Greetings Today November / December 2023

November/December 2023 Issue 6 Volume 24

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A year to remember!

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Nov/Dec 2023

contents 27

REGULARS

the team Editor Naomi MacKay naomi@lemapublishing.co.uk Advertising Manager Marian McNamara marian@lemapublishing.co.uk

04 Leader

01442 289940

Connect, M&S Xmas ad and more...

06 News

Managing Director Mark Naish mark@lemapublishing.co.uk

Rounding up what’s been happening

12 Spotlight

Latest new products for your shelves and spinners...

Production Director Paul Naish paul@lemapublishing.co.uk

18 Exhibition News

2024 diary and the latest from upcoming shows...

22 GCA News

40

An update on #Cardmitment and Caring at Christmas

32 Diary of an agent

Design Rick Vickers rick@lemapublishing.co.uk Chairman Malcolm Naish malcolm@lemapublishing.co.uk

Richard Pass attends some very different events...

50 Diary of a card shop

Circulation Manager Robert Thomas robert@lemapublishing.co.uk

Sandra Jervis at Creative Cove looks forward to Christmas

51 Retail 100

Sara Allbright talks about online marketplaces

FEATURES 11 Opinion: Connect update 16 Cover Story: Danilo 21 Show report: Insights-X 23 Looking for: UK-made 24 Sneak Peek: What to look forward to in 2024

24

27 Focus on...

Stop the Clock Design

28 Male and Father’s Day:

Keep in touch follow us: 36 Kids’ cards and wrap: Ideas for younger customers

40 Animal Magic: Product featuring our furry and feathered friends

44 Sustainability: Keeping it ecofriendly in the industry

Inclusive products for race, gender and disability

Contents Nov/Decnm.indd 1

www.facebook.com/ greetingstodaymag greetingstoday

46 Retail Interview: Rebekah Mudie of Welsh shop Daisy Daisy

48 Retail Interview: Surrey store

greetings-today

Joyce’s with Best Wishes celebrates its 25th anniversary

Ideas for the boys!

30 GCA Conference report 34 Diversity:

@greetingstoday

Lema Media Ltd

28

1 Church Gates, Wilderness, Berkhamsted, Herts HP4 2UB Telephone: 01442 289930 www.greetingstoday.media

16/11/2023 14:08

50 16

leader Editor Naomi MacKay

T

he year is drawing to a close, but while other sectors are starting to wind down and get ready for the festive break, for the greetings industry, it’s not a time to sit back and relax!

Retailers are busy in the (hopefully) mad rush before Christmas, and card publishers are pulling together their new launches, ready to wow visitors at the first trade shows of 2024.

As I write this, a flurry of now-traditional Christmas adverts have made their debut on TV, and none has made quite such an impact as the Marks & Spencer ad. I rather like queen of the kitchen disco Sophie Ellis-Bextor (and have fond memories of watching when her mum Janet Ellis was a presenter on Blue Peter). Sophie has made the headlines for more than her DJ and singing skills, after appearing in

the advert blow-torching a pile of Christmas cards.

And what a blue touchpaper she lit! GCA members were contacting CEO Amanda Fergusson all day when the ad first aired - you can read some comments from publishers and retailers on page 6. But, as Amanda pointed out, there was a silver lining: the GCA appeared in a number of stories in the national press and she was able to promote the #Cardmitment campaign, which generated some great publicity.

Another story that has continued to run since Autumn Fair is that of show organiser Hyve’s Connect programme, which aimed to pair up buyers and exhibitors. Following a protest at the show over the innovation, Hyve met with exhibitors and Connect is no more. There is, however, an opportunity for both buyers and exhibitors to talk to Hyve about their businesses and share their views on trade fairs - see page 11 for details.

With shows in mind, our exhibition news section focuses on trade fairs coming up in January and February - and we have compiled a show diary so you can plan for the full year ahead.

And, if you want a sneak peek at what might be in store for you on exhibitors’ stands, head to page 26 for some of the upcoming launches from publishers.

Another important diary date for GCA members is the GCA Conference, and just as we went to press, it was announced that the 2024 Conference will take place on September 19 in Bristol. You can read more about what happened at this year’s event in Leeds, both on our Diary of an Agent page and in our A-Z roundup.

The weather has certainly turned as we’ve been getting this magazine ready to go to the printers, and it is definitely winter! So as the nights draw in and you’re more inclined to sit indoors in the evening, enjoy reading our two retail interviews. Rebekah Mudie opened her Welsh shop Daisy Daisy in the midst of

46

Leader Nov/Decnm.indd 1

Send your views and submissions for the magazine to naomi@lemapublishing.co.uk

the pandemic, while Susan Miller has been at the helm of her Surrey store Joyce’s with Best Wishes for 25 years.

And there’s plenty more to peruse, from our cover story on Danilo, to features on cards with an animal theme, designs for kids, product for male friends and family, and eco-friendly publishers.

Hopefully, you will all be able to take a break and enjoy the festivities, whether you’re at home or abroad, with friends or family - or simply enjoying a bit of peace and some Christmas telly!

Until our next issue in January, I wish you all a Merry Christmas and a very prosperous New Year.

As always, I’m happy to hear from anyone who has news or views, or who would like to take part in our features, retail interviews, shop talk and more.

Contact me at naomi@lemapublishing. co.uk, or on LinkedIn.

10/11/2023 17:46

IN THE NEWS

Greeting card industry hits back at M&S Xmas advert

This year’s M&S Christmas TV advert sparked an angry backlash after its first airing - not least from the greeting card industry.

The advert features singer Sophie Ellis-Bextor blow-torching Christmas cards, along with a host of other stars in the ad, which aims to encourage customers to eschew Christmas traditions, and do their own thing.

But the greeting card industry has hit back at the advert. Cherry Orchard CEO Jackie Collins told Greetings Today: ‘’So M&S’s tagline this year is ‘I would do anything for love’. Surely love is something to be spread all year round and especially at Christmas. We, as an industry, do it so well with the sending of love and kindness through greeting cards. Why would you create an advert to kick Christmas into touch – I’m astounded and feeling very sad indeed. Sack the creative director who signed this off – what were you thinking!’’

Jackie added that she planned to hand out free Christmas cards and stamps outside her local M&S store.

GCA CEO Amanda Fergusson had received a steady slew of comments from association members after the ad launched. She told us: ‘’Many of our members have been in touch to say they’re somewhat surprised by the blowtorching of Christmas cards in the M&S Christmas ad.

“They know how important the £1.5bn creative card sector is to the UK – and that Christmas cards are wonderful little things that support relationships, mental health and wellbeing, communities and charities.

“Perhaps it feels as traditional as a pair of M&S knickers, but thankfully most of us will think about putting others first this Christmas, not themselves.’’

She added that there was a positive spin to the furore: ’’Having this #Cardmitment campaign and having the resources of a PR office allows us to respond to these things very quickly. Our PR Arena got a quote out within

minutes, which ensured we were represented in the national press. And many shared the full messages about supporting small business and the high street, so it did allow us to get our message out there.’’

Meanwhile, Sandra Jervis at card and stationery shop Creative Cove, in Lampeter, Wales, told us: ‘’I am absolutely outraged and saddened to see the M&S advert this year. It may appear like a seemingly innocuous moment where the cards are torched, but that message is so unbelievably hurtful.

It tells the viewer that the cards they have received in the post aren’t sent with love, but are a chore no one wants to do. It tells that elderly person who receives one that they’re a burden, that someone has had to take time out from the other things they could be doing and send that card. But what it also does, is put another knife in the back of the greeting card industry; an industry which is struggling to remain relevant at the best of times (and is defying all expectations, albeit tentatively).

“It’s a knife in the back of every single independent retailer, each producer and each artist. This industry exists to spread joy and love, to share artwork and special sentiments. We saw the impact of the humble greeting card in the midst of lockdowns, where it literally connected people through adversity. And now M&S, in its infinite wisdom, has decided to trash that in a split second and tell the nation that our precious industry is worth nothing, that people shouldn’t waste their time with our cards.’’

M&S has already deleted an instagram post showing Christmas paper hats burning, with the caption ‘this Christmas, do only what you love...like saying no to paper hats’, after there was heavy criticism from some quarters that the colours were the same as the Palestinian flag.

We have contacted M&S press office for their comments…

6 www.greetingstoday.media

News Nov/Decnm.indd 1

10/11/2023 17:47

Greetings Today_240x315 +3mm.pdf 1 10/26/2023 3:59:41 PM

In the News Supporting Thinking of You Week

Paul Money from Arundel Post Office recently launched Thinking of You Week with an Elevensees Community Cuppa event at Arundel Lido. Paul (pictured right) was supported

by Cherry Orchard Publishing, which provided complimentary greeting cards so that everyone could send a message or greeting to show someone that they are in their thoughts. Many of the local community came to the event and enjoyed a cuppa and a chat while writing a beautiful greeting card.

Cherry Orchard MD Jackie Collins said: “It was so lovely to receive the feedback from Paul on how successful the event was and just reiterate the power of sending greeting cards. GCA’s Thinking of You Week is such an important week to raise awareness around so many key issues. I want to also congratulate so many businesses and individuals who helped make this year such a success.”

Cherry Orchard also supported Thinking of You Week by donating 200 cards to Barham Primary School, which is close to its Canterbury design studio in Kent, to promote the positive effect of a handwritten message. The school was very excited about being involved and getting children to openly discuss their feelings, to think of others and to spread positivity. The primary school had no trouble getting the whole school involved, including the teachers, and it meant 200 positive messages were sent to let someone know that they were being thought about.

Cherry Orchard was delighted to be working with young children promoting card writing using a pen and pencil rather than a phone.

Danilo doubles

comic con events

Following on from the success of last year, Danilo attended both the MCM London Comic Con event at the ExCel centre on October 27-29, and the London Winter Comic Con on November 11-12, at Olympia.

A leading supplier of official licensed dated products, Danilo is proud to work with the hottest properties such as Stranger Things, Supernatural, Star Wars, Marvel, DC Comics, Pusheen and anime titles including One Piece Anime, Attack on Titan and Dragon Ball Z. For 2023, Danilo decided to return to the comic con circuit, not only expanding the number of shows attended but also the range of calendars and diaries it was offering.

The line-up included new anime titles such as Jujutsu Kaisen, and Spy X Family as well as new exclusive Limited Edition 2024 Calendars, which all include stunning illustrative artwork and a certificate of authenticity and were revealed at the show. There were only 100 available of each title, created for Hatsune Miku, My Hero Academia, Naruto and Tokyo Revengers, and they were a hit with anime aficionados.

“We’re really happy at how MCM London Comic Con went last weekend,” stated Dan Grant, licensing director at Danilo.

“Our limited edition calendars, gift box sets and deluxe calendars all sold very well and popular titles included our anime brands such as Hatsune Miku, One Piece and Tokyo Revengers, along with classic sci-fi brands like Star Wars.

It was great to catch up with even more fans at the London Winter Comic Con at London Olympia.’’

Danilo hosted a competition at both events for fans to win an amazing Hatsune Miku prize bundle including a special limited edition calendar as well as other goodies.

8

News Nov/Decnm.indd 2

10/11/2023 17:48

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In the News Mum and daughter photo shoot is a roaring success Kali and Jemima from Kali Stileman Publishing joined forces with the lovely Bev Cunningham from Ginger Bee Studios for a fabulous branding shoot.

The mother-daughter duo were lucky enough to win the experience with talented photographer Bev, which involved a three-hour personal branding shoot to capture who they are, what they do, and where they work.

When asked about their experience, the verdict was unanimous: ‘‘We loved every minute of it!’’ said Jemima, ‘‘Bev was so incredibly thorough in her planning beforehand; we talked about every aspect of the shoot, from the poses to the colours and the locations. As for the shoot, Bev was brilliant at making us feel so at ease, and after 20 minutes or so we totally forgot we were even in front of the camera, and just had fun!’’

A roaring success all round, Kali and Jemima highly recommend Bev for anyone looking to enhance their personal branding.

Kali and Jemima will be exhibiting at Top Drawer Spring in 2024. Found on stand M58, they will have new greeting cards and wrapping paper galore.

Their latest card collections include lots of their best-selling Tiddly Widdly mini cards; from more gold foiled numbers and smilies to bubble occasion cards and grown-up alphabet designs.

As requested by their lovely customers, they also have loads of new occasion cards. These greetings cards feature all manner of occasions, with

everything from bon voyage and happy retirement to ‘wishing you a speedy recovery!’.

Finally, expect to see lots more wrapping paper designs. Their current favourites include a delightful road wrap featuring all sorts of transport, trees and buildings, and a gorgeous people paper. This design features lots of friendly faces (and even a few familiar ones!) on a muted blue background.

Maped Helix donation

is music to the ears Kay Aldridge of The Way, left, and Rebecca Ostrowski of Maped Helix

Budding musicians in Wolverhampton will hit the right note after a city centre youth facility received a bumper donation of instruments and equipment from stationery giant Maped Helix.

The company handed over £5,000 worth of music equipment to The Way Youth Zone, including four electric guitars, four acoustic guitars, a drum kit and two top-ofthe-range amps.

The donation comes through Maped Helix’s 1% for Education Fund. Under the initiative, 1% of sales from some of the brand’s most popular products is donated to educational projects.

Maped Helix chose to support The Way Youth Zone as it is close to

its UK headquarters in Kingswinford.

Rebecca Ostrowski, marketing executive at Maped Helix, said the company was delighted to support The Way. “Maped Helix’s mission is to empower every child to change the world with their own hands and to make access to education easier to develop every child’s potential. This is why the 1% for Education initiative was launched, to allow us to give something back to our local community by supporting charities and not-for-profit organisations with a clear focus on education.

“The Way is an amazing facility that does really valuable work with Wolverhampton’s young people and we are delighted to be able to help with this donation of music equipment. It was a real privilege to see the joy on the faces of some of the young people as they unboxed the new instruments.’’

www.mapedhelix.co.uk 10 www.greetingstoday.media

News Nov/Decnm.indd 3

Royal Mail pays homage to the wizarding world…

Royal Mail in partership with Warner Bros. Discovery Global Consumer Products, has revealed images of 16 Special Stamps being issued to pay homage to the Harry Potter film series.

The main set of 10 stamps features atmospheric images of characters – both good and evil – presented in the darker tone used for the later films, in which the Battle of Hogwarts reaches its climactic finale.

Each stamp has a secondary scene or character incorporated into the design and, in addition, the ‘1st‘ font used for the value of the stamps replicates that of the iconic typeface used for the films.

Characters who feature on the stamps are: Ron Weasley, Fred and George Weasley, Professor Minerva McGonagall, Kingsley Shacklebolt, Harry Potter, Ginny Weasley, Neville Longbottom, Luna Lovegood, Hermione Granger, Molly Weasley, Bellatrix Lestrange, Narcissa Malfoy, Fenrir Greyback, Scabior, Lord Voldemort, a Death Eater, Severus Snape, Alecto Carrow, Draco Malfoy and Gregory Goyle.

A further six stamps, presented in a miniature sheet, feature illustrations of the fascinating creatures and beings of the wizarding world, from Aragog the Acromantula to the beloved house-elf Dobby, the full set also includes Harry’s beloved owl Hedwig, Fawkes the phoenix, Buckbeak the hippogriff and Hermione’s cat Crookshanks.

10/11/2023 17:49

Opinion

Dis-connect to re-connect When Connect was launched it was heralded as a new dawn for the way exhibitions are approached.

