Progressive Greetings February 2019

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On The Cards So Christmas did happen in the end… thank goodness. And for most, though not all, it was better than expected on the card front.

As ever it came late, with Christmas Eve proving a crucial trading day with the last minute shopping bonanza making it much more of a merry Christmas for retailers.

In fact, the cautious buying approach adopted by many retailers for 2018 bit them on the bottom, leaving card racks rather sparse in some quarters. As Mark Janson-Smith of Postmark admitted, while he was happy with the 2% increase in Christmas sales his group of shops achieved, despite two late top-up orders the ‘card cupboard’ was looking rather bare in some of his stores. Such is the tricky balancing act between being bullish and ordering too much stock (that means you are left with it or it pushes up credits with suppliers) or running out which lets customers down and less jingle in the tills.

Ho hum, it was ever thus.

Just as the new year was getting in its stride (not mentioning Brexit)… bang.

Hitting right in the heart was news that Paperchase had called in KPMG to advise on possible options, a CVA being cited as the most likely. There had been warblings, fuelled by a late submission of its accounts (which showed a £6.3m pre-tax loss), but this is our designer darling of greeting retailing (of 130 UK stores) who Above right: Cardzone’s md Paul Taylor with PG’s Jakki Brown with an out of date map! (See 50-51) Right: Cherry Orchard’s md Jackie Collins with PG’s Warren Lomax. (See pages 56-57) Below: As ever Emotional Rescue’s Christmas card was apposite!

www.max-publishing.co.uk THE HOME OF MARKET LEADING TRADE MAGAZINES

EXHIBITIONS

@Prog_Greetings

has given many a publisher their first break, its flagship stores (displaying up to 3,000 different card and postcard designs) being a ‘bricks and mortar’ ambassador to the creativity of our sector.

I spoke to Timothy Melgund, Paperchase’s deputy chairman, shortly after news had leaked of KPMG’s appointment. He was at pains to assure that suppliers would be paid to terms and that the financial predicament the chain found itself in was nothing to do with the public falling out of love with cards, in fact Paperchase’s sales had considerably outperformed footfall for the multiple.

He remains steadfast in his belief of the power and relevance of greeting cards. “Their sales are reliant on something that will never die - emotion. They are bought in happy times to celebrate as well as being there to share in the sad times by offering support”.

Let’s hope the outcome at Paperchase is more happy than sad for all concerned.

In the meantime, myself, Warren and the PG team will look forward to seeing lots of smiling faces at the Spring Fair. We will be on our stand at the end of the day pouring drinks for anyone who comes to say hello. You can’t miss our stand (Hall 3 Stand X61), not because of the size, but as we’re opposite ‘the gents’ on the side of Hall 3. They do say location is everything!

THE HOME OF MARKET LEADING TRADE AWARDS

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

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curious world a new range of greeting cards designed by

icon-art.com

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Contents

What’s Inside?

Within This Issue:

54

FOCUS ON CALENDARS

22

83 9-25

56-57

83-85

News

Cherry Orchard’s Foray Into Humour Cards

Think Of Me Designs’ New Californian Chapter

59

87-89

A Spotlight On Ladder Clubbies

Blue Eyed Sun’s Jeremy Corner’s Journal

Cardsharp

61-65

91-109

Spring Fair Innovations

37-41

The Creative Drivers Of Some Industry Head Artistic Minds

29-31

Over The Counter With Retailer David Robertson 33-35

Card Retailers’ Viewpoints On Christmas 2018

111-117

Art Library Experts’ 2019 Trend Forecasts

67-71 43-49

International Industry Focus

The Retail Barometer Findings

73-75

What’s Hot?

How The Greetings Industry Is Helping Mental Health Issues

122-134

77-81

135

Tracking The 2018 ‘Habitat’ of Card Agents

Appointments

119-121

50-51

Mapping Out The Future Of Cardzone 53-55

Following The Rainbow Trend On Cards

Classified

111 Progressive Greetings is a monthly business magazine.

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UK subscription: One year £50 Two year £85 Three year £110 Overseas subscription: One year £75 Jakki Brown

Warren Lomax

Gale Astley

Michelle Board

Tracey Arnaud

Editor

Advertisement Director

Deputy Editor

News Editor

Sales Manager

jw@max-publishing.co.uk

warren@max-publishing.co.uk

galea@max-publishing.co.uk

michelleb@max-publishing.co.uk

traceya@max-publishing.co.uk

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Copyright© 2019. While every effort has been made to ensure the information in this magazine was correct at the time of publication, the publishers cannot accept legal liability for any errors or omissions, nor can they accept responsibility for the standing of advertisers nor any organisation mentioned in the text. Views of contributors do not necessarily reflect those of the publishers.

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PG is the official magazine for the Greeting Card Association GCA: Amanda Fergusson 020 7619 9266 Email: gca@max-publishing.co.uk www.greetingcardassociation.org.uk PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE

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NEW RANGE for 2019 on show at

SPRING FAIR Hall 3 Stand S50

Piccadilly Greetings Group Ltd

4 Horizon Point, Swallowdale Lane, Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire, HP2 7FZ T: 01442 215500 E: sales @piccadillygreetings.co.uk

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Below: Paperchase’s Tottenham Court Road store.

Below left: Cards continue to sell “fantastically well.

Paperchase Considers A CVA Greeting cards still outperform footfall for the multiple As PG went to press (on January 17), the industry was reeling from the shock that Paperchase had called in KPMG to explore a potential CVA (Creditors Voluntary Arrangement) as one of the options for the business.

Timothy Melgund, deputy chairman of Paperchase told PG: “This is not an enjoyable time, but there is an inevitability given what is happening in the UK retail scene with the general drop in footfall.

Our ecommerce and internationally based businesses continue to perform strongly but, as many will know, UK retail is severely challenged at present for a whole host of reasons”.

He stressed that the retailer’s financial performance was not in any way a reflection of the nation falling out of love with greeting cards. “Far from it. Greeting cards are continuing to sell fantastically well with sales consistently outperforming footfall.”

Timothy gave assurances that Paperchase would “continue to pay suppliers to terms” and that they should continue to supply.

While the drop in footfall is being cited as the main reason for the retailer’s situation, Timothy said that “the death of the high street is greatly exaggerated, there are many markets where footfall is holding up well, most notably where we have shops in railway stations.”

It was The Telegraph who broke the news of KPMG’s appointment (in its January 16 edition and online platform) to come in and explore options for the retailer, claiming that the accountancy firm was to draw up a store closure plan.

Timothy told PG that at this stage he had “no idea if any or how many shops would be closed.”

Paperchase currently trades from 145 UK stores as well as 30 from overseas.

The Telegraph and other media picking up on the story highlighted how Paperchase’s latest accounts, that were filed at Companies House late last year, showed that the retailer had reported a pre-tax loss of £6.3 million for its year ending 3 February 2018.

Pens from plastic bottles Notebooks that used to be coffee cups, pens that used to be plastic bottles, erasers made from diverted landfill materials, storage items that are 3D printed sugar cane, recycled leather pencil cases and bamboo rulers all feature in Paperchase’s inaugural Conscious Living sustainable stationery and homeware collection.

‘The future is in our hands’ is the message on a green barreled pencil used to head up the marketing message to consumers about the part the consumer, retailers and stationery can play in safeguarding the planet by making more informed choices.

“We have been looking at all elements in our business to challenge ourselves and our suppliers on how we can further improve on the environmental front,” said Frances Burkle, product director of Paperchase. She said that the launch of the Conscious Living collection is just one in a whole suite of eco developments that Paperchase is looking to introduce over the coming months.

Above: Paperchase’s Conscious Living collection sees single-use plastic bottles being given a new lease of life as 85% of plastic in the set of five gel pens and 75% of the four highlighters comes from recycled water bottles.

Sarah ‘Boddy’s up’ with Peartree Heybridge Sarah Boddy has strengthened her relationship with Peartree Heybridge. Sarah, who is the creator of the Camilla and Rose range that is published by Peartree Heybridge also has her own business producing cards, wrap, gifts and homewares, that trades under her name.

From February, the Peartree Heybridge sales team will also represent Sarah Boddy’s art cards, including her pencil and watercolour drawings of bumble bees, garden birds and British country and coastal wildlife. Her Charcoal and Sparkle collection, finalist in The Henries 2018 Best Art Range category, will also be in the Peartree Heybridge portfolio, as will the new humorous Hare-ingtons range.

However, Sarah Boddy will also continue to promote the brand under her own steam.

Above: One of the Sarah Boddy Hare-ingtons designs.

Cardgains to present £20,000 to MND charity The Cardgains buying group is looking to celebrate its 30 years of trading with a whole roster of activities to mark the event, including monthly competitions, prize draws and special initiatives.

The 30th celebrations will officially begin at the Spring Fair (February 3-7, NEC) on the Cardgains Village (located at the front of Hall 3 stand L10/M11). A new wheel of fortune style game will enable members to win £30 vouchers from Cardgains and its participating suppliers, which can be used against orders placed at the show.

The Monday of Spring Fair (4 February) will also see Cardgains presenting a cheque for £20,000 to representatives from MND Association, the buying group’s chosen charity for last year. The bulk of this money was raised as a result of a 27½ mile sponsored walk in the Lake District entitled ‘Kumbaya Cumbria’ undertaken by a tenacious bunch of the Cardgains’ suppliers, members, as well as members of the Cardgains team.

The buying group’s chosen charity for 2019, as well as the main fundraising challenge for the year, will be announced on the Village at Spring Fair.

“All I can say at this point, is that there will be a 3 and a zero in the distance we walk,” teased Penny Shaw, Cardgains’ marketing director.

Above: Cyril Service, Cardgains’ mascot, is ready to mark the last three decades of the buying group’s evolution.

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Enter The Retas 2019

Indies’ Reveal Retail Barometer findings ‘Tough’ was the most common word that independent card retailers used to sum up trading in 2018, yet despite this, over a third (37%) actually managed growth, while another third held the line on the previous year’s performance.

As to their expectations for 2019, while a fair chunk of indies remain cautiously optimistic, with 39% aiming for ‘marginal growth’, sadly almost a third (32%) are bracing themselves for a decline.

These are just some of the insights to have come out of the PG Retail Barometer, the only annual research into the health and wealth of the independent greeting card retailer.

“We have undertaken this significant research over many years to provide a useful benchmark for retailers as well as highlight to suppliers what issues, threats and opportunities the all important independent greeting card retailer is facing, commented Warren Lomax, joint managing director of Max Publishing, which owns Progressive Greetings.

While previous years’ Barometer surveys have been confined to Cardgains retail members, this recent one has been broadened to also include another 1,000 retailers who are not members of Cardgains.

On the competitor front, supermarkets were seen as more of a threat to an independent card retailer’s business last year, with 72% seeing them

Above: The PG Retail Barometer takes a reading on how indies are feeling going into 2019.

as a threat, compared to 48% who viewed Card Factory as a threat.

However, it was the general UK economy, brought down by the uncertainty over Brexit, which was an indie’s biggest dampener on business.

On the up side, investing in their shops, being active on social media, having motivated staff and diversifying into other product areas (notably ecogoods) were seen as having brought benefits to business.

Looking specifically at greeting card categories, it was humour that topped the poll as the area that has brought the biggest increase in sales with Christmas singles taking second place.

Suppliers came in for some praise too, with indies saying that 30% had improved their service levels, but, urged respondents, don’t ditch the catalogues, with 95% saying that, despite them increasing online ordering they still want to see actual catalogues and samples.

(For more findings see pages 43-49).

Cherry Orchard’s £1,000 cash back Independent retailers unpacking their deliveries of Memory Lane cards from Cherry Orchard Publishing recently would have done well to open an accompanying envelope as it will have included a ticket which could see them winning a hefty cash prize.

A total of £1,000 will be handed over to four lucky retailers whose prize drawer tickets are ‘pulled out of the hat’ on the first day of the Spring Fair (Sunday 3 Feb, NEC).

The draw - with cash prizes of £500, £250, £150 and £100 - will be made adjacent to the Cherry Orchard ‘pod’ on the Cardgains Village stand in Hall 3.

Commenting on the initiative, Jackie Collins, managing director of Cherry Orchard Publishing said: “Unpacking orders might not be everyone’s favourite task, so this is a way of saying thank you to our customers as well as adding a bit of excitement.”

Tickets were included in all Memory Lane orders that were sent just prior to Christmas up until the end of the first week in January.

(See pages 56-57 for more on Cherry Orchard).

Above: One of the new Memory Lane cards.

Retailers are being urged to enter The Retas greeting card retailing awards.

The hunt is on to find the UK’s best greeting card retail stockists as The Retas 2019 awards are open for entries with a deadline of Friday 22 March.

The only dedicated awards for greeting card retailers, winning a Retas trophy is recognised as a true accolade of retailing excellence in the sector, with award categories covering indies through to multiple chains, department stores to grocers and everything in between.

Publishers, agents and reps are also being canvassed for their nominations, but retailers should make the most of the opportunity to put themselves forward and blow their own trumpet!

An entry form is downloadable from the website - www.theretasawards.co.uk Above: The Retas entry form featuring Jane Tattersfield’s stunning artwork.

Environmental return Greeting card publisher Louise Mulgrew has partnered with Eden Reforestation Projects, a not-for-profit organisation that is committed to reducing the negative effects of deforestation by hiring local villagers to plant trees in countries like Madagascar, Haiti and Nepal. Its aim is also to lift people out of poverty by providing fair wage employment.

As an animal-loving paper enterprise, Louise Mulgrew is very aware of the company’s environmental footprint, and felt she wanted to give something back. So, for every two packs of cards Louise Mulgrew sells, Eden will plant one tree, ie for a carriage paid order of £120, ten trees will be planted where they are needed most.

“Our cards are almost entirely inspired by animals, particularly the tropical, forest-dwelling ones, and our Jungle Tumble range even won a Henries award for Best Art Range in 2017,” explains Louise.

“Last December our contribution amounted to 10,000 trees planted by Eden, and provided 100 days of work! I can’t wait to see how these figures grow over the next year and beyond."

Louise Mulgrew will be exhibiting at the Spring Fair in Hall 3 Stand V50.

Above: Louise Mulgrew on her travels.

Above right: One of the new Louise Mulgrew designs.

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Christmas Better Than Expected Card retailers breathed a sigh of relief Phew! Christmas did happen. While not a cracker for many on the card front, it was not a turkey either.

After the doom and gloom picture the media painted in the Christmas run up, most multiple and indie greeting card stockists fared much better than they had anticipated. Continuing a pattern of the last few years, while sales of boxes and packs were more problematic for many, sales of single cards soared.

“It was a real cliff hanger” was how Lisa Rutherford, card buyer of John Lewis & Partners summed up its Christmas card trade, but its single Christmas card sales added lots of sparkle to its festive figures, being up 17% on the year previous.

The UK’s largest greeting card specialist, Card Factory reported almost flat Christmas sales (-0.5%).

John Procter, co-owner of Scribbler admits that having braced himself for a “double digit decline” on Christmas card sales, he was “delighted to discover that we ended up on a par with the previous year.

This is especially encouraging given the very disappointing run up in November.

Our Christmas Eve sales were amazing - up 30% on the previous year.”

Paul Taylor, managing director of Cardzone is another retailer who was pleased that its performance was better than expected. “We ended 2% up, which given the horrific 7.5% decline in footfall

Below: Christmas cards performed so much better than many retailers had anticipated.

over the six week period we feel is a good performance,” Paul quantified, highlighting how single Christmas cards performed especially “strongly”.

Waterstones card sales were up 5% this December compared to last, with its boxed sales up by a staggering 13% year on year.

Another retailer whose Christmas sales were 2% up was London-based group Postmark. Mark Janson-Smith, coowner of the mini group, admitted that while this increase is not “ground breaking” he is “more than happy with it in today's climate” and says they lost out on a few sales at the end due to being low on stock for the last few days.

House of Cards reported a 3% overall rise over the previous year with boxed cards being the star performers for the Home Counties retailer, up 5.3%.

Lindsey Kleinlercher, co-owner of Between the Lines gift and card group, said that the retailer had enjoyed its “best Christmas yet. Like for like we were almost 5% up and including our new stores we were 14.5% up on last year's December.” Commenting on its Christmas cards sales, she said they “held their own like for like”, showing an increase in single cards and a slight decrease in packets.

(See Viewpoints pages 37-41).

More festive cheer PG shares a synopsis of other Christmas card trading figures: l Louise Helyer, owner of Forget me Not and Lulu Loves of Stubbington, ended 3% up on the previous year. l Sally Matson, of Red Card, Petworth, said it was “the best December ever, with our sales up overall by 5%.” l Sarah Lishman, buyer for Barkers Home in Northallerton, said after a slow start, the store’s card sales “ended 4% up” on the previous year. l Aga Gabrysiak of Highworth Emporium, Highworth, saw its Christmas card sales up by 22%. l Jo Sorrell of Cardies in Stevenage ended up “on par with last year”. l Amanda Oscroft of Love It in Stamford and Bury St Edmunds had a stonker: “November saw our trade up on the previous year by 10% and our card sales were brilliant. And in December our trade was up by 15% and we were astonished by the card sales.” l Paul Jarman, owner of Creased Cards in Brighton (which operates a webshop too) had a disappointing Christmas. “It looks like we will have dropped by 3% combined versus last year - and that figure is actually buoyed by our web channel improvement.” l Ros Jones, owner of Celtic Company in Welshpool, experienced a 10% drop in its card sales, which she puts down to “general factors playing out on every high street as well as us closing our card shop and merging it with our gift shop three doors down early on in the year. So, not unexpected and not unplanned for.”

“Robust” Christmas for Card Factory As the UK’s leading greeting card retailer, there was much anticipation surrounding Card Factory’s trading statement (covering the 11 months to 31 December 2018) that it issued on January 10.

“Robust” was the word Karen Hubbard, ceo of Card Factory used to sum up the group’s Christmas performance, but said “the Christmas trading period was challenging due to lower high street footfall.”

Despite the value retailer delivering credible results, showing a 3.4% increase in year-to-date revenue, the City was not satisfied and the share price dropped by 10%.

Across the estate, Card Factory’s Christmas trade was down -0.5% for likefor-like sales.

Sales from its cardfactory.co.uk continued to grow strongly, up 59.1% for the 11 months to end of 2018. The combination of store and online sales overall delivered Card Factory year to date like for like sales down -0.1%.

“The Group delivered creditable revenue growth in the festive period, driven primarily by our new store rollout, with LFL trading reflecting the continuing weakness in consumer demand experienced across the retail sector in the run-up to Christmas,” said Karen.

As to her feelings for the coming year’s trading, Karen said: “Assuming a steady state, we anticipate that the foreign exchange headwind should dissipate in FY20. We continue to mitigate a large proportion of expected cost challenges, including the National Living Wage and electricity wholesale prices, which will result in £5-6m of additional costs.”

In light of the current consumer and macro-economic backdrop, she warned that this “will be another difficult year.”

The retailer opened a net of 51 new stores in the period, bringing the total estate to 973 stores, including seven trial stores in the Republic of Ireland.

Top: Christmas trading was challenging for Card Factory.

Above: Karen Hubbard, ceo of Card Factory, warns of another “difficult” year.

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Scribbler Shares Green... er Pledge Retailer’s own-brand biodegradable bags ‘You might think of us as the green coloured card shop but now we’ve decided it’s time to go even greener!’ was the consumer-facing message Scribbler sent out into the world just before Christmas.

Issuing its pledge to be more environmentally-friendly in 2019, the retailer has just gone live with how it plans to up its game on the eco front.

‘We love our ol’ big blue and green planet and think it’s time we all started taking better care of it,’ is the over-arching statement on Scribbler’s new environmental push.

Written and presented in a quirky conversational manner which chimes with the Scribbler brand, the ‘Goes Green…er’ statement details what the retailer is already doing on the environmental front, as well as its plans for 2019.

Starting with its own brand Valentine’s Day cards, Scribbler is switching to packaging all newly printed standard size Scribbler brand cards in biodegradable film bags.

‘The new bags are made from PLA (polylactic acid) plastic, which is derived

from renewable sources such as corn, potato or beet starch. By moving away from traditional petroleum-based plastics we’re helping to preserve our planet’s natural resources,’ claims Scribbler.

The retailer is conveying this packaging change by including a Going Green logo on the backs of the cards.

“We know nobody is perfect, and we’re not claiming to be the next Captain Planet,” proclaims Scribbler co-founders

John and Jennie Procter. “But we have a responsibility to protect our green and blue home, which is why we’re proud of our commitment to going greener and reducing our carbon footprint in 2019”.

The chain uses only FSC-certified boards on its own brand cards, that the standard printing ink it uses are vegetable-based, how all its own brand cards, notebooks and postcards are printed in the UK. In 2019 it is also making the move to ditch plastic bags used to get the cards from the printers to Scribbler, switching to a single paper band. ‘We predict that for every 1,000,000 cards we print that we’ll save 166,666 plastic bags - that’s over 333kg of unwanted plastic not going to landfill!’ says Scribbler’s statement.

Above: Scribbler has issued its Green…er Pledge.

Left: A visual about the PLA bags.

Windles’ environmental sparkle Greeting card printer Windles has launched its latest Enviro-Flitter portfolio that offers card publishers 10 different colours of biodegradable flitter that is made from plants.

“A lot more publishers are keen to move to Enviro-Flitter, especially now that there are more colour options available. In addition to the 10 different colours, we are able to offer publishers a mix of two colours enabling them to achieve stunning results,” states Michelle Mills, Windles’ business development and marketing manager.

While it is available, an even more sparkly bio-degradable version of Crystalina iridescent flitter is being worked on that Michelle believes a breakthrough on this front is only a few months away.

Right: Windles has launched its new Enviro-Flitter swatch of 10 colours.

Seal-Close eco-alternative Leading greeting card printer, Windles, has been working closely with Woodmansterne to create what promises to be a solution for publishers and retailers wanting to offer ‘naked’ cards, but with a way of keeping the envelope secure with the card as well as the opportunity for branding.

The new Seal-Close mechanism uses a peelable label, made from a fully recyclable paper-based substrate, that can be printed on in all colours with a publisher’s branding or other information.

“As an industry we have a collective responsibility to minimise our use of singleuse plastics, but we also need to be able to offer consumers and retailers an attractive and practical way of buying and displaying a greeting card ‘unit’, that keeps the card, envelope and, in our case, an insert too, together. Seal-Close offers a solution and one that we hope others in the industry will adopt too,” stated Paul Woodmansterne, md of Woodmansterne. “We also needed to come up with a solution that works for all retailers, eradicating the need for publishers to supply their cards in different ways, which is so wasteful.”

This Seal-Close label will be able to be affixed mechanically to printed cards, rendering it suitable for large runs, thereby offering economies of scale. They can of course also be used for those handwrapping. The tackiness of the label is strong enough to hold quality board together while not leaving any residue when peeled off.

Bruce Podmore, md and ‘Willy Wonka’ of Windles, has worked on adapting some existing state of the art machinery to enable the Seal-Close label to be attached mechanically.

Woodmansterne will trailblaze the SealClose initially on 200 of its designs with a view to rolling it out across its entire portfolio in due course.

Top: The prototype of how the Seal-Close will work on a Woodmansterne card.

Above: Windles’ md Bruce Podmore is a ‘Willy Wonka’ of inventions and he has worked on perfecting the Seal-Close mechanism.

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Spring (Fair) Is Almost Here Publishers share new launches Spring Fair prepares to open its doors (3-7 February) at Birmingham’s NEC, fanfaring a wealth of new product launches from suppliers as well as a packed seminar schedule.

While the majority of greeting card publishers will be vying for retailers’ attention on the product front in Hall 3/3A, there is a wide range of insightful presentations and workshops for buyers to attend too. These include Brexit strategies, retail technology and inspirational personal stories behind wellloved brands.

Taking place on the Main Stage, there will be speakers from companies that include Wrendale, Pinterest, The V&A and colour and trend consultancy The Colour Hive.

Blue Eyed Sun’s Jeremy Corner will be giving a talk on ‘The rise of the ethical consumer and adapting to the growth of green economy’ at 13:15 on Sunday 3 February. His talk will cover: Understanding what promotes people to make ethical choices; charting the increase in sales of ethical products, meeting the need for information around ethical products and services and reflecting the trend in a store, authentically.

Those interested in trends should look at what’s happening at The Studio at Spring

Below: The doors open for Spring Fair at the NEC this month.

Fair with speakers including trend spotter and futurist Paola de Luca and Jane Bellman, founder of Unique Style Platform.

Elsewhere, practical knowledge will be available at the new Retail Skills Theatre.

Helpful advice includes product photography and packing, Epos systems, fleet and freighting, social media strategies, stock planning, post Brexit currency management, in-store and online visual merchandising, and building a brand identity.

Following on from the Autumn Fair 2018’s Product Match app, which helped visitors find and locate the best suppliers for their business, Spring Fair will see the launch of a newly improved and updated version.

And, for those who are a bit thirsty at the end of the day, they should make their way to Progressive Greetings’ stand (Hall 3 Stand X61) where corks will be popping from around 5.50pm.

Visit: www.springfair.com

Blue Eyed Sun’s Italian connection Blue Eyed Sun has strengthened its ‘Italian connection’ with Turin-based publisher Origamo as the former is to distribute some of the Italian card company’s handmade ranges in the UK. This is Blue Eyed Sun’s second distribution deal, coming on the back of its relationship with chic.mic for its BambooCup, SlideCups and BambooFriends products.

Making their UK trade show launch at Spring Fair on the Blue Eyed Sun stand (Hall 4 Stand A01) are Origamo’s range of intricately quilled designs, a collection of inventive handmade pop-up cards, plus some 3D Disney designs.

“The designs have caused a sensation in Italy, selling into over 2,000 gift shops where they fly off the shelves,” explains Jeremy.

Furio Ceciliato, Origamo’s energetic managing director, met Blue Eyed Sun’s co-founder, Jeremy Corner a few years ago following which Origamo began distributing Blue Eyed Sun cards in Italy.

“We both share a passion for marketing and are looking forward to working together on replicating the massive success of the Origamo brand in Italy here in the UK,” commented Jeremy.

Origamo went from a standing start little over two years ago to a turnover of £2 million, supplying 2,000 shops and trailblazing on offering upmarket greeting cards to the Italian consumer.

The launch is already off to a flying start in the UK, with Origamo’s quilled range being a finalist in the Gift of the Year Awards.

A percentage of sales from the Origamo’s ranges are being donated to support the Christina Noble Foundation’s work with street children in Vietnam and Mongolia, a cause which Jeremy raised funds for through a challenging 1,500 km off road motorbike journey across the Gobi Desert in Mongolia.

Top Drawer marked Five Dollar Shake’s launch of Never Stop Chasing Rainbows, its inaugural range that features bio-degradable glitter while the cards are wrapped in compostable packaging.

Sophie Nuthall, the publisher’s design studio and product development manager, confirmed that the intention is that the publisher will “make a gradual transition to using this more environmentally-friendly” sparkle across its portfolio. As Sophie pointed out: “People love glitter, so we needed to find a way that they could continue to add sparkle to their lives, but with a clear conscience.”

Belly Button is another leading publisher who is using bio-degradable flitter for the first time on its new No.78 range.

Card and stationery company, English Graphics proclaimed its use of ‘biodegradable ecoglitter’ by prominent signs on its stand at Top Drawer.

Above: Five Dollar Shake’s Sophie Nuthall with one of the Chasing the Rainbows designs.

