Progressive Greetings January 2018

January

2019

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Leader

On The Cards I am outraged that I didn’t get an immediate response to my email to PM Theresa May. OK, I did send it on the day that she was trying to push for a Brexit deal as well as preparing herself for the ‘vote of no confidence’, but that’s no excuse! I tapped in, ‘I am writing about something that will happen whether the Brexit deal goes through or not - it’s about her Christmas cards.’

In fact, the PM’s approach to Christmas cards for 2018 - a design competition for schoolchildren - gained her more positive PR than anything else our nation’s leader has done of late, she probably would have quite enjoyed our chat, I am sure. Ho hum…

As I write this (on December 13, PG’s 29th birthday!), the industry has been enjoying a bit of a ‘purple patch’ on the PR front. Within days of having taken over as the GCA ceo, Amanda Fergusson had appeared on BBC Breakfast banging the drum for Christmas cards, had been interviewed by the FT and had shared her views on air on Radio Essex.

Moonpig’s tack for its broadly aired Christmas advert was inspired, using well-known comedian Diane Morgan (of Philomena Cunk fame) as a postal worker swamped by cards, with the message of thanking ‘posties’ for delivering the Moonpig cards.

But the thanks should also go to Royal Mail for pulling out the stops for a festive finale this year. It released a great little film showing the joys of receiving Christmas cards, ending with the message ‘Let your loved ones know you are thinking of them.

Send a card - it means a lot.’ On top of this it gained masses of column inches and ‘likes’ for its ‘singing postboxes’ that acted as a quirky reminder to send Christmas cards.

However, if ever there was something to deliver home the message of the emotional importance of sending cards it would have to be the true story of little seven year-old Jase Hyndman who posted a card to his dad, requesting for it to be delivered to him in heaven.

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Above: Festive Friday in New York. Paper Responding, Royal Mail’s Salad’s Claire Williams (far left) and Karen assistant delivery office manager Wilson (second right) with agent Rose Trow (centre) and PG’s Jakki Brown.

Sean Milligan wrote to Jase to Below left: PG’s Warren Lomax (front left) and members of the GCA Council at the assure him that the important recent meeting. mission had been accomplished: Below: GCA’s new ceo Amanda Fergusson (right) with Julian Royle (of Royle "I just wanted to take this Publications fame) and PG’s Jakki Brown opportunity to contact you about in the Oriental Club, where the recent Past Presidents annual event took place. how we succeeded in the delivery of your letter, to your dad in heaven. This was a difficult challenge avoiding stars and other galactic objects on route to heaven”.

Not surprisingly, news of this touching tale went viral in the printed, online and social media channels.

Up until now, in fact, the only negative publicity the industry has received of late was from... wait for it... the Daily Mail. Prefaced as ‘the Grinchiest confession of all’, journalist Beverley Turner’s ‘Why I put Christmas cards straight in the bin’ full-page article I actually think was so extreme and joyless as to work the other way. What got me was that the article ended with the confession that she had advised her seven year-old daughter Trixie not to send Christmas card to avoid the ‘anxiety’ of who to send them to. Perhaps young Jase should have a word with Trixie about the important things in life.

Wishing you all a happy and prosperous New Year!

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Contents

What’s Inside?

71

43

65

11-25

41-43

65-69

News

In Conversation With… Redback Cards

Spotlight On Ladder Clubbies

Shiny Happy People

A Firm Footing

PG goes to Devon to meet up with Chris and Kate Stanley, the shiny happy people behind Redback Cards.

Some of The Ladder Clubbies Class of 2018 share their thoughts on what they garnered from one of the two day seminars.

27-29 Over The Counter

High Street Hustler Independent card and gift retailer, David Robertson, co-owner of JP Pozzi in Scotland, discusses indies’ daily hustle and resilience.

31-33 Cardsharp

Talk Of The Toon

Jeremy’s Journal

71-73

New Experiences

In Conversation With…TMS

Jeremy Corner of publisher Blue Eyed Sun reflects on retailers creating incredible customer experiences.

The Flying Dutchmen

49-50

Cardsharp muses over topical events happening in the industry.

A significant global player, Taylor-Made Studios’ founder Ron Schurman, and sales director and son Vincent, talk to PG about its 25 years.

Retailer Face to Face

75-77

It’s Bonas Time

35-39 Viewpoints

State Of The (Card) Nation The GCA Council impart their views on some of the industry’s key challenges and opportunities.

45-47

Oliver Bonas continues to hit the spot as a leading lifestyle fave, especially among Millennials. Card buyer Natalia Kosterska, reveals its greeting card thrust.

53-63

Art Source 79-81

What’s Hot? 82-94

Innovations

Classified

Some exhibiting publishers’ new launches at Top Drawer Spring.

95

Appointments Progressive Greetings is a monthly business magazine.

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Editor

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News Editor

Sales Manager

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Copyright© 2019. 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.

SUBSCRIPTIONS ENQUIRES: maxsubscriptions@marketingreinforcements.co.uk Tel: 020 8943 9541 PG is the official magazine for the Greeting Card Association GCA: Sharon Little 020 7619 9266 Email: gca@max-publishing.co.uk www.greetingcardassociation.org.uk

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New range of 10 cards.

Based on the embroideries of Dear Emma Designs.

These designs are printed on quality textured board and embossed with subtle spot varnishing.

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NEWS JL&P inks in Christmas

TOP STORY

Sainsbury’s To Go Naked Supermarket’s unwrapped card trial to be extended to all stores Sainsbury’s has announced that it is to ‘go naked’ on all cards stocked by the supermarket from 1 April 2019.

Asda was the first UK supermarket to announce that it is making a widespread move to unwrapped cards. From this month Asda will start to remove ‘cellowrapping’ from the vast majority of the cards stocked. The only exceptions will be the more delicate, hand-crafted cards that will remain in a plastic ‘sleeve’ to protect them against damage.

The move by Sainsbury’s is likely to result in the grocer reducing its plastic waste by 77 tons per year (given that the average weight of a cello bag is 1.4 grams).

Of the latest development, a Sainsbury’s spokesperson told PG: “We are committed to ensuring our packaging is as recyclable as it can be, with a view to achieving our vision through continuous innovation or plastic free alternatives. We’re thrilled to be offering our customers sustainable greeting cards from next year as one of the steps we are taking towards meeting our collective target to reduce plastic waste.”

Sainsbury’s, which won Best Supermarket Retailer of Greeting Cards award in The Retas 2018, set the pace in the grocery sector by launching a trial in 10 of its stores in September whereby all of the cards stocked were sold unwrapped. The trial was deemed a success on many fronts, not just the environmental one, as its card sales increased by 2.8%.

Commenting at the start of the trial, Carly Pearson, buyer of cards and wrap for Sainsbury’s said: “Sainsbury’s is committed to reducing the volume of non-

Above: Sainsbury’s is going unwrapped on all cards from 1 April 2019.

essential plastic waste, with all cello bags destined for the bin, it is the right thing to do for our business and the environment to investigate how essential this plastic is within our department.”

Up until now 70% of all Sainsbury’s cards have been sold wrapped, with customers responding positively to their unwrapped presentation, during the trials.

“We received feedback from customers that they would prefer us to remove plastic from cards permanently,” revealed Erin Steel, Sainsbury’s brand communications manager.

This step change is the first of a twopart process for Sainsbury’s. The retailer is now encouraging all suppliers to investigate the removal of plastic attributed to delivery packs.

Continuing the approach it took with the trial, when Sainsbury’s moves to completely to unwrapped cards, the price label will be affixed to the back of the cards.

Sainsbury’s is planning on communicating the change to the consumer when the unwrapped cards go into stores in April.

John Lewis semi-undresses cards John Lewis & Partners has launched a trial in its Milton Keynes store at the beginning of December whereby all the everyday Woodmansterne greeting cards were being sold ‘naked’ apart from a slim band of polypropylene than runs from top to the bottom to keep the card and envelope together.

Lisa Rutherford, John Lewis & Partners’ stationery and seasonal events buyer, whose remit includes single greeting cards, told PG: “Like everyone we have been giving serious consideration to our environmental impact and Woodmansterne has risen to the challenge of possible solution. We are keeping this low key at the moment and did not want to involve other suppliers or involve Christmas stock, but a week into the trial and it’s looking good so far.”

She added that if this way of presenting the cards in JL&P stores was to be expanded, that the ‘band’, or whatever bound the card to the envelope, would be made of an easily recyclable material.

As PG went to press (December 13), JL&P was reporting “amazing” Christmas card singles sales. “We were 10% up last week year on year and 11% cumulatively, which is excellent,” revealed Lisa Rutherford, the retailer’s buyer of cards, stationery and events, though Lisa could not comment on Christmas boxes and packs as they fall outside her buying remit.

The department store retailer added some artistic cheer for customers of its Peter Jones store in London’s Sloane Square as well as its Oxford Street flagship, offering them the opportunity of having a personalised message created by talented calligraphers and brush stroke artists from The Proper Mail Company (a sibling to Woodmansterne).

“Customers really enjoyed the interaction with designers and fully appreciated the craftsmanship that goes into greeting cards and how sending them is something special for the recipient,” said Lisa.

Below: The Proper Mail Company/ Woodmansterne designer, Emma Grant at work in John Lewis & Partners.

Clearer thinking “It is self-evident that there is a huge amount of wastage in the industry and, thanks primarily to the general media and social media coverage about the pollution of our planet caused by plastics, we felt that we had to change our practices and make some changes to reduce our environmental impact,” Vicki Prior, Clear Creations’ founder and creative director commented.

“Like many publishers and suppliers, Clear Creations is committed to reducing our environmental impact and, as a result, we have decided that for UK orders cards will no longer be distributed in outer bags. We are also looking into greener packing alternatives for individual cards as well as providing consumers with information on our cards about recycling options,” confirmed Vicki.

Below: Vicki Prior, Clear Creations’ founder and creative director.

Above: While the Oxford Street store is its flagship (pictured), JL&P is using the Milton Keynes branch for its initial semi-naked trial.

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NEWS TOP STORY

A Stylist win

Noel Tatt Distributes Up With Paper Publisher works with Popshots Studios for a smooth handover The Noel Tatt Group is to become the UK distributor for the Up With Paper pop-up cards range from February. The Kent-based publisher will take over the distribution of the US brand from Popshots Studios, run by David Macrae, who has distributed the line in the UK since 1999.

The Up With Paper collection will add another dimension to the Noel Tatt portfolio, both in that it is the publisher’s first distribution deal as well as its inaugural pop-up collection.

“We have enjoyed 20 years of yearon-year organic growth, but have been ready for a development such as this for the last few years; to enable us to offer our 2,500 customers something at a higher price point, which would bring them incremental sales,” Jarle Tatt, managing director of Noel Tatt told PG. As coincidence would have it, Michael Griffith, Noel Tatt’s sales manager revealed, “We were actually considering creating our own pop-up range when the opportunity to take over the Up With Paper (UWP) distribution rights 'popped' up!”

Initially, as from February 1, Noel Tatt will be offering designs from the three top UWP everyday ranges, Treasures, Globes and Panoramics, totalling 51

SKUs. Launching at Spring Fair, these will be delivered to customers from the beginning of March. In addition, the Noel Tatt sales team will be pre-selling 12 SKUs each of Christmas Treasures and Globes from January 2.

While the handover of the Up With Paper distribution agreement is amicable, for David Macrae, it will mark the end of an era that has spanned four decades, going back to when the cards were sold under the PopShots Inc banner.

“I was first a customer 40 years ago and then became the distributor in 1999 when we relaunched the Up With Paper line at the Autumn Fair under Popshots Studios,” recalls David. “The world changes and things move on,” he added philosophically.

David’s company, Popshots Studios will continue to focus on distributing the Michel Design Works bath, body and tableware range as well as its flat card business in Germany, Austria and Switzerland.

Noel Tatt and Popshots Studios are working closely to ensure there is a smooth handover.

Top: One of Up With Paper’s Panoramic designs that Noel Tatt is distributing.

Above: A Springtime Bouquet design from the Globe range.

Left: Jarle Tatt, managing director of Noel Tatt (second left) at The Henries 2018 awards collecting the Bronze trophy for Best Service to the Independent Retailer from (right) Richard Campbell of Herbert Walkers, sponsor of this category, and Pat Sharp who hosted the event.

Cardgains’ celebrates 30th anniversary “2019 is a major milestone year for Cardgains as we celebrate 30 years of trading. We have come a long way since 1989 when the concept was launched. Thirty years on we have helped and assisted hundreds of independent retailers and suppliers develop in the independent sector and intend to do so for many years to come,” said Chris Dyson, joint managing director of Cardgains. The buying group has a whole roster of celebrations and activities planned for the coming year, including monthly competitions and prize draws.

Joining the Cardgains’ supplier portfolio for 2019 are Brandwell Group, Champfleet Bindery, Heart of the Country, Portmeirion Group, Pubstops, Quire Collections, Really Wild Cards and Sass & Belle.

Right: As ever, Cardgains has supplied its retailer members with a calendar, involving suppliers with the design for each month.

KitsCH Noir’s card range, aimed at a black audience, won the Stylist Retail Award for Best New Product 2018.

It was a proud moment for founder Cherelle Brown. “I feel like the brand is reaching new heights that I could only have dreamt of. The future is so exciting and it is all about embracing, encouraging and empowering the black British audience, which is so often neglected, especially in the stationery industry. I felt like I was accepting it with all my beautiful sisters!”

Above: KitsCH Noir’s founder Cherelle Brown collecting her award.

Glick wraps up with Rosie Made a Thing They met for a few brief minutes at the GCA Speed-dating with Dragons event last April, but the ensuing relationship has resulted in Glick collaborating with Rosie Made a Thing producing a collection of everyday and Christmas wrappings based on The Henries’ award winning range, Gin & Frolics under licence.

Becky Dobson, director of Glick, was delighted to be introduced to Rosie Harrison, founder of Rosie Made a Thing, at the GCA event, having long been a fan of the publisher’s distinct card designs, seeing the quirky humour sitting perfectly with the giftwrap company’s Cloud Nine range that it produces under licence from Redback Cards.

“I have always personally loved Rosie’s style, and with our humour range with Redback selling very well we have confidence in humour on giftwrappings,” Glick’s Becky Dobson told PG. This month sees the launch of the first Christmas collection (comprising six skus) collection of Rosie Made a Thing wrap and bags with the major everyday range, of 15 skus, being launched by Glick at the Spring Fair in February.

Commenting, Rosie Harrison, founder of Rosie Made a Thing, said of the tie-up: “I’m so happy to be working with Becky and the Glick team. It’s a true collaboration and great to have their knowledge and expertise in this sector I've only just got my head around cards!”

Top: The Glick range of Rosie Made a Thing giftwrappings taps into the best selling card designs.

Above: Glick director Becky Dobson (left) with Rosie Harrison, founder of Rosie Made a Thing, at the GCA Speed-dating with Dragons event in April.

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NEWS TOP STORY

Festive Friday Kicks-Off Christmas Publishers embrace the GCA-inspired event Up and down the UK, on November 30, the ink flowed with heartfelt festive messages on countless Christmas cards, thousands of envelopes were licked and stamps affixed before the industry’s collective Festive Friday ‘bulging postbag’ delivered some early Christmas cheer to their intended recipients.

While many greeting card publishers, suppliers and retailers allowed their staff to ‘down tools’ for a period during the day and come together to write their respective Christmas cards in the spirit of Festive Friday, others took the initiative out into their communities.

UK Greetings not only donated the Christmas cards for its team, but paid for the postage for them to be sent, resulting in an incredible 8,090 cards being posted by the publisher on the day!

As Festive Friday fell on the official ‘hand over’ day at the GCA,

with Sharon Little handing over the ceo baton to Amanda Fergusson, there was double action at the GCA hub.

Commenting, Amanda said: "What a great day for the handover! Festive Friday has proved yet again this year what a great GCA initiative it is, giving everyone in the industry the opportunity to send their loved ones Christmas cards, and kickingoff the Christmas season!"

Eason’s Festive Friday giveaway

Hallmark worked with FREE the Irish Independent HALLMARK CARD newspaper on a Festive Friday promotion which saw all Eason stores in Ireland give away a free Hallmark card with any purchase of the Irish Independents GET YOUR FREE HALLMARK CARD WHEN YOU BUY THE IRISH INDEPENDENT OR SUNDAY INDEPENDENT weekend papers.

ON DECEMBER 1ST AND 2ND AT EASON. Promoted in the Irish Independent papers from Wednesday 28 November, as well as digitally, the promotion encouraged shoppers to go in store and pick up a free card in store on 1st and 2nd of December.

“The promotion was a great way to drive customers into Eason stores and encourage them to start to think about sending their Christmas cards,” Tamsyn Johnston-Hughes, marketing manager for Hallmark commented.

Above: Some of the promotional marketing for the Eason Festive Weekend initiative.

Above: The Blue Eyed Sun team came together to write their Christmas cards.

Left: Hallmark teamed up with its local football club, Thackley Juniors, donating 400 Christmas cards so that the football club coaches could say thank you and Merry Christmas to the parents of their players.

The team got together with their coaches for a group Christmas card writing session.

Left: The Tache team (including their four legged staff member!) were suitably attired for their Festive Friday Christmas card writing session.

The best medicine House of Cards’ festive flurry Home Counties retail group, House of Cards, certainly did its bit to energise Christmas cards sending, starting with its own staff.

As part of its support for the Festive Friday initiative, the award-winning retailer covered the cost of the postage on some 924 Christmas cards the staff from the six branches and warehouse in the group wrote to their friends and family.

Miles Robinson, who co-owns House of Cards with Nigel Williamson, has been a big supporter of the GCA-instigated Festive Friday initiative ever since it was first introduced several years ago as a way of kick-starting Christmas card sending.

“Being passionate about cards and Christmas, we thought Festive Friday was a brilliant idea and wanted to support it,” Miles told PG. “While it's never going to be a big consumer event, I think it's important as an industry that we all do our bit to promote the sending of cards,” he added.

House of Cards set Festive Friday (November 30) as the deadline for all its staff (some 58 people, including Saturday staff) to have their Christmas cards written and these then made their way to House of Cards’ central warehouse for bulk posting, the cost of which is covered by the retailer.

“We did 924 Christmas cards in total this year, which is not a bad effort from our team,” says Miles. “It's extremely popular with the staff and over the past couple of years we've seen volumes increase, which is great.”

We are all doing things differently and it’s changing fast, but overall we’re embracing the festive challenge!”

Left: House of Cards’ Natalie Hill in its warehouse sorting all the cards sent in from the branches ready to be stamped and posted.

Belly Button Designs kicked-off its Festive Friday activities a few days, spreading cheer in Manchester’s Withington Hospital.

The generously-hearted publisher took lots of its Christmas cards into the hospital and ‘set up stall’, and made them available to everyone free of charge. From hospital porters to top surgeons, patients to visitors, all were encouraged to select some Christmas cards and if they wrote them on the day Belly Button would cover the cost of the postage too.

Rachel Hare, md of Belly Button Designs said: “It was so busy that the girls from our team had to come back to the office for more stock!”

The publisher also made some of its Bubble giftbags available too, with any donations being made to the Withington and Christie’s hospitals.

Belly Button’s Festive Friday celebrations extended into activities in its own shops and office with Christmas card writing galore.

Above: The nurses of Whittington Hospital lapped up the opportunity of a Belly Button (early) Festive Friday celebration.

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NEWS TOP STORY

New GCA CEO Hits The Media GCA’s Amanda Fergusson Rises To The Challenges Left: Amanda Fergusson (right) with former GCA ceo Sharon Little on the official day of her appointment.

Within a few days of having taken over officially from Sharon Little, who resigned from the post after 20 happy years in the GCA ‘hot seat’ to go globetrotting, Amanda Fergusson had been contacted by the BBC to appear on the Big Breakfast, been interviewed by the Financial Times, went on air on BBC Radio Essex, chaired her first GCA Council meeting and addressed the association’s forefathers at the annual Past Presidents event.

Sharing what she sees as the key challenges as well as the opportunities for the UK greeting card industry, Amanda said: “As confirmed by the recent GCA Market Report, the industry is in good shape, however the fact that over 94% of our sales still come from consumers going to shops reminds us of how closely we need to be working with bricks and mortar retailers in our industry.”

