Progressive Greetings February 2025

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New Year New Products!

9 Luxury quality designs for those very special relations & occasions.

All designs are finished to the highest standard and contain heartfelt sentiment, multiple finishes and detailed inserts.

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New! A NEW beautifully illustrated traditional watercolour card collection.

16 designs from Price Code 60.

An exciting collaboration with the talented artist Sabina. A pretty collection of 13 birthday designs, all beautifully finished New!

with foil and embossed details.

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Delivering

SMILES

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At the core of our NEW fantastically festive Christmas 2025 collection are our fabulous traditional cards with wonderful finishes and sentimental verses, complimented by more contemporary and cute collections to ensure our customers have plenty of choice.

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from

36 age relation cards AVAILABLE NOW in our best selling ‘Year You Were Born’ format

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The finest cards, all in one Collection.

Spring Fair, Hall 3, Stand 3L30-M31 museumsgalleries.co.uk E: sales@mgml.co.uk 01373 462165

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From The Editor

ON THE CARDS ‘Do the things that make you happy’ was the message on a Little Wishes card and bracelet I was given by a smiley young woman on the By Molly & Izzie stand at Top Drawer.

While in reality you cannot always live up to this sentiment as the ‘must do’ stuff doesn’t necessarily bring you innate joy, it did strike a chord, especially as my trip to the show came after several weeks of being confined pretty much to the laptop, writing this bumper edition (not complaining, I love writing and there is lots of good stuff to share).

People and products are what makes our industry great and being out and about among them both definitely makes me happy.

It was fabulous seeing all the great new launches, including from Imogen Partridge and Sanders De Roeper, two newbie publishers that I met at a recent InPress event at The Imaging Centre. Relaying something that my lovely friend Lynn Tait (now sadly no longer with us) used to say, I impressed on Hatty and Tim, the co-owners of Sanders De Roeper to “enjoy every first. You will only ever have one first card launch and this is it. Mark it, enjoy it”. With infectious positivity to match their cheery bright cards, they definitely were making the most of it.

What also made me happy was the palpable sense of camaraderie that is all pervasive in our sector, how we all pull together when needed, that feeling of belonging adding so much to our individual lives and businesses.

If there is a drum that needs to be banged, invariably Heidi Early of Earlybird Designs is never very far away. I had only been at Olympia for a matter of minutes before the pocket rocket of a publisher cum retailer had sprung into sight, clutching a wad of printed A4 sheets to be distributed to all and sundry to encourage everyone to sign the petition, initiated by the GCA, to safeguard Royal Mail upholding the Universal Service Obligation.

While the mission to secure 100,000 signatures and thereby triggering a Government debate on the matter, seems a tall order, the collective action over the last few days alone has seen the

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tally nudging close to Left: A Little Wishes card from By Molly & Izzie. left: (right-left) Earlybird’s Hannah Sharman, 5,000 already. If you are a Above Dom and Heidi Early with PG’s Jakki Brown with the ‘sign the petition’ posters at Top Drawer. retailer, please print off Above: Matt Simpson of The Letter Arty Heidi’s poster (available to (bottom left) is certainly onto something with his Choose Cards t-shirts! download from the GCA Below left: PG’s Jakki Brown behind the bar of the PG Pub at last year’s Spring Fair with Andy website) and get your Meehan, president of the US GCA. customers to join in. If you are a publisher or supplier, please urge all of your team and contacts to get involved.

I also loved witnessing the impromptu photoshoot of publishers and retailers who had all come suitably attired in what is fast becoming our industry ‘uniform’, the Choose Cards slogan t-shirts, the brainchild of Matt Simpson, owner of publisher and retailer, The Letter Arty.

Now a t-shirt would not be my favourite form of garment, but I now have mine on order as I certainly don’t want to miss out on the big Choose Cards t-shirt shot Matt is now planning for PG Live in June - just the thought of it makes me feel happy!

With Christmas trade having exceeded expectations for most cardies, and findings of our Retail Barometer amplifying the positivity from indies (see pages 37-43), 2025 has got off to a happy start.

Warren, Tracey A, Tracey B and myself will be very happy to see you all at Spring Fair where the PG Pub will be open from 5.30pm on the N Smith stand (Hall 4 K41) for a free drinks Happy Hour!

Enjoy the read…

THE HOME OF MARKET LEADING TRADE AWARDS

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CONTENTS 44

34

83

11-21 News

What’s Inside?

90

47-49 Showtime… Spring Fair Diamond Geezers

87-89 In Conversation With… The Parr For The Course

22-23 Over the Counter Being A Better Wo(Man)

With this Feb’s Spring Fair being its diamond jubilee, PG takes a look at the show’s history, and shares memories and dreams of some exhibitors.

Amplifying the new Robbie Williams biopic, David Robertson is embracing 2025 in a full Let Me Entertain You mode.

51 Into The Fold

24-25 Cardsharp The Birth Of A New Century

N Smith, the Willy Wonkas of FSDUs, boxes and cardboard engineering reveal some of their Spring Fair treats.

All the latest happenings and developments in the trade.

Cardsharp sees 2025 as the year when the 20th Century really ends and reflects on how this might affect the UK greeting card industry.

Gifted Stationery Company

53-63 Innovations New ranges and designs, including many Spring Fair creations.

65-67 In Profile: Glick All Glicking Into Place

The festive reports from an array of greeting card retailers.

Clinching its 10th Henries win in succession, a huge product launch, Chris Bryan on board and a new triple sized HQ, Glick is all set for a mega 2025.

71-73 Progressive Calendars…

Developments and News

The industry finds itself battling some hefty headwinds and yet remarkably is remaining on a steady course.

PG makes a date to track developments in the world of calendars.

Some 50% of indie card stockists report having achieved growth in 2024 and around the same is expected for trade in the coming year. Just a taster of highlights from PG’s annual survey!