Left: Heather Marten on the English Graphics’ stand at Top Drawer.

Waitrose to go glitter-free on own brand Waitrose has pledged that by Christmas 2020, all its own label cards, wrap and crackers will either be glitter-free or will use what the retailer says is ‘an environmentally friendly alternative’.

News that the grocer is planning to lose ‘some of its shimmer’ was lapped up by the media, including the Guardian, Independent, Daily Telegraph and Sky News giving it coverage.

In 2018 three quarters of the retailer’s own label cards, wraps, crackers and tags, along with half of its flowers and plants were glitter-free. This will increase by this Christmas when all flowers and plants will be glitter-free; and by 2020 all own label products in these ranges will be glitter-free or use an, as yet, unspecified environmentally friendly alternative.

Below: Waitrose was the first to come out on the glitter front.

Above: One of the Origamo handmade pop-up designs that Blue Eyed Sun is distributing.

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Beautiful cards for Fabulous

Friends

Christmas Brochure 2019

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Cardigan Cards Ltd Tel: 01785 250511 E-mail cards@cardigancards.co.uk Web- www.cardigancards.co.uk 020_PG_February 2019.indd 20

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NEWS TOP STORY

An Indies’ Prize Bonanza Danilo And Words ‘n’ Wishes incentivise customers From ‘money can’t buy’ signed Cliff Richard merchandise to tours of the new Tottenham Hotspur stadium; from Fortnum and Mason goodies to a choice of 1,000s of amazing gift experiences through a Thank You Smartbox, Danilo and Words ‘n’ Wishes are christening their first new year under their new distribution arrangement for indies with a prize draw bonanza.

All independent retailers placing orders for Danilo everyday products with a Words ‘n’ Wishes salesperson, between January 1 and 31 March, will earn entries into a prize draw.

The higher the order value, the more entries a retailer will receive (eg a £150 order will earn one entry into the draw, while a £500 one will see the retailer receive five entries).

There is an impressive roster of 25 prizes up for grabs, from the football-related (including a signed Arsenal shirt), to the music-themed (signed Bon Jovi and The Vamps merchandise); from treats (£50 gift cards of a retailer’s choice) to sweets (a fab retro confectionery hamper).

This extensive prize draw coincides with the release of Words ‘n’ Wishes’ biggest ever January product launch - comprising almost

Above: Among the new releases from Danilo are Hey Duggee (pictured) designs as well as How To Train Your Dragon and Trolls.

Left: Words ‘n’ Wishes md Rod Brown (centre) with Danilo’s md Daniel Prince (right) and sales director, Brett Smith, at St George’s Park.

Left: One of the 300 new designs from Words ‘n’ Wishes.

300 new designs. These include the publisher’s own collections (221 Christmas cards and 74 everyday designs), 24 new QH cards, as well as 74 new Danilo designs.

As Rod Brown, md of Words ‘n’ Wishes told PG: “This industry is well blessed with a lot of good, strong independents, who are the foundations of our business. This prize draw adds a bit of fun and excitement to the new year’s launches. We are four months into the arrangement with Danilo and it is proving a great addition to our portfolio with our customers.”

Words ‘n’ Wishes bigs up To accommodate the continued growth Words ‘n’ Wishes is experiencing, the company has just expanded its sales team.

Bringing its salesforce up to 28 strong has seen Mark Roberts (formerly of Abacus and GBCC) join as sales agent for the North West (as well as doing business development), while Kate Randall (who has spent the last nine years working for UKG) joins as the sales agent for Essex. Meanwhile, Steve Brown (formerly of Carte Blanche) has joined as business development agent covering the North East, and at the end of January Lisa Williams (also from UKG) will join the Words ‘n’ Wishes team as business development agent for Wales.

But it is not just on the human front that Words ‘n’ Wishes is growing, as the Wigan-based business is taking on an additional warehouse, adjacent to its current premises, which will give the company a 18,000 sq feet capacity in total and accommodate its expansion. “Trade is not easy at the moment, but there are still opportunities out there if you have the right product, a good team and a great set of retail customers. We are lucky!” said md, Rod Brown.

Below: New joiners to the Words ‘n’ Wishes sales team. (Left-right) Mark Roberts, Kate Randall, Steve Brown and Lisa Williams (who joins from the end of January).

Sarah Lovell gets undressed It was a request from Totnes-based independent retailer, PaperWorks, that clinched the decision for Sarah Thompson, owner of Sarah Lovell Art (above), to get naked - or at least offer retailers an attractive incentive to order her cards uncellowrapped.

“It was when I heard from Jin [Baker] of PaperWorks (below), one of my stockists in Devon, that she didn’t want any more cellos on cards that prompted my decision,” Sarah told PG. Sarah wanted there to be an extra incentive for retailers to take her cards unwrapped so she is offering a 15% discount to retailers for her unwrapped cards, something she promoted with a special sign on her stand at Top Drawer recently which lays down the invitation - ‘Let’s go naked’.

PaperWorks’ Jin Baker said: “No one even noticed the cards weren't cello wrapped. They came to the counter and bought the cards and never even mentioned they weren't wrapped, but everyone I have pointed it out to has been really happy/relieved that they have found a retailer that is stopping plastic packaging.”

Commenting on the reactions from card publishers to her request for unwrapped cards, Jin says, “Small companies are first surprised, then happy and relieved that a retailer is stopping plastic packaging. I've just started contacting the big international suppliers to let them know I would like plastic free. Essentially it's not a big deal, let's just do it!”

Right: In what was her first Top Drawer as GCA ceo, Amanda Fergusson chatted to Alan Harnik of US’ Notes & Queries next to the GCA members’ feature display of exhibitors’ fresh new products.

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NEWS NEWS IN BRIEF

TOP STORY

PG Live January 2020 Shapes Up Preparations for new show While plans are well lends itself to launches of underway for PG Live 2019 calendars and Christmas, June show (which takes as well as start of the place June 4-5), its new year collections. sister exhibition, PG Live As Claire Castle January 2020 exhibition is (left), senior buyer of gathering momentum too, WH Smith commented, with leading names signing “Having a second PG up to exhibit at the inaugural Live in January is early January show, which will perfect timing for our take place 7-8 January 2020 at the single Christmas card Business Design Centre, London. selections. It is much easier to This show will be in addition to the review the ranges with so annual June PG Live exhibition each many publishers all together”. year, which also takes place at the Mark Janson Smith of Business Design Centre.

Postmark, the award-winning Despite being almost a year away, the London based retailer of four shops said: stand bookings for the January 2020 are “We will be there for every minute of the already looking strong. Two of the UK’s PG Live January 2020 duration!” leading UK leading design-led publishers, Lisa Rutherford (left), partner and Caroline Gardner and Woodmansterne buyer of John Lewis and Partners said: Publications, are the latest to have joined “I am really excited that a second PG Live an impressive array of leading publishers will be launching in 2020. It’s great timing including Pigment, Wendy for looking at new launches and speaking Jones-Blackett, Danilo, to publishers in the post-Christmas peak.

BrownTrout, Otter House, We plan our Christmas cards in March and Paper Salad, Carousel, this will be a super opportunity to explore Stephanie Dyment and Rush newness in the category before our key Designs in booking stands. planning days.”

Show director, Simon Top: The excitement is already building for PG Live January 2020.

Boyd commented: “It’s great to have so many strong designCall all PG Live 2019 exhibitors led companies on board An exhibitor meeting for PG Live already, but I have been equally June 2019 is scheduled to take impressed from the reaction place in the morning of Tuesday from so many major buyers and 26 February at the Business of course so many progressive Design Centre. This is happening on the same day and at independents, who love the PG the same venue as the GCA Speed-dating with Dragons 3 Live concept and implored us to event but bookings for each event are to be kept separate. organise a second show earlier The PG Live meeting will cover how to make the most of your stand, pitfalls to avoid and making the most of the free in the year.” marketing. Email Jacqui Parr, PG Live marketing manager, on Of the early January dateline jacquip@max-publishing.co.uk for the show, Simon added that it

l After seven years of operating in Ireland, Art Cards Ireland has added a London base. The publisher is continuing to specialise in blank art cards by Irish artists. l Clear Creations has been branching out from greeting cards and using designs on other products, such as wrapping paper and notebooks. It has produced A5 bound notebooks exclusively for Office Outlet, with six different designs and three choices of pages.

Above: Some of the Clear Creations bespoke notebooks.

l Someone working on the set of ITV’s Coronation Street is clearly an avid Rachel Ellen Designs fan, as recently proven when onscreen character Mary Cole flaunted her Rachel Ellen A6 notebook. This follows from last year when the soap’s Carla Connor received one of the publisher’s Pink Fizz birthday cards.

Above: Rachel Ellen’s small screen role!

l Well-known for its greeting card designs featuring dogs, Tache has been making tails wag on canine friends with its charitable actions.

The Dorset-based company donated a large amount of Christmas cards to Waggy Tails Rescue, a dog rescue charity based in its locality.

Above: Tache’s tie-up with Waggy Tails barked up the right tree.

l Winners of the GA’s Gift of the Year Awards (GOTY) are to be announced at the end of the first day of Spring Fair at a ceremony held at the NEC. The finalists in the greeting card category are: Hoot Parade Card Range from U Studio Design; Pin & Ink from The Handcrafted Card Company and Quilling Cards by Origamo from Blue Eyed Sun.

GCA gains exposure for Christmas cards There was certainly a lot of positive media coverage about Christmas cards in the crucial trading period, with new GCA ceo, Amanda Fergusson, embracing all the PR opportunities that came along.

Having appeared on BBC Breakfast (as reported in last month’s PG), Amanda kept up a high media presence for the industry ensuring that millions of people were reminded of the importance of sending Christmas cards.

She appeared on STV’s extended piece on its prime-time evening news, that was broadcast across all of Scotland, both by STV North and STV Central on the eve of the last First Class posting day for Christmas cards.

Meanwhile, she was also on ITV Meridian, hit the airwaves on BBC Radio Sussex with the festive message, plus was interviewed by the FT and Courier (published in Scotland and the Borders).

Above: A scene from the STV coverage.

Pressing a point Archivist, co-owned by William Allardice (above right) brought its letterpress products to life at Top Drawer by having an active press on its stand that printed posters for retail customers there and then.

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NEWS TOP STORY

Retailers Commit To Speed-Dating Top buyers at the February event Buyers from Sainsbury’s, Scribbler, Between the Lines, Thortful, House of Cards, Postmark and Moonpig, as well as strong indies, Calladoodles, Red Card and Cardies have been the first to commit to being ‘Dragons’ for the third ever GCA Speed-dating with Dragons event, which is scheduled for Tuesday 26 February. The Speed-dating event will take place at the Business Design Centre, home of PG Live.

At the time of PG going to press (January 17), publishers were having to ‘hold fire’ on booking their places for the event as bookings will not open until 10am on Tuesday 29 January.

Continuing a very successful formula that has worked incredibly well for both the attending publishers and participating retailers, the afternoon event will see 60 publishers make one-to-one quick-fire 10

minute pitches about their products and their companies to different retailers, including multiples, small groups and indies.

Amanda Fergusson, ceo of the GCA commented: “Our first two Speed-dating with Dragons events have been such phenomenal success stories, for both publishers and retailers, that we just had to organise another one!” Anticipating a quick take up, she said: “Last year’s event sold out in minutes so I am expecting the GCA email inbox to be very busy with traffic after 10am on January 29!”

In addition to the pitching, the event will also include an advice panel session during which leading industry experts will share the benefit of their experience and knowledge across all manner of pertinent issues and subjects. The panellists include Paul Woodmansterne, md of Woodmansterne; Rachel Hare, md of Belly Button; Ged Mace, md of The Art File and Brett Smith, sales director of Danilo.

Above: The ‘Dragons’ for the 2018 event, but this year’s line-up will be equally strong.

Left: Rosie Harrison of Rosie Made a Thing (right) pitching at last year’s Speed-dating to Carly Pearson of Sainsbury’s, who is also on board for this year.

PaperAwards SS19 winners There were four Top Drawer greeting card and stationery exhibitors who were especially delighted at the recent show - the winners of the PaperAwards SS19.

Sponsored by GF Smith, the PaperAwards were open to all exhibitors at the show. They were judged by a panel of industry experts and retailers, with the final decision being made by votes from the industry.

The winner of the Engaging Print category was Pop! by Raspberry Blossom. Runners Up: Hotchpotch, Cambridge Imprint .

The winner of the Emotive Design category was The Cardy Club. Runners Up: Maya Stepien by Lagom Design, Fossile By The Art File.

The winner of the Exciting Use of Colour award was Magic Numbers

by Lagom Design. Runners Up: Dicky Bird, Meraki.

The winner of the Stationery Award was Hello Day. Runners Up: Vent for Change and Portico Designs.

Left: The winners and runners-up of the Top Drawer SS19 PaperAwards and members of the GF Smith team.

Belly Button funds The Light Fund web The Light Fund, the greeting card industry’s registered charity, starts the new year with refreshed branding, a brand new website and with the fruits of last year’s recordbreaking fundraising - an astonishing £325,000 - being put to good use helping men, women and children all over the world through 40 distinct charity projects.

These include a significant two-year partnership that The Light Fund has forged with YoungMinds, the UK’s leading charity fighting for children and young people’s mental health.

The Light Fund’s donation of £100,000 is to fund a Helpline Adviser and training and support for two volunteers (for one day a week) for the next two years as part of the YoungMinds’ Parents Helpline, which provides support and advice to parents and carers who are worried about the mental health, emotional wellbeing or behaviour of a child or young person aged 0-25 years.

Above: YoungMinds’ ceo Emma Thomas (3rd right) and Jo Hardy (3rd left) were delighted to be presented with the cheque from The Light Fund committee members (right-left) Ian Hyder (Max Publishing), Jakki Brown (PG/Max Publishing), Trevor Jones (formerly of Danilo) and Kelvyn Gardner (LIMA).

Trevor Jones, chairman of The Light Fund (previously of Danilo until he retired) urges those working within the greetings industry, “to make use of this invaluable service should they find themselves in a situation concerning a child or young person suffering mental health issues.”

News of this important tie-up appears on The Light Fund’s brand new website that has generously been funded by Belly Button Designs, as a result of donating a percentage of sales from its Christmas card packs to the charity.

Rachel Hare, managing director of Belly Button Designs said she felt “privileged to be able to help make such a difference. The Light Fund has always been a very meaningful charity for us. It is wonderful to hear of the work it is now doing with YoungMinds, with mental health issues being so prevalent.”

The new, refreshed logo of The Light Fund was created by Mark Schofield, global brand director of dress-up and party company, Smiffys.

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OVER THE COUNTER

The Year Of

The Pig Independent card and gift retailer, David Robertson, co-owner of JP Pozzi in Scotland, discusses how tough it currently is for indie and multiple retailers to bring home the bacon.

What is Palilalia? Is it…

A. A Greek Island in which to escape for the summer?

B. Some kind of flu bug that all retailers seem to get hit by after the craziness of December? or C. A dish that Jamie Oliver professes is going to be the next big thing in 2019 like quinoa?

Well, not quite. It is the constant repetition of words and phrases. Somehow or another I feel I am a sufferer of this terrible condition. In fact my name is David Robertson and I have suffered from Palilalia for over two years now.

Throughout 2018 the phrase ‘Death of the High Street’ seems to have run constantly as the plot of my PG columns. It seems to be the narrative and the core message of last year. And, as I write this column on December 31, true to form, on this the last day of the year, headlines such as ‘Shop Shock’ jump from the pages of the national press.

At various times I have tried to move on from it, but like a mystical force it drags me back, and in truth, I can’t think of much else business wise.

Many retailers of all sizes will be licking their wounds just now and regrouping.

Christmas in truth was OK but not brilliant.

Not exciting. Not a revolution… but OK. Well for me anyway.

I will pay all my bills and have enough to get going again, but the halcyon days are gone, and for any business to be a success it really is down to how you manage the key

Above: 2019 is the Year of the Pig in the Chinese zodiac - A card from DM Collection.

Left: Success is no longer ‘written in the stars’ for businesses - A card from Sarah Lovell.

Below: Another multiple on the high street is currently in administration.

factors that impact on your business. Your destiny is no longer written in the stars but in the cold hard numbers and grind that we have to analyse every day.

Stockholding (both amount and what) and wages you can control, but us retailers are equally at the mercy of footfall, rent (or bank loan) and rates. These you have little, if any, influence on.

See there I go again! I have written about all of this before!

In fact wages is another one that we as employers are losing control of. I don’t know any small business that does not want to treat and look after its staff like family, but every year, with the large jumps in the living wage, we are put under more and more pressure. For me personally it means every year I have to look at ways to run my business with less people or to try and change the way my business operates.

April 2019 looms large again, and with further rumours about more rises to come, I don’t know how retailers, especially indies, are expected to keep finding the extra money required. In London, or other big cities, perhaps retailers can absorb these rises into the retail price, but in the majority of the UK

you can’t simply keep increasing prices or your margin.

One national retailer I spoke to recently in our sector described trading as like ‘wading through treacle’. Another, a great friend in the cafe bar business, said that after implementing proper full monthly management accounts it became obvious where some of her errors were being made and she has taken the active and right decision to jettison part of her business that is ultimately costing her money.

I live and die and run my business based on my daily/monthly management accounts.

They are what have helped me more than anything else to make the right decisions, and they are already shaping my 2019.

Sometimes they are worrying, and they are not always easy to actually acknowledge, but you simply have to know your numbers.

When I speak to fellow retailers, cashflow and payment of invoices is the thing that causes retailers the most stress and worry when it comes to running their business. Cashflow is also the reason for these ‘Shock’ reports.

Professor Joshua Bamfield of the Centre for Retail Research said: “We are expecting about 10,000 shops to close in the coming year”.

Now I am pretty sure that you don’t want it to be you and I am damn sure that I am not going to let it be me, but what it does mean is that we are in for another PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE

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OVER THE COUNTER exceptionally tough and testing year where difficult decisions will need to be made.

The experts are blaming a toxic combination of both existing and new problems.

They highlight a melding of increased online competition, rising social debt, soaring business rates and a discount culture. I would add to that a general lack of interest in shopping of any kind, a change in leisure time and the rise of ancillary costs, such as parking, as further reasons that the high street is having such a hard time.

The retail sector is the UK’s biggest employer after the public sector, with over three million jobs at stake, so surely it can’t simply fail? Well, the way things are just now it feels like there is lots being said and little being done.

One of my biggest concerns is that the big boys are continuing to struggle, and, while I feel sorry for the staff whose jobs are at risk, the way these businesses are behaving is causing us all major concerns.

Your email box has no doubt been deluged with special offers of all kinds and the high street has also basically been on discount mode since October. These discounts are dressed up as VIP Members’ Days or Blue Cross Sales or Reward Days.

This will no doubt continue and to me this is probably THE major concern for the high street. Retailers seem to be addicted to discounting. Customers too are addicted to the need for a deal or a voucher or a percentage off.

The big guys will have no doubt built in a percentage when they bought the product line, or have financial support from the supplier, whereas we indies have no such help.

We saw this clearly in the beauty sector, with 15% off one of our key brands in every major retailer. If we matched this we would have destroyed our margin and been left with very little. Take out our costs of sale and I doubt it would have been worth even stocking it. Yet we are largest indie retailer of this brand in the North of Scotland.

This discount is there to secure the purchase but I feel that the customer can and will delay the purchase in case there is a better or deeper discount deal around the corner. This then becomes a very dangerous

Above: Multiples' discounting has become the norm.

Below: Retailers can’t afford to stand still - A Graphite design from Abacus.

game where only the consumer wins. It feels like the consumer is totally gun-shy - afraid to take the shot because there will be a better one or cheaper one later on.

A lot of retailers end up making very little, and just are trying to stave off the inevitable. In the interim they make us indies look expensive and they undermine consumer trust in pricing.

Card sales have largely been protected from this and still offer us a very good margin.

There are offers out there but largely these are not too difficult for us indies to compete with, and generally we can combat it with a better, more varied product selection.

Many staples of the card and gift industry however have been guilty of causing both themselves and us retailers problems.

The biggest culprit that comes to mind is Yankee Candle. Last year the company made a valiant attempt to standardise and stabilise its retail prices, but it didn’t work.

Indies buy in with a maximum of 5% discount only through a couple of buying groups, but I have seen the large Yankee Candle jars at many different prices across the country. Then the company further confused things with a supermarket exclusive branded candles with different scents but in the same classic jar.

The result: the consumer doesn’t know what to expect or to pay for the product. They can’t tell the difference between our large jars and the ones next to the soap in a Co-Op, and this really is the worst thing possible.

American Express (and others) have been directing people towards spending with indies, but sometimes it feels a little

patronising. I don’t want people to buy because they feel they have to, I want them to shop because they love everything about my business.

I have looked at my card selection, and while I have all the mainstays of both the traditional card market and the small publishers maybe I am lacking something really different.

I am thinking about new ways to show small publishers and thinking about removing one row of my card stands to create more space on my shop floor.

Our gift selection is changing massively as well. Different, quirky and with a back story was what most, if not all, of our customers wanted this Christmas. Stoneglow over Yankee, Love Your Nation over the mass produced ‘insert your town name here’ stuff.

Your customers have to feel that they are finding something new, a little edgy.

I want people to come to our stores because they love our shop. They love coming in for a coffee and they feel

safe that every purchase, every scone, every bit of advice comes from the right place, from the heart… if that doesn’t sound too cheesy.

This year is the Year of the Pig and according to Chinese astrology, 2019 will be a great year to make money and a good year to invest! 2019 is going to be full of joy, a year of friendship and love for all the Chinese signs. It’s an auspicious year because the Pig attracts success in all the spheres of life.

Let’s hope that our troughs are all full and that there is no further slaughter in the high street!

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

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CARDSHARP

Flat Pancakes Can Be Tasty So, mused Cardsharp, the Christmas season greeting card sales figures have come in (with one notable exception to be discussed later) and there comes a feeling, from many in card retailing, of relief. Many feared there would be a perfect storm caused by depressed consumer demand, competition from online retailing, falling footfall and the uncertainty caused by Brexit. In the end, our industry had a lot to be thankful for, and the worst was avoided.

Admittedly, post-Christmas got off to a bad start with the news that music and entertainment chain HMV went into administration. Although not a greeting card retailer, the huge and rapid decline of DVD sales in its stores in the face of streaming services is a stark reminder that we can never take our product sector of greeting cards for granted. And, how much we need organisations like the Greeting Card Association to keep greeting card sending in the public eye.

But then as the Christmas reports came flooding into the PG offices, there was a palpable sense of relief, emanating from many chains and indeed independents as well. Yes, it was exceptionally late. Yes, footfall was down, but the UK public’s love

of sending Christmas cards seemingly remains largely intact. Yes, spending on Christmas boxes continues to decline, but this was compensated by a marked and healthy increase in single cards to loved ones, family, relations and significant others.

John Lewis led the way performance wise on this, year on year. Despite tough trading in its stores generally, it reported that single card sales represented a “pocket of brilliance” being up 17% on 2017. Admittedly it had increased space devoted to singles and has moved into family relations for Christmas, but how gratifying that this was rewarded.

Yet perversely, multiple book and ‘much more’ retailer, Waterstones, reported the opposite. Its sales of singles were slightly down, but its Christmas box sales ended up 13% up, which suggests that Waterstones’ bookish customers, either like sending cards to multiple acquaintances, or that they preferred the more upmarket offering, where

Above: The greeting card industry had a flattish Christmas.

Below: Waterstone’s Christmas box sales were up 13%.

Bottom: Sadly HMV has gone into administration.

Museums and Galleries and Raspberry Blossom were the stars. Overall though Waterstones reported an increase of 2% on its card, calendar and wrap sales.

Cardzone, with its 130 stores was another major retailer to be mightily relieved. In early December, owner Paul Taylor noted that Christmas was just not happening, yet in the end after a rollercoaster last few days, the Midlandsbased specialist ended up 2.5% on sales, despite a 7.5% fall in footfall.

There were some regional and local issues, noted Cardsharp. The more cashstrapped North generally seemed to have a tougher time than the more affluent South and Home Counties, while Cards Galore, whose 60 or so stores are primarily in

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CARDSHARP Central London, was adversely affected by London’s early shutdown, with so many office workers (Card Galore’s key demographic) knocking off for the holiday as early as December 19.

Scribbler was also one of the chains fearing the worst after a nightmare November, but the much-loved edgy group had an incredible late surge, which included a 30% increase in sales on Christmas Eve. In the end Scribbler finished on a par with its 2017 figures, a performance which Cardsharp is sure the owners, the Procters, would have given their eye teeth for a month earlier.

The industry’s biggest player, value card retailer, Card Factory, being a plc, has had to come out with a very detailed trading update for the period up to the end of December. And again, in Cardsharp’s eyes only (if not the City analysts and journalists who constantly rubbish the chain’s performance whatever) it performed creditably. Year to date revenue was 3.4% up on the previous year to date, while its like-for-like store performance was broadly flat at 0.1%. From the corresponding date in 2017, it now has another 51 stores. And although it cites the ‘robust’ challenges,

Left: Cards Galore was affected by city workers leaving early for the Christmas holidays.

Below middle: Retailing isn’t as smooth as it could be.

Below left: After a disappointing start Scribbler finished on par with its 2017 Christmas figures.

the wider card trade, and so any view of its trading is purely speculative. What a change since the glory days of the PLC and the Lewins in the 1990s, when it was constantly in the news and ‘Clintons’ was virtually a generic word for a card shop. Cardsharp doesn’t expect that to change much, now that American Greetings no longer owns the chain, and it is wholly owned by the Weiss family.

So Cardsharp reflected, it looked like the greeting card industry had a flattish Christmas. Not bad, not disastrous, but

pancake-like flat. But pancakes can have their plus points. Covered in sugar, fruit and a syrup, they can be quite appetising. Much nicer than the bigger UK retail cake, which at the moment has a very big soggy bottom with a droopy hole in the middle.

Roll on Shrove Tuesday!

So Clintons apart, ‘flat’ seems to be the word that most aptly sums up the recent Christmas bricks and mortar Christmas greeting card trading.

It has been officially confirmed by the BRC that 2018 was the worst Christmas since 2009 at the height of the financial crisis. If, we as an industry, have been ‘flat’ through this, then this bodes well for next Christmas, when the consumer is hopefully not so cash strapped and the Brexit nonsense is out the way. Cardsharp hopes so anyway? Meanwhile, we can all toss a few more pancakes!

And what of the future...?

caused by falling footfall, the problems that had beset the retailer by the falling exchange rate in the last 18 months should dissipate going forward, unless of course the £pound collapses as a result of a Brexit No-deal.

But what of the industry’s former plc.

Clintons, or Clinton Cards as it was formerly known? Well Cardsharp hasn’t a clue how it did. The Loughton-based multiple chain is as secretive as the government of North Korea. It doesn’t release trading statements, its accounts are opaque, its senior management are virtually invisible to

But what of the wider picture, contemplated Cardsharp? However relieved the trade was about greeting card sales this Christmas, it is impossible to ignore the macro-economic realities. We, as an industry, may be more resilient than most when it comes to bricks and mortar retailing, but there is no disguising that so much non-food sales, other than cards, is Above: Next’s online sales grow as gravitating online, and footfall is dropping. Estimates at its high street sales decline. present are that online retail sales overall now stand at 22%, with some predictions that it could go as high as 40% in the next few years. Indeed fashion retailer Next experienced a 9.2% decline in its bricks and mortar sales this Christmas selling season, while its online sales surged 15.2%.