She highlights the importance of “a collective approach to the environmental issue, given so many variables. The focus has to be on acting responsibly and minimising a potential consumer backlash.”

Amanda is delighted that The GCA’s ‘Into a Greener Future Guidance’ has

been well received. “It is good to see suppliers to our trade continuing to come up with innovative solutions, while Sainsbury’s recent pledge to go ‘naked’ on cards in 2019 is also a significant step change.”

As for the opportunities, she makes reference to the keynote address made by Card Factory’s ceo Karen Hubbard at the recent GCA AGM and Conference. “We all need to take comfort in the point Karen made, citing the three-year trend that 18-34 year-olds are sending more cards than they were a generation ago. We need to further encourage this.”

While very much focused on the future direction of the association to best serve its members, Amanda also recognises the legacy she is continuing. “It is very humbling to think that the GCA is 100 years-old in 2019, we have a lot to celebrate!”

GCA’s ‘Into A Greener Future’ guidance The GCA has ‘gone live’ with its green guidance resource for members. This new GCA resource, entitled ‘Into a Greener Future Guidance’ provides an overview of the developments and options within various aspects of greeting card production - from raw materials to finishes, right through to their ultimate disposal by the consumer, taking into account the environmental impact of the different options.

Many months in the making, involving input and research findings from various respected sources, the new guidance has been sent to all members and is also hosted within the members’ resource area of the GCA website.

The clear and concise resource covers paper/board, flitter, foiling, cellowrapping, manufacturing, recycling as well as the kerbside recycling issues. Under most headings, as well as guidance and substantiating information, the GCA makes its recommendations.

As Amanda Fergusson, GCA ceo underlined, “Into a Greener Future is very much a ‘living resource’ in that it will be added to and adapted, as and when new pertinent information comes to light and developments come to fruition.”

New Feb date for NSS For the first time, the New York National Stationery Show (NSS), which will be taking place next month, has co-located with NY NOW at the Javits Centre from February 3-6, 2019. Art and design licensing show SURTEX, which runs alongside the NSS, will also be co-locating. All three shows are owned by Emerald Expositions.

“Being co-located with a strongly related event like NY NOW adds values for everyone,” said Aaron Hazard (left), the new NSS sales director. “Many favourite programmes - The Best New Products contest, Buyer Education and Makers Day, for example - are returning. We are also making changes, creating a new section for Emerging Designers.”

The #NEWatNSS Exhibitor Sweepstakes will kick-off on the opening day of the show and run through until 2pm on February 6, generating exposure for new products to the show’s 80k social media followers.

Visit: www.nationalstationeryshow.com

Danilo research makes a date with mums Hot on the heels of picking up four Calies awards in the UK Calendar and Diary Awards, Danilo revealed the findings of a major consumer research study into the calendar habits of the nation.

The research project instigated by Danilo, which involved over 1,000 UK households, has highlighted how mum is still very much the holder of the ‘family diary’, with 63% of all appointments marked on the calendar or family organiser being down to mum. The findings confirm that children’s activities dominate, taking up 40% of the space on the family organiser or calendar.

As to the type of paper calendars the UK public buys, it seems there are some regional differences.

As Claire Bates, Danilo’s marketing manager reveals: “The majority, (especially in areas like Wales, the North West of England and Yorks and Humberside) prefer wildlife/nature calendars such as BBC Blue Planet, closely followed by personalised calendars and then movie/entertainment calendars.”

London seems to have the biggest preference for football calendars, Scotland favours more towards music artists calendars and those in the North East of England lean more towards model and celebrity calendars.

Claire pointed out many people log their appointments in more than one place: “54% state that they use more than one planning tool to keep themselves and their family organised - with a third of these claiming they use a pocket diary in addition to their calendar.”

As Danilo’s research findings reveal, almost 80% of UK household calendars are purchased as gifts, mostly by mums, followed by friends, with 40% being bought in December.

Top: Danilo won four Calies awards last week!

(Left-right) Danilo’s Symon Machin, calendar designer; Daniel Prince, md; Laurence Prince, founder and chairman and Christine Statham, calendar designer.

Above: Danilo’s BBC Blue Planet II 2019 won the Best Animal Kingdom Calendar award in The Calies.

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GOOD FEELS COLLECTION

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NEWS Jayne Myers to retire

TOP STORY

PG Live 2019 Registration Is Easy Buyers get ‘social’ to book their tickets “We know that very few people like filling in forms, so we are making registration for PG Live June 2019 even easier than ever before,” assures Jacqui Parr, marketing manager of Progressive Greetings Live 2019. Registration has just opened for this year’s two day dedicated greeting card show that will take place on Tuesday 4 June and Wednesday 5 June at the Business Design Centre in London’s Islington.

Buyers have the option to register for the show via its dedicated website, through social media channels (LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter and Google+), by email or by picking up a phone (and dialling 01635 297070).

“We have simplified the online registration and it works really well, but for those who prefer to speak to a real life person, there is always someone at the other end of the phone. The greeting card industry is a people business after all,” Jacqui summed up.

Last year saw the introduction of buyers being able to register via social media channels. “It proved really popular as buyers could easily invite colleagues too, and it creates a visitor hub so buyers can track who decides to come,” explains Jacqui.

Even six months from the show, PG Live 2019 is lining up to be the greatest

Above: PG Live 2019 is open for registration!

show for greeting cards in the world, with the exhibitor list reading like a ‘whose who’ of leading brands - including The Art File, Paper Salad, Five Dollar Shake, Belly Button, Wendy Jones-Blackett, UKG, Hallmark, IC&G, Paperlink, Gemma, Danilo, Noel Tatt, Icon, Second Nature, Nigel Quiney and Emotional Rescue - while the ever popular Springboard area for newbie publishers is already burgeoning with ‘waiting to be discovered’ names.

“Our new look website for the show is taking shape which has been designed to be much more visually stimulating, reflecting the strong aesthetic pull of our wonderful sector,” added Jacqui.

While the show has an admissions policy (focused on buyers, overseas buyers and licensees), regular tours of the show are to be recommended for wouldbe exhibitors wishing to find out more.

Splimple’s caught Left-handed You have to hand it to Splimple for coming up with the idea for its latest innovative card range. The Lefties range has been designed specifically for the six million left-handed people who live in the UK. The cards, designed by Matt Caudwell and his father Stuart (founder of Splimple), open-up to the left, and are supplied open-wrapped for the buyer’s benefit, with strong wrapper branding highlighting the target recipient. There are 24 designs in the range.

“My best mate is ‘a Leftie’ and over the years I’ve taken the mickey far too remorselessly,” admits Stuart, who had his comeuppance and range inspiration in one swoop. “A few months ago I went to dinner at this house and he passed me a corkscrew to open the wine. It was a left-handed corkscrew… touche! So that’s when the seed was planted,” Stuart revealed.

Stuart mentioned the idea to his son Matt, who’s a designer at a branding agency in London, and a couple of weeks later Matt showed his dad some ideas.

To make sure the cards hit home with their target market, Stuart and Matt pulled together all the left-handed people they could find (13!) as a focus group to determine which designs had greatest appeal.

“It’s actually quite funny watching right-handers opening the cards… they look really clumsy.

Makes me realise the problems lefties face in day-to-day life. Bless ‘em!” said Stuart.

After 33 years in the greeting card industry, Jayne Myers, commercial director of UKG, has made the decision to take early retirement. She leaves the business at the end of May, having ensured that UKG’s new restructure (expected to be completed in February) is bedded in.

“I have worked all my life, since I was 18. I didn’t have a ‘gap year’ or even maternity leave, so now is my time to have both rolled in together!” quips Jayne.

Having enjoyed a full career in the greeting card industry working for Fine Art Developments, WN Sharpe/Hallmark, Paper Rose (where she was managing director for eight years) and UKG (her home for 13 years) - Jane is not discounting returning to the fold in the future, albeit more in an advisory capacity, possibly using her experience to help a small publisher.

“I am going to have the summer off, doing lots of different things with friends, as well as scuba diving, gardening and my floral bridal work,” said Jane. When asked what she sees as her greatest achievements to date, rather than picking the various business triumphs of which she has been a part, Jayne is quick to retort: “Living to 60 and being able to dive to 30 metres!”

It was with “mixed emotions” that James Conn, ceo of UKG, broke the news to the team. “Jayne has a huge amount of passion and commitment for our business and during her career has earned a huge amount of respect within the industry”, wishing her “good health and much happiness” in her retirement.

Above: Jayne Myers is looking forward to her ‘gap year’!

Bewdley takes a stand Independent retailers in Bewdley recently joined forces to launch a petition ‘Save Our Shops Bewdley’ demanding that Wyre Forest District Council (WFDC) offer two hours free parking for everyone who visits the town.

“Many of the town’s street parking is only 30 minutes, just enough time to queue in the Post Office let alone have a coffee and a look around the town’s shops ” explained Jon May, co-founder of card and gift shop, Mooch Gifts & Home.

Be.ow: Jon May, co-owner of Mooch Gifts & Home in Bewdley and Stourport-on-Severn, recently led a petition to increase parking time to two hours for visitors to the town.

Above: The designs in Splimple’s Lefties range were tried out on left-handers.

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NEWS The Calies 2018 winners

TOP STORY

The Calies Winners Revealed Championing calendars at the award ceremony Retailers, publishers and suppliers filled Stationers’ Hall recently to witness The Calies 2018 winners being announced.

Among the delighted winners of what are the second ever Calies awards for calendars, diaries and Advents were Alison Gardiner Designs, Allan & Bertram, BrownTrout Publishers, Carousel Calendars, Danilo, English Graphics, Pomegranate Europe, Pyramid International and Rose Calendars.

The Calies, launched by Max Publishing last year, with the support from the calendar and diary sector recognised and rewarded excellence right across the spectrum - from retail calendar titles to B2B bespoke creations; diaries to Advents.

“The Calies not only celebrate the excellence and innovation on calendars and diaries, but also serve to champion the product area to retailers of all shapes and sizes as well as corporate clients on the B2B front,” stated Warren Lomax, joint md of Max Publishing (which owns and organises The Calies) in his welcome speech.

The award ceremony was hosted by comedian Henry Paker, with David Pike, group director of Calendar Club and Carousel Calendars, as well as BrownTrout’s managing director, Jack Straw, sharing their respective insights on the market in two engrossing pre-awards talks.

Championing the USP of calendars, David crystalised their special qualities: “Where else can you buy a gift that is personal to the person you are buying for,

Above: The Calies winners on stage with host Henry Paker.

that lasts a whole year and costs less than a £tenner? Calendars are great value and like the old Liquorice Allsorts advert said, ‘every one is someone’s favourite’!”

Having superbly demonstrated his natural ability to analyse data and demystify complicated graphs, David ended on an emotional plea: “I would urge other retailers to get off the drug of discounts, rebuild your calendar ranges and celebrate calendars as a fantastic gift product.”

David set the scene for what was, as he acknowledged a “celebration of calendars and calendar publishers”, describing The Calies as “so important” in that they “support the creativity and diversity of publishers within our industry.”

Jack Straw was surprised and delighted to be welcomed back to the stage in the finale of the awards when he was presented with the prestigious Calendar Ambassador Award 2018.

Commenting on his award, Jack said: "I am very surprised but dead chuffed to receive this award.This recognition has already re-energised me!"

UKG’s Christmas past and Christmas ahead UKG made sure that it brought cheer to those who need it at the end of last year. As part of its Festive Friday activity (which saw the publisher pay for over 8,000 cards to be sent by its staff), the publisher collected donated boxes of toiletries, warm clothing and useful gifts from those within its team, which were then taken to St George’s Crypt, a charity based in Leeds which offers a temporary home, support and a hot meal for anyone who wants and needs one.

The Crypt, a cause UKG has long supported, is an important place for so many people in Leeds.

It is a community and a support mechanism.

UKG is also turning its attentions towards helping its retail customers prepare for next Christmas.

It has revealed the ‘tour dates’ for its Christmas Showrooms. The 2019 ‘tour’ starts in Ashford (Jan 9) then moves to Bristol (Jan 15 and 16), Southampton (Jan 16 and 17), London (Jan 22), Norwich (Jan 22 and 23) and Haydock (Jan 29 and 30).

Retailers wishing to book an appointment should call the customer care team on 01924 436384.

The publisher is also relaunching its customer webshop this month which will enable customers to place orders at their convenience.

Left: (left-right) UKG’s Claire Hammond, Ceri Stirland, Julia Parkinson, Jonathan Glover and Louise Makin readying to go to the Crypt charity.

Best Animal Kingdom Calendar - BBC Blue Planet II from Danilo Best Corporate (B2B) Animals or Natural World Calendar - Deep Blue from Rose Calendars Best Transport Calendar - England By Rail from Pomegranate Europe Best Scenic Calendar - New York from Carousel Calendars Best B2B Scenic Calendar - View from Allan & Bertram Best Art, Illustration or Design Calendar - Natural History from BrownTrout Publishers Best B2B Contemporary Calendar Ethos from Rose Calendars Best Charity Calendar - RSPB Ailsa Black Naturally Organised Family Calendar from Carousel Calendars Best B2B Special Interest or Humorous Calendar - Vintage Power from Allan & Bertram Best Music, Talent or Sports Calendar David Bowie Collectors Edition from Danilo

Best B2B Bespoke Calendar - Electric Rock Rodney Matthews from Rose Calendars Best Entertainment or Humorous Calendar - Star Wars Deluxe Calendar from Danilo Best Family Organiser or Planner - The Organised Family Week To View from Carousel Calendars Best Advent Calendar - Moonlight Silhouette from Alison Gardiner Designs Best Generic Diary - Inkwell + Feather from English Graphics Best Licensed Diary - Winnie the Pooh from Pyramid International Best Desk Calendar - Rick and Morty Magic Cube from Danilo The Calendar Ambassador Award 2018 - Jack Straw, md of BrownTrout Publishers Above: Carousel Calendars went home with a trio of shiny Calies trophies!

Danilo’s limited edition calendars Hot on the heels of winning four awards in The Calies 2018 calendar awards, Danilo’s latest calendar product development - a limited edition calendar (costing £25)elevates it very much as collectable art.

The publisher’s inaugural limited edition/collectable calendar (above) is a Mickey Mouse 90th Anniversary title. In keeping with Mickey’s milestone, Danilo is limiting production to just 90 copies, all of which are numbered and shipped with certificates of authenticity.

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NEW FOR JANUARY 2019!

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NEWS TOP STORY

Caring ways

Show Is ‘Out Of The Ordinary’ Top draw prepares for lift off Top Drawer’s new ‘out of the ordinary’ marketing campaign is focusing on what sets the show apart, with organisers Clarion Events citing ‘expert curation, dedication to new talent and innovation, along with the exceptional quality, originality, breadth and depth of choice for the January show, that takes place at London’s Olympia 13-15 January 2019.

“Stores are increasingly challenged to distinguish themselves and provide something special and different,” states event director Alejandra Campos. “As we continue to push boundaries and define trends, our ‘out of the ordinary’ message reflects the need to provide something unique.”

Paper sharp In advance of the show, Top Drawer announced the finalists of its PaperAwards, which are supported by G.F. Smith.

Once again the PaperAwards spans three categories: Exciting Use of Colour, Emotive Design and Engaging Print.

Members from the retail industry are now asked to vote for their favourites on the Top Drawer website, with winners to be announced prior to the show. All finalists will have their work showcased in the Greetings & Stationery area at Top Drawer SS19, and each winner will receive a prize worth £1,000.

The PaperAwards S/S19 finalists are: Exciting Use of Colour l Alison Hardcastle l Dicky Bird l Lagom - Magic Numbers l Letterpress Studios l Meraki l Noi Publishing Engaging Print l Cambridge Imprint l Counting Stars l Dear Alchemy by UWP Luxe l Hotchpotch l Raspberry Blossom l The Art File - Mulberry & Olive Emotive Design l Artcadia l Lagom - Maya Stepien l Pavilion l The Cardy Club l The Art File - Fossile l Under One Cloud Above: Counting Stars is in the running for a PaperAward.

Left: Top Drawer’s message is ‘out of the ordinary’.

The S/S19 edition of Top Drawer, which will showcase over 1,500 brands, will encompass different areas, including Gifts, Home, Greetings & Stationery, Fashion, Food Emporium, Play, Craft and Spotted, which features emerging talent.

For the first time, award-winning Swedish stationery and office accessories brand, Kikki.K will be joining the line-up in the Greetings & Stationery section, alongside the likes of Belly Button Designs, The Art File, Roger La Borde, U Studio, East End Prints, Up With Paper, Bark & Rock, Go Stationery and Mean Mail.

Visitors can also enjoy RetailFest, where they can network with peers, and gain advice and expertise from leading names in the industry. www.topdrawer.co.uk *For more products that will be on show at Top Drawer see pages 53-63.

Hallmark helps homeless Hallmark’s Christmas activities saw the publisher forge links with three homeless charities - Shelter, Penny Appeal and Booth Centre - as well as artist group Sand in your Eye, to raise awareness and offer support for homeless people.

Members of the Hallmark team joined with those from the charities to see sculptural artists Sand in Your Eye carve a 3.5 metre tall Christmas tree out of ice in Great Northern Square in the centre of Manchester.

As members of the public dropped off charitable donations of toiletries and warm clothing, the Hallmark team were on hand to giftwrap them so they could then be placed under the ‘tree’ before being distributed to the homeless via the charities.

Retail group Scribbler has doubled its commitment to support children’s hospital charities - building on its relationship with the Chelsea & Westminster Hospital by linking up with Poole Hospital’s children’s ward.

The London-based retailer, owned

by John and Jennie Procter, has been supporting the school at the Chelsea & Westminster Hospital, which is for patients who would normally be deprived of an education during treatment. “Last year we were able to donate to them our carrier bag charge, excess stock for a stall in the foyer and collecting boxes in all the shops,” explains Jennie. “Some of the funds were used to buy extra sensory equipment in the isolation rooms. A massively worthwhile cause.”

The retailer is this year donating the funds from its carrier bag charge to Poole Hospital children’s ward to kit out Gully’s Place, which is fitted out specifically for the use of terminally ill children and their families.

Above: Scribbler would love publishers to consider donating excess stock to raising funds to hospital charities.

Heaven sent by Royal Mail The actions by one member of Royal Mail’s delivery team pulled on the nation’s heartstrings and really hit home the message of the emotional importance of sending greeting cards.

Seven year-old Jase Hyndman, from West Lothian in Scotland, sent a birthday card to his dad “in heaven” and received a touching letter from Royal Mail to say it had been delivered safely.

Royal Mail’s assistant delivery office manager, Sean Milligan, wrote in his letter to Jase: "I just wanted to take this opportunity to contact you about how we succeeded in the delivery of your letter, to your dad in heaven.

This was a difficult challenge avoiding stars and other galactic objects on route to heaven," the letter added.

The Facebook post with Royal Mail's response to Jase was shared more than 200,000 times and the story was picked up by the media all over the world.

Below: Seven year-old Jase Hyndman’s wish that his birthday card was delivered to his daddy in heaven was answered by Royal Mail.

Above: (Left-right) Hallmark’s Amy Banks, Hannah Woodcock, Emma Griggs, Steven Wilkinson, Lindsay Brook, and Laura Gibbons at the event.

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NEWS TOP STORY

NEWS IN BRIEF

Get Entering The Retas 2019 The greeting card retailing awards are open The hunt is on to find the most of the opportunity to put UK’s best greeting card retail themselves forward and blow stockists as The Retas 2019 their own trumpet.” awards opens for entries.

While an entry form has The only dedicated been inserted in the retail awards for greeting card copies of this edition of PG, ENTRY form retailers, winning a Retas the same form is downloadable The Only Awards That Celebrate trophy is recognised as a true from the website GREETING CARD RETAILING IN THE UK accolade of retailing www.theretasawards.co.uk ENTER YOUR SHOP NOW! excellence in the sector, with The deadline for entries is award categories covering Friday 22 March. closing date for entries FriDAY 22 march 2019 indies through to multiple The winners will be chains, department stores to announced at a Frida Kahlogrocers and everything in between. esque themed awards event “As ever, we’re looking to reward retail that will be held at The Dorchester excellence, inventiveness and passion and on Wednesday 10 July. For tickets commitment - the greeting card retailers contact Claire Hollick of Createvents on who stand out head and shoulders from 0118 3340085. the crowd,” states Jakki Brown, joint md In keeping with this theme, the of Max Publishing, who owns and talented Jane Tattersfield, founder of Jane organises The Retas. “Once again, while Tattersfield Design, has kindly donated we will be canvassing publishers, agents some of her stunning artwork as the and reps for their nominations, we urge branding for this year’s Retas. retailers not to be modest and make the Above: The Retas entry form featuring Jane Tattersfield’s This year, greeting card retailers from throughout the UK are invited to self-nominate their shop(s) for The Retas 2019.