Little did Hyve know that the new dawn would rise in a way it wasn’t expecting! Mark Naish reports Connect

Connect, the platform that aimed to revolutionise Spring and Autumn Fair, debuted at Autumn Fair this year with much fanfare by organiser Hyve. The idea was to have a booking system to match buyers with exhibitors; the problem was that, like it or not, for decades both shows have operated as Hyve would like to say in an ‘anologue way’, with visitors dropping by stands rather than making appointments.

In the many conversations I had with exhibitors large and small, they voiced their concerns prior to the show; they didn’t believe it would work, were not happy that it carried a mandatory charge and felt they were not being listened to.

programme to attract new exhibitors received 95% agreement, and improving the buyers’ experience got 90%. Obviously there was much more detail, but this helped the team to more clearly focus on what they hoped to achieve when meeting Hyve.

The meeting

During Autumn Fair it became clear early on that Connect was not working. Most exhibitors reported a poor number of agreed meetings and most had noshows for those meetings that had been booked.

With exhibitors becoming increasingly frustrated, it spilled over into a stand-off between Hyve and about 150 very unhappy exhibitors. A handful of protestors including Toby Powell (Powellcraft), James Thomas (Forever England), Katie Powell (Forever England), Nick Ronald (Casa Verde) and Katie Jones (Sting in the Tail) met with staff in a private room to voice their issues and frustrations.

The exhibitors that spearheaded the protest at Autumn Fair and created the WhatsApp group met with Nicola Jenkins, Nick Davison and Laura Rae from Hyve. Nick Ronald recalled: “We were all filled with some trepidation and had absolutely no idea how they would react and respond to our endeavours as, after all, this started with a protest on Wednesday September 6. As it happens, we needn’t have worried, as what transpired was a very positive and fresh response. They came with no agenda apart from a list of the 22 points raised from our group survey, and they were eager to discuss and develop these points to ensure that they clearly understood what we were saying. ‘‘During this meeting they firstly confirmed that Connect was not coming back at all next year, or in the future, admitting it didn’t work as intended. ‘‘They discussed every point in the four-hour meeting and some new ideas were explored, too. All said, it was a very productive meeting and not one that would have been expected after Autumn Fair.’’

WhatsApp

The email

Autumn Fair

Following that meeting, a WhatsApp group created by Toby and James at Spring Fair soon saw its participant numbers grow to 200 (it now stands at nearly 350).

The platform enabled exhibitors to quickly come together - and this was the first time that I had seen a considerable number of exhibitors venting their frustrations as a collective. It was clear that Connect was not their only issue. For many, it appears, Connect was the proverbial straw that broke the camel’s back. Many complained of poor comunication, high costs and poor service.

The call

A number of key representatives had direct conversations with Hyve CEO Mark Shashoua. As Nick Ronald from Casa Verde recounted: ’’I found Mark affable, prepared to listen and genuinely concerned, that as current owners they are custodians of these events and that he does understand and he gets it.’’

As we all know, talk is cheap. However clearly the talk was only the start, as a small group were invited to meet directly with Nicola Jenkins, Nick Davison and Laura Rae from Hyve to discuss both shows’ futures.

The survey

Through the WhatsApp group a survey was created with many suggestions on how to improve the fairs. These ideas were gleaned from the hundreds of messages on the app. The purpose of all of this was to help the shows grow and prosper. Issues raised were the first and most obvious one; Connect must never return. Unsurprisingly, this got 100% agreement, while suggestions to create an innovative

News Nov/Decnm.indd 4

An email was received by all exhibitors of both Spring and Autumn Fair confirming Connect was now long gone, and The Little Black Book would return in its more helpful form with a search by product. Also, Hyve extended the onsite rebook rate to the February 2 for Autumn Fair, as the new plans for the show are still developing.

So where now?

The group that has worked so hard with exhibitors and Hyve was not created to attack the organiser but to enable the voices of exhibitors to be heard, and in this respect it has certainly achieved that and more - and credit to Hyve for genuinely taking on board those complaints and taking very positive steps in what is in reality a very short period of time.

In conversation with the group, what came across very clearly is their passion for the industry and Spring and Autumn Fair. They desperately want to see these shows and others succeed; they recognise they are critical to the health and success of the industry.

The WhatsApp group was critical in communicating and getting the movement started, but this is only the first step. Its initiators recognise its limitations and James feels the group lacks an identity and needs an official voice. Therefore the group will be known as the ‘Exhibitors Together Group’, with Toby, James, Nick and both Katies as the official spokespersons (more news on this to follow). They are continuing to liase with Hyve moving forward.

As Nick Ronald said: “‘We have come a long way since our protest demonstration. There is a long and tricky road ahead, which will take a lot of hard work

especially for Hyve but also for us the exhibitors. I cannot stress enough that we all have to work hard to achieve our mission, which is for these legacy shows to not only survive but to grow and prosper. ‘‘The meeting we had with Hyve was loud and bold and, given our many years of experience, the passion in that room that day was tangible. But Nicola and her team showed nothing but respect and listened intently to every detail. We can clearly see that they are working through our list of suggestions for a better trade fair experience for all - we cannot ask for more than that. ‘‘There is no doubt that Hyve made some mistakes but that is now in the past - we are now entering Phase II, which is totally focused on the future. Many of the group remain cynical and angry but there is a wind of change for sure, and the people at Hyve are listening; after all, we share the same mission. I see that our job going forward is to mould this creative force into something rather good. Over the next few weeks we plan to formalise this group into an association - absolutely essential if we are to build on this success and be taken seriously.’’

GCA CEO Amanda Fergusson added: ‘‘I’m in regular touch with the MD and other senior executives at Hyve, and they have been very appreciative of the information that we were able to supply them from our members. They are keen to work with us - and have set up a focus group for the greeting card sector, which I and three council members will be participating in along with other greeting card publishers, and that will give us an opportunity to have an ongoing open dialogue with Hyve as they develop initiatives to bring buyers to Spring and Autumn Fair.’’

Our two cents

Mark Naish, MD of Lema Publishing, which publishes Greetings Today, comments: ‘‘I do feel that Hyve has done absolutely the right thing by engaging with exhibitors in the way that it has. Yes it made some mistakes. However, its actions following Autumn Fair should be applauded. It has engaged in good faith with both this group and - I know from many conversations - with other larger companies, many of which shared the same views. There is a long way to go but let’s hope this continues because, after all, everyone wants the shows to succeed.’’

Have your say...

Hyve is now running an Exhibitor Research Project, to get to know (and understand) a diverse range of businesses and how they operate in the world of retail. This is your chance to explain your unique business. It is running the same project for buyers, too. The format will be a research telephone call lasting about 30 minutes.

If you’d like to take part, email: For the Exhibitor Research Group: Amber.Kyriacou@hyve.group For the Buyer Research Group: Amanda.Kendall@hyve.group

10/11/2023 17:49

Have a comic Christmas

The team love Christmas at the Comedy Card Company mainly because there are so many aspects to poke fun at. ‘’We’ve been creating lots of new designs and it’s been great fun, albeit weird to be thinking so much about Christmas while the summer sun was out and the fans were on!’’ said owner Alan Auld. ‘’After the disastrous effect of the postal strike last year (and the Covid-affected post of recent years) we truly hope for a good level of Christmas card sending this year for the sake of the greeting card industry as a whole. We are keeping our fingers tightly crossed!’’

Comedy Card Company

info@comedycard.co.uk | www.comedycardtrade.co.uk

spotlight

Make essential notes…

A positive read

From the award-winning author/illustrator of Fox Under The Moon, Stacey McNeill’s new book - One Step At A Time - is a gift book for all ages, to encourage positivity and self-love.

With more than 40 pages, One Step At A Time is a heartwarming collection of enchanting poems and whimsical illustrations created to encourage positivity and self-love for readers of all ages. Exploring themes such as anxiety, depression, grief, friendship and self-care, each beautifully illustrated tale follows Fox and friends as they navigate the difficult times in life, talking through their struggles with the ever-wise moon. This collection of rhyming stories makes the perfect gift - it’s the warm reminder you need that everything is going to be okay.

Available in paperback and special edition hardcover. The range also features greeting cards, a plush toy and other uplifting gifts.

Fox Under The Moon

07969 481 231 mcneillcreativeuk@gmail.com www.foxunderthemoonart.com

Clairefontaine has recently added a new range - My.notes - to its timeless range of My Essentials notebooks, with premium deep dyed pressboard covers that have a leather effect.

The new My.notes range features a tear-off perforated strip at the edge of the page… this can be used for scribbling, writing calculations or phone numbers during meetings, which can be easily removed to keep the essential notes neat and tidy in the notebook.

Each My.notes notebook contains 120 pages of premium-quality Clairefontaine ultra-smooth 90gsm brushed vellum PEFC certified white paper, with either lined or dot rulings and a frame at the top.

A handy bookmark flap on the front cover makes it easy to quickly locate the page being worked on. On the inside back cover there is an expanding pocket for keeping loose items safe. The elastic closure ensures the notebook keeps neat and tidy.

My.notes are available in six colours – black, red, green, blue, grey and tobacco - matching the other ranges in the Age Bag collection.

There is also a choice of sizes: A5+ (16x21 cm) B5 landscape (25x19 cm) and A4 (21x29.7 cm).

Lawrence Savage, UK marketing manager for the Exacompta Clairefontaine Group, said: “These new additions to the My Essentials collection offer consumers greater choice when purchasing a notebook. The option to remove scribbles etc. from the edge of the page will appeal to those looking to keep clean notes.’’

ExaClair

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www.exaclairlimited.com

10/11/2023 18:01

Meet Santa Paws…

New Christmas card range Feline Festive celebrates our oddball cats and the hijinks they get up to at Christmas. Each card is spot finished with either neon pink or neon yellow ink. Printed in the UK on sustainably sourced card stock.

Fawn and Thistle

07545 590406 hello@fawnandthistle.com www.fawnandthistle.com

Zest a minute…

Welcome to Lemon & Lime, Nigel Quiney’s new collection of 12 bright, funky designs - sure to brighten up anyone’s day.

Contemporary birthday images, very graphic in style with acidic colour combinations, modern approaches to cakes, cocktails and candles, the cards combine bright colours accentuated with foil to create a strong look.

Whether abstract patterns or vibrant flowers, these cards are sure to make a standout display.

All designs are general birthday and are supplied with Zingy Lime green envelopes, code 60HI. Stock available in January 2024.

Nigel Quiney 01799 520200 info@nigelquiney.com www.nigelquiney.com

Better by design

A new Lesser and Pavey range of William Morris (designer from March 24 1834 - October 31896) designs feature on houseware gift products and stationery this year.

William Morris Hyacinth is a design not used by Lesser and Pavey before. The design is featured on a new drinks bottle, a selection of stationery, cushion and doorstop.

A full compliments range includes an array of fine mugs, mug and coaster, mugs in gift sets, jug, butter dish, teapot, storage canisters, coasters, placemats, salt and pepper, egg cups, trays in three sizes, spoon rest, tea bag tidy, laptray and glass cutting board, oven gloves and apron.

As always, William Morris designs offer a hint of nostalgia and romance brought to the marketplace as individual gift boxed items at affordable prices.

The range brought together makes a perfect wedding gift or a gift for the new home.

William Morris is renowned worldwide as a legendary British textile designer, poet, and novelist, associated with the British Arts and Crafts Movement, and a major contributor to the revival of traditional British textile art.

Lesser & Pavey

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Snow business Christmas really isn’t Christmas without Rainbow Designs’ The Snowman and The Snowdog range! This wonderful collection of The Snowman and The Snowdog soft toys, make the most magical Christmas gift for any fan of Raymond Briggs’ festive favourite. The bestselling collection, available now, features the adorable Musical Snowman soft toy, which plays the nostalgic favourite ‘We’re Walking in the Air’ lullaby, making it a truly festive gift for fans of all ages. For the youngest fans, the Snowman and Snowdog bean toys and beautiful Snowman Comforter and Ring Rattle Gift Set also make the perfect early years Christmas presents, and to help get customers into the Christmas spirit there’s The Snowman and The Snowdog standee, available to help promote this wonderful collection.

Rainbow Designs

01329 227300 sales@rainbowdesigns.co.uk www.rainbowdesigns.co.uk

Marking

milestones

Make a plan Stop The Clock has recently launched new A4 weekly planner and list pads. These are products that the team has wanted to design for ages - being busy mums, weekly organisation is essential to family life…shopping, meal planning, kids’ clubs, birthday parties… the list goes on! These pads add a bit of colour to those organisational moments.

The A4 weekly planners and list pads are available in four complementary designs… perfect for mixing and matching.

Stop The Clock

01457 763335 info@stoptheclockdesign.com www.stoptheclockdesign.com

Age cards are constant sellers, especially ‘key’ milestone ages. The concept of highlighting key milestones with the year someone was born has already proved successful and therefore the team at Words ‘n’ Wishes felt they could offer an alternative look as many retailers will stock more than one range.

Obviously in each milestone year there is only one female and one male design.

There’s a choice of 28 designs across 14 milestone years, priced at code 75. Each card is die cut shortfold with an added insert offering additional value. All inserts are a compendium of random facts from the milestone years in which the recipient was born. Strong fluted foils highlighting the milestone age and year the recipient was born.

Also adding to the range are four milestone anniversaries, Silver, Ruby, Gold and Diamond.

Words ‘n’ Wishes

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We have so many new everyday products launching over the next few months!

Here’s a small selection from our November launch.

Pre-order now via your sales agent, our sales office or online shop, for January 2024 delivery.

Register to shop online: trade.glick.co.uk

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

@glickgiftwrap

COVER STORY DANILO

From Elvis to anime 45 years ago, Danilo was founded following the death of Elvis Presley.

MD Daniel Prince takes a look back at the company’s achievements, as well as its latest ranges and plans for the future

D

anilo’s story began in 1978, following the death of the King of Rock ‘n’ Roll, Elvis Presley. Danilo’s chairman, Laurence Prince, recognised the public’s mood and need to celebrate Elvis’ life at that time, so flew to Los Angeles and made a deal with Colonel Parker [Elvis’ manager] to publish the first ever celebrity calendar. He named the company after his three children; Daniel, Nicola and Louise - fast forward 45 years and Danilo is Europe’s number one publisher of licensed calendars, greetings cards, gift wrap, gift bags and diaries.

Still a family-run company, Danilo publishes and sells a huge range of official paper products for celebrity, music, sport, anime, gaming, TV and film brands and have won many awards for our high-quality products. Plus, as a licence specialist, Danilo works with all major licensors to create a strong and varied portfolio of products, ranging from preschool to adult, which we supply to our extensive list of retail customers.

Starting with the first-ever Elvis Presley calendar, Danilo has continued to go from strength to strength, with a product range now spanning greeting cards, stationery, gift bags and gift wrap, in addition to calendars and diaries, selling enough each year to go around the world four times! Following on from the success of the company’s initial juvenile focused offering, Danilo has greatly extended its portfolio to a broader demographic by introducing new genres such as publishing, gaming and anime, as well as new formats such as musical advent calendars and musical Christmas cards, which highlight our innovation over the years.

New ranges

We are constantly reviewing and adapting our brand portfolio to make sure we always have the hottest properties to offer our customers. New additions to calendars and diaries for this year include a range focusing on the 100th anniversary of Disney, as well as popular new movies such as Barbie, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Transformers: Rise of The Beasts, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 3, Trolls Band Together, Disney’s Wish, and more.