But, reflected Cardsharp, there will be hopefully a plus side to all this. Retail rents and valuations are already coming down, and while many landlords are temporarily protected because many retailers are locked into long-term leases, they will eventually expire. Then, as with everything, the market will prevail, as there will be far too much traditional retail space. Lower rents and lower rates bills will eventually prevail, which is encouraging to any retailer, including those nearing the end of its lease.

In conversations with various shrewd regional retailer operators, Cardsharp is struck that the main obstacle to them opening a new outlet in a promising secondary or even tertiary location is the unrealistic rent demands of the landlords. Hopefully the rent market will change decidedly in their favour, yielding good opportunities to good operators. Every cloud has a silver lining of some sort, reflected Cardsharp.

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VIEWPOINTS

Between A

Right: A Blind Veterans UK charity card from Ling.

Below left: Was Christmas ‘tweet’ or sour? A charity card from Booths.

Cracker And A Turkey There was so much doom and gloom mongering in the media about trade in the Christmas run up that it was enough to suggest that Father Christmas had been made redundant.

However, as it turned out, although perhaps not a cracker, Christmas 2018 was certainly not the dried out turkey many were bracing themselves for.

PG takes the reading of the festive feeling among some greeting card retail stockists and how they are approaching Christmas buying tor 2019.

Miles Robinson, co-owner of House of Cards, six shops in the Home Counties: Overall verdict: “Relief.”

How did you fare?: “We were 3% up in revenue terms for the six weeks to 29 December. Our Christmas singles were just under 0.5% up but our boxes/packs were 5.3% up.

Advents, calendars, and Christmas gifting performed well for us this year.

Changing buying habits: “We saw a small shift towards cost saving by buying boxes/packs.

Buying was later than ever and Sundays in December this year were notably better than the previous year.”

Star performers: “Lucilla Lavender, Rosie Made a Thing, Second Nature, Tracks, Wendy Jones-Blackett and of course Wrendale!

In our boxes/packs Woodmansterne, Noel Tatt, Museums & Galleries and Ling Design all performed really well.”

Below: The House of Cards’ Tring team in festive garb.

John and Jennie Procter, co-owners of Scribbler: Overall verdict: “A lot better than we thought it would be.”

Below: It was relief all round at Scribbler over Christmas!

How did you fare?: “Our Christmas card sales ended up on a par with the previous year. We were delighted with that, especially given the disappointing run up in November. We were bracing ourselves for a double-digit decline, driven primarily by packs, so are very happy with the final result. Our Christmas Eve sales were extraordinary - up 30% on the previous year. A shining light, bizarrely, was our everyday card performance, which remained strong throughout.”

Changing buying habits: “We are beginning to sense some increased negativity with regard to the consumerism of Christmas in the press and many people are really questioning the point of sending multiple cards to those they rarely see.

Add to this are the concerns over the cost of postage and sustainability.”

Mitigating circumstances: “The shift online that drove footfall down was, without question, a major factor; unilateral discounting by beleaguered retailers and, of course, the unbelievable chaos and uncertainties surrounding Brexit with many people genuinely worried about their employment prospects in the New Year.”

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Ling PG February 19 Advert.pdf

1

03/01/2019

14:29

L ING D ESIGN

Christmas 2019

Come and see us at Spring Fair 2019 Hall 3-3a, stand 3Q18-R21 TO SE E OUR FUL L RANGE P L EASE C ONT AC T : L IN G D E SI G N LTD . 14- 2 0 ELDON WAY , P ADDOC K WOOD, KENT , T N12 6B E, U K + 4 4 ( 0) 1892 838574 E NQU I R IES@LINGDESIGN.C O.UK WWW.LINGDESIGN . CO . U K

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VIEWPOINTS Claire Quinn, buyer of cards, wrap and calendars for Waterstones: Overall verdict: “Nice surprise.”

Lisa Rutherford, buyer of John Lewis & Partners: Overall verdict: “It was a real cliff hanger.”

How did you fare?: “While trade was tough we had pockets of brilliance, and for us single Christmas cards fell into that camp.

Trade was buoyant from the start and our singles finished 17% up on the previous year. We had a record season with no discounting or multi buys to fuel sales.

Family relations were the star of the show and became a much bigger percentage of our single Christmas card turnover than ever before. What was also very exciting was the halo effect this had on everyday cards, which also benefited from the footfall in this area.”

Changing buying habits: “Super Saturday was indeed ‘super’ and the extra 'Christmas buying day’ in the week of Christmas was significant and made for a happier ending for some of our key categories.

It does appear that there was a general slow down in the sending of multiple cards and some people really reserving their money for the more specific or special sends.

Boxed cards had a slower and tougher season, although there is huge evidence of a very late send with the last couple of weeks seeing a significant boost in the units versus the previous year. This is important to us because of the 25% charity contribution that we commit to on our own brand boxed cards.”

Star performers: “Publishers who had super performances (that were well above the average) were: Belly Button, Cardmix, Caroline Gardner, Emotional Rescue, Five Dollar Shake, Hotchpotch, Louise Mulgrew, Paperlink, Portfolio and Woodmansterne.”

Your approach for Christmas 2019: “We are still knee-deep in analysis, but we will certainly be looking at how we have a re-run of 2018's single Christmas cards trade.”

Above: As well as within its Christmas departments, Christmas cards also featured in the main card department as well as within John Lewis & Partners’ Find Keep Give sections.

How did you fare?: “Our Christmas trade across all nonbook products ended almost 2% up on the previous year which was a nice surprise given the slow start to the season. Single card sales gained significant momentum in the lead up to Christmas, with a staggering 61% of total sales coming from the final three weeks. Sales of singles were slightly down on last year but Christmas boxes had a fantastic year, ending 13% up on the previous year.”

Changing buying habits: “More of our customers chose to buy Christmas boxed cards this year over singles, which is a complete turnaround on last year's trend.

Christmas card sales for December were up 5% YoY suggesting that our customers were generally leaving it later to buy their cards, particularly single cards.”

Mitigating circumstances: “Given the uncertain economic climate, customers may have been looking to get more for their money this year, opting for boxed cards.”

Inset: Waterstones saw a 13% increase on Christmas boxes.

Star performers: “A number of Museums and Galleries' boxes were consistently in our top 10 across the category and Raspberry Blossom's fun and vibrant designs proved a popular choice within our single card range. We issued stronger merchandising guidelines to the shops this year for their Christmas boxed card displays which I think helped the ranges look far more cohesive and ultimately boosted sales.”

Approach for Christmas 2019: “We may look to expand our Christmas boxed cards range slightly following the latest consumer buying patterns we've seen.” .

Lindsey Kleinlercher, co-owner of Between the Lines:

Below: Between the Lines went for it on Advents!

Overall verdict: “Our best Christmas yet.”

How did you fare?: “Like-for-like we were almost 5% up, and including our new stores we were 14.5% up on the previous year's December.

Christmas cards held their own like-for-like. We saw an increase in single cards and a slight decrease in packets.”

Changing buying habits: “We noticed that generally, our customers bought their Christmas cards later than usual, with sales down slightly in October and November, catching up nicely in December.”

Star performers: “We refreshed our selection for 2018 by adding a couple of fresh suppliers, but our good old favourites like Woodmansterne, Caroline Gardner and Five Dollar Shake were as popular as ever.”

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S FEBRUARY 2019 NEC BIRMINGHAM 3R26 (HALL 3-3A)

W W W. P I G M E N T P R O D U C T I O N S . C O M F O R S A L E S I N F O C O N TA C T 0 1 4 2 3 5 2 0 0 9 8

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VIEWPOINTS Mark Janson-Smith, managing director of Postmark, group of five shops in London: Overall verdict: “Really good.”

Left: Postmark’s Balham shop in festive mode.

How did you fare?: “We ended up around 2% up on the previous year which isn't ground breaking but we were more than happy with this performance in today's climate. We could have probably fared even better as we were extremely low on stock in the last few days.”

Changing buying patterns: “We sold 361 more Christmas packs than the previous year, while we sold 24 more single cards. That said, we could however have sold a lot more in some stores as on the 23rd and 24th December we just had a few rows left.

Rollwrap got off to a strong start, but they slowed and we ended up selling less than the previous year.”

Star performers: “The stand out cards for Christmas 2018 were Rosie Made a Thing’s funny cards which we re-ordered two or three times and just couldn't keep them on the shelves for more than a few days.”

Louise Prydderch, owner of Forget Me Not and Lulu in Stubbington: Overall verdict: “Christmas was OK.”

Below: It was very Christmassy at Forget Me Not.

How did you fare?: “We were up in the 12 weeks overall by 3%. We found that the spend on Christmas products was up in October and November but everyday purchases were slightly down. But in December we were surprised to find that both Forget Me Not and Lulu Loves’ trading was up by 7% up across the card, gift and interiors sectors.”

Changing buying habits: “We started the season earlier and had to bring our Christmas layout forward by two weeks due to customer demand.”

Mitigating circumstances: “We were surprised to hit our targets as we have recently removed Yankee Candle from the store due to large volumes being stolen from in-store, heavily affecting our margin.”

Star performers: “Great British Card Company’s boxed card selection and children’s name card spinner; Jonny Javelin’s single relations cards; Simon Elvin’s personalised town name cards and UKG’s singles.”

Jo Sorrell, owner of Cardies in Stevenage:

Below: Cardies good Christmas has made for a happy new year!

Overall verdict: “Christmas was good!”

Sally Matson, Red Card in Petworth: Overall Verdict: “Much better than expected given the doom and gloom in the press.”

How did you fare?: “We had our best December ever, with our sales up overall by 5%.

Our card trade was terrific. I really think that our customers appreciated that we had a selection of cards that were not available everywhere.”

Changing Buying Habits: “We made notes throughout December and these show that there was a greater demand for charity Christmas card packs with a religious theme.

The buying spree definitely started later than usual and we had a huge run of very big days from December 16.”

Mitigating circumstances: “The weather wasn’t great in December and I do think this did negatively affect trade.

Our late night Christmas shopping event for Petworth is held on the first Saturday in December, which fell on the 1st in 2018. This kick-started our December with a huge day.

We also did two Christmas fairs which we have never done before and that also boosted our December figures.”

Star performers: “We sold more single Christmas cards than ever before, both relations and general. Belly Button, Dandelion, Five Dollar Shake, Forever Cards, Lola, Red Turtle Cards and Stephanie Davies were some of our key sellers.”

Below: Red Card had a colourful Christmas.

How did you fare?: “We ended on par with the previous year.”

Mitigating circumstances: “Our Christmas bauble initiative, which involved asking people to tie an unwanted bauble onto the railings in the old town, worked a treat in getting people into the festive spirit.”

Changing buying habits: “November was fairly slow, but the minute we hit the 1st December the mayhem started!

We still sell boxes of Christmas cards but many people buy these in the supermarkets now.

We saw an increase in demand for more specific captions such as ‘Son and Partner’ and ‘Son and Girlfriend’. This is where the independent can excel, both at Christmas as well as throughout the year.”

PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE

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SPRING FAIR 2019 HALL 3 STAND 3U10

Come join us at our gin bar!

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PG Retail Barometer

Strictly Come Retailing So how will 2018 be remembered in the UK’s history books?

There was the Beast from the East, which created Christmas card perfect snowy scenes, but was massively disruptive to business. However this was trumped by another ‘B word’ with the grey cloud of Brexit omnipresent, resulting in consumer and commercial uncertainty.

Sure there was some sunshine – a long hot summer, the fairytale Royal wedding of Harry and Meghan, Gareth Southgate raising spirits through England’s World Cup performance, while Strictly Come Dancing added some special sparkle as Stacey Dooley danced her way into the nation’s hearts and souls.

PG spins the ‘glitter ball’ on how 2018 stacked up for indies by revealing the findings of the PG Retail Barometer, the only annual survey into the health and wealth of the independent card retailer.

How’s Business Been?

The PG Retail Barometer is an annual survey of independent greeting card retailers. In a change from previous years, this latest survey includes both independent retailers who are Cardgains members (accounting for 1,000 rooftops) as well as those who are not a member of the buying group. All surveys were completed by December 10.

Average Spend Per Customer

2% 6% 19%

41%

32%

Business boons With over a third (37%) of Barometer respondents revealing that business had improved for them over the previous year, and 46% managed to up the average spend, 2018 was far from terrible for the indies.

As the Barometer’s league of business boons signifies, it was those who invested in the fabric of their stores, were able to rely on a motivated staff posse, had the courage to curate a fresh product mix to attract new customers and spread the love on social media that fared well.

What main factor(s) had a positive effect on your business in the last year?

32%

(Previous year’s position in brackets)

37%

1st 2nd 2nd 3rd 4th 5th 6th 7th 8th 9th 10th

31%

Shop improvements (2nd) Staff (4th) Expansion of gifts/non-card products (5th) New customers (7th) Social media (2nd) Promotional activity (1st) Service from suppliers (8th) Increasing prices (-) Website (9th) Local competition closing down (6th) Winning an award (10th)

How has your business fared over the last year?

PG looks back at the last eight year’s of PG/Cardgains Retail Barometer data.

2018 v 2017 Better 37% Same 31% Worse 32%

2017 v 2016 Better 38% Same 27% Worse 35%

2016 v 2015 Better 30% Same 38% Worse 32%

2015 v 2014 Better 52% Same 44% Worse 4%

2014 v 2013 Better 48% Same 32% Worse 20%

2013 v 2012 Better 27% Same 43% Worse 30%

2012 v 2011 Better 38% Same 35% Worse 27%

2011 v 2010 Better 29% Same 28% Worse 43%

PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE

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PG Retail Barometer

The big downers The uncertainty over Brexit, a general drop in high street footfall, competition from multiples (notably value players and supermarkets) as well as perennial bugbears of parking, business rates and Minimum Wage all made it into the premier league of factors that had a negative effect on an indie’s business last year.

What main factor(s) have had a detrimental effect on your business this year?

(Previous year’s position in brackets)

1st

The UK retail economy (1st)

This year it was social media action that came out tops, beating loyalty-building initiatives into second place as the top mechanism for promotion in the last year, though many of the loyalty schemes worked in tandem with social media activity to communicate with customers in the last year.

Top Ten Promotional Mechanisms Over The Last Year (Previous year’s positions shown in brackets) 1st

Social media (2nd)

2nd Loyalty cards/loyalty initiatives (1st) 3rd

In-store ‘money off’/discount promotions (3rd)

2nd Expansion of cards in supermarkets (2nd)

4th

Customer events and competitions (5th)

3rd

Competition from multiples (8th)

5th

Free gift promotions (9th)

4th

Parking issues (5th)

6th

Leaflets (10th)

5th

Expansion of value/discount retailers (7th)

7th

(joint) Charity fundraising (4th)

6th

Brexit decision (3rd)

7th

(joint) Press advertising (6th)

6th

Business rates (6th)

7th

Online activity (4th)

7th 8th

(joint) BOGOF (or similar) (8th) (joint) Gift voucher scheme (joint 7th)

8th 9th

Minimum Wage (6th) Charity shops selling greeting cards (9th)

9th

Collaboration with other businesses (joint 7th)

10th Rent review (-)

10th Radio advertising (-)

What local organisations was your business involved with in the last year?

Naked thoughts!

With the environment high on the agenda for so many, not surprisingly this has been embraced by independent card retailers too, especially as 61% of indies feels the eco-concerns had an impact on card buying in 2018.

Almost 40% will definitely be looking to make changes to their card stocking on environmental grounds, while another 33% are sitting on the fence. Of these, over half (53%) will be seriously considering reducing or removing cellowrapped cards while almost a third (31%) will be looking to reduce the number of cards that feature flitter and 56% are anticipating increasing the amount of compostable-bagged cards.

To what extent do you think environmental concerns have impacted on card buying over the last year?

8%

1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th

Charities Town centre retailing group Schools Chamber of Commerce Federation of Small Businesses

Threats and opportunities When it comes to threats to an indie’s greeting card business, continuing a pattern of the last few years’ findings, it is supermarkets that top the poll, due to their enviable footfall, invariably free parking as well as improvements in their greeting card selection and display.

Card Factory is still seen as a threat by 48% of independent card retailers, but it is almost as though indies have become more confident in the co-existence with the UK’s largest card retailer, with almost half (49%) now feeling neutral about the value card multiple.

Moonpig (and other print-on-demand operators) are viewed by 32% of indies as a threat to their business, 9% more than Paperchase.

How do you view the supermarkets’ expansion on the greeting card front?

39%

20%

53% 28%

Going For Promotion Indies certainly flexed their marketing mettle last year. Almost three quarters (74%) of respondents embraced some kind of promotional activity, many experimenting with a number of different marketing mechanisms.

52%

Left: Julia Keeling, owner of Wishes of Cudworth, initiated a Bunny Trail which was a huge hit with the local community.

Continued on page 47

PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE

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Feb Issue PG Christmas Full Page.pdf

1

10/01/2019

20:45

2019

from Jonny Javelin

Velvet Greetings is one of our four Christmas ranges for 2019.

The same fantastic formula, but with dozens of magical new images across 136 titles.

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Tel: 01423 563740 046_PG_February 2019.indd 1

info@jonnyjavelin.co.uk

Mistletoe Berries - 55 titles

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PG Retail Barometer

How do you currently view Card Factory?

Independent card retailers are full of gusto about the coming year, with 46% aiming to grow their business this year - though most of these (39%) are realistic that this growth will not be significant.

On the downside, a third (33%) are bracing themselves for a drop in business this coming year - though only 3% expecting a ‘major decline’.

However, looking further ahead to the next 10 years, while 28% of respondents feel positive about the role of the independent card retailer, disturbingly more (32%) hold the view that the future of the independent card shop is weak or very weak.

3%

11%

49%

Business predictions for 2019

37%

Expectations for your business for 2019?

3% 7%

How do you view Moonpig, Funky Pigeon, Thortful and other print-on-demand operators?

28% 39%

7% 23%

25%

68%

How do you view the future of the independent card shop in the next 10 years?

0% 28% 41% 28% 3%

Very Positive Positive Neutral Weak Very Weak

Below: Retailers feel it's important to visit trade shows to source new product.

How do you currently view Paperchase?

8% 15% 72% 5%

Sourcing matters

Serious Threat Threat Neutral Bonus

How do you currently view Clintons?

3% 18% 74% 5%

Serious Threat Threat Neutral Bonus

In a word When asked what word they felt best describes the UK greeting card industry today, ‘tough’ was the most popular descriptor selected by indies.

The top five POSITIVE descriptors Buoyant, Creative, Innovative, Resilient, Stimulating The top five NEUTRAL descriptors Challenging, Competitive, Problematic, Steady, Tough The top five NEGATIVE descriptors Declining, Difficult, Lethargic, Slowing, Stagnant Left: ‘Tough’ was the word that summed up 2018 for most retailers.

Keep it real seems to be the message from indies as far as sourcing is concerned. Underlining the importance of relationships with agents and reps, indies still rely greatly on these industry sales people as an invaluable source of information on products for their shops, while exhibitions also polled highly.

Aware of the need to offer an ever fresh product selection to customers, some 26% are looking to increase their number of suppliers this year.

Meanwhile, publishers looking to save money by not producing catalogues or marketing material do so at their peril, as 95% of respondents see these marketing tools as ‘very important’ or ‘important’.

There is a notable upturn in interest from indies considering moving to be supplied via brokerage, with 13% giving it the thumbs up as an option and other 28% saying they would consider it. In last year’s Barometer, only 4% said they would consider it and another 13% were undecided.

The issue of geographical exclusivity of supply continues to divide opinion, while 43% still see it as an issue, even more than the previous year (the remaining 57%) say they do not see it as an issue.

Continued on page 49

PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE

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How do you view seeing catalogues and actual card samples?

5%

charts for indies as being the card category that showed the largest growth over the last year compared to the year previous.

Jumping up four slots over the previous year, putting it into second position as the card category that saw the greatest growth, was Christmas singles.

Which card categories have you seen sales grow in your shop(s) in the last year?

(Previous year’s position shown in brackets)

1st 39%

56%

How Do You Source Products?

1st

From agents and reps

2nd From exhibitions 3rd

From Progressive Greetings

4th

Looking in other shops

Humour (1st)

2nd Christmas card singles (joint 6th) 3rd

Handmade or Hand-Finished (joint 6th)

4th

Relations and occasions (2nd)

5th

Traditional words & sentiment (5th)

6th

Easter (3rd)

6th

Mother’s Day (-)

7th

Contemporary words and sentiment (joint 8th)

8th

Trend, fun or graphic (-)

8th 9th 10th 10th

Art (-) Male (4th) Photographic (-) Cute (-)

5th From the internet 6th

Cards sent by friends

7th

(joint) Word of mouth

7th 8th

(joint) From the Cardgains rep/newsletter Feedback from customers

9th

From publishers’ websites

10th Cardgains’ website

Dipping in There was some love lost for Valentine’s Day in 2018 as this once again topped the list as card categories that suffered a dip, with cute being something on a downer along with Christmas boxes.

Which card categories have you seen sales decline in your shop(s) in the last year?

1st

Valentine’s Day (1st)

As far as the number of suppliers from whom you order, do you expect to…

2nd Cute (4th) 3rd

Christmas card boxes (5th)

26% Increase the number 66% Remain about the same 8% Decrease the number

3rd

Father’s Day (2nd)

4th

Licensed (6th)

5th

Mother’s Day (7th)

6th

Easter (3rd)

7th 7th 8th 9th 10th

Children’s (8th) Art (9th) Photographic (-) Traditional words and sentiments (8th) Handmade or Hand-Finished (10th)

How have service levels from suppliers been over the last year?

3% 27% 57% 11% 2%

Improved Significantly Improved Slightly Remained The Same Decreased Slightly Decreased Significantly

If you place orders online, what percentage?

48% 18% 22% 12%

Under 10% Around 25% Around 50% 75% And Above

Do you see your online ordering as likely to increase in the coming year?

43% Increase 55% Remain The Same 2% Decrease

Top performers It is a long held view that humour tends to flourish in the face of adversity and this is reflected once again in the Barometer findings, with humorous cards topping the greeting card

Into which product areas would you like to further diversify?

1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th 6th 6th 7th 8th 8th 8th 9th 9th 9th 10th 10th

Gifts (2nd) Stationery (1st) Eco-goods (-) Balloons and partyware (5th) Impulse items (5th) Jewellery (5th) Chocolates/confectionery (4th) Handbags (-) Home accessories (7th) Fashion accessories (5th) Crafting products (7th) Gardening products (-) Children’s non-toy products (7th) Calendars (7th) Giftwrappings (4th) Fashion (-)

Above: Beautiful design-led giftwrap from Kinshipped.

Left: Humour cards topped the table of the category showing most growth - A card from Objectables.

PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE

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Retailer Focus

All

Mapped

Right: The acquisition of the Cardland stores in Northern Ireland (which are in the process of being rebranded, as this one in Cookstown has been) has highlighted a major opportunity for the group.

Below: Cardzone’s managing director Paul Taylor (right) with son James, trading director of the retail group.

Below middle: Cardzone’s Didcot store, one of what is likely to be 150 stores in the group by the end of 2019.

Bottom left: The new upmarket retail concept, Paper Kisses was spearheaded by David Robertson, and has been introduced into four stores, including this one in Broughty Ferry.

Bottom right: The Cardzone directors, senior managers and area managers met for a two day think tank conference to talk about future plans recently.

Out

James Taylor, trading director of Cardzone, already knows what to give his father Paul Taylor, the md and founder of the specialist card retail group, for his birthday - a new wall map.

The last one he bought, four birthdays ago, didn’t include Scotland or Northern Ireland, both of which have been areas of growth for the group and, as there are now 130 stores in the estate with aspirations for another 20 by the end of the year, James had better buy a big box of marker pins too.

PG pinned down the dynamic father and son duo to hear more about how greeting cards are very much the beating heart of the business’ future plans. year ago, Paul Taylor went public about his plans for Cardzone: “I want to double our business over the next three years,” he boldly stated, setting his sites on trading from 300 shops by the end of 2020.

The ensuing period, despite it being one of the most challenging in retailing history, has seen Cardzone move assuredly towards this goal. It has swelled its store portfolio to 129 shops; secured some savvy acquisitions; made its presence felt in Northern Ireland; revealed a brand new upmarket retail concept in Paper

A

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Kisses; forged a new business supply partnership with Hallmark in 60 stores (with a roll out continuing in March which will see 50% of its relations and occasions cards being from Hallmark) and was even feted in the Sunday Times Profit Track as one of the 100 most profitable growing independently owned businesses in the UK. Having totted up the numbers for its Christmas trading, with single Christmas card sales up 2% and boxed cards showing an even greater growth, Paul is buoyant about the future, not just for Cardzone, but for greeting card sending generally.

“What is great is how well sales of greeting cards generally have held up. It is a sound measure of how resilient card sending is in the UK when we and other retailers

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Retailer Focus

experienced a growth in Christmas card sales, especially at a time when high street footfall was down some 7.5%,” Paul points out.

Rather than lamenting the ‘good old times’ drawn from his many years in the industry (both on the publishing and retailing sides), Paul is realistic that this is the “new norm”. As he points out: “Every year, the supermarkets get stronger – and their footfall holds up. Years ago they didn’t really sell cards and the selection they used to have was not very good. Now it is vastly improved, but that keeps us on our toes.”

Paul has a strapping reminder not to over indulge any nostalgic pangs in the form of his 25-year-old son James, who is trading director, having joined Cardzone three years ago. In addition to being responsible for some

stores, he also heads up the marketing and the gift buying, working closely with the rest of the team, notably Jo Hancock, the retailer’s stalwart operations director.

However, the ‘modern world’ is proving a good match for Cardzone as the last 12 months has seen its store portfolio grow by 20 stores, but more significant has been the shape of this expansion.

Plucky Scottish indie retailer, David Robertson came into the fold as a part-time business development director for Cardzone at the start of last year to not only be the eyes and ears of any opportunities in Scotland, but also to spearhead the development of an upmarket retail concept, under the Paper Kisses brand.

The two came together as, following Cardzone’s acquisition of the Card & Gift/Something Special mini-group, the new Paper Kisses look debuted in the Broughty

Ferry store in the middle of the year and has been adopted in another three.

While adding a very attractive new string to its bow, Cardzone’s ventures over Hadrian’s Wall have been trumped by its activities in Northern Ireland and the growth potential it has highlighted. The acquisition of nine former Cardland stores last September not only bolstered the company’s presence there (taking it to 14 stores), but with former owners Allan and Elaine Mackinnon remaining with the group to manage all Cardzone’s stores in Northern Ireland, the building blocks are in place for expansion.

“We have been so delighted by the performance of the stores in Northern Ireland, helped immeasurably by having Allan and Elaine on board,” commented James. It has given the team a taste for more. “We would really like to be trading from 20 stores in Northern Ireland, and whereas elsewhere, where we would rather acquire a strong independent, we would consider organic growth by opening brand new shops, such are the opportunities.”

As James adds, “The geography of Northern Ireland helps too. Whereas it can take us four hours to travel from one of our Scottish stores to another, in Northern Ireland you can get to most places within an hour.”

What has been a very pleasant surprise is the voracious appetite the Northern Irish have for greeting cards. “We are now looking to put in more card racks and further expanding our card selection as we believe the demand is really there,” reveals Paul.