Don’t be shy about entering!

The Retas awards are a great opportunity for you as a retailer to see your shop(s) and staff recognised and rewarded.

stunning artwork.

l Just Cards of Honiton did very well in the town’s Christmas card window competition, being awarded first place for its festive array!

Right: Winning ways from Just Cards.

l The Giftware Association has teamed up with Manchester tech company, the Insights People, to launch its very first consumer competition. The awards will be focused on kids and parents and are very pleased to announce the ‘Kids Gift of The Year’ and ‘Parents Gift of the Year’ competitions.

Which will run throughout the year and alongside its annual Gift of the Year Competition. l The Suck It reusable metal straws from Really Good achieved some great PR in Hong Kong’s Time Out Magazine under ‘Recommended Gifts’.

Under the headline: ‘12 best cheap and cool gifts that you can get for under $250’, the upbeat editorial suggested: ‘Tell waste to ‘suck it’ with an awesome Suck It re-usable metal straw. With sustainability being a hot button issue, you can help your friends and families start their zero-waste journey with the nifty straw. Each pack comes with a snazzy carry pouch and a straw cleaner.’

Above: Really Good sustainability!

The Light Fund raises £325K The generosity from the greeting card community has helped The Light Fund, our industrywide registered charity, to have a record year, raising over £325,000. This impressive sum is to be put to good use, funding much needed work with 45 different charities.

The diversity of charity projects that can now go ahead as a result of The Light Fund include much needed equipment for disabled children, research into dementia, the building of a sand dam in Kenya to provide drinking water, incubators for premature babies, a support line for blood Above: The monies raised cancer sufferers, support for those with mental health issues, a cow and will see another two chickens for an African orphanage and lots more. incubators being donated to The monies have been raised from raffles at The Retas, The Henries, hospitals through the New Life charity, joining this one The Greats, as well as Max Publishing’s other awards events, plus from in Nottingham hospital. other fundraising initiatives.

In addition to a commitment made to funding projects for The Light Fund’s ‘protected’ charities (Maggie’s, New Life, Orchid Trust and Young Minds), submissions were invited from all registered charities for specific projects to help men, women or children. Over 300 charities submitted projects (many of whom have a connection to someone in the greeting card trade).

The Light Fund Committee members then individually voted for which of these projects they would most like to see funded.

The charities who will see projects being funded in 2019 as a result of The Light Fund’s 2018 activities are as follows: Addenbrooke’s Children’s Charity, Alzheimer’s & Dementia Support, Alzheimer’s Society, Ark-T Centre, Bliss, Bloodwise, Bluebell Wood Children’s Hospice, Bowel Cancer UK, The Brain Tumour Charity, Breast Cancer Haven, Cancer Support UK, Caudwell Children, Children with Cancer UK, The Children’s Trust, Down’s Syndrome Association, Excellent Development, Francis House Children’s Hospice, Haven House Children’s Hospice, The Kusasa Project, The Listening Place, Look Good Feel Better, The Lowde Music Trust, Maggie’s, Mind, Motor Neurone Disease Association, Multiple Sclerosis UK, New Life, Orchid Cancer Appeal, Pancreatic Cancer UK, Papyrus, Ray of Sunshine Children’s Charity, Reuben’s Retreat, St. Dorcas Orphanage, Samaritans of Portsmouth and East Hampshire, The Sick Children’s Trust, Tommy’s, Young Minds, War Child and Whizz-Kidz.

In addition, The Light Fund has also made donations to another four charities over the course of the year. These are the Haemochromatosis Society, Macmillan, St Clare Hospice and Ty Hafan,

l Santa stopped by at Widdop and Co’s HQ in Oldham shortly before Christmas to visit staff and their children and to check the presents that he made in his workshop were being given the proper treatment.

Some 50 children gave Santa their wish lists, explored the company’s Santa Express train station showroom built to house its 2019 Christmas collection and were given a gift.

Below: Santa in Widdop’s showroom.

l To mark 50 years since its first store opened in Epping (in 1968), Clintons ran a one day only offer (on 4th December) for customers, offering 50% off products.

Nicola Miller, head of cards at Clintons said: “We are thrilled to be celebrating our 50th anniversary. We’re always looking for ways to give back to our fantastic customers who have supported us over the generations.”

Sad loss l Harry Carter, who for many years was managing director of printers Imperial Litho, has sadly died.

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C A P T U R I N G P E O P L E ’ S H E A R T S T H R O U G H O U R LOV E O F C A R D S

I N C L U D I N G G O RG EO U S N E W A D D I T I O N S TO T H E V I B R A N T

Kirra COLLECTION

CONTACT

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OVER THE COUNTER

High Street

Hustler Independent card and gift retailer, David Robertson, co-owner of JP Pozzi in Scotland, reflects on the daily hustle and resilience that retailers need to survive.

January is always a time for reflection. New Year tends to do funny things to you in terms of thinking about what has happened in the past and what the future holds. Same can be said of when you return from holiday. Your brain almost seems to release a drug that questions everything you think or do. Or maybe that’s just me.

I never truly switch off. This is a problem and the result is that my brain seems to be constantly idling like some racing car waiting for the green lights to come on and to blow the fuel into the engines to propel the car forward. I am constantly thinking about my business. I think about how I have to change to keep ahead.

I think about what others are doing. I think about how cool that signage is. I think about the shops’ layout, the offers, the uniforms and just about everything in

between. I think about what I could do if the cashflow was better. I think about what I am doing even though the cashflow is tight.

Why? Because… well… I do. It is instinct and I can’t help it.

At the end of November, as many of you will have seen, I had a few crazy few weeks. Firstly, I was in New York to see Bruce Springsteen on Broadway and then I was a guest of VISA and the Daily Mirror

Above: Leonardo DiCaprio hustling in the movie The Wolf Of Wall Street.

Right: David accepting his High Street Hero of the Year Scotland award.

Below: David meeting his musical hero in New York, Bruce Springsteen.

for The Great British High Street Awards 2018 as a High Street Hero.

These two weeks resulted in me meeting my musical hero in Bruce (first name terms now I have shaken his hand!), a man synonymous with working class, blue collar America and stories of factories and hard work. The performance was a special one during which he shared a remarkably honest account of his life and career. It was truly unlike anything I had even seen in a theatre.

Interestingly, on the way to Springsteen I sat and watched a homeless guy playing and winning money at chess in the City Park.

He destroyed some, teased others, and, in the case of a youngster who took him on, nurtured and taught her some moves. Aware of my gaze he offered me a game but chess is not my sport, and with a $10 note dropped in to his hand, the offer of teaching me was extended. Maybe next time.

Similarly, en route to the Awards in London’s Green Park, as I walked towards Lancaster House, I watched loads of tourists betting and playing a game with three cups and one ball - follow where it goes. Lots of money seemed to be changing hands and tourists were lulled into betting more by achieving a number of what I would have said were false victories.

The basic premise of this ‘trick/game’ struck me, and it was juxtaposed with the lavish building I was about to enter for what are regarded as very prestigious awards.

Within a few hours I had then won the title of High Street Hero of the Year Scotland.

As you can imagine both meeting Bruce and my award were personal triumphs, but somehow the award felt empty. It felt in someway wrong. I didn’t like the use of the word ‘Hero’ as to me that is how you would describe a fire fighter or a campaigner, NOT someone who has helped change the shopping/physical area within my local city.

I believed the award fell to me, as chairman of the BID, as perhaps I was the most vocal or visible part of a large team that had completed a huge amount of tasks over nearly a decade. So for me to be recognised individually in this way didn't feel quite right or fair. I felt a little bit of a fraud.

Back to Bruce. His one-man show started with him describing his beginnings and the fact that he had carried out an amazing magic trick for many, many years. In truth he had never worked a true hard days work in his life. He’d never seen the inside of a factory. Never done a 12 hour shift. In fact, his five days a week commitment on Broadway was perhaps his first true job and he wasn’t sure he liked it.

What he didn’t say is that he was a ruthless perfectionist with the album Born to Run, taking 14 months to complete it.

Springsteen was at that time a great PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE

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January

9 NEW designs Top main relations Dozens more to follow

18 Initial titles Coloured foil captions Embossed images Flitter finish Colour versed insert

13 New code 75 12 New code 60 Foil / Virko finish Colour inserts

22 New code 60 titles Multi-coloured foiling Embossed images Colour inserts Re-released main relations with ‘versed’ inserts

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OVER THE COUNTER talent that had not crossed over, but he backed himself and his vision and pursued it relentlessly.

Unlike Bruce my working week is seven days long, and most days are at least 12 hours, often stretching to more. That is a given, and that week break in New York is the longest I have been out of the business for over 14 months. I felt guilty. I always do.

Suddenly though the Bruce story, the chess player and the ball mover resonated with me, and I found the term I have been searching for for a long time.

I was not a hero. I was like all of them. I was in fact a High Street Hustler.

Now the word ‘hustle’ seems somehow to be viewed as someone who is doing something wrong or dodgy, but in truth it is not that at all. To me it is someone who does what they have to with everything available to them at the time to succeed. It is the drive and unshakeable self-belief that allows you to be the best, or at least strive to be the best you can, at whatever it is you need to do.

Thinking back to my beginnings in business, in my youth we had satellite TV when it wasn't so common. So two video players and some cheap blank tapes and I had my first business.

Following closely on the heels of this was buying and selling tickets in the days before Stubhub or Viagogo, and again this proved lucrative. Paying guys to queue for you was only one of a number of moves, as well as fostering contacts within ticket offices.

These, nearly 25 years ago, were my first hustles and it was a great learning curve.

On bad days you were brutal on yourself about how you could improve and on good days you always knew you could do better. In fact it was this constant striving that still underpins my business drive.

Hustlers are what we all are, or at least what we all need to be. We can all have goals and ambitions and aspirations but what are we actually doing to achieve them?

A true hustler never gives up. Never looks for excuses. A hustler may not know exactly what they will achieve but they will have an idea, an overall feeling, and they will never take no or can’t as an answer.

My folks sold their house to buy our first business because my dad felt he needed to.

Business is not something you can play at, and certainly now more than ever it requires your full commitment.

As I grow older I probably might not be quite as willing to do some of those earlier

Above: Retailers need resilience in order to survive.

Below: Times Square in New York.

things, but I have projects slated for the next two years and I know that I will need to be totally focused to make them a success.

A hustler always give 100% to whatever they put themselves into. 100% commitment is a given because those that only give 80% will use the 20% as an excuse as to why a business could fail. “I could have worked harder”, they could say - who would ever want to admit or use that as an excuse?

A hustler doesn’t think about failure and can ignore the ‘you’re crazy’ comments.

They can of course fail but they will get right back up and try something else. That is simply the nature of it.

A true hustler is obsessed with what they want to achieve. That word to me suggests tenaciousness, persistence, doggedness, determination.

Hustling is not just a skill, it is an art. It is the ability to adapt to situations and to get things done. It is the ability to go from dealing with the public to making a tough decision about letting someone go. It is the ability to see the picture differently. It is the ability to be noticed and acknowledged.

New York City is perhaps the breeding ground for the hustle. In a city of 8.5 million people you need to stand out. You need to have the contacts and the ability to garner someone’s time and attention. You need to

provide value though. What you do has got to be good and impactful and it has to make a difference. If you add value to your business or to others it will give you leverage.

In truth, it is what I love to do. Hustling is something that I have done since I was a teenager and I am not ashamed of it, quite the opposite. I always find a way and people look to me for that very reason.

So what is the point of this piece?

Simply, I want you to think about the word ‘hustle’. You might be turned off or feel the word is dirty. Well, forget that because everyone is doing it.

The big influencers on Instagram are perhaps the greatest modern hustle - look at me - be me - buy from me. Many of them have risen to be some of the most profitable companies.

The Sunday Times list - FAST TRACK 100 - is littered with companies that are not household names but are building reputations, profits and turnovers that are enviable. They’re all hustling to buck the trend and create great businesses.

Technology allows anyone to start up with all kinds of business, and the world is

now literally your competitor, not just those down the street from you or in the same town.

Last year was regarded as one of the toughest in retail in a long time. Our trade, which has largely remained in tact despite all the high street problems, is also showing real pressures. Suppliers are having to restructure. High street names are creaking, and what will happen in 2019, well who knows?

What I do know is that whatever I do I will have to be 100% of my ability. The hustle will need to get stronger… will yours?

To contact David email: jppozzi@btconnect.com PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE

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CARDSHARP

Talk Of The

Toon

Cardsharp may be in a very, very, tiny minority, but he has a sneaking admiration for roly-poly ‘Trackie and Trainer’ retail mogul, Mike Ashley, owner of Sports Direct and now of course, House of Fraser.

Could it be that the Newcastle FC owner, infamous for his unsavoury habits and questionable HR approach could be a saviour for many retailers? His hard-nosed approach cutting through to create a more level playing field for bricks and mortar retailing against the online operators will ‘score goals’ for greeting card stockists that are reliant on more foot action from the public on the high street turf.

That view may lead to riots outside Progressive Greetings’ offices from disgruntled Newcastle soccer fans, outraged at Mike Ashley’s 11 years of ownership of their beloved football club.

Two relegations in that period and languishing in the bottom half of the Premiership table, and his falling out with ‘Toon’ idols Kevin Keegan and Alan Shearer, has not exactly endeared him to the soccer loving Geordies. But having said that, from a business perspective at least, he looks like he will do rather well out his involvement. A sale of the Club looks imminent, which if it goes through will net him a profit of around £200 million pounds.

And that is on top of all the free publicity Sports Direct has got from its stadium sponsorship over the last eleven years.

Yes, unlike Dean Hoyle, the founder of Card Factory and now a major player at The Works, Ashley was not altruistically trying to help his home-town club like Dean has been doing at Huddersfield. Ashley was and

is a gambler, and at the same time a hardheaded businessman with skin as thick as rhino hide to whom criticism is like water off a hippo’s backside.

And at least, from the outside, there is plenty in his character that comes across as singularly unattractive. Stories of his legendary drinking (and vomiting!), his bluster and the past

Above: Mike Ashley, owner of Sports Direct and Newcastle FC. Below: Ailing department store, House of Fraser, was recently bought by Mike Ashley.

treatment of his warehouse staff are not exactly fetching. And despite his huge financial success, his complete and utter disdain for his institutional shareholders and corporate governance has not made him any friends in the Square Mile of the City.

But then look at his huge success in the so competitive retail market, where private equity ownership is so prevalent. And recall that he was once a skinny boy from Maidenhead in Berkshire, whose father owned the local sports shop.

So when Ashley talks, as he did recently before a House of Commons select committee about the future of bricks and mortar retailing, he knows what he is talking about. ”The vast majority of the high street is already dead. It is in the bottom of the swimming pool,” is a bit of hypebole from big Mike to get his message across, but pretty heartfelt at that.

This was a calculated cry for help, reflected Cardsharp. He demanded a level playing field for bricks and mortar retailers, who endure crippling rents and business rates, while their online competitors reap a hugely unfair advantage. He has called for a 20% tax on online sales, far beyond the pathetic Digital Services Tax proposed by the Chancellor. Sports Direct has a pretty

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CARDSHARP large online business itself, meaning this is also a call for action against a division of his own business, so he can’t be accused of mere self-interest.

Ashley, especially now he has acquired ailing department store chain, House of Fraser, is also fighting the good fight to get landlords to get real about retail rents. He really is playing hardball, refusing to pay what he considers an unfair price and threatens to close stores if he doesn’t get what he wants. And Mike Ashley normally gets what he wants.

Some landlords, desperate not to get caught out by more failures and be left with empty shops or unpaid debts after far too long living in denial, are at least listening.

Echoing the view held by many, property analysts, Fidelity International believes that retail property is heading for its sharpest correction in living memory with property asset values dropping by as much as 70%. For far too long, landlords prospered when mainly private equity-backed retail chains rapidly expanded their number of outlets on the back of cheap lending and with the plan to sell their company on to another company and cash in their chips.

To Cardsharp’s mind, with retail sales down 4.2% year-on-year at the end of November, there is not much chance of that happening. Although there are obviously some retail success stories, like Sports Direct and The Works, these are few and far between.

Another rare success story is bookshop and stationery chain Waterstones, yet even its md, the hugely respected James Daunt, issued a stark warning: ”If we see Debenhams go the way of BHS, and Marks and Spencers keep scaling back, we will suffer because we all hang on their coat tails”. He added, “The online guys are in effect free loading while ripping some of the high street away.”

Above: Md of Waterstones, James Daunt, stated a warning about the closure of major high street multiples’ stores.

Below left: As well as high street stores, Sports Direct has an online business.

Below right: The British public have tightened their purse strings.

And, mused Cardsharp, landlords and retailers must be getting nervous. At the time of writing his column, Christmas trading was well down on last year. The combination of an unseasonally mild weather and rampant online competition certainly has had a dampening effect. And all the uncertainty over Brexit, as the government lurches from one crisis to the next, has also had an unsettling effect.

Black Friday, that so unwanted US import, has brought little or no tangible benefit to most bricks and mortar retailers.

But even more fundamental than that is the fact that the UK consumer is totally overstretched, more so than anywhere in Europe, bar troubled Greece. Cardsharp read recently that 29% of Brits have maxed out on their credit cards in the last six months, with consumer spending growth slowing to a minute 1.6 % in 2018. People are keeping their hands firmly in their pockets.

Perhaps Cardsharp will have got it wrong and that there was a huge last minute Christmas spending spree, but it would have to be one massive splurge to make up the lost ground. And with so many of the quarterly rent bills due in March there are likely to be further retail casualties. It was in March last year, remembered Cardsharp, that Toys R Us and Maplins went belly up.

All a bit depressing, but while Cardsharp cannot see rays of sunshine ahead, he does at least spot a chink in the clouds medium to long-term, even if there will be more pain first.

Firstly, landlords will start getting real.

Rent renegotiations will take place and both

independents and chains should find that the boot is on the other foot and be able to get far more favourable terms than they have at present. Many councils have become major retail landlords in recent years and they will be under severe financial pressure on their budgets if their properties are left lying empty. This could be great news for independent operators who could fill some of the void.

Secondly, thinks Cardsharp, a government, whether it be, Conservative or Labour, will eventually see the damage the likes of Amazon are doing to local economies and to their tax take, not to mention the damage its vans are doing to the environment and to the roads, and act properly. The Digital Services Tax, although a pathetically inadequate response, will just be the start, Cardsharp predicts.

And a market correction is well overdue. Less stores in the UK will mean less competition and hopefully more money spent per store. And the UK consumer is not going to stay impoverished forever.

Eventually personal debt will come under control again, meaning more money available for consumer spending.

And the Brexit uncertainty cannot go on forever, surely?

Hoping that this is not a false dawn, many people that Cardsharp speaks to, whether Boomers, Milennials, Generation X’ers or Y’ers, are starting to tire of the constant hold the digital economy is beginning to have on their lives and crave real interaction and personal contact that can only come from visiting a bricks and mortar store.

Cardsharp hopes he is right. The British love of greeting cards will only survive if he, or particularly ‘she’, has somewhere to buy them from. And so perhaps we should send Mike Ashley a ‘Thank You’ greeting card for ramming the message home to Members of Parliament.

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VIEWPOINTS

State Of The

(Card) Nation Above: (Far left) GCA president Ceri Stirland with all of the other speakers at the recent GCA AGM & Conference.

(Right-left) Jakki Brown (PG/GCA), Amanda Fergusson (GCA), Sarah-Jane Porter (Moonpig), Geoff Sanderson (Moonpig), Sue Morrish (The Eco-Friendly Card Co) and Karen Hubbard (Card Factory).

“If there’s anything to be learned from this year, it’s that change comes rapidly, and often from unexpected places,” was a quote (from The Future 100) that Ceri Stirland, GCA president (and UKG’s customer and channel director) projected onto the big screen at the recent GCA AGM and Conference, before launching into a thought-provoking ‘state of the nation’ welcome speech that summed up the position the UK greeting card industry finds itself in.

