer can use to personalise their Barley gift.

Left: Tracey Colliston with the original fur Barley model she made from a cushion bought in TK Maxx.

Above: It all started with a sketch!

Jonny

What are words worth?

Back in the day Tom Tom Club’s hit Wordy Rappinghood asked “What are words worth?” - then proceeded to show how much the band valued “words of nuance, words of skill, words of romance are a thrill; words are stupid, words are fun; words can put you on the run”. Here, PG looks at how much words and sentiment are still worth in the 21st century.

around the UK, if not the world,” Jonny explained. “And we had our one of our busiest years yet in 2021.”

Below and bottom: Kingfisher’s bestsellers are their verse ranges.

In Scrabble you get just seven points for love, 14 for family, and 11 for sentiment, but there’s great delight if you can add the letters to clock up sympathy at 21 or stick 13-pointer joy on a triple word score!

And all of these are also very well-known and of great value in the greeting cards world, where words and sentiment cards seem to be pretty buoyant, according to Jonny Javelin co-founder Jonny Spears.

“We went through a time staying at home, illness, and dying, through the pandemic and this certainly brought a wave of emotion

Above left and above: Large Velvet designs from Jonny Javelin.

Left and below: More verse is Wishing Well’s style at Carte Blanche.

With a higher price of £6.99 for its latest eight very large Velvet designs with all the trimmings and versed four-fold insert, Jonny added: “So far, we’ve had a wonderful response - it will be interesting to see how things continue. The price of paper and board has meant that card prices have inevitably risen along with the cost of a stamp. Let’s hope people are still happy to spend up to £6.99 on getting that sentimental message across to their nearest and dearest over the coming months and years.”

Over at Carte Blanche, marketing manager Grace Elphinstone said: “The pandemic has made us all a much more sentimental bunch and greeting cards with verse and sentiment speak to the trend of togetherness and letting friends and family know just how much they mean.”

The publisher has learned from its Wishing Well specialist ranges, expanding bestselling designs into captioned offers for 2023 with feedback from both consumers and retailers asking for a greater density of sentiment and verse, with more verse on both the inside and outside of the cards for the new year.

Sentiment has a major role in product development at Kingfisher Cards where bestsellers are still the more wordy ranges, like the brand-new Embrace, and md Paul Urban said: “A lot of

people still think it’s an important part of the buying process to find the perfect verse to convey the sentiment behind the card.

“There is a rising popularity for short pithy sentiments but, although these can complement the more traditional verses, even in the age of Twitter and soundbites the real emotion in a good verse will continue to have a huge following.”

Having devoted the past 11 years to traditional words and sentiment, Words ’n’ Wishes is keen to continue serving its core retail stockists but, as md and co-founder Rod Brown explained: “There is also a growing need to be more relevant to other retailers who desire a contemporary design but with more than just one line on page three.”

Above and above right: Words ’n’ Wishes made traditional more contemporary.

Right and right middle: Cardigan offers brighter colours and new occasions. Bottom right: Pets and wellbeing are trends at Dandelion Stationery.

Pulling mussels

There’s room for a different approach too, with publisher Thirty Mussels’ latest release showing the small publisher’s passion for the use of words and language and how they can make people feel.

Co-founder Emily Thomas sadly died in April this year from breast cancer and her final designs have been made into a range of positive affirmation cards, including some for people going through treatment for the same disease - particularly poignant with October being Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

With the world constantly changing, WnW is evolving to meet the constant demands of emotions required within a greeting card - and the publisher’s classic Moments In Time traditional-style range with a modern twist has reached The Henries awards finals for the second year running.

Rod added: “By using more modern looks, images and finishes with a reduced verse, and incorporating a new larger square size, we’ve managed to capture a younger sender who still wishes to send a card that evokes emotion but it has more relevance to them as the shorter sentiment is enough.”

While offering a traditional lengthy verse design is Cardigan Cards’ stock-in-trade, director Hilda Richardson has also modernised the genre with a brighter colour palette and different sending occasions in the extended Sincerely range.

She said: “We have new titles this month, So Proud To Be Your Parent and How Lovely It Is To Be Your Grandparent, both of which have been thoughtfully designed and sensitively written to appeal to those whose loved ones may be gender-fluid.

“We’ve also introduced new sympathy titles, there’s A Loving Soul Flies Onward Bound with design and wording which can be sent for any loss be it human or otherwise, and Over The Bridge which is a lovely loss of pet card that can be sent for anything, a dog, horses, snakes, parrots, rabbit to a gecko. As I’ve been reminded on many occasions by our sales team ‘even goldfish die you know’, so yes, I did include some goldfish in the design!”

At Dandelion Stationery, founder Jo Wilson has always put a modern spin on words and sentiment: “Over the years we’ve had feedback about how the words on our Words of Wisdom cards have helped people express themselves when the sender can’t always find the right words to say.