79-81 Progressive Calendars…

44-45 In Conversation With… Rosie

83-85 Progressive Calendars… New

Made A Thing

Gin And Frolicking

A chorus line of independent sales agents Guys & Dolls shared the score of trade over the last year.

100-103 Relationship Businesses Sister Act

105 Art Source Trend Spotting Hannah Curtis, founder of Creative Sparrow shares her take on a trio of design trends.

Advents

Counting Down The Days It’s all about the numbers with advent calendars and advent cards

Products

How Rosie Made A Thing is quite rightly making the most of celebrating its 10th anniversary year.

Pantone’s pick for its Colour of the Year 2025 is Mocha Mousse. PG whipped up some publishers’ views on how the colour is being reflected in their designs.

PG embraces the sisterhoods at work at Stormy Knight, Nigel Quiney Publications, Holy Mackerel and Little Roglets.

Still Going Strong

37-43 PG Retail Barometer Home Improvements

90-93 Design Focus: Mocha Mousse Earthy Pleasures

95-99 Agents’ Musical Revelations Song And Dance Routines

27-33 Viewpoints Christmas Cracker

34-35 State of the Nation Battling The Elements

With The Gifted Stationery Company having been acquired by Swan Mill last October, PG caught up with its cofounder Nigel Parr about the exciting future.

Calendars have been around in one form or another since Mesolithic times, PG shares some of the latest incarnations.

107-109 What’s Hot? Some leading retailers lift the lid on their bestselling ranges.

110-118

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Jakki Brown

Warren Lomax

Tracey Arnaud

Tracey Bearton

Editor/Joint Owner

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Sales Manager

Features Editor

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Copyright© 2024. 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.

Ian Hyder

PG is the official magazine for the Greeting Card Association GCA: Amanda Fergusson 020 7619 9266 Email: hello@gca.cards www.greetingcardassociation.org.uk

PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE 9

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NEWS TOP STORY Loxleys collab with uni students

Christmas Delivered

What do you do when you’re a greeting card printer and need a festive design to send to all your customers – run a Above: LeahMay’s festive competition to showcase scene won keen young talent!

Loxleys’ vote.

The collaboration between Loxleys and Sheffield Hallam University saw the second year illustration students enter their designs into the competitionwith LeahMay’s festive post box scene being declared the winner.

“Each year, Loxleys posts over 200 Christmas cards to publishers, designers and industry friends to celebrate the festive season and show their #cardmitment to the tradition of posting cards,” explained Loxley’s marketing coordinator Heather Bull.

Indies, groups and multiples happy with Christmas card sales With so much riding on Christmas trade, it was big relief that it delivered for indies, groups and multiples alike.

“Exceptional” was how John Procter, co-founder of Scribbler described Christmas trading at the 37-store group.

“We saw an 18% increase across all Christmas products for the eight weeks leading up to Christmas Day. Our single card sales were up 10% and pack sales were up 15%.”

Tesco’s buying and merchandising manager Ross Lasseter told PG: “Single cards had a fantastic performance. We saw high single-digit growth in both volume and value on single cards.”

“Marvellous” was the Christmas verdict from Mark Janson-Smith, MD of Postmark, the group of 15 stores in London, Birmingham and Glasgow, and he added: “We couldn't be happier with our results. Overall, our like-for-like sales were up 10.4% in the Christmas category for the eight weeks leading up to Christmas Day. Our single card sales were up 9.3% and relations cards were up 7.2%. Packs showed a modest 1.3% increase.”

At the seven-strong Home Counties group House of Cards, coowner Miles Robinson admitted his predictions

PG Live 2025 - 90% of stands are now booked PG Live 2025 is most definitely ‘live and kicking’ with over 90% of all stand space booked for the show, which takes place Tuesday 3 and Wednesday 4 June at London’s Business Design Centre, with now over 180 publishers, giftwrap companies and suppliers have joined the strong line up.

“We were delighted that PG Live came out tops in the recent Retail Barometer as the show indies are planning to visit this year,” said Warren Lomax, co-owner of PG Live. “With early registrations proving that multiples and overseas distributors also have PG Live in their diaries, it’s all looking set to be a stonking show!”

The 2025 edition of PG Live will include all the

Left: Cards & Gifts’ Christmas card sales were up 51%!

Below: Reflections’ Nantwich store had a record Christmas.

of a fall-off in boxes and packs were definitely off the mark with sales of some lines up nearly 20%.

At Reflections, co-owner Philip Nield was very happy with the record Christmas at his Nantwich store, “we sold more Christmas singles and boxes than ever before”.

And at Baileys in Ainsdale, Crosby and Magull, co-owner Penny Bailey said herself “absolutely delighted”, explaining: “We had a remarkable Christmas trading period. Our Christmas card sales were up 13%, with boxed cards sales up 22%!

The lesson learned is to stay in my lane and ignore the negative press!”

“Satisfied” was the verdict of Malcolm Adams, owner of Stationery House & Gifts, Somerton, Clevedon and Wrington. “We almost had a complete sell out of boxed cards.”

Carl Dunne, owner of Cards & Gifts, Dronfield described his Christmas trade as “amazing”, cards/boxes sales “with his up by a whopping 51%.” features that exhibitors and visitors have come to know and love – free tea and coffee, delicious lunch on both days, and the opening night drinks party, plus a get-together on each day for all The Retas and Greats award winners and finalists.

Last year’s show saw retail buyers from Blue Diamond, Cardfactory, Cardzone, Elphicks, Fortnum & Mason, Harrods, House of Cards, Jarrolds, John Lewis, Lark London, Oliver Bonas, Marks & Spencer, Moonpig, Morrisons, National Trust, Notcutts, Paper Tiger, Postmark, Sainsbury’s, Scribbler, Tesco, Temptations Gifts, TK Maxx, Utility, Waterstones, WHSmith and many more multiples, independents and distributors from across the UK and beyond.

Left: A warm welcome awaits at PG Live 2025.