In regards to sport, Danilo is delighted to have a new calendar for the Tour De France this year, which includes vibrant imagery of this renowned cycling event and a pull-out map of the 2023 route. With the Women’s FIFA Football World Cup happening in July and August, Danilo will once again be publishing the Lionesses calendar and card range in addition to the men’s national team. Outside of football, 2023 has had some other great sporting events including the Rugby Union World

Cup in France, and the Cricket T20 World Cup in Australia, following on from the Ashes in the summer. Danilo will also be publishing calendars for the England Cricket and Rugby Union teams.

With an ever-growing demand for anime shows, specialist online streaming services are now offering an extensive array. This genre has become more accessible than ever before, and in line with this demand, Danilo has grown its anime calendar offering even further, with new titles such as Spy X Family, Tokyo Revengers and Jujutsu Kaisen added to the list.

For greeting cards and gift wrap, preschool and young kids still remain strong categories and Danilo is delighted to welcome new brands such as Gabby’s Dollhouse, Hot Wheels, Squishmallows, Dinosaur Roar, Super Mario and more.

Monster High will also be returning to the Danilo portfolio, with the second movie releasing on Paramount+ and Nickelodeon this October. There’s a great selection for adult-based ranges too, including the likes of Bridgerton, Stranger Things, Peaky Blinders, and Mr Men & Little Miss. Peanuts is a new addition for this year, focusing on the loveable character of Snoopy, as a colourful new greetings card range aimed at both kids and adults.

We work with all the top licensors, which means we have a huge portfolio containing more than 300 different brands.

Bestsellers

Our football ranges consistently perform well alongside key entertainment and music titles, such as Cliff Richard and Kelly Brook. Each year, we produce a Top Ten Calendar Chart, which shows the best-performing titles. Last year, we found that calendars such as Liverpool FC, Manchester United, popular kids show Bluey, Minecraft, Cliff, Elvis and Doctor Who all made it into the top 10. Overall, as mentioned in the Danilo timeline here, our best-selling calendar of all time was the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles in 1990, which sold 500,000+ units and both David Beckham in 2001 and One Direction came close in 2012, both selling 400,000+ units.

Our greeting card, gift wrap and gift bag ranges are driven by the most popular preschool kids brands such as Peppa Pig, PAW Patrol and Bluey. Older kids brands such as L.O.L. Surprise!, Despicable Me, and Harry Potter also generate strong sales through the year. Alongside the kids offering, Danilo has a breadth of adult licensed cards, which have been leading sellers for many years now, such as Only Fools & Horses and Mrs Brown’s Boys.

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Danilo Timeline: 1978 – Danilo produced the first-ever official celebrity calendar - Elvis Presley 1979 - Danilo starts expanding into TV and movie titles such as Dallas, Fame, Neighbours.

Duran Duran is the first-ever pop band to sell 100,000 calendars

Innovation

Over the past few years, we have expanded our range of calendars to deliver a dated product range with style, practicality, fun and engagement throughout. These include new calendar design formats such as the Deluxe calendar, Change-It-Up Calendar, Desk Pad, Collector’s Box Set plus new Fashion and undated diaries. More recent additions include our Children’s Activity Calendars, where kids can learn days of the week, seasons and more, as well as ‘My First Year’ calendars, which allow new parents to document their baby’s first milestones. Plus we have created an amazing musical advent calendar range, where people can build a festive scene over December and play with key characters as they glide around the base of the calendar to music.

In addition, innovation around our cards and gift bags means that we are trying to look beyond just recycling our products, to ensure our products have a second life once they have been used. This could be extra activities included on the inside of our cards, or a snap game that you can cut out of the back of a gift bag once used. All of this hard work has seen the company experience a significant step up in the level of creativity and modernisation in our product range.

Licensing

When deciding which brands to add to our ever-growing portfolio, there’s a number of factors that we take into consideration. Most important is monitoring new and upcoming consumer trends, as these provide a good guide to which genres and brands are proving most popular. In recent years, the global video streaming market, social media channels like TikTok, increased popularity in gaming and anime, as well as a focus on nostalgia are all key trends that continue to impact which licensed products we add.

Ensuring that we stay active and engaged in the licensing and online markets, as well as subscribing to research sites like WGSN, means we can stay on top of new and upcoming trends.

Alongside trend insights, Danilo maintains a very close engagement with the licensing industry, to ensure we are in the know when any new IP launches are planned. This allows Danilo to work closely with licensors to build plans to deliver new ranges using the hottest properties available.

Sustainability

As well as being members of Products of Change, we have also received certificates that showcase our commitment to energy saving (through solar panels, LED Lighting and EV chargers). We also recycle our products in a sustainable way once they can no longer be used.

We embrace sustainability challenges as opportunities to innovate and continuously improve product design and as such, have added clear recycling labels to all of the products, as well as making the desk easel and desk block calendar range completely plastic free and recyclable. Danilo is working hard to remove plastic from its packaging and this year we have increased the number of plastic-free wall calendars by a further 15%. Danilo is continuing to make progress by searching for new and cost-efficient ways to reduce cello wrapping even further, ensuring we communicate frequently with suppliers and retailers to discuss new ideas.

Shows

We exhibit at the Spring Fair in February, PG Live in June and The Sports Merchandise and Licensing Show in October. We also had stands at both London MCM Comicon at Excel in October and London Winter Comic Con at Olympia in November plus the Anime League London Gaming and Anime show early next year.

We have found these fan-led shows are an excellent way to experience first-hand the passion they have for these brands.

The future Planning for the future is always at the forefront at Danilo. We regularly review our strategic aims, to ensure we are all pulling together in the same direction to help grow the company. The hard work our employees put in, on a day-to-day basis, will ensure that over the next five years, we continue to expand our global reach and customer base while always having the hottest properties on offer.

01992 702 900 sales@danilo.com www.danilo.com

1985 – The first Cliff Richard Calendar is published. (over 3 million sold to date) 1990 –The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Calendar sold 500,000 and became bestselling calendar 1999 - Danilo diversifies into Greeting Cards, Gift Wrap and Bags. The first official greetings card range was Star Wars Episode 1 2001 – Danilo publishes its first Sound Card Range with Dom Jolly Trigger Happy TV the top-selling card of that year 2010 – Sister company creating personalised cards and calendars goes online at Personalise.com.

2012 - One Direction becomes Danilo’s bestselling pop calendar ever 2015 - Minecraft becomes Danilo’s biggest Gaming Calendar ever.

Laurence Prince wins the Honorary Achievement Award at the Licensing Awards 2020 – Danilo becomes a member of Products of Change 2021 – Peaky Blinders triumphs at Licensing Awards 2022 – Danilo moves 75% of products (including cards) to plastic free

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EXHIBITION NEWS

A Spring Fair focus on greetings & stationery

What: Spring Fair When: February 4-7 2024 Where: NEC Birmingham Web: www.springfair.com

As the nation looks to rediscover the joy of writing and sending cards, the Greetings & Stationery sector at Spring Fair will offer buyers the ultimate assortment of every kind of greeting card, as well as the most creative, colourful and fun wrapping papers, stationery and paper decorations. Spring Fair 2024 is set to bring the greetings community together by profiling great products and brands.

For up-and-coming designers, head to the GCA Debut area, and don’t miss The Art File, Cardgains, FiveDollarShake, Rosie Made A Thing, Ling Designs, Brainbox Candy, Louise Tiler, Nicole Elders, The Seed Card Company, Dream Daisy, Ginger Betty, Moongazer, Ohh Deer and many more, who will be presenting their latest ranges. Apple and Clover, publisher of beautiful cards that make people smile while being kind to people and the planet, will attend for the first time.

Offering 13 product sectors across Home, Gift and Fashion, the variety of products from big brands through to artisan makers at Spring Fair is unmatched.

From furniture and textiles to gifts and greeting cards, cookware and candles to an enormous array of licensed products, Spring Fair is the launchpad for new collections offering endless opportunities for sourcing the newest, most innovative products and retail’s next bestsellers for 2024 and beyond.

With 80% of floorspace already filled and an abundance of exclusives, visitors to the NEC will encounter a vibrant and bustling showcase of new and returning exhibitors offering the opportunity to source from British, international, sustainable, and licensed brands. A host of new onsite features and experiences with curated displays and trend-led showcases will inspire and assist the buying journey.

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10/11/2023 17:50

Show diary 2024

95% of stands sold at Scotland’s Trade Fair Spring Scotland’s Trade Fair Spring is almost fully committed after a huge interest in stands from new and established companies.

Taking place at the SEC, Glasgow, from Jan 21-23 2024, this show demonstrates that confidence is high after a successful tourist season this summer.

Exhibitor numbers are back to prepandemic levels, with many new Scottish and UK businesses keen to increase their share of the Scottish market. The success of independent retail in Scotland is in part largely due to the big influx of tourists this summer, mainly from North America, India and the Far East.

Show director Mark Saunders said: “For those still keen to take a stand, don’t delay in contacting us. With the increased confidence in the Scottish market and influx of tourists, it looks likely that buyers will be flocking in their droves to the Show to re-stock and source new products. Don’t miss out on this opportunity to be seen.”

New exhibitors to look out for include Fountasia, The English Soap Company, Ocean Plastic Pots, Enesco, Kabloom, Zippy & George, The Little Dog Laughed, Ooshky, Rablogan Castle of Scotland Highland wear, Braemar Highland wear, Joya, Mala Leather, Flick Fashions, Shrieking Violet, Lantern Tailoring, Annabella Moore and Tipperleyhill stationery and cards.

Card and stationery exhibitors to look out for are, among others: Catherine Redgate, Claire Baird, All that Glitters, Ballard Home, Edinburgh Illustrations, F&B cards, Fox Under the Moon, Hole in my Pocket, Island Blue Publishing, Joy Nevada, Pigment, Pink Pig, Snappy Crocodile, Tartan 2CV, The Grey Earl and Wee Wishes.

These suppliers will complement the Launch Gallery for new, young companies such as Designed by Islay cards, Follow The Creatures, Castle Apothecary Scotland, Concrete & Cacti, Just Hammered, The Old Waiting Room Gallery, Thistle & Twigs and Vivid Stash, to mention a few.

Scotland’s Trade Fairs have also What: Scotland’s Trade Fair Spring undergone a refresh of the brand.

With new logos and artwork, the When: Jan 21-23 2024 new branding reflects a more contemporary feel, reflecting Where: SEC, Glasgow the Scottish heritage, with some witty undertones.

Web: www.scotlandstradefairs.com

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14-16 January - Top Drawer London

Olympia London, Hammersmith Rd, London, W14 8UX www.topdrawer.co.uk

14-17 January - Harrogate Christmas & Gift

Harrogate Convention Centre, King’s Rd, Harrogate HG1 5LA www.harrogatefair.com

14-16 January - Giving & Living Westpoint, Exeter, EX5 1DJ www.givingliving.co.uk

21-23 January - Scotland’s Trade Fair Spring SEC, Glasgow www.scotlandstradefairs.com

26-30 January - Christmasworld Messe Frankfurt, Frankfurt, Germany https://christmasworld.messefrankfurt.com

4-7 February - Spring Fair

The NEC, Birmingham, North Ave, Marston Green, Birmingham www.springfair.com

14-15 May - The London Stationery Show

Business Design Centre, 52 Upper Street, Islington, London, N1 0QH www.stationeryshowlondon.co.uk

4-5 June - Progressive Greetings Live

Business Design Centre, 52 Upper Street, Islington, London, N1 0QH www.progressivegreetingslive.com

25-27 June - Glee

NEC Birmingham, North Ave, Marston Green, Birmingham www.gleebirmingham.com

21-24 July - Home & Gift Buyers Festival HCC, Kings Road, Harrogate, North Yorkshire, HG1 5LA www.homeandgift.co.uk

1-4 September - Autumn Fair NEC Birmingham, B40 1NT, UK www.autumnfair.com

8-10 September - Top Drawer London

Olympia London, Hammersmith Rd, London, W14 8UX www.topdrawer.co.uk

16-19 October - Insights-X

Exhibition Centre Nuremberg, Germany www.insights-x.com/en

13/11/2023 11:19

EXHIBITION NEWS

Bursting with newness Top Drawer’s Spring/Summer edition is set to open the doors of Olympia London from January 14-16 2024, welcoming visitors into a curated retail wonderland as it returns with another jam-packed show absolutely bursting with newness and design. Visitor registration has now opened, and retailers can expect to kick-start the new year with another show-stopping edition, bringing together the best brands, products, speakers and more all under one roof.

This season, visitors will be able to immerse themselves in a kaleidoscope of contemporary design, with thousands of new products being launched across the show’s nine curated sectors: Greetings & Stationery, Craft, Fashion, Food Emporium, Gift, Home, Launchpad, Play, and Wellbeing.

Each exhibitor at Top Drawer is hand-picked to ensure buyers can find the most on-trend products and pieces, which will have their customers obsessed.

Visitors will be able to explore new collections from more than 600 top suppliers, over 25% of which are new to the show, meaning that in addition to the big names that buyers have grown to expect such as Bookspeed, Casa Verde, CHALK, Designworks, FRAAS, Jellycat, Morgan Wright, Ohh Deer, Shepherd of Sweden and Talking Tables, they can also discover hundreds of other suppliers making their show debut, such as Ameico, Arran Bay, Bean and Bemble, Constance & Denny, Flick Fashions, Gracee Jewellery, Littlemore Candle Company, Signare, The Hill Brush Company and Widdop and Co. Retailers specifically looking to stock emerging independent talent should make a beeline for the show’s Launchpad sector, which curates 25 of the freshest new designers coming onto the market across a range of product sectors, with the likes of Arcana Living, Laura Frances Heitzman, LORDS Fragrance House, Pink Giraffe Print Co, Plan Inspire Create, Plinthy, POTR Pots, Printed Weird, The Colour Emporium and The Plain Shop all taking part this season.

Buyers seeking the best products available from around the world can rest easy in the knowledge that over 10% of exhibitors at Top Drawer this January hail from overseas, bringing a feast of contemporary international design to their doorstep through the likes of Banwood, Broste Copenhagen, Djeco, Izipizi, Kikkerland Europe, Lamy, Lifeguard Press + Ban.do, Piffany Copenhagen, The Somewhere co, Trixie Baby and many more.

Showgoers can also immerse themselves further into the world of retail with engaging talks, business help, trends and inspiration.

The RetailFest stage will play host to a stellar line-up of key industry figures as Top Drawer continues to champion small businesses by offering insightful talks and panel discussions that offer actionable tips to boost business in 2024.

The Business Hub will be back bigger and better than ever this season, with visitors able to book appointments with industry experts over the three days of

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the show to get tailored, personal advice across a variety of areas to help their businesses thrive.

The show will also be filled with inspiration-sparking products and content at the must-see Trends Feature. Curated by Top Drawer’s show partner, The Better Trends Company, visitors will be presented with three key trends for the seasons ahead to help buyers and designers shape their new collections. Trend forecasting duo Louise Healy and Natalie Alexander will be on hand to guide buyers to ensure their Spring/Summer collection is bursting with products their customers will love!

New for 2024, Top Drawer will be presenting its Show Awards, enabling visitors and exhibitors to celebrate the best of the talented retail industry; across multiple categories, the awards will highlight brands, designers and products making their mark on the industry.