Admittedly, things could be better in the UK greeting card sector, but they could be a lot worse too.

Drawing on their collective wisdom, members of the GCA Council share their views on confronting some of the industry’s key challenges and the opportunities that should be grasped.

Amanda Del Prete managing director designate of Hallmark UK: Key challenges: “Our major focus, as an industry, has to be to ensure that the consumer continues to send greeting cards in the age of more digital methods of communication. The greeting card industry is becoming more challenging as the retail market is getting tougher, across the high street and in the grocers. We also know that the consumer mindset and behaviours are constantly changing, as shown by the increasing use of social media for communication and online shopping options. So, as publishers, we need to ensure that we have the diversity in range and captions to appeal to a wide variety of shoppers, from young to old, as well as focusing on the changing family dynamics.

The independent retail sector has been under attack from all angles. With independents being vitally important, anything we can do to support them will surely help their challenging situation, and safeguard the vibrancy of the sector as a whole. We (Hallmark) have renewed our focus on independents, namely our Gold Crown customers, hosting over 80 customers at our Bradford Head Office to launch a new phase of the programme, something we will continue to underpin over the coming years.”

Major happenings: “The past year has seen shopper missions and behaviours impacted by a number of factors, including an increased presence from discounters and bargain stores in our category, the

hottest summer on record impacting where and when customers shop and a heightened awareness of sustainability and ethical consciousness. We also saw increased uncertainty and questioning around how Brexit will affect our industry and our customers, which will surely continue throughout 2019.”

Opportunity knocks: “I believe more could be done to highlight all the emotional benefits of a handwritten card to both the sender and the recipient. We receive overwhelming feedback from consumers - ‘card lovers’ - about the impact that greeting cards have on their relationships. Building on the fact that the UK continues to have one of the highest per capita consumption of greeting cards across the globe, we have a real opportunity to maintain the consumer’s engagement in the category.

Supporting our retail partners to promote the category, at key seasons and beyond, will help ensure that greeting cards are front and centre with consumers and make it onto their shopping list every time they have a greeting card need.

However challenging trade may be, it is still true that the card category is one of the most emotive categories to shop, and we know that shoppers are highly engaged, so there is still a lot to celebrate. It is important that as an industry we join together for the greater good, share opportunities and our experiences to support one another.”

Above: Amanda Del Prete (left) with the GCA’s new ceo, Amanda Fergusson at the recent AGM. Left: As part of its Thinking of You Week activity, Hallmark received very positive feedback from its engagement with bloggers as to the mental health benefits of sending cards.

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VIEWPOINTS

Marion Hancock founder of Art Cards Ireland: Key challenges: “The environment - this is the big one, and it’s so helpful to have the GCA’s guidance - Into a Greener Future - on this.

Other challenges are: ‘Findability’- Publishers struggle to find retailers, retailers struggle to find publishers, agents are elusive, trade shows are expensive, and the internet is a shouting match. In Ireland I’ve often heard retailers say they wished they could source all their cards from one supplier, which bodes well for brokers, probably less well for publishers. I’ve noticed a few matchmaking portals starting up online (ie cardandgiftnetwork.com). I guess though that trade shows are still the best way to get in front of people.

‘Feelability’ - The other thing I often hear retailers say is that seeing cards in reality is so much more helpful to them than seeing them pictured online or in a catalogue. As we all become more tech-savvy, I wonder if video and product demo techniques like 360 degree spin will have more of a role in showing cards online?

Helping shop staff remember trade logins! - When customers order online, they place bigger orders - but on the shopfloor staff continually forget trade logins, and although of course they can reset their password anytime, the whole business of remembering and recording passwords is a pain, as it is for all of us when we shop online. Any obstacle like this affects sales. Then from the publisher’s angle, the contact email addresses at shops can change with staff moves and turnover, so keeping current is a moving target for both sides.”

Opportunity knocks: “I would like to think there are opportunities in rising markets in parts of the world we’ve not thought of as obvious targets. I’ve just read Factfulness by Hans Rosling which is a fascinating look at how the world has measurably improved on so many levels that people are strangely unaware of. Bill Gates thinks this book is so important he’s doing mass giveaways of it. The idea of ‘the West and the rest’ is outdated, and we need to get with the programme.”

Above: According to Hans Rosling’s book, things are not as bad as they seem.

Below: (Second left) Marion Hancock of Art Cards Ireland and new GCA Council member with (left-right) Papagrazi’s Kevin and Rosy James as well as David Kirkpatrick (Art Cards Ireland) at the GCA AGM.

Rachel Hare managing director of Belly Button Designs: Key challenges: “Online retail - we need a more even playing field between the online-ers and bricks and mortar retailers. Independents especially are challenged with high overheads - the reduction in business rates announced in the recent budget is well overdue!

We, as an industry, need to work with our retail Above: Belly Button’s Rachel Hare urges for greater focus customers to enable them to offer tactile sensory on original creativity. items, which are difficult to buy online - all in the aim Left: The Naked Cards campaign started online, but of keeping the high street unique and special. is gaining ground in bricks and mortar shops.

Copying sadly is a challenge within the industry. Greater emphasis should be on encouraging publishers to be original and create their own unique brands that do not emulating others.

This gives the retailer and the end consumer more real choice.

Brexit undoubtedly has created a sense of unease. We can only wait this one out. Whatever the outcome, we need to work with it as an industry and remain positive.”

Opportunity knocks: “From my perspective, this can only mean creating product that is new and exciting for the retailers and their customers.

There is ground to be gained in trying to create new reasons to buy cards, not hold on to all the old ones. Yes, Valentine’s sales may have seemed to slow down in some areas as young people seem to have more meaningful ‘friendship’ relationships. This is an opportunity that can be grasped with the right design and contemporary sentiment.

The new focus of the GCA with Amanda Fergusson coming on board means the association can push ahead on many fronts. We can further build on Thinking of You Week and Festive Friday.

And we can encourage younger people to buy cards by providing relevant product promoted on social media in a visual language they can relate to.”

Major happenings: “Definitely the environmental issues we have seen come to the fore, as evidenced by the growth of the Naked Card campaign. We are all becoming more aware of how we use plastics within our businesses and look to reducing this. It can seem very daunting, and sometimes difficult discussions need to happen. The main thing is we remember that every little bit does make a difference.”

Paul Woodmansterne managing director of Woodmansterne Publications: Key challenges: “The cliché is true: ‘When the times get tough, the tough get going’. I don’t know a retailer or publisher who isn’t finding it challenging at the moment, but every change brings new opportunities, and those who have consistently worked to improve things in the past are always mentally bestplaced to face the future. I think today’s issues - the diminishing high street, ethical waste management, importing materials during Brexit Above: Paul Woodmansterne (right) with (and son) Seth holding one - are challenging the best of us to get even co-director of the 65th anniversary cards it produced better. It’s not easy - but who’s met a woman to mark the milestone. who said they actually enjoyed giving birth, and who’s met one who didn’t also say it wasn’t the best thing that ever happened to them! 2019? - bring it on!”

PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE

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VIEWPOINTS

Ged Mace managing director of The Art File:

Above: (Far right) Ged Mace with (left-right) Steve Baker (Pigment), Claire Castle (WHSmith) and Carly Pearson (Sainsbury’s) at the AGM.

Key challenges: “The popularity of shopping online continues to impact on bricks and mortar retailers across the UK and indeed across the world. That said, at least there are signs that Government are beginning to debate on how best to strike a level playing field.

Ironically, in a recent survey, it was suggested that out of town shopping parks might be hardest hit with this change in consumer behaviour. I recently visited Leeds on a Saturday and was delighted to see crowds of shoppers, and it confirmed to me that people still love to shop ‘live’ and be absorbed by community and the whole retail experience.”

Opportunity knocks: “There is, in my mind, a huge opportunity for card retailers and publishers of all sizes to capture the attention of more customers with outstanding customer service. We all think we give great service, the reality is we could probably all do more!

As retailers work hard to distance themselves from their competitors by changing the content of their card offer, there has never been a more important role for independent publishers to offer that ‘refreshing alternative’ than right now!”

Jack Straw managing director of BrownTrout Publishers: Key challenges: “The current turmoil in the world economy, coupled with the uncertainty over Brexit, has the potential to end in chaos at the UK ports come the summer/autumn. If this happens, then expect delays. As a mainly 'seasonal' supplier to this market, we are working hard with our customers and production partners to bring the whole cycle forward by four weeks in 2019. Moving more production to UK suppliers will also help to mitigate this possible issue.”

Opportunity knocks: “I see more local production of merchandise as a key opportunity for the industry. The GCA has great links with many suppliers here already and this can only be encouraged. The Far East is becoming less enticing as a manufacturing partner. I estimate that 40% of our calendars are produced in the UK now - it was 0% five years ago.”

Major happenings: “From our perspective, the sharp decline and devaluation of £sterling against the US dollar has been an effective 20% price increase in our cost of goods. We are not alone here I am sure!

Dealing with this in a market with zero or even negative retail price inflation has been challenging. On the other hand, exports to the EU have soared!”

Above: Jack Straw took to the lecturn at the recent Calies calendar awards to share his views on the changing shape of the retail landscape.

Meet The GCA Council 2018 Amanda Fergusson took over as ceo of the GCA from Sharon Little on December 1 2018. She is supported by a strong Council, made up of elected publisher members, whose collective knowledge and experience is immense. l l l l l l l l l l l l l

Raj Arora, managing director of Davora - Secretary Chris Bryan, general manager of Second Nature Jeremy Corner, managing director of Blue Eyed Sun - Treasurer Amanda Del Prete, managing director of Hallmark UK Marion Hancock, managing director of Art Cards Ireland Rachel Hare, md of Belly Button Designs - Vice President Chris Houfe, joint managing director of Emotional Rescue Ged Mace, managing director of The Art File Sarah-Jane Porter, head of licensing of Moonpig Lisa Shoesmith, general manager of Really Good and Soul Brett Smith, sales director of Danilo Ceri Stirland, customer and channel director of UKG - President Jack Straw, managing director of BrownTrout

Lisa Shoesmith general manager of Really Good/Soul: Key challenges: “The key challenges the industry has faced this past year provide opportunities for the forthcoming one. The first thing that springs to mind is the decline of bricks and mortar retailers on the high street. It’s our traditional sales point and it’s disappearing. There has been an extraordinary amount of negative press coverage on this, doom and gloom stories of a future where only major conglomerates survive (*cough, Amazon), and this does nothing to help our industry. What we need is more positive action.

The Just A Card campaign has made great strides this year on educating the public on the struggles independent retailers face. In 2019 we should be pushing for more positive awareness on how helping your local card, gallery and gift shop can have an effect.

Another interesting challenge facing the industry as we go into a new year is how we’re impacting the environment. Stemming from global politics surrounding the Paris Agreement and trickling down into individual industries’ ethos, the big talk around greeting cards is our plastics use. Here at Really Good & Soul we’re researching how best to serve both our customers and the environment. Our Suck It range of reusable straws has blown our expectations out of the water and shown that there is a thirst (pardon the pun) for environmentally-conscious gifts on the market, both in the UK and internationally. We’ve had some great PR for them in Hong Kong.”

Needs for 2019: “As to what should we be doing going into 2019, I’d have to say that we need a lot more effort going into market research. The high street is shrinking, there’s a dearth of original ideas that is stagnating the industry somewhat.

If we want to support independents this is our opportunity to come together and start shaking things up for the better.”

Top: New GCA Council member, Lisa Shoesmith believes greater research is called for.

Above: The Just A Card pin badge to promote an independent Christmas.

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In Conversation With... Redback Cards

Shiny Happy People So many of Redback Cards’ great ideas for ranges and designs come out of the pages of a trusty hardback black notebook crammed with scribbles or phrases Chris Stanley (who co-owns the business with his wife Kate) has heard, seen or thought of over the years.

However, the idea for what is arguably the publisher’s biggest ever potential launch, and one that will take it way beyond the confines of the humorous sector, came from a reversible sequin top their young daughter was wearing.

As the finishing sparkles are being put to the Shine range, which debuts at Top Drawer this month, PG travelled down to Devon to meet Chris and Kate Stanley, the shiny happy people behind Redback Cards.

On Kate Stanley’s second ever date with her then new boyfriend Chris, she spent a lot of it packing his greeting card orders while he cooked dinner.

Thankfully it didn’t put her off, but it did highlight that there were improvements to be made on the logistics side of the business if she was going to hook up with this then fledgling humorous card publisher.

Things have definitely moved on a bit in the ensuing period, in more ways than one - not least that the couple now have three children and have relocated them and the business down to an idyllic setting in Devon.

“Exhibiting at PG Live nine years ago was pivotal, it was a revelation for both of us, and really set us on our way,” believes Chris. While he had started the card company a few years previously (seeing it as the way of bringing together his love of comedy, aspects of his business degree, experiences gained working in ad agencies, as well as observations from his travels round Australia), by his own admission he was rather laid back about it, until he met Kate that is. “She gave me the kick up the backside I needed!” he admits in his charming self-deprecating way.

Top: One of the 12 Shine designs that includes a reversible sequin patch that can be removed and used to brighten up stationery, clothes or bags.

Above: The Cloud Nine range has proved so popular that it has lent itself to being licensed by Transomnia and Glick for giftware and giftwrappings.

Left: Daughter Emily in one of the sequined tops that inspired Shine.

Below: Chris and (second right) Kate Stanley at The Henries in October with colleagues (left-right) Capella Andrean and Samantha Airzee.

Kate has fond memories of that first PG Live. Working in sports marketing at the time, for FIFA, Kate took a few days off to give Chris a hand on the stand.

“I clearly remember the warmth of feeling from everyone at the show, thinking that I was working in the wrong industry and how the card trade was such a friendly and creative place to be and I wanted to be a part of it,” recalls Kate.

The sports marketing side of her career was kicked into touch, not just because of the growth of Redback, but the small matter of having three children in as many years as well as the decision to move to Devon.

There is no denying that over a few short years Redback Cards has become revered as a leading humorous card publisher, with several Henries awards to prove it.

And the licensing agreements with both Transomnia and Glick for its Cloud Nine brand for giftware and giftwrappings respectively further underline its success on this score.

While steadfast about not losing its reputation for its fresh humorous portfolio, the Devon-based publisher is now looking to sparkle on other fronts too, broadening its appeal while remaining on trend.

Following on from the success of its Pinata pin badge range (which launched at Top Drawer at the start of 2018), debuting at the show this year is Shine, a eyecatching collection, the designs of which centre on sizable reversible sequin ‘patches’ that can then be peeled off and used to adorn clothing, bags or stationery.

“I have never been so nervous about opening up a parcel as I was when the first samples of our Shine cards arrived. I was so relieved that they hit the spot!” admitted Kate, who has become something of a sequin queen during the range’s 18 month development.

“The world of sequins is like no other!” she states.

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In Conversation With... Redback Cards

The idea for the range was sparked by a top the Stanleys bought for their eldest daughter Ella from M&Co, which included a reversible sequin element. “We all loved it and knew then that this was a trend that was bound to grow, so set about finding out how we could translate the idea onto cards, at a price that retailers and consumers would pay,” says Kate.

Doing all the sourcing themselves from the Far East, has been time consuming, but as Kate points out, “You learn so much along the way that will inevitably lead to other things. By doing the sourcing myself I feel more confident of the quality and that the designs will come out as we envisaged.

And who knows what our next idea will be?”, says Kate looking sideways at her husband with a smile, suggesting she has plenty more possibles up her sleeve. “Chris heads up the creative side of the business, but that doesn’t stop me from throwing a stream of random ideas at him!” says Kate, who accepts that things have definitely improved since those first dates!

Taking the funny line From the ‘Dad, I’m pregnant’ line on a Feel Good design to ‘It's all shits & giggles until someone giggles & shits’ from Cloud Nine, the funny observations from Wulffgenthaler and Liz Climo and the risqué take on its Holy Flaps collection, Redback Cards has become a veritable house of humour, something very much driven by Chris’ love of comedy.

“I have always been into comedy. I can’t draw, but I can, I think, spot a funny line and I have collected them over the years,” reveals Chris.

“I was always a massive fan of The Far Side by Gary Larson which has been one of the inspirations for Redback,” admits Chris.

While some of Redback’s ranges are licensed from cartoonists that Chris has discovered on the internet, others, notably Cloud Nine are his own musings, the fruits harvested from the pages of an important ‘little black book’. “It is full of phrases I have heard or come into my head, maybe prompted by something on the radio, on the telly or just overhearing two people talking. I scribble them down and then write them in the book.

Having come up with the idea for Cloud Nine, of foiled words on solid coloured backgrounds, I flicked through the pages of my book and picked out the lines I thought would work the best - and thankfully they did!”

Top: Chris with his ‘little black book’ of ideas.

Above: One of the Holy Flaps designs.

Right: A classic Wulffgenthaler design.

Left: Redback’s offices are based in rural Devon.

Up close and personal Chris and Kate Stanley reveal a bit more about themselves, each other and their business.

Chris: What three words would sum up Kate?: “Fun, sharp/quick thinking, feisty (if I had a fourth option it would be ‘hard-working’).”

Kate: What three words would sum up Chris?: “Fun, loyal and stubborn.”

What is the best thing about working as a couple?: “The ideas that evolve from a night on the sofa!”

What is the worst thing?

“Never switching off and having lots of ‘heated debates.’"

What things in life make you feel like you are on ‘Cloud Nine’?: “Our kids have just reached an age where they can play Monopoly - there’s nothing better than sitting down to a family board game. Especially when the whole family is so competitive!”

Below: Kate and Chris with their three children, Jack, Ella and Emily on Dartmoor.

What makes you see Red?: Kate: “Unfriendliness.”

Chris: “Anything at 5.30am (when Emily, our middle one, usually wakes us up).”

What has been your best business decision?: “Not to limit our offering to edgy humour, ie keeping our options open in terms of ranges we develop or licence in, for example, Piñata (enamel pins), Little World of Liz (cute humour), Shine (reversible sequins).”

What has been your worst business decision?: “Taking way too long to make the move from packing cards ourselves to using a warehousing/third party distribution company. We use LB Warehousing these days.”

What is your personal guilty pleasure?: Kate: “Marzipan and romcoms.”

Chris: “Ryan Gosling.”

As a child, what did you want to be when you ‘grew up’?: Kate: “Owner of a sweetshop!”

Chris: “A professional squash player.”

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S/S 19

Image Credits: Magnetips | Portico Designs | Lagom Design | Katie Leamon

GREETINGS& STATIONERY

OUT OF THE ORDINARY Breaking boundaries, defining trends, we search the globe for an extraordinary and distinctive edit of design-led greetings and stationery so you can create something out of the ordinary.

Register at topdrawer.co.uk/PGS

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13—15 JANUARY 2019 OLYMPIA LONDON

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

New

Experiences Jeremy Corner, owner of greeting card publisher Blue Eyed Sun and distributor of BambooCup, shares an experience.

Last month I had an ‘experience’.

It was fun, exciting, inspiring and adventurous. It was sexy too and stimulated my imagination. It gave me everything I wanted and more.

It opened my eyes to new possibilities. Before you ask, no, it wasn’t that. It was something quite different, although I may blush a little when I share some of my retail experience with you.

As modern retail adapts and evolves, one key area of focus is the customer ‘experience’. John Lewis launched its tech incubator J-Lab, to find new ways of improving the experience of the in-store shopper as a way of retaining customers and drawing them in to spend more. Last year JLP trialled an after hours ‘private shopping’ service at its Cheltenham store, where anyone spending £10,000 or more could have the entire store to themselves.

My experience was slightly less glamorous, but totally unforgettable. It started on a day out in London’s Camden, which I have not visited for many years. The area attracts 28 million tourists a year and the labyrinth of shops and stalls is a retail experience in itself. Wandering around Camden Market, and particularly the Stables Market with its ornate wooden doors and equine effigies, was an adventure and full of interesting things to buy and eat. It started when a friend coaxed me through a shop entrance flanked by two giant metal robots, with a silver sign above the door that read Cyberdog.

Cyberdog Greeting us with a friendly smile as we entered was a girl dressed in cyber-goth attire that was a cross between Blade Runner and a Japanese Manga creation. In fact, most of the store assistants were spectacularly dressed

Above: Cyberdog in the heart of London’s Camden Market.