Cardfactory’s ‘successful’ Christmas and strong results “Successful” was the verdict from Cardfactory’s ceo Darcy Willson-Rymer on the retail group’s Christmas trading, with revenue up 4.7% in November and December.

Total sales for the 11 months ending on 31 December, 2024, hit £506.6million, a 6.2% increase on the previous year’s £476.9m, according to its recent trading update. “We continue to outperform a challenging non-food retail market,” said Darcy.

The good Christmas trading performance was driven by a higher average basket value which is being attributed to: “New and expanded gift categories resonated with customers with new confectionery ranges, licensed ranges and soft toys performing particularly well, alongside positive impact of a new value-focused Christmas card offer,” said Darcy.

Like for like store revenue grew 3.0% in November and December. The 32 net new stores had a “positive impact” giving a 5.7% total store revenue increase, while LFL revenue grew 3.9%.

There was an “encouraging” 6.1% growth in gifts and celebration essentials ranges alongside “positive card growth” of 1.4% LFL. However, Cardfactory is bracing itself for £14m extra costs inflation caused by the upcoming changes to the national living wage and employer national insurance contributions.

Above: Cardfactory’s ceo Darcy Willson-Ryder is pleased that new stores such as Cheltenham have had a positive impact on revenue.

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NEWS TOP STORY

Andrea Norcott appointed MD of Windles as new press rolls

“Resilient” Strength Some 49% of card indies expect to grow this year Despite being braced for increased costs coming hitting home in April, greeting card indies have started 2025 feeling optimistic about their trade in the coming year, with 49% anticipating that they will grow their business this year, according to findings of the latest PG Retail Barometer.

This positive outlook comes on Above: Indies have started 2025 feeling the back of 50% of respondents confident about the coming year.

Below: Supermarkets remain a worry having increased their business for indies. in 2024, compared to 2023, with improvements in their greeting card selection and promotional activities, the continuation of the ‘shop local’ drive, as well as the consumer’s increased appreciation of greeting cards having been major boons over the last 12 months. On the negative front, the vagaries of the cost-of-living was, for the third year running, the top reason indies cited as having had a detrimental effect on their business over the last year, with postal issues securing the second spot in the list of biggest banes, with drop in footfall, exacerbated by parking issues also featuring in the bugbears.

Among the many other insights into the independent greeting card retail sector from the latest annual survey are that humorous cards, followed by relations & occasions and Christmas singles were the card genres that showed the greatest growth last year while stationery, sustainable products and impulse lines are the top three product areas slated by indies as being ripe for further expansion in 2025.

“In response to what one word best describes the greeting card industry today, it was ‘resilient’ that came out tops in this year’s Barometer readings, echoing the tenacity and verve that indies continue to exude in their retail businesses. With half of respondents having experienced growth in 2024 and the same number expecting to expand this year too, our sector is indeed sending out happy greetings!” commented Jakki Brown, md of Max Publishing, which undertakes the independent research every year. (see pages 37-43 for more Barometer findings)

Andrea Norcott has made the step up from sales director to become managing director of Windles with owner Bruce Podmore having taken on the role of chairman of the Oxon-based print company.

“I feel very honoured to take the role of managing Above: Andrea and Bruce at The director,” said Andrea, who Henries Awards in October. started with Windles as national Below: Windles’ new Heidelberg press minimises energy sales manager in 2012 before consumption, emissions andwaste. becoming sales director in Bottom: Karen Wilson, owner of 2014. “I absolutely love the Paper Salad with the latest additions to its Hunky Dory range industry that we serve and am that were among the first cards to in a privileged position to be be printed on the new Foilstar press. able to oversee the entire operation with a view to maintaining and improving our service level to our greetings card customers.

“I’m lucky to have worked alongside one of my best friends in Bruce, who is a constant source of inspiration,” said Andrea.

Meanwhile Michelle Mills, who joined Windles in 2007, and was previously new business development and marketing manager has been promoted to sales manager.

She was more than happy to sing the praises of a significant new addition to Windles family – a state of the art multi-colour cold foil Heidelberg Speedmaster 106XL Foilstar printing press which joins the 18-month-old KBA 106 six-colour press.

Of the new press, Michelle said: “Albeit installed as a result of a devastating fire at the site last May, it’s so exciting to watch it run – it’s faster, more accurate, cold foil registration is perfect, and it enables running of holographic varnish and textured gloss coatings.”

She explained the Heidelberg press boasts a vast range of features, delivering B1 and B2 printed sheets at phenomenal speeds, and with in-built inline cold foiling – a litho technique invented by Bruce over 20 years ago allowing as many foil colours as required to be printed on one image.

“Thanks to its innovative components, the environmental benefits are also something to write home about, and compliant with Windles’ longstanding sustainability programme.”

Hannah Dale’s new chapters Undertaking the rewilding of the 340-acre family farm has kept Wrendale Designs’ owners Hannah and Jack Dale busy in recent years and fans can now find out how it was all done in a new book.

A Wilding Year, written and illustrated by Hannah, is soon to be released by Batsford Books.

Hannah told PG: “I’ve been working on the book for the past three years – it’s a very Left: Hannah Dale holding a copy of A personal account and I’ve put a Wilding Year which huge amount of myself into it so is available on pre- I’m quite nervous about how it’s sale now. received!

“The rewilding project is the best thing we’ve ever done – I’ve always been inspired by nature so it feels amazing to be able to channel the success we’ve had with Wrendale back into restoring it.”

As Hannah explains her artwork has always been inspired by nature, and the new book is a journal and a sketchbook.

“The illustrations were all new for the book, but we’re definitely going to use lots of them throughout our collections,” Hannah revealed.

A Wilding Year will be published on 13 March on sale at £12.00, but is available for pre-sale now. It joins Hannah’s other books for Batsford, including A Dog’s Life, The Farmyard Set, The Young Ones, and Flying The Nest. All Wrendale stockists are being invited to sell copies of the book.

Wrendale Designs is exhibiting at Spring Fair (Stand 3P10-Q11).