What: Top Drawer Spring/Summer When: January 14-16 2024 Where: Olympia London Web: www.topdrawer.co.uk

10/11/2023 17:51

SHOW REVIEW

INSIGHTS-X

Insights-X: anything but stationary!

Greetings Today’s Mark Naish visited Nuremberg for Spielwarenmesse’s Insights-X, the international stationery show that continues to offer something new…

Despite having to suffer the indignity of flying with Ryanair, my trip to Nuremberg to visit Insights-X was very enjoyable. The first show was in 2015 and quickly became a mainstay of the stationery show calendar. Like all such events, it shut down for two years as a result of the pandemic, successfully returning last year.

Visitor numbers increased this year to 3,519 attendees from 71 countries. As Christian Ulrich, spokesperson of the Executive Board at Spielwarenmesse eG. said: “Visitor numbers alone grew by 39% compared with the previous year.”

Among the top visitor groups to this, the only independent trade fair for the stationery sector in Germany, were well-known wholesalers and retailers, drugstores and supermarkets, along with buying associations from across Europe – including, among others, Alibaba, Amazon, Carrefour, Coop, Kaufland, Lidl, McPaper, Rewe, Rossmann, Staples, Thalia and TJX. This was already the third visit for Sarah Vagdy, buyer for Otto Office: “I like Insights-X – it’s well organised. You can quickly comprehend and sort out the new trends.” Tarek A. Tabaja, vendor manager at Amazon EU, identified another benefit during his visit: “It’s much easier meeting up with all my contacts in one place than making appointments individually.”

The sector stands firmly behind Insights-X – the Handelsverband Büro und Schreibkultur held its

Executive Board of Spielwarenmesse eG: Florian Hess, Christian Ulrich (spokesperson of the Executive Board), Jens Pflüger

Insights-X Review copy_converted.indd 1

own conference at the Exhibition Centre, while duo schreib & spiel also held its autumn conference there. The new eXtra-Day was aimed specifically at retailers from the German-speaking DACH region.

According to Michael Fortdran, managing director at Undercover, the new arrangements for the four days proved ideal: “The Saturday of the fair was received very positively by the specialist trade. We saw a good number of visitors,’’ he said.

Insights-X Trends A new intiative at the show was Insights-X Trends. These were put together exclusively for the fair

by Gabriela Kaiser, proprietor of TRENDagentur, all with sustainability at their core.

Under the umbrella of ‘Ecofriendly Living’, four trending currents have been identified.

In the category of ‘Paper Love’, everything revolves around the elemental material of the stationery sector, which is put to so many diverse uses within the creative field in particular. ‘Vintage Nostalgia’, meanwhile, picks up the atmosphere of bygone times in designs with a romantic retro look.

Counterbalancing this is ‘Colorful Joy’ – especially colourful products to engender a happy mood. The fourth trend, ‘License Stars’, offers hot topics in the field of licensing, with a strong relevance to the back-to-school category.

Also to be found in the InsightsArena was the Photo-Box for creative graffiti fans, who could leave their illustration behind on the walls to become part of a unique joint artwork that was being created throughout the duration of the fair. Participants also found themselves at the heart of the action in the PodcastLounge, where they could follow live the discussions with industry experts being recorded for the Spielwarenmesse Podcast. In all three halls, trade visitors and buyers could access VisitorLounges with a range of catering options.

Party networking The opportunity to network and relax was provided by the AfterHour event, which took place on the Wednesday evening. It must be said the provided food and live band were excellent. The second event (which I was unable to attend because I had to return home ) was on the Friday evening; the new OrangeNight, with street food, drinks and music from a DJ, the sector. I was subsequently told this was equally excellent!

This was my first visit to Insights-X and I must say it was impressive. It was very well supported by the trade, looked great and had a wonderful atmosphere.

The organisers look forward to next year’s event, which takes place from October 16-19.

For more information visit: www.insights-x.com/en/ AfterHour event

InsightsArena A key destination for trends was the InsightsArena in Hall 10.0. Its impressively redesigned urban concept was reminiscent of a city-centre shopping trip. Here, it was worth making a stop at the Retail Inspiration Hub, where the Insights-X Trends could be experienced through sample products. Trade visitors also encountered design tips for presenting goods at the point of sale and inspiration for the shopping experience in their own outlets. At the neighbouring BRANDmate Plaza, everything revolved around the world of licensing. The team from the B2B event for new licences and partnerships, from which the Plaza takes its name, presented exciting product trends from the field of licensing.

16/11/2023 13:55

GCA NEWS

MPs urged to join in

#Cardmitment All 650 MPs received a letter this month, urging them to pop in to a drop-in session to support the greeting card industry at the Houses of Parliament.

The move is part of the GCA’s #Cardmitment campaign, and MPs at the event on November 29 will be asked to sign a #Cardmitment pledge and find out more about the GCA CEO Amanda Fergusson importance of the greeting card industry. at the Houses of Parliament The GCA is also asking industry members whether they are retailers, publishers or suppliers - to contact their own MPs, and encourage them to take part.

The event is being supported by backbench Conservative MP Mark Menzies, who has worked with the GCA to organise the session for MPs in the run-up to Christmas. Mark has a background in retail, having previously worked at Asda, Marks & Spencer and Morrisons.

The GCA will ask MPs to lead the way by sending Christmas cards; visiting an indie card retailer or publisher in their constituency; remind constituents that it only costs 75p to send a card second class, and to help that price stay constant.

They will also be asked to support the Caring at Christmas campaign.

A giant card, designed by Sarah Jackson at Stormy Knight and produced by Sherwood, will display the pledges, and MPs will be asked to sign.

A draft letter to your local MP can be downloaded at: www.gca.cards/gca-takes-cardmitment-to-the-houses-of-parliament

Abacus kicks off Caring at Christmas visits The Caring at Christmas campaign - where publishers are encouraged to take cards into care homes - is hotting up, with a number of care home visits booked in over the next few weeks.

First out of the blocks was Nick Carey (pictured below left) at Abacus, who has also been writing cards in his offices. He visited Bury St. Edmund’s Cornwallis Court Care Home.

Nick said: ‘’We took cards, mince pies, Christmas music, Christmas hats and Christmas jumpers! And Cornwallis Court provided fresh tea and coffee. ‘’It took a little while for the residents to get into the swing of things and understanding what was on offer to them - free Christmas cards - and that if they wrote them there and then, we’d take them back and frank them from our studio - so they would be sent to their loved ones. ‘’It was a very humbling experience; virtually all the residents were in wheelchairs or had walking aids. So we had to push and manoeuvre each resident in turn, for them to select their cards of choice. ‘‘We then sat with them, writing the cards for them while listening to their stories and tales. ‘‘We were joined by staff from the home and later on by two volunteers from a local school who often pop in and spend time with the residents. It was an enlightening afternoon and great to see the residents selecting their cards of choice and them considering who they could send them to from their address books.’’

There are 400,000 elderly care home residents in the UK in more than 11,000 homes.

Any care home that has organised activities will be looking for different, new ideas to carry out with their residents, so find one close to you and join in!

More at www.gca.cards/caring-at-christmas

Keep up the #Cardmitment until Festive Friday GCA CEO Amanda Fergusson is encouraging everyone in the card industry to keep up the momentum on the #Cardmitment campaign.

She asks that everybody in the industry gets their cards ready to post before Festive Friday, so that on December 1 ‘’we get a wave of cards across the country’’.

She adds that the message to consumers is to start writing now and do a few a night, so it doesn’t become a stressful part of the Christmas preparations.

The GCA is also starting an Instagram campaign - and is asking everyone to share messages using their own artwork or GCA artwork.

The #Cardmitment toolkit can be found at www.gca.cards/cardmitment-toolkit.

Promoting the joy of cards at Stationers’ Hall GCA CEO Amanda Fergusson was invited to speak at Stationers’ Hall as part of a panel considering the place for handwriting in a digital age.

Joining Amanda on the panel were Dr Mellissa Prunty, Chair of the National Handwriting Association and senior lecturer in occupational therapy at Brunel University, and Graham Craik, sales director of Pentel and Chair of the Writing Instruments Association.

The evening event was attended by a number of people from the greeting card industry, while more watched the discussion from across the world via a live video link.

Amanda spoke about the personal nature of handwriting, and the powerful immediate and intimate connection we feel towards our loved ones when we see their handwriting on a letter, card or an envelope on the doormat. She spoke about the joy of handwritten greeting cards, reminding everyone of the importance of cards as a way of communicating historically, and gave updates on the vibrant card market of 2023.

The GCA’s #Cardmitment campaign was also discussed, with Amanda asking everyone to join the greeting card industry in writing their Christmas cards early – ready to post on December 1 (Festive Friday) to start a wave of card sending.

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10/11/2023 17:52

Cherry Orchard

Cherry Orchard is a proud purveyor of UK and British-made cards and when you have been producing cards for over 28 years, knowing that you are not only supporting British businesses but also reducing carbon footprint is incredibly important. Managing director Jackie Collins says: ‘‘Both on a personal note and in business, I feel passionate about the protection of the environment we are so lucky to live in, and printing here in the UK and supporting British companies only goes to uphold that passion.”

The Cherry Orchard diverse portfolio often features the ‘Best of British’ and the team is proud to celebrate two special British companies in their Road Trip Range with an E-Type Jaguar and Aston Martin.

01684 295500 info@cherryorchardpublishing.co.uk Ӏ www.cherryorchardpublishing.co.uk

Looking For...

Fawn and Thistle

These Celestial Moon Undated Daily planners are printed in the UK by a sustainable eco-friendly printer, and made with recycled materials. Each of the 80 pages is printed with a daily planner layout. It comes packaged with a branded, recycled card bellyband. The Tiger Weekly Planner Desk Pad is a cute A4 desk pad weekly planner to help keep you organised. Each page has sections for a to-do list, notes, water tracker and week at a glance. Made in the UK, these pads come packaged in a branded bellyband.

Heavy weight and luxurious, this Cherry Gift Wrap sheet is covered in bright and bold cherries on a pastel pink background. Each individual sheet is 50 cm x 70 cm and is 170 gsm. Printed in the UK, they can come either folded with a belly band or flat, ready to be rolled.

UK made

Dobbies buyer Caroline Chetwin told us that made in the UK is an important criteria. The products here are all proudly made in the UK…

07545 590406 hello@fawnandthistle.com | www.fawnandthistle.com

Rachel Ellen Designs

Rachel Ellen Designs is proud of the fact that all of its greeting cards are printed locally and hand-finished in-house at its premises in Nottingham, by a skilled team of hand finishers. Customers might not know that the company also produces many other paper products in the same way, including colouring books. Using Rachel’s signature handdrawn artwork, the colouring book measures 205 x 205mm and has huge appeal, with more than 20 designs to choose from. Its extra large colouring posters are printed on sturdy material in a 1000mm x 700mm size; these intricately designed posters are large enough to be worked on by more than one child at a time, whether on the floor or on a table. They are packaged folded in a neat cardboard wallet. There are currently four designs to choose from, with more to be added soon. Other products made in the UK include reward charts, gift wrap, social stationery and notecard packs.

0115 970 0321 sales@rachelellen.co.uk | www.rachelellen.com

Looking For....nmindd.indd 1

The Eco-friendly Card Co Nothing quite says Best of British like this cheerful range of greeting cards by artist Becky Bettesworth, published by The Eco-friendly Card Co. Her cards are an explosion of colour, influenced by the vintage 1930s railway posters, celebrating Britian’s amazing natural beauty. It’s not just the artwork that hails from our shores though; like all Eco-friendly Card Co products, the range is also printed and published in the UK. As well as single cards there are also notecard wallets and sweet mini-notecards, the size of a pack of playing cards, both of which contain eight cards and envelopes in attractive gift packaging.

01626 369269 www.ecofriendly.cards

www.greetingstoday.media 23

10/11/2023 18:04

SNEAK PEEK 2024

Looking forward Here’s a hint… to 2024 We might all be excited about Christmas, but then what? Here’s some of the launches we can expect in the New Year…

Cherry Orchard has been busy developing new launches for 2024 alongside expanding its main portfolio and the dazzling Grace and Grayson range, which is proving incredibly successful among its customers. Not wanting to give too much away but what they did say is keep your eyes peeled for a new male open birthday range and occasion titles, which will be added to the new cold foil Tutti Frutti juvenile children’s cold foil range, which has recently been launched.

Cherry Orchard Publishing 01684 295500 info@cherryorchardpublishing.co.uk

Hundreds to choose from!

The Art File has more than 250 new products to launch for January 2024, across several new greeting card range collections, as well as range extensions from popular current collections such as Sara Miller London, English Heritage, Natural Phenomenon, Sakura heights, and more. The Art File is also launching new English Heritage Gift wrap and bags, to further complement the collection.

Alongside cards and gift packaging products, The Art File team is extremely excited to unveil and launch a new product category going into 2024, so watch this space!

The Art File 0115 850 7490 sales@theartfile.com www.theartfile.com 24 www.greetingstoday.media

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13/11/2023 11:22

A library of card classics With The British Library and our long-running Classics range, the M&G Collection is an ever-evolving collection of renowned or rediscovered artistic gems, alongside iconic images of the future.

Please contact your agent or visit our website to find out more.

E: sales@mgml.co.uk museumsgalleries.co.uk Tel: 01373 462165

SNEAK PEEK 2024

New

beginnings…

Dots, dashes and

sparkles!

After great success in children’s ranges last year, Louise Tiler Designs has extended its offering of cards for 2024, featuring vibrant colours, intricate illustrations and gold foil finishes. The Kids Tiny Sparkles range is suitable for young children with a love of whimsical fairy tales, animals, robots, and funky monsters. Each of the new children’s cards comes with a bespoke Louise Tiler printed envelope and measures 170mm by 120mm.

Along with the new children’s ranges, Louise Tiler Designs is launching a vibrant and contemporary everyday birthday card range - Dots & Dashes - with eye-catching birthday icons, polka dot patterns and luxurious gold foil finishes.

Louise Tiler Designs 01535 957878 contact@louisetiler.co.uk www.louisetiler.com

Launching in January 2024, with more than 200 new standalone designs, here’s a little sneak peek of some of the UK Greetings ranges coming to stores next year!

Camden Wildlife: Celebrate the best of British wildlife with this new photographic range from Camden Graphics. From those milestone moments to simply keeping in touch, not only do these simple yet effective cards offer a nice easy send as they’re blank inside, they also double up as a potential keepsake to frame.

Kindred Glitter & Gold: Mark those special occasions with Kindred’s dazzling Glitter & Gold! This bestselling range gets an exciting move on with its hallmark contemporary black and gold foil colour palette alongside a fun and conversational voice. Complete with printed envelopes.

Confetti Pop: It’s time to pop the confetti with this stylish new range. Confetti Pop features a variety of celebratory icons – from cocktails to cakes – accented with embossed foil detailing to really make them stand out on the rack. What’s more, the z-fold format offers something a bit different.

UK Greetings’ gifting line for 2024 features all the ranges you’ve come to expect, with some lovely new additions. Additions such as the RHS floral look featuring a pretty design across a multitude of products, the stylishly sophisticated Celebrate Balloons range, and not forgetting the eye-catching Hooray gifting with its colourful lettering. All featuring a lavish gold foil finish.

UK Greetings salesandservice@ukgreetings.co.uk

Into the woods…

The UK’s woodland has some of our richest habitats, providing homes for thousands of species including many of our mammals, birds and insects.