Below: The Shambles is a street in York, with some buildings dating from the fourteenth century.

and made up in bright neons, facial piercings, tattoos and futuristic haircuts.

The heavy bass of dance music reverberated throughout the store which looked like a spaceship with lifesize cyborgs and silver robots in cryogenic pods high up on the walls. At the far end of the ground floor an escalator took us down into the bowels of what felt more like a night club than a shop.

As we descended the beat got louder and the lighting darker. Everything was bathed in ultra violet light to show off the fluorescent garments and items available to purchase for your next big club night.

At the far end of the cavernous underground space, with his booth up on stage and backlit by bright neon stripes, a DJ hunched over the decks with his headphones propped over one ear.

The basement was made up of different caves to explore. It reminded me of nights out at the End or Fabric in London back in the day. It was fun being in this shop. Things got even

more interesting as I scuttled nervously through the adult section and emerged the other side only to turn an even darker shade of crimson when I spotted a woman pole dancing on a small stage in the corner. It caught me by surprise. I grabbed the nearest item to me and headed for the tills.

It turned out to be fluorescent yellow thong.

“For a friend,” I gabbled at the assistant.

I later discovered that there are other platforms in the shop where clubbers dressed in store gear are hired to dance above the customers. Aside from my dubious purchasing choice, the experience was unlike anything I’d seen before - and this from someone who spent a year of his life partying, I mean studying, on exchange in Amsterdam.

What impressed me most was that Cyberdog understands what it is, understands its customers and goes all in on its commitment to provide them with a retail experience unlike any other.

So what can we learn from this experience that can be used in other retail stores?

Your high street Councils and city planners can definitely do more to encourage fun shopping areas like Camden that are filled with independents, have atmosphere and draw tourists in. The Shambles in York and the North Laines in

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Juvenile

Tel: 01638 445395

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| Web: www.abacuscards.co.uk

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Email: info@abacuscards.co.uk

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JEREMY’S JOURNAL Brighton both attract shoppers from miles around for the experience. Encourage yours to do the same.

You can work together with other local retailers to create events like the Christmas light experience in Holt or late shopping hours on certain occasions, like House of Cards and other retailers on St Mary’s Street in Wallingford do.

Below left: The Gorgeous Hair Boutique in Hove always creates some amazing shop windows.

Left: Arrowsmiths in Broadstairs is a beautiful gift shop with Victorian wooden glass cabinets.

Bottom: What kind of retail service would you offer Tom Cruise?

Below right: We are all conscious that we are consuming more resources than our planet can handle.

Window displays Lights and window displays are a great experience for customers. Gorgeous Hair Boutique in Hove has the tiniest shop with the most incredible window displays. I’m sure customers love seeing them and talking about them. Christmas windows at Selfridges have attracted visitors for years.

The next part of their experience is entering the shop.

cabinet displays fitted by the chemist that first opened the shop. You can put anything anywhere in that store and it looks good.

The Oyster Gallery in Mumbles zones its two upstairs rooms by colour and the rooms are laid out like dining rooms filled with products. Organising the colours like this helps customers to imagine how the products might all look and work together to create a feeling.

The late Lynn Tait always invested heavily in a Santa’s Grotto experience at the Lynn Tait Gallery for the children of LeighOn-Sea. The kids had a wonderful experience and the parents spent money in the shop.

You might think you are already doing a great job, but ask yourself if there is anything extra special you would do if Tom Cruise’s rep called you to say “Tom wants to visit your store”? How would you make his experience incredible?

Free coffee? Private shopping? A free giftwrap service? As marketing expert Geoff Ramm says, “create OMG experiences for your customers”. And as I always say, “Make them shareable”.

Are you Shareable?

When customers love the experience you give them, they want to share it with others, so make it easy for them to tag you and drive virtual footfall to you by printing your social media accounts on your till receipts, bags, etc. Don’t just put the Instagram logo, make it easy for them by using your @handle. Use calls to action that tell customers why they should follow you on Instagram.

Senses and feelings

In store What does it feel like for customers when they walk into your store? Are they greeted by a staff member at the door? How does the store look from where they are standing? What are the sights, sounds and smells? How do the staff appear? What are they wearing? Is it in keeping with your brand? Do they smile or are they on the phone or gossiping?

Are there any demonstrations in store? You don’t have to have your team pole dancing in a corner to generate interest, there are plenty of other ideas you can put in place. Christmas giftwrapping classes, greeting card personalisation or even calligraphy demonstrations are a few I know of.

What is the layout like for your shop?

Are the shop fittings tired and worn out or are they inviting and enticing. One of the loveliest shop fits I’ve seen is in Arrowsmiths in Broadstairs, where the owner was smart enough to keep the Victorian wooden glass

What sort of music do you play in store? Is it the right experience for your brand? What about smells? Cafes in shops have a head start on others, but there are oil burners with pleasant fragrances that can have positive effects on the experience customers have of your shop.

Even the things you say have an effect.

A reminder that the customer has made a lovely choice helps to alleviate buyer’s angst.

Even asking the customer if they found everything they were looking for today adds to the sense of a helpful experience and can increase sales.

Change is coming There is undoubtedly a shift happening towards experience over products.

Millennials are said to treasure experience over things, and we are all conscious that we are consuming more resources than our planet can handle. Our abundance of stuff is causing us stress and there is a growing trend towards minimalism. With it is an awakening of consciousness where many are discovering that our happiness and the happiness of those around us does not come down to material goods. By creating incredible retail experiences and selling useful products that people want to buy, use and keep, change is an experience that we can all look forward to.

Read more on Jeremy’s blog at www.blueeyedsun.co.uk/blog PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE

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Our sponsored charities

Thanks to your support we have donated over ÂŁ3 million to our charity partners in the last 10 years.

Special Editions are thrilled to offer a new collection in addition to their range of boxed Christmas cards for 2019 to celebrate the Best of the British Isles.

Each design has been carefully selected to represent the landscape, flora, fauna and wildlife of Britain in some of the most glorious photographic images.

Furthermore, we are proud to be supporting UK manufacturing and design with each of these packs both designed and printed in the UK.

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Retailer Face To Face

It all started with a second-hand till, a small shop unit in Fulham and some watches and fashion accessories that a young entrepreneur called Oliver Tress had imported from Hong Kong.

Fast forward a quarter of a century and Oliver Bonas has earned the hearts and pennies of the UK’s sisterhood as a lifestyle store group, with greeting cards very much part of its line up.

PG went shopping with Natalia Kosterska, responsible for greeting card buying for the 77-store group.

‘Shake your tits, it’s your birthday’ a design by newbie publisher Lucy Maggie Designs, is currently the best selling everyday card in Oliver Bonas.

For Natalia Kosterska, assistant buyer, who is responsible for all the card buying (as well as the wall art and books) in all Oliver Bonas stores, this one card epitomises not just the retailer’s customer, but the curated approach to its greeting card selection that is working so well.

“Everything we do here starts with our customer,” says Natalia. “87% of our customers are female, over 40% of whom are Millennials. We know who she is, what is important to her and the lifestyle she leads. It is then my job that the card selection we offer exceeds her expectations,” she adds.

As to some of the key attributes of the typical Oliver Bonas customer, Natalia reveals “she’s intelligent, confident, takes a great interest in the world around her, puts a high value on health, happiness and well-being, is style conscious and aware of trends, but picks and chooses what works for her.”

As someone who herself exudes all of these attributes, and with a masters degree in art history adding to her aesthetic credentials, Natalia has grasped the opportunity to develop Oliver Bonas’ greeting card selection with stunning results.

Natalia joined the buying team in August 2016, having previously worked for King and McGraw, who supplies Oliver

Above: The Oliver Bonas store in Leamington Spa opened in 2018.

Left: The Lucy Maggie Designs card that is Oliver Bonas’ top everyday seller.

Below right: Greeting cards are displayed in spinners and on wooden racks, some on the wall, others free-standing in Oliver Bonas. Bottom: Natalia Kosterska (centre) with Oliver Bonas colleagues Siobhain Watkins (left) and Rahael Pearson at PG Live in June.

Bonas with its wall art, but she did have some even more relevant knowledge. “When I was a student in Brighton, I used to work on the shopfloor in our store there. I also asked for work experience in the buying office which gave me an insight into what would be involved,” says Natalia. “I love it here, we are like a family. I am given freedom, butenjoy that I still get sign off from Olly [Tress, the managing director] if I want to introduce something new or take it in a different direction.”

That breast tasseled card best seller from Lucy Maggie is a case in point, a publisher Natalia first came across at the

GCA Speed-dating with Dragons event in April and then saw again at PG Live.

“Five years ago our greeting card selection was rather twee, full of pretty butterflies and flowers. Now, the designs that really work with our customers tend to be bold, cool statements that celebrate women empowerment, contemporary graphics, puns galore, some quirky animals and unexpected extras, such as pin badges or other attachments,” sums up Natalia.

Working within the stores’ space constraints poses something of a challenge, but not an insurmountable one, thanks to the support of the shopfloor team.

Somewhat unusual for a group with 77 stores, there is no carbon copy uniformity within the store estate, with the layout, fascia branding and fixtures all being slightly different, all of which add to the feeling of being in an independent emporium.

Extending this to the greeting card selection, which span spinners and wooden racks (wall and free-standing), to provide a wide selection and give the customer the PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE

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Retailer Face To Face

sense of discovery, three different designs are displayed in each pocket.

“Greeting cards are very important to us.

It doesn’t seem to matter where we position the card displays in the stores, our customers find them and invariably buy more than one card at a time,” reveals Natalia.

Currently buying from up to 80 different publishers for the 700 skus it offers, Natalia individually selects each design, which are then intermixed on the racks or spinners, with defined areas for occasions, everyday and seasonal when appropriate. “This only works as we have the support of the shopfloor team,” accepts Natalia.

She feels that Oliver Bonas’ growing greeting card sales are very much down to the wealth of greeting card publishers out there. While most of the fashion and lifestyle products Oliver Bonas stocks are bespoke to the retailer - many designed to fit into a theme by its in-house team - with a few exceptions, the greeting cards are from branded publishers ranges.

“I would like to have more exclusive designs, but the wealth of choice out there from publishers is extraordinary. I so love the different signature looks each of them have,” says Natalia.

While ‘newness’ is inherent in order to keep pace with trends, Natalia is steadfast about not delisting a best seller.

“We have one Loveday Designs’ card that has been one of our top performing occasions cards for the last five years so, of course, we are not going to replace that. But then on everyday, in addition to the Lucy Maggie design, we have a couple of Rumble cards and two Pinata pin badge designs from Redback Cards, both new to us within the last year, that rank in our top sellers,” reveals Natalia.

Although she loves to support newbie publishers, Natalia says that she is also open to the new directions coming from existing publishers that she picks up through submissions, as well as at trade shows,

Good Golly Olly As Oliver Bonas comes to the end of its 25th anniversary year, Olly Tress, md and co-founder of the business looks back and forwards.

which can then be fed into the main quarterly ‘refreshes’ to the displays.

“PG Live has to be my favourite show, not just because there are lots of brand new publishers for me to discover, but because it is easy there to see the design themes emerging from our existing and potential suppliers,” sums up Natalia.

While Natalia believes that the instore experience is what sets Oliver Bonas apart on the high street, she recognises that the following for the brand has seen its online sales growing too, which in turn offers an opportunity to grow its greeting card turnover in that space.

“What has become apparent is that cards are seen as a logical add on for customers buying online. For Christmas 2018 we more than double the number of cards we offered to 50 designs. Near the top of my ‘to do’ list for 2019 is to build our online everyday card offer. It is to all to do with our customers’ expectations. They enjoy selecting their cards in our stores and expect to be able to do the same online.”

As a Millennial herself, Natalia is well placed to comment on the role of greeting cards for this generation, who make up the largest percentage of Oliver Bonas customers.

Sharing her thoughts, Natalia says: “I really believe that as long as the designs stay as relevant as they are now, then there is no danger of greeting cards dying out. We are in an ‘emotional’ period, but one where we want to share a joke and recognise the good things in life. Cards help us to do this.” And, if you are an Oliver Bonas customer, you want this with added tassles!

Top: The breakdown of the Oliver Bonas customer demongraphics.

Left: The first shop, that opened in Fulham in 1993.

Below Oliver Tress started the company 25 years ago.

l Pick a special moment in the company’s history?

“It came right at the very beginning. I was driving home after my first Saturday in the store believing I could make a career out of this. I had taken £1,000 and was euphoric that my gamble into the complete unknown appeared to have paid off.” l Oliver Bonas was feted in the Retail Week Awards as one of the best retailers to work for in, how would you sum up the company philosophy?

“There’s a quote by Hans Christian Andersen: ‘There is more to life than living. You need sunshine, freedom and a little flower’. Our job is to be the ’little flower’ in customers’ lives, which means doing our bit to make living a joyful experience and giving cause for optimism.

Added to this, what started out as a piece of original wall art in the store featuring the words, ‘Work Hard, Play Hard, Be Kind’, has evolved into our company values. These two quotes combine to form the lens through which we make decisions.” l You have 77 stores now, with a stated ambition to take it to 100 stores. Would you like to turn Oliver Bonas into an international brand?

“We now have shops across the UK, with stores in Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales, and yes, I would love to open an Oliver Bonas store outside of the UK. For now though, our focus for this is online. Additionally, we have recently launched localised websites in Ireland and the US.” l In today’s tough retail environment, what do you believe is the secret to the company’s success?

“If in doubt, keep it simple. And remember that your team are your single biggest asset. We therefore stick to our philosophy and our values and it has worked for us so far.”

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SQUEEZE THE DAY, A NEW COLLECTION OF 16 CARDS FOR FOODIES EVERYWHERE. See it first at - Top Drawer London, Stand W41 Scotland’s Trade Fair, Stand L32 Harrogate Christmas show, Stand Q10

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A showcase of products on display at Top Drawer Spring, 13-15 January 2019, Olympia, London.

Over The Moon Copper Moon is one of a trio of brand new ranges from Cinnamon Aitch, with 12 truly stylish little C7 cards packed with affirming sentiments.

Gold and copper foiling against cool marble and stone backgrounds finish off the look with classic style. Cards are printed on heavyweight board and paired with a dark grey envelope. The price is 72p each, RRP £1.75. Just one of the fantastic new ranges launching at Top Drawer.

Cinnamon Aitch 0121 773 6833 www.cinnamonaitch.co.uk Stand X46

Fabulous Women

Super Special Created in conjunction with The Art of Brilliance, Dandelion Stationery’s new range is an everyday reminder that life is short and a precious gift.

Every day is special but some are extra super duper special. That’s why acclaimed illustrator Amy Bradley has teamed up with a Doctor of Happiness (yes, really!) and Dandelion Stationery to create these scrummy cards to celebrate the best days of your life. The cards are printed onto high quality FSC board and supplied individually cellowrapped with a coordinating recycled kraft envelope.

Dandelion Stationery 01332 695359 www.dandelionstationery.co.uk Stand Y49

‘Bold and brilliant’ is the caption of this beautiful flower design, and is also the motto for the 13 new additions to Pabuku’s Fabulous range. With a spotlight on bold women (in everyday and birthday cards), all the cards are blank inside, sized 120mm x 169mm, and sold wrapped with matching coloured envelopes. Note: The cellos are made of renewable resources!

(Photocredits: DJakob).

Pabuku – The Quirky Paperie Northlight Design, UK distribution: 01235 848192 www.pabuku.com / www.northlightdesign.co.uk Stand (Northlight Design) L42

Golden Brown U Studio’s latest additions to its Toasted range comes from Dorset illustrator Louis Roskosch, whose work is filled with clever puns and pop culture references. The 15cm square blank cards, with matching envelopes, join the ever growing humorous range that counts contributions from a range of different artists.

U Studio Design 0117 944 5050 www.ustudio.design/ Stand U37

Shape Of Things

Dreamscape

Lucilla Lavender has a brand new die-cut range called Shape of Things.

Bright, fun and graphic, the cards feature captions to suit each shape, with simple patterns and striking colour combinations that contrast well with a contemporary grey envelope.

Holographic foil provides the finishing touch.

Kapelki Art has already become very recognisable for its quirky and fun animals.

This time it is launching a new range called The Magic of Dreams, introducing people characters and gentle baby cards. The designs are being true to the unique folk style: babies in gorgeous cradles, cheeky toddlers playing trumpets, riding chickens or harvesting an enormous turnip - anything can happen, just drift into your dreams.

Lucilla Lavender 0203 405 1410 www.lucillalavender.com Stand Y57

Kapelki Art www.kapelkiart.com Stand ZB56

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A showcase of products on display at Top Drawer Spring, 13-15 January 2019, Olympia, London.

Wonderful Woofs Sarah Lovell Art’s new 'Dogs in Stripy Jumpers' range of 20 illustrated dog cards features dogs sporting a colourful stripy jumper. From a Poodle to a Chihuahua, you're bound to find a pooch that you'll love. The A6 card designs are lovely and colourful, created using a mix of hand-painted watercolour set against a digitally painted background. The cards come cellowrapped with a brown kraft envelope and are all proudly designed and printed in the UK.

Dazzling Array

Sarah Lovell Art 07979 814146 www.sarahlovell.art/ Stand ZA57

Hotchpotch has a trio of new launches, including Glitter Ball, a new range with tactile holographic and iridescent glitter pouches. The glitter moves in the pouch when shaken and adds another dimension to the trend-led designs. The Lemonade range is a fresh, fruity, fun and zingy collection full of rainbows, confetti, unicorns and lemons. And the Mirror Mirror range is finished with ohso-shiny silver and gold laser-cut mirror acrylic badges.

Earlybird are launching lots of ‘new’ at Top Drawer, including more gorgeousness from fab artist Bex Parkin.

As well as new additions to her already existing card range, Bex’s wonderful world of botanical and tropical paintings are being expanded into a visual feast in giftwrap. Six new card designs feature big cats, leopard print and monkeys, toucans, zebras and flamingoes, are complemented by four wrap designs, all inspired by vibrant jungle colours.

Earlybird 01227 765372 www.earlybirddesigns.co.uk Stand Y44

Lola Design are launching three new ranges this Spring, including Botanique, a floral contemporary words range, Summer Vibes, a vibrant selection of designs with vivid spot colours, and Botflitter. Lola are also extending its successful Wildlife Botanical range with a series of 10 beautiful new designs taking the number of designs to 50 in both a square format as well as availability in other export friendly sizes. Lola Design are exhibiting at Top Drawer and Spring Fair.

Lola Design 01904 675514 www.loladesignltd.zcom Stand Y42

Hotchpotch 01243 792600 www.hotchpotchlondon.com Stand X54

Tropical Taste

Delicious Designs

Colour Creators ArtPress is proud to be launching a new range by the innovative colour creators Inaluxe. The Inamals range showcases their mastery of pattern and combines it with animals from around the world in a happy explosion of form and colour.

The collection consists of 8 card designs (150mm square), individually cellowrapped with an accompanying china white envelope.

ArtPress Publishing 020 7231 2923 www.art-press.co.uk Stand V45

Keepsakes For Top Drawer 2019, Cath Tate Cards is launching Katy’s Collectables, a hand-drawn collection by illustrator Katy Christianson in black and white lines. Contemporary and eclectic with a dash of Cath Tate humour, each illustration is inspired by the animal kingdom, myths and legends, trinkets and antiques. Each of the 16 designs in the range comes with a shocking pink neon envelope and printed on high quality board with a matt finish.

Cath Tate Cards 0208 671 2166 www.trade.cathtatecards.com Stand U33

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A showcase of products on display at Top Drawer Spring, 13-15 January 2019, Olympia, London.

Darn It Ever wondered where half of your socks disappear to? What if they find love in the wash basket and sail off into the moonlight with their new 'sole' mates? It's totally possible on 'Planet Erf', the brand new range from Lanther Black. With original titles, witty one-liners and playful poems, the 12 designs cover open love and friendship, birthdays and even a mousewarming. The cards measure 127mm x 177mm and come individually cellowrapped with a kraft brown envelope.