In fact, the experience in Ireland is likely to spill over into some of Cardzone’s other stores. “Greeting cards are our bread and butter, it’s what we know best and what we are most passionate about. This is the time to get back to basics,” he assures.

Aside from the Paper Kisses concept, which has seen the introduction of more

specialist publishers into the mix, Paul recognises that the vast majority of Cardzone customers are fairly traditional in their greeting card selection.

“It is a case of ‘if it ain’t broke’ don’t fix it.

The Paper Kisses product selection will work in some locations, but not in others, it is a case of knowing your customer base,” Paul says.

Where there will be some ‘fixing’ however will be on sprucing up some of its stores and a re-jigging of its branding in some locations. For example, in tandem with the roll out of the Hallmark-dominated relations and occasions displays in some 60 locations, some stores will convert to Hallmark signage, with a ‘gold standard’ revamp anticipated for its Stourbridge store shortly, and another is destined to debut in Belfast.

Above: Fresh Cardzone branding on its Inverurie shop in Scotland.

Left: Having bought 14 from Hallmark, the Cardzone group now has 19 factory outlet stores and aspires to open a few more.

Below: Inside the group’s flagship East Midlands store.

However, while Paul has long recognised the merit in utilising brands where they resonate with the consumer (and in the case of its factory outlet Hallmark sites, with landlords too) he heads up a staunchly independent business. And it is through independent card retailers electing to sell their stores to Cardzone that is the most likely growth path for the expanding group.

“Good independents are and have been the lifeblood of the card world, but we understand that many are now looking for a way out due to the rising costs and increasingly tough trading times,” Paul said.

“We will offer a fair deal, a good price will be paid, existing staff can retain their jobs and the current owners can stay on too if that is what they want,” he added.

With their sights set on opening another 20 stores this year, this will take Cardzone half way to its goal of 300 stores.

And if James sorts out that new map, Cardzone’s ‘big picture’ will also acknowledge Northern Ireland’s and Scotland’s part in this!

PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE

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ArtPress are proud to be launching over 200 fabulous new cards, featuring both our most popular artists alongside a host of exciting new designers.

H

Hall 3 Stand N19, 3-7th February 2019 www.art-press.co.uk

Š Anna Coroneo 052_PG_February 2019.indd 1

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Design Trends

s m a e Dr

Who doesn't get shivers of joy when they hear Judy Garland (and singers in her wake) serenade Somewhere Over The Rainbow? A melancholy melody about dreams, clear skies and bluebirds, the rainbow is a bridge to a land where troubles are far away.

And this seems to be the symbolic essence of the rainbow trend that has been voyaging onto card designs - escaping to a trouble free dreamscape of love, hope and inclusivity.

A technicolour tide of card publishers share their thoughts on the bright and happy rainbow icon.

The sighting of a rainbow has long been a symbol of hope. Not only, as the story goes, is there a pot of gold and a lucky leprechaun at the end signifying prosperity and good fortune, but the narrative of this natural wonder stretches its colourful symbolism from the Biblical flood of Noah and the Ark - representing new beginnings and God’s promise to never destroy the earth again – to the current cultural zeitgeist of pushing for diversity and inclusiveness.

“Rainbows symbolise many things, including hope, luck, promise and fresh new beginnings, and then of course there’s that pot of gold at the end of them all! They are so beautifully colourful and seemingly magical in their appearance, inspiring a feeling of awe and wonder whenever we

Above left: Pigment has quite a few rainbows on its Happy News by Emily Coxhead designs.

Left: Rachel Ellen has an abundance of rainbow designs.

Bottom left: Five Dollar Shake has newly launched some stunning gift-packaging featuring rainbows.

Below: Sending a smile from Riffle Paper.

catch sight of them, transporting us to another world. This is particularly apt right now in this era of uncertainty and negative news - we all need to escape a little I think!” affirms Rachel Church, designer and co-owner of Rachel Ellen Designs.

This symbol of troubles will pass and of new beginnings is embodied in the meteoric process of the reflection, refraction and dispersion of light in water droplets resulting in a spectrum of light appearing in the sky.

There is no doubt a rainbow appearing has an optimistic and positive affect. Everyone, no matter how many times they've seen this colourful arc, marvels at this natural spectacle.

“Whenever a rainbow is spotted from our top floor offices we all crowd around

and take pictures, it’s such an exciting thing! The idea of a rainbow arriving after the rain is such a joyful, uplifting event!” says Wendy JonesBlackett, designer for the eponymous company.”

Paperlink’s head of art and production Emma Young agrees: “Rainbows remind us of the breathtaking beauty of nature in a world increasingly taken over by technology. We all have a need to believe that magic happens and whenever a rainbow appears, it feels like it really just might. After all, somewhere over the rainbow, dreams come true!”

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Design Trends

It’s fascinating how the western world with its diminution in religious views still looks to the sky in awe at a rainbow; that we still like to believe in the mythology of gold pots and leprechauns.

But prisms of light and colour have a magical, spiritual and unexpected quality: The order of the rainbow colours are the same as Chakras and the colour wheel, while spiritualists accept the idea of rainbow children, spiritual beings sent to help heal the earth and humanity.

Nicole Pearson, product manager for Hallmark Cards, explains that a rainbow child or baby can also mean “a child who is born to a mother who has previously lost a child to miscarriage, still birth or neonatal death.

Rainbows symbolise hope and comfort, the symbol in this instance acknowledges both the baby that passed away and the new born baby”, adding, “Our wonderful creative and product team created the perfect card

and sentiment to sum up the brightening of the sky after the storm of grief from the death of a baby during pregnancy.”

Then, of course, the Pride rainbow flag, created by American artist Gilbert Baker in 1978, flies the joyous colours of identity, solidarity, inclusiveness and diversity for the LGBTQ community: “It has come to represent in recent year’s gay pride, equal opportunities, understanding and acceptance,” says Dominic Early of Earlybird.

And the unicorn has also been an emblem for the gay population in the last century, connected with LGBTQ because it’s a gender fluid animal, and therefore 54

PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE

Top left: Polaroid pride on a Pickmotion design.

Top right: Bursts of colour on a Paper Salad card.

Above left: A beautiful Lacie design from Paperlink.

Right: Strong female symbolism on a Noi design.

Below left: Full of good wishes, a Raspberry Blossom rainbow design.

Below right: Follow your dreams with a Louise Mulgrew design.

Below: Wendy Jones Blackett’s newest rainbow design launched recently.

other cultural spotlights on inclusiveness and diversity.

“Because the Pride flag is a rainbow, rainbows have also come to represent diversity and love for all, in the face of the current threat of hate crimes,” states Paperlink’s Emma Young.

However, it’s not just the multifarious symbolism that the rainbow insignia incites, the multi-coloured and vibrant stripes also pack a powerful design punch.

“In a world which seems to constantly ‘grey’, rainbows inject vibrancy into people’s lives and due to their positive association, will always draw a smile,” says Mark Green, sales and marketing director for Raspberry Blossom, adding, “The rainbow card we produce in our ‘Pop!’ collection includes the sentiment ‘You make the world more colourful’. We developed that card to allow people to recognise those individuals who brighten up our lives in a positive way.

With their naturally bright colours, we believe that a rainbow epitomises positivity, so it is perfect to convey that uplifting message.”

associated with issues of community and inclusivity. Rainbows and unicorns are intrinsically linked, so with surge of the mythological movement of the sparkling unicorn, it’s no surprise that the colourful rainbow trend trotted on closely behind, symbolically reinforcing the current zeitgeist of inclusivity and diversity that embraced the celebrations last year of the centenary of votes for women and a beautiful film about a mute girl falling in love with a merman, The Shape Of Water - among many

Karen Wilson, co-director of Paper Salad, also believes the rainbow has become a popular icon because everyone loves a burst of colour to brighten up a dull day. “We also think the rainbow is a lovely reminder that dreams come true, so we designed some cards with the message ‘Follow the Rainbow’, but they also fit perfectly for birthday wishes too. We love rainbows so much that we made colourful envelopes with them on, in the hope that it brings instant happiness when it’s posted through the letterbox.”

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Design Trends Far left: The LGBTQ flag on a Lagom design.

Middle left: Rainbow cake from Cath Tate.

Left: Rainbow coloured cupcakes on an Icon card.

Below: Paperchase has a vibrant offering of gift, card and stationery featuring the rainbow icon.

Publisher Hotchpotch self-confesses to having a neon and bright colours obsession, and that the rainbow icon fitted perfectly within its designs. “We love rainbows, they appeal to all ages and symbolise so much too. We have designed two rainbow cards after spotting this super-fun trend - one in our neon collection Lemonade and one in our Miami Vibes collection, which includes a rainbow as an iron-on patch!

We have a brand new rainbow flat wrap as well, which we launched in January, and it certainly brightens up a gloomy day!” says Anna Price, head of design for Hotchpotch.

Kate Jamieson, creative editor for Icon believes the rainbow is probably one of the most eyecatching and playful icons in design. It is one of the perennial favourite design elements used by children from the moment they get their hands on a set of colouring tools.

As a graphic, it's friendly, fun, cheerful and easy to use: “The rainbow, by its very nature evokes positive vibes of happiness and storm-weathering, which is the perfect metaphor for the sentiment required for a greeting card. Factor in the bright, childfriendly, playful design of the rainbow icon in illustration, then add in the LGBT element of the symbol, and thus rainbow becomes the ultimate triple threat of a design icon.”

And Louise Mulgrew, founder of Louise Mulgrew Designs agrees: “I think the rainbow icon is so recognisable, it takes you right back to your childhood where a rainbow was one of the first icons you learnt

to paint or draw, and it’s just a really beautiful collection of colours. They're magical and uplifting and stand out because they’re so bright. I love using them for my card designs as I use a lot of white space and they’re a perfect contrast.”

From our early days the rainbow is an image that children see and draw all over the world and as such has become a universally understood icon, one of a childlike sense of innocence, brightness and joy.

Above: A Rainbow Baby card from Hallmark - a rainbow baby is when a child is born to a mother who has previously lost a child to miscarriage, still birth or neonatal death.

Left: Hotchpotch’s Miami Vibes includes a rainbow iron-on patch.

Below: Could you get more rainbow?! A fabulous wrap from Earlybird.

“Rainbows are a designer’s dream; powerful colour, symbolism and instant positive emotions all rolled into one before you have even added any words,” explains Paperlink’s Emma Young. “Rainbows are nostalgic; we remember the delight of seeing one as a child and are then able to reconnect with that pure, simple wonder. A rainbow can act as a visual reminder to stay in touch with what really matters. To enjoy the moment, to feel the love, to embrace joy and fun.”

The collective and wide-spread nature of the rainbow motif also makes it versatile for many different card sending occasions.

“The reason we started using the rainbow on cards is firstly the range of colours involved but also the simplicity of the image.

We started off with thank you cards but now we have birthday, baby, gay wedding, and most recently wrapping paper. The rainbow motif covers so many occasions,” notes Earlybird’s Dominic Early.

Wendy Jones-Blackett is also an enthusiast of the adaptable rainbow on card designs: “We have used them on birthday cards, Mother’s Day cards, Get Well Soon and Thinking of You designs. I have played with the colours on this year’s birthday designs, rather than staying within the spectrum, to give a softer pastel look and the shape is a stylised version of the rainbow’s perfect arc.”

And, as Wendy reflects on the positive power of the amazing technicolour symbol of hope, dreams and love, she sums up: “We all need more rainbows in our lives!”

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In Conversation With...

Having Lots Of

Laughs There is no doubting that Jackie Collins, owner and md of Cherry Orchard is deadly serious about her business, but she’s had a right laugh recently.

Well-respected for its sentiment and traditional ranges, the last year has seen the Tewksbury-based publisher really go for it on the humour front, launching three different collections, each with their own interesting back story.

PG caught up with the lovely Jackie to hear about how a wander down an aisle at last year’s Spring Fair was the catalyst for the publisher’s funny turn.

Cherry Orchard is well-known for springing surprises, not just on the market, but on its own salesteam too, who never know what to expect to be revealed at the company’s sales meeting. If its launch of Kaleidoscope, a collection of value cards five years ago set the pace - “it put us on the map”, believes Jackie Collins md - then its subsequent brands have kept it firmly on there. The Scent With Love range of scented cards, put together with expert help from perfumiers and specialist printers, was the talk of the show at PG Live in 2017, while of course its take on year/age cards in its Down Memory Lane range was not only a big hit when it launched, but has remained a must have for many retailers.

However, as Jackie recognises, “Last year was the big one for us” as it marked

Cherry Orchard’s foray into humour, and not just by launching one ‘testing the water’ range, but with a triumvirate of brands.

“I have been itching to get into humorous cards for some time, but was well aware that this was not an area you could just dabble in; you have to go for it,” says Jackie. “Glad to say we surprised our salesteam once again, but as the subsequent sales have proved, it was a nice surprise!”

The catalyst to the diversification into humour was spotting Wot a Mug’s tiny stand at last year’s Spring Fair, when Jackie Top: One of the Wot a Mug card designs that resonates with many women!

Above middle: Cherry Orchard is happy wearing ‘different hats’.

(Right-left) Jackie Collins, creative director Bev Fisher, Jeff Williams (owner of Alpha Colour printers) and accountant Oliver O’Kane at The Henries, where the publisher was in the finals for the Best Service award.

Above: Cherry Orchard is now offering 28 Wot a Mug mug designs.

Left: Jackie Collins’ walking has included undertaking challenges for the Wellchild charity with creative director Bev Fisher (3rd right).

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chanced to go walkabout down an aisle with the company’s sales director Fi Douglass.

They stopped to chat to Rebecca Exton-Russell, the founder of Wot a Mug, who having launched her contemporary humour hand-painted mug collection at Harrogate Home & Gift the previous July had just translated some of the designs onto cards.

“I was approached by Jackie and Fi asking me if I was interested in licensing my cards. It was a tough decision as the cards were only two days old!” recalls Rebecca.

A few months later, having sealed the deal, Cherry Orchard launched the Wot a Mug card range at PG Live last June to great aplomb and this has also led to Cherry Orchard expanding its commitment to Wot a Mug to include a mug collection too, which debuts at this year’s Spring Fair!

It was another walk, this time at PG Live, that has also led to a collaboration with a newbie humorous publisher. As Jackie explains, “I was on my way to the lunchroom at PG Live, walking along the Springboard area on the Gallery level, when I was drawn to the Lucy Likes stand. I immediately liked Lucy’s [Bachmann] fresh contemporary style that fitted in with the ‘Insta-worthy’ world of

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In Conversation With... Cherry Orchard

people sharing and tagging friends in jokes or messages that I was looking for.”

For Lucy Bachmann, the creator of Lucy Likes, it could not have worked out better that Jackie postponed her lunch to stop for a chat and later came back with Fi, after all it is not every day that someone launches their business one day and then lands a notable licensing contract the next!

(See breakout).

Jackie wasn’t walking, but sitting down looking at the company’s Facebook page when a post popped up from Gill Bayes, one half of the creative duo Reason to Send, prompting her to look at the company’s website at some of the humorous card concepts that she had created with her business partner Graham Brady.

“I knew I wanted to build a humorous card portfolio that would cater for a wide audience, the design styles would be different and the humour slightly different, but they would all relate to modernday life,” said Jackie. “As soon as I saw some of the Dirk ideas on the Reason to Send site, I knew we were onto something.”

Unlike Rebecca (Wot a Mug) and Lucy (Lucy Likes), Gill and Graham are not new to the industry (Graham has been involved with developing card ranges for almost 30 years), but they were immediately delighted to have the opportunity of working with Cherry Orchard.

Filling in the gaps, Gill explains, “When I retired early from teaching, I was looking for a new creative challenge. I had known Graham for a long time, and sharing the same sense of humour we decided to join

Lucy certainly does like

Up close and personal

Jackie Collins, co-founder and md of Cherry Orchard reveals a bit more about herself: l What are your guilty pleasures?: “Revels, Quavers and Readers Digest… I still have a subscription to the latter.” l What words of wisdom would you share?: “It was something I remember Noel Edmonds saying - fact, knowledge, opinion and don’t judge.”

Above: Jackie Collins’ dog Woody l Who would be your dream dinner party guests?: that comes to the office with her.

“Bob Monkhouse, Terry Wogan and Judi Dench.” l What would get you on the dancefloor immediately?: “Anything Motown.” l What three words would your best friend use to describe you?: “Lively, loyal, determined.” l What trait do you least like in someone?: “Arrogance.” l What trait do you most like in someone?: “Modesty.” l A magic carpet awaits, where do you want to go?: “Tallinn in Estonia. I love European city breaks.” l How does your day start?: “I am always awake early and love to take my dog Woody for a walk at 6am. I love the solitude, it is great thinking time, and seeing my dog, who came from a rescue home, so happy always brings a smile to my face.”

Left: Two of the designs in Cherry Orchard’s Dirk and Shirl collection.

Below: One of the new look Down Memory Lane designs.

forces and start our own card company, Reason to Send.”

Initially the plan was for the duo to create ranges and publish, promote and get the cards into the shops, but they soon realised that the creative side was more suited to their talents. “What we needed though was somebody Below: One of the Lucy Likes designs.

Having studied design at uni and had always made cards, invitations and pictures for friends and to sell locally, Lucy Bachmann “bit the bullet and bravely signed up for PG Live 2018”, under her Lucy Likes brand. Little did she know that it was to propel her business onto another level.

Recounting the whirlwind since last June, Lucy said: “When the lovely Jackie and Fiona from Cherry Orchard came along to the stand I immediately warmed to them.

The way they work [by licensing the designs] takes all the pressure away from print costs and admin (which is definitely not my strong point) aspects most start-ups worry about.

Working with Cherry Orchard has given me the boost I needed to get going. The fact that they selected a few of the funnier, slightly inappropriate designs, which are the ones I really enjoy creating and make me giggle, was great. The arrangement with Cherry Orchard means everything to me and my business.”

with the expertise and vision to take us on board and get our card designs out there which is where by good fortune Jackie Collins and Cherry Orchard Publishing came into our story,” adds Gill.

It was Reason to Send’s Dirk concept, a male-orientated brand that centres around a likeable rogue and his life’s observations, that Jackie was immediately interested in, and set a licensing agreement in motion for Dirk to star on a Cherry Orchard range. “We all realised Dirk would benefit from a female counterpart, in fact, a sister,” said Gill, hence the conception and birth of Cherry Orchard’s new range, Dirk and Shirl.

The fact that Cherry Orchard’s move into humour has also brought benefits for the creators of the respective brands is something that Jackie really likes. “It’s rather lovely that just as we’re an important part of their journey they are an important part of ours.”

With the strengthened humour line up, the new Wot a Mug mug collection, a revamped Down Memory Lane collection, as well as a host of new everyday and Christmas designs in its main portfolio, Cherry Orchard is clearly committed to investing in its business.

To Jackie’s mind, when trading conditions are tough you have to “be bold. If you stay in the safe zone, invariably you will go backwards. It is not good for the company or your customers. We had a really good, solid 2018, but need to keep this up this year. Onwards and upwards!”

PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE

57

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Spotlight On Ladder Clubbies

Flying The Co p Following on from last month’s article, a ‘nest’ of fledgling card publishers who attended one of the two day Ladder Club seminars last November, reveal their life before cards, what they ‘pecked’ up from the flock of industry speakers at the event and their plans to flap their wings this year.

Nicola Haughan, founder of Oops a doodle:

Left: Oops a doodle’s Nicola Haughan.

Below: A typographic creation from Oops a doodle.

Before cards: “I studied graphic design at Brighton University and pursued a career in teaching after graduating. After a few years of teaching I missed being creative and working in a self-directed way, so after several years of running my Etsy shop alongside teaching, I finally made the jump into selfemployment in 2016 and started designing cards and other paper goods full-time.

I now continue to grow my card collection, still inspired by friends, which is mainly typographic and cheeky in style, and sell them from my own website, Thortful and Not On The High Street, as well as Etsy.”

Shining advice: “I found the talk from Mark Janson-Smith, the owner of Postmark, a business I really admire, useful in gaining an insight into what retailers are looking for.”

New for 2019: “I plan to broaden my range considerably in 2019 and make greeting cards even more of a focus for my business. Design wise, I will continue to develop my handlettered typographic style and plan to develop a line of age and family relations cards, as well as some more unique gifting occasions.”

Rebecca Harrison, founder of Rebecca Harrison Designs: Before cards: “I think creativity is just part of who I am, I'm always coming up with ideas and have obsessively drawn for as long as I can remember. My love of drawing buildings led me to a degree in Architecture, and subsequently a career in Architectural Visualisation.

It was last year when a friend asked me to draw a baby giraffe for her; I did so and thought it was quite cute so I posted it on Instagram. Its popularity on social media then led to an influx of requests for more animal drawings so I went with the flow and have slowly built my small business and brand into what it now is - heart-warming art that puts smiles on people’s faces.

Having grown up on a farm and now living in London, it's a really nice way for me to connect back with nature and my love of wildlife and drawing.”

Shining advice: “It was interesting to hear Mark from Postmark, who was actually my first ever retailer. I think as a creative it's not always easy to think about the more business side of things so it was good to get a buyer’s perspective in person.”

New for 2019: “I will be doing my first trade shows during 2019 so I'm super excited to see what comes from those. I'm planning on being at The British Craft Trade Fair in Harrogate in April and Progressive Greetings Live in June!”

Louise Richardson, founder of Two For Joy Illustration: Before cards: “Three years ago I worked as a seamstress for a gift manufacturing company.

I was asked if I'd like to design some cards for the new catalogue and create a little brand. I was already selfemployed with freelance design jobs so I thought I would give it a go. Having never designed a card before, the concept was very exciting. Over the course of about 18 months I created over 200 designs, including many translated into Welsh! I was lucky enough to get one of my engagement cards into Paperchase.”

Shining advice: “The Ladder Club was brilliant for me as it took everything back to basics and made sure you had all the building blocks to create a range of products that makes sense to buyers. It's easy to get ahead of yourself with designing, and planning your dream trade show stand, but the building blocks have to be there. The most useful bits for me were from Megan Purdie, founder of publisher Megan Claire, about the backs of your cards, and Jim Bullough about the building of a trade show stand - I never would have thought to measure from the top down due to wonky floors!”

New for 2019: “I have been working on refreshing all of my designs and introducing new ones since The Ladder Club, and hope to have my wholesale greeting card catalogue ready to send to buyers in spring.”

Top: Louise Richardson.

Above right: Two For Joy’s best selling Valentine’s card (Love you more than cheese).

Above: The first card Louise designed, ‘You're So Lovely’.

Above: Rebecca Harrison.

Left: A Rebecca Harrison Designs’ elegant card.

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Artistic Spotlight

Below: GBCC’s Nick Adsett in Barcelona.

Below right: The Catalan yellow ribbon icon graffitied on the steps by the Roy Lichtenstein sculpture in Barcelona.

Below right middle: GBCC’s cards are highly commercial.

Bottom: The Catalan struggle is publicised throughout Barcelona.

From museums, foreign travel and art exhibitions to original, inventive and imaginative retailers, designers and crafts people, these are just a few of the influencers that inspire greeting card industry creative directors and artistic overseers to, in turn, drive and guide their own creative teams to produce wonderful greeting card ranges.

PG delves into some of the industry’s head artistic minds to discover what creatively propels, stirs and stimulates them and which businesses they admire.

Nick Adsett, creative director for The Great British Card Company: Creative drivers: “Way back in 1985 I joined the Gordon Fraser Gallery (GFG) in London, and although the business was already in decline, it published some wonderful illustrators who became leading names in children’s books. Babette Cole, Mick Inkpen, Nick Butterworth and Anthony Browne stimulated my interest in great British illustrators, and then when Andrew Brownsword purchased GFG, I was fortunate enough to work with Deborah Jones, Kate Veale, Peter Cross, Kathryn White as well as Latip and Roger Hutchings, stellar industry names all.

Working with such talented people taught me how important great art is to greeting card creation; accordingly I’ve always preferred the approach of the entrepreneur to the big brand.

I’m constantly challenging our creative team to better their previous efforts and I rely hugely on the talent and the skill set of the people around

me. That’s also why I have a lot of love for the David Hicks [Really Good] and Simon Harrisons [Portico] of this world - creative drivers of their entrepreneurially-led businesses.

GBCC supplies a wide variety of retailers from smaller indies through to garden centres to nationals, so our product offer cannot always suit everybody - but

it is vital that it is highly commercial, carefully researched, lovingly developed and beautifully constructed. That’s the mantra that drives me.”

Inspirational event: “It sorts of reflects the theme above but a recent Barcelona weekend for a mate’s 50th reinforced the necessity to be true to your ideals and beliefs. The muchpublicised Catalan struggle for independence was evident throughout the city, with the yellow ribbon even graffitied onto the edge of steps in the harbour, adjacent to the Roy Lichtenstein Barcelona head. It’s a city proud of its heritage but contemporary and progressive.

Additionally, the fabulous work of the Greenfingers charity has struck a chord with me and will be my charity of choice to support in 2019.”

Admired enterprise: “Specialising in event production and management of brands is www.clinkclink.co.uk. I have to declare an interest here as my brother-inlaw Alex is co-partner, but I have watched this Bristol-based agency grow from a small base, taking on the big boys in London to a worldwide concern. Great name too!

Within the industry it would have to be Claire Castle [WHSmith buyer], for her meticulous approach and forensic insight.”

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Come and rearrange the candles on our display at Spring Fair to reveal the hidden words.

A glass of prosecco or a cold beer for the correct answer!

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Artistic Spotlight

Clare Twigger, head of design for Ling Design:

Top: Crafts and artisan food at Frome market draws the crowds.

Above: Ling’s head of design, Clare Twigger.

Right: Loving the outdoors, a card from Ling Design.

“I love to be around passionate and creative people so my team is a big inspiration to me.”

Creative drivers: “Being in the greeting card industry opens up the opportunity to touch so many lives, to make people smile, help make their occasion memorable and share in important life moments by creating the right card. I love to imagine where our cards might end up, the roles they play in people’s lives… and that’s a big driver for me.

I love to be around passionate and creative people so my team is a big inspiration to me. I feel really lucky to have such a talented and creative bunch to work with. We all bounce of each other in terms of energy and ideas and that helps drive me and in turn supports and motivates others around me.”

Inspirational event: “Once a month I visit my local award-winning independent street market in Frome. It showcases loads of independent crafts people, designers, makers, food producers and vintage traders and encourages the community and visitors to celebrate some of the best talent in the South-West.

The vibe is great and I love to spend time exploring all the different contemporary crafters and makers, it’s great to feel like you’ve discovered something original and unique. I especially like to add to my jewellery collection and sample the delights of barista coffee and bubble waffles!”

Admired enterprise: “So many to choose from… Anthropologie, & Other Stories, Kikki.K, Urban Outfitters. I love Airbnb as it has opened up so many experiences for myself and my family.

Each of these companies convey a clear brand vision and that’s something I admire. They are very aligned to their market and target customer, offer a diverse and curated product range and a memorable in store experience. I could name plenty more!”

Carl Pledger, art manager for Nigel Quiney:

Above: Nigel Quiney’s Carl Pledger.

Right: This Nigel Quiney design picks up on the gin trend.

Far right: Amazing energetic artwork from artist Jean-Michel Basquiat.

Creative drivers: “The demand for new card designs is relentless, so inspiration is a necessity in this industry, and I will take it from whereever I can get it! Be it from travel, architecture, galleries, album artwork, Pinterest or simply while out running, my mind will wander and I’ll think of options that hadn’t occurred before.

