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JUST POP OUT THE SLEEVES TO UNFOLD THE FUN!

www.mint-publishing.co.uk

Tel: 0116 230 4197

Email: sales@mint-publishing.co.uk

January/February 2022

contents 50

REGULARS

Editor Naomi MacKay naomi@lemapublishing.co.uk

05 Leader

Publisher Mark Horsnell markh@lemapublishing.co.uk

It’s showtime - trade show season 2022 finally gets under way

06 News Rounding up what’s been happening, with more online at www.greetingstoday.co.uk

10 Eco News Derren Seal reveals his eco-friendly alternative to the card and envelope combo

14 GCA News The latest from the UK Greeting Card Association

20 Spotlight A selection of new products and fresh ideas for the new year

01442 289940

24 Ward’s Words Sarah Ward considers the benefits of the circular economy

47 Retail Opinion Weathering the ups and downs of a retail year - will the new normal be any different? asks John Ryan

50 Shop Talk Retailers tell us what’s happening in their stores

58 Retail Advice Retail guru Henri Davis looks back on the past year

FEATURES Shows roundup: 12 London Stationery Show 16 Insights-X 25 Scotland’s Trade Fair 26 Spring Fair Preview We talk to Alison Graham, key account director at Spring Fair, and round up product from exhibitors

In Focus: 36 Dyson Design 39 Exaclair 41 Vent for Change 42 Chris Ceaser 48 Cinnamon Aitch 52 Natural Partners Art 18 Cover Story Danilo brings screen stars to life

38 The Write Stuff The latest stationery and journals

the team

Advertising Manager Marian McNamara marian@lemapublishing.co.uk 01442 289940

Managing Director Mark Naish mark@lemapublishing.co.uk Production Director Paul Naish paul@lemapublishing.co.uk Chairman Malcolm Naish malcolm@lemapublishing.co.uk Circulation Manager Robert Thomas robert@lemapublishing.co.uk

Keep in touch follow us: 44 A Festive Feast

@greetingstoday

Christmas product for 2022

53 R etail Interview With John Lewis Partnership buyer Sarah Moughtin

54 R etail Interview Meet Charlie Wheatley and Tim Reynolds, of the Medici Gallery shop

56 R etail Interview Henry & Co MD Mark Rees explains the ethos behind the reborn brand

www.facebook.com/ greetingstodaymag greetingstoday greetings-today

Lema Media Ltd 1 Church Gates, Wilderness, Berkhamsted, Herts HP4 2UB

56

Telephone: 01442 289930 www.greetingstoday.media Greetings Today has a circulation of 6,076 Subscription per annum: UK £60 (free for people in the greetings industry), Europe £80, ROTW £100

2022 COLLECTION Our latest and most inspiring collection to date has just launched. Request your catalogue via our sales team, website or local agent – and see it all on show at Spring Fair.

NEC Spring Fair 2022: Hall 3, Stand 3L30-M31

E: sales@mgml.co.uk *UHHWLQJVB7RGD\B)3DJHB)HE BY LQGG

museumsgalleries.co.uk

Tel: 01373 462165

33

leader Editor Naomi MacKay

I

t’s show time once again, and although there have been some ups and downs, spirits remain high among exhibitors and retailers at the first of the greetings industry’s 2022 trade fairs.

There was a flurry of unsettling show news at the end of last year and the beginning of this year, as we saw Paperworld in Frankfurt cancelled (and I was looking forward to my first visit!), and a number of events postponed, including Top Drawer (now 20-22 February), and Scotland’s Trade Fair (27-29 March).

But the mood seemed positive at the first of the shows in the UK. The four-day Harrogate Christmas & Gift Fair opened on 16 January to a great start, with retailers and buyers flocking through the doors of the Harrogate Convention Centre in the North Yorkshire spa town. Many of them - with Christmasworld in Frankfurt cancelled - were no doubt keen to get their Christmas 2022 orders in.

Show organiser Simon Anslow said: “There was a real buzz in the halls of the Convention Centre as people enjoyed getting back to face-to-face business once again.’’

Around the same time, The Giftware Association’s CEO Sarah Ward took a trip to Exeter for Giving & Living - the largest gift and home trade show in the South West - and commented: “There was such a positivity about the show and also about things moving forwards.’’

The Giftware Association partnered with the show organiser to run a competition for Best Show Stand and Best Newcomer. And talking of awards, I was thrilled to be invited to be a judge for the Gift Association’s Gift of

the Year Award. The shortlisted entries can be viewed online now, and seen ‘in the flesh’ at Spring Fair.

Spring Fair will also celebrate UK retail with the Good Retail Awards, with winners announced at the end of the first day of the show.

This issue of Greetings Today already features some award-winning retailers - in our Shop Talk feature we interview Heidi Early, co-founder of Earlybird Designs, who recently won a RETAS award, and Russell and Yvonne Payne, owners of Best Wishes of Bishop’s Waltham, who not only picked up first prize in a competition for best retailer run by their local newspaper, but were also invited by their MP to the Palace of Westminster for a celebratory tea and a tour.

Our retail interviews also feature more award winners, from national treasure the John Lewis Partnership to new brand Henry & Co, and probably the oldest card shop in London: the Medici Gallery Shop in South Kensington.

We also focus on plenty of product to get you itching to make an order - from fresh launches in our Spotlight section and our Spring Fair Preview, to new stationery and journal offerings and what’s hot for Christmas 2022.

But before we wish the year away, we have plenty more trade shows to enjoy. I look forward to seeing lots of you at Spring Fair - do stop me and say hello! Otherwise, please feel free to connect with me on LinkedIn or drop me an email.

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

48 54

in the news

Card and wrap firms make awards shortlist Rock legends revealed on Royal Mail stamps Royal Mail has unveiled 12 new special stamps to honour 60 years of legendary rock group The Rolling Stones.

The main set of eight stamps features images of the band performing at venues all around the world at various points during their illustrious career, including London’s Hyde Park in July 1969, Tokyo in August, 1995, New York in July 1972 and Knebworth, Herts, in 2017.

An additional four stamps, presented in a Miniature Sheet, feature two shots of the band together and two of the many posters which have promoted their worldwide tours over the years.

Celebrating their 60th anniversary in 2022, the Rolling Stones are only the fourth music group to have a dedicated Royal Mail stamp issue – following on from The Beatles in 2007, Pink Floyd in 2016 and Queen in 2020.

In 2005, the Rolling Stones were awarded the accolade of greatest touring band of all time at the World Music Awards. They have sold an estimated 250 million records and in the UK have had eight no.1 singles and 13 no.1 albums. Their countless awards include four Grammys, three MTV Music Awards and nine NME Awards. They were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1989.

David Gold, director of public affairs & policy at Royal Mail, said: “Few bands in the history of rock have managed to carve out a career as rich and expansive as that of the Rolling Stones. They have created some of modern music’s most iconic and inspirational albums, with ground-breaking live performances to match.”

The collaboration was brought together and facilitated by Bravado, Universal Music Group’s leading brand management and lifestyle division.

Congratulations to the companies who have made it onto the Gift Association’s Gift of the Year shortlists.

Products that have made the grade in the Cards & Wrap category include Bauble Christmas Cards and Plantable Seed Cards (pictured), both from Love Country; the Pot of Gold range of cards with bright colours and delicate foiling from Paper Salad, and Parade, a collection featuring ZigZags, 3D box cards and 3D foldouts, from The Art File.

In the Festive & Occasions category, judges’ shortlisted choices include the 24 Days of Stationery Calendar from Martha Brook and Reusable Christmas Crackers from Keep This Cracker.

Making the grade in the Stationery category are the Sucseed Notebooks from Vent for Change, made using recycled paper and reclaimed coffee beans, kiwi, cherry and lavender waste; Wildlife Botanical fabric journals from Lola Design; and the Personalised A5 Journal from Signature Gifts.

Battersea Pop Up Cards from Cardology pop up in the Branded Gifts category shortlist, while Reversible Crackle Wrap from Wrag Wrap appears in the Ethical and Sustainable Gift shortlist.

The next stage in judging will take place at Spring Fair at the NEC Birmingham in February. The finalists will be announced shortly after Spring Fair, with winners announced at an awards ceremony in May. You can see all the shortlisted products at www.giftoftheyear. co.uk/2022-category.

Greetings Today Golf Day tees off this summer The 16th Greetings Today Golf Day returns to Puckrup Hall on 1 July after a two-year absence (thanks to Covid).

A great day is in store for everyone, playing off full handicaps with both a nine-hole Texas Scramble in the morning, followed by lunch and an afternoon 18-hole individual competition. Plus, of course, the four-ball UK Greetings mega trophy!

The prizegiving will follow a delicious barbecue. Our last event was played in glorious sunny weather, so we are already keeping our fingers crossed for more of the same.

Tickets are £100 per person - email malcolm@lemapublishing.co.uk or call 0788 9991513 to book your place.

6 www.greetingstoday.media

The 2019 winning four-ball team from Paperlink

LONDON STATIONERY SHOW 17-18 May 2022 Business Design Centre

Register today Whether you’re a buyer looking for new brands or a brand looking for buyers, LSS is the event for you!

Visit stationeryshowlondon.co.uk to register for fast-track entry.

For stand enquiries, contact Chantelle.white@oceanmedia.co.uk

in the news

RetailFest returns to rescheduled Top Drawer This February, RetailFest will be returning to Top Drawer, offering visitors the chance to get some insider knowledge about how to navigate the industry, and hear what trends we can expect in 2022.

Due to the increase in Omicron cases, the organisers of Top Drawer delayed the show, which is now being held from 20-22 February at Olympia London.

Show director, Russell Rule said: “We are committed to bringing you Top Drawer S/S22 in a safe environment that you can feel comfortable attending for your yearly buying needs. With this in mind, we feel it’s the right decision to postpone to a later date in the same buying season.

We will always work in the best interests of our exhibitors, visitors, contractors and staff, and we believe a safe and successful event can be run in late February 2022.’’

Museums & Galleries reveals dual catalogues Museums & Galleries’ (M&G) enthusiasm for bringing out new greeting card collections and diversifying its product offer has meant its annual trade catalogue has become bigger and bigger in recent years.

For 2022 the company has taken the decision to split the catalogue into two separate editions – an everyday and a Christmas collection.

The new everyday catalogue is 180 pages, and is bursting with new licences (including Wildlife Photographer of the Year and Percy the Park Keeper), range extensions and refreshes, along with new product categories.

The new catalogues will be mailed to all current customers. The full ranges are also available to view and order online at M&G’s website at www.museumsgalleries.co.uk.

RetailFest will feature a series of live talks and thought-provoking sessions from some of the industry’s best-loved names and retail experts. You can look forward to some lively presentations from speakers such as Louise Daniel, And so to shop; Amira Hashish, Soho House; Enass Mahmoud, Decor by Enass; and Fiona McCarthy, Vogue Living, as they and many more share their insights and knowledge.

Sessions will look at subjects including consciously curated shops, social media and marketing, and trends in retail colours.

Find the full programme at www.topdrawer.co.uk/retailfestprogramme-2022.

Publisher carbon balances paper and board

Kali goes back to her roots Kali Stileman Publishing, a publisher specialising in design-led greeting cards and wrapping papers for children and the young at heart, has truly gone back to its roots with its Botanical collection.

The range consists of 25 designs, featuring intricately illustrated flora and foliage on linen board. The collection soon became bestsellers, with the exciting news that Kew Gardens now stocks the range.

This is particularly special for Kali, who was taught botanical illustration more than 20 years ago by Pandora (Paddy) Sellars, a Kew Gardens artist and family friend. A case of things going full circle!

20www.greetingstoday.media 8 www.greetingstoday.media

The Eco-friendly Card Company has ‘carbon balanced’ all paper and board it has purchased over nearly three years.

The firm has always been keen to find new ways of reducing its environmental footprint, and a new collaboration between the greeting card publisher and The World Land Trust has enabled it to carbon balance all of the paper used in its products since May 2019.

A paper becomes carbon balanced when the average emissions associated with its production are offset by the global conservation charity World Land Trust (WLT). WLT, whose patrons include Sir David Attenborough and Chris Packham, is an international conservation charity that protects the world’s most biologically significant and threatened habitats acre by acre. WLT carbon balances paper by protecting threatened habitats that would otherwise have been lost, avoiding the release of stored carbon. This also enables the regeneration of degraded habitats, which gradually re-absorb atmospheric CO2.

The Eco-friendly Card Co director Sue Morrish said: “We’ve had a longstanding commitment only to use 100% recycled papers but wanted to go further, so we are delighted to be working with the World Land Trust. We wanted to backdate this so retailers and consumers can be confident that any product they buy with the Eco-friendly Card Co name uses carbon balanced paper.”

The publisher has also extended the offset to cover all bespoke Christmas cards and calendars it has printed. This, combined with its stock line greeting cards, calendars and stationery, means the total offset is 67,000 kilos over the past three years.

in the news

Pushing the

envelope

Derren Seal reveals his eco-friendly alternative to the card and envelope, and tells how it became a family enterprise Having spent most of my working career in a sales-based environment, I gained my first role in the greeting cards industry around 2010 working for Cherry Orchard Publishing. I can honestly say I never believed anyone could have so much fun and earn money at the same time! But selling greeting cards has allowed me to meet some fantastic people from both publishing and the retail sector.

It was during this time as a sales rep that I first had the idea for Envelopd - the one thing about

a sticker to hold the card to the envelope, while others have opted for a corner clasp. But because this solution doesn’t allow the customer to look inside the card, the sale could be lost or, worse still, the clasp or sticker is removed, leading to waste or damage.

I realised that an environmentallyfriendly solution was needed that allowed customers to read the inside of the card and enjoy a bespoke and appealing way to post their card.

Rather than thinking ‘outside the box’,

“I realised that an environmentallyfriendly solution was needed that allowed customers to read the inside of the card and to enjoy a bespoke and appealing way to post their card’’ being a rep on the road is that you get an awfully long time between appointments to think!

There seemed to be a common gripe among the retailers that I visited – envelopes! Each card created by different publishers is of differing dimensions, requiring a specificallysized envelope to match. Some envelopes are more appealing than others and customers sometimes like to choose an alternative envelope from the rack rather than the assigned one.

Envelopes often become detached from their cards, resulting in frustrated customers and retailers and ultimately - wasted cards. Now that most retailers have gone cello-free to avoid using plastic sleeves to keep card and envelope together, the issues have been magnified.

Publishers have tried various alternatives – some have used

20 www.greetingstoday.media 10

I thought ‘inside the box’ – (or rather card!), to make the envelope element part of the actual card itself.

My solution was to take a singlefold card and add a third leaf, which can be folded across to form the posting cover. The third leaf contains a peel-away sticking element to seal the card and for addressing and postage. This patented innovation enables the design to cover the entire product and gives publishers the option to create numerous effects on the suitably-sized third leaf – such as patterned, embossed or foiled.

On receipt of the card, you simply peel open the front (no sticky residue is left) and neatly fold and stick this element back upon itself – leaving your two-fold card ready to enjoy.

There’s no waste, it’s simple and very effective!

Once born, this idea was brought to life by my daughter Lauren, who at

the time was studying A-Level graphics and who is an extremely talented artist.

She was able to create a professional mock-up card so that I could see the concept and we were then able to research how the peel-off sticky strip would work best. Many reels of differing double-sided stick tape later, we still couldn’t find a suitable product and decided to hand this element over to the professionals!

My son Dan came on board to come up with inspiring tag-lines (Drop the E – Save the Environment, Envelop the World, to name a few) – but we finally settled on ‘Envelopd – Push the Envelope’.

My wife and I discussed funding the patent ourselves and both agreed that the idea was well worth investing in.

Feedback from family, friends and my retailer customers was very positive and encouraging – many people wondered why such a simple idea hadn’t been done before.

Paul Urban, of Kingfisher Cards, came on board as an investor, and Envelopd took a step closer to reality. The peel-off strip was still causing a headache – we looked into many types of adhesives and have finally found one which is strong enough to survive the rigours of the postal system, yet gentle enough not to leave any residue on the front of the card on receipt.

Envelopd is UK patent protected (GB259228) and international patent application (WO2021/165638) pending.

The goal is to license it to all publishers in the UK and beyond – thus creating a more environmentally sustainable industry for the future.

Kingfisher Cards has produced a new card range showcasing the Envelopd solution, which will be launched at Spring Fair. Retailers will be able to line buy or order a full spinner at this event. Visit us at Stand 3N24.