Woods and their trees provide shelter, food and safe places to hide. Inspired by this amazing backdrop Nigel Quiney is launching 15 new Woodland Nature designs in January 2024…

These contemporary woodcut prints, in earthy browns and olive greens, create an organic colour palette for this beautifully illustrated collection of our most loved woodland creatures, leaping hares, buzzing bees and soaring swifts.

All designs are 70II and printed on a textured board. The cards have been left blank for your own personal message and come with a natural craft envelope.

Nigel Quiney Publications 01799 520200 info@nigelquiney.com www.nigelquiney.com 26 www.greetingstoday.media

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10/11/2023 18:05

SNEAK PEEK 2024

A lotta bottle!

The new 2024 Message in a Bottle collection from Alljoy Design is crafted with precision and creativity, transporting you to the coast, from surfing to sand castles.

Each design of these keepsake cards invites you down to the beach to Bottle some memories for sharing with loved ones. Each card evokes the essence of the typical beach and coast holidays we enjoyed as kids or that our kids will in turn enjoy.

Alongside there are new Blossom designs in the laser cut collection. These are printed on textured paper and finished with gold foil details with the added feature of writing your message on the reverse.

All cards are designed and printed in Ireland.

Alljoy Design info@alljoydesign.com www.alljoydesign.com

FOCUS ON STOP THE CLOCK DESIGN

Stop the Clock Design

Wowzers! Stop the Clock Design turns 15 this October. Where have all those years gone? Directors Kathy and Erin tell us...

We set up Stop the Clock Design (in a shed!) in October 2008 after becoming friends at university studying textiles and graduating into a world where real jobs were few and far between. What started as a “let’s make some cards to sell at a local Christmas Fair” quickly turned into something a little busier. Once we had a few trade orders under our belt, our cards were out there and were quickly picked up by a fantastic group of sales agents… and we were off!

We moved out of our shed and bought a pub (sadly not to be a pub, but our office and warehouse. We do still have the bar but depressingly it stores envelopes not pint glasses or beer). We now work with a great bunch of people from our ‘pub’ and design studio in a little village not far from Manchester.

Our brand is now stocked in numerous independent and multiple stores across the UK as well as being exported and licensed abroad. We’re not sure where 15 years have gone (somewhere in a whirlwind of cards, marriages, babies, more cards and more babies) but we’re so proud of how far we have come and would like to thank all of our friends, family, agents and colleagues who have helped us along the way, as well as our wonderfully loyal, amazing customers.

We feel very privileged to be able to design products that we love.

We pride ourselves on producing distinctive and quirky products with a modern edge, while still retaining a commercial vibe. We try to design ranges that have something for everyone and are always looking for opportunities to license or design new products.

We will be exhibiting at Spring Fair for the first time in 2024. We can’t wait to show you our new ranges and products.

01457 763335 Ӏ info@stoptheclockdesign.com Ӏ www.stoptheclockdesign.com www.greetingstoday.media 27

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10/11/2023 18:05

FEATURE...

MALE AND FATHER’S DAY

First-class

male

Finding just the right card for male friends and family can be tricky. Here’s a selection of some bright ideas…

Alljoy Design

Celebrate Father’s Day in style with this 2024 collection of pop-up and laser cut cards. Each card features intricate paper engineering that brings your heartfelt messages to life. Show Dad just how much you care with these unique keepsake cards.

www.alljoydesign.com

Louise Tiler Designs

Louise Tiler Designs has always been well known for the creation of beautiful feminine cards, however, after being nominated at the Henry Awards for its cards in the Best Male category, the team has continued to introduce contemporary and vibrant male designs. The latest range Twilight - consists of cards with patterned foil finishes and birthday icons such as balloons, party fans, candles and other popular birthday symbols.

01535 957878 contact@louisetiler.co.uk www.louisetiler.com

Cherry Orchard

Cherry Orchard has recently launched some new Male Relations and Occasions cards to its Grayson range, stepping away from the usual gold finishes and has now introduced a silver finish and metallic silver envelope bringing a fresh new look to this very in-demand range. If you would like to see the new Grace and Grayson collection, which now includes Code 150 and Code 50 sizes, or would like to order an information leaflet contact the Customer Care Team.

01684 295500 info@cherryorchardpublishing.co.uk www.cherryorchardpublishing.co.uk 28 www.greetingstoday.media

Focus on Mennm.indd 1

10/11/2023 18:06

FEATURE...

MALE AND FATHER’S DAY

Paper Shed Design New for Father’s Day 2024.

Perfect for nature-loving Dads and a great alternative to humour cards. The new Father’s Day range by Paper Shed Design now includes Wild Animal designs from its new Wonderfully Wild range and Down By The River, alongside the original hugely popular dog range Absolutely Barking.

01189 744283 info@papersheddesign.com www.papersheddesign.com

Crumble and Core

Crumble and Core has loved creating its new Navy Collection, which has 16 A6 cards aimed at men, but not exclusively male. Set on a striking dark navy background with a gold foiled message, they come with a bio cello and gold envelopes.

The occasions covered to begin with are Birthdays, Bon Voyage, Dads, Father’s Day, Just to Say and Retirement. The team has chosen themes of Beer and Booze, Bikes and Cars, Gardening, Music and Sport, so there is something for everyone.

01825 841412 crumbleandcore@gmail.com www.crumbleandcore.com

Rachel Ellen Designs

While Rachel Ellen Designs is best known for its children’s designs, there’s so much more to see, including its recently launched card range Checkmate. Featuring simple, sophisticated patterns and vibrant colours combined with pops of gold foil, the designs are aimed at men but most designs could be considered unisex. The range includes general birthday, milestone ages, occasions and male relations. Size 170mm x 120mm, they are printed on textured board and supplied with bespoke stylish blue envelopes.

Rachel Ellen Designs also has a broad range of Father’s Day cards that offer something for everyone. Ebb & Flow is a contemporary range that will certainly catch your eye with its playful patterns and quirky typography. The cards are printed on textured board and finished with chunky gold foil. Size 170mm x 120mm, they are supplied with bespoke patterned mustard envelopes.

0115 970 0321 sales@rachelellen.co.uk www.rachelellen.co.uk

Kali Stileman

Kali Stileman Publishing has lots of lovely cards for boys. The gloriously golden greetings cards feature messages such as ‘to my super star brother!’ and ‘to the best dad ever!’ against cool and colourful patterns.

The dinosaur cards are perfect for children and the young at heart alike! Whether it’s for favourite uncles, roarsome brothers or ‘daddysaurus’, there is a fun card for all the boys in your life.

01305 848899 info@kalistileman.co.uk www.kalistileman.co.uk www.greetingstoday.media 29

Focus on Mennm.indd 2

14/11/2023 11:38

REPORT GCA CONFERENCE

GCA Council

Darren Cave

An A-Z of the GCA

Conference 2023

In October, Greeting Card Association members came together for the Annual Conference. Here’s what happened…

A B

F

is for bucking the trend. Experts from Kantar revealed that their data showed that while General Merchandise sales (everything non-food) had decreased, greetings cards were actually up 3% in total.

is for final reminder. Amanda Fergusson, in her closing address, left attendees with a final reminder: ‘’The British continue to love cards. We work with a product that brings such joy to people. We are a world-leading industry where there is so much innovation, and enthusiasm for the product we produce.

And where we all pull together to support each other. Let’s keep up the good work to ensure that UK consumers keep sending cards.’’

C

is for consumer shift. Kantar’s Ni Wang explained that there had been an interesting shift in consumer behaviour, away from supermarket buying and towards independent card shops.

G

D

H

is for Armouries. The Conference was held in the Royal Armouries, the national museum of arms and armour.

is for Dynamic Data. Cardfactory’s Adam Dury shared some information from the annual survey of 4,500 people, conducted by Dynamic Data on behalf of the retailer, which suggests that 40m UK adults a year buy greeting cards that’s around 80% of the population.

E

is for Enveco, which provided envelopes for the special #Cardmitment cards that were given out at the conference. A postbox was provided for everyone to send the cards on the day - designed by Council member Rebecca Green of Raspberry Blossom, printed on Fedrioni paper, with printing and postage sponsored by Loxleys.

is for getting your cards in front of customers. Retailer Sarah Laker had a number of bright ideas for retailers including shop window collaborations with suppliers and competitions within your local community. is for hints of recovery. Kantar’s Moleeba Baloch and Ni Wang had some positive news, as their data showed that the number of consumers who consider themselves to be comfortable and able to afford most things has increased by 3%. However, 42% still considered they are on the whole managing okay, while 25% are just making ends meet or struggling to cover their expenses.

I

is for it’s not goodbye just so long. The GCA said thank you to long-serving Council members Rachel Hare of Belly Button, Carolyn Verderame of Caroline Gardner and Adriana Lovesy of Mrs Lovesy, who all stood down from the Council. Adriana will continue as GCA membership and marketing manager.

J K

is for joining in. Adriana spoke about the large number of GCA Events now running including webinars, virtual coffee meetings and GCA local meet-ups.

is for key markets. Adam Dury shared that Cardfactory has identified key markets of interest alongside the UK & Ireland, including Canada, US, Middle East, India, South Africa, Australia and New Zealand.

L M

is for Live - Radio 5 Live, which attended the conference and interviewed Amanda once the event was over.

is for Market Report. The GCA’s Market report had some good news for bricks-and-mortar stores, said GCA council member David Faulkner, from Cardology, with the share of online sales at 11%, showing that sales are bouncing back in physical shops.

Darren Cave, Adriana Lovesy and Amanda Fergusson

30 www.greetingstoday.media

GCA Conferencenm.indd 1

N

is for new committee members. The Council welcomed new members Georgina Fihosy from Afro Touch, Mark Williams from Brainbox Candy, and Wendy Jones-Blackett. Darren Cave replaced Chris Bryan as president and Karen Wilson became vice-president.

10/11/2023 18:40

Karen Wilson

Moleeba Baloch and Ni Wang

O

is for one hundred and eighty - the number of greetings industry folk who attended the conference.

P

is for President. Conference attendees met new GCA President Darren Cave, customer & channel director at UK Greetings.

Q

is for quintessentially greetings. The conference really showed what is great about the greetings industry; a group of people, often in competition with each other, but willing to share their ideas, thoughts and insights for the benefit of the industry as a whole.

R

is for resilience. Despite the economic uncertainty, the war in Ukraine and the 2022 Christmas postal strikes, the greeting card market was resilient and fell by just -2% in value since 2021.

S

is for stand-in. Cardfactory’s Adam Dury acted as a last minute stand-in for a presentation from Mark Jessett, of GF Smith, who had to leave unexpectedly, and who had prepared an interesting talk on sustainability and a new form of card made from seaweed!

T

is for topics of conversation. While conversation topics can be indicative of the mood of the nation, Kantar results showed that at times, talk of the World Cup far outweighed talk about cost of living and heating prices!

U

is forupswing - both Kantar and Cardfactory’s presentations showed hopeful signs of an upswing in celebration purchasing during August.

W

is for Wendy Jones-Blackett, who spoke about the hobby that got out of hand and turned into a successful greeting card business. Wendy described how she went to college to learn blacksmithing skills, later bringing her love for metals into her card range called Quicksilver, which she has been reinventing every year since its release in 2006.

David Falkner

Adam Dury

X

is for extra shoppers. The number of shoppers on the high street have grown by 1.2 % in the past year - that’s 26.7m people. The biggest group by far is empty nesters and the retired (56%). They are followed by older dependents (11%) and pre-families (10%), according to data presented by the Kantar experts.

Y

is for young shoppers. Cardfactory’s Adam Dury told the conference that buyers aged 16-24 now have the highest rate of cards bought per person. He added: ‘’That’s been a continuing trend since 2020. We as a business and an industry have a huge responsibility to help when they come on the card journey.’’

Sarah Laker

Z

is for zzzz. Sleeping was what anyone who had followed drinks hosted by UK Greetings with a night out on the town and a visit to a drag bar did on the train home after the conference!

Wendy JonesBlackett

V

is for value retail thriving in grocery, as Kantar pointed out, along with more convenience retail opinions appearing.

www.greetingstoday.media 31

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13/11/2023 11:23

RETAIL OPINION

Bailey's Cards and Gifts

Cannon Hall Farm

Jesmond Beauty Clinic

Diary of a

sales agent Agent Richard Pass delights in the greetings industry events that offer the chance to network, before heading to a handfasting ceremony…

R

ecently we have had the pleasure of new adventures in the greeting card world; the GCA Annual Conference, the Henries Awards, a handfasting ceremony and a Humanist wedding.

Now the last two may not seem like greeting card events, but bear with me.

The GCA Conference was a delight in many ways.

An opportunity to meet publishers, established companies, retailers, agents, start-up businesses and everyone in between. In addition, the event offered a series of excellent talks highlighting the different aspects of this fantastic industry. The two standout speakers were Sarah Laker from Stationery Supplies, who highlighted the different ways she promotes her two shops, and Wendy Jones-Blackett, who led us through the history of her business. Both were an absolute joy to listen to and imparted hints and tips along the way. The talk

by Adam Dury [CCO at Cardfactory] was fascinating, especially as his business is so different from the many independent retailers in the country.

The key point about the GCA is the fantastic work it puts in to make greeting cards such a big business, from Amanda Fergusson [CEO] to all of the Council members and publishers, agents, retailers etc that work so hard to promote the industry. Greeting cards are bucking the trend and increasing turnover; the latest figures indicate this sector is worth £1.5bn a year to the UK. The GCA’s #Cardmitment campaign is another fantastic campaign and one that the whole industry should get behind [see GCA News for more].

Every industry needs an awards ceremony to celebrate the hard work that goes into making it a success. The Henries is ours. And what a fantastic event. Without doubt it is the best organised, most fun awards ceremony I have been to. The awards are a way of celebrating the talent of the publishers. Congratulations to Alljoy Design, Dandelion Stationery, Ohh Deer, Redback Cards, Heyy Cards, Brainbox Candy and The Art File. A couple of special mentions; Yvette and Dan at Heyy Cards, after just two years in business picked up

two awards… Watch this space they are going to keep on winning. Also well done to Ben at Brainbox Candy who stole the show with his fantastic outfit… I was lost for words!

Who-Ray, Stockton

‘‘Greeting cards are bucking the trend and increasing turnover, the latest figures indicate this sector is worth £1.5bn a year to the UK’’ Both of these events highlight the community that is the greeting card world, and most importantly the sense of working together. With depressing news constantly pushed at us through all forms of media, and businesses fighting to keep going, greeting cards bring a message of hope, fun and - to be blunt - an opportunity to make a profit. That’s why more retailers are increasing their offering of cards. And this is good for everyone; the publishers, the agents, the delivery companies and so on.

However, the independent retailers are the sector that can benefit the most. With more people buying greeting cards, this offers the opportunity to entice new customers into your stores, and with the 1624 age group becoming the fastest-growing card buying sector, the hope of a whole new long-term shopping demographic. Talking to lots of retailers, I find that everyone has a different approach (as the images here show) and it’s this that makes it so good, because there isn’t a right or a wrong way.

Handfasting and Humanist wedding, what’s the connection? Firstly they were both brilliant.

Our friends Helen and Joe ‘jumped the broom’

surrounded by friends and family on a sunny September day. Actually we all did, and no - there aren’t any photos! The following week, Nancy and John celebrated with a non-religious wedding in a seaside town I had never previously visited Margate. Again, a wonderful day with a photo shoot on the beach. Thankfully, the rain saved itself to the following day!