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NEWS TOP STORY

Sign To Safeguard The USO GCA petition push to get 10,000 signatures

The GCA has instigated a petition to trigger parliamentary scrutiny of any proposal to change the Universal Service Obligation where Royal Mail must deliver letters six days a week and parcels five days to every address in the UK for the same price.

The aim is, at the very least to secure,10,000 signatures as then the government will have to respond to the petition, while 100,000 signatures will mean the matter will have to be

considered for debate by MPs. Within a few days of the petition going live, and as PG went to press in mid-January, over 4,357 signatures had been secured, with retailers, publishers and suppliers all playing their part in amassing support.

Recognising that the petition can be easily accessed via a QR code Below: Sign Heidi Early, co-owner of up to the petition using Earlybird Designs worked this QR code. with her colleague Hannah Sharman to create a poster which was distributed widely at Top Drawer, will be available at Spring Fair and can also be printed off to display in shops, or emailed out to customers.

For more info head to the GCA website to the dedicated blog post.

Top left: Active recruitment at Top Drawer.

Clockwise from top left Scribbler, Heyyy Cards, Citrus Bunn, The Art File, Nigel Spensly, Presentation, Hugs & Kisses, Adam Laurence with publishers and retailers showing off their Choose Cards t shirts, created by Matt Simpson of The Letter Arty (left).

Royal Mail to trial 2nd class delivery cuts Royal Mail is poised to trial cuts to second-class deliveries from February, with almost a million households set to be affected.

The 509-year-old British institution – which as PG went to press was in the process of being bought with its parent company International Delivery Services (IDS) by Czech billionaire Daniel Křetínský’s EP Group – is about to roll out the scheme at 37 of its 1,200 delivery officers across the UK, scrapping the weekend second-class deliveries.

The exact locations have not been revealed but the pilot is expected to take place at around three offices in each of Royal Mail's 12 regions to ensure an even spread across the country, while first-class letters deliveries will still be made on all six days – as will parcels even though the universal service obligation to do so only applies to letters.

A Royal Mail spokesman said: “The pilots are designed to ensure everything runs smoothly and we can deliver a better customer experience if we deploy any universal service changes.”

The postal service has been lobbying for change since the pandemic in 2020

as letter volumes fell from a peak of 20billion a year in 2004-2005, to 6.7bn, claiming the legally-binding USO forcing it to deliver letters to all 32million UK addresses six days a week and parcels on five days costs the business up to £2million a day.

Alongside these trials in February, Ofcom is due to launch a consultation on the proposal to deliver second-class letters every other working day, with a final decision expected to be made in the summer and the changes rolled out nationwide in 2026 if the plan is agreed.

The GCA is continuing to lobby hard to protect a reliable and affordable postal service.

Above: Second-class post is under threat, particularly impacting rural deliveries.

IC&G’s First Class promotions IC&G hit the new year running with some first-class promotions for its 2025 Christmas collection. As well as a continuation of its Believe campaign, there’s the chance for one retailer winner in England, Scotland and Wales, and one in Northern and Southern Ireland to land 150 first-class stamps – worth £247.50 – to give away to their customers.

As Allen Taylor, IC&G sales director explained: “I listened intently to the presentation by a Royal Mail exec at the recent GCA Above: Allen Taylor (second left) conference who tried to and some of the IC&G team celebrating the Christmas justify the first-class stamp launch. increase to £1.65 each.

Below: Buying from the new catalogue before 31 March could And it hit me just how earn a Believe Golden Ticket. much this increase could affect our loyal buying public and, in turn, hit our independent retailers.

Bending our generous owners Simon and Ian Wagstaff’s arms to further support our trading partners, we’ve launched this incentive in partnership with Cardgains.”

All IC&G’s existing and new customers who place their orders through the buying group before the end of March 2025 will be entered into a prize draw.

Plus, there’s a separate one for Ireland where Cardgains doesn’t operate.

One lucky winner in each draw will receive the stamps along with a point-of-sale poster to display explaining that the first 150 customers who buy an IC&G Christmas card will be given a first-class stamp free.

“Cardgains’ members represent a high percentage of our trading partners so, speaking to the buying group’s MD Penny Shaw, it made sense to partner up,” Allen added.

IC&G’s retail customers are also set to receive a second chance to show how much they believe in the publisher’s products with the launch of its Believe campaign for the second year.

Any retailer placing a Christmas order with the company before the end of March will result in their name going into the draw to win a bespoke festive POS kit.

IC&G is also continuing its “believe in the greetings industry” incentive with its Golden Tickets that are randomly popped into reorders, with any customer who finds one can enjoy the order free of charge or with a large discount.

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Spring Seasons Now In Get Fresh New Designs From Simon Elvin, Out of The Blue, Ling, Nigel Quiney and More.

www.ArchwayCards.com

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NEWS TOP STORY M&G x Emily Burningham

Spring Fair In The Air Theo Paphitis, Laurence Lewellyn-Bowen and Below: Heritage 75 is the scent of Spring Fair Jeff Banks among the celebs while Theo Paphitis, Jeff Banks, Laurence With Spring Fair 2025 (2-5 February at the NEC) marking the show’s 75th anniversary there’s a packed programme lined up with a raft of speakers as well as a host of initiatives, on top of a wealth of product launches from exhibitors!

The majority of greeting card exhibitors will be anchoring Hall 3, with Ling Design, Ohh Deer, Glick, Paper Salad, Wrendale, Louise Tiler, Tache and Cardgains Village all forming a strong front line with Museums & Galleries and GBCC also having prominent stands close to the GCA Lounge.

“I’m excited to welcome everyone back for another incredible show as Spring Fair celebrates a milestone, 75 years of successful retail showcasing,” said Soraya Gadelrab, event director, promising “the opportunity to find the perfect collections for your store among a million-plus products from over 1,200 suppliers.”