For licensing information regarding Envelopd email enquiries@envelopd.co.uk

Phow S review Preview

T op Drawer LONDON STATIONERY SHOW

A source of inspiration London Stationery Show, the UK’s only trade show dedicated to writing and paper products, returns from 17-18 May at the Business Design Centre

V

isitors to the London Stationery Show (LSS) return year after year to source products from their favourite suppliers, discover something new for their store, and find inspiration to help their business grow. The 2022 show is set to be the best yet, with thousands of products on show at the Business Design Centre in Islington, London.

Event director Alex Butler says: “We understand how busy stationery industry professionals are, so our main goal at LSS is to provide a productive environment for both brands and buyers to forge connections and create partnerships that

will last. Our carefully selected range of exhibitors cover all areas, so whether you’re an independent or a department store, luxury or mass market, you’ll find something for you at the show.”

From the corporate to the quirky More than 150 brands will be showcasing their latest and greatest products at the show in May. Big brands already confirmed for the spring event include Frisk, Avenue Mandarine, Sylvia Prince, Brause, Envelopes Ltd, Pentel, Calligraphe, ClaireFontaine, Decopatch, Falken, G. Lalo, Herbin, Maildor, Rhodia, Calligrafi Design UK, Rembrandt, Cobra, Van Gogh, Talens Art Creation, Ecoline, Sakura, Faber-Castell, Schneider, Platinum and Midori, Zieler, and Caran D’Ache among many others.

The show also features the Boutique Collection, a space dedicated to independent brands that have something unique to offer that might set your business apart from your competitors.

This curated section is a must for buyers seeking that next ‘it’ product that will have customers queuing round the block.

Insight, inspiration and innovation Visitors should leave London Stationery Show with more than just exciting new product, as the show hosts an education programme comprising Retail Matters Seminars, the Creative Matters Workshops, and 1-2-1 business advice clinics with industry experts. The popular Creative Matters Workshops offer visitors the chance to get creative with products from show exhibitors. Be sure to pre-register when sessions are announced in the coming months.

Registration for London Stationery Show is now open. Head to www. stationeryshowlondon.co.uk.

12 www.greetingstoday.co.uk

What: London Stationery Show When: Tuesday & Wednesday, 17-18 May Where: Business Design Centre, 52 Upper Street, London N1 0QH Opening hours: 9.30am - 5pm on Tuesday, 9.30am - 4pm on Wednesday Web: www.stationeryshowlondon.co.uk Entry: Free for bona fide stationery buyers and retailers

Exhibitors

If you’re interested in exhibiting, contact Chantelle White at: Chantelle.white@oceanmedia.co.uk or 0207 772 8455.

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GCA News The latest from the UK Greeting Cards Association Spring Fair’s wonder wall When you visit the Spring Fair, look out for the Thinking of You wall.

The GCA has teamed up with The Retail Trust charity to produce a large wall highlighting Thinking of You Week.

As it did during Festive Friday, the charity is hoping to encourage cards to be sent to the people supported by the charity.

The Retail Trust offers help to colleagues in the (L-R) Julie Driscoll Hyve Group, Chris Brook, The retail sector, whether Retail Trust, and Amanda Fergusson, GCA they need financial aid, counselling or advice. It also provides a safe haven for over 55s in five supported-living estates across the UK, where they can maintain their health, retain their independence and get help where needed.

Thinking of You Week starts on 19 September and aims to ‘harness the emotional power of greeting cards to create a wave of love, caring and happiness’. During this time of social distancing and isolation it has become even more relevant, to ensure friends and family are not feeling alone.

As well as highlighting Thinking of You week, the wall offers another marketing opportunity to GCA members.

Each card on show on the wall will feature the exhibitor’s stand number, so that prospective buyers can find their favourites on the show stands.

The wall will also have a QR code, allowing for easy donation via smartphone.

GCA CEO Amanda Fergusson told Greetings Today: “Thinking of You Week provides a wonderful opportunity to remind everyone about the importance of sending and receiving cards, just to say ‘thinking of you’. The GCA is delighted to work with Spring Fair organiser Hyve on this special Thinking of You Week display at Spring Fair to focus on this initiative, as well as the sterling work of the Retail Trust charity, which supports so many retailers. And of course it’s great to have this opportunity to highlight the wonderful innovation and new designs produced by GCA members across our industry.’’

Find out more about Thinking of You week, a Greeting Card Association initiative, at www.thinkingofyouweek.cards

New for Christmas 2022 A wall of Christmas cards from GCA members will greet visitors to Top Drawer in February.

The GCA has been working closely with Clarion, the organiser of the show, which is now due to be held on 20-22 February, at London Olympia, and GCA members are highlighted in the preview guide.

Additionally, all GCA members who are launching their Christmas 2022 range at the show will have the opportunity to take part in the New for Christmas 2022 display.

Up to five cards from each participant will be on display, with their company names and stand numbers clearly marked so that potential buyers can find them at the show.

14 www.greetingstoday.media

Dragons Speed Dating

switches dates There are still some spaces available on the next Dragons Speed Dating event for GCA members.

The event has moved dates to avoid clashing with the new dates for the Top Drawer show (20-22 February) and will now be held on Wednesday 23 March.

Over the course of an afternoon the panel of retailers meet 12 different greeting card publishers for 10 minutes each, and publishers will meet at least three buyers and have the opportunity to leave samples with all 18 buyers attending.

Cardzone, Fortnum & Mason, Card Factory, Diverse, Funky Pigeon, Postmark, Red Card, Austin & Co Malvern, and Mooch are some of the buyers Amanda Fergusson and Miles Robinson already confirmed.

Dragons Speed Dating offers a fun way to meet prospective business partners, network with existing business contacts and keep up to date with industry issues.

House of Cards’ Miles Robinson (pictured here with the GCA’s Amanda Fergusson), who will again be on the retailer panel, told Greetings Today: “From our perspective it’s a super event. It’s really well organised and it allows us to connect with many new (and existing) publishers in a very product-focused way. While not everyone will be right for House of Cards, it does allow the opportunity for us to give our feedback and sometimes useful titbits of advice, especially for newbies!”

This GCA members’ event is open to up to 72 different publishers and 18 different retailers. Publishers can book at www.gca.cards/product/ dragons-speed-dating-2022.

Did you know?

The GCA toolkits are offered free to all Greetings Today readers - you can just click and download them.

Retailers can download these point of sale pieces to use in their shops, while publishers can download and send them to their own retailers.

You’ll find digital versions of posters to use on your social media and website, along with PDF versions that can be printed in-house or by a printer.

Designed this year by Belly Button Designs, all the toolkits have GCA branding.

Online now are toolkits for Father’s Day, Easter, Mother’s Day and Valentine’s Day. Find them at www.gca.cards/?s=toolkit

ShowPreview Insights-X

What: Insights-X When: 5-7 October Where: Nuremberg Exhibition Centre Web: www.insights-x.com/en

The show with the X factor!

Greetings Today talks to Christian Ulrich, spokesperson of the executive board at Spielwarenmesse eG, about this autumn’s stationery trade show, Insights-X, which due to the cancellation of Paperworld, offers the only opportunity this year to meet in person with some of its exhibitors This is the first expo since 2020 - what changes can we expect to see?

expo itself. Keep an eye out for the innovations we will be presenting in the upcoming months!

successfully. This makes us confident for the autumn and shows: trade fairs are safe!

From 5-7 October, we will be showcasing the latest trends and innovations from the diverse world of stationery in a close-knit environment at the Nuremberg Exhibition Centre. One thing that has changed is the schedule: the expo is now from Wednesday to Friday. This is in response to the wishes of many of our customers. In addition, we will further optimise the presentation options for our exhibitors as well as expand the scope of our digital services.

Sustainability is a key focus for a number of trade fairs - is this true for Insights-X?

How will you make the expo accessible to those who cannot travel due to Covid and travel restrictions?

How will you make this the best expo yet?

We continue to believe in our tried-and-tested format of a friendly, personal and individual expo. Just at the right time to submit orders, we are once again creating a meeting place for the international stationery industry that is characterised by a remarkably relaxed networking atmosphere, which is quite unusual for a trade fair. Industry representatives and retailers have the opportunity to conduct productive business conversations without the pressure of a deadline and to make new contacts. Our attractive supporting programme, such as the expert presentations at InsightsTalks, will provide decision-makers and retailers with valuable insight for their businesses.

What’s new for this year’s expo?

The topic of digitalisation has become important for the stationery industry. More and more paper, office and stationery products are receiving digital enhancements. We will reflect this market development in our product groups. Thus, we have included digital products into the portfolios of all six Insights-X categories. We will also set a focus on them at the

16 www.greetingstoday.co.uk

More and more people are placing value on environmentally-friendly and sustainable products - including those in the stationery sector. Many stationery companies are already taking this development into account by focusing on the sustainable use of resources in manufacturing, for example. The next edition of Insights-X will be dedicated to the topic of sustainability and will make it even easier for retailers to find sustainable products.

What is a must-see at the expo?

The InsightsArena is always worth a visit. At the InsightsTalks, industry experts provide valuable information on current trends and market developments in short presentations every day.

Another thing retailers and buyers should make sure to see are the nominees and winners of our Special Award Ergonomics.

Which hygiene measures will be in place to prevent the spread of Covid?

At this point in time, it is of course difficult to tell which measures will be in place during Insights-X. This will depend largely on the further course of the pandemic as well as official regulations. We are working closely with the health authorities and NürnbergMesse to create our hygiene concept. We will keep exhibitors and trade visitors informed about the current regulations on our website. In Bavaria, several trade fairs with extensive hygiene and precautionary measures have taken place in recent months quite

We are supplementing our online services with a new platform that is optimally tailored to the needs of industry and retail: Insights-X Digital. This platform provides various tools for networking and other services for expo preparations and product presentations, among other things. This will further increase the efficiency of participating in the expo for exhibitors as well as retailers. However, our focus will remain on the on-site expo.

Advice for new visitors We offer retailers various services to help them prepare for Insights-X. Trade visitors will find a concise overview of all exhibitors and their products in the online catalogue. Another valuable tool is our Insights-X app. It includes the list of all exhibitors as well as all hall plans.

And just for the expo, we offer affordable accommodation options via our Partner Hotel Programme and our cooperation with Airbnb. We also make sure to stay in contact with retailers all year long - with our monthly newsletter and social media channels, for example. We use them not only to spread the latest industry news, but also to keep everyone up to date with any new developments concerning the expo and provide helpful tips for planning a visit.

I’m looking forward to meeting the international stationery industry in person once again!

IT’S GREAT TO BE BACK AT 6TH  9TH FEBRUARY 2022

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Cover Story

DANILO

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11 N – 0 1 M 3

Screen stars o

With so much to show off, Danilo is kicking off the year with appearances at several trade shows. Brands include this year’s big movies, plus TV shows such as Peaky Blinders and preschool hit Bluey

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Movie tie-ins Danilo will produce calendars for 2022 movies such as Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore, DC League of Super-Pets, and Jurassic World: Dominion 18 www.greetingstoday.media

new year brings new opportunities, and while we are all still recovering from our festivities, there is plenty to look forward to in 2022. For Danilo, a new year brings new ranges, new innovation and of course, new trade shows.

Danilo will be attending Spring Fair in February, showcasing its award-winning greetings range.

Disappointingly, Danilo had also planned to be at the now-cancelled Paperworld in Frankfurt for the first time, showcasing its calendar and diary range. Instead the focus now turns to other trade shows including PG Live taking place in June.

Danilo is excited to kick off another new year with some fantastic brands, such as the successful BBC series, Peaky Blinders. Tying in with the long-awaited season 6, which launches in February, Danilo will continue to publish the very popular official calendar, diary, greeting cards, gift wrap and bags. 2022 also sees some much-anticipated movies coming to our screens.

The company will create fantastic calendar ranges for films such as Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore, DC League of Super-Pets, and Jurassic World: Dominion. The new action-packed movie The Batman, starring Robert Pattinson, launches in March and will tie in with an update of the official greetings card and calendar range. The release of Despicable Me 3: The Rise of Gru in July also sees a new vibrant and colourful style of greetings card, gift wrap and

on show calendars being launched to match the feel of the film.

2022 also marks the year of The Godfather’s 50th anniversary, which Danilo will celebrate with a range of official greetings cards and gift wrap, which no retailer can refuse.

For younger audiences, Danilo is delighted to introduce new licence Bluey to the portfolio. Following the adventures of a six-year-old puppy, who lives with her mum and dad and four-year-old sister Bingo, Bluey is ranked as the number one co-viewing show, with high parental awareness and endorsement. As the brand is targeted at

kids aged three to five, Danilo’s new greetings card and gift wrap range will reflect this in the captions and designs used. Danilo will also be updating its Barbie card collection, creating bright, eye-catching new designs targeting two audiences, girls aged six to 12 and the young adult females who grew up with the brand.

Following the success of the movie in 2021 and with a new spin-off series on Netflix in 2022 for My Little Pony, Danilo will continue to deliver the official My Little Pony greeting card, wrap and calendar range to its huge fan base.

So why not pop along to see a selection of the Danilo collection on the Card Gains stand at Spring Fair (Stand 3M10 – N11).

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

2022 marks The Godfather’s 50th anniversary, which Danilo will celebrate with a range of official greetings cards and gift wrap www.greetingstoday.media 19

Love at its heart Heartandsoulart offers new designs alongside already popular general and occasions cards, with love always an integral focus. The designs are either hand-drawn, hand-painted, monoprint, linocut print or etching print.

Coming soon are floral and tree designs.

Heartandsoulart designs have been stocked in the likes of Liberty, Fortnum & Mason and Fenwick in Bond Street, while one-off hand-made pieces are sold through a Cambridge gallery/design shop. Heartandsoulart is looking to also export and further expand.

Tel: 07812746596 Web: www.heartandsoulart.co.uk

spotlight

A selection of the latest greetings and gifts ready to adorn your shelves

Easy crafting for all ages

Décopatch is the easy craft to learn and enjoy for children and adults alike.

Suitable for ages three and over, a Décopatch Mini Kit contains everything needed to unleash your creativity: a papier mâché shape to decorate, two colourful paper sheets, a pot of glue and a brush. Simply tear or cut the paper into small pieces, glue the paper on the shape and hey presto - your very own masterpiece!

Choose from a comprehensive selection of different mini kit animals, including a unicorn, dinosaur, butterfly, elephant or dachshund, and seasonal favourites such as a bat and reindeer.

The Mini Kit was Highly Commended within the Best for Children’s Crafts category at the recent Best of Craft Awards 2021.

However, there is more to Décopatch than just these cute kits, as you can let your imagination run free with more than 200 standard and textured paper designs and numerous creatures, shapes and letters available in various sizes, including some up to 6ft tall!

With Easter fast approaching, there are several themed papier mâché products available within the range, including the new waterproof broken eggs and carrot shaped trinket boxes, as well as chickens, rabbits and lambs.

Did you know you can also Décopatch with lots of other materials, including metal, wood and plastic…making it a brilliant way to give new life to faded objects!

ExaClair Limited Tel: 01553 696600 20 www.greetingstoday.co.uk

Email: sales@exaclair.co.uk Web: www.exaclairlimited.com

A touch of the Orient Paeonia is a new collection from Clare Maddicott Publications and Abacus Cards that combines the trademark characteristics of the talented artist and textile designer Chris Chun. Known for his work in contemporary chinoiserie, his style has a distinct twist on traditional Chinese art. Paeonia is a contemporary collection with a distinctive oriental feel. It features exotic images inspired by surface pattern and nature, and dazzles through the use of vibrant colours and opulent finishes. Formatted to a standard 5 x 7, each card is finished with textured foil, making these designs simply beautiful. The designs are accompanied by metallic gold envelopes.

To see these new designs, contact your local sales representative, call the sales team or visit stand M10/N11, Hall 3A at Spring Fair.

Tel: 01638 569050 Web: www.maddicott.com

Positive spin ‘She’ is a strong, graphic range of greetings cards hot off the press from Cinnamon Aitch. Bold illustrations pop with colour across the 10-strong range featuring bespectacled women embellished with words of positivity.

Square in format, the range is printed on 350g FSC board and can be supplied wrapped in a recyclable cello, naked or clasped. ‘She’ effortlessly translates into gorgeous soaps and lip balms, which extend the story into carefully considered gift products that resonate with today’s consumer.s With no palm oil, plastics, or harsh chemicals,the hand-made soap bars make for a fantastic gift for the most eco-savvy of customers. Cinnamon Aitch cards and gift products are all made entirely in the UK with care for the environment and quality that has become synonymous with the company.

Tel: 0121 773 6833 Web: www.cinnamonaitch.co.uk

Making a splash Eye-catching watercolours capture the enduring charm of British birds in Dyson Design’s new range, the Splash Bird Collection.

Artist Laura Andrew begins each image with a random splash of paint that she carefully turns into energetic portraits of familiar garden birds including the blue tit, robin, wren, bullfinch and swallow.