The connection? Well, greeting cards of course.

They were inundated with cards and every one was a different design with more than 50 different publishers represented. [Yes I know it’s sad to check these out, I’ll keep on/off the medication!]. The point is the thought taken to choose just the right card and the delight on the faces of the recipients.

There isn’t anything else that ticks the box in quite the same way. That’s why I love my job.

32 www.greetingstoday.media

Diary of an Agentnm.indd 1

10/11/2023 18:07

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Focus On...

Diversity

All-inclusive Inclusion - whether about race, gender, sexuality or disability - is more visible than ever within the greetings industry…

Dean Morris Cards

Have you expanded your product in this category over the past couple of years?

My diversity, especially LGBTQ+ cards and gifts offering, has expanded greatly over the past few years. They’re popular, shops want something contemporary and I enjoy designing them. As a gay business owner it’s something I feel passionately about.

What do you think we can expect to see from this category in the future?

Just more variety from more publishers.

Anything you are working on/that’s in the pipeline for this sector?

I’m always increasing this range to offer a selection of cards and gifts that are both sentimental and humorous.

01902 560247 dean@deanmorriscards.co.uk

Fox Under The Moon

Fox Under The Moon recently celebrated Northern Pride in Newcastle Upon Tyne, giving away more than 100 prints and greeting cards with its popular LBGTQ+ sensitive design ‘Love Is Love’. This design has proved popular with both the general public and retailers alike, being a best-selling card on Fox Under The Moon’s B2C website, as well as one of the top five ordered designs by current stockists of the brand.

Many of the cards in the range of 40 designs tackle sensitive issues around mental health and inclusivity - Fox Under The Moon encourages positivity and self love through heart-warming messages and pictures, helping to say the words that are hard to find.

07979 600 587 mcneillcreativeuk@gmail.com www.foxunderthemoon.co.uk ‘’We have some fab wrapping papers in our collection that are inclusive to all ethnicities. The first is our peg people gift wrap, inspired by the growing resurgence in wooden toys. This fun paper features peg people with all different ages, ethnicities and occupations. This leads on to our second wrap! One of our latest wrapping papers is a gorgeous people paper. This design features lots of sweet and smiley faces of all genders and ethnicities on a muted blue background

Kali Stileman Publishing

The Art File

Recognising a need for more diverse cards, The Art File launched a new collection in 2021 celebrating female diversity and empowerment. The new collection, called Fierce and Fabulous, was hugely successful with retailers and customers alike. Later that year, The Art File was incredibly proud to win the Best Diversity & Inclusion Range Henries award for the range. In 2022 The Art File launched You The Man, a male equivalent to Fierce and Fabulous complete with 16 designs.

This range enjoyed a similar success for its unique and compelling art and is still part of The Art File collections today.

0115 850 7490 sales@theartfile.com www.theartfile.com 34 www.greetingstoday.media

Focus on Diversitynm.indd 1

10/11/2023 18:08

FOCUS ON...

DIVERSITY

Raspberry Blossom Heyyy Cards

Two Finger Salute from Heyyy Cards won Best Diversity & Inclusion Range at the Henries 2023. Featuring a cheeky and heartfelt mix of captions, the range incorporates American Sign Langauge illustrations printed on luxury 300gsm stock, each supplied with a coloured envelope.

With more designs launching in 2024 this range will be expanding to include more occasions such as birthday, good luck, well done and a few more rude additions too!

07488 283524 hello@heyyycards.co.uk www.heyyycards.co.uk

Louise Tiler

With a strong focus in recent years on inclusivity and diversity in the greeting card industry, Louise Tiler’s latest children’s card ranges of whimsical fairies and princesses include multi-ethnic magical characters that children from all around the world could identify with. Other children’s cards feature fun characters such as monsters, robots and animals that children can appreciate regardless of their appearance.

Selling greeting cards worldwide means that when a collection is created a lot of thought goes into the captions and artwork so it is inclusive of different nationalities and cultures. Louise has aimed to create greeting cards with icons such as dinosaurs and monsters but with an assortment of unisex colours, so these designs could be sent to both girls or boys with an equal love of these themes and contradicting some traditional stereotypes of what little girls and boys may like to receive on a greeting card.

01535 957878 contact@louisetiler.co.uk www.louisetiler.com

Raspberry Blossom has extended its Canvas Creations range to include Mr & Mr and Mrs & Mrs cards in the mix. Same-sex marriage cards are arguably under-represented throughout the greeting card industry and Raspberry Blossom believes that everyone should be represented fairly, equally and receive joy, love and an abundance of colour for every occasion.

01926 257 757 wholesale@ raspberryblossom.com I think more and more people are looking for less gender-specific design. That’s why it was important for us to make our new kids range Totally Roarsome suitable for all children, not focusing on boys or girls. We also try to design our wedding, anniversary and Valentine cards to be suitable for all couples without any focus on gender Jo O’Brien, Paper Shed Design

UK Greetings

UK Greetings is proud to celebrate love in all its forms and reflect the world today – particularly when it comes to diversity and inclusion.

Which is why it has added even more colourful and celebratory designs for 2023.

The Disney Pride Collection is a range of fun and stylish looks that combine beloved characters with positive messages of love, belonging and inclusion. What’s more, in celebration of Pride and this collection, Disney is funding organisers around the world that support LGBTQ+ communities.

Everyone’s favourite pup, Boofle, has also introduced some great new designs that celebrate love and identity in a simple yet stylish way. From bold lettering to Boofles in matching Pride colours – they’re designed to stand out and stand proud.

UK Greetings hopes that their consumers love these new looks as much as they do!

salesandservice@ukgreetings.co.uk www.greetingstoday.media 35

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10/11/2023 18:09

Focus On...

Kids cards & wrap

It’s all about

the kids

Children love to receive cards, and there are some fabulous designs out there. Here’s a selection to choose from…

As we get older, family might forget our birthdays once in a while, but kids are never left out! With a steady streams of mums, dads, aunts, uncles and grandparents marking younger ones’ special days - not to mention all those going to class parties and special outings there’s plenty of scope within the kids’ sector. And finding that something just a little bit special is what will make you as a retailer stand out. Here’s some of the latest designs in cards and wraps made especially to appeal to children...

Dino-tastic!

Totally Roarsome is a new kids range by Paper Shed Design.

This fun Dinosaur range can be enjoyed by roarsome boys and girls alike! Cards come in ages one to six and open designs.There’s party invitations, and bookmarks too for Roarsome young readers!

Paper Shed Design info@papersheddesign.com www.papersheddesign.com

Perfect pop-ups The Alljoy Design 3D KIDS range offers beautiful cards that suit children of all ages. The cards simply pop open with colourful designs, and you can write your message easily on the reverse.

In addition to this imaginative card range, Alljoy offers ages from one to six, all in fabulous 3D, in the APOP range.

From space travel to dinosaurs, mermaids to pirates, these cards offer imagination and fun for every event.

A spinner option is available for this range too.

Launched this year, Alljoy also has a new collection of cutout cards for kids.

Featuring paper cut design and gold foil finish they offer a bright and playful card to suit every child.

Alljoy Design has a team of sales agents covering the UK; they would be delighted to call or visit with more details.

All cards are created in Ireland.

Alljoy Design info@alljoydesign.com www.alljoydesign.com

It’s a wrap!

Kali Stileman Publishing specialises in design-led luxury greetings cards and wrapping papers for children and the young at heart.

Wrapping papers are printed on heavyweight, high-quality paper; and with more than 100 designs to choose from, there’s one to suit every style and occasion. Many wraps have a mini card to match; with the two latest no exception. These gift wraps include a delightful road wrap featuring all sorts of transport, trees and buildings, and a gorgeous people paper, full of sweet and smiley faces! Both designs come with matching mini cards printed on linen textured board.

Kali Stileman Publishing 01305 848899 info@kalistileman.co.uk www.kalistileman.co.uk

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Cutie patootie This year The Art File has expanded its children’s card collections to include two new ranges called Party Time and Hey Cutie.

Party Time is a cute new range designed to celebrate the tiniest birthdays.

Bright, bold, and simply adorable, these cards are perfect for those special birthdays up to the age of six. Hey Cutie is a gorgeous collection of die-cut cards featuring adorable animals.

These smaller cards are perfect for those wanting something small and special to celebrate children’s birthdays of all ages.

Alongside these collections, The Art File offers a series of cards and wrap perfect for children’s birthdays and occasions, featuring adorable, cute, and thoughtful designs.

The Art File 0115 850 7490 | sales@theartfile.com www.theartfile.com

New to our Juniors range are these vibrant designs from Paper Salad featuring farm scenes, mermaids, footballs and sunny rainbows; plus cute caterpillars from Stephanie Dyment.

Order now via your sales agent, our sales office or online shop.

Register to shop online: trade.glick.co.uk

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

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@glickgiftwrap

14/11/2023 11:45

Focus On...

Kids cards & wrap

Smart cookies

A touch of

whimsy

Louise Tiler has extended her offering of children’s cards in 2024, featuring vibrant colours, intricate illustrations and gold foil finishes. The ranges are suitable for young children with a love of whimsical fairytale imaginations, animals, robots, and funky monsters. Each of the new cards comes with bespoke Louise Tiler envelopes, printed with gold foil and are 170mm by 120mm.

Cookie Cutters are the latest range of children’s age cards from Rachel Ellen Designs. Each card is die-cut into the shape of the age and illustrated with colourful, hand painted characters and patterns.

They are printed with neon inks on textured board and finished with hot gold foil. Size 170mm x 120mm, they have coordinating coloured envelopes.

Along with its popular greeting cards, Rachel Ellen has 16 main design themes around which they have created comprehensive gift collections. From notebooks and pens to water bottles and umbrellas, each collection has a strong identity yet similar handwriting, and therefore can be coordinated and sit together for an eye-catching display. The newest addition, the playful pink and red Love Bug collection, includes a writing set, secret diary, water bottle, notepads and gift wrap.

Rachel Ellen Designs 0115 970 0321 sales@rachelellen.co.uk www.rachelellen.co.uk

Louise Tiler 01535 957878 contact@louisetiler.co.uk www.louisetiler.com

Party perfect Whether it’s for a pretty princess or mighty hero, UK Greetings’ juvenile gift options are exciting and colourful!

Perfect for Marvel fans, the Avengers range really packs a punch featuring all their favourite heroes, including Captain America and Iron Man. Or why not add a sprinkle of fairytale magic to their special day with Disney Princess gift bags and wrap featuring popular characters such as Ariel and Rapunzel?

And the final finishing touch? This Party Time print gift wrap includes everything from colourful cherries to 90s-style icons.

UK Greetings salesandservice@ukgreetings.co.uk 38 www.greetingstoday.media

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FEATURE ANIMALS

Stop the Clock Alljoy

Creature comforts As a nation of animal lovers, it’s no surprise that our furry, feathery and scaled friends feature on so many cards…

W

Museums & Galleries

hen greeting cards first became popular in the Victorian era, first with Valentine cards and then with Christmas cards, it wasn’t long until birds and animals started to make an appearance, following on from a host of flowers, Christmas trees and Father Christmas.

Robins were particularly popular, but soon, according to the collection held at the Museum of London (which has more than 800 Christmas cards, many of which date back to the Victorian era) other birds and animals started to make an appearance.

Unfortunately, those first robins were often dead (accompanied by a message to ‘calm decay and Peace Divine’) and the animals were often humanised, with hares riding Penny Farthings and foxes bringing in the Christmas bird on a platter!

Weirdly, rats and mice also appeared in Victorian Christmas cards and even flies and other creepy crawlies made it onto 19th century greeting cards.

Today, the UK has millions of pet owners - according to the latest statistics from animal charity the PDSA, 53% of adults own a pet, with 29% owning a dog (up from 26% in 2020), 24% a cat and 2% a rabbit.

It’s estimated that the dog population alone has risen from 8.3 million in 2011 to 11 million in 2023.

And 39% of those pet owners became animal owners in the past three years - that’s more than 8.3 million more pets since the start of the pandemic.

If you’re wondering what to feature on your next card, or what to stock on your shelves, 55% of dog owners say they own a pedigree, while 28% have a crossbreed curled up on the sofa. A further 14% have what might be called a ‘specialist’ crossbreed, such as a cockapoo or labradoodle.

For cats owners moggies are the most popular, with only 11% tending to the whims of a pedigree puss.

It’s clear that with millions of us enjoying the joys of pet ownership, cards that feature our favourite four-legged friends will remain popular….

40 www.greetingstoday.co.uk

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FEATURE ANIMALS

Heritage and modern designs for all E

ver since our caveman ancestors started painting the walls of their caves, we humans have been fascinated by animals in our surrounding world, creating an enduring legacy of magnificent art in a multitude of diverse styles from cultures worldwide right up until modern times.

This makes the wondrous work of animals a rich source of material for art and design publisher Museums & Galleries, culminating especially in its two licensed card ranges for the Natural History Museum - an archive-based range reinterpreting zoological illustration from dinosaurs to tigers, and the photography range Wildlife Photographer of the Year.

But such is the appeal of wildlife that animals form a staple component of M&G’s heritage and contemporary designer ranges - a tender mare and foal is from the Tate Gallery collection, a zany octopus from Japan is in the V&A range, and a regal Indian elephant is in the British Library’s range.

Contemporary artist Lucy Grossmith provides a delicately observed and decorative view of Moonlight Badgers in her Coast and Country range, while Sarah Campbell’s bold colours and contemporary approach jazzes up Edward Lear’s famous Owl and Pussycat. More contemporary surface design inspired approaches are seen in Matthew Williamson’s Forest Leopard, Catherine Rowe’s Deer & Wildflowers, and Helen Ahpornsiri’s Cosy Mouse collage.

Human tenderness for animals is clearly expressed through two long-standing bestsellers: Mystic Mog by Kay McDonagh from M&G’s Art of Print range and Emillie Ferris’s Baby Hedgehog in a Teacup, from M&G’s core Classics range.

Museums & Galleries

01373 461455 sales@mgml.co.uk www.museumsgalleries.co.uk

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FEATURE ANIMALS

Captivating

cutouts

Alljoy Design offers a captivating and varied array of animal themed cards, in both pop-up and laser cut designs, for all ages across the collections.

Themes range from enchanting and imaginative children’s favourites such as jungle animals and bears, to birds and domestic pets. The cats and dogs cards are ever-popular.

Then there are the more intricate 3D pop-up scenes, especially the Message in a Bottle range, which are expertly cut and engineered. These bring the animals to life, whether on land or underwater.

Puffins, kingfishers, dolphins and sharks are among the diverse animals on offer, plus Highland cattle and even snowcovered sheep.

All cards are designed and printed in Ireland.

Alljoy Design

info@alljoydesign.com www.alljoydesign.com

Just paw-fect!

After winning Best Cute Range at the prestigious Henries awards, Louise Tiler has continued to focus on creating very cute and endearing animal greeting card designs. The Mini Paws collection is one of the charming ranges that heavily features animals, including a collection of cards for birthdays and expanding into seasonal captions for Valentine’s Day and Christmas. These hand-painted illustrations feature fluffy doggies inspired by their own studio dogs in the offices and design studio, bringing a real ‘aww’ factor to the range. The everyday doggie range is finished with gold foil, is super cute and colourful, and perfect for all dog lovers.