This year’s show highlights include sessions across three dedicated areas – Inspiring Retail Stage, Masterclass Studio,

Llewelyn-Bowen and Helena Mansell-Stopher are leading the SF talks.

and the newly-launched Licensing Lab – with top names such as Theo Paphitis, Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen, Jeff Banks, Products Of Change’s Helena Mansell-Stopher, and Andrew Xeni, founder and ceo of Fabacas and Nobody’s Child.

The last day of the show will include a practical Taking On The Copycats workshop by GCA member McDaniels Law and Anti-Copying In Design (ACID) offering guidance on protecting intellectual property.

Determined to put the smell of success into the celebrations, there’s even an exclusive signature fragrance Heritage 75, which is the essence of Spring Fair crafted by Quintessence to celebrate the show’s anniversary, and it can be experienced at activations near the entrances and in each lounge. www.springfair.com (See pages 47-51 for more on the show and Innovations pages 53-63 for new launches)

Sarah’s ‘boddy’ of work for Rush Design In what is the publisher’s first collaboration, Rush Design is launching a card range featuring designs by multi-media artist Sarah Boddy, aptly-named the Boddy Of Works collection.

“It’s been on my radar to collaborate with an artist on a collection for a while,” Lorraine explained, “my husband Ian Above: Florals abound in the initial Boddy Of knew Sarah already, having sold her designs as an agent. It’s Works collection. been a lot of fun working with Sarah and evolving the format of Above: Lorraine Bradley (left) and Sarah the designs and collection.”

Boddy are enjoying working together.

Initially trained as a knitwear designer, for many years, Sarah’s gentle humour brand Camilla & Rose was published by Peartree Heybridge until the company closed in late 2023 and is now published by Cherry Orchard.

Although known for the humour, Sarah is also an accomplished wildlife, nature and landscape artist, working both in colour and monochrome, and the initial 40-strong Rush Design collection of blanks, birthdays and captions includes her distinctive florals. It will be unveiled on Rush’s stand (Hall 3 Stand S20) at Spring Fair, February 2-5 at Birmingham’s NEC.

GOTY shortlist 2025 revealed With the shortlist for the GA’s Gift of the Year awards announced recently, greeting card or stationery publishers appear in 16 of the 20 categories.

Rosie Made A Thing, The Little Dog

Renowned British textile designer Emily Burningham is the latest brand to join the Museums & Galleries’ stable, with a new greeting card, stationery and gift packaging licensed collaboration that will launch on its stand at Spring Fair.

“The Emily Burningham brand is distinctive and stylish with Japanese-inspired simplicity and a unique palette. It sits at the crossroads between cards & stationery and home & interiors and we believe it will be a perfect fit for the growing range of M&G products across different categories,” explained creative director Ben Dorney.

Emily’s sophisticated works explore the relationship between distinct eras of art and design and draw influence from traditional wood-block printing techniques.

Emily said: “It has been a pleasure to work with the M&G team who have reinterpreted some of our favourite classic designs and showcased some of the new additions, drawing out the essence of the EB collection with great success.”

M&G’s launch collection will be on show at Spring Fair at the NEC, 2-5 February, on Stand 3L30-M31, and comprises a set of 16 embossed fine art cards on textured board, a Christmas collection of six embossed card packs and a gift packaging collection.whole new way.”

Top: The new M&G card and wrap designs cover a wide range of imagery.

Right: Emily Burningham has a distinctive style.

Above: Nicole Elders’ calligraphy-based products features three times in the GOTY shortlist.

Laughed, Nicole Elders, Fox Under The Moon and Widdop and Co top the list for publishers with three places apiece on the shortlist, while Meg Hawkins, Sam Jayne Design, Go La La!, Santoro, Letterbox Love, Coffeenotes, Border In A Box and Yop & Tom each appear twice.

FOR THE LATEST NEWS VISIT PGBUZZ.net PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE 19

Hooli Mooli Trading Company works with talented British artists, illustrators and designers to offer a range of unique and appealing stationery and gifts.

BESPOKE PROGRAMME This new concept offers customers our “Little and Often” programme of goods made or decorated in the UK or at our sister factory in the EU From Ceramics to Stationery and Gifting, there is always something we can do to beat the shipping issues of today and minimise the risk of large outdated stocks.

For further information please contact:

info@hoolimooli.co.uk www.hoolimooli.co.uk

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NEWS Lola Art Licensing to showcase Amanda’s broader work

TOP STORY

Scribbler’s Kiosk Expansion The photo upload function adds to the appeal Scribbler is gearing up to expand the presence of its greeting card kiosks (which it developed with Fujifilm), both within its own store estate as well as in other retailers, both in the UK and overseas.

New developments, including a photo upload facility, animated graphics on the screen as well as a Scribbler Lite option (which takes up less space instore than the original kiosk), is being pitched as ideal for independent retailers.

“Having just completed the 12month trial of having a kiosk in 12 of our stores, we are rolling it out to our entire estate of all 37 Scribbler stores,” confirmed John Procter, cofounder of Scribbler. “The store managers who have experienced having one in their stores would be up in arms if we suggested removing it, as they have each sold an extra 3,000 cards over the last year, always kept best sellers in stock and also never needed to turn a customer away as they’ve had another 6,000

Left: Following a trial in a dozen of its stores, a kiosk is to be installed into all of Scribbler’s 37 stores.

Below: A Click and Collect service is to be offered from Scribbler’s website, which will also encompass a facility to pick the card up from partner retailers.

card designs to offer them, and the photo upload function means the options are infinite.”

The addition of the photo upload facility has been a big success, now accounting for 20% of all cards created using the kiosks.

Coinciding with the card kiosks being installed in all Scribbler stores, the retailer is to introduce a Click and Collect service that will also extend to other retailers who have a kiosk.

“This means that the public can now order a card from our website on their phone or laptop and then collect it from any of our stores or partner retailers,” explained John.

Primark is trialling Scribbler kiosks in its Manchester and Birmingham stores as part of a Fujifilm area. The Scribbler kiosks’ international presence is also growing, including in Ireland, Australia and New Zealand.