“We’ve found a current key trend to be people’s health and wellbeing - some of our popular cards at the moment are designed to spread a little love and reach out to connect during tough times. Another trend is pets, and our four-legged therapists card has been really popular.”

Below: Positive affirmations from Thirty Mussels.

Family feelings

Known for her original letter tile cards, Bex Hassett has expanded her offer at Bexy Boo, and was thrilled to be a finalist in the 2022 Henries Contemporary Words & Sentiments Range category with its Because collection which came about thanks to her family.

“Usually when dreaming up a new concept, it’s the design that’s created first,” Bex explained, “however, it was back to front with this range as the words came first.

“During a family dinner at Wagamama’s a couple of years ago, I was brainstorming with the kids a phrase that could be used across all cards but something a little bit different. After noodles and a few dim sums, we came up with ‘This card is for you because…' - I was thrilled as it was exactly what I was searching for.”

Left and right: Bex Hassett’s family came up with the new Because… range.

While fabulous photos are The Eco-friendly Card Company’s speciality, the publisher also does a vast selection of art cards, and artist Kate Holmes’ wonderful hares are married with simple phrases to give the recipient a real boost.

“Kate’s work is always evolving,” said co-owner Sue Morrish, “so her card collection always looks fresh, but there is a common thread that runs through all the designs. Words of affirmation, encouragement or comfort are paired with her distinctive hare characters, along with wildflowers, starlit skies or tranquil seas.”

Lagom Design is firmly in the contemporary camp with creative director Kelly Hyatt moving from the publisher’s totally blank first four collections to meet the demand for more sentiments - the bestseller to date is Small Card, Big Thank You.

Kelly said: “Sentiments are hugely important, especially these days when there's such uncertainty, people want to give and feel love. This is what’s so great about greeting cards, the fact the person takes the time to purchase the right card and sentiment then adds their words or thoughts inside. It's something very special and thoughtful.

“We always try to use titles which are a segue for what the customer will write inside the card. We see our cards as a

Above

Above

collaborative between the artist, publisher, giver and receiver.”

UK Greetings has noticed an increase in topical references and language over the last few years, with awareness of subjects and stories trending in the news and on social media bringing a welcome freshness to a humour range.

Mark Graham, UKG’s humour and character studio editorial manager, explained: “There is the proviso that anything topical does need to have a resonance that lasts more than a week or two in order to be worth including. But, if you get it right and can link it to the occasion or sending situation, it can be a winning combination. For example, Hanson White’s new male collection contains references to ear pods, bitcoin and dad not being woke.”

And editorial editor Pete Bottomley added: “We’re always looking for new and exciting ways to connect people through our cards and our male 2022 line is no different.

From fun and celebratory designs with easy wishes to stylish looks and heartfelt sentiment. We’ve even introduced more playful cards featuring fun puns, current language trends and observational humour with a few cheeky modern references thrown in!”

Definitely wordy, Redback’s Cloud Nine range was created with the straight-talking-no-nonsense type in mind, and the cheerful colours, healthy splash of neon and foiled lettering make the cards hard to miss.

“Ideas and laughs are bounced around our collaborative office before being collated in a hefty document,” said owner

Chris Stanley. “The funniest are then selected and mocked up into potential products. The result is an ever-expanding range of funny, gorgeous cards that take the pressure out of knowing what to say to the sentiment-phobes in your life.”

Cheerful images and light touching messages to lift the spirits are how Pink Pig owner Mabel Forsyth designed her stylish Botanik range, with contemporary blooms and a bold palette, and titles such as Sending Hugs, I’m Here For You, and You Got This!

She explained: “I designed it in lockdown when heartfelt messages were definitely needed and the colour palette was specially chosen to create a warm, glowing feel. I didn’t want heavy messages and I enjoyed learning calligraphy as I felt the cards definitely needed a hand-lettered feel - a more personal touch.”

Above left and above right: Traditional and modern from UKG.

Right and far right: Lucy Maggie’s Too Wordy range.

Below: Pink Pig’s light touching messages.

Below right: Raspberry Blossom’s smile-inducing cards.

Words & Sentiment Cards

While humour is at the core of Lucy Maggie Designs’ work, owner Lucy Nicholson has ditched the images to cover the front of her Too Wordy range (a finalist in The Henries) with a longer funny message. “With a bigger word count, we've been able to say exactly what we want in a humorous way that really appeals to our audience,” Lucy said.

“When designing it, I asked myself ‘if I was sending this card to my sister/friend/father/colleague, what would I want to write to them', and used this as a basis to develop the words on the front - and they’re proving really popular!”