Helen Dyson, founder and director of Dyson Design, said: “It’s been a pleasure to work with Laura to bring her beautiful watercolours to a wider audience.”

The range is printed on textured art card manufactured in the UK. As with all Dyson’s collections, Splash Birds is printed in the UK.

Tel: 0116 285 5725 Email: helen@dysondesign.com Web: www.dysondesign.com

Glitz and florals Wildflower is an illustrated greetings card range from Dandelion Stationery consisting of 18 designs suitable for female birthdays and female relations as well as major occasions. Inspired by UK wildflowers, contemporary, hand-drawn florals are teamed with deep toned bases. The cards are printed on luxury, FSC certified board, and come supplied with white envelopes made from recycled paper.

Also new is a mini card range called Mini Glitz, consisting of 18 shimmery designs featuring a metallic foil finish, which gleams beautifully. Cards in this range have been designed to bring happiness and positivity and are suitable for birthdays, affirmations and messages of motivation. The A7 cards come supplied with recycled kraft envelopes in packs of six cards.

Tel: 01332 504940 Email: info@dandelionstationery.co.uk Web: www.dandelionstationery.co.uk

www.greetingstoday.co.uk 21

First time in print

Flower power A number of flower images have been added to Tilia Publishing UK’s card ranges after six years. Since one of the team is a botanist, this has been a long wait for them to dip their toes into this competitive space. But flowers have such a richness in colour and meaning and can say so much without words that Tilia has decided to bring its own take on them into the marketplace. Most are bright colours, but there is a special secret one - a rare photo of the near-toextinct British Ghost Orchid - something of a holy grail for orchid hunters.

The range launches at the beginning of February and will be ever-expanding, with requests for other plants always appreciated.

The Eco-Friendly Card Co has a new collection from mixed media floral artist Jane Morgan. Jane’s work is currently available as fine art prints in John Lewis but this is the first time her designs have been printed on cards.

Jane says: “I lose myself when painting, completely absorbed in my happy bubble, enjoying the colours and shapes forming on my canvas. It’s that uplifting feeling I want to capture and share.

I use acrylic paint, inks and glitter for a touch of magic and take my inspiration from the wild hedgerows and cottage gardens in the beautiful Somerset countryside around my home. I turned a lifelong love of painting into my dream job in 2013 and now have a studio in Ilminster, selling to galleries across the UK and beyond.’’

The cards collection consists of 12 blank designs as well as special occasions - all printed on 100% recycled board, available wrapped in compostable bags or with a card-clasp.

Tel: 01626 369269 Web: www.ecofriendly.cards

Tel: 01273 844436 Web: www.tiliapublishinguk.co.uk

spotlight Just say it!

Northern exposure Natural Partners has added a range of greeting cards by North Yorkshire artist Sue Ford to its large and varied portfolio. Sue is an experienced artist and well-established art tutor who has experimented with just about every possible medium during her career and is equally at home with watercolour, pastel or mixed media. There are initially 12 designs in the range, inspired by Sue’s Yorkshire surroundings and her travels. The cards are printed on 300gsm FSC certified board and supplied with a white envelope, with the option of no cellophane wrapping if required. The range is available on the company’s website and will be on display on its stands at Home & Gift and Autumn Fair later in the year.

Tel: 07714 768956 Email: joe@naturalpartnersart.co.uk Web: www.naturalpartnersart.co.uk 22 www.greetingstoday.co.uk

Sentiment gifts continue to be popular for 2022 as gift givers want to give a meaningful gift to show loved ones how much they care, and celebrate important milestones such as birthdays.

The Just Saying range of wine and gin glasses from Joe Davies are brightly coloured with heartfelt messages, and now brightly-coloured special age wine glasses have been added to the collection.

The modern font and bright vivid pinks, purples, blues and greens make this a fun and modern present to celebrate a birthday. Choose from 18th, 21st, 30th, 40th, 50th, 60th and happy birthday.

This new gift collection is just one of the many gift ranges that will be on display on the Joe Davies stand at Spring Fair, where everything will be available to buy in small quantities with minimum carriage paid orders of just £100. The friendly, award-winning staff look forward to showing you around.

Tel: 0161 975 6300 Email: sales@joedavies.co.uk Web: www.joedavies.co.uk

Taking the biscuit!

Lunar licence Carousel Calendars has announced a new licensing partnership with the Sunday Times Bestseller Lunar Living, written by Kirsty Gallagher, about the powerful effects of the moon on our wellbeing and how we can use its cycles to make positive changes in our lives. Having already helped countless people realign their lives, understand rest and self-care and find the natural flow of taking care of themselves and their needs, this partnership brings all this to a comprehensive calendar format.

The square wall calendar will be packed with in-depth knowledge and expertise from the book, combining with our useful calendar format that will help track the cycles of the moon and apply the benefits from this self-help guide.

Another addition to the licensed range is a partnership with wildlife artist artist Bree Merryn. Her highly-detailed yet charming illustrations brim with personality and proved to be very popular, adorning canvases, giftware, home furnishings and more.

Also new are WWF square wall calendars, the Mumsnet Family Organiser calendar, World Travel Destinations calendar, the new Sarah Raven Wild Garden square wall calendar, an A3 Irish Farmers calendar, and finally, a box desk calendar has been added to the Kew range.

Tel: 01392 826465 Web: https://carouselcalendars.co.uk

Love Country has just launched a new offering with its colourful range of biscuit tins. The Suffolkbased company has teamed up with biscuit maker Farrah’s of Harrogate to produce an eyecatching range of teatime treats.

The collection offers a 200g drum of biscuits in a variety of flavours and designs including bunnies, hedgehogs, pheasants, donkeys and more. For a slightly more indulgent gift there’s a larger and very stylish Biscuit Caddy (full of biscuits of course), which can be collected and used as kitchen storage, so reducing waste.

With 15 designs to choose from and mouthwatering flavours to taste, there is something for everyone. There’s even an adorable dog and cat design, making these perfect gifts to thank the pet sitter or a fellow animal lover. If you can part with them of course!

Each design has been chosen from Love Country’s watercolour artwork including some new designs specifically aimed at gifts for men. Look out for the adorable little puffin! Each tin is packed with luxury biccies, along with a poem or story, written by the artist and wrapped up inside each tin as a little extra touch. The perfect excuse to invite a friend for a cuppa.

Small orders are welcome and all designs can be mixed and matched with small MOQ’s offering great flexibility to make a fabulous shop display. All the products are proudly made in Britain.

Tel: 01502 507352 Web: www.lovecountryuk.co.uk

www.greetingstoday.co.uk 23

Ward’s Words

GIFTWARE ASSOCIATION CEO SARAH WARD

The circular economy

Could the principles of the circular economy help your business? Sarah Ward, CEO of the Giftware Association, investigates how they are used in other industries No doubt you have heard of the circular economy, but what exactly does this phrase mean?

It’s defined by the Ellen MacArthur Foundation as an economy ‘based on the principles of designing out waste and pollution, keeping products and materials in use, and regenerating natural systems’.

This is far more than just eliminating single-use plastic, avoiding ‘fast’ fashion that results in clothes going to landfill, and reducing your carbon footprint - circular principles bring new thinking to business models and customer behaviour.

Design principles

“Circular economy principles that aim to design out waste and pollution from processes, keep products and materials in use, and regenerate natural systems are being applied in diverse industries with positive results for both marketing and profits’’

Circular economy principles that aim to design out waste and pollution from processes, keep products and materials in use, and regenerate natural systems are being applied in diverse industries - with positive results for both marketing and profits.

The jewellery industry, for example, buys and recycles precious metals and stones

Leading by example

Other industries whose raw materials have been less valued are following this lead, for example: • •

• • • •

• • •

Products marketed as being made in part or whole from recycled fabrics, plastics or ceramic are growing in popularity especially at the higher price points, and are commanding higher prices.

Reuse of plastic bottles is made more effective by designing all bottles in a range to be the same shape so that they can be cleaned and relabelled for refilling, which is more efficient than recycling as they remain in use. They are collected in reverse vending machines, which give refunds or tokens.

Farming practices for food and textiles are going beyond organic to avoid monocultures, and regenerate natural soil systems, water courses and habitats.

BTAA (British Travelgoods, Handbags & Accessories Association) member Shona Easton designs small items using the offcuts from leather and fabric handbags, saving waste and generating sales.

Fast-fashion retailers reduce waste with smaller product runs to avoid excess stock being sent to landfill or sold at a discount, and in doing so, also increase profit.

Designing products to be modular so that parts which fail or can be upgraded are easily swapped is a circular concept that is being adopted in a variety of industries. For example, one headphones brand has designed its products to be modular, and customers rent rather than buy them.

Upgrades or repairs are achieved by returning them for replacement, and parts can be refurbished and reused or exchanged for upgraded versions.

The motor industry is refurbishing used engine parts, which are then indistinguishable from new ones.

Alternatives to petroleum-based plastic derived from abundant biomaterials, including unavoidable food waste, are becoming more widely available, particularly for packaging.

The government plans to bring in ‘right to repair’ legislation this summer to keep domestic electrical goods in use for longer. This principle is likely to be applied to other products in future.

and has effective waste reduction processes because of the materials’ value. Processes are established to supply reliable information for purchasers on the origin of raw materials to avoid supporting bad mining practices, which cause pollution or social problems.

Sarah Ward is chief executive of the Giftware Association, which is at the heart of the gift industry supporting members by offering invaluable advice and assistance. Coming originally from a retail background, she then worked at Penny Kennedy gaining extensive knowledge in the card, wrap and stationery sector, and now uses these skills across a broader environment.

Tel: 0121 236 2657 Web: www.ga-uk.org

24 www.greetingstoday.media

Customers see purchases as long-term investments that can be remodelled or ‘returned’ by selling them as secondhand or as scrap.

International charity The Ellen MacArthur Foundation is an international charity working to research, publicise and support the circular economy.

You can see more examples online at www.ellenmacarthurfoundation.org/ circular-economy/what-is-the-circulareconomy

Show Preview

SCOTLAND’S TRADE FAIR

10

reasons to visit

As Scotland’s Trade Fair is rescheduled to March, here’s 10 reasons to visit the event So, with a new date of 27-29 March, here’s

10 reasons to take a trip to the show…

1. Seek out new products from a myriad of Scottish suppliers who

are only showing at this event. Many will be ready to turn round orders quickly so they can get stock to shops by Easter.

2. Be first to see the Launch Gallery suppliers who are new

young companies, with many unveiling their ranges at this show. Exhibitors include Agate & Ayre, Craftypups, Edinburgh Illustrations, Eriskay Candles and The Cute Soaperie.

3.

L earn new business tips, understand how to expand your business’ profile and be inspired with a series of panel discussions, masterclasses and talks in the Talking Shop Seminar Theatre on a range of subjects from working with influencers to sustainability, Instagram to tourism tactics, and much more. See www.scotlandstradefairs.com/whats-on/talking-shop-seminartimetable.

S

cotland’s Trade Fair, held at the SEC, Glasgow, has been rescheduled - thanks to Covid. Show director Mark Saunders said: “We had no choice about the postponement of the show but in many ways there are more things to look forward to and be excited about with the new March dates. We have new suppliers coming forward looking for stands already, as well as many exhibitors being in a better position to provide stock immediately in March, so shops should expect short lead times on supply. Together with a comprehensive programme of talks, masterclasses and other activities, this date should firmly be in the diaries of independent retailers.”

What: Scotland’s Trade Fair When: 27-29 March Where: SEC, Glasgow Web: www.scotlandstradefairs.com

4. Discover what’s hot this year with Best Product Awards being

judged on the opening morning of the Show by judges who are all Scottish retail experts – Linda Birkbeck from House of Bruar, Catherine McGurk, Glasgow Museums and Taisir Gibreel, Restoration Yard.

5. Scotland’s Trade Fair is the only trade gift show in Scotland.

6. Source products from all corners of Scotland, including a large

area dedicated to the creative spirit of Orkney, including Sheila Fleet Jewellery, Ortak, Leo Kerr Mirrors, Karen Duncan Jewellery and many more.

7. Independent research has shown that Scotland’s Trade Fair is

one of the highest-performing trade gift shows in the country, with visitors particularly impressed by the high quality and range of products available.

8. Check out fine food too – Scotland’s Trade Fair is run in

conjunction with Scotland’s Speciality Food Show where about 120 top fine food and drink producers will be on display, allowing buyers a ‘one-stop’ buying platform.

BEAUTIFUL GREETING CARDS

For free samples and our catalogue, email helen @ dysondesign.com

9. Central to the show is the Craft Gallery, which has a prominent

line-up of high-end producers such as Alison Haddon Jewellery, Carla Edwards, Fernweh, Helen Chatterton Textiles, Rosella & Lime and Tessuti Scotland.

10. Gifts and homewares make up the backbone of the show, with

established suppliers such as Bronte by Moon, Earth Squared, Eco Chic, Isle of Skye Candle Company, Highland Stoneware, Strathmore Woollen Company, The Highland Soap Company and Pigment Productions, all taking large stands. New to the show in this sector are companies such as Scribe & Grow, Dreamair, Lindsay McDowall Jewellery, Das Impex and Burgundy Mode.

www.dysondesign.com www.greetingstoday.co.uk 25

Preview

Apring S utumnFF air air

Alison Graham

It’s showtime (at last!)

Alison Graham, key account director of Spring Fair, talks to Greetings Today about the upcoming show, which has been two years in the making, and what it has to offer visitors

Ask the retailers We asked Spring Fair veterans to give their tips for first-time show-goers…

I’d recommend comfy shoes, a refillable water bottle, some paracetamol and a rucksack for all the catalogues you’ll pick up!

Sarah Laker, Stationery Supplies Wilmslow and Marple, Cheshire Keep visits to existing suppliers who have reps/ agents/great catalogues a bit shorter. This gives you time to look for new ones and cover any gaps.

You can request a rep visit ASAP. Also, visit the trade magazine stands to touch base and put a face to the name. Lastly, (whispering here) some stands have free chocolates and biscuits!

Sally Wilde, Planet Sal, Honiton, Devon Look all over the suppliers’ stands... there could be some little gems , either above or below the stand. More than anything, have fun and enjoy the experience, which you can then recreate in the products you’ve selected to sell in your shop.

Michael Laybourn, retail buyer, Henry & Co Spring Fair is so big, if you can only go for the day we would suggest identifying exactly where you want to visit first as your main priority, and then maybe browse the stands after you’ve finished.

Paul Mordecai and Hannah Rudder Dee’s Cards, Leighton Buzzard, Beds

26 20 www.greetingstoday.co.uk www.greetingstoday.co.uk

This is the first Spring Fair since 2020.

What changes can we expect to see and what’s new for the show?

This show is two years in the making.

We have so many wonderful new brands and greeting card designers exhibiting for the first time. You can expect an explosion of celebration!

Spring Fair was sorely missed last year and, following the hugely successful Autumn Fair, the Spring Fair team are working hard to make the show incredible. We have spent many months researching the market, talking to our customers - listening, and learning - and feel confident that Spring Fair will deliver the best possible experience across its four days. Visitors will discover the most inspirational and exciting brand line-up and stock-rich exhibitors, as well as the newness, cross-buying opportunities, and sustainable products that are so key to buyers and their customers now.

Greeting card and gift companies showcasing their new Christmas, everyday occasions and birthday collections include Ling Design, The Great British Card Co, Cardgains, Wrendale, Paper Salad, The Seed Card Company, The Art File, Rachel Ellen, Otter House, Louise Tiler, Museums & Galleries, and Noel Tatt. GCA Debut, showcasing new brands to the market and an integral area to source new publishers, will once again be bringing more than 15 new brands.

The big trends coming through within the greetings sector are in diversity and sustainability. Many traditional greetings and gift shops are also diversifying and the treasure trove of product at Spring Fair is truly compelling.

Hall 3/3A brings Greetings, Stationery and Party all in one place. If you’re sourcing

anything for celebrations, whether it’s birthday, anniversary or whatever - this hall is the place to source the lot.

In fact if you’re champing at the bit to find physical product, then Spring Fair is the place to do it!

“If you’re champing at the bit to find physical product then Spring Fair is the place to do it!’’

What up-and-coming trends can we expect to see?

The trends are: sustainable, recyclable, and environmental. So many of the majors - and small companies - are proud to promote and showcase their biodegradable, and recycled ranges. For example, Ling Designs will be displaying their plastic-free advent calendars.

Sustainability and ethically-made designs continue to grow in popularity – 82% of visitors to Autumn Fair said they were interested in seeing this. Spring and Autumn Fair have a unique opportunity to help lead the industry towards a more sustainable future, facilitate the conversations around supply chains, and promote the work of brands and designers who are doing it brilliantly, like The Seed Card Company.