You must also be able to take suggestions from others, thoughts and ideas from artists, illustrators and designers is key, without their influence you’d soon dry up. They will approach with a more relevant angle and open your mind to alternative thoughts; the art of listening is a must!

My drive comes from a desire to improve; little by little and year by year, designs get better and better. By range or by individual design the aim is improvement. However good your current range is, it can always be improved, and that’s the never-ending task, it’s like painting the Severn Bridge.”

Inspirational event: “My most influential visit was about a year ago now, but still stays with me - a Jean-Michel Basquiat exhibition. Strong vibrant colours combined with graphic art with a very street feel, I loved it, however I can’t imagine any of this influence in NQP’s traditional/contemporary design offering.”

Admired enterprise: “The store I admire the most is Apple. Every thing is clean, simple and stylish, things work exactly as they should and its branding is so minimal yet so strong… what’s not to like?!”

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Artistic Spotlight

Laura Baxter, head of creative for IG Design Group: Creative drivers: “So many things! I love good styling, people with a great ‘can do’ attitude, my lovely family, travel, creative problem solving, acts of kindness, product development… the list goes on!

Before having little ones I travelled as much as possible to a variety of places far and wide. Now I live my travel dreams (for a short while!) through others on social media! I love the variety of landscapes, array of colours and diversity of style across fashion, interiors and art. I especially love Scandinavian interiors, their simplicity, lovely styling and great use of texture.

Having this constant source of inspiration keeps the design process so fresh for me. Working with lots of talented creatives on a daily basis and focusing their creative ideas into real product is so rewarding.”

Above left: IG Design Group’s Inspirational event: “I recently visited Laura Baxter.

Cardiff Metropolitan University as IG is Above: Textures, colour and style on a card from IG Design. collaborating with the third year students on a live Left: Anthropologie collaborates with designers across the globe. brief. I had the pleasure of working with lots of young talent with a wide variety of creative skills. It’s so encouraging to see such gifted, passionate designers emerging. As a graduate who was employed at Design Group over 12 years ago it excites me to be involved with the students and be a part of their journey.”

Admired enterprise: “I’ve always liked retailers that offer products where design is key and there’s an awareness of lifestyle trends. A favourite is Boden, who offers stylish fashion but pays careful attention to design detail and embellishments. I also love browsing in Anthropologie.

The store works collaboratively with designers across the globe so its ranges are very creative and unique.”

Sian Roberts, creative manager for IG Design Group:

Above: Sian Roberts, creative manager for IG Design Group.

Right: Below right: An innovative IG Design cacti card.

Below: Sian is a big fan of colourful and quirky retailer Kate Spade.

Creative drivers: “I take inspiration from absolutely everywhere! I strive to provide the best innovative and trend-led ranges and I am always excited to see what the next big thing is and make sure that we are providing the most innovative and trend led designs.

I also thrive in mentoring and coaching designers, seeing how they flourish so that they progress and develop throughout the company.”

Inspirational event: “I find New York incredibly inspirational and it is one of my favorite cities in the world. It has a smorgasbord of neighborhoods providing a vast arts and culture scene, with many vintage and boho spots.

I find NYC an incubator for innovation. There is always something new to see and do. From the NY rooftops that provide incredible views of the city to the world famous department stores and the flea and street markets, theatres and live music and innovative creative spaces, such as the High Line. I love visiting the fabulous stores that the city has to offer to view the wares of independent designers and sit at street side at bars and restaurants watching the world go by.”

Admired enterprise: “There are so many stores that I like to visit for lifestyle trends. I am a huge fan of Kate Spade and love the experience of visiting a store. I love the sophisticated look and feel and the creative marketing behind the brand.”

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Foreign Policy Reports

Global Warming It is oft said that the UK leads the world on greeting cards, but with so much changing on the global front, what does this supremacy mean if the markets they are destined for are hampered or if Brexit creates insurmountable challenges?

PG went globetrotting to ask leading overseas distributors of UK products their take on the impact of Brexit as well as how tricks are in their neck of the woods.

Switzerland

Markus Keller, managing director of CART (La Companie des Arts) which distributes The Art Group, Blue Eyed Sun, James Ellis, Laura Darrington Louise Mulgrew, Louise Tiler, Paper Salad, Rosanna Rossi and Wendy Jones-Blackett: Brexit reaction: “I think here in Switzerland we are on the lucky side of Brexit. As we are not member of the EU we have had bilateral contracts with the UK for decades and so will not be affected directly. These contracts, which concern importation and exportation laws as well as the shipment conditions, will remain unchanged.

However we have been aware that some of our suppliers are worried about the unknown future and the way they will have to deal with their overseas customers. We will be having discussions with our suppliers to get their opinions and to try to find solutions together.“ How’s business in Switzerland?: “One change for us was that at the beginning of 2018 I sold CART La Compagnie des Arts after 25 years to Simplex AG, a Swiss office supply company, but I have continued as director of the company.

We had an excellent year. Our greeting card business grew, exceeding expectation, maintaining all key accounts and even extended some existing business relationships. This growth is partly due to the great collections we carry from UK card publishers.

Also, at the start of last year we began distributing Bamboo Cups, which was enormously successful, with our sales being three times higher than initially expected.

This product line also opened doors with new customers for our greeting card ranges.

That said, the Swiss market is condensing on the publisher and distributor side, as much as it is on the retailer side.

Independent stores are disappearring, chains have become even more important and as such their demands on suppliers increase.

Our main customer, Manor, is moving to being supplied by consignment from July 2019, which is hard for us to take, because not only will we get paid later (only after the cards are bought by the consumer), but we will not be paid for stolen cards. Moreover, all suppliers will have to buy back their stock in over 65 stores.

This loss of margin means we have had to expand our own production of products we edit and print in Switzerland.

The new owner of CART is in the final throes of acquiring another distributor who carries many important British greeting card collections. Both companies will remain independent with their respective customers, sales teams, collections and distribution. In addition, we are also in the process of buying another long-established card distributor too, enabling its two owners to retire. This company will be fully integrated into CART. The collections of this company mainly come from Germany and France, although it does represent some from the UK. The addition of this company, our great new collections and excellent relationships with our customers make me feel very confident about 2019.”

Top: How is the card industry in other countries faring?

Left: Markus Keller with some of the UK cards CART distributes.

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Germany Stefan Hermann, managing director of Taurus-Kunstkarte, which distributes Belly Button, Laura Darrington and Louise Mulgrew:

Italy

Above: The ever effervescent Furio Ceciliato.

Furio Ceciliato, managing director of Origamo, which distributes Blue Eyed Sun and Alljoy. Spring Fair sees select Origamo products being launched by Blue Eyed Sun into the UK market: Brexit reaction: “Of course I am not happy about Brexit. I see all the English people as ‘European brothers’ so it is such a pity that this decision was taken. However I don’t think it will affect a lot our business from an economic point of view. Everything will be more complicated with bureaucracy, transports and documents in general, but I am sure we will overcome these difficulties with the spirit of growing together.”

How’s business in Italy?: “The Italian retail economy is very weak and in general the Italian greeting card market is very... sleepy. However, I am happy to report there something of a crazy ‘Origamo Mania’ happening in the Italian market! Our 100% handmade and Fairtrade products are having an incredible success, reflected in the company growing by 40% in 2018 (over 2017) and that’s on top of us doubling in size the year previous.

I believe the reason we are being so successful is because I had been the first one to adopt modern marketing strategies, narrating a wonderful story of ethical production, solidarity and of something that it is much more than ‘a greeting card’. Through POS material, social media etc we are conveying the product as a way to tell someone ‘you are special to me’ etc.

So we’ve been like a breath of fresh air for dusty shop owners, both in the stationery/bookshop world and gift shops.

Our predictions for 2019 are very positive. We have become an official Disney official licensee; are creating a web of European distributors and have built a new amazing brand, WLamp. These are paper lamps (that are made in Italy) that can be used as greeting cards. It is a very innovative product that will be shown at Spring Fair in February via my new exciting distribution adventure in the UK working with my friend Jeremy Corner of Blue Eyed Sun.”

New Zealand

Deirdre Robinson, director of The Image Gallery, which includes designs from over 50 different publishers within its portfolio: Brexit reaction: “New Zealand is in talks with the UK for a free-trade deal post Brexit that could push bilateral trade to higher levels than before. While Brexit may be painful in the UK, if the uncertainty around it is keeping the £pound lower that is good for us for buying more cards from you!”

How’s business in New Zealand?: “The new Labour government here caused business confidence to slump in 2018, which is now having a follow-on effect on consumer confidence. Increased prices of housing, fuel and power have left household disposable income lower than before which has been tough on the retail sector. While we continue to see the decline in independents, multiples are talking about modest rooftop growth this year which combined with early signs of confidence lifts should mean a better 2019.”

Above: Deirdre and David Robinson, the co-owners of Image Gallery.

Brexit reaction: “I cannot believe what is going on and find it hard to summarise the consequences for all of us Europeans. But I believe if there was a referendum in Germany lots of people might have voted for it too.

At this moment it seems Plan B becomes Plan A and we here at Taurus are expecting a hard Brexit. And in the best case for this ‘worst case scenario’ importing goods from the UK will involve more paperwork and longer shipments. We do not want to think beyond this right now!

However, in the interim we will fill the shelves before 29 March, close our eyes and hope for the best.”

How’s business in Germany?: “I have just returned from our first fair in Munich (January 3-5).

Although we had heavy snowfall, up to 40 cm, which resulted in many customers not making it, we are satisfied with the results so far.

My personal point of view is that we are a year behind the discussions that you have been having in the UK on the environmental front. We still sell our cards cellowrapped. Some book publishers started Stefan with to sell unwrapped books Above: an array of UK publishers’ cards last year but we do not with whom he works. expect this to become the norm for cards. We are however speaking with all suppliers in the printing chain about the newest developments on the area.

Our packaging law states that all manufacturers, sellers and importers have to declare their waste and pay a licence for the packaging material they bring into the consumer market. There is an open website (www.verpackungsregister.org) meaning everyone can check company names on this platform. If a company is not registered they are not allowed to operate. The aim is to bring more transparency and to highlight those companies that bring less waste onto the market or change to organic material or more recyclable packaging.”

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USA

Alan Harnik, president of Notes & Queries, which distributes Alljoy, Arch and Ivy, Archivist, The Art File, Belly Button, Bug Art, Caroline Gardner, Cath Tate, Dandelion Stationery, East End Prints, Laura Darrington, Ling, Little Posy, Madame Treacle, Museums and Galleries, Paper D’art, Pickmotion, Redback Cards and Santoro: Brexit reaction: “Brexit already has had an impact for us as some of our trading partners have raised their prices, either because their suppliers of raw material from countries in the EU have or they have raised prices in anticipation of price increases in 2019. To be quite honest our suppliers have worked very hard to minimise their increases to us. After so many years of working together we all understand that we are in this together. Here we have looked at our pricing to our customers and have raised a few prices.”

How’s business in the States?: “Notes and Queries had another good year in 2018, because of our sales force and the products we get from our suppliers. We added several

Australia

Mark Kagan, director of Scarpa Imports, which distributes, among others, CardMix, Caroline Gardner, Roger la Borde and Woodmansterne: Brexit reaction: “Can’t be 100% sure, but we believe there will be little or no effect on trade between the UK and Australia. In fact it might even be improved as initially there will be less bureaucracy than what the UK will experience at the commencement of the break up.

We are in constant communication with our UK suppliers and will see them in January and February 2019 at Above: Scarpa Imports’ directors Mark and Sarah Kagan (right) with the rest of the team. trade fairs. The topic will definitely come up.”

How’s business in Australia?: “We had a similar trading year in 2018 as we did in 2017. We expect 2019 to be a bigger and better year as we have made some internal changes within Australia that should affect sales within our second largest market. We do not anticipate Brexit being a drag on our performance.

We do very well with Woodmansterne and Cardmix (especially their humorous cards), also Caroline Gardner with its beautifully finished designs and Roger la Borde, which has the most amazing stationery, that supports its cards and wrap.”

Australia

Eulinid Stevenson (right), ceo of Henderson Greetings and Waterlyn, which distributes many UK publishers including Alex Clark, ArtPress, Janie Wilson, Lagom, Megan Claire, Museums & Galleries, Paper Salad, Redback Cards, Stephanie Dyment and Tache.

Above: Alan Harnik (back row, 4th left) and some of the Notes & Queries’ team.

new companies to our distribution portfolio last year - Laura Darrington, Alljoy, Pickmotion, Arch and Ivy as well as East End Prints, and they have done well for us. This year we will be adding Cath Tate and Little Posy prints to our portfolio.

Adding new trading partners and building on the success of our existing trading partners is the focus of our marketing strategy for 2019. We are doing more catalogues and email blasts to our customer base. I suspect that 2019 will be challenging and that by the year’s end we could be moving into an environment with a weak economy, perhaps even a recession (I just hate that word!).

Whatever happens we are positioning Notes and Queries to weather the storm.”

Brexit reaction: “It’s hard to pre-empt how the changing economic environment will affect our partners in the UK. We will of course continue to work closely with them during the changes and offer support where possible.

I do anticipate new publishers will enter into distribution agreements with caution but expect that the more established publishers will continue to see the export market as a smart way to increase economies gained via higher print runs while also expanding their brand exposure around the world.”

How’s business in Australia?: “Australia is currently experiencing a downturn in the residential property market, however the employment rate is strong and the consumer confidence index remained steady at the end of 2018. Our own industry remained stable throughout 2018 and saw a greater establishment of price tiering via the growth of premium and boutique ranges.

In regards to sustainability, we are not surprised to read about UK publishers and retailers removing cello bags. In Australia, where greeting cards are a destination category, the model line is most often already displayed without wrap. In other outlets however, the wrap helps to keep the envelopes merchandised neatly between less frequent visits, so we are watching this space closely and have recently launched our own range in a recyclable wrap. We’ve also become a member of the Australian Packaging Covenant (APCO) and committed to reducing the environmental impact of all of our packaging in the years ahead.

All in all, we expect 2019 to be a productive year over here Left: Designs from the publisher’s own Gratitude with a high volume of immigration resulting in an increase in range, designed by Australian artist Lisa Pollock. overall production, disposable income and retail sales.”

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MAKING A

Head Start

Right now a sixth of the population in England (aged 16-64) has a mental health issue, while even more upsetting, according to the YoungMinds charity, three children in every UK classroom have a mental health problem.

As The Light Fund, our industrywide charity, pledges £100,000 to staff up the YoungMinds Helpline, PG considers what greeting cards can do (and are doing) to help on the mental health front.

Far left: One of the winning card designs of the recent Thortful Chasing the Stigma competition.

Left: Two of the YoungMinds designs that were created by its young Activists.

After many lifetimes of being ignored, not spoken about, let alone confronted, at long last the UK is starting to get its head around mental health. Thankfully the awareness is growing, the stigma of talking about it is lessening, but the NHS is still a long way off the mark dealing with the severity and size of the problems.

Charities of course do a great deal (and publishers and retailers help to communicate their various causes through charity Christmas cards), but this is an everyday battle for millions.

While not the salvation for all, the greeting card industry should take some

comfort in the knowledge that £100,000 of the funds raised by The Light Fund, (including through the raffles at The Retas and The Henries last year) have been put to good use to help fund a helpline for YoungMinds, the UK’s leading charity in fighting for the mental health needs of children and young people.

Over the next two years this funding will provide a lifeline to many (including those

within our sector) at their wits-end of knowing what to do about a young person’s mental health issues.

A few steps away from the Helpline area in the charity’s offices in London Bridge is a pinboard, affixed to which are a fine array of greeting cards, some are handdrawn while others demonstrate nifty graphic design skills. These are the outpourings of YoungMind ‘Activists’, young people with mental health issues who are involved with the charity, sharing the kind of cards they would like to receive, but are perhaps not freely available.

‘Christmas trees come in all shapes and sizes… so do we’ was created by an Activist with an eating disorder; ‘Don’t put

A Shaw thing

It was back in 2012 that Brighton-based independent laboratory Mindlab confirmed that greeting cards really do increase a sense of well-being.

The conclusions of a research project (commissioned by Royal Mail to coincide with Mother’s Day), was shared with the world at large that year through press statements as well as radio programmes during which neuroscientist Dr Lynda Shaw helped to spread the good news.

“There are two big killers in the UK that often do not get the profile they deserve,” Dr Lynda Shaw told PG. “Isolationism and depression.” Often the two are linked and, as she succinctly pointed out, the receiving of a greeting card can alleviate both of these conditions.

“The psychology of greeting cards has a lot to do with self-esteem and self-worth.

Simply put, if you receive one, you feel better. Time is the most precious gift anyone can give. So, if someone spends time choosing, writing, then giving or posting a greeting card, the recipient knows they have been given some of the sender’s precious time,” points out Dr Shaw.

Conversely, if it is, say, someone’s birthday, and they do not receive many cards “they could feel socially excluded, which in turn, leads to anti-social behaviour which can, in some cases lead to depression.”

While Dr Shaw does not go so far as to say that an onslaught of greeting cards can cure clinical depression or any other mental health condition, in her lectures with under graduates she points to evidence which suggests that for those in a “transitional phase” heading towards depression can be helped to staved off by feeling more socially connected, with greeting cards being potent tangible proof that someone is socially engaged with them.

Above: Dr Lynda Shaw added some scientific credibility to how greeting cards can help mental well-being.

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Industry Issue

pressure on yourself because you are good enough’ by another confronting selfesteem issues, while another ‘self-care isn’t selfish’ legitimises the need to seek help to look after your mental wellbeing.

What is encouraging is that these young people recognise how greeting cards can help to reaffirm their worth, acknowledge their issues and forge important communication links, even if they are in the depths of despair.

As print-on-demand greeting card player Moonpig shared at last autumn’s GCA AGM, the searches on its site for ‘Thinking of You’, mindfulness and wellness captioned cards have gone through the roof in the last year, necessitating them now being housed in their own section on the site.

Funky Pigeon’s online portal launched its own Believe in Me collection last May whereby 30% of the profits from the cards and other products were donated to Mind.

Andy Pearce, founder of online greeting card brand Thortful is convinced that greeting cards have a positive role to play on the mental health front and is ramping up its activity with the national mental health charity, Chasing the Stigma.

Last year, Thortful issued a challenge to 17,000 leading creatives (via the One Minute Briefs channel) to come up with greeting card designs which would be appropriate for an ‘Are you OK?’ send.

A trio of designs were selected and launched on the Thortful site, with 100% of the profits from their sales being donated to the worthy cause. And this year four of the Thortful team are to undergo training to become Chasing the Stigma ambassadors

Above: One of the May The Thoughts Be With You designs.

Below left: Funky Pigeon was clad in Happy News livery recently.

Below right: Feathering Your Nest in Rayleigh, Essex dedicated a window to promoting mental wellbeing.

Bottom: A message from Emily Coxhead, creator of The Happy News.

following a whole card collection dedicated to mental wellbeing which will launch on the Thortful site as well as a Chasing the Stigma branded page.

Jake Mills, ceo of the Chasing the Stigma charity said that he really believes the launch of the card designs from Thortful (and the PR and social media traffic it attracts) plays a part in helping to remove “the stigma around mental health issues and normalising the topic.”

A growing engagement with World Mental Health Day (October 10 every year) and Mental Health Awareness Week (which this year falls 13-19 May), as well as the GCA-instigated Thinking of You Week, has also opened up opportunities for greeting card publishers, related brands and retailers to do their bit to good effect.

Hallmark had a great take up from mental health bloggers to its sensitive Thinking of You Week activity, whereby it sent out packs of cards (featuring supportive designs) which were fully embraced, with many of the recipients sharing their gratitude and rejoicing in the power of cards to their many followers.

Danilo was similarly active around World Mental Health Day, spreading the love with its May the Thoughts range of greeting cards based on Charlotte Reed’s simple cartoons conveying a soulful message.

Meanwhile Charlotte was busy going into top corporations such as Goldman Sachs to tell her story of how the brand’s uplifting philosophical messages were inspired by her own journey out of depression, when she

decided to draw and write a positive message each day as part of her own self-therapy.

Meanwhile, Emily Coxhead’s The Happy News brand (published on cards by Pigment) was super active. Funky Pigeon’s Paddington Station store was ‘wrapped’ in uplifting positive Happy News messages, while Emily herself ran several Happy Jar workshops in John Lewis stores as part of the retailer’s commitment to World Mental Health Day and raising awareness of the issues.

While there is much work still to be done on this modern day all pervasive illness, as Emily points out, the card industry should take heart that it is producing something which really does make a difference. As she sums up: “Never forget there’s something special about receiving a folded piece of card that somebody has spent time and care writing. Cards are a reminder that you’re there, that you’ve thought or are thinking about a person and really can be the ‘pick me up’ a person needs on any day of the week not just on special occasions.”

Rayleigh-based independent gift and card retailer, Feathering Your Nest certainly put the issue front of mind recently when it dedicated one of its Christmas windows to mental health awareness and random acts of kindness.

As owner, Lesley Dunn explained: “Mental health problems are on the rise.

There's so much pressure on young people these days with social media and advertising to look and have the perfect life, body and possessions. There isn't an off button. Our shop is very much about supporting each other through the ups and downs of daily life.

This year, I shall be eagerly hunting for more cards and gifts to enhance our well-being, kindness, self care, mental health awareness and friendship section.”

Issuing a plea to publishers out there, she added: “I feel there is a gap in the market which, I feel, could and should be filled.” The challenge is on!

PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE

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Industry Issue Left: Sir David Attenborough is unlikely to know about the elusive beasts - the independent greeting card sales agent.

We all hang on Sir David Attenborough’s every word when he highlights a gorgeous creature that is close to extinction… are sales agents next?

Prompted by the retirement of two of the company’s long-serving agents, during his talk at The Ladder Club, Ged Mace, md of The Art File suggested that such is the paucity of sales agents and that few are coming onto the scene, that they are something of an endangered species.

PG tracked down some of these wonderful beasts to find out about life in their habitat over the last year.

Robin Hill Territory: Having retired as a North-West agent last year after many years, Robin says he is now ‘running wild’ in the Lake District. As an agent he represented The Art File, Belly Button, Caroline Gardner, Pulp, Rosie Made a Thing, Stop the Clock and Think of Me. Call of the wild: “I would be a Timber Wolf as I am good at adapting to surroundings, loyal to the pack, and good at hunting and covering long distances.”

The 2018 trade terrain: “To a point it was ‘survival of the fittest’ through being able to adapt to changes and trends and embrace them...till the next one comes along!

For me turnover was about the same as the previous year. It was a very hard year in which ordering little and often was very much the way.

Farm shops and destination locations (such as Beech Rd and Burton Rd in Manchester which offer a wide range of independents) were very much the buzz places of 2018.”

Are agents endangered?: “Not so much agents but more the way we ‘hunt’ (ie work with customers and publishers).

The need to use social media as a work tool will become more and more the way agents will do business. Maybe not seeing customers face to face as often but being in touch more regularly and keeping them up to date with new product launches. Social media also offers a way of getting younger new blood into the industry as this is what they feel most comfortable working with, and buyers too are getting younger and that is how they want to work.”

Above: Robin Hill is now ‘running wild’ as a Timber Wolf as a retired sales agent.

Left: Robin Hill (left) with fellow agent Lewis Holmes.

Beth Robson Territory: Beth covers the London area and represents Museums and Galleries, Rachel Ellen, Redback, Sooshichacha, Special Delivery and U Studio.

Call of the wild: “I’d be a Hummingbird as I’m small, quick and colourful.”

The 2018 trade terrain: “2018 was the most challenging year in my professional career and also for most of my customers. The lack of footfall meant reduced sales and reduced appointments as retailers needed less stock. We all had to think smarter and will have to continue this in 2019 and probably beyond.”

What’s your hunch for 2019?: “I think 2019 will be much the same as 2018. More time of thinking out of the box will be required by agents and retailers alike.”

Are agents endangered?: “Yes I do believe we are an endangered species. With the age of the internet certain customers are just as happy to use this tool for ordering rather than a physical visit from a salesperson/agent.

Thankfully they are currently in the minority. Nothing beats a face-to-face meeting, especially with all the samples, product knowledge, suggestions and experience that we agents bring to the meeting - oh and the chance of a chat and a steaming mug of builder’s tea!

Would I recommend becoming an agent to someone? - yes I would but they need to have some experience in our industry beforehand and a good financial cushion. Working in London is a very expensive business as it cannot be done properly using public transport. Carrying samples up a broken escalator at a tube station is a very sweaty business!”

Top right: A Hummingbird would be Beth’s fauna alter ego.

Above: Beth will be ‘thinking outside the box’ this year.

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Industry Issue

Andy Fletcher Territory: Andy covers Herts, Beds, Bucks, Berks and Oxon representing The Art File, Belly Button, Caroline Gardner, Rosie Made a Thing, Stop the Clock and Wendy Jones-Blackett.

Call of the wild: “The animal that mirrors me as a person would be a Labrador. Like me, a Labrador is soft, easy going, loyal and love having their tummies rubbed!”

The 2018 trade terrain: “So 2018 is over. ‘Phew’ many would say! I won’t ‘bark’ on about the obvious challenges (ie Brexit, footfall, rent/rates, internet) as we have to accept that buying habits are changing.

When I joined the industry, back in the 80s, there was an explosion of gift shops opening, which lasted for a couple of decades. And we thought this would go on and on and on. Whoops…reality has hit over the last few years, at a massively quickening rate.

I cover a small area geographically and account base wise, so the drip-feed of retail closures over the last few years has hurt. The ‘gift shop’ is having to adapt as consumers are not buying ‘bits’ to put on mantlepieces like we used to in big numbers. People are now looking for ‘experiences’ in presents as well as life. Hence the garden centres, farm shops, coffee shops are doing very well, as the public journey to these places for our ‘experience days out’.”

What’s your hunch for 2019?: “Will the government do enough to help the High Street before it’s too late? Will the dinosaurs in the House of Parliament get moving?

However, I have received the new products from the companies I represent and they are just amazing.”

Are agents endangered?: “The agent ‘species’ may be challenged, but is not yet endangered.

Agents in general have contributed such a great amount of knowledge and time to the development of so many companies, providing their ‘coal face’ experience through the retailers with whom they have relationships. I am glad to say Top: A lovable Labrador, that’s Andy Fletcher!

Above left: Andy (and his doggy) in No. 9 that all of companies I work with have Leighton Buzzard with owner Caroline Gates.

Above: Andy with his son Alex, a young ‘tiger’ involved the agent in more than just in the agent world! sales; we have grown together.

Just as in the animal world many different species survive by adapting to a changing habitat and by producing the next generation, the same is true in our sector.

In my case my son Alex has joined the business and developed his own way of doing the role as an agent. He’s much more social media-focused and has sourced a new style of accounts.

As trade gets tougher we all need to sharpen up our working patterns and thoughts to survive and prosper.”

Sarah Caldicott Territory: Sarah has been an agent for over 30 years, covering the Midlands. She represents Counting Stars, Deva Designs, Five Dollar Shake, Lime Tree Design, Me&McQ, Pippi & Me, Portfolio and Rachel Ellen Designs.

Call of the wild: “I would love to be a tiger, inspired by my amazing holiday in Thailand in 2001 to visit the tigers at the Tiger Temple.”