Another Henries finalist in the Best Contemporary Words & Sentiment Range, Raspberry Blossom’s bright Say What? designs were developed to be smile-inducing for both sender and recipient. Outside the obvious occasion-based designs, other sentiments deliver positive reinforcement messages, as Mark Green and company founder wife Rebecca ensure most of their

collections have a few everyday wellness cards “for situations that would be made better by receiving some positivity through the post but arguably not as grave as to warrant a sympathy card”.

As Mark added: “Launched off the back off the global pandemic, we felt more than ever people needed a positive message through their letterbox - a little moment of joy in a tricky time,” and that’s endorsement if needed of the ongoing importance and relevance of words and sentiments greeting cards.

What Katie did

Hallmark has an extensive portfolio of wordsmiths who have honed their craft on tapping into the emotions of the card buying public. One of these, revered designer Kate Smith, brought this relationship to life at the recent Brand Licensing Europe show in support of Thinking of You Week. Kate, who has a licensing arrangement with Hallmark in the UK, had a commanding presence on the Lisle Licensing stand (her licensing agent), encouraging visitors and exhibitors to pick any of the greeting cards on the stand that she would gladly write a positivity-inspired personalised message of the sender’s choice.

“Take a card, send a smile,” said Kate of the offer for TOYW. “Once the envelope is sealed all the sender needed to do was decide whether to hand it over in person or pop it in a post box and make it a surprise delivery.”

As Kate believes “a hand-written card means so much to many,” and her happy vibes have spread the love on cards, calendars, and planners in the UK through licensing agreements with Hallmark, Moonpig and Carousel Calendars.

Right: Kate Smith was in the words and sentiments mode at BLE.

Art Source

Busy Lizzie

Lizzie Preston has always loved the feeling of her designs gracing tangible products, whether that is the thousands of greeting cards that she has crafted, the array of mindfulness colouring books or delightful crocheted items she has concocted for her Etsy shop.

Here the talented artist shares her journey through greeting cards, her passions and inspirations.

“I am based in Birmingham with my fiancé Jon, two dogs, Frankie and Doug and a growing baby bump, working from my home studio (our spare room!) which we finally renovated earlier this year.

I have always had a love for art and design right from a very young age, something my parents put down to the fact I am left-handed!

After focusing on art and graphic design throughout school, I went on to complete a foundation in Art & Design in Birmingham. Following that I went onto to complete a degree in BA(hons) Graphic Design at Nottingham Trent University, graduating in 2006. I was extremely lucky to go straight into a job following my final show at university, working in a fast-paced studio designing greeting cards, wrap and stationery for high profile clients which included Clinton Cards and Paperchase.

After seven years (many of them commuting from Birmingham to Northamptonshire every day), I was ready for a new challenge which took me in a different direction, entering back into the wider graphic design world, designing magazines for a company closer to home. From there, I was headhunted to be a graphic designer for a very well-known online estate agency. This work involved designing for web and other promotional materials.

But I always knew I wanted to follow my dream of becoming a freelance designer and in late 2014 I took the leap and haven’t looked back since. I can safely say, it was one of the best decisions I have ever made.

I signed up with the artists’ agency Advocate Art and straight away was selling my designs worldwide. My focus

WANT TO BE FEATURED?

Far left: Lizzie Preston.

Above: Lizzie creating a detailed ink drawing.

Left: Her love of nature is evident in this artwork.

Below left: One of the colouring books Lizzie has designed.

Below right: A giraffe in a party hat, who wants for more on a birthday card?

Bottom: Textile and movement feature in this football card design.

when I first joined was greeting cards, as I had already had that background and experience, but then an opportunity came my way to submit a sample for a mindfulness adult colouring book. This was a huge turning point for me as it escalated into a huge number of colouring projects going to publication. From children’s colouring subjects to bible projects, I have now worked on a vast variety of commissions which I wouldn’t have done without the help and thanks of Advocate Art.

I have a real passion for typography and lettering and take a lot of inspiration for my work from packaging, the outside world, ie nature, apparel and general everyday life. I design a lot using my iPad and laptop, but also take things back to the drawing board, literally, as I love sketching out designs and range ideas before bringing my ideas to life using technology.

Alongside continuing my design work, I crochet, which I learnt from my beloved Gran many years ago. I now sell a lot of my products, including baby blankets, hats and scarves and animal characters on my Etsy shop, ERPdesign.

As a freelance designer, every day is different, every project is different and the type of work I take on is hugely varied. I will never get bored of seeing my name printed in a book or on the back of a card. To have something tangible that you can say you have worked on is the reason I took the leap of faith all those years ago. Follow your dreams!”

l Lizzie Preston is represented by Advocate Art for licensing.

If you are an artist, photographer or verse writer and would like to be considered to appear in Art Source, please contact PG’s Jakki Brown on jakkib@max-publishing.co.uk. This is an editorial feature and as such is free of charge.