We will also be launching new Power of One pledges; initiatives and partnerships designed to help educate everyone in the industry to take effective and manageable actions towards a better future.

Diversity is another trend, and our card companies are very much diversifying into markets ranging from LGBTQ+ to ethnicity. For example, The Art File’s Fierce & Fabulous range

won the new Best Diversity and Inclusion Range at the Henries awards last year.

Why should retailers visit the show?

For a start the timing is perfect - it’s the right time to buy now for Christmas 2022.

Show visitors should also not miss the GCA (Greeting Card Association) debut area, which is lovely. Here they’ll find GCA members - all new small publishers, artists, designers and illustrators showcasing their work.

We’ve also teamed up with the GCA and our charity - The Retail Trust - to produce a fabulous visual wall dedicated to Thinking of You Week. This will show off cards from our exhibitors - promoting Thinking of You Week in September - and will also raise awareness about the charity.

Can you explain more about this year’s Curated Meetings?

On 7 and 8 February, Spring Fair hosts Curated Meetings. Buyers simply preselect the brands they want to meet with products they love. It is super-efficient, with up to nine 15-minute pre-selected meetings taking place in a private Curated Meetings lounge area with complimentary food and drink, plus buyers enjoy a £250 travel expense subsidy to attend these in-person opportunities. It was hugely successful at Autumn Fair where it was trialled with gift products, but at Spring Fair we are bringing on board all show sectors including greetings.

What else can we look forward to?

I think the combination of passion and hard work to make it the best (from the Spring Fair team and our exhibitors and suppliers), newness, inspiration, and excitement to get back to the show floor will certainly make for a spectacular Spring Fair 2022.

We also just won the AEO Trade Show of the Century Award, which we are over the moon about.

Newness is the main attraction for visitors. It’s all about the new - about seeing products in the flesh, which visitors are desperate to do. And this year Spring Fair will offer the largest showcase of greeting cards in the world under one roof.

This will be the first time that 80% of our exhibitors will be showcasing hundreds and hundreds of new products - new cards,

gifts, balloons, wrap, stationery and partyware.

For instance, David Byk from Ling Designs says: “Ling Designs will be showing no less than 230 new boxes of Christmas cards.’’

Any advice for new visitors?

Download the Spring Fair App - designed as an easy-to-use handy digital show guide to give visitors even more information before the show, to help them get the most out of their visit, and to aid with on-site navigation.

It can offer product recommendations based on unique interests, and enable searches for exhibitors to find out their stand number and location, while the in-built interactive floorplan map helps visitors to navigate their way around the show and the Sustainability and Made in Britain Product Trails. It can also bookmark and save exhibitors, products, and seminars from the theatre timetable to individual profiles. All registered visitors get instant access to the app.

Is there anything else you’d like to tell us?

Spring Fair is where bestsellers are found, relationships are forged, and curiosity is piqued. Imagine a treasure trove of new ideas and new trends just waiting to be discovered and displayed in your shop or showroom. If you want to touch, feel and experience what’s new and innovative across the home, gift and fashion retail industry - Spring Fair is the marketplace for you.

“Imagine a treasure trove of new ideas and new trends just waiting to be discovered and displayed in your shop or showroom’’

Finally, what is your most memorable Spring Fair moment?

It has happened every year in the 20 years I’ve been involved with Spring Fair, and will be particularly special this year. My favourite moment is when build-up is finished, on the Sunday morning at 9am when the doors open - and it just looks amazing. It gives me the biggest sense of pride.

• For the latest up-to-date Safe & Secure guidelines visit www.springfair. com/visit/safe-secure and check back regularly for updates.

• Keep up to date with news and developments at www.springfair.com.

www.greetingstoday.co.uk 27

Preview

Spring Fair

Cherry Orchard Hall 3A Stand M10/N11

The team at Cherry Orchard are busy getting ready for Spring Fair at the NEC, and looking forward to seeing all their customers for a catch-up once again. With a bumper Christmas 2022 Collection featuring images from the Grace range, cute images with Buttercup and Friends and a great mix of traditional, sentiment and contemporary designs to choose from, there’s 160 new designs in total.

All cards are made in the UK and there’s no price increase. Head to the Cardgains stand and collect a catalogue so you can place a pre-order.

There’s also a special offer to celebrate the Queen’s Platinum 70th Jubilee - get £70 of stock free of charge (based on RRP) when you place a £250 net minimum order. You’ll also be able to see the new range Grace and the new look for the milestone ages and milestone wedding anniversaries range, Down Memory Lane, which this year has been given some extra sparkle and shimmer with a stunning embossed fluted foil added to the age number. These cards show the age and year of birth with interesting facts on the insert from the year.

Having to make space for so many new designs coming out means there’s also a 50% special offers catalogue that you can pick up, but hurry as these sell out quickly and once they’re gone, they’re gone!

Tel: 01684 295500 | Web: cherryorchardpublishing.co.uk

Danilo

Hall 3 Stand 3M10 – N11 Danilo will be showcasing a selection of popular, official card ranges on the Cardgains stand. There will be plenty for visitors to see, including a strong adult offering with products from the likes of Peaky Blinders, Friends, Van Gogh and Bright Side, as well as the hottest kids’ brands including Paw Patrol, Peppa Pig, Elmer, Barbie, Batman, Minecraft and Xbox. While only a selection of product will be present at the show, Danilo has exciting plans in the works for more everyday and seasonal ranges across 2022 and even into 2023.

Tel: 01992 702900 Web: www.danilo.com 20 www.greetingstoday.co.uk 28

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Preview

Spring Fair

Joe Davies Hall 4 Stand C10/D11

Joe Davies is more than excited to showcase its new ranges to all its customers old and new.

Village Pottery has always been a firm favourite with customers, and with this in mind new additions of these quirky ceramic houses have been added; each one is glazed in beautiful home décor colours with a hand-painted style finish.

The Village Pottery range includes tea lights, lanterns, money boxes and oil burners. Some smaller sweet house tea lights have been added along with new planters including houses, robins, penguins and some stylish tall house vases.

With gonks still trending, there have even been some ceramic tea light gonks added for everyday and Christmas cosy nights.

The sentiment range of ceramics, Thoughtful Words, has been a great seller for Joe Davies because of its heartfelt messages and the simple classy cream, metallic gold, and black design. The new lines complement the existing range, which includes a heart-shaped trinket box with a sentiment on the lid, a heart-shaped trinket tray, standing ceramic heart, coasters, tealight holders, oil burners and money boxes.

Sock Society is also a hugely successful brand and always a firm favourite with retailers and customers alike. New is a mini spin-off range called Dog Society featuring popular dog breeds such as Border Collie, Pugs, Golden Lab, Westies and more. There are also fun new Christmas designs such as beer – a great gift for men - and a bright Christmas tree design. These vibrantly coloured unisex socks are a real wardrobe essential and make the ideal gift.

As mentioned earlier, gonks are still a hot trend and are still popular for everyday seasons as well as Christmas. Following on from the success of

30 www.greetingstoday.co.uk

the Bee Gonks, Joe Davies has added a new collection of bright pastel gonks featuring a multi-coloured pastel beard and tones of lilac, pink and blue. These make a lovely display for spring in store, and can add a finishing touch in the home as well as making the perfect gift.

Still trending for Spring/Summer 2022 are planters. Greenery in the home remains popular so planters are essential to dress up the house or as a gift line.

This new range of decorative face planters are perfect for real or fake plants and add a bit of fun to home décor. They showcase quirky characters with spectacles, and have a bright colourful glaze combined with a modern biscuit finish.

The Equilibrium collection from Joe Davies continues to be the UK’s hottest jewellery brand. This highly successful range is a huge draw at the show. There are lots of exciting new ranges to showcase at Spring Fair, one of them being The Gem Collection. This range incorporates amethyst, rose quartz, pink agate, amazonite and many more natural quartz crystals into these beautiful pieces of jewellery.

There’s lots more to see Joe Davies at Hall 4 stand C10/D11. You can be assured of a warm welcome. The friendly, award-winning staff look forward to showing you the vast array of gifts and making your buying experience a happy one. Ordering from Joe Davies could not be easier thanks to the company’s trademark ‘little and often’ ordering system and its minimum order value of £100 for free nationwide delivery.

Tel: 0161 975 6300 |Email: sales@joedavies.co.uk Web: www.joedavies.co.uk

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Preview

Spring Fair

Jonny Javelin Hall 3 Stand N40-P41 There’s a party theme to the Velvet range. With another 38 code 75 titles being released in Jonny Javelin’s most popular range, look for lots of balloons, cake, beer, presents and bubbles (age appropriate of course!) as well as more colour extra finishes, which customers seem to love. You’ll also find lots of relations and relation ages to add to the 18 that were released in October 2021, making a grand total of 56 new captions.

Signature is a range that is going great guns and brings a younger feel to the portfolio.

The company has introduced some bold relation captions this time, along with 12 open birthday titles. According to Jonny Javelin, response so far has been amazing and there will be more relation titles and occasions rolling out in due course.

There are more ideas in the pipeline for Velvet - a large code 375 is on its way, which is the company’s first venture into stick-ons, extra large cards, and special folding inserts!

Tel: 01423 563740 Web: www.jonnyjavelin.co.uk

Nigel Quiney

Hall 2, 3+3a Stand 3R25 Flower Press is a new range from award-winning artist Tina Ramsbottom. The designs are a collection of delicate wild flowers placed in debossed panels giving the illusion of coming out of a traditional flower press.

Gold foil text and foiled icons on a textured board sold with a craft envelope create a stunning new range. There are 14 designs in total - 12 are general birthday and two are special friend; great value at 7x5 at C50.

The range is selling fast, but won’t be available for delivery until it is released at Spring Fair.

This release of designs has the environment at heart, using vegetable inks to print, board sourced responsibly and all finished with foil, making these cards fully recyclable.

Nigel Quiney has big plans for lots more new and exciting products this year, so watch this space!

Tel: 01799 520200 Web: www.nigelquiney.com

20 www.greetingstoday.co.uk 32

Museums & Galleries Hall 2, 3+3a Stand 3L30-M31

Museums & Galleries has launched a range of Wildlife Photographer of the Year greeting cards licensed from the Natural History Museum, London.

The 31 cards in the launch range are available now.

The Natural History Museum is both a world-leading science research centre and the most-visited natural history museum in Europe. It is also custodian of one of the world’s most important scientific collections comprising more than 80 million specimens. The Museum’s 300 scientists continue to represent one of the largest groups in the world studying and enabling research into every aspect of nature.

Wildlife Photographer of the Year is an international showcase of the very best in nature photography and one of the Museum’s most successful, long-running exhibitions. Today more than a million visitors visit the touring exhibition across the UK and internationally.

It is the most prestigious wildlife photography contest in the world. The first competition was held back in 1964, with three categories and around 600 entries. The competition has received entries from 100 countries and in 2020 the contest received more than 50,000 entries.

Wildlife Photographer of the Year celebrates and amplifies the power of photography, to move hearts and minds, sparking change. Contextualised and empowered by Museum science, the winning images tell remarkable stories that spark emotive reactions that benefit the planet. They are also made more personal through the photographers’ stories.

Maxine Lister, head of licensing at the Natural History Museum, said: “We are delighted to have worked alongside the team at Museums & Galleries to develop such a beautiful collection of greeting cards

that showcase some of the incredible photography on offer from the archives of the Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition. Not only do the cards highlight the true diversity of nature on our planet, they are also kind to the planet as they come with minimal, paper-based packaging and are fully recyclable.”

Ben Dorney, creative director of Museums & Galleries, said: “For us, Wildlife Photographer of the Year is a perfect blend of ‘art’ and ‘emotional content’ – which is just what Museums & Galleries customers appreciate. We were honoured to be asked by Maxine at the Natural History Museum to consider working with them on it, and then very quick to confirm our interest once we saw the photographs.

“We were blown away by the quality and originality of the images which are – literally – award-winning. In addition, the competition’s aims ‘to create advocates for the planet’, and its ownership by the Museum, adds a genuine environmental urgency and potency to the licence.

“We’re thrilled to be launching the range and have already received extremely positive responses from retailers on first sight of it. We’re excited to add more amazing pictures to the range as we progress!”

Tel: 01373 462165 Email: sales@mgml.co.uk Web: www.museumsgalleries.co.uk

www.greetingstoday.co.uk 20 33

Preview

Spring Fair

Redback Cards Halls 2, 3+3a Stand 3S25

Introducing the latest laugh from Redback Cards, which has collaborated with Zeppelinmoon to bring out 30 new designs. This whimsical and badass range of everyday humour cards is inspired by the thoughts and behaviours of animals.

Designer Amber Fossey illustrates her own words and poetry, draws fun comic art, and paints watercolours to create this collection. The Zeppelinmoon range flaunts a relatable and ridiculous humour, using an uplifting tone of voice to beautifully capture human spirit with poise and confidence.

These 120mm X 170mm cards are blank inside, paired with a recycled kraft envelope and are printed on FSC-accredited sustainable board.

Tel: 01752 830482 Email: admin@redbackcards.com Web: www.redbackcards.com

UK Greetings Hall 3A Stand M10/N11

UK Greetings (UKG) is delighted to once again be exhibiting on the Cardgains Village in Hall 3A. UKG will be showcasing a selection of the best of Christmas 2022 single cards and the Christmas boxed range from Special Editions. In addition, it will be showcasing new Everyday gift dressings including an eco range plus some Christmas designs from Collage. There’s much more to see, so pop by for a chat!

Tel: 01924 465200.

Web: www.ukgreetings.co.uk 34 www.greetingstoday.co.uk

Carousel Calendars Stand 3P20/Q21

Carousel Calendars’ range of regional calendars has grown year-on-year.

Now offering more than 250 in a wide variety of formats, the regional range covers all English counties, as well as select counties in Wales and Scotland, along with major cities and towns. It also offers titles that cover popular and much-visited regions, from the Brecon Beacons, Yorkshire Moors and Norfolk Broads to the Wye Valley and English Riviera.

All calendars contain imagery showcasing the best that the locations offer, and it is no doubt the reason why regionals continue to be so popular year after year – presenting landmarks and scenes from our slices of home, or from favourite holiday destinations, or locations that mean something to us.

With formats covering A4s, square wall calendars, A5s, slim appointment calendars and desk easels, there is something that will fit into every home or office space, to brighten up walls and desks.

Tel: 01392 826465 Web: https://carouselcalendars.co.uk

Holy Mackerel Hall 3 Stand R02

2022 is Holy Mackerel’s 20th birthday year, and director Katie Meeke says: “We’re really looking forward to celebrating it by being able to get together with our customers, suppliers and fellow publishers again. Roll on Spring Fair and Scotland’s Trade Fair, our first shows of the year.’’

Holy Mackerel started out back in 2002, the brainchild of Sarah Hopkins. In 2004, Sarah’s sister Katie decided that the greetings card industry looked like a friendly place to be, and she left the rat race and the joys of the M25 to make it a family business!

The ethos of the company has always been to work with a small group of talented artists to create a huge range of styles and occasions under one roof, and that’s still very much the case today. The ranges have changed over the years, but the Holy Mackerel house style is still at their core; a recognisable mix of great designs and warm humour.

The company is perhaps best known for its best-selling One Lump or Two range of cards by polymer clay artist Erica Sturla. This is the flagship range, with nearly 500 cards covering just about every occasion you can think of, from 23rd anniversaries to Dydd Santes Dwynwen (the Welsh equivalent of Valentine’s Day). Of course, being based in sunny Pembrokeshire, Welsh language

cards are an important part of the range too!

In late 2020 the team took on a new challenge as it became the proud owner of the Alternative Image range of retro black and white cards, and these have been a successful addition to the collection - funny, fashionable and with quite a following, they fit well alongside the rest of the range.

New for 2022? More than 120 new card designs will be on show at Spring Fair, including a relaunch of an old favourite, the Minimiam range by Parisian food photographers Akiko Ida and Pierre Javelle, featuring tiny characters in a food-based world, as well as new cards from award-winning artist Rosie Brooks, and some fabulous designs from artists Andy Poplar and Seth Draper. And of course it wouldn’t be Spring Fair without a splash of new designs from Erica Sturla – watch out for cards for horse lovers, rock climbers and mobility scooter speed freaks too!

Tel: 01395 578571 Email: sales@holy-mackerel.co.uk Web: www.holy-mackerel.co.uk www.greetingstoday.co.uk 35

Focus on

Dyson Design

Blooming marvellous

Helen Dyson, director of Dyson Design, explains how a one-off snowdrop card blossomed into a greeting card business

Tell us a little about the background of Dyson Design.