Louise Tiler

01535 957878 contact@louisetiler.co.uk www.louisetiler.com

Farmyard

fun

Animals are a popular theme at Rachel Ellen Designs, and three new cards have been recently added, including a fun farmyard design, to the enduring Jigsaw Cards. A children’s card and gift all in one, this ever-popular product has been a strong range in the Rachel Ellen portfolio for many years. Comprising a jigsaw, mini card and envelope, packed together with a supportive backboard, they are great value for money and offer a little bit more than a standard card.

Rachel Ellen Designs

0115 970 0321 sales@rachelellen.co.uk www.rachelellen.co.uk 42 www.greetingstoday.co.uk

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FEATURE ANIMALS

Faithful friends

On safari…

For animal fans everywhere, UK Greetings’ Vivid Safari range features a dapper and dazzling array of characters. For a more sophisticated option, the Party Animals collection showcases a flamboyant parade accented with gold foil and embossed details.

And who better to add an extra-special finish to those celebrations than everyone’s favourite pup? Boofle continues to bring his loveable charm across a host of adorable products, and his gifting range is no different.

UK Greetings

salesandservice@ukgreetings.co.uk

Pets, dogs, and cats have always featured in the Lesser and Pavey ranges, whether depicted on items or in a study form.

It would seem we are a nation of animal lovers; the items may change over the years but our love for dogs and cats does not diminish - and so Lesser and Pavey will always have them in its ranges of quality gifts.

This new range, designed by the in-house team at Lesser and Pavey, is pretty, fun and practical as it offers a tin for treats or biscuits, pet bowl and a mug for the owner.

Lesser and Pavey

www.leonardo.co.uk

Puppy love

Animals. We love them… and the Stop the Clock team especially love drawing them wearing daft hats, bright jumpers and silly glasses. It seems their customers do too. Their bestselling card is Party Dogs from the popular Ooh La La range, which is inspired by their own office dogs and other occasional waggy-tailed visitors.

The guinea pigs design has also been flying off the shelves (who knew?). It’s probably due to the quirky cuteness of animals wearing party hats combined with the memory and nostalgia of your beloved pets that make for a winning design. This design has also been licensed for wrap and gift bags (through Deva Designs) and a duo guinea pig notebook was recently launched after the original notebook style sold out.

When planning a new collection, the Stop the Clock team often go straight to dogs, cats and other pets as a starting point as they seem to be so commercially popular. They have recently added a new A4 weekly planner and list pads to the ranges, and the cat and dog designs are already proving to be the favourites.

Due to their popularity, animals always feature heavily in seasonal launches, too. And it’s not only traditional Christmas animals (reindeers, penguins etc) - household pets always go down well too. Who doesn’t love a design with dogs in ski onesies sledging down a hill? Or a cat wearing a Christmas tree outfit?

Stop The Clock Design

www.stoptheclockdesign.com info@stoptheclockdesign.com 01457 763335

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FOCUS ON...

SUSTAINABILITY

The The green Art File

scene

Looking after our planet is high on the agenda for greeting card and gift wrap producers, as the examples here show…

Sustainability and being kind to the environment has been a major part of The Art File’s agenda for over three years now.

Being one of the first to remove the use of singleuse plastic on greeting cards, as well as completely re-working some of the packaging, make its entire Everyday and Christmas collections completely 100% recyclable. Most recently, as a further example of how The Art File continues its pledge for its products to be 100% recyclable, the company has announced that the handles on all of its new gift bags will be made from tightly woven paper, (traditionally a problem area when it comes to recyclability in gift bags), a new production technique that The Art File understands it is one of first publishers to introduce.

0115 850 7490 sales@theartfile.com www.theartfile.com

Collins Debden/ Jumble and Co

A stunning new goal setting and productivity diary. Fill out your dreams, goals and aspirations for the year ahead and break these down into tasks and habits to help you stay on track to achieve your full potential for 2024.

Made using recycled materials.

Discover the essence of self-expression with these A5 Head & Heart Self Care Journals from Jumble & Co’s new In Two Minds range. There’s a choice of Wellness, Gratitude and Mindfulness Journals, featuring weekly affirmations and challenges on one page, and split ruled/dotted notes page opposite, all printed on eco-friendly recycled paper.

Collins Debden has introduced a stunning new goal setting and productivity diary. Fill out your dreams, goals and aspirations for the year ahead and break these down into tasks and habits to help you stay on track to achieve your full potential for 2024. Made using recycled materials.

www.jumbleandco.com www.collinsdebden.com

UK Greetings Now it’s even easier for customers to do their bit for the environment, while still enjoying the quality products they’ve come to expect. Thanks to UK Greetings’ Eco collection, there’s a variety of different sustainable gift options to choose from – including Kraft Cheese Plant with its stylish leaf design, the fun and playful Doodles range with complementary wrap, and the eyecatching, stylised Picasso look.

Complete with paper or die-cut handles, all of these ranges are completely recyclable.

salesandservice@ukgreetings.co.uk

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Cherry Orchard Umbellifer

Perfect for keen gardeners, this popular range from Umbellifer depicts a pretty border for each month.

From spring bulbs to autumn colour, the cards show the year-round interest in our gardens.

The Garden Border range is designed to be an easy pickup for buyers looking for birthday cards, but the colourful designs appeal more generally to anyone wanting a special card. A special feature of the range is the handy plant list on the reverse, which provides inspiration for any gardener wanting to add to their own borders.

Umbellifer owner Stephen Lennon says: “I loved working on these cards, which were carefully researched and based on my own plant knowledge.

They also have strong eco credentials – like all my ranges – making them even more appealing to gardeners who care about nature.’’

07510 874363 stephen@umbellifer.co.uk

Supplier opinion We asked Jo O’Brien, at Papershed Design…

Have you found there is increased demand for eco friendly product?

Yes, definitely. In recent years there seems to be much more awareness, with consumers certainly wanting to see less single-use plastic. It’s our job as publishers to offer alternatives that work for our retailers. We have always supplied our cards nested and unwrapped as standard since our launch in 2020. We also offer biodegradable cello wrap at no extra charge where this is not a viable option for our retailers.

What changes have you made to fulfil the demand for sustainability?

Sustainability has played a big part in all of our decisions from day one. From our choice of board, to packaging and waste management.

All our printing is done in the UK on quality FSC accredited board. We only use envelopes made from recycled paper and our card units are paper banded. We use paper packing tape and even paper delivery note sleeves. And all of our waste is recycled by a local company. But there is always more we can do and we are continually reviewing what we can do better.

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Cherry Orchard Publishing has announced its new affiliation 9 Trees, a non-profit organisation whose vision is to tackle climate change by restoring woodland habitats, promoting biodiversity and connecting more people to nature.

Following Cherry Orchard’s launch of Nature’s Diary, the company wanted to do more about its environmental impact and approached 9 Trees, which won the 2022 Natural Environmental Award for its dynamic approach to climate change.

Cherry Orchard’s contribution will see trees being planted in woodland close to its two offices in Tewkesbury and Canterbury and will also contribute towards ancillary costs such as fencing, eco-matting and information boards. The Cherry Orchard team is also looking forward to an opportunity to learn more about the scheme on the team away day that 9Trees offers!

Find out more about 9Trees at www.9trees.org

Paper banding is booming at Loxleys Loxleys is well on its way to saving up to 6.2 tonnes of plastic a year from landfill, equivalent to the weight of one African elephant!

Back in June, Loxleys announced the arrival of a new high-speed paper banding line resulting in a more sustainable solution to transit packing with the capacity to eliminate up to 6.2 tonnes of single-use plastic from the greeting card supply chain a year. Only a few months on and 1.5 million cards have already been processed by the banding machine, saving around half a ton of OPP plastic.

The plastic-free packaging solution has proved to be a great success with high demand in the first three months from multiple greeting card brands. This has led to further investment in sustainable solutions with Loxleys subsequently modifying two of its existing traditional plastic based packaging lines to offer paper banding of cards in multiples with the envelope nested in the middle of the card, with the additional option of a secure-seal label if required.

Managing director Tony Lorriman says there has ‘’been a great deal of interest in our paper banding solution, with publishers looking to reduce the environmental impact of their greeting cards by removing plastic from the supply chain. One challenge we face is the fact that there is no common way of presenting greeting cards at retail, so investing in new technology as well as modifying our existing packing lines has enabled us to be completely flexible with the sustainable solutions we offer.’’

10/11/2023 18:23

RETAIL INTERVIEW

DAISY DAISY

The risk that paid off When Rebekah and Andy Mudie purchased Daisy Daisy, situated in a Cardiff suburb, the country was in the midst of a pandemic. But their risk has paid off, with plenty of regular, loyal customers buying their carefully curated card and gift selection, as Rebekah reveals…

Can you tell us a little about your background before you owned the shop?

Before my husband and I purchased Daisy Daisy I was studying and planning to set up my own bookkeeping business. My working background had always been accountancy and after having my two children (now teenagers) I was employed as a parttime bookkeeper for a local small business, (as well as being busy with the most demanding job - MD of our Home HQ!).

My husband works in marketing and product development for a manufacturing company, hence, we both felt we had some transferable skills for making a success of Daisy Daisy. Neither of us had worked in retail before (apart from as students nearly 30 years ago!). I now run the shop while Andy is employed in his full-time role. He turns up at Daisy Daisy now and then to do the bins or wind the staff up!

And can you tell us a little about the shop?

Daisy Daisy was originally known as Llanishen Cards and has been a small independent card shop in the North Cardiff community for over 15 years. When

Top 5 bestsellers

1 Johnny Javelin – relatives with ages 2 ICG – milestone years 3 Rosie Made A Thing – general open birthday.

4 Paperlink – all round various designs 5 Ling – Talking Pictures and Classics

we purchased the business just over 2.5 years ago, we were very much in the thick of the pandemic and decided to take a risk. The previous owners had lovingly created a little treasure trove of cards and gifts so it was important to them to sell to somebody who would continue to nurture and enthuse new passion and ideas into the shop. Both parties were keen to ensure a big chain, fast food franchise or similar did not get their hands on this special shop. I was extremely excited to meet the lovely loyal local customer base as well as engage new customers by giving Daisy Daisy some new TLC. Our lovely shop is situated in a great buzzing Cardiff suburb high street, about 5-6 miles from the city centre.

We’re surrounded by about 20 or so other businesses and amenities with an affluent and developing area close by as well as parking, which helps footfall.

How do you source products ?

Many fantastic card and gift suppliers were already in place at Daisy Daisy when we purchased the shop. I have kept most of these and taken on new connections discovered through trade fairs, sales reps/agents and my own research. I am particularly keen to stock environmentally friendly ranges and sustainably sourced products where possible. I also take pride in working with local small businesses and artists by stocking handmade items.

What is your selection criteria?

I try to stock a diverse range - from the very traditional cards with verses that are more ‘oldfashioned’ to the modern simplistic and bold cards.

There is a great market for both. Funny cards, artistic cards, 3D and pop-up cards are also great sellers. I really do like to cover a wide range of tastes, but we need a bigger shop! I am always on the lookout for anything different/unique. Now, with the increasing

cost of living, I am mindful of stocking both cards and gifts for people on a budget where possible, as well as still keeping some higher-end ranges. I try to stand out from bog-standard supermarket-style cards and be better than the budget outlets you find in the city centre. I like to think my eye for good taste and trends is pretty good. I’ve learnt so much about what does and doesn’t sell here!

How is trading for you at the moment?

Despite constant challenges since taking on Daisy Daisy in late 2020, things are ticking over nicely.

We got through the lockdowns of the pandemic, which encouraged a trend in online and supermarket buying, only to feel more supported by people shopping small and locally. Many customers are now more mindful of keeping us little independents going and are saying that sadly the city centre does not have much to offer any more. If we can try to adapt to our economic environment and keep overheads in control that is part of the ongoing battle.

What’s your demographic like?

Most of our local customers are probably aged 45plus and at least 70% are female. Our bestselling age cards are 60 to 80 years old, which clearly indicates our demographic! We also have quite a few younger mums shopping with us and men buying cards for their wives. We obviously hope to broaden this over the coming months and years.

Some of our regular customers need an extra bit of help, including customers with dementia and visual or hearing impairments to mention but a few.

It’s great that they return to us and feel comfortable shopping at Daisy Daisy. One thing we hope to improve on is access into and throughout the shop as space is limited and not particularly wheelchair- or pushchair-friendly.

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Retail Interview Daisy Daisynm.indd 1

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How do you get word out there?

Daisy Daisy Beautiful Cards and Gifts is on both Facebook and Instagram, which is important now.

I aim to post new products and updates frequently.

We have over 1.5k followers on Facebook and great reviews on here and Google. Most of our advertising is through word of mouth and the occasional advert maybe two or three times a year in the local community magazine. We also sponsor local community and charity fundraising events for schools and hospitals and donate regularly to raffles.

This all spreads the word about Daisy Daisy. The main differentiator we have is to give outstanding customer service, which keeps people coming back.

It’s our priority to be friendly, helpful and to go that extra little mile.

We always offer to wrap gifts in our signature tissue paper with our logo stickers free of charge.

For this reason, we have many regulars who we have got to know personally over the months and years.

We very much enjoy chatting to our customers and putting the weather and world to rights! I was very lucky to inherit two wonderful part-time staff who have both worked at Daisy Daisy for many years.

Both ladies are key to so many of our customers returning to see their friendly familiar faces and contribute hugely to the success of the shop. Also fondly part of our team was our fab Saturday girl who has been missed as she went to Uni this September.

What brands are proving popular?

Do you sell both in the shop and online?

Daisy Daisy is pretty old-fashioned and still very manual. We don’t have a website or any form of computerised EPOS inventory. This is something we are hoping to achieve when we do a refit at the shop within the next two years. We think that part of the charm of Daisy Daisy is its ‘vintage style’ and it’s all a bit higgledy-piggledy, not perfectly streamlined and organised. Daisy Daisy has character as the shop is unique and overflowing with goodies. When we plan the shop refit we really don’t want to lose its charm, so we will have to be very careful not to modernise things too much or go too clinical, but keep our lovely, homely feel.

Big hits: (too many to mention)!

Rosie Made A Thing – so funny Paperlink – a lovely range of everything Pigment – new to us and doing well Paper Salad – bright, bold and so cheery ICG – traditional and good value; they cover all captions Johnny Javelin - verses Ling – lovely quality Caroline Gardner – bold/modern and classy Museums & Galleries – arty and tasteful Cinnamon Aitch - so sweet Woodmansterne – notably Quentin Blake designs JellyCat – a firm favourite Half Moon Bay – great lines particularly RSPB Wrendale – country/natural style, plus their Welsh cards

Have you seen the average cost of your products go up - and if so how have you dealt with it?

Yes, unfortunately our costs are all increasing – for both our stock and overheads. Pretty much all our suppliers have raised their prices. We’re all in the same boat. We would love not to have to increase our card and gift prices for our customers and prefer to look at making savings wherever possible, yet sometimes prices need to increase a few pence; If not we would not survive as a business.

Congratulations on your Retas achievement earlier in the year- what makes you stand out?

We were absolutely thrilled to have made it to the finals and we were doing that ‘very happy little dance’ when we found out!

As previously mentioned above, it’s down to our fantastic team and the customer service they provide. Our customers are the best. We wouldn’t be here without the previous owners of Daisy Daisy being part of what makes it the shop it is today.