The 2018 trade terrain: “2018 was a very tough year for my customers. What with the uncertainty of Brexit, the crazy Beast from the East and then the three month heatwave shoppers have been careful with their spending so my customers were cautious too, spending little and often rather than placing larger orders.

I have been lucky in that only a few of my retailer customers have closed but there have not been that many new shops opening either.”

Are agents endangered?: “I think it’s a unusual job, I only became an agent as a girlfriend of mine was going out with the agent John Powell (sadly missed). He told me all about the industry, was so kind to me and even gave me on old customer list of his to help me get started. It took about 18 months to get the business off the ground. I was lucky, I’m not sure this would happen now.”

Above: Sarah Caldicott in the Temple Tiger in Thailand.

Left: The uncertainty of Brexit Sarah has made customers

Rose Trow

Below: Can you spot the difference between this and Rose Trow?

Territory: Rose has been an agent in the South-West for 23 years (and worked in the industry for seven years prior to this). She covers Bath, Bristol, Somerset, Devon, Cornwall, Dorset and Wiltshire representing Fizz, Glick, IC&G, Jellycat, Museums and Galleries, Paper Rose, Paper Salad, Redback, Transomnia and Wrendale.

Call of the wild: “I think I would be a short-legged giraffe as they don’t need much sleep, and are always sticking their necks out for something or someone.”

The 2018 trade terrain: “2018 saw some very professional and good retailers retire, and due to unrealistic rent and rate increases/leases expiring many will not live on as retail accounts for our sector. However, those Continued on page 81 PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE

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Industry Issue

independents left in the high street will become stronger and will trade to their strengths.”

What’s your hunch for 2019?: “On my planet the high street will bounce back as long as we accept that the challenges in 2018 are now the norm. In Jack Reacher’s words: ‘Hope for the best, Plan for the worst.’”

Are agents endangered?: “I am now in my 30th year in the industry and my 23rd year as an Above: Rose and her favourite agent. I remember starting out as an agent IC&G giraffe card! and it was tough. I don’t think the concept of an agent’s job has changed; there are a lot of us still in existence but there is a different animal in all of us.

We all need to hunt to eat to survive, but to do so requires a lot of looking after the retailer, being aware of what’s going on around them and being a wise old owl in passing on ideas. The independent retailer will become more endangered if we don’t look after them.”

Maria McKenna

Below: Maria feels a donkey is most akin to an agent in the animal world.

Territory: Maria covers the South East, incorporating Surrey, Hants, East and West Sussex and Kent. She represents Blue Eyed Sun, Coulson MacLeod, Dandelion, Deva, Lucilla Lavender, Molly Mae, Portfolio, Rosanna Rossi, Rosie Made a Thing and Eco Chic.

Call of the wild: “I think a donkey is most appropriate! Loyal, hard working, dependable, reliable, and able to carry a lot of stuff around!”

The 2018 trade terrain: “2018 was certainly a tough year for everyone. Survival instincts came to the fore on many fronts. I managed to maintain my level of business in 2018, which I am delighted about, and am lucky to have some brilliant ranges to offer my customers.

Buying patterns are definitely changing, with seasonal orders being placed later than ever. I was still taking Christmas orders in November.

Some customers have fared badly, and sadly I already know of some casualties who will be closing early in 2019. When it’s a customer you’ve known for 20 years this is very sad as it’s like losing a friend.

Customers in 2018 definitely preferred to place smaller orders more often. Footfall has been a challenge with most customers; it’s definitely been down.”

Are agents endangered?: “The life of an agent seems to be getting harder year on year, so maybe in time they could become extinct, as it will be an even tougher job for someone starting out in years to come. I think that if companies continue to value agents and customers continue to want to use our services, and we all work together to benefit everyone, then maybe we’re not an endangered species and we can come back from the brink!”

Above: The ever-smiling Maria McKenna.

Martyn Sharpe

Below: A chameleon would make a great agent!

Territory: Martin is an agent covering the East and West Midlands. He carries a complementary mix of handmade, lifestyle cards, wrap and gifts.

Call of the wild: “A chameleon. As an agent you need to adapt to the environment but maintain the essentials of good relationships with customers and principals with integrity.”

The 2018 trade terrain: “In the often and understated words of many customers, 2018 was a tough trading year.

The cold weather and very hot weather plus the uncertainties for the UK post-Brexit played a big part. While the internet has and continues to have an impact on retail sales we still do love shopping in the UK and giving a retail experience for shoppers has helped our customers come through better than expected.”

What’s your hunch for 2019?: “As we head into the uncharted waters of 2019 I believe we can sail through but will need to be even more prepared and willing to adapt to a retail environment that is ever changing and radically different to the time when I were a lad!

As Shakespeare said, “Once more unto the beach!” Or was that the “breach”! Trying to keep positive and realistic!

Social media will play an even bigger part. Finding new, alternative retailers to replace those closed is even more critical this year.

The trend away from brokerage will continue as retailers need to and are looking for an even more distinctive, tailored offering for their customer base. Some big publisher beasts therefore could fall.”

Are agents endangered?: “This is a tough question because many agents currently have been in the business for some time. Back in the day there was training and experience gained as a sales representative. That old well has dried! While there will be fewer retail outlets in the UK and fewer agents needed in the future, this is still a business that is based on relationships as much as product. We’re not selling Mars Bars! There needs to be face-to-face meetings to look at actual product. There’s Above: Martyn Sharp feels that new blood nothing like catching up over a should be encouraged to become agents. coffee, (sometimes biscuits/cake!... the job can be tough at times!) finding out how the shop is doing and learning what works best for them. And there’s nothing like handling actual product!

While some agents are retiring, there are still many others with plenty of life in them! To encourage new blood maybe a partnership between principals and agents to find and mentor some potential new younger lads and lasses would be good. This would clearly present some challenges and there would need to be a lot of discussion and maybe, dare I mention, a backstop! Looking into the future, which like Christmas, comes sooner than expected, action is needed.”

PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE

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Publisher Spotlight

Sunny Thinking It’s hard to believe that 2019 marks design-led card publisher Think of Me Design’s 15th anniversary, but as md Dan Kane states, “It’s certainly been quite a ride!”

PG tracked down husband and wife team Freya and Dan Kane as they start a new Think of Me chapter in sunny California… although they still miss in the UK the card industry camaraderie, family and friends and Chunky Kit-Kats. ooking back from their humble beginnings, Dan and Freya Kane, founders of Think of Me Designs, have learnt that life doesn’t necessarily follow the path you expect.

“Freya and I met on a movie set when we were both actors. I had just returned to the UK from New York City where I’d spent the previous 10 years training and acting in film and TV, and Freya had recently finished up a stint in a show on the West End. One thing led to another, and we ended up moving into a small one bedroom flat in London’s Islington together soon after,” says Dan. But by 2004 Freya and Dan were both struggling for acting work. Dan explains: “We decided we needed a side-hustle to earn us a little extra money. And that is how the wonderful world of greeting card production came into our lives!”

That year, the handmade greeting card sector was in full swing, so Dan and Freya hit on the idea that if they could sell a few of their own handmade cards to local gift shops they’d be able to make things a little easier for themselves financially, while still being able to audition for acting work. “Freya had a background in fine art and design, and would often make personalised cards for friends and family - how could we fail? The set-up costs were minimal (under £50), it involved creativity (this was important), and it beat waiting tables!”

L

The big idea was to hand-embroider designs onto big squares of felt and glue these felt squares onto cards. They were very simple with a certain unfussy elegance which was to put Think of Me on the map.

“We literally walked up and down our local high streets with our little folder of samples and cold-called every gift shop we could find, behaviour we now attribute in equal parts to youthful exuberance and sheer desperation,” says Dan. Pounding the pavement that first day they came away with an order for £34 as well as being alerted to news of an upcoming trade show (Spring Fair).

They managed to secure a tiny 1 x 1.5 metre stand and by lunchtime on the first day they had Top: Think of Me’s 'Adventure Awaits' design from its new Aloha range.

Above right: A Think of Me trade show stand from its early days.

Above left: One of Think of Me’s first New Baby designs in 2004.

Below: Freya, Dan and their children, who often pick up plastic and other rubbish from their local beach in California.

managed to cover the cost of the stand. “We were amazed at how welcoming the greeting card industry was. Perhaps it was a result of coming from the insecure, closely guarded, dog-eat-dog world of acting, but our fellow exhibitors were happy to offer advice and knowledge to a couple of novices. It was the beginning of a love for the card industry, and those involved in it, that we have never lost.”

From that first show things happened for Dan and Freya at a speed that took their breath away: “A sales agent, the recently retired and incredibly supportive Robin Hill, approached us on the last day of the show and offered to represent us. He soon recommended us to fellow sales agents around the country, so within a few short weeks we had the whole of the UK covered and orders were being faxed through daily.”

This surprising positive turn of events brought its own problems… how to keep up with demand? “Now we were panicking! We couldn’t let our new customers down! There was no way we could hand-embroider the quantity of cards required to supply the whole of the UK!” recalls Dan. PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE

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Publisher Spotlight

Dan and Freya’s solution was to buy three semi-industrial sewing machines, which were set up on their kitchen table and ran for 18 hours a day, every day.

With the hardly-secure career of acting as their fallback, the couple went for it.

“I always remember a piece of advice I received while working with a wonderfully eccentric and entrepreneurial real estate investor in New York City. He said that everyone gets one shot, one big opportunity in life. It’s whether you recognise the opportunity and can grab onto it when it comes along, that is the important thing,” Dan revealed.

Those first few years were incredibly tough, but unbelievably rewarding: “We hardly got any sleep, but we were working together, building a business out of nothing, and building a future. Thinking back, everything about those years has a magical, hazy, sleep-deprived tinge to it,” reflects Dan. “We had a passion; our thoughts were filled with creative design and building the Think of Me brand.”

Today, Dan feels that he and Freya are still learning, still trying to master their craft.

“There is a Japanese word, ‘kaizen’, which means ‘continuous improvement’. I like that idea. There is always a way to be better. There have certainly been missteps along the way (we made a brief foray into the baby clothing market, and once printed thinking of you and sympathy cards in a range named ‘Happy’) but that’s all part of the learning process.”

Through the years, Think of Me has transitioned from handmade to printed cards, now produces gift bags, wrap and stationery, and works with several licensing partners.

At the beginning of 2018 Freya and Dan’s journey took another exciting detour

Above: A taste of Think of Me Design's beautiful new 2019 collection.

Below right: A mermaid design from Aloha, a Think of Me new range for 2019.

Below left: Dan’s ‘stressful' commute to work.

Bottom: London agent Jo McFarlane recently visited Freya and Dan in California.

with a move to Southern California. Dan had first visited California as an 11 year-old and instantly fell in love with its vibrancy, sunny weather and welcoming laid-back attitude.

He promised himself then that he would live there one day, and then, last year, the opportunity to do just that arose.

Dan says, “We did a lot of soul searching. Was this the right decision for us, for our two young children, for Think of Me? We’d have to give our UK team more responsibility, while building a US team from scratch. For us, it boiled down to a Lewis Carroll quote, ‘In the end… we only regret the chances we didn’t take’. This was an amazing opportunity, and one that we knew we would regret if we didn’t pursue.”

Think of Me’s Southern California relocation has been an amazingly inspirational and motivational experience for Dan and Freya, both personally and for the business.

“California is an incredibly diverse and breathtakingly beautiful part of the world, and being surrounded by such a richness of natural beauty and positivity is good for the soul and great for the design process!”, shares Dan, adding, “I really do believe that Think of Me’s 2019 collection is the best and most complete work we’ve ever produced,

and that is in no small part due to our new surroundings. We love the UK, and we do miss family and friends, a good curry and Chunky Kit-Kats, but to have the opportunity to travel, and to see the world from another perspective, is a thrilling experience.”

Regarding the logistical workings of Think of Me’s new Californian base, everything has remained the same. If an order is received before 2pm UK time it is more often than not dispatched the same day. And Dan and Freya will be racking up the air miles returning to the UK frequently for trade shows, so will be seeing industry friends and retail partners as much as they ever did.

“Our warehouse, sales agents and UK team have all been absolutely fantastic during our relocation, and we are endlessly thankful

for their support, praises Dan. “Really the only change has been that the design process is now done a little closer to the Pacific Ocean!

I’m sure it will come as a surprise to many that we live and work 6,000 miles away from Think of Me’s operational base.”

So, with its somewhat circuitous route in to the greetings industry, how have the past 15 years been for Thinking of Me? “They've been truly fantastic! exclaims Dan. “We all got here via different paths, and that’s what makes our industry so exciting, unique and diverse. We have met so many wonderful, inspiring people within the greeting card community. Our sales-team have become part of our family, we have made lifelong industry friends, and we try to show the support and kindness to new greetings companies breaking in as was shown to us when we first started.”

And Dan concludes, referring to his and Freya’s acting past, “We may not have won an Oscar, but now I’d much rather win a Henry!”

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

I t ’s Show Time

Jeremy Corner, owner of greeting card publisher Blue Eyed Sun and distributor of BambooCup and Origamo, considers the highs and the lows of trade shows.

Along with many other areas of our industry, trade shows took a hammering last year. There’s been speculation on some closing down, Pulse has merged into Top Drawer and others are shadows of their former selves.

I’ve personally exhibited at over 100 shows, and last year, on the back of a huge surge in interest in eco-friendly products, Blue Eyed Sun was seen with our BambooCups and greeting cards at ten trade shows in total. We had one of our most successful years ever and had several record-breaking shows, along with an

Right: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly of trade shows.

Below left: Pennie Bryant and Frank Nicholls, directors of Tache at PG Live last year.

Below right: Trade shows are one of the best place to build customer relationships. Liz Stevenson, owner of You in Stamford, with Jeremy on his stand.

card only product show, PG Live, is probably the closest we’ve seen to disruption so far.

For all their faults, there are still some things about trade shows that work well, some things that don’t and some that are just plain ugly.

The Good

incredible number of enquiries and new accounts. Unfortunately, it’s not been like this for everyone, and for many the card market has not been without its challenges of late.

The format of trade shows hasn’t been radically disrupted yet. While there have been an increase in Meet the Buyer events organised by associations like the GCA (Greeting Card Association) and the GA (Giftware Association), the niche greeting

There’s no substitute for face to face meetings for retailers to get a sense of a supplier, and vice versa. Trade shows are a place where you can get your hands on the products and feel the quality of it. This has proved especially true for our launch of BambooCup, which feels so good to the touch. It’s always been true for our greeting cards too, which look way better in the flesh than in a brochure or online.

There’s also something very efficient about being able see lots of great product from a huge variety of suppliers in one place over a short period of time. Its useful for buyers and suppliers to be reassured that the people they are about to do business with are credible. You can get a lot of this through the subtle nuances of the behaviour of the people on the stand, how the products are displayed and how well it is attended by other buyers. If a company cares, it shows at shows.

In fact, I’d go so far as to say that just being at shows is a big part of showing the marketplace how much suppliers care about their business, the industry and their customers. We all

know what a lot of effort and expense they are and there’s a certain sense of commitment you get when you see publishers and suppliers regularly exhibiting at trade shows. Shows are also great for following trends, learning about the marketplace and networking in general.

What I love most about trade fairs is the chance to see lots of reactions in one go. To have hundreds of conversations about what we do well and what we do badly. This is hugely valuable marketing information that helps us get a sense of where to adapt and improve going forward.

With the best agents and reps in the world you don’t always get the full picture without being at shows.

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JEREMY’S JOURNAL Left: In 2012 snow held back Spring Fair visitors (snow globes from DCI Gifts exhibiting at Autumn Fair 2019).

Below left: Doing your home work before a trade show helps make sure you don’t miss new treasures.

Below right: Richard Cartwright from Posters in Abu Dhabi is a fan of BambooCup, distributed by Jeremy.

It’s obviously incredibly exciting when you get it right and can feel completely demoralising when you get it wrong. That’s business for all of us thought, right? We don’t always get it right, but shows do make it easier to give us a better idea of what is going to work and what isn’t, whether we are suppliers or retailers.

Fair at the NEC and a decent enough showing at Top Drawer Autumn (on at the same time).

The Bad For visiting retailers there’s lots of walking with many miles to cover, especially at large shows. For suppliers, there’s lots of standing, which can also be hard on the legs. It’s tough being in a quiet spot of a show or on a small stand that might get missed. If you’re an established player, it’s hard when retailers skip over your stand to find new suppliers as they feel they can catch up with you or your sales agent another time.

It’s also bad when your marketing doesn’t hit the spot, or worse, when you

don’t market at all and rely on the show to bring the business to you. One thing I’ve learnt about doing shows is that they are always improved by a strong combination of direct mail, PR, advertising, calling our customers, social media posts and email marketing.

Similarly for retailers, if you don’t do you homework and hunt through your mail, your emails, your trade mags and show websites you can miss new treasures. You can also miss out if you don’t know your best sellers and make a note of what stock you are low on instore. Being organised prior to visiting shows can make the world of difference to your bottom line.

Then there’s the bad food. To be fair it’s not all shows that suffer from this. I love eating from the Crussh concession at London’s Olympia and the lunch at PG Live is not to be sneezed at. And while the NEC seems to struggle with its food

The Future

offering, it has tarted its restaurants up in recent times. Eating healthily and well at shows remains a challenge.

The Ugly Horrible shows are kind of like bad days in a retail store. No one wants them, they sometimes just happen. Since I started exhibiting we’ve been at shows immediately after 9/11, mad cow and foot and mouth outbreaks, halls being flooded, fires and even snowstorms. As one would expect, they were all ugly. You can’t always control the outside world and yet, if you’re not in the game, you can’t expect to win. Like everything in business, you pays your money and takes your chances. That doesn’t stop the experiences being ugly from time to time.

Sometimes it’s not out of your control. It’s just down to the way a market sector works. For example, we’ve never exhibited at Glee before with cards. That’s because most of the good independents go to other shows and a large section of that market is dominated by brokerage.

This year, we thought we’d try it as BambooCup had been going very well in garden centres and gift products don’t tend to be brokered.

The result? My word it was ugly. An absolute stinker (our first time there and our worst ever trade show to date - in a year of record breakers). With hardly any visitors in our aisle we could tell it wasn’t going well on the first day. We tried to see if the organiser would include us in their daily email shot to salvage what we could of the show. No help from them. So two of our team sat it out over four long days doing what they could with what few visitors walked by. Boy do those days seem long when it’s quiet at a show.

Fortunately, our horrid experience at Glee was salvaged by our best ever Autumn

If you’re going to do well at shows as a supplier you have to keep developing and launching new product. It’s the number one thing buyers ask for at shows. Everybody is always moving forward. Getting the newness right is a challenge and I think it’s best faced by trying lots of new things.

Which is what Blue Eyed Sun is doing at Spring Fair 2019. We have a new larger stand at the front of Hall 4 where we will be showing off new greeting card ranges, new eco-friendly products from chic.mic and our exciting new handmade quilling and pop-up card ranges from Italian sensation Origamo, which include a fantastic range of Disney licensed products. We even have small new ranges of framed prints and table lamps on display.

As for the shows, they have to keep focused on what buyers and suppliers most need: Introducing high quality suppliers with great innovative product to leading retailers that can bring their new products to the high street. The key is to make sure this is done in as cost effective way as possible for everyone. * Jeremy will be speaking on the Main Stage at Spring Fair on Sunday 3rd February at 13:15 on the Rise of the Ethical Consumer and adapting to the Growth of the Green Economy.

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

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Some of the wonderful products that will be showcased at Spring Fair (3-7 February 2019, NEC)

Marking The Moment IC&G has launched two ranges that really mark a birthday. The Month You Were Born collection comprises 12 embossed and glittered designs that include facts on your birthday flower and birthstone.

Meanwhile, the Year You Were Born range includes Z fold cards covering ages 13-100. The foil embossed designs are packed with info on what was happening the year you entered the world.

International Cards and Gifts 01202 897494 www. icgcards.com

Cardgains Village: Hall 3 Stand L10-M11

All Mapped Out

Penny For Your Thoughts

Ezen Designs’ latest card collection brings regional antique maps back to life with some nifty digitally remastering. The rear of the cards feature the original engraver’s details as well as some trivia about the area featured.

Retailers can request specific regions. Also available as A3 size and A4 size art prints.

Lose yourself in Penny Gaj’s latest collection of 32 designs based on her enchanting illustrations. Printed on 300gsm Callisto soft white board to enhance the artwork, the cards come cello bagged with a fleck craft envelope.

Ezen Designs 0207 354 5000 www.ezendesigns.com Hall 3 Stand W10

Penny Gaj www.pennygaj.co.uk Hall 3 Stand T53

It’s Tupper Time The distinctive whimsical and charming style of award-winning artist Clare Tupper is debuting on a new range from Paper Rose. Designed in Clare’s studio in rural Lincolnshire, using a range of media, the 12 designs combine her love of colour and pattern. Also new is Word for Word, a foiled embossed typographical range with a bold trendy twist.

Paper Rose 0115 943 8832 www.paperrose.co.uk Hall 3 Stand K10-L11

Up The Volume In addition to its licensed character portfolio, Gemma is looking to hit a different note with its inaugural NOW! That’s What I Call Music collection.

Launched in 1983, one in every four compilation albums sold is a NOW! With 98% brand awareness in the UK, Gemma is launching a card ‘compilation’ of adult ages, occasions and open captions, all featuring the synonymous NOW! branding. The 159mm square cards include a holographic foil finish.

Gemma International 01264 388412 Cardgains Village: Hall 3 Stand L10/M11

Panda-ering Cuteness As well as expanding its popular range Peppercorn Press, Olive & Belle is introducing a new range in Festoon. The designs feature quirky stylised illustrations of animals and florals, using fresh colour palettes and contemporary patterns. Size 120mm x 170mm and featuring either kraft or grey envelopes, the cards cover a variety of captions and general birthday sends.

Olive & Belle 07836 247811 www.oliveandbelle.co.uk Hall 3 Stand J35 PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE

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g n i c u d o r t n I

our reversible sequin range...

Come and see our new designs at Spring Fair 2019...

Hope to see you there on Stand 3U41

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Some of the wonderful products that will be showcased at Spring Fair (3-7 February 2019, NEC)

’I t’s

Positive Thinking you r

Birthday.

L e t ’s h a n g o u t ! ’

..

Made you Smile is a fun, smile-inducing new collection from Always Sparkle. The 24 eye-catching designs cover both birthdays and a range of special occasions. The cards, 150 mm square in size, are all finished with hot iridescent foil and come individually cellowrapped.

Always Sparkle 07940726842 www.alwayssparkle.co.uk Hall 3-3A Stand L45

Animal Magic Down To A Tea

Original pencil drawings combine with subtle wash backgrounds and colourful leaves in Sweet Designs’ new Birthday Sketch range. Comprising 15 designs, the range features rare creatures such as the pangolin and Philippine eagle. All are 15cm square, printed on FSC textured board and come with a 100% recycled kraft envelope.

As its name suggests, the common element in Jemma Banks Design’s new Teacups range is that all of the 17 designs feature a teacup, albeit with different adorable animals inside them surrounded by botanical patterned backgrounds and enhanced with silver foiled lettering. The designs cater for wide range of occasions as well as a small selection of birthdays!

The 7”x5” cards come with a grey or orange envelope.

Sweet Design 01934 751386 www.sweetdesign.co.uk Hall 3 Stand V53

Jemma Banks Design 07747033129 www.jemmabanksdesign.com Hall 3 Stand K31

Wood If You Could

Glimmering Fauna

Wooden Pops is a sophisticated range of male cards from Laura Sherratt Designs.

As well as appearing in the publisher’s Father's Day selection, there is now also a birthday collection of 120mm x 170mm cards. All featuring Laura's signature small scale illustration, the cards are embellished with luxurious wooden plaques that read ‘happy birthday to you’.

The masculine cards measure and come complete with a white envelope.

Louise Tiler Designs has extended its Tiny Sparkles range for 2019, launching a collection of brand new cute and colourful animal designs. This modern cute collection incorporates fresh colours with embossing and gold foil details to bring the animal characters to life. These designs form part of a launch of over 60 new designs spanning two brand new ranges, Christmas designs and thank you card packs.

Laura Sherratt Designs 01538 384566 www.laurasherrattdesigns.co.uk Hall 3 Stand J44

Louise Tiler Designs 01535 957878 www.louisetiler.com Hall 3-3A Stand T23

Unusual Suspects The 28 popping party animal in Really Good’s Animalyser are bound to catch a wondering eye. The designs in this quirky animal photographic range are enhanced by gold foil captions.

Measuring 137mm x 169mm, the cards are printed on recycled board.

Really Good and Soul 01235 537888 www.reallygood.uk.com / www.souluk.com Hall 7 Stand E30/F31 PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE

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Browse the big names, explore the rising talent and embrace your passion for cards with new designs and exclusive show offers from more than 250+ publishers, artists and designers.

THE GREATEST COLLECTION OF GREETING CARDS IN THE WORLD

“What a triumph! A fantastic show with loads of new, creative and inspired cards. Loved it!”

TimoThy melgund, depuTy chairman of paperchase

Be Part Of The Show

Book your tickets now at www.progressivegreetingslive.com

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

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Some of the wonderful products that will be showcased at Spring Fair (3-7 February 2019, NEC)

Sequin Is Believing Redback Cards is kicking-off its 2019 launches with a real show-stopper in Shine.

Each of the 12 designs in the inaugural Shine collection includes a reversible sequin patch that can be removed from the card and then used to brighten up stationery, clothes or bags. The cards are 160mm square and come cellowrapped.

Redback Cards 01752 830 482 www.redbackcards.com Hall 3-3A Stand U41

Going Wild

Showing True Metal

Illustrator Fay Miladowska, the creative star behind Fay's Studio, has added 10 new Christmas card designs to the publisher’s evergrowing In The Wild range. Each 145cm square card is hand-finished with highlights of silver glitter, is blank inside and comes with a recycled kraft envelope. Fay looks forward to launching her new cards this spring, along with a further summer collection for 2019.

As the range name suggests, Dandelion Stationery’s new Copper Pipe collection features a vibrant metallic copper foil finish that is applied during the printing process.

Comprising over 40 card designs (140mm square), the range covers everyday and occasions cards, all of which are printed onto luxury smooth cream 300gsm FSC board and are supplied with a burnt orange envelope to complement the foiling.

Dandelion Stationery 01332 695359 www.dandelionstationery.co.uk Hall 3 Stand U51

Fay's Studio 07817 412086 www.faysstudio.com Hall 3 Stand W50

Fashion Forward ArtPress is introducing a host of exciting new artists into its portfolio – and Anna Coroneo is one of them.

Based between London and New York, Parsons’ graduate, Anna Coroneo, is renowned for bold colours and vivacious print artworks that have been translated onto prints for fashion, accessories and home décor – and now greeting cards. This collection (150mm square cards) incorporates foiled elements with the cards individually cellowrapped.

ArtPress Publishing 020 7231 2923 www.art-press.co.uk Hall 3 Stand N19

Cat Among The… Tomcat Cards’ brand new greeting card range by artist and illustrator Holly Surplice is eye-catching, funny and suitable for any occasion. Some of the 12 designs have text, some have mice and some have dogs, but all of them have a cat lurking somewhere! Each 6" square card is cellowrapped with a white envelope and is finished to an incredibly shiny standard.