I began my career in advertising design and eventually set up my own graphic design studio. Every Christmas, we’d produce a greeting card to say thank you to our clients and to show off our design skills.

One year, I teamed up with my photographer friend Neil Robinson to capture an image of some snowdrops for that year’s card. We had a fantastic response, and the card even won a paper industry award.

Before long, I found myself at Spring Fair showing off our complete collection of cards, which at that stage numbered just 18. Even so, we had a busy show, and it was great to meet suppliers and prospective customers from all over the world.

Fast forward a few years; I sold the design business and threw all my energies into the greeting card business.

What is the aim of the company (apart from selling cards!).

After a long time in advertising, I was looking for a new challenge that would give me more of a free rein to be creative. The card business does that.

It makes for an interesting life and lets me work with amazing photographers and illustrators such as wildlife artist Laura Andrew and vintage motoring specialist Brian James.

I love getting involved in interesting processes such as copper plate printing.

We also get to work with some fantastic materials such as seeded card and rose scent for our scented range, David Austin Roses.

I like staying in touch with our retail clients and hearing about their businesses. We’re also lucky to have some bigname clients for bespoke work.

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Tell us about your Fabulous Flowers cards Those snowdrops were the genesis of the Fabulous Flowers collection.

The range eventually grew to nearly 100 cards. They feature beautiful photographic images of flowers.

“We know from customer feedback that many recipients of Dyson Design cards really treasure them, even sometimes framing them’’

How have the past 18 months been for you?

We have had some challenges on the supply side but overall, this has been quite a successful period for us.

Our bespoke clients have done well. We also saw a mini boom in sales to independents when they bounced back from the first lockdown, which was great.

Last year, we were surprised to be inundated with orders for our Mothering Sunday card until we realised that many customers preferred the traditional wording to ‘Mother’s Day’.

What about new ranges?

I’m excited to be working with Laura Andrew. We’ve launched a new collection featuring her artwork called Splash Birds. Each image features a familiar garden bird in a splash of watercolour.

Our second new collection is our latest birthday collection, Party Animals. For birthdays one to 12, there are creature caricatures from pandas to toucans, and six birthday cards with witty wishes for the young at heart.

How many ranges do you offer?

We have 21 ranges grouped into three collections that we call Floral, Vintage And Artisan.

What are your bestselling ranges?

Fabulous Flowers are popular, as are David Austin Roses.

What about your eco-friendly credentials?

We use biodegradable materials, and we produce our products locally in the UK. While most card must still be imported, we’re delighted that our new Splash Birds range is printed on art card made in the UK. Talking of the environment, our newest range is Nectar, featuring vibrant and colourful illustrations of flowers and pollinating insects.

Are you planning to exhibit at any shows this year?

So far, we’re booked in for Scotland’s Trade Fair in Glasgow in March and PG Live in London in June.

Anything else you’d like to add?

We know from customer feedback that many recipients of Dyson Design cards really treasure them, even sometimes framing them. That is a really nice feeling. I’d like to thank all our retailers and bespoke customers for their support, as well as our suppliers and partners.

And no, I’m not related to James Dyson!

Tel: 0116 285 5725 Email: helen@dysondesign.com Web: www.dysondesign

Best Selling Greeting Cards

e n Fo r e v e r qu e s Wood C a rd s / P l a

www.lovecountryuk.co.uk support@lovecountryuk.co.uk Tel: 01502 507352

PFreview eature Autumn Fair

Stationery & Journals

The write stuff We round up some of the journals and stationery that could find their way onto your shelves and into your customers’ bags in 2022

Love Country Tel: 01502 507352 Email: support@lovecountryuk.co.uk Web: www.lovecountryuk.co.uk Stationery should make you feel both organised and inspired. The range of Magnetic Shopping Pads, Desk Jotters and Weekly Planners have been illustrated with original artwork and lines of poetry by Sarah Reilly. They celebrate our love of the British countryside and all its inhabitants.

Sarah writes a story for each of her character creations, and lines of these stories and poems are thoughtfully intertwined with the artwork on the stationery items.

Designed to create an organisational space in the home, whether planning the family’s activities or organising a workspace in the office, these pads are designed to be both useful and also to brighten their owner’s day.

Perfect for an office desk, home side table, busy kitchen or students on the go, they make a useful and pretty gift. Each pad has 52 sheets and is printed in full colour on 100gsm white paper.

Proudly made in Britain.

Vent for Change Vent for Change, the sustainable stationery brand that aims to protect the planet and support children’s education worldwide, has been recognised for its new Sucseed range of reclaimed notebooks. The range has made it to the shortlist in the Stationery category of the Giftware Association’s Gift of the Year competition.

This collection of books is made using reclaimed coffee beans, lavender, cherry and kiwi husk, plus 100% recycled paper. Supplied as standard with a page marker made from reclaimed corn pulp, they are aimed at those who want to make their notes, lists and scribbles in one book. The Sucseed range comes with lined, plain and numbered notes pages throughout.

“Creating environmentally responsible and social stationery is at the heart of what we do; we never stop striving for beautiful design as well, though. To be recognised by the Gift of the Year judges for both is simply wonderful.’’ commented Evan Lewis, founder of Vent for Change.

Since its launch in October last year, the Sucseed range has proven hugely popular with retailers and consumers alike, the company says. The range will be on show at Spring Fair.

Email: retail@ventforchange.co.uk Web: www.VENTforChange.co.uk

38 20 www.greetingstoday.co.uk www.greetingstoday.co.uk

Stationery that never stands still

ExaClair is a stationery manufacturer and distributor that continues to evolve, even producing stationery that protects against the spread of viruses, as UK marketing manager Lawrence Savage explains Tell us a little about ExaClair’s background.

ExaClair Limited is a manufacturer and distributor of premium stationery products, including office, craft and gifting items.

As the UK subsidiary of the Exacompta Clairefontaine group, we offer well over 18,000 products across all of our 12 international brands, so it can be a bit of a job keeping track of them all at times!

Which shows might our readers see you at this year?

We primarily attend the London Stationery Show (LSS), although we’re involved in many others as either exhibitors or sponsors. At the LSS (17-18 May at the Business Design Centre) we will be profiling the latest additions to our Clairefontaine stationery, handicraft and Décopatch ranges. Visitors should also look out for our interactive workshops that run during the event.

How have the past couple of years been for you – and have you adapted any of your products?

Although there have been many challenges during the past couple of years, we’ve seen steady progress since the initial lockdown periods. Both the pandemic and Brexit have given us opportunities to review and enhance our operations as a whole. The business has become far more dynamic in relation to order processing, and we developed a greater flexibility in our distribution logistics, which has helped us to accommodate the increasingly varied customer delivery requirements.

At the outset of the pandemic we developed a new range of recycled filing and desktop accessories that feature an organic antimicrobial additive within the materials used, which protects against the spread of bacteria, viruses, mould and fungi, eliminating them by more than 99.9%.

There is also a massive focus on the environment, and recent advances within manufacturing processes have enabled us to create several new products that incorporate innovative recycled features.

This includes stationery that benefits

from a protective covering made with a combination of cellulose-free, FSC certified, sustainable wood fibres and recycled jean fibres or discarded cocoa shells from the confectionery industry.

You supply ranges in several areas that have seen a huge rise in popularity due to the pandemic. How have you kept that momentum going from the first lockdowns?

With recent consumer conditions promoting greater emphasis and reliance on selling and promoting products through digital channels, we’ve started to develop more interactive elements to our product packaging, such as links to online video guides via QR codes, which are now featured on a number of our newly-launched craft products. In addition, we’ve continued to analyse current consumer trends, which enable us to enhance our ranges by broadening the choice of product features and designs available within each brand.

Tell us about your new ranges.

We have recently launched a new ‘dried flowers’ collection, which will no doubt prove popular with fans of card making and Oshibana, the Japanese art of pressed flowers.

Those who are looking to get away in 2022 will love our Clairefontaine traveller’s notebooks, which are a natural extension of our creative journals, and feature the 90gsm Clairefontaine brushed vellum paper that’s loved by pen fans globally.

Other new products include a new selection of Pollen Botanical Garden envelope designs, as well as a range of sustainable, 100% recycled envelopes that feature hints of grass within the materials.

When looking for engaging indoor activities, Décopatch is an easy craft to learn and enjoy for children and adults alike!

Our range of Décopatch Mini Kits contain everything you need to unleash your creativity: a papier mâché shape to decorate, two colourful paper sheets, a pot of glue and a brush.

“We have created products that incorporate innovative recycled features, such as a protective covering made with cellulose-free, FSC certified, sustainable wood fibres and recycled jean fibres or discarded cocoa shells from the confectionery industry’’

How many ranges do you offer?

Our portfolio features a wide selection of premium office and contemporary stationery, photo albums, craft and fine art products across our Exacompta, Clairefontaine and Rhodia brands. Additionally, our Décopatch (decoupage), G. Lalo and Pollen (envelopes and paper crafts), Avenue Mandarine (educational crafts) and Herbin (traditional writing instruments and inks) are also very popular.

What are your bestselling ranges?

With an increasing number of people working and studying from home and spending more time participating in family activities, we’ve experienced a sizable uptake across our art and crafting products. This has driven sales for our Décopatch Mini Kits, Clairefontaine florist crepe paper and origami packs in particular. This trend has also influenced the impact on the demand for materials to make customisable greeting cards and envelopes, with people having an increased desire to communicate with friends and loved ones using a more personal touch. There’s also been a huge shift in journalling, with more people conscious of boosting personal mental health and well-being. This has inspired popularity in our premium Clairefontaine notebooks and Rhodia Goalbooks.

How do you work with retailers to help them drive sales?

As well as offering the advantage of low minimum orders, we have an extensive range of in-store POS and online marketing collateral available. We can also support retailers with special occasions, such as demonstration events. This enables us to provide our customers with a comprehensive support package.

Is there an unusual fact about Exaclair that our readers may not know?

We are the only manufacturer within Western Europe to produce and process paper, as we possess our own paper mills. This enables us to offer fast lead-times compared with many Far Eastern-based distributors, as well as ensuring a high quality of product.

ExaClair

Tel: 01553 696600 Email: sales@exaclair.co.uk Web: www.exaclairlimited.com www.greetingstoday.co.uk 39

Feature

Stationery & Journals

Dandelion Stationery Tel: 01332 504940 Email: info@dandelionstationery.co.uk Web: www.dandelionstationery.co.uk New designs have recently been added to Dandelion’s A6 notebook range. With almost 50 designs to choose from, they’re the perfect size for popping into bags or keeping notes safe on desks.

The laugh-out-loud and totally relatable designs make ideal gifts for friends, family or colleagues.

Proudly produced in the UK from FSC certified materials, each notebook contains 96 lined pages. Available to order in quantities as low as three per design (with no minimum order) or also available as part of a CDU bundle offer.

Dandelion Stationery will be exhibiting at Spring Fair and Top Drawer in February, PG Live in June and Harrogate Home & Gift in July.

40 www.greetingstoday.co.uk

ExaClair Tel: 01553 696600 Web: www.exaclairlimited.com The way in which people work has changed dramatically during the past couple of years with an increasing number of people taking up a more nomadic lifestyle. A recent Ipsos survey indicates that 23% of all employed adults now work from home more often than they did prior to the pandemic.

In addition, an ONS survey earlier this year shows that 85% of UK working individuals favour a hybrid approach, with a mix of home and office working.

A knock-on effect of this is that we now are experiencing a huge uptake in journalling, with more people conscious of boosting personal mental health and well-being as they seek to strike a better work-life balance. This is driving popularity in premium notebooks such as the Rhodia Goalbooks.

ExaClair, the UK supplier of Rhodia and Clairefontaine, has an extensive selection of popular notebooks, pencil cases and Goalbooks with a comprehensive range of colours to satisfy all note-taking, journalling and task-setting needs.

Colours range from deep reds to pastel pinks, and earthy greens to complex blues, and have been chosen to ensure the ranges are aligned to the latest colour trends. The Goalbooks are ideal for journaling and come with an orange elastic closure, expanding inner pocket, a pen loop and two ribbon bookmarks, and include 120 sheets of Clairefontaine’s signature premium-quality, PEFC Certified 90gsm brushed-vellum paper, which is available in a choice of ivory or white. Within each Goalbook there are 112 numbered sheets in either dot grid or squared format, along with a six-page index and two perpetual calendars.

With the success of Rhodia’s classic pencil cases, the range has been expanded with a selection of zippered pencil boxes. The new design features a premium Italian leatherette outer combined with an internal orange poplin lining, beautifully finished with an embossed Rhodia logo. The long zipper has been specially designed to double as a handle, and the case itself can be opened flat for easy access to writing equipment.

Lawrence Savage, marketing manager at ExaClair, comments: “Whether you’re organising your day, making notes or writing a novel, it’s well known that journalling possesses great therapeutic qualities - and the new Rhodia Goalbooks and pencil cases offer an ideal option for a personal gift.”

Sustainable style

D

espite the setbacks in retail over the past few years and the postponement of trade exhibitions at the start of the year, nothing seems to be getting in the way of progress at Vent for Change. The supplier dubs itself the sustainable stationery company with style, and if protecting the planet wasn’t enough, it also supports children’s education projects worldwide with every item sold.

Vent is quickly cementing its reputation as the poster child of all things sustainable and ethical when it comes to gift stationery. As it announces the launch of another range of unashamedly raw recycled notebooks, it is furthering its position as groundbreaking and right on trend.

“The public’s enthusiasm for all things sustainable has been a long time coming but we have been working towards this point for years,” says Evan Lewis (pictured above), founder of Vent for Change. “Our range is designed specifically with both people and the planet at the centre of everything we design and deliver.”

Since its launch into retail in 2019, the reception from retailers and consumers has been extraordinary, says Evan. It appears that once retailers and buyers understand that the range is not only sustainable but also contributes towards good causes, they consider it a must-have. Crossing over between a stationery and gift collection also helps; Vent is not positioned as a functional stationery supplier but as a conscientious and purposeful option to choose for discerning consumers.

Reclaimed and recycled

Its range includes notebooks made using reclaimed leather and recycled boards as well as coffee bean, kiwi, cherry and lavender waste. Pencils are produced in the Vent pencil factory in Worcestershire from recycled CD cases, and old plastic drink bottles are used to create refillable pens.

The latest launch, the Reclaim range, uses waste cotton and wool to create tactile covers for a range of stylish notebooks in four natural colourways. The use of recycled as well as sustainable papers enables Vent to design for a multitude of purposes.

“We don’t really have to sell the range to those we meet at the shows and exhibitions. It’s as if we’re pushing against open doors,” says Evan. “The demand for genuinely recycled, sustainable and ethically produced stationery is going to be a pillar of retail for years to come, and we’re delighted to be playing our part and leading from the front.”

To reduce carbon footprint and to ensure Vent knows exactly what’s going into every item, all products are produced in the UK or mainland Europe.

With a rapidly growing network of resellers throughout the UK giving feedback, Vent will be expanding its sustainable stationery range throughout 2022.

Vent is in huge demand, and is enjoying

Share a Pencil Day

As well as supporting education and school projects worldwide with every sale made, Vent for Change ºalso organises Share a Pencil Day each year, a Global Education Awareness Day teaching UK schoolchildren the importance of education and why millions of children are still missing out on the education they deserve.

Central to Vent’s social philosophy, its Ambassador for Change programme gifts recycled pencils to charities and volunteers working overseas. Since 2017 the company has given away tens of thousands of free recycled pencils

“Our range is designed specifically with both people and the planet at the centre of everything we deliver’’

enquiries from retailers large and small right across the country, says Lucy Heath, Vent’s retail sales director: “We can see clearly that there is a growing interest in sustainable and social products from retailers and consumers alike, and putting our resources into our retail proposition ahead of online is proving a fantastic strategy for growth.’’

Combining beautiful design with impeccable eco-credentials and its social philosophy is key to success. Vent has once again been shortlisted for a Gift of the Year Award and awaits the judges’ decisions at Spring Fair with nervous anticipation.

Putting great design at the heart of its process sets it apart from many purpose-led brands. “Beautiful design sells but adding a conscience to a brand as well only goes to show what can be done if you put your mind to something you truly care about” concludes Evan.

Email: retail@ventforchange.co.uk Web: www.VENTforChange.co.uk www.greetingstoday.co.uk 41

Focus On Chris Ceaser Photography

All about the image Photographer Chris Ceaser talks about his passion for landscape photography and how it became a business, selling greetings cards, prints, running workshops and more

Y

ork-based photographer Chris Ceasey (ARPS) produces greeting cards and limited and open edition archival photographic prints. He also runs workshops and courses, talks and seminars. So how did his career begin?