Coinciding with the 10th anniversary of greeting card and stationery company Lola Design, co-owners Amanda and Frank Mountain have launched a new licensing division, Lola Art Licensing.

“Over the years, I’ve been brimming with ideas that extend beyond the scope of our current offerings under the Lola Design brand,” Amanda said. “This new licensing platform allows me to explore and share my love for design on a much broader scale.”

As well as Lola Design, Amanda has a lot of greeting card experience, having worked as a freelance artist for companies such as Woodmansterne, The Art Group, Tracks Publishing, Whistlefish Galleries, Abacus, Cherry Orchard, Noel Tatt, Nigel Quiney, Hallmark, UK Greetings, Second Nature, Simon Elvin, Jonny Javelin, GBCC, and Henderson Greetings, and before that spent nine years as an in-house artist at Simon Elvin. She also worked as a fashion print illustrator, designing for children’s wear and ladies' nightwear.

“The new venture, Lola Art Licensing, will have no impact on our publishing company Lola Design, which will continue to trade alongside it. Both will operate independently, allowing me to bring creative visions to different audiences through two exciting channels,” said Amanda.

Top: Amanda’s work is already on products such as soaps with Lola Design.

Left: One of Amanda’s designs under the Lola Art Licensing banner.

Party time in Devon Registration open for London Stationery Show 2025 Visitor registration is open for the London Stationery Show 2025, which takes place on Tuesday 13 and Wednesday 14 May 2025 at the Business Design Centre in Islington, London.

With a strong line-up of exhibitors showcasing thousands of products and collections, the event is a must visit for retailers looking to expand their stationery offering.

“You only need to look at the findings of this year’s PG Retail Barometer in which stationery came top as the product area indies are most looking to expand into this year, to see the growing appeal of all things stationery,” commented event manager Chantelle White.

Attendees will also have access to insightful talks and workshops led by industry experts, offering actionable advice to elevate retail sales.

There was a party atmosphere down in Exeter at the recent Giving & Living trade show which celebrated its 60th birthday.

Indie sales reps for the card industry in the region including (below left-right) Steve Johnson and Nicky Lockyer, who represent Otter House, Pigment’s Grainne Cooley and Michelle Adams from The Eco-friendly Card Co were more than happy to join in the celebrations!

Above: There was a big crowd at last year’s show when Theo Paphitis was interviewed by PG’s Jakki Brown.

FOR THE LATEST NEWS VISIT PGBUZZ.net PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE 21

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OVER THE

COUNTER

BY DAVID ROBERTSON OF JP POZZI, ELGIN AND BUCKIE.

Inset: Robbie Williams as he is depicted in the A Better Man film.

Being A Better Wo(Man) Taking down the Christmas decorations divides the nation. Some folk want to get them packed away on Boxing Day, their mindset very much moved onto the new year and the next thing. Others like the tree to linger; they like the comfort of the lights, the warmth and memories that Christmas brings, all the nostalgia of excited childhoods and shared experiences.

With the festive period having been so important for us businesswise as well as personally, amplifying the new Robbie Williams biopic, now we’re embracing 2025 in a full Let Me Entertain You mode.

I know that I am very lucky to have had the upbringing I enjoyed, both before and after we had our retail business. Christmas was always a very special time and my childhood excitement was latterly replaced by my parents building the business which heralded a different excitement. The first major step towards specialising in cards and gifts was taking on an old sports shop that was fitted out by a relative, who was a handyman.

So fast forward 35 years and here I am writing this on January 6 in a reflective mood.

Our card and gift shops have just delivered an excellent Christmas. We beat the numbers from 2015 when we were also selling Clarins and had newly opened a dedicated Christmas store. At that time I felt everything I touched worked. I had no fear, and I only saw continued growth.

Yet it has taken nearly 10 years to get back to these numbers. With tales of declining cards sales, a cost-ofRight and middle: Just part of a Jellycat display in one of David’s shops and the rarity that is a Batholomew Bathrobe bear.

Far right: A young David Robertson with his dad.

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living crisis and the no waste gifting mantra, ‘why did we do well?’

Well, we had our hardcore customers who have supported us for years, but this Christmas there was a new clutch of people seeking us out. Being a Jellycat stockist brought in a new customer to us that previously probably would not have found us.

And when they came in, they didn’t just buy Jellycat products.

Stocking a brand that is so strong that people come in looking for is fantastic. The fact that Jellies were literally on news broadcasts, This Morning, celeb Instagrams

and TikTok helped fuel the desire for Bathrobe Batholomew Bear and his pals, elevating Jellycat to a mega brand.

Our single Christmas card sales were also strong, especially those with sentiments, but I made a lot of mistakes preventing what could have resulted in an even better sell through.

Quite simply, we had too much good product. How can that be possible? Well, we probably gave too much choice while still running out of a lot of card captions that simply are not found in mainstream stores.

Boxed cards and charity packs kind of fall into the same sphere. I think that we had around 70 different boxed designs and several different companies’ charity stands.

Sometimes less is more. Sometimes you give people too wide a choice and they can’t make a decision, so we need to be more selective in what we offer, which in the end will be better for us, our suppliers and easier for our customers.

When it came to handmade/hand-finished Christmas cards, with a number of specialist publishers tipping over the £4.99/£5 retail point for a card if we applied our margin it meant that multiple purchases of these types of cards were less likely. Some of the more

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OVER THE COUNTER

nostalgic designs sadly did not work for us this year and while I feel this jump in RRP would not be an obstacle for a significant birthday or baby card it does seem to cause Christmas buyers to ponder a little longer as they are buying more cards at one time.

With gift packaging we have also learned to include a smattering of the higher priced products alongside the midpriced Partisan and Tom Smith offering and that seems to work well.

Don’t get me started on Royal Mail and the price of stamps! The work done by the GCA has been exemplary and we as an industry certainly need to keep fighting that fight as many of the challenges we all face lead back to our postal provider.