Tomcat Cards 01243 837300 www.tomcat.cards Hall 3 Stand W31

Mugging Up Lesser and Pavey is introducing a range of Bamboo travel mugs. The product is made of eco-friendly sustainable natural bamboo fibre and are re-usable, environmentally-friendly, dishwasher and microwave safe. The mugs come in 350ml and 600ml sizes and the collection includes a William Morrisbranded assortment.

Lesser & Pavey 01322 279225 www.leonardo.co.uk Hall 5 Stand D10-E11 PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE

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Broadgate, Broadway Business Park, Chadderton, Oldham OL9 9XE UK T: +44(0)161 688 1226 I F: +44(0)161 682 6808 I sales@widdop.co.uk I www.widdopandco.co.uk

3 rd - 7 th Feb | NEC Birmingham

HALL 4 Stand G10 - J11

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Some of the wonderful products that will be showcased at Spring Fair (3-7 February 2019, NEC)

A True Reflection Hotchpotch’s dazzling Mirror Mirror greeting card collection is finished with oh-so-shiny silver and gold laser-cut mirror acrylic badges, complete with a neon tassel and non-slip rubber backing.

Hotchpotch 01243 792600 www.hotchpotchlondon.com Hall 3 Stand T38

Animal Instincts Catherine Kleeli Cards has expanded her animal and wildlife themes to include more favoured four legged friends. In addition to new designs in its Stick & Stitch range, there are some new Meet The Babies cards, as well as new Hello, Flower creations. Each card, left blank for a special message, is derived from Catherine’s distinctive and intricate hand-crafted collages, printed onto 177mm x 127mm heavyweight board, supplied with a complementary brown ribbed envelope and individually cellowrapped.

Deadpan Reaction Cath Tate Cards’ new range Caveats represents a collaboration with Deadpan Cards. The 10 designs feature bright and bold typography and best wishes… with a caveat, that are perfect for those with a dry or deadpan sense of humour. All designs have a matt finish and come with a charcoal grey envelope.

Catherine Kleeli Cards 07814 293155 www.catherinekleelitrade.co.uk Hall 3 Stand L40

Cath Tate Cards 0208 671 2166 www.trade.cathtatecards.com Hall 3 Stand V35

Woof It Down Hot on the paws of its successful Cat Tonic range launched last autumn, Portfolio has gone Dog Tastic. These clever canine cards feature gorgeous dogs in various poses with amusing messages to match. Launching with an initial 12 photographic designs and wrapped with a white envelope, these 146mm x 170mm cards are printed on environmentally-friendly board.

The One Snow Earlybird's debut at Spring Fair will see additions to three of its best selling ranges - Ink Sandwich, Bex Parkin and the MINI’s. The Neon range Ink Sandwich has new unicorns, cats, pandas and an adorable birthday bear (pictured), while Bex Parkin's tropical lushness has been expanded into some fab giftwrap designs, while the MINI's collection has been expanded to top 100 designs.

The new Snow Angels Luxury Boxed cards collection feature the distinctive artwork of Wrendale’s Hannah Dale, beautifully illustrated in acrylic paints with a touch of magical (and biodegradable) sparkle and silver foiled detail. Each boxed set includes eight cards of the same design, printed on 350gsm sustainably sourced board and recycled kraft envelopes, ribbon-tied and presented in a illustrated box. There are six different 15cm designs, each of which carries the message: ‘Wishing you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year’.

Earlybird Designs Publishing 01227 765372 www.earlybirddesigns.co.uk Hall 3 Stand L43

Wrendale Designs 01652 680253 www.wrendaledesigns.co.uk Hall 3-3A Stand S18

Best Of Three

Portfolio 020 8960 3051 www.portfoliocards.com Hall 3 Stand Q08

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SEE THE FULL RANGE!

Spring Fair - 3-7 Febr uar y 2019 Hall 5 - Stand D10/E11

Stand 3N21, Hall 3-3a (E) SALES@REALANDEXCITINGDESIGNS.CO.UK (T) 01223 207 080 (F) 01536 401 031

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Some of the wonderful products that will be showcased at Spring Fair (3-7 February 2019, NEC)

Festive Giving Ling Design has grown its collection of Christmas boxed cards for charity, for the first time partnering with Dementia UK, and Children with Cancer (£1 from the sale of each of two boxes is donated to the cause). Among the other treats on its stand is a completely revamped Saffron everyday collection, a new collaborative range with Georgia Breeze, the inaugural Christmas range from The Curious Inksmith, plus two new Christmas card ranges from Talking Pictures.

Ling Design 01892 838574 www.lingdesign.co.uk Hall 3-3A Stand Q18-R21

An Inspired Menagerie

London Lexicon

Eureka, is a new collection of blank art card designs by artist Janna Cossetinni of Deckled Edge, which feature exquisite detailed equine and animal fine-art, all hand illustrated in pencil

by Janna. With an earthy look and feel, the 12 designs, printed on lovely thick tactile FSC 300gsm board, measure 124mm x178mm, are finished with metallic gold and come with copper envelopes. Also available in this theme are art prints and boxed coaster sets.

Tracks is launching a completely new style into its portfolio with two new fontbased ranges, its Soho and Chelsea Collections. The Soho Collection is aimed at a younger audience, while designs in The Chelsea Collection have been crafted for higher up the age spectrum. Soho Collection also features textured holographic borders with a neon background, while the text is faceted holographic foil.

Deckled Edge 0800 771 0771 www.decklededge.co.uk Hall 3 Stand V17

Tracks Publishing 01480 435562 www.tracksltd.com Hall 3-3A Stand P31

Top Ten The Art File is launching 10 brand new everyday collections at Spring Fair, including two new collections by Ally Gore and Robert Reader. Maleorientated ‘Emblem’, by Robert Reader, is inspired by the evolution of signage and emblems from the 20th Century.

Ally Gore is known for her detailed illustrative work and use of colour, both of which are reflected in ‘Imagine’. The 20 cards are finished with debossed lines and Heather Flynn (of Happy Jackson/Alice Scott fame) has crafted the editorial.

The Art File www.theartfile.com Hall 3 Stand S07

Natural Leanings Celebrate Big Time Paper Salad’s award-winning Jamboree range is expanding to Jumbo size! Jumbo Jamboree is the publisher’s latest occasions range which shouts bright neon colours, lots of deep emboss and luxury foil.

It’s largest card size yet! The new additions are 170mm square and are paired with a bespoke envelope.

Paper Salad 0161 427 0001 www.papersalad.co.uk Hall 3-3A Stand U10

Perfect for those passionate about nature and the great outdoors, the 12 new designs (160mm square) in Abacus’ BBC Earth Springwatch collection features stunning work by an array of photographers capturing the beauty of British wildlife. New designs feature a wren, polecats, tawny owl, bank vole, long-tailed tit, greenfinch, rabbits, otters, fox and badger. The designs also carry factual information, relevant to the featured.

Abacus Cards 01638 445395 www.abacuscards.co.uk Cardgains Village: Hall 3 Stand L10-M11 PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE

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THE BLUEPRINT SERIES

See the new 2019 cards by Richard Partis

Spring Fair Stand 3W33

Sales: 07860 831131 clannacards@hotmail.com www.clannacards.co.uk

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Some of the wonderful products that will be showcased at Spring Fair (3-7 February 2019, NEC)

Bagging Humour Glick will be debuting a range of Rosie Made a Thing range of wrap and giftbags that is being launched as part of a licensing agreement between the two parties. The collection spans 15 everyday SKUs as well as a capsule Christmas collection of six SKUs. Glick 01274 655980 www.glick.co.uk Hall 3-3A Stand K10-L11

Beastly Behaviour

Her Name is Rio

Cheeky Chops Cards’ new Animals With Attitude designs of swearing, funny animals are apparently based on people the company’s founder knows, with the ‘hairy grumpy gorilla’ based on a wellloved husband!

With this year being Laura Darrington Design’s 15th anniversary it has good reason to punch up the action! Part of this involves expanding its bright and vibrant Rio range, plus adding another 40 designs into its Halcyon collection, as well as making new additions to its Juvenile Scribbles roster.

Laura Darrington 0116 284 9660 www.lauradarrington.com Hall 3-3A Stand U30

Cheeky Chops Cards (part of Special Days Designs) 01480 412956 www.special-days.co.uk Hall 3-3A Stand K47

The Razzle Dazzle In addition to its major everyday launch, Second Nature has a raft of new innovative ranges on the slate for Spring Fair. Among these is Paper Dazzle, which comprises 30 general birthday, 15 occasion and eight general Christmas designs. These free standing 3D cards are decorated with pom poms, bows, tassels and other exciting hand-finishes.

Second Nature 0208 960 0212 www.secondnature.co.uk Hall 3-3A Stand P50

Personal Attachment Bella Bella Blue Eyed Sun is launching two ranges of handmade cards as part of its recent distribution agreement with Italian greeting card sensation Origamo. One range, comprising 32 designs, features the intricate handmade art of quilling while the other is a collection of 32 handmade pop-up designs.

Blue Eyed Sun 01273 823003 www.blueeyedsun.co.uk Hall 4 Stand A01

UK Greetings’ new Personalised collection, published under its Gibson brand, offers retailers the option to provide a wide selection of different captioned sends for customers in just 40 designs. Each of the 149mm x 229mm cards in the range includes a sheet of caption attachments that can be selected and affixed with the included foam pad.

UK Greetings 01924 465200 www.ukgreetings.co.uk Cardgains Village: Hall 3-3A Stand L10-M11 PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE

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Some of the wonderful products that will be showcased at Spring Fair (3-7 February 2019, NEC)

Extra Pizazz In addition to a 100% brand new 2019 Christmas range as well as party and thank you cello packs, Nigel Quiney Publications has a full roster of new everyday products available to preorder.

Among the fresh counter cards are new Pizazz Classic, Male and Limited Edition collections, as well as new wedding and anniversary packages.

Jazzy Gold

Nigel Quiney Publications 01799 520200 www.nigelquiney.com Hall 3 Stand K10-L11

Take Note

Rush Design is launching over 120 new designs this month. Its All That Jazz collection comprises 36 designs - all hand-finished with diamantes and glitter covers weddings, anniversaries and other occasions. They come with an eco-kraft envelope. Also new is a brand new male collection, Mono Gold, which debuts with 36 age and relations designs.

A lot of thought and a splash of magic has gone into the new Piccolo range from Rachel Ellen Designs. The C6 size cards combine contemporary designs with sparkling gold flitter and neon pink highlights. Each card features a mini envelope within its design, which in turn has a separate tiny note inserted into it, held in place by a foam pad to give a lovely handfinished effect. The range of 24 cards (sized 108mm x 153mm) come cellowrapped with a bespoke printed envelope.

Rush Design 01788 521745 www.rushdesign.co.uk Hall 3 Stand V60

Rachel Ellen Design 0115 970 0321 www.rachelellen.co.uk Hall 3 Stand R07

CLANNA CARDS SPITFIRE by RICHARD PARTIS 440 TEL 01242 575 574 www.clannacards.co.uk

©MMXVIII PRICE CODE FF

Flying High Elegant Poise Sabivo Design has added new designs to its best-selling Bijoux range - to its everyday, wedding, anniversary and baby collections. The range now spans over 165 designs, each of which feature contemporary designs of delicate line illustrations with photographed floral jewels and hand-lettering. Design, print and manufacturing (including the handfinishing with floral jewels and glitter) are all done in England. All cards are 145mm square and cellowrapped in coordinated envelopes.

Sabivo Design 01858433716 www.sabivo.co.uk Hall 3 Stand W18

As well as introducing its inaugural Up With Paper portfolio of 3D cards, Noel Tatt is also launching Spritz, a new Decoupage range. Comprising 36 designs, this new collection of 126mm x 172mm cards spans ages, occasions and relations titles, with the cards featuring 3D decoupage, foiling, gems, embossing and flitter.

The Spitfire is probably Britain's greatest icon and its capabilities in the hands of its brave RAF pilots helped to win the Battle of Britain in 1940. Among the new additions to Clanna Cards’ Richard Partis collection is a wraparound design inspired by the Spitfire's blueprints from the 1930s, including its key specifications. Other Spring Fair launches include Scooter Rallies, Flower Shows, the Tour of Britain and Classical Musical Instruments. The 7"x5" cards are available either Happy Birthday or blank and come with colour coordinated envelopes.

Noel Tatt 01227 811600 www.noeltatt.co.uk Hall 3 K14-L15

Clanna Cards 01242 575574 www.clannacards.co.uk Hall 3 Stand W33

Extra Layers

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A fabulous array of new range launches and additions to winning card collections.

Chilled Out Rebecca Harrison Designs’ new Winter Chills range features British wildlife as seen in the winter fields. Based on Rebecca’s drawings, the 12 designs (all A6 in size) are set against a dark blue backdrop and feature subtle gold foiling and a luxurious softtouch lamination. Each card comes with a 100% recyclable kraft envelope and are individually cellowrapped, (biodegradable) upon request.

Taxi-ing To Sentiment

Rebecca Harrison Designs 07590 882083 www.rebeccaharrisondesigns.co.uk

Follow that Cab is a striking new brand from the Go La La Studio. Comprising four design-led ranges, the collection features contemporary and traditional sentiments. The cards are all 125mm x 125mm square, printed on premium FSC boards (three of the ranges incorporate silver or gold foiling) and all are individually cellowrapped complete with a gunpowder grey envelope.

Rainbow Press is Rosanna Rossi’s brand new vibrant collection of 20 handprinted birthday and occasion cards. The fun and uplifting illustrations have a slight retro feel, featuring party animals, shooting stars, and florescent roller boots, each created with a ‘feel good’ vibe. The 110mm x 160mm designs are enhanced with embossing and come with a colourful candy pink or vivid orange envelope.

Go La La 01458 830913 www.golala.co.uk

Food For Thought Deadpan continues its celebration of the underwhelming moments in life. Its new Brown Food range celebrates the underwhelming food at those underwhelming moments. Eg chicken Kievs, Greggs’ goujons. The inaugural Brown Food range comprises 10 designs, all 177mm by 126mm in format and accompanied by a brown envelope.

Deadpan 07779 279847 www.deadpancards.com

Positive Vibes

Rosanna Rossi 07900 698522 www.rosanna-rossi.co.uk Spring Fair Hall 3 Stand W15

It’s For You Just for You is Peel’s first launch for 2019. The collection of 30 colourful designs are all based on illustrations

by Julia Chester, enhanced with coloured flitter. The greeting cards in this collection are all 130mm square in format.

Peel 01664 464 009 www.peelcards.co.uk

Chin Chin Garden Party is a collection of handpainted glassware from Xpressions.

Designed in London by budding new designer and gin drinker, Stephanie Cole, the range spans over 12 contemporary and colourful designs. Perfect for summer garden parties!

Xpressions 020 8756 7793 www.xpressionsgifts.co.uk Spring Fair Cardgains Village Hall 3 Stand L10-M11 PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE

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Tomcat Cards NEW ranges for Spring 2019

My Chair by

Holly Surplic

e

air

NEC Spring F Stand 3W3

1

Betty’s Bubb

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da Jane Sm

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Cat ‘n’ Mouse by The Botanist by

Linda Jane Smith

01243 837300

Holly Surplice

info@tomcat.cards

www.tomcat.cards

Chhrs to the nexxadventure!

Peartree Heybridge and “Camilla & Rose” creator Sarah Boddy are thrilled to announce a new collaboration in 2019.

Sarah’s extensive range of art cards, including a brand spanking new “Camilla & Rose” range (yes the girls have had a face lift!) will now be available exclusively to the trade through

Peartree Heybridge.

Visit us at stand SK45 at Spring Fair to nd out more!

Tel: 01423 876311

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sales@peartreeheybridge.co.uk www.peartreeheybridge.co.uk

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A fabulous array of new range launches and additions to winning card collections.

Earthly Curiosity Icon’s new Curious World is a curated collection of 18 quirky photographic images featuring an array of fabulous furry creatures, paired with clever and humorous quotes of friendship and lifestyle. The Curious World cards are printed on high-end Naturalis board and comes with a mist coloured envelope made from Colorplan paper.

Icon 01242 679800 www.icon-art.com

Mainly Manly

Shining Bright

Stop the Clock’s new male-orientated Scribble Range comprises 36 designs covering birthday, ages, get well, thank you, congratulations and anniversary captions.

Aimed at males, the range features bold, masculine colours, contemporary patterns and a few daft animals with equally silly captions. The A6 cards come cellowrapped with a contemporary burnt orange envelope.

A first for White Cotton Cards, the publisher is launching a huge number of foiled cards. Brand new for 2019 is a male greeting card range of cards that combine copper foil and black print for stunning effect.

White Cotton Cards 07909 911229 www.whitecottoncards.co.uk

Stop the Clock Design 01457 763335 www.stoptheclockdesign.com

More Hip Action Tigerlily has released some new multi-racial characters into its Hip Edition range. All based on papercut collages by the company’s founder Suna Sor, the new designs have come about as a result of the large requests from customers to customise current characters.

Tigerlily 07835 893775 www.bytigerlily.co.uk

Puns For Fun Homely Comforts Lucy Monkman’s new Home Sweet Home range features a series of illustrations of familiar objects from the home as well as a few muchloved animal friends too. The 16 cards in this new collection are A6 in size, supplied cellowrapped with an eco-kraft brown envelope.

Citrus Bunn’s new range of 'punderful' cards vary from being ever so cute to downright cheeky. Traditional watercolour illustrations are matched with snappy, cute and contemporary themes – be it a Pug with the message ‘another year, another wrinkle’ or a rabbit fronting a ‘Bunny voyage’ design.

These quirky cards are printed onto FSCapproved 140mm Gesso board and cellowrapped with a kraft envelope.

Lucy Monkman 01904 630043 www.lucymonkman.com

Citrus Bunn 07746 324124 www.citrusbunn.com PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE

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SPRINGFAIR BIRMINGHAM 3 - 7 FEB 2019 HALL 3 STAND 3V32 UK & IRL DISTRIBUTION: NORTHLIGHTDESIGN.CO.UK INFO@NORTHLIGHTDESIGN.CO.UK PABUKU.COM |

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A fabulous array of new range launches and additions to winning card collections.

Feast For The Eyes Crisp food photography forms the basis of Foodies, Lucilla Lavender’s fun new range of cheerful faces.

Capturing expressions in a few lines, the bright captions in a bold font add to the contemporary feel. There are 12 cards in the everyday collection, and nine key occasions also covered. Each card is accompanied by a white envelope.

Lucilla Lavender 0203 405 1410 www.lucillalavender.com

Lovely Lexicon Ink First, Act Second

Squaire's inaugural collection Squaire Words shows that it's hip to be square. This collection of cards uses playful, hand-drawn type to celebrate some of the weird and wonderful words we use. The range features 12 designs for hip Dads, marvellous Mums and everything in-between.

The 148mm square greeting cards come individually wrapped in cellophane, complete with nifty brown kraft envelope.

Some Ink Nice is debuting this month with its inaugural range of clean, crisp art cards, all of which feature handpainted ink illustrations of animals. There are 24 designs in the range, printed A6 on heavyweight 350gsm, uncoated white board. Presented cellowrapped, each comes with a luxurious 170gsm kraft C6 envelope.

Some Ink Nice 07912 105025 www.someinknice.com

Squaire 07866 993 284 www.squaire.co.uk

A La Carte Fasanian Artistry’s Off the Menu range has swelled by another 12 designs for the start of 2019. The range revolves around animals and food combining to make cheesy puns and wacky word plays. The character-based cards cater for a variety of tastes from sweet to savoury. The cards are 5” X 7” and come individually cellowrapped with a grey envelope.

Fasanian Artistry 0773 419 2845 fasanianartistry.co.uk

Hey Al, Meet Fresco Hey Fresco is the latest range from Wendy Jones-Blackett. There are a natty 59 designs in the collection, all of which are cold-foiled, embossed, handfinished. All the 155mm square designs have a pattern and a ‘calling card’ caption box with design overlap, like it’s been ’tucked in’ to the design. The collection covers birthdays, occasions, wedding, anniversaries, relations birthdays and new baby. All come with an ivory envelope.

Wendy Jones-Blackett 0113 2888468 www.wendyjonesblackett.co.uk

Age Is Just A Number Janice Daughters has 12 new children’s age greeting card range covering from one to ten year olds. The designs feature Scruffo Bear as well as a host of other animals, such as penguins, elephants, dinosaurs, tigers and unicorns.

Janice Daughters 07860 633490 www.janicedaughters.co.uk PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE

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ART SOURCE

TO APPEAR REGULARLY IN THE

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

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Art Trends & Design Focus

Orbiting

Art Trends

Fuelled by the empowerment for the women’s movement, the zeitgeist of diversity, equality and inclusiveness will continue and grow in intensity in 2019. Another bright fiery spirit, dragons will be joining the ranks as mythological messengers, and with this year marking the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 moonlanding and new cosmic realms being explored, extra-terrestrial art influences will be launched in to the creative galaxy.

A planetarium of image library connoisseurs reveal their exploration into the visual trends of 2019.

Trend Predictions: Advocate Art team: Cultural events and influencers in 2019: “Taking our initial predictions from Pantone’s announcement of its Colour of the Year for 2019, we feel that Living Coral is a reflection of the world that we want to live in; a world of thriving coral reefs, vivid sunsets and warmth. In a time of uncertainty in many aspects of politics, the economy and the environment this choice in colour seems to give a strong sense of home and safety, and it's a shade we will see trickling down onto stationery with the use of similar warm tones.

We have seen creatives be inspired by the stars and cosmos, with an increased interest in astrology and star signs, which we think we will continue to see carry on into 2019. It’s no coincidence that we increasingly are feeling ‘starry eyed’, as 2019 marks the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 moonlanding.

Lastly, the influence of the award winning series Game of Thrones, a new How to Train your Dragon movie and the relaunch of the retro computer game Spyro has seen an increase in the request for cute dragons.”

Above: This year will be the 50th anniversary of Apollo 11 landing on the moon.

Left: Artwork by Teresa Bellon from Advocate Art. Right: A Katie Abey dragon from Advocate Art. Below: Sue Downing’s artwork from Advocate Art.

Key trends for 2019: Girl power: “First and foremost I think the ‘girl power movement’ we’re seeing across the culture (and particularly in card publishing presently) will trickle down to licensing and stationery, and we will begin to see an increase of inspirational quotes applied to stationery. This is influenced by the Women’s Right to Vote anniversary in 2018 in the UK, and 2020 in the USA.” Togetherness and inclusion: “Diversity has also been at the forefront of everyone’s minds, so I think we will see more cards that reflect greater representations of people of colour as well as more designs for occasions, such as Diwali, Rosh Hashanah, Chinese New Year etc.”

Legendary creatures: “Finally, we also think non-traditional message carriers will continue to reign supreme, with the introduction of cute dragons and mystical creatures as a result of the release of new TV series, movies and retro games mentioned previously.”

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ART SOURCE

TO APPEAR REGULARLY IN THE

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

Let's talk envelopes...

Please contact us to discuss your requirements further.

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

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Art Trends & Design Focus

Jehane Boden Spiers, founder of Jehane: Cultural events and influencers in 2019: “Pantone got it bang-on when they described last year’s Colour of the Year (Ultraviolet) as being, “A dramatically provocative and thoughtful purple shade, the colour of awareness, the colour of 100 years since women celebrated their right to vote”. One of the key influences on art and design for 2019 will be the continuing importance of both positive female icons and an increased awareness towards nature, climate change and minorities within society. It’s all about diversity and being inclusive. Starbucks has just opened its first US sign language store in Washington DC. Awareness is everything.”

Key trends for 2019: Nature’s kingdom: “Documenting the human relationship with nature, designers will create scenes using their imagination. Raising awareness of endangered species and threats to nature. More than ever the need for sensitivity towards the animal kingdom and climate change will impact. With the worst deforestation in the Amazonian rainforest for 10 years, and 1 in 10 species of wild bee facing extinction, respecting nature will be a key influence on trends.”

Left: Bee by Jade Mosinski © courtesy of Jehane Ltd. Right: In the Garden by Kate Heiss © courtesy of Jehane Ltd. Below: Frida Kahlo by Katherine Quinn© courtesy of Jehane Ltd.

The art of printmaking: “We are detaching ourselves from graphic illustration. Printmaking techniques, such as original linocuts and calligraphy will increasingly attract buyers for editorial, publishing and licensing. As more and more people are capable of creating design and illustration on a computer, art directors will be on the lookout for traditional artists who can create nuance and atmosphere, ideally combining nature and wildlife with printmaking.”

Equality and representation: “Following on from the smash hit of Frida Kahlo’s exhibition at the V&A, more than ever, women are at the centre of social issues opening a breach of awareness about equality, not only for women but for all minorities. Transgender, homosexuality and the rise of black and hispanic representation in art, film and books will continue. Positive empowerment and sentiments will be huge.”

Flora Spens, account manager for Bridgeman Images: Cultural events and influencers in 2019: “The 500th anniversary of Leonardo’s da Vinci’s birth will reignite the design world’s passion for Renaissance art in 2019, followed a year later in 2020 with the 500th anniversary of Raphael’s death.

There will be amazing exhibitions of his work all over Europe, from the Louvre to Leonardo Da Vinci: A Life In Drawing, at the Queen’s Gallery at Buckingham Palace that will take place in November 2019.

The Bridgeman archive is an absolute treasure trove of Leonardo da Vinci works, from the collections that we represent including the British Library, the Royal Collection and our new Right: Costumes by Oskar Schlemmer (Bauhaus) for Ballet triadique, at Metropol theater in Berlin, photo by Ernst Schneider, 1926 / PVDE / Bridgeman Images.

Left: Portrait of Leonardo da Vinci with his `Vitruvian Man' / Private Collection / Bridgeman Images.

addition, the Veneranda Biblioteca Ambrosiana collection. The Ambrosian Library is the oldest public library in Italy, and has a great collection of manuscripts from all over the world.

Leonardo da Vinci’s Codex Atlanticus is among the treasures on view, the largest anthology of his drawings and writings. Leonardo left hundreds of drawings and a small collection of paintings including the world famous ‘Mona Lisa’ and ‘Vitruvian Man’.

Leonardo’s quincentenary provides an opportunity for us to delve deeper into his fascinating life and work, and with the 500th Continued on page 115 PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE

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anniversary of Raphael’s death in 2020, we have two consecutive years to rekindle our love for the Renaissance.”

Key trends for 2019: Bauhaus 100 years celebration: “The year 2019 marks the 100th anniversary of the Bauhaus, the revolutionary art school founded by the German architect, Walter Gropius. It exerted a profound impact on the development of modern art and continues to impact on design in the 21st century. The artists Wassily Kandinsky, Paul Klee and Laszlo Moholy-Nagy were among the leaders of the Bauhaus movement that sought to redefine art, with the focus on craft and functionality, and they sought to bring together artistic disciplines. These ideals were translated into superb geometric abstraction and stripped-back minimal designs that are set to re-emerge in manifold design projects and objects in 2019.

The Bauhaus centenary will be huge, with museums and galleries across the world hosting events to mark the occasion.”

Anni Albers: textile weaving: “Anni Albers combined the ancient craft of hand weaving with the language of modern art, and her influence is still being felt, indeed it is invigorating the interest in textile art the world over. Her pivotal contribution to art and design was showcased recently at Tate Modern, the first exhibition of her work in the UK. Albers was one of the most inspirational weaving designers who blazed a trail for women in the design world. As a female

student at the radical Bauhaus art school, Albers enrolled in the weaving workshop and made textiles her key form of expression.