“My initial interest in photography was sparked at university. I would borrow equipment and film from the university’s lab and trained myself in simple darkroom techniques. My passion for landscape photography kicked in around 20 years ago. I would carry around a small compact camera and became captivated by the landscape in the north of England.

“A move to North Yorkshire in 2005 saw a change in career direction, and photographing the landscape became my ongoing project. I’ve been running photography workshops since 2007. One of my main pleasures is landscape photography as I love meeting people. I opened my York gallery in 2013, in a lovely old building with two display rooms, which dates back to 1400.

Wide open spaces

“I’ve always been drawn to wide open spaces and I was driven to try to recreate those scenes within the camera. In the beginning it was a case of walking about and looking at the landscape that surrounded me. In the early days, when I had to make sense of what was before me, having to arrange those things in a pleasing way in the viewfinder, it was quite difficult to find a good balance within the compositions that I was making.

“Time, and working with the landscape, has taught me what works best for me with regard to the way I compose images and with regard to terrain, the available light on the day and the time of day within different seasons.

“My aim is to capture the beauty within the scene before me and I’m particularly interested in the impact of light on the landscape, and how the light can affect the mood within any particular scene.

I enjoy the challenge of arranging the elements that make up a particular landscape into a coherent, balanced composition that will hopefully create a

42 www.greetingstoday.co.uk

connection with the viewer. I often find myself by water and find that this, together with powerful skies, forms the basis of a lot of my photography.

“As with all photographers, I feel as though I am still evolving as an artist and find that as time goes on there are subtle differences in the way I make my images.

“Though I may have ideas on a particular scene and how it might look at a certain time of day in different conditions, I often find it necessary to revisit locations many times before everything falls into place and I can finally make the photograph.’’

Creating the image

Many photographers digitally manipulate their images after they are taken, but this is not how Chris works.

“The techniques I learned in the dark room way back during those university years have served me well in this era of digital photography. Although it is now easier to process the captured images on computers, my main aim is to create the image ‘within camera’ as much as I can. My only aids are a set of Neutral Density Grad Filters to control the exposure. I aim to capture that which is in front of me, whether it is a soft, pastel-coloured seascape at dawn or a dramatic shot of a moorland scene on a stormy day. The image I see in the viewfinder is, in fact, the finished photograph. I don’t allow for cropping, changing skies or manipulating the captured image as such, and I try to keep image processing to a minimum.’’

Chris creates stunning images of the scenery around the north of England, but is there anywhere else he would really like to capture in his viewfinder?

“It would be wonderful to visit New England during the autumn when the landscape is full of warmth. Also New Zealand, with its array of dramatic landscapes, would be a pleasure to visit with the camera. On a personal note I would love to be able to run my Venice workshop again, perhaps this winter, Covid permitting! Thinking of closer to home, the south and south west coast lines are full of photographic opportunities, and I remember the rugged coastlines and sandy beaches from visits when I was younger.’’

So what’s next on the horizon for Chris Ceaser Photography?

“Hopefully, the situation regarding the pandemic will calm down and I will be able to welcome more clients back into my gallery for coffee and a chat about the work on show. It would be lovely to be able to run workshops as I did before the pandemic, meeting new people and listening to their stories about their own photographic journeys. I will continue to work within the landscape, making new compositions.

“In the short term, a change of warehouse location provides an opportunity to reduce the stock levels of my greetings cards prior to the move.’’

Limited offer on greeting cards due to warehouse relocation

Thanks to an imminent relocation to a new warehouse, Chris Ceaser is looking to reduce stock levels before the big move. Available at special offer trade rates, the 7x5 and 6x6 cards are litho printed on silk art board with 140gsm envelopes for a quality feel.

To see the cards, head to www.chrisceaser.co.uk and click on ‘cards’ in the menu.

To order call Chris on 07920 044094 or email info@chrisceaser.co.uk

*5((7,1*6 72'$< [ (19(/23' /($)/(7 LQGG

Pocus F review

Ahristmas C utumn Fair 2022

A festive feast

As last Christmas becomes a distant memory, it’s time to focus on this year. Find the cards, advent calendars and more that you’ll be stocking in the run-up to the 2022 festive season

Danilo

Having experienced a successful Christmas trading period for 2021, Danilo will be heading into Christmas this year with equal optimism. The company will be expanding its range of popular musical advent calendars and musical Christmas cards, which feature characters that glide around the magnetic base to music.

The 2022 range will build on sought-after brands such as Only Fools and Horses and Disney’s Frozen musical advent calendar, which both sold out in 2021.

Danilo will also be introducing more Christmas card multi packs for 2022, having received strong positive feedback from customers last year on brands such as The Snowman and The Snowdog, Harry Potter, The Elf on The Shelf, Animal Planet, Harry Potter and Elf the movie.

Tel: 01992 702900 Web: www.danilo.com

Jonny Javelin Jonny Javelin has five Christmas ranges for 2022: Velvet, Mistletoe, Signature Seasons, Fudge & Friends, and Twingles - 294 cards/titles in all.

Velvet is the bestselling collection, and there’s a total of 132 titles in this traditional range. However, the other four ranges complement Velvet perfectly. Mistletoe is another traditional range.

Signature Seasons is a younger, bolder range, which is gaining in popularity and growth. The company hopes that its new-style Code 75 relations will bring some excited feedback from buyers.

Fudge & Friends is the Cute at Christmas selection, and Twingles is a juvenile range, which is being reintroduced for the first time in four years, due to the success of the revamped everyday Twingles style.

Jonny at Jonny Javelin says: “Our Christmas package has become well-renowned in the traditional card shop marketplace. We’ve expanded and tweaked the same ranges for several years now because it seems to be a winning formula and we are always advised not to stray too far from this winning portfolio.’’

Tel: 01423 563740 Web: www.jonnyjavelin.co.uk 20 www.greetingstoday.co.uk 44 www.greetingstoday.co.uk

Love Country

A card and a gift in one! Don’t miss the best-selling Christmas Bauble Cards by Love Country. Vibrantly illustrated and packed with fun and charm, each Bauble card has a wooden bauble attached, which can be detached and hung on your Christmas tree.

Customers love the addition of a heartwarming festive story printed on the reverse of each card, also written by the artist.

Forever Cards are wooden cards to send to a special friend or loved one. They can be hung up and kept as a charming keepsake. These special cards feature a wildlife watercolour design on one side and they come to life with a charming story/poem on the reverse written by the artist. They are lightweight to post and come with string attached ready to hang up as a plaque. A gift and a card in one! They are available in everyday animal designs and a selection of Christmas designs with magical festive stories on the reverse.

Eco-friendly Plantable Seed Cards are embedded with a variety of flower seeds rich in nectar and pollen, specifically selected to support bumblebees, butterflies and other pollinating insects. By sending a plantable card, your customers can do their bit for the environment and make someone smile too! An exciting new concept for sending a card and a gift in one, and a lovely surprise for any wildlife and nature lover. Once they have finished enjoying the card, instead of throwing it away to landfill, they can plant it and grow their own mini flower meadow. It’s like sending a card and a bunch of flowers all in one!

Love Country is proud to be an official member of the Bumblebee Conservation Trust, which supports this product with its official logo. Love Country donates 10p from every card sold, to the charity. The collection features 20 countryside designs for both summer and winter seasons from bestselling original watercolour artwork by Sarah Reilly.

The plantable seed cards and Bauble Christmas cards have both been shortlisted in the Gift of the Year awards.

Tel: 01502 507352 ß Email: support@lovecountryuk.co.uk Web: www.lovecountryuk.co.uk

UK Greetings

UK Greetings has made its Christmas 2022 line the merriest it can be, with a variety of styles and price points to make sure no one is left out in the cold.

From stylishly lavish looks like this Mum & Dad card (right) to messages of love and support like the Wife Gibson design, UK Greetings is proud to be able to share them with its customers.

There are also 90 new Boofle designs, covering every caption you could need! From updated sentiment formats to fun new poses, everyone’s favourite pup brings all his adorable charm and playful antics to the 2022 line. Plus with tip-on captions, a variety of folds and copper foil detailing, UK Greetings is adding an extra sprinkle of magic so there’s something for every taste in Christmas 2022!

To complete the look, Boofle has a selection of festive gift bags and a roll wrap, featuring the snugglesome pup in various cute poses.

Tel: 01924 465200.

Web: www.ukgreetings.co.uk www.greetingstoday.co.uk 45

Abacus Cards

While Christmas is still fresh in your mind, there could be no better time to plan for the 2022 festive season.

Your customers can support and donate to some worthy charities while sending festive wishes, with a range of Christmas charity cello pack designs. Now available to preorder, the 2022 collection includes a choice of illustrative and photographic designs, all packed in biodegradable cello bags.

These designs are available in a 137mm square size; each pack contains eight cards of one design and is accompanied with either red or white envelopes. Abacus Cards is again proud to support two extremely commendable charities: Marie Curie and British Heart Foundation. For each pack purchased, a contribution from the retail price will be donated between the nominated charities.

Due to popular demand, the Christmas bumper box collection for 2022 has increased and the range now comprises 12 designs. Formatted to 160mm square, each box contains 27 cards of three designs. The range offers customers a great choice of photographic and illustrative designs. Printed on quality board, the cards are accompanied by white envelopes.

Look out for the luxury box designs. The range comprises six illustrative designs, all of which feature intricate hot foil and emboss details. Presented to a 137mm square, each pack contains 10 cards of one design and these are accompanied by quality white envelopes. Beautifully presented in a box with an attractive outer sleeve, each one is unique to the design inside.

The sleeve not only secures the opening box flaps, but it also showcases the finished cards within.

Abacus also offers an assortment of single captioned Christmas cards that can provide the perfect design - for male, female and general relation titles as well as occasion cards. Each design is beautifully presented and includes a variety of finishes, including hot foil, embossed details, die-cut and hand-applied gems. The collection offers a range of sizes and price points, including extra-large format hand finished cards as well as a selection of luxury hand-finished single boxed cards.

The cards can be ordered by design or via one of the many Christmas packages available. The entire 2022 collection is now available to view and preorder online or via your local sales representative. Abacus will also be at Spring Fair - Hall 3A, stand M10/N11.

Tel: 01638 569050 Web: www.abacuscards.co.uk

Focus

Christmas 2022

Amazing Grace The pretty Grace range is just one of the Cherry Orchard collections that has been taken into Christmas for 2022…

“We’ve taken our cute range into our Christmas range for 2022 which, coupled with snowy scenes, has truly captured the magic of Christmas’’

46 www.greetingstoday.co.uk

O

nly if you work in the greetings card industry will you fully understand how, as the rest of the world was celebrating this Christmas or putting the decorations away, the team at Cherry Orchard were putting the finishing touches to designs for next Christmas!

That’s what the Cherry Orchard team have been beavering away at as they get ready to launch a bumper new catalogue full of stunning Christmas designs for 2022.

Jackie Collins, Cherry Orchard MD, says that the company’s key success this year has been the launch of the Grace range: “Grace has pretty coloured artwork of ladies dressed in bright colours, or flowers, birds, gin and cake set against a grey background with gold foil lettering and finished with flitter. They are finished off with a beautiful pearlescent gold envelope too.

“On the back of such incredible sales in the everyday range this year, we decided to take Grace into the Christmas 2022 collection with what we believe has been the best Christmas portfolio ever. The bright colours are sparkling Christmas trees, baubles, beautifully wrapped gifts, wreaths and glasses of fizz. We’ve put together a collection of relations and open Grace Christmas designs. They are available in a range of price codes, from Code 60, 75 and 100. Grace now has something for everyone, with the seasonal designs, and in the everyday we have open, relations and ages too.

“We’ve also had huge success with our cute ranges this year, with Daisy and Clover and now an open range - Buttercup and Friends featuring some countryside creatures, with pastel colours and cute bunnies, and a fox and hedgehog. Again, we’ve taken our cute range into our Christmas range for 2022 which, coupled with snowy scenes, has truly captured the magic of Christmas. Each design tells a story of preparations and the enjoyment of what we all hold so dear with the Christmas spirit.

“Cherry Orchard has, historically, been known for our words and sentiment designs, so we’ve naturally included some of these designs that have captured the true spirit of loved ones exchanging heartfelt messages within a verse.

“We’re just buzzing with excitement with our latest Christmas Collection - so much love and attention has been put into developing our cards and ranges so our customers can keep their racks topped up and refreshed with new designs to excite and enchant. Customer Care is our main priority. We also produce everything in the UK as this is really important to us and of course our customers. We’ve been extremely grateful not to have suffered any supply interruption and additional costs from freight increases.’’

Jackie adds: “We’re so very proud to have numerous customers who have been with us for more than 20 years. It’s great to have built up partnerships with these customers where we can listen to and put their feedback into reality to make sure we get it right.

“But we also take on board the feedback from prospective customers too, sending samples and adjusting the style until the customer gives us the thumbs-up. We’re always happy to send samples out. It’s the best way to really appreciate the true quality of what we do.’’

As well as being busy with product launches, Cherry Orchard has also been giving its website an update and makeover, so it now looks fresh and easy to use.

Next on the list will be Spring Fair.

Jackie says: “We’re very excited to be once again exhibiting and partnering with the Cardgain’s crew, so do come along and see our latest ranges. We’ll have a prize draw with some enviable prizes up for grabs, too.

Tel: 01684 295500 Web: cherryorchardpublishing.co.uk

John Ryan

RETAIL COMMENT

A world turned upside down…or not?

We all want to ‘get back to ‘normal’ but ups and downs are a part of retail life - pandemic or no pandemic. And this year will be no different, says John Ryan One of the consequences of the emergence of Omicron just before Christmas was that nobody knew what the consequences would be and the actual consequence of that was that a lot of people ran scared.

This in turn meant that once again fear stalked the shopping streets and revenues took a hit, although amid all that has happened it is of course difficult to assess just how severe this has been. One thing is certain, online looked a bit more attractive once more, particularly as people were told to stay local and stay away from others.

Yet cast your minds back a few weeks and think about what might have cheered you up during what looking like a slew of bad news? The answer may well be a card from somebody that you’d not seen for a year or two (and thanks to Covid, there are a lot of these).

Providing it wasn’t the dreaded ‘round robin’ missive, there are few things more welcome than a note from a friend you’re not heard from in a while.

And here’s the thing. Standing on the concourse of London’s Paddington Station on the day that Boris’ instruction to WFH (work from home)

kicked into action, one of the busiest places amid the general gloom was a branch of Cards Galore.

The unit in Paddington couldn’t be described as over-large, but it does pack a punch in terms of the sheer depth of the offer - this is a space that is extremely densely merchandised.

As shoppers do, this one was being given the once-over by those who’d stopped to grab a bite before boarding the 10.35 to Exeter St David’s (it really is a service, by the way) and now they’d been drawn in by the impulse-purchase demon. On balance, it looked like a pretty good way of passing some time, rather than hanging around, and Cards Galore and its able-looking manager seemed more than up to the task.

Meanwhile, it should be noted, Paddington Station itself was far less busy than normal thanks to the WFH diktat. All of which perhaps goes to prove that while there are still occasions that need marking, there will still be physical shoppers. This may sound like putting a highly positive spin on what could be seen as a remarkably unfortunate set of

John Ryan is Stores Editor of Retail Week, a position he has held for more than two decades, and managing director of Newstores, a daily information service on what’s new in retail across the world. @newstores | www.newstores.co.uk | 07710 429926

circumstances, but as long as shops are open (and who knows what will happen in this respect) well-run card shops have the potential to do well.

Now think about the thankless task of buying cards online. There are plenty of outfits available to help shoppers in this respect, but it does mean wading through webpage after webpage until something suitable is found - and this may take considerably longer than crossing the threshold of a store in a mall or on a high street.

It is also considerably less enjoyable than browsing the shelves en masse, being able to compare and contrast and reaching a decision after a brief, but full sweep.

Which is another way of saying that as a new year begins, circumstances may still remain a little parlous, but that doesn’t mean giving up. 2022 is bound to have its fair share of surprises and we may well suffer a few disappointments, but what year doesn’t? The market for greeting cards remains intact, and while there is still pleasure to be had when you are the recipient of a small item that somebody has spent time choosing and then made personal to yourself, then being a physical retailer remains an interesting and possibly remunerative option.

Good luck with the year ahead.

“2022 is bound to have its fair share of surprises and we may well suffer a few disappointments, but what year doesn’t?’’

www.greetingstoday.media 47

Focus on

Cinnamon Aitch

Keeping it

co-ordinated

Among its new year launches, Cinnamon Aitch brings cards and gifts together in its co-ordinating ranges featuring soy wax candles, eco soaps and lip balms

C

ontemporary, award-winning greeting card company Cinnamon Aitch is launching a plethora of loveliness this January.