Relations

PG ASKED A SELECTION OF RETAILERS FOR THEIR BEST SELLERS.

“These have a great following with customers who love a good verse in a card.”

“These Scottish-themed designs, by a local publisher really appeal to our customers.”

‘n’

Frolics

“Cards for all relations and occasions that appeal to a wide age range.”

“Lovely animal and landscape images.”

“People giggle away reading them in the shop.”

“A big hit - perfect for those special age birthdays.”

“These bright coloured die-cut cards are proving really popular.” “Gorgeous designs which are refreshed often.”

“Best sellers year after year.”

“A wee treat with a great range of fragrances.”

Maidstone, owner of Special Moments, Fakenham.

in

north Norfolk market town.

“We have a

selection covers most sends.”

“Both these ranges sell well for milestone birthdays.”

“Higher priced, but that doesn't stop them selling.”

“These two publishers have been the backbone of my humour offer for many years.”

“They always sell.”

“They sell and sell.” “Lots of designs.” “New in, but showing promise.”

owner

Musselburgh.

in

heart of the East

town.

Right: A Blossom design from

Wishes.

right:

cheery Wild Ones card from Abacus.

Right:

of the

in Joe Davies’ Equilibrium Poppy range.

Above: A design from Woodmansterne’s National Trust Habitat range.

Mary Marshall, owner of Cards Unlimited, West Wycombe. A well loved card shop and post office in a picturesque National Trust village.

Category Name of Publisher Product/Name Range Comments

Everyday/Relations & Occasions Animals

Paperlink

Peartree Heybridge Paper Rose

Louise Mulgrew Bug Art

Simon Drew Paperlink

Rosie Made a Thing

Generally Generally Generally Animalia Kooks

Generally Wrinklies; Bestie; Rhubarb Pie

“These publishers are our ‘bread and butter’ suppliers.”

“Lovely designs.”

“Just restocked them and they are doing well.”

“We have lots of followers of his wacky wit.”

“Such a wide variety.”

Art

Photographic

Archivist Abacus Cards

Woodmansterne Publications

Museums & Galleries

Children’s

Handmade/3D Gifts

Rachel Ellen Designs

Janie Wilson Five Dollar Paper D’art Mrs Lovesy English Graphics From Jude Apples to Pears Peter Pauper

Generally Generally BBC Countryfile; Springwatch National Trust

NHM Wildlife Photographer of the Year Jigsaw cards Generally Generally Generally Generally Generally Generally Gifts in a Tin Scratch & Sketch Books

“Lovely humour that offends no one.”

“Just fabulous.”

“Wonderful photography from all these ranges.”

Above: An Animalia design from Louise Mulgrew.

Right: A stunning image from Museums & Galleries Wildlife Photographer of the Year range.

“All the cards tie in with the great giftware.”

“The animal designs are bright and colourful.”

“Stunning.”

“A card and gift in one.”

“Adriana Lovesy is so talented.”

“A marvellous range.”

“Stunning - and supports a breast cancer charity.”

“Such a variety of themes.”

“Great innovation.”

Melinda Cooper, owner of Thinking of You, Denby Dale. A popular medium sized card, gift and jewellery shop in a village in the Huddersfield vicinity.

Category Name of Publisher Product/Name Range Comments

Everyday Contemporary sentiment

Cute

Humour Relations & Occasions Art Thinking of You

Children's

Belly Button Designs

Megan Claire Ocacia Cards Emotional Rescue

Ginger Betty Desito Redrakoon Redback Cards Paperlink

Pigment

Paper Rose The Handcrafted Card Co

White Cotton

Wotmalike Belly Button Designs Louise Mulgrew Dandelion Stationery Molly Mae Rush Design Paper Rose Janie Wilson Tracey Russell

Meadow

Apple Blossom JC; Hazy Daze Senti

Owl’s Nest Whimsicals Generally Generally Wrinklies; Bestie Cuckoo; Animal Antics; Edward Monkton Influencers Besotted

Generally Local dialect cards Elle Animals and florals Generally Sympathy relations Sympathy relations Generally Generally Generally

“Beautiful floral plastic-free designs.”

“Sophisticated and simple.” “Muted colours, just lovely.” “It's the words!”

“The designs are so cute.” “A cute winner.”

“These ranges cater for all humorous tastes.”

Above: A pretty design from Belly Button’s Meadow range.

Right: A design from Ocacia Cards.

“The most beautiful wedding/anniversary cards.”

“Great designs with relations and ages together.”

“Great fun with translations on the back.”

“Just beautifully illustrated.”

“The designs also tackle difficult subjects like cancer.” “These two publishers cover the sympathy send well.”

“All three offer a great selection of kids’ cards.” “Great local titles.”

CHARITY GREETING CARDS

METHOD OF SALE:

N.Smith Box.indd

A R T P R I N T