Leader

This is my first issue of Greetings Today as editor and in just a few short weeks I have spoken to some wonderful, enthusiastic retailers; amazingly talented and creative designers; and a wealth of card publishers - all with new and exciting ideas to share.

The greeting card industry is certainly a warm, friendly and inspiring place to be, and I’m looking forward to connecting with more of you as the months go on.

I’ve joined at what can only be described as an interesting time in greeting card retail. I know that the past couple of years have been challenging to retailers, with lockdowns and last-minute closures, but from what I’ve learned so far, you are an incredibly resilient bunch.

Take Sarah Laker, the owner of two Cheshire stationery shops, and the subject of one of two retail interviews in this issue. Not only did she take advantage of lockdown to revamp and reorganise her newlyacquired second shop, but she also became something of an industry spokeswoman too, appearing in print, radio and TV.

And then there’s Hannah Rudd and Paul Mordecai at Dee’s Cards in Bedfordshire, who also took the time to rebrand their shop to ensure they appealed to the ‘shop local’ crowd. And their efforts have been rewarded - they and Sarah both made it to the finalists list in the RETA retail awards, and as we went to press, we learned that Sarah had won the Best Non-Specialist Independent Retailer North category. Turn to page 42 to discover why our retail expert Henri David believes there is a real value in entering industry awards.

I’m delighted that Greetings Today has become a member of the Greeting Cards Association (GCA). You’ll find a report of the recent conference held in Manchester in the news pages, and we look forward to working with CEO Amanda Fergusson and president Chris Bryan as time goes on.

As Chris told me, this is an exciting time for the industry. It appears that more people than ever are endeavouring to keep in touch by sending cards. And recent consumer market research from the GCA revealed that 80% of card buyers said they were now purchasing as many - or more - cards than they did before Covid, and the majority of them believe they will continue the same pattern going forward.

Events that encourage the public to send greeting cards are really important - and I’m looking forward to my first Festive Friday on 26 November. Do get in touch to let me know about your own events. And of course there’s a whole raft of trade shows to visit in the next couple of months - you’ll find previews for Scotland’s Trade Fair, Harrogate Christmas & Gift, Top Drawer, Paperworld and Spring Fair within the following pages. So you should find plenty of inspiration to fill your shelves going into 2022.

I hope to meet many of you at the shows, and of course you can connect with me on LinkedIn too. I look forward to meeting/emeeting you soon!

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leader Editor Naomi MacKay

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

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