Albers had a significant influence on artists and the exhibition of over 350 objects at Tate Modern was truly inspiring. From her tiny ‘pictorial weavings’ to huge wall hangings and magical textiles, prints and drawings, the show will have a lasting influence on British designers.”

Living Coral: “Living Coral is officially Pantone’s new colour for 2019 and at Bridgeman we are keeping a close eye on the hue - it is a terracotta shade bringing about a sense of serenity and calm. What will designers and consumers make of it for 2019?

It has been referred as a pastel desert colour, a tempered earthy shade that might pop up in elegant interiors in Californian and homes Down Under. According to Above: Pig Opera, 2016 (oil on canvas), Frean, Holly / Private Pantone experts, Living Coral evokes Collection / Bridgeman Images.

Red Meander, 1969 a mood, a feeling that emerges from Left: (screenprint on paper), Albers, Anni (1889-1994) / Private Collection / © the zeitgeist; and as a warm, natural, Alan Cristea Gallery, London / solid colour it provides stability, Bridgeman Images. optimism and comfort in uncertain times.

Sunshine shades have been a retail trend for some time now, but in 2019 they will step fully into the spotlight. We are seeing a wave of sunny yellows, from Sicilian lemon shades, ‘Gen Z yellow’, to marigold and neon on the catwalks for Spring 2019, so we anticipate that the optimistic shades will also be used in giftware, cards and stationery. Like Living Coral, sunshine shades lift the mood.”

Sue Bateman, director for Yellow House Art Licensing: Cultural events and influencers in 2019: “The year 2019 is a very unknown quantity. I feel that the public will enjoy traditional, even nostalgic, cultural happenings as an escape from real life. It won’t necessarily be the new cultural events that are the most influential, but instead the annual excitement of Wimbledon, the Proms, Ascot etc will take on new relevance.

The comfort derived from the known, in the form of film remakes and continuations of franchises such as Toy Story 4, will soften any political turmoil in the headlines.

Escapism will be the order of the day.

Fashion, always a pleasant distraction, will become even more so with the influence of two major fashion exhibitions at the V&A featuring Quant and

Left: Spencer Wilson’s powerful cycling imagery is available from Yellow House.

Below left: The traditional British event, The Proms, is held at the Albert Hall, and more recently Hyde Park.

Dior: Punchy British flair and sophisticated French elegance, both competing to influence current day art and design.”

Key trends for 2019: Well-being and selfimprovement: “The interest in physical and mental well-being will continue across the board and the phenomenal rise in the popularity of cycling as a hobby/obsession will go from strength to strength. The words and phrases of encouragement used by the cycling community to push themselves that bit further will become more mainstream and this also feeds into the trend for type based imagery.

Yellow House artist Spencer Wilson, being a keen cyclist himself, is the go-to artist for cycling images. Creator of the Mamil Continued on page 117 PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE

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brand, the images are licensed onto calendars (Portico), books, journals and cycling accessories Yoga popularity also increases year on year, as much for physical benefits as for the mindfulness aspects of the discipline. Cally Johnson-Issacs’ images of yoga are delicate and inspiring.”

Vintage chic: “The two block-buster exhibitions planned for 2019 at the V&A featuring Christian Dior and Mary Quant will capture people’s imagination and I believe will be hugely influential, as much as the Frida Kahlo one was in 2018. Although very different in style, both designers made hugely bold statements and their influence is still widely felt. Artists will Left: The British at play, Country Life Summer by Paul Cox from Yellow House.

Right: The 60s fashion influence can be seen on this Paul Thurlby design available from Yellow House.

be inspired by the clean lines and elegance of Dior and by the fun, bold colours and general joie de vivre of Quant.

We might actually see human figures appearing more on cards as the trend for anthropomorphic animals abates.”

British retro: “There is currently a degree of uncertainty about what 2019 will hold for Britain.

Our place in the world is being re-defined and this is causing some anxiety, consequently I am expecting there to be a renewed interest in ‘comfort’ images depicting a rosy view of British life and society.

Our archive of retro black and white photography will be popular and other images that reflect the constancy of British society will be sought after. Watercolours by Paul Cox that depict the British at play will be enjoyed by many.”

Emma Gray, creative & sales manager for Image Source - Art Licensing: Key trends for 2019: In full bloom: “When it comes to floral innovation for 2019, maximalism is a must have! Striking unique blooms are widely popular and a ‘more is more’ approach to modern interpretations of floral art will be prevalent next year.

Bold colours with vivid intensity, crowded layouts, dark backgrounds and beautiful pattern will be key elements, as will the visual cues of florals from other lands to expand the viewer’s experience of the unique and a sense of expanding our own life experiences.

Last year saw a trend for hygge and lagom, and maybe this new trend celebrates the occasional indulgent need for more!”

Intergalactica: “With the fascinating Mars explorations scheduled, and the launch of movies such as Star Wars IX, Ad Astra, Captain Marvel (and more) in 2019, we will undoubtedly see a trend in all things space related. This trend highlights Above: Artwork

by Nicola Gregory, from Image Source.

Left: Artwork by Sam Neville, from Image Source.

Right: Artwork by Claire Coxon, from Image Source.

Mankind’s goal to branch out onto the cosmos and is a magical opportunity to look past our own limitations of life on earth.

The trend offers an escape to an intergalactic space filled with stars, planets and a sense of other worldly explorations. Outer space motifs, repeat prints of rockets and planets and astrological/constellation mapping will be central to this trend and a celebration of the wonder of star gazing that releases our minds from the mundane tasks in our everyday lives.”

(F)empowerment: “2018 was a year of women around the world speaking up about their rights, and breaking the silence on issues regarding equality and fairness through the #MeToo movement. As a result we are already seeing a shift in the representation of women and 2019 will develop this further in art.

Female empowerment will be expressed through beautiful inspiring typography and illustration of women in less traditional settings and showcasing strong women supporting strong women, regardless of the occasion (or lack thereof!). The trend will spotlight inspiring, sensual and resilient women on a level platform and a celebration of less division between the genders …what’s not to celebrate!”

PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE

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

Angela Buchan, owner of No.18 Gifts & Cards, Aberdeen, Scotland A small contemporary shop in a port city with a locals, office workers and largely female customer base.

Category

Name of Publisher

Product/Name Range

Comments

Everyday

English Graphics

Glitter Dots

Humour

Bluebell 33

Sunshine & Toast

Contemporary

Proud Couture

General

Belly Button

Across The Board

Coulson Macleod

Precious Metals

Janie Wilson

Silver Leaf

Five Dollar Shake

Across The Board

Very simple designs with lots of handapplied sparkly dots on grey board and a beautiful script font.

A bright coloured modern letterpress collection with gold foiled cheeky and clever wording.

Stunning designs that feature very feminine and cool fashion illustrations.

Belly Button’s designs are beautifully embellished, unusual and a bit special.

Customers often come in our store looking for something different from the multiples.

Pale pink or white cards with contemporary sentiments - such as ‘Always Sparkle’ - in gold foiling. Customers tend to buy four or five designs at a time. They’re so popular we have hardly any left!

Simple silver grey illustrations on fresh white board topped with tiny gems.

Pretty embellishments on modern girlie designs.

Above right: The Precious Metals range from Coulson Macleod is a favourite at No.18 Gifts & Cards.

Right: A simple but sparkly design from English Graphics’ Glitter Dots range

Handmade/ HandFinished

Lynda and Chris Jobson, owners of Precious Moments, Cramlington, Northumberland A large shop in a town shopping centre with a loyal locals customer base.

Category

Name of Publisher

Product/Name Range

Comments

Cute

Carte Blanche IC&G UK Greetings

Me To You Barley Bear Boofle

Humour

Hanson White (UKG)

Giggles, Recycled Paper, Bottle Tops

Photographic

Camden Graphics (UKG)

Landscape

Traditional

Grass Roots IC&G Second Nature

Across The Board Across The Board Pop Ups

Widdop & Co

General

Xpressions

Pots of Dreams

Xpressions

Boofle mugs

The cute characters on the designs stand out on the card racks, and they've all got that ‘ahh factor’.

As a From the Heart store we offer UKG’s humour collections, which has something for everyone with many appealing to our older customers.

We’ve tried ruder designs from other publishers but people tend to read and chuckle but don't buy them as the designs are too rude to send.

Stunning images from The Landscape Photographer of the Year awards, the range is perfect for people who are looking for blank cards that are beautifully scenic.

Quality cards at a good price and the words and sentiments are lovely and appeal to our customers who tend to love a wordy card.

These pop up card designs sell really well, especially the age ones, and they’re something a bit different.

A wide selection of products from which you can order little and often. It’s good for trying a product out as you can order in ones or twos.

Bright and pretty with some lovely ‘dreams’ to save for. There’s a recent one that’s for a Tattoo Fund, so they move with the times!

The company recently brought out some new designs and they’re selling really well.

Right: A burst of celebration from Second Nature’s Pop Up range.

Handmade/ Hand-Finished Ancillary

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Susan Verity, owner of Cards Etc, Horsforth, Leeds A small shop in a small town with a loyal locals and visitors customer base.

Category

Name of Publisher

Product/Name Range

Comments

Everyday

Nigel Quiney

Pizazz and Pizazz For Men

Cute

IC&G

Barley Bear

Humour

Clare Maddicott (Abacus)

Harold’s Planet

Photographic

General

Art

Chris Ceaser Photography Mark Denton Photographic Green Pebble

Contemporary

Cherry Orchard

Traditional Handmade/ Hand-Finished

Gibson (UKG) Second Nature

Lovingly Picked For You Simply Traditional Across The Board

Santoro

Swing Cards

There’s a huge range of designs in these ranges and the publisher is always bringing out new ones - the designs just keep getting better and better.

When I saw the samples I thought they were really nice, and the designs come in open and titled.

The humour isn’t too naughty and picks up on current topics and trends such as gin and prosecco.

Both are Yorkshire-based photographers who create stunning images of local well-known scenes and attractions in my area, such as Scarborough and York Minster cathedral.

We do really well with these cards. There’s such a huge range that there is something for everyone’s tastes.

Eye-catching bright colours with modern looking on trend themes such as flamingoes and florals.

Nice very wordy cards with a good mix of male and female designs.

I’ve always liked this publisher. There’s constantly new ranges for my customers to discover.

So different and the choice of designs and themes Above: A Harold’s Planet design by are huge. Always blank, so open to many sending Clare Maddicott. occasions, the themes vary and suit ages 3 to 100!

General Across The Board

Rosie Foster, manager of Ashton House, Hersham, Surrey A small shop in a village with a loyal locals customer base.

Category

Name of Publisher

Product/Name Range

Comments

Everyday

Wendy Jones-Blackett

Across The Board

Humour

Rosie Made a Thing

Gin & Frolics

Cardmix

Irene & Gladys

Portfolio

Unleashed

Art

The Art File

Sara Miller London

Contemporary

Rachel Ellen

Pink Fizz

Rosanna Rossi

Debonair

Hearts Designs

Black Tie

Blue Eyed Sun

Vintage

One of our best selling publishers. We are looking forward to its new and improved Fresco range coming in - we really like them!

The publisher gets it just right: simple illustrations and font, and the humour is brief and cheeky without being offensive.

The jokes are a bit naughty and appeal to an older age group as they can relate to the scenarios.

This range has been brilliant, especially the ‘Live like someone left the gate open’ design. The photography is fantastic, featuring a variety of different dog breeds, and the cards suit a multitude of different sending occasions.

Good quality blank cards in lovely colours and with lots of floral illustrations. They have beautiful foil touches but aren’t covered in lots of glitter and diamantes.

Bright pink with modern patterns and lots of gold glitter, the range is great for older teenagers.

Simple, with embossed foiling and masculine colours, the cards feature geometric patterns and the captions say just the right thing.

Black, white and gold stylish designs, each featuring a diamante bowtie that glittery enough but not too much for a male.

One of our more traditional looking ranges, it’s one of our bread and butter lines. Customers of a certain age group are drawn to them.

Photographic Top right: Portfolio’s Unleashed designs combines stunning dog imagery with uplifting sentiments.

Right: A design from the sophisticated Black Tie range from Hearts Designs.

Handmade/ Hand-Finished

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To appear in the Product Directories contact

Warren Lomax

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

Tracey Arnaud

07957 212 062

or email traceya@max-publishing.co.uk

To appear in the Product Directories contact

Warren Lomax

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

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

Tracey Arnaud

07957 212 062

or email traceya@max-publishing.co.uk 122

PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE

01565 830 546 | bexyboo.co.uk @BexyBooLtd

BexyBooLtd

@BexyBooLtd

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To appear in the Product Directories simply contact

Warren Lomax on:

020 7700 6740

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

Tracey Arnaud on:

07957 212 062

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

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

www.bugart.co.uk

Caspari Ltd Linden House, John Dane Player Court

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

Products: Everyday cards - birthday,

www.cathtatecards.com

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

Method of Sale: Direct to Retail

To appear in the Product Directories contact

Warren Lomax

Witty, gritty, switched on humour.

Cards and gifts with a real difference.

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

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

Tracey Arnaud

07957 212 062

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

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

or email traceya@max-publishing.co.uk

PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE

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Warren Lomax

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on:

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made with great imagination

@thecuriousinksmith

Tracey Arnaud

Ch C hin nese ese HE IS

Beautiful greeting cards from contemporary British artwork

THE

WAY

THE AND TRUTH THE

LIFE

01892 838 574

sales@thecuriousinksmith.co.uk

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

www.dryredpress.com

on:

07957 212 062

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

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

Polissh Po h

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

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

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

Welsh and English cards

TM

GRASS ROOTS

INTERNATIONAL

G RASS R OOTS INTERNATIONAL

www.draenog.com Ç&#x2C6; 07815 153582

agents wanted

A U.K owned Greeting Cards Publisher.

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

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

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

M ETHOD OF SALE Direct to Retail

G RASS R OOTS INTERNATIONAL

To appear in the Product Directories simply contact

Warren Lomax on:

020 7700 6740

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

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

on:

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

07957 212 062

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

PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE

from the

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

Tracey Arnaud

124

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

@glickgiftwrap

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

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

• Specialists in garden centres and the independent trade.

Find The Great British Card Company on:

PHOTOGRAPHY SUPPLIER

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

glebecottage.co.uk 01626 369269 Estaab blished 1993

)

CHARITY GREETING CARDS

To appear in the Product Directories contact

Warren Lomax

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

AR RT TISTS CARDS glebecottage.co.uk 01626 369269

Tracey Arnaud

07957 212 062

or email traceya@max-publishing.co.uk

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

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

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

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

Esta ab blished 1993 PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE

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60 years

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

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

L E T U S TA K E YOU BAC K

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

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

For further details please get in touch.

info@vincentmcevoy.com

+44 (0)7779 578340

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

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

Bespoke service for charities and other fundraisers.

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

LING DESIGN

www.lingdesign.co.uk

01892 838 574

information@lingdesign.co.uk

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

Pizazz Gifts.

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

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

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

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

TRADE WEBSITE:

Ä&#x2039;

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Ä&#x2039; 01780 763 368

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

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

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

@ @paperlinkcards

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

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

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

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

We replace slow sellers and damaged stock free of charge.

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

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

01932 267 300

ICONIC LICENCED BRANDS

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

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Products:

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

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

LING DESIGN

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

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

Method of sale: Wholesale Distributors

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

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

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

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

METHOD OF SALE: Direct to retail.

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

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raspber r yblossom.com hello@raspberryblossom.com 020 3723 5405

Spring Fair STAND 3L44

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PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE

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

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

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

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7RPFDW &DUGV

www.tomcat.cards info@tomcat.cards

We offffer a COMPREHE

range of hig Greeting Ca ALL

Occasions, AS

and easons.

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

Sale: Direct to R

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

Market Leaders in

Verse

& entimen

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

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

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

Tel: 01942 233201

view by rufus designed in thames ditton

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

DIRECT TO RETAIL & EXPORT

Method of Sale: Direct to Retail Orders can be placed on our trader site

www.cbgtrader.co.uk or call our customer services team on

the three tenas topdog@view by rufus.com 020 8972 9706

viewbyrufus.com register fo for a trade account: www w..viewbyrufus i b f .com/b2b /b2b

+44(0)1243 792600

Art Cards eA Botanical Fine

an extensive range of superior quality,

Vibrant and nd elegant gree greeting cards A freshly fr modern perspective on nature

Call Now 075 7700 1145 www.zaquarella.co.uk info@ zaquarella.com

TEL: 01480 435562 FAX: 01480 450599 www.tracksltd.com UNIT 2, 12 BLACKSTONE RD, STUKELEY MEADOWS IND EST,

Top-notch British Greeting Cards for Thoughts that Count

HUNTINGDON, CAMBS, PE29 6EF

01923 200600 | www.woodmansterne.co.uk PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE

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BAGS Polypropylene & biodegradable bag specialists

GREETING CARD

Over 40 years quality service to the trade Hotfoiling also available

T 01206 396209 E sales@badgerconverters.co.uk www.badgerconverters.co.uk

GIVE E YOUR

EUROPE’S LEADING GREETINGS CARDS, PARTY PRODUCTS, GIFTS, CANDLES, TOYS, STATIONERY AND FLORIST SUNDRIES DISTRIBUTION CENTRE 75000 SQ FT

V VIP

TREA AT A TMENT

BESCOT CRESCENT, WALSALL, WEST MIDLANDS. WS1 4NG 01922-646666 www.greetingshouse.co.uk info@greetingshouse.co.uk MON,WED,FRI 8.00am-4.45pm TUES,THURS 8.00am-7.45pm SAT,SUN 8.00am-1.45pm

HIGH CLARITY L TY Y BA AGS FOR R GREETING G ET T NG CARD DS, CALEND EN N ARS ARS AND AND D ARTW TWORK WORK ŏ ŏđŏ

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FOIL L BL B OCKING NG G EXTE XTENSIVE NSIV VE R V RANG RA ANGE OF S ST TOCK SIZES SIZ ZES AND BES AND BES E PO OKE KE MANUF KE MANU UF FACTU TUR TURE T U E AT TED D WRAPPING SERVICE NEW AUTOMA

CALL CA CAL C LL US ST TO ODAY OD

0122 1228 228 2 28 8 56 5605 60 052 26 6 www.fful ulcrumfilms. ulcrrum mfillm ms s co.uk uk

We’ve been producing p bags of high clarity and high quality q for over 30 years.

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01274 220 220 www w.wrapid.co.uk sales@wrapid.co.uk

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BAGS

BAGS

Manuffacturers of high quality fllexible packaging 30 YEARS EXPERIENCE - QUA UALITTY Y SERVICE EXTENSIVE STOCK RANGE - QUICK DE ELIVERY ASSURED

- HEADER BAGS - WA WALLET BAGS - ZIPPER BAGS - FLEXOGRAPHIC, HOTFOIL & THEERMAL PRINTING www.transrappackagin ng.co.uk sales@transrap.co o.uk

CALL US TODA AY

01773 5378 810

FLITTERING FOR ALL YOUR FLITTER REQUIREMENTS

ABL Foil Ltd Unit 1, Industrial Estate East Hanningfield Chelmsford Essex, CM3 8AB

Contact DAVID JIGGINS Tel: 01245 400104 Email: david@abl-ltd.co.uk

PRINTERS

ENVELOPES

AND NOW FO OR SOMETHING COMPLETELY DIFFERENT... .

FOR ALL YOUR ENVELOPE NEEDS! Largest range of in-stock colours Over 400 Bespoke Envelope Sizes 8 Sizes Permanently in Stock RECYCLED

100% Recycled Paper Av Available

PAPER A

Stock & Bespoke Cello Bags Peel & Stick Envelopes p Bespoke Service on Request

ORDER ON LINE AT: www.regentenvelopes.com 01274 583000 sales@regentenvelopes.com

Our innovative greeting gs card finishes include: Thermography Foil Intense Glitter Snowraise Liquid q M Metal Blended Glitter Embossing Textured Foil Laser Cutting

ask about our ‘Mrr Abbot’ sample pack

To discuss your nextt greetings card range call us on 01797 223355 www.abbotprint.co.uk bb i k sales@abbotprint.co.uk l bb i k PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE

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SPECIALISTS IN SHORT RUN MULTI IMAGE PRINT s Foiling Services without the need for dies s Wiro bound notebooks, no minimum quantity s In House Fulfilmment Services

T 01274 305832 E info@hellocards.co.uk www.hellocards.co.uk

PJ Print

(London)

The Capitals only specialist Greetings card printer

HOME OF THE LASER CUT GREETING CARD

The simplest way to order your greetings cards

PJ Print (London) The Capitals only Greetings card printer

PJ-PRINT E-mail: sales@pj-print.co.uk The Print Works Colville Road, Acton London W3 8BL tel 020 8993 5160 www.pj-print.co.uk

E-mail: sales@pj-print.co.uk

Powered by

The Print Works Colville Road, Acton, London W38BL

Unit 8, Archers Park, Branbridges Road, East Peckham, Kent TN12 5HP www.theimagingcentre.co.uk Email: info@theimagingcentre.co.uk Tel: 01622 871449

we print 132

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PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE

we pack

we deliver

tel 020 8993 5160 www.pj-print.co.uk

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Your saf ep ai

YOUR MANUFACTURING PARTNER FOR VALUE ADDED PRODUCTS

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English speaking production team, prices quoted in sterling... and only 3 days delivery to THE UK...

Outstanding, cost effective and efficient production of Greeting cards, Packaging and Social stationery, ideal for intricate and hand finished products.

• Over 15 years experience providing high-quality printed products direct from the Far East • Trusted and financially stable, UK owned by The Sherwood Group • Socially responsible manufacturing: SMETA, ISO9001, ISO14001, FSC certification • Full product prototyping in the UK for competitive speed to market requirements

• Hand made and hand finished greeting cards • Boxed sets and acetate packs of cards / envelopes • Giftwrap and tag packs • Individually open and closed wrapped cards • 'Pop up' and cardboard engineered products • Notelets and social stationery • Specialised printing on plastics & lenticular For production enquiries, estimates etc., please contact our UK Agent:

To find out how we can benefit your business, contact Derek Lam +00 (852) 3527 3471 / derek@sherwood-press.com or The Sherwood Group Head Office

Rob Pearson 07710 132 232 rob@solutions-polska.com FSC accredited (BV-COC-002485). Audited member of SMETA. Printing to ISO12674-2 standard.

Hong Kong Office: 13/F, Kam Chung Commercial Building, 19-21 Hennessy Road, Wanchai, Hong Kong

www w..sherwoodgroupuk.com

Really... and there s no VAT to pay or customs procedures either...that's a great deal!

000510

THE RIGH HT PARTNER

FOR ALL YOUR MANUFACTURING REQUIREMENTS

Social Sta tationerry Printer of the Year

Award winning U UK & Global specialist manufacturer ffor the greeting card industry fo or over 40 years To discuss how we can work together, contact Simon King: Tel 0115 928 7766 Email ssimon.king@sherwoodgroupuk.com

Glitt i Glittering

** ** ** **

Offset ff t Printing P i ti

Sh Show Room R

Facto ory Outlook

Established in 1997, headquarters in Hong Kong 600,000 Sq.fftt of modern production facility ouse production Ensure complete co ontrol from start to finish with our full in-ho Continually investin t planet ng in people, equipment, technology and the

www.sherwoodgroupuk.com Hadden Court, Glaisdale e Parkway, Glaisdale Drive West, Nottin ngham NG8 4GP

TERRY JOHNSO ON PO Box 1600 Hemel Hempstead, HP1 9SR Mobile: 07773 389784 Email: terryjohnson@ve eb.com.hk Website: www.veb.com m.hk PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE

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WAREHOUSING & DISTRIBUTION

THE SPECIALIST GREE ETINGS CARD PRINTE ER Litho Print

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Digital Print

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Distribution

Tel:0127 e 4 4531828 Email: info@herbertw o alkers.co.uk

www.herbertwalkers.co.u uk

Same day order turna around Accurate fulfilment Value added only as you sell the product Exclusively Greeting Cards Dedicated Account Managers With an excellent reputation we work as an integral part of yourr team bringing QYGL QSVI XLER JYPǻPQIRX 4YV GSWXMRK WXVYGXYVI MW WMQTPI ERH XVERWTEVIRX ;I ; I GEVV] SYX EPP EWTIGXW SJ LERH ǻRMWLMRK ERH EWWIQFP] ERH TVSZMHI [LEXIZIV EHHMXMSREP WIVZMGIW ]SY RIIH 4YV WIPIGX XIEQ SJ SYX[SVOIVW GEVIJYPP] LERH [VET ER] WM^I SV JSVQEX SJ GEVHW YVKIRXP] 4ZIVRMKLX ;I GEVI EFSYX ]SYV TVSHYGX EW QYGL EW ]SY HS &XXIRXMSR XS HIXEMP 6( .WWYIW ;I ERH .8 WYTTSVXIH F] E GSQTVILIRWMZI TETIV XVEMP JS T JSV EPP WXSGO QSZIQIRXW EVI SYV LEPPQEVOW 4YV GER HS ETTVSEGL QIERWW [I EVI LETT] XS WSPZI ]SYV TVSFPIQW 4YXWSYVGMRK ]SYV [EVILSYWMRK STIVEXMSR VIPIEWIW ]SYV XMQI XS CREA AT TE/MARKET/SELL/ MANAGE/ /GROW THE BUSINESS =SYV FYWMRIWW MW SYV FYWMRIWW T =S TPIEWI ZMWMX Z SYV [IF WMXI ERH WII [LEX SYV GYWXSQIVW WE] XLIR XS ǻRH SYX S QSVI GEPP Ly Lynda Raymond ERH TIVLETW [I GER EVVERKI XS QIIX ERH HMWGYWW ]SYV RIIHW . EQ WYVI XLEX [I GER G LIPT

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APPOINTMENTS

Card works

CONVERT Y EXCESS ST OUR OCKS TO CASH TODA Y!

EXCESS GREETING CARD STOCKS? WE OFFER A PROFESSIONAL CLEARANCE SERVICE FOR EXCESS & REDUNDANT STOCKS OF GREETING CARDS, WRAPPING PAPER, GIFTS & ALLIED PRODUCTS O GUARANTEED OFFER WITHIN 24 HOURS O WE COLLECT O PROMPT PAYMENT O UNFINISHED PRODUCTION CONSIDERED O MOST TRANSACTIONS COMPLETED WITHIN 7 DAYS O FULLY CONFIDENTIAL O 40 YEARS EXPERIENCE

SEND SAM PLES AND STOC K QUANTITIE S TODAY!

CARDWORKS CLEARANCE SERVICES

92 Station Road, Willingham, Cambridge CB24 5HG

Distributor of gift books and beautiful stationery

Email: cardworkstrading@btconnect.com Tel: 01954 260728

SALES REPRESENTATIVES Salary: Competitive, generous commission Type: Full-time or part-time Various locations, including: West Midlands Yorkshire North East Oxfordshire based Allsorted is looking to employee more and more ‘SUPERSTAR’ Sales Representatives across the UK, as our business grows exponentially, going from strength to strength. Candidates must have a proven track record as the best - or at least one of the top - sales reps in their previous team/s. You must be persuasive, honest, hardworking, positive, dedicated, smart, and enjoy helping customers to be more successful.

Contact: Lincoln Exley by email with CV for more information: lincoln@allsorteduk.com. www.allsorteduk.com

PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE

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It wouldn't be Christmas without one!

Spring Fair

I

Hall 3

I

Stand Nl 0-Pl l