Lanther Black 01277 549040 www.lantherblack.com Stand X38

Bear Adventures Joining Simon’s Cat, Studio by Gemma has signed a trio of new licences, namely Sophie la Girafe, Watership Down and We’re Going on a Bear Hunt. Of the latter, SBG is launching a range of 13 (121mm x 171mm JJ/75) greeting cards featuring the beautiful iconic illustrations of We're Going on a Bear Hunt. Aimed at Nursery and Preschool age groups, We’re Going on a Bear Hunt is the 1989 classic chant aloud children's picture book written by Michael Rosen and Helen Oxenbury. Now celebrating 30 years of Swishy Swashy, Splash Splosh and Hooo Wooo, SBJ’s delightful collection of embossed cards include favourite character Rufus, the children and of course Bear.

Studio By Gemma 01264 388403 www.gemma-international.co.uk Stand X63

In The Stars Meraki has two new ranges - ‘About a Girl’ is a range of nine designs focusing on the strength of female friendship and the fun that comes with it. Bold brights, prints and lifestyle subject matter jump out from these designs making a bold statement with girl power. Meraki’s Zodiac range is inspired by astronomy. These delicate illustrations feature a scattering of copper accents on nine designs. Subject matter includes fashion, animals and contemporary statements.

Meraki 020 7840 2662 Stand W62

Pop-Up Shop Exhibiting at Top Drawer for the first time with 50 brand new card designs, one of the collections from Natalie Alex Designs is called 'Festive Pop', a collection of five Christmas cards that are bright and cheerful and feature fun sentiments like ‘Ho Ho Ho’ Oh What Fun' and ‘Jingle’ with hand-drawn lettering.

Printed on FSC card, with a gorgeous matt laminate finish and gold foil accents to make them feel luxurious, the A6 cards come with a red envelope and are individually wrapped in a biodegradable cellophane bag.

Natalie Alex Designs www.nataliealexdesigns.com Stand V59

Sweet Stuff Louise Tiler Designs’ new Sweet and Simple range focuses on a modern and fresh style, incorporating stripes, bold florals and modern hand-brush lettering.

Louise Tiler has taken inspiration from its 2017 bestselling range 20th Century Girl (part of the winning submission for The Henries Most Promising Designer Award) to create another eye-catching range.

There are 22 new designs in this range covering birthdays, Mother's Day and thank you, just to name a few.

Louise Tiler Designs 01535 957878 www.louisetiler.com Stand ZB41

Fiesta Forever Blue Eyed Sun is launching a gorgeous new range of handmade greeting cards by designer Jo Corner called FIESTA. This pretty, colourful new collection is based on original handmade collages and is hand-finished with jewels. There are 48 designs available, each comes wrapped with a compostable cellobag and a colour coordinated envelope. All cards are 160mm square, ordered in sixes and all paper used is FSC certified. Trade price is £1.35, RRP £3.25.

Blue Eyed Sun +44 (0)1273 823003 www.blueeyedsu.co.uk Stand P49

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A showcase of products on display at Top Drawer Spring, 13-15 January 2019, Olympia, London.

A Festive Flurry There are 12 designs in Jessica Hogarth’s new London landmarks themed Christmas range. Each card features Jessica’s original illustrations, which have then been coloured digitally, and every card features a gold foil finish. The designs measure 120mm x 170mm and come cellowrapped singly with a red envelope. The cards will also be available to purchase in packs.

Jessica Hogarth 077866906648 www.jessicahogarth.com Stand Y46

Whistle With Wonder

Building Blocks

Brexit? Trumpmania? Jezza? What can you do except laugh, and Frankie Whistle brings you a new pile of cards to help you along the way. Featuring a few familiar faces, Stuff and Nonsense is a brand new range of birthday cards coming out in time for Top Drawer. See them all on its stand!

The Pattern Book’s new Architecture and Design range brings to life buildings and furniture from some of the world’s great architectural and design talent, including Thomas Sheraton and Christopher Wren.

Printed on uncoated Italian paper, designs come with a recycled flek kraft envelope and are wrapped in recyclable cello bags.

Frankie Whistle 07816 286885 frankiewhistle.com Stand Z50

The Pattern Book 020 7274 0042 www.thepatternbook.co.uk Stand W38

Pooch Parade Continuing with its use of a bold colour palette and quirky design, I Ended Up Here... are showing its new Dog Show range at Top Drawer. Well-known for its Flock and Creatures designs, this range focuses on some of our four-legged friends, adding a charm and fun to the breeds featured – ten in all, ranging from the regal Corgi to the mini Chihuahua. All cards are printed on FSC approved board and come with a Callisto Pearl envelope and cello bag.

The designs will also be available as a coaster.

I Ended Up Here... www.iendeduphere.co.uk Stand ZB44

Sunshine Day Stormy Knight’s new 'Good Feels' collection is made up of 18 contemporary designs and launches at Top Drawer Spring! Each design is beautifully illustrated in a gorgeous pastel colour palette, finished with satin gold foil and comes individually wrapped with a 100% recycled envelope.

Stormy Knight 07875027551 www.stormyknight.co.uk Stand ZB52

Love & Laughter Huetribe will be exhibiting at Top Drawer SS19. In addition to its current ranges, the company will be launching its new range Live.Laugh.Love., which celebrates LGBT+ and interracial love just in time for the spring season. There are nine designs in the new range, size 145mm square. The cards are printed on 300gsm FSC board and sold with kraft ribbed envelopes and individually cellowrapped. All show orders are 15% off.

Huetribe 07943416562 www.huetribe.com Stand X56

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FROM

See the full range at Top Drawer stand U33 orders@cathtatecards.com 020 8671 2166

www.trade.cathtatecards.com

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PG showcases a selection of new product launches

A Big Adventure Hallmark’s new Giant Adventure Cards are massive! They fold out into 3D play surrounds and include stories, activities and puzzles for children aged 3 to 5. The initial launch includes a space ship, a castle, a mermaid’s sand palace and the land of the dinosaurs. Created by editor Victoria Raw and art director Neil Shoesmith, every huge 370mm x 300mm card tells a story!

Hallmark Cards 0800 90 20 900 www.trade.hallmark.co.uk

Pendant Penchant

Hanging Fruits

The new Necklace Collection by Emma Lawrence Designs is a card and gift in one. Each includes a handcrafted pewter pendant, made by a Shropshire artisan featuring Emma’s unique designs. The pendants form part of the picture on the hand-drawn illustrated cards, which are made in the Lake District and printed in the UK. The designs reflect the popular nature trend and will appeal to a wide variety of ages.

Cherry Orchard has launched a stunning new range called Plumeria. The 14 female open square designs feature birds, butterflies, flamingos and flowers.

The cards, with intricate detail, are all finished with foil and flitter to make them really stand out on the racks. The range is priced at code 55 (RRP £1.79).

Cherry Orchard 01684 295500 cherryorchardpublishing.co.uk

Emma Lawrence Designs 07801442924 www.emmalawrence.com

Take Note New from Splimple for 2019 is Note to Self, a brightly coloured range of 24 cards, 155mm square and blank inside. As you’d expect from Splimple, the humour is original, sharp and pithy. Ideal cards to enjoy long after the birthday’s over – cut up and stuck on the fridge!

Splimple www.splimple.com 01386 872752

Festive Fashionista

Tickled Pink

Publisher Memelou has added some Christmas designs to its popular Très Chic collection. The range has 16 relations designs within it, perfect for family or friends. Each card is 150mm square, comes with a red envelope and are cellowrapped.

How Funny’s hand-drawn digital illustrations are all created by artist Jez How. Designed and printed in the UK, all of the publisher’s 105mm x 150mm size cards feature white 324gsm responsibly sourced board, are individually cellowrapped and come with a recycled ribbed kraft envelope. Inside, the cards have been left blank for own message.

Memelou 07866803293 Memelou.com

How Funny 0796 109 3202 www.how-funny.co.uk PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE

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PG showcases a selection of new product launches

Hidden Messages Scratchcards is a range of unique interactive greeting cards by Lee Thomas Design. Currently comprising 12 cards covering birthday to Christmas, each design ultimately allows the recipient to choose their own card from three different hidden messages, be it cheeky, rude or extremely nice. The sender will know what’s under the panels when purchasing. Cards (A6) come wrapped and with a coloured envelope matching the colour of each card.

Lee Thomas Design 07702 162136 scratch.cards@outlook.com

Christmas Hounds

A ‘Clowder' Of Kittens

Dotty Dog Art’s new Christmas range features hand-painted watercolour mistletoe wreaths and dogs! Artist Kathy Webster has a huge passion for art and dogs and shares her studio with two bouncy poodles who are an endless source of entertainment and inspiration for her artwork. The designs are size 150mm square, printed on luxury textured board and come with a kraft envelope and are cellowrapped.

Purpose & Worth etc is ‘feline’ pretty good about its new baby cards with matching giftwrap paper designs. Channeling a retroillustrative style and muted colour palette, the ‘Kitty-corner’ range of greeting cards are A6 in size and are printed on luxury Mohawk 324gsm board that is produced using wind power!

Purpose & Worth etc 07779657477 purposeandworthetc.com

Dotty Dog Art 01367 240872 www.dottydogart.co.uk

Puzzle Solving The Crossword range from Thinking Winking features 15 designs, each focused on a theme, hobby or passion, from cats to yoga. The designs aimed at men’s interests, including golf, cricket and fishing, are proving particularly popular.

Each crossword contains the word YOU to celebrate the receiver of the card. All designs have been created by arty English teacher Genevieve Fay, and the cards measure 5” x 7”, come with white envelopes and are cellowrapped.

Thinking Winking 07931 484600 www.thinkingwinking.com

Made With Love

Catch Of The Day

Sally Scaffardi Design has added a host of new designs to its ever popular Love range. The designs in the collection are appropriate for anniversaries, Valentine’s and any moment where there is a need to express love with a touch of humour.

The 150mm square cards are cellowrapped with a recycled eco kraft envelope.

Paper Bird is flying into 2019 with a great haul of fresh new designs. ‘Catch Of The Day’

by Una Joy (pictured) is just one of the design additions to its Fauna range, joining 50 new designs across the catalogue and two fabulous new collections. The publisher is working on eco packaging options but for now its cellowrapping the card with an envelope as usual.

Sally Scaffardi Design 07747 032505 www.sallyscaffardidesign.co.uk

Paper Bird 0208 613 8085 or 07766164807 www.paperbirdpublishing.co.uk

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Spotlight On Ladder Clubbies

The Ladder Club was set up over 20 years ago to help newbie publishers safely scale the rungs of greeting card publishing.

Some of The Ladder Clubbies Class of 2018 share their ‘life before cards’ and what led them into the industry, what they gleaned from attending one of the two day Ladder Club seminars and what plans are afoot for 2019.

Rhian Gruffydd, founder of GruffPawtraits: Before cards: “I’ve been a freelance photographer for the best part of 20 years, working for various magazines and charities, such as Comic Relief, working all over the UK and often on charity projects throughout Africa.

Gruffpawtraits all started one day just before Christmas 2017 when I was doing a Christmas tree shoot at a journalist’s house. The lady I was about to photograph with her Nordic spruce was still in make-up and we had a lot to get through so I said, “Can I borrow your dog as a stand in to check the light exposure?”.

It wasn’t until I got home later that evening to do my day’s edit that I came across the opening picture of her Tibetan terrier looking straight at me and thought what a great picture it was. I couldn’t help going back to that picture again and again - it just captivated me.

After that, whenever I had an ‘at home’ photo-shoot, if there was a dog present I would always ask “can I use your dog as a stand in”, just to see if I could get as good a portrait as the first dog; to see if it wasn’t a fluke. Well it wasn’t. I very quickly found I was actually pretty good at getting any dog to Top: Rhian Gruffydd of Gruffportraits look straight at the camera. at the Battersea Ball.

It was my friend’s birthday Above: Gruffportraits’ Rhian Gruffydd is lucky to have “the best neighbours and I knew of a local printer in in the world”, as they helped her package all her dog cards for the Notting Hill so I went in and asked Battersea Ball goody bags. if I could get one of my dog images printed onto a card? The printer loved the image and we fast developed a great relationship where I would be in every few days with images of different dogs to be trialled on a card some worked some didn’t.

The cards were only for my own personal use and it hadn’t crossed my mind that I could possibly make a business out of them.

Ingrid Henningsson, founder of Of Spring and Summer: Before cards: “I’m a Swedish photographer based for many years in London where I live with my family.

I studied Fine Art and Textiles at Camberwell College of Art and it was during that time that I picked up my first SLR camera and fell in love with photography.

I later went back to school and trained in Horticulture and Garden Design, followed by several years lecturing at The English Gardening School. I also worked for the BBC as a horticultural consultant at Chelsea Flower Show.

In 2009 I launched a blog called ‘Of Spring and Summer’ featuring photography and flowers, and later produced an ‘Of Spring and Summer’ website to highlight my photography.

Lately, I have been contributing as a freelance photographer and stylist for a variety of Scandinavian and American magazines.”

Shining advice: “I attended The Ladder Club for the first time in November 2018 and came away with an incredible amount of valuable information. As a ‘newbie’ there is a lot to learn, and what better place than from a bunch of experts? One of my favourites was Blue Eyed Sun’s Jeremy Corner’s brilliant talk called ‘Four Different Hats’.”

New for 2019: “I’m now working on a collection of photographic greeting cards, wrapping paper and stationery, and during 2019 I will be further developing these ranges.”

Top right: Founder of ‘Of Spring and Summer’, Ingrid Henningsson.

Above: A beautiful floral design from Of Spring and Summer.

I had thought that an exhibition would be a great way to show them off, but a friend then gave me a great idea: “Why don’t you concentrate on your greeting cards, everyone loves them!” He continued: “I know someone whose mother was on the board at Battersea Dogs Home, why don’t you give her some samples to take in and try and get them in the goody bags for the Battersea Ball?”

So my samples were taken to Battersea Dogs Home and they loved them!

Just a week later, at the charity ball, we had a table and I saw my cards in everyone’s goody bag - it was the most amazing sense of achievement!

The following week I attended my first Ladder Club seminar it could not have been better timing.”

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Spotlight On Ladder Clubbies

Joy Thomas, founder of Joypolloi: Before cards: “I’m an archivist by trade. When we moved away from London I took some time out to look after small children and have a re-think about my career. I’d been making collages for a while and started making them as cards for friends and family. A chance meeting with Tim and Annie Gould of card publisher Objectables changed everything. Tim and Annie have been incredibly generous with their knowledge, experience, time, patience... as well as stocking my designs in their brilliant shop in Folkestone. We’ve even just collaborated on a tablemat, of all things. They are the best! and everyone should go and buy one of their cards immediately.”

Shining advice: “Embarrassingly, I hadn’t realised the importance of presenting cards in ranges - rather than just as a random selection of mad images that burst forth from my brain.

So Mark Janson-Smith, owner of Postmark, definitely helped me

better understand what retailers are looking for. Jeremy Corner’s business talk at The Ladder Club was such a good reminder to me to understand and face up to the business side of things early on.”

New for 2019: “I don’t think I’m ready to exhibit at a trade fair yet but I’m aiming to do PG Live in 2020. I’m working on an everyday range called My Favourite Colour which is a mad, bright, over the top rainbow celebration. I also have a series of birthday cards in the pipeline called Evening Regret, which is basically about drinking too much and waking up the next morning feeling remorse for the previous night’s actions. Tee hee!”

Above: Joy Thomas of Joypolloi.

Right: Crazy and surreal, the Five of Clubs design from Joypolloi.

Sam Luxford, founder of NaviStitch:

Jaime Dallas, founder of Ruby Tuesday:

Before cards: “I grew up on the North Essex coast and spent many years of my adult life as a cook on Thames Sailing Barges. I have always loved to stitch, and NaviStitch perfectly combines my love of the coast, stitching and navigation charts.

I was inspired by a Pinterest image of a road trip stitched onto an ordinance survey map, and this got my creative mind buzzing. The result was NaviStitch, which are hand-stitched nautical images on old navigation charts. The card designs are prints taken from original stitching under licence from the Hydrographic Office.”

Shining advice: “I have attended The Ladder Club Day One twice now. The first time was so enlightening, a wonderful insight into the industry and I learnt so much. Having already implemented some of what I learnt last year, this year I was focused on different elements. I am exhibiting at PG Live in June, which will be my first trade fair, so the advice (from Jim Bullough) on setting up a trade stand and what to expect was extremely useful.”

New for 2019: “I have been lucky enough to win a competition for my cards to feature in Colchester Fenwick for a minimum of two months in spring 2019. I am currently working on doubling my range, and this will include a new range on monochrome vintage charts to sit alongside my coloured range.

The new range will be in place by the time my Fenwick opportunity and PG Live take place.”

Before cards: “I started my career journey in 2001 when I graduated from university with a degree in graphic design. Today, I am a creative professional with over 15 years experience working in-house within the luxury, fashion and beauty sector.

I work across a broad spectrum of mediums, however I have had a particular passion for print, paper and finishing ever since I was introduced to it during my employment at Gucci Group. I had the opportunity to design the Group’s Christmas cards and invites for special events and shows. During this time I visited department stores in central London for research and found myself in awe of all the beautiful cards and paper products. It was then that I first dreamt of becoming a greeting card publisher.

On Tuesday the 12 of April 2016 my daughter Ruby was born, and this was the catalyst for finally giving it a go. I have created the brand Ruby Tuesday, and my vision is to offer unique and luxury greeting cards.”

Shining advice: “The Ladder Club experience was inspiring, insightful, practical and supportive. I gained lots of invaluable knowledge from the speakers, to help me develop as a successful publisher, however, above all, I was able to piece together fragments of a larger industry picture of which I hope to become part of. What stood out was a genuine sense of supportiveness, exceptional working relations and high morale.”

New for 2019: “I have just booked my stand (756) in Springboard at PG Live in June and am extremely excited to be doing my first trade show. The next six months will be spent knuckling down, planning my stand presentation and designing new ranges that I will be launching in the lead up to the show.”

Top: Sam Luxford of NaviStitch.

Above: NaviStitch’s designs are hand-stitched nautical images on old navigation charts.

Top: Jaime Dallas, founder of Ruby Tuesday.

Above: Some of Ruby Tuesday’s Neon Pops designs.

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Spotlight On Ladder Clubbies

Sarah Burman, founder of Sarah Burman Design: Before cards: “To say that I have always loved drawing is a massive understatement. At school I couldn’t decide between art and science and to my teachers’ great amusement I ended up doing both at ‘A’ Level.

When I started at uni it was on an art foundation course with a view to going on to interior design or animation. But sadly, my father died during that year from a rare form of cancer, and because I was so interested in what was happening to him I was persuaded to change tack and study Immunology and Cancer Biology; hence my degree and career to date in science.

However, my passion for drawing never went away and I continued to draw outside of my scientific career, but this has now become my complete focus and I am determined to make it a success.

Combined with my love of animals this has led to my range of animal drawings which tries to capture their character together with a little bit of cheekiness thrown in.”

Shining advice: “The Ladder Club is a must for anyone starting out in the greeting card industry. It was a jam-packed seminar, with a wealth of information - in particular it was great to hear from Megan Purdie of Megan Claire, who now has a successful business, but is also a Ladder Club ‘graduate’!

There were many invaluable tips for doing your first trade show, retailer insights, business tips and Ian Bradley sharing his perspective as a sales agent. I found all the hints and tips from everyone’s experiences to be invaluable. All the little things you wouldn’t think of if you were doing it on your own.”

New for 2019: “I am appearing in Spotted at Top Drawer (Stand SP221) and I am looking forward to building relationships, getting retailers’ attention, putting my brand out there and building credibility. I’m looking forward to meeting other people in the industry, learning how others present their stands, getting feedback on my work from various retailers and getting contacts to follow up with after the event.”

Above: Sarah Burman will be in Spotted at Top Drawer this month.

Left: A cheeky giraffe from Sarah Burman Design.

Ruth McLean, founder of Ruth McLean Studio:

Tracy Mills, co-founder and designer for Greenhouse:

Before cards: “After graduating with a fashion degree from Kingston University I spent 10 years designing womenswear for heritage American and British brands.

When I had my first baby we moved out of London to the Dorset countryside and I spent the next six years being a full-time mum to my two children, dabbling in a bit of freelance but reluctant to go fully back into the fashion world. I always truly loved the drawing side of designing and illustrating collections so earlier this year I dusted off my pencils and inks. After a couple of commissions from friends to illustrate some cards I decided to look into the business side of things and stumbled across an article about The Ladder Club.”