Our range of cards is obviously working, and we make sure we are well stocked with plenty of choice and availability plus new fresh products to keep people engaged.

How important is it to stock Welsh language cards? Which are your favourite suppliers and what cards do you find hard to source?

It’s extremely important that we stock Welsh language cards for our customers here in Cardiff. I’ve tried to expand and improve the range we offer since I took over at Daisy Daisy. At first it wasn’t easy as there weren’t many suppliers of really good Welsh cards but it’s very pleasing that more publishers are now producing them.

I have a few suppliers I regularly order from such as Alffabet, The Paintbox Company and Max Rocks, also Tracks, Holy Mackerel, Wrendale, Belly Button and Hammond & Gower. I prefer to use Welsh-based companies but unfortunately not all of the cards are designed or printed here in Wales.

What about eco-friendly product?

Stocking eco-friendly products is very important to us and is a priority. Customers are more mindful of environmental impact and it’s great to see many suppliers have already moved away from plastic packaging or are planning to do so, although it’s not just about plastic. Sustainable and locally sourced products are also something we actively promote.

What challenges have you faced over the past few months and how have you dealt with them?

Royal Mail postal strikes and cost of stamps – we have had to rein in Christmas orders in case we suffer another tricky festive period and people cut back further on their cards. Our local area is no longer doing Scout Post, which is a shame, and another reason for people to send fewer cards.

The cost-of-living crisis is impacting everyone too.

The younger generations are using social media and technology rather than sending greeting cards. This is another case of needing to adapt our business in the medium term.

If you could choose the cards people sent you which would you like to receive?

I love a humorous card that makes me laugh out loud – Brainbox Candy, Ohh Deer and Rosie Made A Thing, to name but a few. I am also partial to a cute/modern card such as Ruth Jackson’s pencil shaving cards and Desito’s cute mice.

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RETAIL INTERVIEW JOYCE’S WITH BEST WISHES

Cards and chocolates: a winning combination Sue Miller is celebrating 25 years of card and chocolate shop Joyce’s with Best Wishes in Lingfield, Surrey. There have been many changes over the years, as she explains…

Can you tell us a little about how the shop began?

As I was driving my daughter to Notre Dame School (now Lingfield College), I saw the ‘To Let’ sign in the window of the closed Best Wishes. My mother (and business partner) had just told me of her intention to retire and close Joyce’s on the Chart, where we had worked together for 15 years.

I went into The Harris partnership, (now Robert Leech), picked up the details and, after a very brief discussion with my husband I put in an offer on the shop - and in the September of 1998 Joyce’s with Best Wishes was born. All my previous customers knew me as ‘Joyce’s’ and Best Wishes had been part of the village for a number of years prior to closing in 1988.

After some renovations, I opened for business on Lingfield Day dressed as Peter Pan, in green tights, a leotard and a very short tunic! Back then, there was always a theme for the day; that year it was fairytales and all the shopkeepers dressed up.

The tearooms is where it all began, offering a wide selection of coffee and teas, homemade baked treats, light lunches and afternoon teas. We had a wonderful following of local regulars, together with visitors to the village, some en route to the Races or the Craft Barn events, now sadly long since gone. It was a hive of activity; the smells from the kitchen of freshly baked

‘’We have adapted just a handful of greeting cards spinners among the tables and a small selection of handmade and and changed to meet Belgium chocolates.

We supported the local businesses around us, using the greengrocers and butchers for local produce for the requirements our tea rooms, preparing boxes of chocolates and gift hampers for the estate agents to welcome new and needs of our people to the village, and providing raffle prizes for various fundraising events and all the local schools. customers, but As a member and supporter of the Lingfield of Commerce and the ever-popular always stayed true Chamber Lingfield Day, we have supplied the electricity for Christmas lights and had a keen and active to our philosophy of the involvement in village events.

Over 25 years, we have seen many changes in the having different and village and on the high street, and we have adapted and changed to meet the requirements and needs unique cards, gifts of our customers, but always stayed true to our of having different and unique cards, gifts and chocolates you philosophy and chocolates you would not find in every other high street. By bringing in new and exciting options we would not have survived and continue to thrive.

Now we offer an extensive selection of different find in every other greeting cards, covering many topics, subjects and interests across a range of all occasions and still sourcing them from small independent firms, high street’’ scones and cakes were always welcoming. We had

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mostly from Great Britain, which don’t supply the supermarkets or other chain stores. We are frequently told by our customers that we have the best selection for miles around. With the addition of gifts, from baby items, home fragrances, body and bath products to costume jewellery, puzzles, toys, games and stationery, and much more, complemented by an extensive range of wrappings and trimmings we have grown and flourished.

Our 3.5m display of exclusive handmade and Belgian chocolates is the other thing that we have become known for in more recent years. When our local chocolate supplier ceased trading 10 years ago, I retrained as a chocolatier, to ensure we could still offer locally made truffles and chocolates.

Our in-house range, all made using Fair Trade quality Belgian chocolate, now extends to more than 60 varieties and is available alongside our selection of other Belgium and English chocolates, including vegan and sugar-free ranges. Available in bags or boxes from two to 150 chocolates and everything in between, they are wrapped and displayed beautifully in minimal packaging, and finished with the most stunning ribbons and embellishments that make them almost too good to open!

More recently we have added a range of party products alongside an extensive selection of balloons, from a standard air- or helium-filled balloon to bespoke displays, table centres and arrangements that include personalisation.

Like many other businesses, Covid caused us to once again adapt and vary our services. The introduction of a one-way system through the shop has had the benefit of people discovering how much larger it is than it appears from the street. The closure of the tearooms has been our biggest regret, but in such uncertain times and with all the new legislation, it was a necessity.

However, with the enduring support of family, and my loyal manager and friend of over 15 years ‘Little Sue’, we will ensure the continuation of the business hopefully for many more years.

How is trading for you at the moment?

I’d say that we are surviving. We peak between September and Easter, because it is the peak chocolate season then.

‘’I’d like to find a good range of dog cards, (not quirky) showing popular breeds; in our area there are lots of larger dogs’’ What’s your demographic like?

It varies from the very wealthy ‘ladies who lunch’ to pensioners who watch every penny.

How do you source products?

By visiting trade fairs, and through reps and agents.

What is your selection criteria?

Personal choice and agents’ suggestions.

What about eco-friendly product?

We are very eco aware, using only biodegradable bags. We cannot justify unwrapped cards, as with the chocolate samples, cards get marked and damaged and the losses and waste outweigh the wrapping, but this also means that not every card sold has to be put into a bag.

How do you get word out there?

Word of mouth, with longstanding return customers.

I am not a great social media user, I think I am too ‘old’ to properly embrace it!

What brands have been particularly popular?

Rosie Made A Thing, Rush Designs, Dandelion, Lucilla Lavender, Rosanna Rossi. Blade & Rose, Sentiment Candles, Art House Unlimited, and our in-house chocolates.

Do you sell both in the shop and online?

We only sell in the shop, but are currently in the process of setting up a website, but not to sell from. We feel cards are much better when purchased in person.

Is there anything you haven’t been able to source that you would like to find?

I’d like to find a good range of dog cards (not quirky) showing popular breeds; in our area there are lots of larger dogs.

Have you seen the average cost of your products go up?

Yes, hugely, especially helium gas and food costs.

If you could select the cards people sent you - which would you choose to receive for Christmas or birthday or other special occasion?

That’s really difficult as there are so many truly beautiful cards around. Probably Rush Designs or Sabivo, since both always appeal to me.

For Christmas, Paper D’Art; they are so detailed, they are true keepsakes.

Congrats on your Retas finalist achievement earlier in the year - what do you think makes your shop stand out?

Our wide selection of cards, probably around 70 companies of small independent firms that are not in every high street shop or garden centre, plus our chocolate counter.

What challenges have you faced over the past few months and how have you dealt with them?

Since Covid we have sadly given up our tearooms, because of all the new government legislation. This has lost us a percentage of our loyal customers, but with an increase in balloon sales and the continual demand for our in-house chocolates, we are holding our own.

Anything else you’d like to add?

This year is our 25th anniversary, which we feel is an amazing achievement, so we celebrated with a 25th Jubilee Open Day in August. We had drinks and a buffet on the Friday for local businesses, reps, agents and trade suppliers (past and present), together with friends. Then the Saturday was for customers and anyone else who wanted to pop in, with coffee and pastries followed by afternoon tea and bubbles.

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RETAIL OPINION

Diary of a

card shop

Sandra Jervis, at Creative Cove, in Lampeter, Wales, looks forward to Christmas - and a certain awards ceremony!

I

t’s a strange time of year, I always find. The weather doesn’t know what to do with itself and, I guess, nor do we. The comedown from a summer of activities and then the delight of the back-to-school rush (nothing to do with sending my own children back to school gleefully, I promise!), is tinged with the ever looming C-word. But in reality, does that word ever truly go away? My first order for the next Christmas season goes in halfway through January and I then order regularly through the year (some would say frivolously; I couldn’t possible comment!).

I comforted myself by surrounding myself with anything autumnal, whether that be the glorious oranges and reds in pens and notebooks, the ceramic giftware (who doesn’t need a ceramic mushroom in their life?) and the stunning autumnal and wintry cards that come out at this time of year. My particular favourites are by Art Angels Publishing – its owl and moon linocut takes me somewhere special when I look at it.

There are such high expectations at this time of year, especially from customers who are looking eagerly to see what the new season has brought to the shop – no one wants to shop old stock at Christmas do they? It’s all about the new and exciting. So… that’s why I may have gone and got myself another spinner! I literally closed my ears to my colleagues as they groaned, protested and gently asked where is it going? I’ve always done well with Little Dog Laughed. These greetings cards are so poignant and appropriately funny, so when I saw a spinner that combined their cards along with notebooks, bookmarks and coasters, I couldn’t resist. Just no one ask me how I managed to find the space for it!

Christmas cards are out now, having gone on display towards the end of September. They have

been rather slow to start moving from the shelf but I’m hoping that the customers holding out in October will make up for it soon. I’ve had wonderful feedback on my new charity packs from The Art File. It was great to be asked by them for my input on their Welsh range. They came up trumps and really listened to what I was saying about Welsh-speaking customers wanting the same quality and designs as the English range, rather than something that feels second rate. The Nadolig Llawen with the badger is just delightful.

Having had huge successes with Roger La Borde’s Moomin cards during the summer, I decided to give them a go. They’ve been out a couple of days and I’ve sold lots! Museums & Galleries’ charity packs are another stalwart of my shop. It wouldn’t be Christmas if I wasn’t selling arty Christmas cards. The orders for all of my charity packs go in with suppliers in June and July, though I had to be more reserved this year as I was a prize plonker last year and forgot that I’d placed certain orders… two years of cards turned up in the space of a week!

Events on the horizon… In between the frantic rearranging of the card department (a headache for all retailers in the Christmas months), and topping up of notebooks and wrap, there’s always lots of places to be in November and December.

I’m enjoying running stalls at local schools (I’ve got three lined up) – these are usually a huge success and lots of fun. I’m having to miss Late Night Shopping this year (leaving the shop in capable

hands though) as I’m going to be at (another) awards ceremony! November 30 is the night of the BOSS Awards and I’m up for Independent Retailer for the second year running. Having won at the Retas in the summer, it’s lovely to be up again for another award…

Recognition is so comforting and humbling, whether you win or not, someone is vouching for you that you’re doing a great job. Which is something we all need to hear at times, isn’t it?

This will be the fifth award that I’ve been up for this year – it’s becoming a little expensive in the frock department! Let’s hope that Christmas will continue to be as successful as the rest the year has been.

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OPINION

RETAIL100 Credit: Bordinthorn/Adobe Stock

A new level of exposure Retail100 Consulting co-founder and director Sara Allbright discusses the pros and cons of online marketplaces

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ot too long ago, if you looked up the word ‘marketplace’ in the dictionary, you would no doubt have got a description of the striped canopied stalls that lined many a high street and market square in British towns.

Sadly, many of those are no longer around, while the concept of online marketplaces has grown and grown. These take a variety of forms, from the pure players of Amazon and Etsy, to ecommerce platforms used by more established retailers to create huge amounts of range extension alongside their standard wholesale ranges.

So, who is really benefiting from this surge in marketplaces - and do they work for brands and retailers alike? Perhaps most importantly, do they work for consumers?

Marketplaces have brought customers choice and in many cases, a second-to-none delivery proposition. But is all that choice really needed? And in some instances, is it just overwhelming?

During my time as a buyer, the phrases ‘edited choice’ and ‘knowing your customer’ were key in terms of ranging an assortment that gave the right amount of options without needing to buy into every single product or brand that existed in a category.

However, this did start to come into conflict with the online metrics that the business would measure, and high option counts were often seen as what you needed to unlock better SEO. But is that really the best reason to keep adding?

I’ve always enjoyed the types of marketplaces that bring something new to consumers by connecting smaller makers - who simply do not have the scale, need or want to sell through a bigger retailer - with a wider audience.

For a long time, the best examples of these have been Etsy and Notonthehighstreet. But as they have become bigger businesses (and subject to the demands and conflicts of many large retailers), they

have been called out for no longer being true to their original purposes.

It was therefore a delight a couple of weeks ago to hear that the doyenne of a makers’ marketplace, Holly Tucker MBE [founder of Notonthehighstreet] has moved back into this space. She has launched a new, curated marketplace called Holly&Co, which she describes as “a love letter to UK small businesses and the colour they bring”. I for one will be heading here for my Christmas buying.

So why do retailers create marketplaces? It can be driven purely by wanting to improve online metrics such as SEO, and it’s also seen as an easy way to add more options without the stock risk of buying wholesale, as most operate on a supplier/brand fulfilment model. There is also the opportunity to trial new brands before making a commitment. However, I’m much more an advocate that as a buyer, if you believe in something, you should put your money where your mouth is and range it properly.

Currently, a lot of retailers are on a land grab of options, determined to up their numbers exponentially. But at some point there will be a crash, and they will have to analyse this ranging strategy in more detail.

For instance, one large chain has recently cited a drop in own-label sales due to sales of lesser quality and priced products which they added to their marketplace - a retail own goal for sure!

Whether marketplaces work for brands and suppliers is debatable and full of pros and cons.

First and most importantly, your price point needs to be high enough and with sufficient profit built in to cover the extra charges that online selling brings - along with the fact that in many cases you will be responsible for returns. And always read the service level agreements, as often you might end up needing to put a customer service hat on too.

On the flip side, working with the right marketplaces for your brand can bring a new level of exposure to potential customers. By that I don’t just mean the end-consumer.

As a buyer, I often used marketplaces such as Notonthehighstreet to look for new brands to range in my assortment, as it could often mean that we were first to market with an up-andcoming designer.

So, in summary, as long as you’re clear on what you’re signing up for, marketplaces are not something to shy away from. But they need to work for you.

Sara Allbright is a director and co-founder of Retail100 Consulting, which is a consultancy firm with 100 years of retail experience that helps retailers and brands grow. Prior to Retail10 Consulting, Sara worked in buying roles at John Lewis & Partners for 18 years, predominantly for home and seasonal categories, including eight years leading gift and home fragrance buying. She has specialised in brand relationships and growing small emerging brands into market leaders. Sara is also experienced in own-label sourcing across multiple categories and countries.

Email: hello@retail100consulting.co.uk Visit: www.retail100consulting.co.uk | www.linkedin.com/company/retail100-consulting

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