However, encouragingly I have spoken to a large number of retailers, agents and reps and the majority have all been very positive about Christmas.

Like many others we had a good Christmas, but we simply can’t be complacent going into 2025 as there are many challenges that lie ahead.

When this column is published we will all be set for the pilgrimage to Spring Fair at the NEC. When I think back to last year’s show, a number of new suppliers that we found made a real difference to our stores by adding something new to our offer. One great example of that is Home Fragrance Co from Australia which was a great success in the candle/diffuser market; just one small example of what was new and worked.

Trade shows are a great way to find new product, to speak to friends and of course to shape your year ahead.

So, when did we start shaping our years?

When did we setting targets and goals?

When did we class our achievements and almost give ourselves a score?

Well, the truth is every business person or indeed everyone with any type of drive will do this.

We are now surrounded by successful business people from all walks of life and social media that have made their way of doing things far more real.

Thinking back to my mum and that sports shop site. She of course wanted to make money from it, but I am pretty sure that she and my dad did not sit down and plot world domination.

Above: The range from Aussie-based Home Fragrance Co performed well for David in the run up to Christmas.

Right: Christmas boxes were given a high profile, including within the coffee shop area in Bijou.

Sometimes it is more than enough just to try and just run your business.

So, it may be that you’re going to the Spring Fair with loose goals of finding one or two new suppliers, stocking up and embracing newness from some of your favourite companies or it may be a case of catching up with peers and finding out what products did/didn’t work for them.

Above: The Robbie Williams Better Man film is a brutal depiction that fame and money does not bring you happiness.

Below right: David Robertson (and his lad) are roaring into 2025 with a mission to entertain!

There is no right or wrong to how you approach a trade fair or indeed how you run your business. You don’t have to follow a script.

Yes, we all want massive jumps forward, but inevitably if these happen it can be very hard to maintain and keep that growth moving forward as invariably with great highs come great lows.

This was at the back of my mind when I saw the Robbie Williams’ biopic Better Man. It is a somewhat brutal depiction that fame and money and all those trappings ultimately don’t bring happiness on their own.

A young 16 year old Robbie went in simply wondering if he was enough and somehow 34 years later he had been built up, knocked down and come through just about every challenge and addiction to actually find himself

again. Maybe rapid rises are not all they are cracked up to be.

Knowing yourself, your shop and indeed your customer will bring you the credit and rewards that you desire.

The film shows how Robbie loves his gran and finally his dad. He wallows in the crooners, the comedians and songs of yesteryear. He really craves someone to say that he is doing a good job and fits in - all he truly wants is acceptance.

He finds solace in things that make him feel safe. It takes a lot for him to open up, share his words and lyrics to allow his albums to be made.

Are we all Robbie in our own little retail worlds? We are there to entertain, to tempt, to tease and ultimately present a ‘show’ that keeps the public coming back for more.

Robbie Williams is not the best singer or dancer, but he is a fabulous entertainer and always puts on a great show.

And, that is all you can ask from yourself – are you doing the best you can to be a better man… or woman?

In the words of Robbie’s Forbidden Road… “Life is the choices that we make, we're the masters of our own fate. The painter and the paint.” l To contact David email: jppozzi@btconnect.com

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The Birth Of A New Century It’s 2025 for Pete’s sake, and we are a quarter of the way into the 21st Century, so what on earth is Cardsharp going on about with a headline proclaiming the birth of a new century?! Bear with him, he sees 2025 as the year when the 20th Century really ends, and when the 21st Century really commences in earnest, and reflects on how this might or might not affect our greeting card industry in the UK. Cardsharp remembers seeing a phrase on an advertising poster recently that read: ‘The world you were born into no longer exists’, which set him thinking. Perhaps it was the start of the new year, or the second quartile of the 21st Century commencing, or simply Cardsharp’s love of history, but it made him rather philosophical and reflective about 2025.

History teaches Cardsharp that century epochs rarely go smoothly from years 00-99.

The 18th Century, encompassing the industrial and agricultural revolutions and the Hanoverian reigns, is really an epoch, that starts around 1715 and lasts until 1837 when Victoria became our Queen. The 19th Century, in reality commences then and effectively continued until World War I in 1914. Which brings us to the 20th Century which one could argue continued until the last year or so.

After the end of the Second World War in 1945, a new world order emerged. An era, in the main, of good natured, optimistic politics other than a few blips. It was an era of rising prosperity and increasing globalisation; a period of increasing social liberalism, with healthy and robust parliamentary democracies in most of the Western World. And all of this was accompanied by an increasing life

24 PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE

expectancy. It was also a time during which literacy - in book reading and writing grew and flourished. Physical newspaper and magazines publishing was buoyant, enjoying huge readerships. And it was the period during which the UK greeting card industry grew from a very low base to the £1.5+ billion industry that it is today.

Above: By Cardsharp’s reckoning, the 19th Century did not really end until the World War I in 1914.

Left: This is unlikely to be a common scene at a modern day breakfast table with physical newspaper readers becoming rarer.

But things are changing, now the ‘unofficial’ new century has well and truly commenced, and the greeting card industry will need to be aware of these changes and adapt accordingly. Cardsharp recognises that over the last 25 years, the greeting card industry has continually adapted to new technologies and circumstances. And the next few years will continue this pattern. It is only human to mourn a disappearing world, but it how we react to it that will be vital.

And Cardsharp is not even talking about the wars in the Middle East, Ukraine and Sudan, the rise in populist politics, or the imminent disappearance of the internal combustion engine, or even the fact that life expectancy has stalled in the UK. No, it is more about how we are now using, ‘consuming’ and creating content of all descriptions, whether news, art or indeed greeting cards.

But in this new century, literacy is in serious decline. Reading ability is declining around the world – Cardsharp heard somewhere that the average reading age of the UK population is now akin to that of an 11 year old! This is not just result of the

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smartphone, with the dominance of short videos certainly feeding into it.

