25-29_Stationery.qxp_Grid 06/04/2026 14:44 Page 1
FOCUS ON…STATIONERY
AVIDLY ANALOGUE
Stationery lovers unite! The digital detox is underway as avid devotees of a good notebook and pen are ensuring more folk are joining this analogue love affair, as underlined by stationery coming top in the recent PG Retail Barometer as the product area indies see as ripe for further expansion this year. In the run up to next month’s London Stationery Show and National Stationery Week, PG shares some handwritten scribbles on why stationery is most definitely on the move.
In this digital world, the love of a good notebook, pen, pencil, highlighter may seem something of an anachronism, but it’s definitely not. There’s something inherently human about reading and writing, and the movement is growing, among consumers, retailers and suppliers.
Above: Pencils from Brainbox Candy.
Above: Reaching for the stars doesn’t mean losing what makes us human, and a love of writing is grounding.
“Stationery has really started to resonate more with people for a few reasons,” suggests Brainbox Candy’s co-founder Ben Hickman. “People are tired of staring at glass, trading our hi-tech addictions for some analogue detox is wildly freeing. With our lives so deeply engrained in the Cloud or via some form of digital messaging, stationery is profoundly grounding and a tactile thrill. A notebook doesn’t send you notifications or ask you to accept cookies and it doesn’t need its face cleaned every few hours. Scribbling down ideas makes you feel off grid, even if just for a bit, one smudge at a time.” As Ben highlights there are some beautiful products out there, both in terms of design, licences and print processes which just add PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE 25