Directors Sara Burford and Sarah Fitzpatrick say they are excited to have two new card ranges, which both sit happily alongside coordinating eco soaps and lip balms, with one range now spilling into soy wax candles, a new addition to the company’s gift portfolio.

Floral range Bloom is a colourful, floral crop of 10 greeting card designs, focusing on female relations and bursting with colour and pattern. It may be a small range but it’s perfectly formed and packs a punch alongside its co-ordinating range of gifts, soaps, lip balms and now, lovely handmade soy wax candles. With 12 in the range, each candle contains 70g of fragranced, sustainably sourced soy wax, boxed in complementary packaging, tied with jute, and hand-finished with a recycled tag and bespoke wooden flower: all carefully made entirely in the UK, with love.

Strong imagery ‘She’ is another new range of 10 cards; graphic, bold and fun, celebrating strong, bespectacled

48 www.greetingstoday.media

“Two new card ranges both sit happily alongside co-ordinating eco soaps and lip balms, with one range now spilling into soy wax candles’’

women of varying ages and colour. Strong in imagery, colour and sentiment, the She range also translates into soaps and lip balms, extending the story.

Cinnamon Aitch strives to produce beautiful, contemporary gifts that resonate with today’s consumer. Always with the planet in mind, the company’s eco soaps have proved a success story in their own right. With no palm oil, plastics, or harsh chemicals, the handmade soap bars are carefully considered from ingredients to packaging with the environment in mind. Pretty paper wraps and eco finishing touches ensure the products are a gorgeous gift for the most planet-aware customer.

With men in mind The successful Cobalt range sees new additions this year. Designed with men in mind, this contemporary range, abundant with texture, takes a restrained colour palette combined with modern imagery to produce a showstopper of a collection. All printed on 350g heavyweight FSC board, and punctuated with flashes of copper foil, the range continues to grow in strength and numbers. New additions feature on-trend pursuits including wild swimming and skateboarding.

The Margo range sees 37 new designs with

more mischievous cats and dogs, now escaped from the confines of their living rooms and running riot on balloon-adorned scooters! This popular, fun-loving range now extends into ages.

Vibrant colour Building on the strength of additions last September, the popular Gypsy range continues to enjoy its splashes of vibrant colour with more collaged imagery. Each card is carefully die cut, foiled and embossed in the UK. There are 33 new designs to bring a burst of spring onto your shelves!

All the cards and gifts are made entirely in the UK. Cards are all printed on FSC board and supplied with a recycled envelope. Due to the handmade nature of some of the ranges, cards are still supplied in a recyclable cello, but if requested, can be supplied naked or with a clasp.

Now in its 27th year, Cinnamon Aitch, run by a small, friendly and efficient team in a Birmingham studio, continues to extend its contemporary, design-led story through gorgeous card and gift products, carefully made in the UK to the quality that the company has acquired an enviable reputation for.

Cinnamon Aitch Tel: 0121 773 6833.

Web: www.cinnamonaitch.co.uk

Shop Talk Name: Heidi Early, co-founder Shop: Earlybird Designs Address: Stoke Newington Church Street, London Tell us a little about your shop.

It’s a small greeting cards shop, specialising in its own designs and other carefully curated ranges. We’re in Stoke Newington, which despite being in North London has always had a ‘village vibe’. There’s a strong local and vocal community. We have quite a young, creative demographic, lots of young families and then a more middle-aged, well educated, eco-savvy customer too.

How did you get into the greetings card industry or retail?

My husband (then boyfriend) Dominic started designing greetings cards and selling them on a stall at Old Spitalfields Market straight after his illustration degree at Central St Martins. I would help out at weekends, then he got busier and moved into a lock-up shop. I went freelance and then we got offered our first proper bricks-and-mortar shop in Stoke Newington. I stayed freelancing for years until we started taking enough money to support us both.

What are the best and worst things about working in retail?

I absolutely love the customer interaction and in particular the stories people tell you about the cards they’re buying and why; you get a glimpse into their world that you wouldn’t otherwise get.

It’s also brilliant to see which of our cards sell well before we take our designs to the trade shows.

The worst thing is probably the shoplifters and scammers. It’s never a nice feeling when you have to deal with an incident.

“We’re firm believers in the high street being the heart of the community so that means you have to invest your heart and energy into it’’

What cards are selling well in your store at the moment?

Well Earlybird Designs of course! (We have just launched our biggest range yet and they are flying out.) We’ve just got new stock in from Stripey Cats, which is proving popular, and our customers are loving the updated funny designs in the Jeffrey and Janice range from Bold & Bright.

What card range or category do you always ensure you keep in stock because of its popularity?

All of the Earlybird ranges. The Ruby Taylor range from Lagom Design is immense, as are the Shine and Piñata ranges from Redback Cards. And I mustn’t forget Dean Morris - we have been selling his designs for years!

What’s in your window at the moment?

It’s sale time so the window is full of our £5 bargain bags. We sell five cards and five sheets of giftwrap for £5. It’s a great way of selling through our discontinued lines. And we’ve made our RETAS awards permanent fixtures in the window too!

20 36 www.greetingstoday.co.uk

What’s by your till at the moment?

Super tiny finger hands from Incognito. Customers pick them up, look quizzically and ask ‘why’? And then you get to show them all the fun you can have with them - very silly but a great conversation starter. Plus we have other small pick-up lines such as erasable pens from Legami, and Moomin and Snoopy badges from Hype. And (lethally for anyone working) we always have ethicallyproduced chocolate bars from Coco Chocolatier (they taste and smell amazing!) .

Congratulations on winning the RETAS award. What do you think makes your shop stand out?

Thank you. I think it’s our involvement with our community. Since we first began we have always supported local schools and local charities and that has grown into working with other local businesses to come up with event ideas and initiatives - and most recently setting up the local business association. We’re firm believers in the high street being the heart of the community so that means you have to invest your heart and energy into it. Our customers see that, which in turn creates loyalty.

What’s the most surprising thing a customer has said or done or asked for?

One guy asked me to write a ‘sorry’ card to his girlfriend. He didn’t like his handwriting so he dictated while I wrote - a little bit awkward and I always wondered if his girlfriend would speculate who wrote the card and then would realise the subject of their argument had been dictated in the card shop!

If you could send anyone a card from the past or present, who would it be and why?

Are there any cards that say congratulations on your resignation? I want to send one to Boris Johnson!

How do trade magazines such as Greetings Today help you?

Trade magazines are excellent for showcasing all that is brilliant about our industry. I love reading about fellow retailers and publishers. It’s great to hear about what sells well for other retailers and to get inspired by display ideas. It’s also reassuring to hear what other retailers experience and know that we all go through much the same! And I love reading about trends and big-picture stuff.

What’s by your till at the moment?

New Year cards and diaries.

What’s the most surprising thing a customer has said or done?

When installing Christmas on a Sunday several years ago, even though the shop was closed, a customer who knew that we were working turned up with a home-baked cake for us all. Most welcome on a frantic installation day!

Name: Russell and Yvonne Payne, owners Shop: Best Wishes of Bishop’s Waltham Address: Brook Court, Brook Street, Bishop’s Waltham, Hampshire Tell us a little about your shop.

It’s a very traditional small shop situated in the thriving market town of Bishop’s Waltham approximately eight miles from Winchester, Hampshire. We are supported by three devoted members of staff. Sue takes responsibility for gift ordering and displays and has been with us steadfastly for the past eight years.

Marilyn joined us in April 2021, and Helen, our youngest member of the team, joined in August 2021. The area generally has an older population, although with all the new building happening this is gradually changing. We’ve always joked that we sell more 80-year-old balloons than 18s!

How did you get into the greeting card industry or retail? vonne worked part time as a merchandiser for card publisher UK Greetings (UKG), joining in 2004. Once her youngest child had gone to university she was looking to work more hours than UKG could offer. Rather than move to another career she decided to take a leap of faith and open her own shop in 2011 as she had developed a love for the card industry, and felt that she had sufficient knowledge and support to make it a success.

Russell had been working in marketing for 14 years before joining Yvonne as business partner in 2017. He was, however, already involved with the shop as he had worked Saturdays with Yvonne since it opened.

What are the best and worst things about working in retail?

The best thing about working in retail is having the most wonderful relationships with customers. The worst side of retail is social media, which makes it almost feel like 24/7 !

What cards are selling well in your store at the moment?

Humour is always very popular especially the UKG giggles range - it seems eternally popular.

Congratulations on your award! What do you think makes your shop stand out?

It has to be customer service; we will always go that extra mile. We are also conscious that for many of our customers we may be the only people that they see that day. We are always happy for customers just to come in for a chat and even a cup of tea. They know that they don’t have to buy something and are comfortable coming in just to say hello. This was highlighted when sadly a dear customer passed away and the family made a point of coming to tell us the sad news immediately and thanking us for the friendship we had offered their father.

“We are always happy for customers to come in for a chat and a cup of tea.

They know they don’t have to buy something and are comfortable coming in to just say hello’’

If you could send anyone a card from the past or present, who would it be and why?

Yvonne’s Mum, who sadly passed away a year before the shop opened and would have been so proud to know about this successful chapter of our lives.

How do trade magazines such as Greetings Today help you?

It’s great to see all the latest information and new products from suppliers and to read the retailers’ stories. It’s also a great pointer in accessing new ranges.

What card range or category do you always ensure you keep in stock because of its popularity?

Down Memory Lane cards by Cherry Orchard and Year You Were Born cards

by ICG. What’s in your window at the moment?

Otter House Puzzles, Carte Blanche Tatty Teddy Bears and All Creature gifts, Xpressions Pots of Dreams, and Joe Davies Animal Mugs & Tins.

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Focus On

Natural Partners art

Perfect partners Managing director Joe Cole introduces us to Natural Partners Art, and explains how the publisher works with artists to produce greeting cards

W

hen in 2010, after more than 25 years working in UK wildlife conservation, I found myself wanting to try something new, my wife Karen and I hit on the idea of publishing art greeting cards.

I’d grown up in a family full of artists, so we had easy access to a pool of images and lots of contacts to get more.

It seemed like a good idea and it certainly pleased my mum to see the rebel who’d gone off to do scientific stuff being sucked back into the art world!

From the start, we were determined to produce highquality cards that were true reproductions of original artworks and we have stuck to that principle throughout.

With just one or two exceptions, we do not ask our artists to design cards for us, rather we take their original work and reproduce it in card format, stressing that we do not go ahead unless they are completely happy with the finished results.

With my backgound, I’m well aware of just how difficult it can be for artists to get their work seen and to make a living. We pay our artists fair royalties for every card that we sell (although we make it clear that paying for the yacht in the Bahamas may be some way off!), but just as importantly, every sale is bringing more exposure for their work. The cards all have information about the artist on the back and quite a lot of them have sold original works, or been asked to exhibit in galleries or undertake commissions as a direct result of someone seeing their cards.

We work with around 50 talented artists and photographers.

We started with a few family members and former students of my late father (an artist and respected art college lecturer) who had gone on to have careers as artists and then, as our profile grew, we expanded our portfolio through word of mouth, approaches to artists whose work we admired, and artists who submitted work for consideration.

Space won’t allow us to talk about all our wonderful artists, but a few examples are: Lesley Anne Ivory: Lesley’s wonderfully observed and detailed paintings of cats have, over the years, graced an amazing array of stationery and giftware, and her originals are regularly sold through galleries in London and New York.

We were honoured six years ago to be asked by her agent to take on the licence to publish greeting cards and prints of her work.

Peter M Hicks: Based in his studio in the heart of his beloved North York Moors, Peter produces fabulous, atmospheric and much sought-after landscape paintings that have a huge following throughout the UK and abroad.

We are delighted to have been reproducing his work as cards for more than 10 years now.

52 www.greetingstoday.co.uk

“We do not ask our artists to design cards for us, rather we take their original work and reproduce it in card format’’ Kate Green: We began publishing a range of greeting cards featuring Kate’s beautiful paintings, largely inspired by the wildlife around her Norfolk home, just as the pandemic was starting to take hold. Despite the challenging times, the cards became an instant hit with retailers and we have already expanded the range twice, so that it now runs to more than 60 designs.

Nikki Monaghan: Nikki has worked with us for more than six years and has consistently been one of our bestsellers.

Her range of colourful and vibrant cards inspired by the UK landscape now extends to more than 80 designs.

There were times during the pandemic when sales to the trade were, understandably, thin on the ground. Thankfully though, virtually all our trade customers seem to have pulled through and, thanks to the difficult times seeming to help the public rediscover the value of sending hand-written greeting cards, sales are now well up on 2019 levels.

A lot of the retailers that we supply tell us how much they value being able to select a wide variety of subjects and styles of art cards from one source. We understand the need to maintain customer interest by interspersing old favourites with new lines, so we are constantly looking to add new ranges to our portfolio, as well as expanding existing ranges with new designs.

All being well, we’ll be exhibiting at Home & Gift in Harrogate (Stand DP4-3) in July and Autumn Fair at the NEC (Stand 6A24) in September. We’ll be offering our usual show discount. Please email for a a copy of our new catalogue.

Natural Partners Art Tel: 07714 768956 Email: joe@naturalpartnersart.co.uk Web: www.naturalpartnersart.co.uk

Retail Interview John Lewis

‘More diverse than ever before’ Sarah Moughtin, stationery collections, gift collections & greetings cards buyer for the John Lewis Partnership, talks to Greetings Today about buying for the department store group and its sister supermarket chain, Waitrose Tell us about you I have been at John Lewis for 11 years and worked across a number of categories, but for the past eight years I have been focused on stationery and greetings. Prior to the Partnership I worked in fashion buying and fashion wholesale.

How is trading at the moment?

Trading is currently very good; the magic of a greeting card has not been lost! I buy for John Lewis and Waitrose and our branches come in a variety of shapes and sizes, which is perhaps the biggest challenge of all.

What criteria do you use when choosing cards for your stores?

For greeting cards we work with category planning partner Woodmansterne, which allows me to work with a greater number of publishers. There is no shortage of beautiful greeting cards publishers, and we work hard to try to get a variety of categories and handwriting within the total mix.

All the publishers we work with submit their designs for our ranging dates. We are then able to use Woodmansterne’s planning rooms to rack up our displays as you would see in branch. We have a set critical path, which we have to stick to in order for everything to run smoothly, and this is where Woodmasterne’s expertise in planning and logistics comes into play.

I always attend PG Live to seek out new designs from existing and new publishers. We will go with a focus but it’s always nice to be surprised with something unexpected.

Have you introduced anything new to your offering recently?

Yes, we have three new publishers joining our assortment in SS22, so watch this space!

What about eco-friendly considerations?

All of our single greeting cards are ‘naked’ so free of cellophane and saving tonnes of plastic. We are also glitter-free, meaning all cards can be widely recycled.

What about diversity within your card ranges?

We try every season to be as inclusive as possible. We have expanded our multifaith offering and have a more diverse offer than ever before.

There is still more work to be done but everyone from publishers to retailers are working hard on this.

Finally, if you could choose the cards people sent you - which would you prefer to receive for Christmas or a birthday or other special occasion?

“Trading is currently very good; the magic of a greeting card has not been lost!’’

I couldn’t possibly say as we work with so many lovely publishers, and it’s always nice to get a variety!

www.greetingstoday.co.uk 53

Retail Interview Medici Gallery

Charlie Wheatley (left) and Tim Reynolds

‘The oldest card

shop in town’

The Medici Gallery shop has been in the same spot in London’s Kensington for more than 90 years. Famed for its fabulous window displays, the store recently won a 10-year battle against demolition and lives to fight another day, as Naomi MacKay finds out…

F

or many years, the Medici Gallery shop in South Kensington was under threat.

Developers wanted to develop the nearby station, to build flats and shops. Their plan had been to demolish the building, home to the Medici Gallery since the 1930s, while keeping the facade.

But just before Christmas last year, manager/curator Tim Reynolds and assistant manager Charlie Wheatley got the news they had been hoping for. The local council had turned down and dismissed the planning application. The shop, which sits in a Conservation Area, was saved. “It was mostly thanks to the residents around us and all of our loyal customers,’’ says Charlie. “The council received around 3,000 objections; it was the wrong building for the area.’’

“So we live to fight another day,’’ adds Tim. The shop - dubbed as ‘possibly the oldest

54 www.greetingstoday.co.uk

card shop in London’ was built in 1930, and the Medici Gallery is only its second occupant. Positioned just 50 yards from South Kensington Tube station, visitors have to go past the shop to get to nearby museums. Charlie says: “It’s become a place to meet, to socialise and eat out - especially in the summer. Exhibition Road is now pedestrianised and all the tables are outside.