Shining advice: “The seminar was amazingly informative, with so much packed into one day! The first thing I noticed was how friendly everyone was, and how ready to share information, suppliers, tips, everything really. Such a contrast to the fashion industry! I found the talks about exhibiting at trade shows particularly helpful, and the retailer’s perspective, Mark from Postmark, was very useful too. I came away having booked my first trade show, and with a real sense of direction and clarity about the greeting card business.”

New for 2019: “My plans for 2019 are to expand my current range of cards, and I’m also developing a second, slightly bolder coloured line to launch at PG Live in June.”

Before cards: “A textile designer within the home furnishings sector, I have over 25 years of experience. I specialised in textile design at university. It has always been a dream of mine to be able to focus on the greetings sector of the creative industry.”

Shining advice: “Having attended the October 2018 Ladder Club, I came back to Manchester fully energised and inspired to pursue my ambition. Listening to industry experts and gaining insight into how they work, whilst being among my peers, was truly beneficial to me.”

New for 2019: “Having joined forces with my husband Scott, who is a graphic designer with over 25 years’ experience and runs a graphic design agency, we are combining our design and business skills which should be a great advantage to the business. Also adding Jo Bayes to the mix with over 20 years of sales and business and customer service experience, 2019 is looking really exciting for Greenhouse.”

Top: Ruth McLean.

Above and right: Two beautiful designs from Ruth McLean Studio.

Top: Greenhouse’s Tracy Mills (centre) with husband Scott and Jo Bayes.

Above: Her textile designer experience shines through Tracy Mill’s card designs.

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FEBRUARY 3-6, 2019 co-located with

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The NSS presents you with hundreds of great new products from some of the newest and most exciting designers in the stationery industry today. Attend in February and meet the people behind the lines that will take your business to a new level in 2019.

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In Conversation With... TMS

The Flying Dutchmen Taylor-Made Studios (TMS) is something of an enigma in the greeting card world, but a sizable one, supplying around 100 card publishers internationally with curated collections.

Over £80 million worth of its greeting card designs are sold every year in retailers all over the world. It has been at a significant global player for 25 years, and, as from the start of 2019, is making a foray into design-led stationery under The House of Stationery brand.

With its founder Ron Schurman using the milestone to prepare to step back from the day to day running of the business, handing over the reins to his son Vincent, PG thought it was time to learn more about this ‘under the radar’ powerhouse.

The Dutch have been revered as global traders for hundreds of years. It was back in the 17th century, the so-called ‘Dutch Golden Age’ that the Netherlanders soared to prominence as global leaders in trade, the arts and science.

Ron Schurman chuckles at the suggestion that in Taylor-Made Studios (TMS), the company he founded in 1993 in the Netherlands, has continued this legacy through greeting cards.

“I suppose yes, the Dutch have always been pretty good at the opportunities of international trade, but it has changed a bit since the 17th century!” quips Ron. TMS’ place in ‘the global greeting card history book’ goes back to its inception 25 years ago when Ron, drawing on his 15

years’ experience in the greeting card world (latterly heading up the European operations for Hallmark), grasped the opportunity to set up a company that would become a design supplier and producer for card publishers all over the world.

This different model, whereby TMS would create a diverse design portfolio, which could then be curated for select card publishers all over the world, still continues to this day.

“We now have some 100 customers (ie card publishers) with whom we work ensuring some degree of exclusivity. In larger markets, such as the UK, we may work closely with say three publishers as customers, while in other territories which have smaller card markets, such as say Brazil or Iceland, we have one customer,” elaborates Ron, with

Moving into stationery This year, for the first time, TMS is exhibiting at Spring Fair, marking its 25th anniversary by debuting a new strand to the business. Under the brand, House of Stationery, the company is now looking to translate what it has done on the card front into stationery.

“We have been planning this for some time,” says Vincent Schurman.

“There is a real hype at the moment about stationery. It seems the more we use our phones, the more we appreciate tangible paper products, like greeting cards and stationery. This is surely good news!”

The resultant collection, which comes under The House of Stationery brand includes various formats of notebooks, planners, memo boxes, card wallets and sticky notes, available in a number of collections (including three designs licensed from Paper Salad), but its publisher customers will also have the option of featuring their own designs on the products.

Above: TMS’ customers can either select ‘off the shelf’ or have stationery items made with their own designs.

Below: Two of the licensed Paper Salad designs that appear within The House of Stationery portfolio.

Right: TMS is now looking to replicate what it has done on cards in stationery.

Below: TMS will be exhibiting at Paperworld in Frankfurt in January and at Spring Fair in February.

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Book your tickets now at www.progressivegreetingslive.com

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PG Live 2019 Tuesday 4 - Wednesday 5 June Business Design Centre, London +44 (0) 1635 297070 www.progressivegreetingslive.com @PGLiveLondon

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In Conversation With... TMS Sasha

its UK ‘customers’ including Pigment, CBG, GBCC and Carousel Calendars.

The key, to Ron’s mind, has always been to have designs that cater for the different tastes of each nation.

“Everything has to start with the design, the right design for the territory. For this reason we have built up a vast team of designers from all over the world, some of whom work in our in-house studio but many more are off site. This way we know that we can offer designs that reflect the aesthetic cultures of anywhere in the world,” assures Ron. As well as its ‘home’ generated designs, this year sees TMS also offer Carte Blanche Group’s Hotchpotch designs to customers in Europe and has also forged a link with Paper Salad for some of its ranges for Europe too.

Added to TMS’ vast and varied design portfolio, which in 2019 will span 1,000 different designs, is TMS’ production nous and capabilities.

Its facilities in China take lenticular design to another dimension - “Forget 3D,

11:43 - 1 V93VZ027_3D.indd 24/07/2014

Cyan) Magenta) Yellow) (Process Black)

we can do 5D now! We have done 350,000 of one Me to You design alone,” says Ron - while the sound and light capabilities that are now achievable are equally amazing.

However, for all these ‘whistles and bows’, Ron still has the utmost respect for creating a beautiful, well-produced greeting card.

“Quality is what is important, in design and production. We recently bought a cold foil machine in Florence and had it shipped out to China; we buy in top of the range board as it makes such a difference to how a design can look,” says Ron. Surprisingly, Ron says it was the last

recession that helped to shape TMS for the better.

“Back in 2010/2011 we had a recession in Holland, but being an international company we also had to deal with all the recessions in other countries too.

The pressure was on to do ‘cheap, cheap, cheap’ and we realised that this was not the best route forward, so we said goodbye to 26 customers and concentrated on taking our offer more upmarket. It has worked well so far, both for us and our customers, and long may it continue,” says Ron, a true Dutch global trader if ever there was one!

Above: One of TMS’s customers is CBG. Right: Ron (left) and Vincent Schurman during a recent visit to the UK. Below: Some 1,000 card designs will debut from TMS for 2019.

Like father, like son It is hard to believe that the human whirlwind that is Ron Schurman is going to ‘slow down’ and hand more of the day to day running of the business to his son Vincent and the senior management team.

Ron wouldn’t be even considering it did he not have a ‘replacement’ he knew incredibly well and trusted implicitly to continue the company values and treasure its customer relationships.

Having worked together in the company for 20 years (and obviously known each other since Vincent took his first breath), the succession plan is a solid one.

Vincent has earned his spurs - as TMS’ sales director he has travelled the world, visiting customers for years and even more significantly lived in Hong Kong for a three-year period to oversee the setting up of its operation in China.

The two share easy banter, and Vincent is full of praise for his father.

“Of course my Dad is my Dad, but over the years he has become my mentor, my business partner and maybe more importantly my best friend. We share everything and discuss everything.

Admittedly, when it comes to business he tends to take ‘the old school’ approach while I opt for a more modern fashionable approach, but that has worked very well over the years as we have an enormous amount of respect towards each other.

After working 20 years together we understand each other much better than ever before, especially when we handle customers together. Besides that we always have great fun when we travel together.”

It has been through travelling together on business that Ron has been able to impart his knowledge and winning business approach to his son.

So what lessons has Vincent learned from his father that will stand him in good stead as he takes over the running of the business?

From a teaching perspective: “We have travelled all over the world together in order for me to learn each and every culture and ways of doing business on different levels.

He [Ron] showed me why certain collections work in one country and not in another country, because of tastes, culture, handwriting etc, highlighting the importance of having diversity within our collection. This brought home to me the importance of us creating a team of designers from different countries and continents, enabling us able to supply over 40 countries with designs that really work in each territory.”

From a sales perspective: “He has taught me to always look for high end products where everybody can earn something. To offer diversity in products which nobody else has or can produce; be different from the rest!”

From a customer perspective: “It is important to always think with the customer and maybe more importantly think for the customer.

Prepare yourself before a meeting and surprise your customer.”

From a managing perspective: “We are all equal, we stand next to each other hand in hand as a strong force, and not in front or behind each other because of title. We have to do the job together!”

One of Vincent’s main focus for 2019 will be the UK. When prompted as to what he likes about the UK, Vincent says, “Each and every time I drive through the UK it amazes me how beautiful the small towns are. Up till now my best UK experience has to be my trip to Wimbledon with Dad. It was simply was fantastic, from Centre Court to Henman Hill, the ambience of Wimbledon is one of a kind!”

PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE

73

ART SOURCE

TO APPEAR REGULARLY IN THE

ARTSOURCE SECTION OF PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS CONTACT TRACEY ARNAUD ON 01234 740 051

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Art Source PG helps to paint a pretty picture of freelance artists, designers, verse writers and photographers’ worlds in order to promote their talents to publishers and, conversely, make it easier for publishers seeking artists.

ARTIST IN FOCUS

Gillian Martin Growing up in a creative household I decided early on that I was going to be an illustrator when I grew up. I loved nothing more than buying a new sketch book with my pocket money! Mum was an art teacher and always had a project on the go, Dad ran a graphic design studio and was also a sign writer. All three of my brothers are in creative industries too - one a model maker working on films such as Harry Potter and Star Wars, one a painter running an art school in Australia and the other designs interactive exhibitions for museums worldwide. Between them I believe they could make anything.

I’m currently living by the sea on the North Yorkshire coast, I have also lived in London and Toronto.

Armed with a degree in Illustration I first moved to London in the 80’s and worked for a huge range of clients in publishing, advertising and editorial markets. Art Licensing is a relatively new adventure for me, and I am now represented by Sue Bateman at Yellow House. It’s very exciting to see my work on products and as greeting cards and prints.

I would describe my illustration style as strongly influenced by all things mid-century, quite playful and graphic.

The art, furniture and fabric design from that period I find very inspiring. My usual process is to scan an ink drawing into Photoshop to work in layers.

I like a limited colour palette and to creating a ‘printed’ look. Also, I absolutely love seeing other artist’s work on Instagram and Pinterest. There’s so much brilliant work out there, it’s a joy to scroll through social media with my morning coffee!

I really enjoy doing online courses to try out new ideas. There are some great global online communities, which are very supportive and inspiring too. l Contact Sue on 07879278100 l Email: sue@yellowhouseartlicensing.com l Web: www.yellowhouseartlicensing.com

WANT TO BE FEATURED?

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

PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE

75

ART SOURCE

TO APPEAR REGULARLY IN THE

ARTSOURCE SECTION OF PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS CONTACT TRACEY ARNAUD ON 01234 740 051

Let's talk envelopes...

Please contact us to discuss your requirements further.

T: 01274 581327 E: sales@ukenvelopecentre.co.uk W: www.ukenvelopecentre.co.uk

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Art Source

Claire Comerford I’ve been very fortunate to have been painting and drawing for the best part of 25 years and I couldn’t imagine doing anything else. It has always been so much more than a job to me!

I absolutely love all things flora and fauna and I would say that my biggest inspiration for my art is the time I spend in my own back garden and the stunning Yorkshire countryside that surrounds my studio. I am so spoilt for reference, and on a bright sunny day or a frosty winter morning its often hard knuckling down to paint anything and not spend the time whiling away the hours walking my dog or just staring out of my window (all in the name of reference of course!)

I have a vast library of my own sketches and photos of the marvellous things that nature has thrown my way over the years and my biggest challenge is to convey the beautiful inspirational ideas directly into my art, I just don’t think there are enough hours in the day to get it all down on paper!

I have a passion for cards! I love collecting them, sending them, receiving them and most of all designing them!

I feel very lucky to work with my agent in such a lovely heartfelt industry and I hope my art brings the viewer a little bit of joy!

To see more of my work you can view my online portfolio at www.image-source.co.uk. l Image Source Tel: 01442834464 l Email: enquiry@image-source.co.uk

Tracey English My work is whimsical, colourful and decorative. I am a London-based illustrator and surface pattern artist. I love to collage with hand-painted papers. I am inspired by nature, the environment and pattern. Most days I can be found in my home studio surrounded by paper snips! I originally illustrated for children’s educational books, magazines, greeting cards and giftwrap. After taking a break while my family were growing up, I returned with a completely new style of paper collage.

If I am working on a new idea, I will first prepare some papers to collage. I then just start snipping. Sometimes I create a rough sketch first but often I just snip until I have the desired shapes and an idea forms.

My favourite artists are Charley Harper and Eric Carle. I always have my eyes open for new ideas. Sometimes I just take a scroll through Pinterest or go for a walk around the block with my dog and I will see something that triggers a thought.

I love pattern and the way things interconnect and the effect colours have on each other. My Danish Houses and London maps designs have attracted a lot of interest. My fruit designs regularly attract commissions for packaging - my favourite joke is “Knowledge is knowing a tomato is a fruit.

Wisdom is not putting it into a fruit salad” - Peter Kay. I have licensed and created commissioned work for clients including Quarto, Bloomsbury, Deva Designs, Design House Greetings and Pigment. If you would like to license any of my work or would like to talk about a commission please contact me or my agent Jehane Ltd. l Jehane Boden Spiers Tel: 07703 185413 l Email: studio@jehane.com l Web: www.jehane.com PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE

77

01924 950500 The perfect solution for all of your Greeting Card Software requirements Enquiry Hotline

CARD manager

Ready-made WEBSHOP

for Customer and Salesforce Orders

Salesforce MOBILE Ordering

using iPhone, iPad, Tablet, etc. incl. Consignment and Van Sales Email us at enquiries@exponential.co.uk or visit our website at www.card-manager.com

UK- 01924 950500 / USA- (617) 8618-517 / Australia- (0432) 846546 Exponential Limited Suite 37 Charles Roberts House Charles Street Horbury Wakefield West Yorkshire WF4 5FH

ANIMALS WITH ATTITUDE BRAND NEW CARD COLLECTION

CALL 01480 412956 CHEEKY AGENTS REQUIRED

WWW.CHEEKYCHOPSTRADE.CO.UK

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PG asked a selection of card retailers for their ‘hot’ card sellers.

Gary Wilson, owner of Celebrations, Blyth, Northumberland A small shop in a seaside town with a loyal locals customer base.

Category

Name of Publisher

Product/Name Range

Comments

Cute

Carte Blanche

Me To You

Humour

Words ‘n’ Wishes

QH and Bags Of Gags

Traditional

Jonny Javelin

Velvet

Right: A Words ‘n’ Wishes Bags Of Gags design.

Words ‘n’ Wishes

General

Handmade/ Hand-Finished Ancillary

BCG Prelude History & Heraldry

Secret Garden Dream Daisy Personalised pens and keyrings, Candlelit Names, and Top Bloke tin mugs A Little… bracelets

People still love the little grey bear; it helps that the card designs are often refreshed.

Our customers are mature so these two ranges suit. They’re not too close to the knuckle with good one-liners and quality jokes.

One of our best-selling card ranges.

The words and artwork are very good, but most importantly is that they are good value at £1.99.

Really excellent designs. We’re getting more and more in.

Wholesale cards that are nice looking and well presented.

We usually have five to six spinners of H&H products instore. The products are good, well presented on the spinner, and the prices are reasonable - from £2.99 to £4.99.

These sentiments bracelets do really well. They've been our bestselling gift of the last two years. And, importantly, the company won’t supply another store nearby.

Joma Jewellery

Vanessa Bellion, owner of Derbyshires, Formby, Merseyside A large shop in a coastal town with an age 30+ loyal locals customer base.

Category

Name of Publisher

Product/Name Range

Comments

Humour

Emotional Rescue (distributed by Carte Blanche) Paper House (GBCC) Rainbow Cards (Ling) Cherry Orchard Abacus

Norbert & Val, Virtual Safari, Crazy Critters

Heritage Cards & Souvenirs

Cumbria & The Lakes

Abacus

Graphite

Contemporary

Mint Publishing Clare Maddicott (Abacus)

Candy and Glitterati Velvet

Traditional

Colour

Grass Roots

Handmade/ Hand-Finished

Real & Exciting Designs (Mint Publishing)

Moonlight

Our collection of humour ranges appeals to all different age groups, and the ranges are funny without being rude; there’s something to tickle everyone!

The publisher offers local to region scenes on cards. The designs we stock are of the Lake District, a beautiful area close to us.

A male range which captures themes and hobbies appealing to men.

We have customers from two different ends of the age spectrum and these chic card designs appeal to both.

Traditional with a modern edge, the appeal is that the designs are friendship sends with sways of colour and glitter.

Nice modern designs with lovely unusual finishes.

Right: A Funny Bones design from Rainbow Cards (Ling).

Below: With a touch of sparkle, a Glitterati design from Mint.

Photographic

The Animal Function Funny Bones Wot A Mug Happy As Larry

PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE

79

PRINTED PAPER STRAWS

! e e r F t l i u G y Part

8mm, Totally Re-cyclable, Funky Printed Paper Straws!

GIN TIME

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HAPPY BIRTHDAY

PROSECCO TIME

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Gaynor Parr-Manley, owner of Olive’s Nest, York A medium shop in a city suburb with a varied customer base.

Category

Name of Publisher

Product/Name Range

Comments

Everyday

Madame Treacle

Across The Board

Cute

Hutch Cassidy

General

Humour

Soul/Really Good

Corrine Rothwell

Art

Green Pebble

Across The Board

Contemporary

Lola Design

Wildlife

Lucy Monkman

Big Message

Kate Guest

General

There’s been a huge resurgence in the botanicals trend and these designs just literally fly out! In fact now all the ranges are popular.

I feel that the reason the designs do incredibly well is because the colours are just so strong.

Not outrageous or rude, the humour makes people quietly chuckle.

Historically we’ve done well with this art cards publisher. The images are strong and the wording on the back of the card shares the heritage of the art and artist.

Such a lovely couple, supportive of indies, and they continue to evolve their beautiful designs.

Simple clean designs featuring typeface on white board in lovely muted colours.

Classic and simple black designs on fresh Top: Gorgeous and uplifting, a Madame Treacle white board.

Flora & Fauna design.

Above: A Big Message design from Lucy Monkman.

Sarah Maclean, owner of Menagerie Makes, Walthamstow, London A small, quirky independent shop selling animal-themed gifts, accessories and homewares in a city suburb with a loyal locals customer base.

Category

Name of Publisher

Product/Name Range

Comments

Cute

Jo Clark Design

General

Catherine Pain

General

Humour

Fawn & Thistle

General

Contemporary

The Art File

I Like Birds

Art

Wraptious

Across The Board

The Black Rabbit

Badge Cards

The DM Collection

Across The Board

Children's

Little Fingy

Finger Puppet Cards

Ancillary

Cubic Products Lichfield Leather

Ceramic trinket trays Leather purses

The adorable guinea pigs cards appeals to all ages.

Her cute otter design is one of our best sellers.

The clever visual humour never fails to catch the eye.

These cards are a customer favourite, with their simple and clear abstract designs.

Great designs from a variety of well-chosen new artists always pleasing.

Very popular badge designs, especially the mouse and cheese card.

The great attention to detail transforms these cards into mini works of art. They’re very popular with customers, who often buy more than one at a time.

Hand-knitted finger puppets that are great fun and ideal for kids but also extremely popular with adults!

The colourful trinket trays fly off the shelves all year round.

Ideal small gifts, these sell very well for us.

Right: Beautiful badge cards from The Black Rabbit.