Since this was done about 11 years ago the area has really improved. It’s very vibrant and has become more of a destination.’’

Customers come from all walks of life there are tourists, lots of families - and local residents who tend to be a mix of Europeans and Americans. “We regularly see elderly customers who’ve known the shop since their childhood. Many others remember it from days at school or college,’’ Charlie points out.

“We regularly see elderly customers who’ve known the shop since their childhood’’

The Medici Gallery company was founded in 1908 as a publisher of art prints and books.

“We did have a fine art gallery in Mayfair, which we don’t have any longer. The company is still owned by the same family - the Gurneys from Norfolk. [The family founded Gurney’s Bank in 1770, which merged into Barclays Bank in 1896.] Their aim at the time was promoting fine art for the masses,’’ explains Tim. “They were one of the first - a pioneering printing company,’’ adds Charlie. “ If you wanted fine art you would have to buy a painting, so this was the company that made fine art affordable.’’

“In fact we still get people calling up asking if their Medici print is worth anything, but I’m afraid they’re not. They were all mass produced,’’ Tim explains.

“People find prints in garages and houses and because they are so old, they are normally

put in nice frames and they look the part. So I guess their immediate reaction is: how much is that worth? It was one of the first few companies doing it - it looks like the real deal.

I quite often see a Medici print if I stay in a B&B!’’ adds Charlie.

So, Tim says: “We had a foot in the retail side and the fine art side and publishing. Now it’s just us and two people at the head office.

They still own the building that we’re in.’’

Before he joined the Medici Gallery shop, Tim, who has a degree in graphic design, worked in a gallery in Muswell Hill, selling paintings of local artists. It sold cards supplied

by Medici too. The gallery also ran workshops and Tim taught calligraphy.

Charlie gained a fine art painting degree and had several jobs in the creative industry; graphic and product design and web design.

“My last job was making music awards for the music industry - we made gold discs. There was a machine that coated the record in gold, and then I’d do all sorts of designs, as well as cover sleeve design. I left that job to do my own work - representing young artists. I would go to degree shows around the country and take artists who I thought had potential and represent them. I did that for three years, but I had a really young family and needed to earn regular money. One of the extra jobs I took was in Medici, and now it’s a full-time job.’’

Being close to museums such as the V&A, Tim and Charlie try to make the most of the location. “We get lots of people who work at the museums and at Imperial College coming in, because the museums don’t stock occasion cards,’’ says Tim. And when there is a special exhibition at the V&A, this can work to their advantage, as

Charlie explains: “The V&A recently held an Alice in Wonderland exhibition - and we tend to have a better range than they can stock.

So customers go to the exhibition and shop with us.’’

Generally they will find out about a big exhibition a few months before, says Tim. This year, for instance, there’s a Beatrix Potter exhibition. So it’s too late to order items such as calendars, but they do their best to find related cards where possible.

Their creative skills come to the fore when they decorate their shop window: “We’ve done Wimbledon, and butterflies because of the butterflies at the Natural History Museum,’’ recalls Tim. “We take great pride in our window displays and we want to make an impact - to make us stand out. There’s a lot of effort that goes into our window.’’

The Victorian shop [it dates from the 1870s] has high ceilings and large windows, which lend themselves to the pair’s creative designs. And it pays off - go on social media and you’ll see pictures taken by fans of subjects such as Alice in Wonderland by the shop window. Talking of social media even the shop’s toilet has its own Instagram account!

So how has trading been recently? Tim says things are pretty much back to normal: “We are missing some tourists - there’s not nearly as many as we usually see. We’re probably at about 80%. We’ve got the workers back - we’re lucky we’re not in the City. All the families are back and all our loyal customers are back. It can only get better.’’

“When we were closed down we still had a lot of stock,’’ Charlie recalls. “Over Easter we still had a full complement. We couldn’t

“We take great pride in our window displays and we want to make an impact - to make us stand out’’

sell anything from the shop. So we put everything online for the first time - and did click and collect. We still put on a big display - and it made our shop stand out. We would see families out with children and prams looking at the window. We had a notice that told them to order via our website. We had to turn the shop into a little Amazon.’’

So what is their online presence like now?

“We’re quite an old-fashioned shop. We’re lucky to have running water!’’ jokes Tim. “So when it comes to computers and social media, Charlie thought it was very important to get us onto Facebook. I’m not a tech whizz by any means. I do the basics. We’ve got a Facebook page, and our Google account, and people write reviews - so I handle all that. I reply to every good review - we’ve only got good reviews.’’

When it comes to pleasing customers, the aim is to give plenty of choice. Charlie says: “We stock traditional cards, fine art, traditional greeting cards - those you might not find in a chain on the high street. People tend to come to us for that kind of card.’’ He mentions The Great British Card Company, which publishes Medici Cards, Robertson Cards, and Artists Cards, which does a range of fine art. Other favourites include Dry Red Press, Museums & Galleries, and National Gallery Cards from Carte Blanche. Other ranges that sell well include Quentin Blake from Woodmansterne and Ink Press from The Art File.

Because it’s an independent shop and Tim has complete freedom; he can go for a huge variety of cards from lots of different companies. “I see around 30-40 agents and representatives, each representing five companies. I order a small amount from a lot of companies. I like to see the quality of the cards and buy face-to-face.’’

They tend to buy gifts rather than cards at trade shows. Product such as Mclaggan mugs, and Art House cards, which also offer soaps and candles and tea towels. Tim prefers to buy his cards in situ - “the thing about ordering at the shows is you need to know a breakdown. When you’re in the shop you can stand in front of the wall and easily see what you need.’’

That said, they do go to some shows - PG Live, Top Drawer and Spring Fair. And what do they look for? “It’s all about variety,’’ says Tim. “We don’t do anything rude - we used to be closed on a Sunday!’’

Two Bad Mice sell well. And for witty cards they look to Cath Tate, Peartree Heybridge, and Dean Morris.

Tim adds: “We do well with Halloween, because there are a lot of Americans around here. We always do a Halloween window, too.

It’s a good season for us.’’

Finally, if they could choose cards to receive for a special occasion, what would they be? Tim would choose “the Ashmolean and Fitzwilliam cards, or the V&A from Museums & Galleries’’. Charlie loves imagery, rather than occasional cards. He’d look for an arty or humour card - “perhaps something from Madame Treacle.’’

www.greetingstoday.co.uk 55

Retail Interview Henry & Co

Henry & Co MD Mark Rees, with his son Henry, daughters Lucy and Alice, wife Katy and mum Ann

It’s a family affair Mark Rees, owner of award-winning retailer Henry & Co, talks to Naomi MacKay about how the new-look retailer was borne out of a desire to look to the future Mark Rees has greeting cards in his blood. His parents owned Penmark Cards (“the Mark bit is me!’’), and as they left the business, which coincided with lockdown, he decided to take a new look at the retail offering.

“I suppose in many ways I was trying to figure out what the relevance for our business was in the future, ‘’ he explains.

Penmark cards (which was founded in 1991) is a chain of shops based around the Midlands and the North West.

Henry & Co is named after Mark’s nineyear-old son Henry. “The ‘& Co’ is his sisters Lucy and Alice. That might come back to bite me in the future,’’ laughs Mark. “I can see the girls asking why aren’t we in there?!

“I decided it was time for me to emulate what my parents had done. I thought if I am going to develop the business, it has to have relevance to me.

“It has been a family business for years but we’ve never made anything of that because we had such a big association with Thorntons and Hallmark. I realised we needed to make our customers aware of the independent nature of the business - and to give us a tone of voice, so we could engage with our customers. One of the problems we’ve had is that we haven’t really had a voice, so marketing to our customers has been very

56 www.greetingstoday.co.uk

“On Henry’s birthday, every hour we give a free brownie away to people in store.

Everybody needs a bit of fun!’’

difficult. Since we’ve rebranded it has opened up a whole new world of possibilities for us.’’

There are 11 Penmark shops in all; including two shops called We Are Cards, which is an outlet business. All of the stores were aligned to Hallmark or Thorntons for a long time.

“It’s very difficult for the retailer to find your own voice when you are intrinsically linked to those big brands.’’ says Mark. “There’s been quite a few businesses that have done the same - Covid has kickstarted some of these businesses and given us the push to do it.’’

A little more unique So what is the premise behind the new Henry & Co name? “Our vision is creating special moments for our customers, who are at the heart of our stores. We’ve tried to completely modernise our store and feel, but at the same time, change the profile of gifting and the card offer that we’ve got in there.

“It’s a big shift in terms of product - still commercial, a little more unique, not easily accessible online. We’re trying to create more separation between us and places like Card Factory, and hopefully create a lovely shopping environment at the same time.’’

The first store to get the Henry & Co treatment was in Nottingham, followed by Ormskirk and Bridgnorth. Mark says it has been

“hugely well embraced. We’re really starting to understand what we are from a brand point of view.’’ And they’re having some fun too: “The brand really seems to resonate - and with that family connection, it always has fun. For example, on Henry’s birthday, every hour we give a free brownie away to people in store.

Everybody needs a bit of fun!’’

When it comes to the card selection, Mark says: “We’ve done a brokerage deal with UK Greetings so the model is very much about complementary brands with UK Greetings so they sit beside us - names such as Paper Salad, Second Nature and Wendy Jones Blackett.’’

As far as gifts are concerned, they are trying to move away from the usual card shop product, such as age pint glasses and wholesale gifts. Instead, they are looking at gifts from companies such as Wrendale Designs, Amelia Art Glass hand-blown reed diffusers and Popcorn Kitchen.

Another focus is fragrance: “We’ve got a bit of background in fragrance [the company has four Love Aroma home fragrance stores].

Customers don’t want mass-produced product - if they want that they can go to Amazon. We are introducing our own brand of candles, which we will sell wholesale, online and in our stores.’’

Mark and his team must be on the right

track, as at the end of last year Henry & Co won the RETA award for Best Greeting Card Retailer Newcomer or New Branch – North.

Strong branding What does he think helped them to stand out from the competition?

“I think that the branding is particularly strong. The shopfit is particularly relevant and modern, and I think if you couple that with the change of product offering and the way that the store is performing, we seem to have hit on a really good combination. When you combine all those elements, create an interesting environment, and wrap around some great service - you’ve got a winner.’’

The pandemic hit retailers hard, but for Mark there was a silver lining: “I think that the time we’ve had to reflect on our business through not running our business day to day, allowed us to reevaluate, reposition, reinvest. I think that it allowed us to reevaluate our lives too - I now take Fridays off work.

“It really gave us the ability to give time business people don’t always spend enough time actually thinking about the business.

Also in September I had a new retail director start - Sharon Green is ex-Thorntons - she’s really hit the ground running and is going to make a real difference going forward.’’

Fragrance lines So what is the plan going forward?

“We are going to attempt to rebrand all or part of our business in the next two years. We are expanding our range of Henry & Co fragrance lines - we’re going to be developing that. I’m going to spend more time on that with Sharon running the retail business. Basically, getting our house in order and then looking at what growth opportunities there might be in the next one to two years.’’

Another change during lockdown was the

recruitment of a buyer, Michael Leybourn.

Mark says: “I knew that rebranding the business wasn’t enough to change the proposition for the customer. I always feel that we need to kick on our product offering. Michael’s been in the trade for years. With Covid hitting and no trade shows, it was hugely beneficial to have someone like him.’’

“The shopfit is particularly relevant and modern, and I think if you couple that with the change of product offering and the way that the store is performing, we seem to have hit on a really good combination’’

The buyer’s perspective Henry & Co’s retail buyer Michael Leybourn talks about how he chooses product.

How do you source cards and what’s selling well?

The majority of our cards are sourced through UK Greetings brokerage planning, but brands from within that brokerage performing well are Second Nature, Ling Designs, Paperlink, and Nigel Quiney, along with Carlton from UK Greetings.

A high proportion of sales have come through relation captioned cards, and while there is a need for an element of open Christmas cards, most customers head to buy boxed cards .

Both boxed and single relation cards from Wrendale Designs have performed well across our store , with reorders being placed for boxes in the larger shops.

Boxed cards from Museums & Galleries have proved popular; good quality with good designs at reasonable prices.

Charity cello packs have generally been slower, perhaps due to the fact that where we have shops, there’s a number of local charities selling cards from their own premises, which are well supported by the local population.

What do you look for in greeting cards and wrap?

Immediately I would look at the design, size of card and price… does it stand out? Is it appealing/appropriate to the customer looking for that type or title of card? I also look at it from an eco/sustainability perspective. Does it have any glitter or cellophane covers? And finally, which retailers have already taken the range?

With gift wrap it’s definitely about price and design, as well as ease of merchandising and the impact we could achieve from having the product on the shelves.

I think, more so now, I would be investigating where it’s sourced and its replenishment availability, because anything being shipped into the UK may be problematic going forward .

What about shows?

Spring Fair gives buyers the greatest opportunity to look at trends, fashions and themes for the year ahead.

Seeing what is key in greeting card design can often follow through into gifts, so it’s a very important venue to attend.

www.greetingstoday.co.uk 57

Henri Davis

RETAIL ADVICE

Looking back

Sarah Laker

at 2021

How would you describe 2021? Henri Davis asks players in the industry how they fared, and how that might affect their plans for 2022 Railex Modena

“It has been challenging but it has inspired us to progress our digital journey and set goals to future-proof the business’’ Paul Shawcross, international sales director, Railex

58 www.greetingstoday.media

When I wrote messages in my Christmas cards I realised just how much we had all been through last year, both good and bad. It was difficult to put a brief comment in any of the cards, and if I had to sum it up it would be ‘rollercoaster’. I was interested to find out what others in the industry thought.

James Ellis, founder of James Ellis cards, said: “Let’s not talk about the first half of the year but since the summer, sales have been gradually improving and they continue to head in the right direction. The challenge has been supply chain issues and importing materials from and exporting to the EU. “Looking ahead, our aim for 2022 is to continue to improve the recyclability and sustainability of everything we produce, to continue to give back to environmental causes via our 1% for the Planet commitment, and hopefully design some great cards along the way!’

Ged Mace, managing director of The Art File, noted that it had been a challenging year for everyone and yet despite all the trials and tribulations for our industry, The Art

File had its best year ever.

“I’ve really admired how independent retailers across the land have worked so hard to adapt to such different trading conditions,’’ Ged told me. “Their inventiveness and drive to attract customers to their businesses has been inspirational.

For me, a special moment was the opening of Home & Gift in Harrogate in July. Surrounded with uncertainty as to whether the exhibition would even go ahead. It did - thanks to the brilliant management by Clarion.

Retailers and exhibitors were so appreciative to return to a real trade exhibition and The Art File had a record show!’’

These are both well-established businesses in the card sector, but what has it been like for someone wanting to break into a new area?

Paul Shawcross, international sales director of Railex, launched the Modena range.

He said: “As a business, bringing a new brand of high-quality notebooks to market in 2021 was an extraordinary experience with no shows in the first part of the year and buyers not in offices and so on.

It has been challenging but it has

inspired us to progress our digital journey and set goals to futureproof the business.’’

Sarah Laker of Stationery Supplies in Marple and Wilmslow gave us her retailer perspective: “After the rollercoaster ride of 2020 I was hoping that 2021 would be a better year. In a lot of ways it was; trade has slowly picked up, especially in our new Wilmslow shop.

“Stationery Supplies won two awards and I managed to gain a lot of media attention to highlight the struggles of independent shops, but the issues arising from Brexit, the lack of HGV drivers, and container prices causing horrendous stock shortages, alongside ever-changing government guidelines, continue to make life very difficult.

“We are offering private appointments in Wilmslow and on Saturday a lady came in who hadn’t been in a shop since March 2020 as she’s been undergoing chemo. This makes you think, doesn’t it?’’

These perspectives tell us everything. Let us hope this year is better for everyone. Take care and stay safe in 2022.

Henri Davis is an independent retail advisor to businesses in the cards, gifts, stationery and heritage industries with more than 35 years of retail experience. She worked for Habitat, Next, WHSmith and the National Trust and now advises retailers, visitor attractions, manufacturers and suppliers. A past chairman of the Giftware Association, during lockdown she has taken over a village stores and moved to Cornwall. For more information visit www.henridavis.co.uk

Friday 1st July 2022

2004 - 2022

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Simply Beautiful Cards

www.naturalpartnersart.co.uk

Home & Gift, Harrogate (17-20 July) Stand DP4-3

Autumn Fair, NEC Birmingham (4-7 September) Stand 6A24

See our full range of more than 1,500 greeting card and print designs by 56 talented artists and photographers at

www.naturalpartnersart.co.uk