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PRODUCT DIRECTORY

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To appear in the Product Directories contact

Warren Lomax

020 7700 6740 or email warren@max-publishing.co.uk or contact

Tracey Arnaud

07957 212 062

or email traceya@max-publishing.co.uk

To appear in the Product Directories contact

Warren Lomax

Abacus Cards Limited t: 01638 569050 e: info@abacuscards.co.uk w: www.abacuscards.co.uk

020 7700 6740 or email warren@max-publishing.co.uk or contact

Tracey Arnaud

07957 212 062

or email traceya@max-publishing.co.uk 82

PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE

01565 830 546 | bexyboo.co.uk @BexyBooLtd

BexyBooLtd

@BexyBooLtd

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PRODUCT DIRECTORY

l PRODUCT DIRECTORY

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To appear in the Product Directories simply contact

Warren Lomax on:

020 7700 6740

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

Tracey Arnaud on:

07957 212 062

or email on traceya@max-publishing.co.uk

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

www.bugart.co.uk

Caspari Ltd Linden House, John Dane Player Court

East Street, Safffrron W Waalden Essex, CB10 1LR Teel: 01799 513010 T Faax: 01799 513101 F Email: inffoo@caspari.co.uk ww ww w.CaspariOnline.com

Products: Everyday cards - birthday,

www.cathtatecards.com

blank & occasions, charity Christmas cards, gifftt wrap, bags, tissue, ribbon, hankies, napkins, paper plate, candles, placemats, crackers,invitations, placecards, notecards,diaries, address books, journals, advent calendars and bridge gifftts.

Method of Sale: Direct to Retail

To appear in the Product Directories contact

Warren Lomax

Witty, gritty, switched on humour.

Cards and gifts with a real difference.

Unit 1, 45 Morrish Road London SW2 4EE Tel: 0208 671 2166 Fax: 0208 678 1119 info@cathtatecards.com

020 7700 6740 or email warren@max-publishing.co.uk or contact

Tracey Arnaud

07957 212 062

One of the UKâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s leading suppliers of Greeting Cards since 19995 Products: High quality greetin ng cards with superb finishes. All maajjor and minor titles, covering traditio onaall to the latest in innovative design, n both Everydaayy and Seasonal. Providing an all NEW selection of Muggs and Notebooks. k Brands Include: Down Memory Lane, W Wo ot A Mug and T Tw wist & Shout Methods of Sale: Direct to retail Desiggners welcome contact beverley@cherryorchardpublishing.co.uk

Unit 10 Duddage Business Park Brockeridge Rd Twyning Tewkesbury GL20 6BY 01684 295500 info@cherryorchardpublishing.co.uk www.cherryorchardpublishing.co.uk

or email traceya@max-publishing.co.uk

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To appear in the Product Directories simply contact

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A w o n d e rf u l

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Warren Lomax

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on:

020 7700 6740

made with great imagination

@thecuriousinksmith

Tracey Arnaud

Ch C hin nese ese HE IS

Beautiful greeting cards from contemporary British artwork

THE

WAY

THE AND TRUTH THE

LIFE

01892 838 574

sales@thecuriousinksmith.co.uk

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

www.dryredpress.com

on:

07957 212 062

or email on traceya@max-publishing.co.uk

T +44 (0) 1273 241210 E info@dryredpress.com

Polissh Po h

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

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

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

Welsh and English cards

TM

GRASS ROOTS

INTERNATIONAL

G RASS R OOTS INTERNATIONAL

www.draenog.com Ç&#x2C6; 07815 153582

agents wanted

A U.K owned Greeting Cards Publisher.

Our everyday ranges for all occasions and relations include traditional, contemporary, cute, humour and photographic designs. We also have a full range of Christmas and Spring Seasons.

All products are designed and printed in the U.K on the finest quality board.

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

M ETHOD OF SALE Direct to Retail

G RASS R OOTS INTERNATIONAL

To appear in the Product Directories simply contact

Warren Lomax on:

020 7700 6740

Innovative high quality gift wrap, gift bags, tissue paper and accesssories galore for all seasons and occasions.

0127 74 4 655980 sales@glick.co.uk www.glick.co.uk

on:

Glick, Unit 1 Allenby House, European Ind. Park, Knowles Lane, Bradford BD4 9AB

07957 212 062

or email on traceya@max-publishing.co.uk

PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE

from the

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

Tracey Arnaud

84

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

@glickgiftwrap

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• UK Market leaders with humour, art, photographic, contemporary and traditional occasions & relations cards, plus seasonal.

• 2΍HULQJ D IXOO SODQQLQJ VHUYLFH with merchandising and retail development opportunities.

• Specialists in garden centres and the independent trade.

Find The Great British Card Company on:

PHOTOGRAPHY SUPPLIER

www.greatbritishcards.co.uk Waterwells Drive, Gloucester GL2 2PH Tel: 01452 888970

glebecottage.co.uk 01626 369269 Estaab blished 1993

)

CHARITY GREETING CARDS

To appear in the Product Directories contact

Warren Lomax

020 7700 6740 or email warren@max-publishing.co.uk or contact

AR RT TISTS CARDS glebecottage.co.uk 01626 369269

Tracey Arnaud

07957 212 062

or email traceya@max-publishing.co.uk

One of the UK’s leading publishers of Charity Greeting Cards.

Impress offers a wide collection of images, including fine art, graphic, photographic and cute.

We also offer a bespoke design service for bulk orders and/or mail order fulfilment.

Impress Publishing Appledown House Barton Business Park New Dover Road Canterbury, Kent CT1 3TE Tel: 01227 811 611 Fax: 01227 811 618 email: info@impresspublishing.co.uk

Esta ab blished 1993 PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE

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PRODUCT DIRECTORY

60 years

Your Number One Supplier of Numerals, Name, Relation & Age Labels for Greetings Cards.

l PRODUCT DIRECTORY

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

L E T U S TA K E YOU BAC K

Huge selection with immediate delivery y.. Buy direct or from your wholesalerr..

Listan Labels 3 Isis Court, Wyndyke Furlong, Abingdon Business Park, Abingdon, Oxfordshire OX1 5JN Te T el 01235 465489 Fax 01235 532118 www.listanpublications.co.uk sales@listanpublications.co.uk

For further details please get in touch.

info@vincentmcevoy.com

+44 (0)7779 578340

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

Products: Greetings cards for all occasions, Christmas and Spring Seasons cards, gift wrap and bags, charity cards, social stationery.

Bespoke service for charities and other fundraisers.

Ling Design Ltd 14-20 Eldon Way, Paddock Wood, Kent TN12 6BE Tel: 01892 838574 enquiries@lingdesign.co.uk www.lingdesign.co.uk

LING DESIGN

www.lingdesign.co.uk

01892 838 574

information@lingdesign.co.uk

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

Pizazz Gifts.

Brand Names Pizazz, Pizazz Gallery, Pizazz Jewell, Pizazz for Men, What a Picture, Time Out, Bon Bon, Marshmallow Cloudesley House â&#x20AC;¢ Shire Hill â&#x20AC;¢ Saffron Walden â&#x20AC;¢ CB11 3FB T: 01799 520200 F: 01799 520100 www.nigelquiney.com

AG E N T S WA N T E D : Æ« Æ«Ä&#x2018;Æ« Æ«

Æ«Ä&#x2018;Æ« Æ«

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p p paperlink... the home of fabulous cards!

Design-led Stationery, Gifts, Calendars, Diaries and Cards Brands Laura Ashley, Roald Dahl, Lily & Val, Vintage Ladybird, Caroline Gardner, Monsoon, Born to Shop, Flash Gordon, Boofle and many more.

TRADE WEBSITE:

Ä&#x2039;

Ä®

Ä&#x2039; 01780 763 368

Our In-house design studio and established supply chain enables us to offer bespoke services.

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

tel: +44 (0) 1225 329494 email: sales@porticodesigns.com website: www.porticodesigns.com

@ @paperlinkcards

Exquisite Design, Beautiful Cardss Key brands include Marzipan, Portobello, Mosaic, Daisy Patch, Aquarupella and Designers Guild, plus many more.

originalposter.com LUXURY GIFT PACKAGING All our cards are supplied on consignment, so you only pay for what you sell.

Tel: +44 (0)115 986 0115 Email: info@paperrose.co.uk www.paperrose.co.uk www.artgroupcards.co.uk PaperRoseCards TheArtGroupCards The_Art_Group

We also supply card fixtures and spinners free-on-loan.

We replace slow sellers and damaged stock free of charge.

We merchandise regularly, so you donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have to.

THATâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S WHY WEâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;RE ORIGINAL!

01932 267 300

ICONIC LICENCED BRANDS

01892 838 574 www.pennykennedy.co.uk PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE

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Products:

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

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Greetings Cards, Gift Wrap, Gift Bags, Social Stationery, Mugs and Glasses, Partyware

LING DESIGN

Brands: Card Essentials Designer Collection Greetings Impressions Inspirations In Touch ,VDEHO·V *DUGHQ Planet Happy With You In Mind

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

Method of sale: Wholesale Distributors

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

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

Sensations International Ltd Unit 6, Quad Road,East Lane Business Park,East lane, Wembley,MIDDLESEX HA9 7NE Tel. 0208 3854470 Fax: 0208 385 4471 Email: sales@sensationsinternational.com PRODUCTS: World’s leading publisher of high quality plastic greeting cards. Also an extensive range of quality greeting cards covering Everyday, Occasions, Christmas and Spring seasons.

BRANDS: Cherished Thoughts, Sweet Sentiments, Buddies Always, Symphony, Thinking of You, Style, Special Wishes, Special Times, Young Editions, Groove Sensations, Forever Blessed, Grey Skies, Classics.

METHOD OF SALE: Direct to retail.

2@= 29KL= M<K Just food and their friends....

NEW COLLECTION

5= N= ?GF= ?J==F raspber r yblossom.com hello@raspberryblossom.com 020 3723 5405

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PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE

greeting cards & contempoRary gifts www.redbackcards.com e: info@redbackcards.com t: 01803 712793

All greeting cards printed with vegetable inks on recycled boards/envelopes, including biodegradable packaging...

www.the-taste-buds.co.uk info@the-taste-buds.co.uk 07906 367 663

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7RPFDW &DUGV

www.tomcat.cards info@tomcat.cards

We offffer a COMPREHE

range of hig Greeting Ca ALL

Occasions, AS

and easons.

The UKâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s leading publisher of highest quality handmade Greetings Cards.

Sale: Direct to R

Products: Greetings cards for all occasions, Christmas and Spring Seasons. Spinners and other retail displays available.

Market Leaders in

Verse

& entimen

Talking Pictures Cards Ltd 14-20 Eldon Way, Paddock Wood, Kent, TN12 6BE

Tel: 01892 838574 enquiries@talkingpics.co.uk www.talking-pictures.co.uk

il: inffo o@words-n eb: www w..words-n

Tel: 01942 233201

view by rufus designed in thames ditton

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

DIRECT TO RETAIL & EXPORT

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

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

the three tenas topdog@view by rufus.com 020 8972 9706

viewbyrufus.com register fo for a trade account: www w..viewbyrufus i b f .com/b2b /b2b

+44(0)1243 792600

Art Cards eA Botanical Fine

an extensive range of superior quality,

Vibrant and nd elegant gree greeting cards A freshly fr modern perspective on nature

Call Now 075 7700 1145 www.zaquarella.co.uk info@ zaquarella.com

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

Top-notch British Greeting Cards for Thoughts that Count

HUNTINGDON, CAMBS, PE29 6EF

01923 200600 | www.woodmansterne.co.uk PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE

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magnus RUPERT

TRADING

EUROPEâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S LEADING GREETINGS CARDS, PARTY PRODUCTS, GIFTS, CANDLES, TOYS, STATIONERY AND FLORIST SUNDRIES DISTRIBUTION CENTRE 75000 SQ FT BESCOT CRESCENT, WALSALL, WEST MIDLANDS. WS1 4NG 01922-646666 www.greetingshouse.co.uk info@greetingshouse.co.uk MON,WED,FRI 8.00am-4.45pm TUES,THURS 8.00am-7.45pm SAT,SUN 8.00am-1.45pm

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Polypropylene & biodegradable bag specialists

GREETING CARD

Over 40 years quality service to the trade Hotfoiling also available

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

GIVE E YOUR

BAGS

Manuffacturers of high quality fllexible packaging 30 YEARS EXPERIENCE - QUA UALITTY Y SERVICE EXTENSIVE STOCK RANGE - QUICK DE ELIVERY ASSURED

- HEADER BAGS - WA WALLET BAGS - ZIPPER BAGS - FLEXOGRAPHIC, HOTFOIL & THEERMAL PRINTING www.transrappackagin ng.co.uk sales@transrap.co o.uk

V VIP

CALL US TODA AY

TREA AT A TMENT

01773 5378 810

HIGH CLARITY L TY Y BA AGS FOR R GREETING G ET T NG CARD DS, CALEND EN N ARS ARS AND AND D ARTW TWORK WORK

ENVELOPES

ŏ ŏđŏ

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

CALL CA CAL C LL US ST TO ODAY OD

0122 1228 228 2 28 8 56 5605 60 052 26 6 www.fful ulcrumfilms. ulcrrum mfillm ms s co.uk uk

FOR ALL YOUR ENVELOPE NEEDS! Largest range of in-stock colours Over 400 Bespoke Envelope Sizes 8 Sizes Permanently in Stock RECYCLED

100% Recycled Paper Av Available

PAPER A

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

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

We’ve been producing p bags of high clarity and high quality q for over 30 years.

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

PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE

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FLITTERING FOR ALL YOUR FLITTER REQUIREMENTS

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

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

PRINTERS

PJ Print

(London)

The Capitals only specialist Greetings card printer

HOME OF THE LASER CUT GREETING CARD

Award winning U UK & Global specialist manufacturer ffor the greeting card industry fo or over 40 years

PJ Print (London) The Capitals only Greetings card printer

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

E-mail: sales@pj-print.co.uk The Print Works Colville Road, Acton, London W38BL tel 020 8993 5160 www.pj-print.co.uk

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Social Sta tationerry Printer of the Year

PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE

To discuss how we can work together, contact Simon King: Tel 0115 928 7766 Email ssimon.king@sherwoodgroupuk.com www.sherwoodgroupuk.com Hadden Court, Glaisdale Parkway, Glaisdale Drive West, Nottin ngham NG8 4GP

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Your saf ep ai

cturing ufa an m

ds for Far E as han f t ro

Outstanding, cost effective and efficient production of Greeting cards, Packaging and Social stationery, ideal for intricate and hand finished products.

• Over 15 years experience providing high-quality printed products direct from the Far East • Trusted and financially stable, UK owned by The Sherwood Group • Socially responsible manufacturing: SMETA, ISO9001, ISO14001, FSC certification • Full product prototyping in the UK for competitive speed to market requirements

To find out how we can benefit your business, contact Derek Lam +00 (852) 3527 3471 / derek@sherwood-press.com or The Sherwood Group Head Office Hong Kong Office: 13/F, Kam Chung Commercial Building, 19-21 Hennessy Road, Wanchai, Hong Kong

www w..sherwoodgroupuk.com

000510

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

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

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

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

SPECIALISTS IN SHORT RUN MULTI IMAGE PRINT s Foiling Services without the need for dies s Wiro bound notebooks, no minimum quantity s In House Fulfilmment Services

T 01274 305832 E info@hellocards.co.uk www.hellocards.co.uk PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE

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WAREHOUSING & DISTRIBUTION

THE RIGH HT PARTNER

FOR ALL YOUR MANUFACTURING REQUIREMENTS

Glitt i Glittering

** ** ** **

Offset ff t PPrinting i ti

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Facto ory Outlook

Established in 1997, headquarters in Hong Kong 600,000 Sq.fftt of modern production facility ouse production Ensure complete co ontrol from start to finish with our full in-ho ng in people, equipment, technology and the Continually investin t planet

TERRY JOHNSO ON PO Box 1600 Hemel Hempstead, HP1 9SR Mobile: 07773 389784 Email: terryjohnson@ve eb.com.hk Website: www.veb.com m.hk

AND NOW FO OR SOMETHING COMPLETELY DIFFERENT... .

Same day order turna around Accurate fulfilment Value added only as you sell the product Exclusively Greeting Cards Dedicated Account Managers

Our innovative greeting gs card finishes include: Thermography Foil Intense Glitter Snowraise Liquid q M Metal Blended Glitter Embossing Textured Foil Laser Cutting

With an excellent reputation we work as an integral part of yourr team bringing QYGL QSVI XLER JYPǻPQIRX 4YV GSWXMRK WXVYGXYVI MW WMQTPI ERH XVERWTEVIRX ;I ; I GEVV] SYX EPP EWTIGXW SJ LERH ǻRMWLMRK ERH EWWIQFP] ERH TVSZMHI [LEXIZIV EHHMXMSREP WIVZMGIW ]SY RIIH 4YV WIPIGX XIEQ SJ SYX[SVOIVW GEVIJYPP] LERH [VET ER] WM^I SV JSVQEX SJ GEVHW YVKIRXP] 4ZIVRMKLX ;I GEVI EFSYX ]SYV TVSHYGX EW QYGL EW ]SY HS &XXIRXMSR XS HIXEMP 6( .WWYIW ;I ERH .8 WYTTSVXIH F] E GSQTVILIRWMZI TETIV XVEMP JS T JSV EPP WXSGO QSZIQIRXW EVI SYV LEPPQEVOW 4YV GER HS ETTVSEGL QIERWW [I EVI LETT] XS WSPZI ]SYV TVSFPIQW 4YXWSYVGMRK ]SYV [EVILSYWMRK STIVEXMSR VIPIEWIW ]SYV XMQI XS CREA AT TE/MARKET/SELL/ MANAGE/ /GROW THE BUSINESS =SYV FYWMRIWW MW SYV FYWMRIWW T =S TPIEWI ZMWMX Z SYV [IF WMXI ERH WII [LEX SYV GYWXSQIVW WE] XLIR XS ǻRH SYX S QSVI GEPP Ly Lynda Raymond ERH TIVLETW [I GER EVVERKI XS QIIX ERH HMWGYWW ]SYV RIIHW . EQ WYVI XLEX [I GER G LIPT

LB Warehousing ask about our ‘Mrr Abbot’ sample pack

To discuss your nextt greetings card range call us on 01797 223355 www.abbotprint.co.uk bb i k sales@abbotprint.co.uk l bb i k 94

PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE

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IBC_Appointments_v2016.qxp_Layout 1 14/12/2018 10:58 Page 95

APPOINTMENTS DISPLAY AND SPINNERS

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

Home of the Wire Spinner Stand

Card works

CONVERT Y EXCESS ST OUR OCKS TO CASH TODA Y!

EXCESS GREETING CARD STOCKS? WE OFFER A PROFESSIONAL CLEARANCE SERVICE FOR EXCESS & REDUNDANT STOCKS OF GREETING CARDS, WRAPPING PAPER, GIFTS & ALLIED PRODUCTS O GUARANTEED OFFER WITHIN 24 HOURS

The Wire Spinner is proven to be the most cost effective method to display and enhance products.

We also offer sheet metal, wood, acrylic and cardboard solutions or a combination of materials.

O WE COLLECT O PROMPT PAYMENT O UNFINISHED PRODUCTION CONSIDERED O MOST TRANSACTIONS COMPLETED WITHIN 7 DAYS O FULLY CONFIDENTIAL O 40 YEARS EXPERIENCE

To appear in the Classified pages simply contact

Warren Lomax 020 7700 6740

CARDWORKS CLEARANCE SERVICES

92 Station Road, Willingham, Cambridge CB24 5HG

Email: cardworkstrading@btconnect.com Tel: 01954 260728

on to Su lin the bs c e at new rib PG s e Bu flas zz h .n et

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

SEND SAM PLES AND STOC K QUANTITIE S TODAY!

From the team behind Progressive Greetings Worldwide, PG Live, The Retas and The Henries, PGBuzz.net has launched as the new online central resource for the greeting card sector online...

News, Editorial and Content Opportunities: Jakki Brown Joint md & editorial director jakkib@max-publishing.co.uk

●

Twice weekly newsflash delivered to over 9000 inboxes

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Regularly updated jobs-board

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The very latest news, views, articles and analysis

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Digital issues of Progressive Greetings Worldwide

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Dedicated pages for the GCA and The Ladder Club

Warren Lomax warren@max-publishing.co.uk

●

Up to date information on PG Live, The Retas, and The Henries

Tracey Arnaud traceya@max-publishing.co.uk

Michelle Board News editor michelleb@max-publishing.co.uk

Advertising, Recruitment and Sponsorship Opportunities:

News • PG Worldwide • Interviews • PG Live • Newsflash • Events Gallery • Jobs • Ladder Club • GCA

PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE

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