Let’s face it, most of Generation Z don’t use their smartphone to access articles and stories, but use it to view short videos.

Generation Z is the first TikTok generation, with the subsequent short attention span that comes with its continual use.

Cardsharp reflects that our greeting card industry was fortunate that millennials in the main seemed to really embrace greeting card sending, and there are some encouraging signs from some of Generation Z, but it is not a given that this will continue. In the tangible product world we can take comfort that some Gen Zs are proudly enforcing a ‘digital detox’ period into their week, finding solace in journalling, and ironically some TikTok viewing figures highlight an obsession with all things stationery. The hashtags #stationery, #stationeryaddict, #stationerylover and #stationeryhaul have over a million posts and counting. And it’s not unusual for the most popular #stationeryhauls posts on TikTok to amass over two million views from Zoomers.

Impressive as this sounds, Cardsharp does not want to be delulu, (Gen Z slang for delusional, apparently!).

How do you convince those who have barely picked up a pen in their life and written anything by hand, to go to a physical shop to a buy a greeting card, write a comment, sign it and write the address on an envelope?

Especially when they probably don’t have a clue of any postal addresses or have rarely bought a stamp. It’s going to be a challenge.

And Cardsharp wonders how you create meaningful greeting cards for a generation that increasingly eschews alcohol, allegedly has less sex than previous generations, and spends so much of their time on their devices, rather than indulging in social activities – all hitherto popular subject matters for greeting card design.

And then there is the advancement of Artificial Intelligence. We will be the first generation to read text and view artwork created by AI and not humans. At present by general consensus, AI cannot match the creative endeavour of humans, but for how long? We can’t kid ourselves forever that this will remain so, or whether

a generation brought up on it will be able to spot the difference between real and digital creativity, when it comes to music, literature or art. And will anyone care? This will potentially have huge consequences for the greeting card industry with ramifications both for the greeting card consumer and our creatives. Taken to the extreme, if art becomes so prosaic and easy to access, why will anyone bother to purchase it?

2025 can also be the year that UK can be defined seen as a totally mixed race nation.

Back in 1945 less than 0.5% of the population was of ‘foreign origin’, a quarter of the people who now live in Greater London were born outside of the UK. With that being the case, the tradition and culture of greeting card sending among the new Right and below: the market for base of London dwellers will While no-alcohol drinks is expanding, will this be less strong than previously. dilute the relevance One could argue that it is one of some drinkrelated greeting card of the reasons why, when the designs? average annual spend on greeting cards per household in the UK, according to Kantar, is £35, in London it is only £22.

The fastest growing section of the UK population is the Muslim community whose birth rate is way ahead of any other significant section of the community. In the 2021 census, the Muslim community represented 6.7% of the UK population, an increase of a million in ten years. And if the current trend continues, in 25 years, the number of those of Muslim faith in the UK will exceed 13 million.

Below: Cardsharp is not sure what the future will look like, but like us all has to make a leap of faith into the unknown.

Above: We still do not really know the impact of AI on our brains, our lives and our livelihoods.

Left: There are now 16.8 million TikTok users in the UK and the average user goes to the platform 20 times a day.

With Muslim belief decrying the depictions of humans and animals, this means that a considerable chunk of the population, if they are looking to buy greeting cards, will discount a sizeable percentage of the current greeting cards designs on offer. The whole cute category, and a big slug of the photographic category will be off limits for starters.

Then, when you add in the Prophet’s strictures on alcohol and Muslims’ generally conservative views on modesty, there will be a need, mused Cardsharp, to come up with greeting card designs that this increasingly large and growing community will want to select. These are just some of the issues that this new era will deliver to the greeting card industry.

So, Cardsharp mused, we in the greeting card industry are all in for a hectic ride as we finally enter the 21st Century. If you compare our industry in 2000 to that of 2025 you would not see a huge amount of change. The main protagonists, on the publisher and retailer fronts are still mostly present in some shape or form.

Will we still be saying the same in 2050? Cardsharp thinks not, but hasn’t a clue what that picture will look like, but no doubt there will be TikTok videos covering it!

PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE 25

Ages

loOk !

I PoP uP

made in the UK

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Christmas Cracker

There was a palpable feeling of nervousness about how Christmas trade was going to pan out for cardies, not helped by the significant rise in the cost of First Class stamps. But with a full on Cardmitment campaign adding to retailers’ efforts and the GCA’s mega successful PR activity grabbing the attention of 35 million members of the public, Christmas delivered on so many levels.

Right: Abi Wilson acknowledges a move towards single card sales while boxed cards sales have declined at Sainsbury’s.

Below: Roald Dahl’s BFG featured in Sainsbury’s Christmas promotions.

Hazel Walker, senior buyer and Megan Douglas, buyer of Waterstones Christmas Verdict: “Great.”

Reveal All: “We had another great year of trade on Christmas cards! Both boxed and single cards performed well, delivering double digit growth for both. Sales started extremely well we felt customers were buying and sending earlier to avoid the higher price on 1st Class stamps, but this trend continued throughout the season, right up to 24 December. It’s really encouraging to see that our customers value Above: Waterstones’ Christmas card sales continues to grow year on year. sending Christmas cards and our sales continue Below : Some Christmas storybook designs from The Art File. to grow year on year.”

Below left: Hazel Walker (left) and Star Performers: “Our main charity offer Megan Douglas at The Retas 2024. comes from our own brand range of boxed cards which support the BookTrust charity, and we had one of our strongest years for these, making up about a quarter of our boxed card sales overall. As you’d expect, anything book-related resonates with our customers so the Storybook range from The Art File was also very popular.”

Your Approach: “We continued to trial relations cards and saw stronger sales.

This could be down to some customers opting to send fewer, but more personal cards, but we also changed our approach slightly by narrowing the offer, putting more volume behind key lines, which seems to have worked.”

Hunch for 2025: “On the back of a successful Christmas overall we’re hoping this continues into 2025. Valentine’s cards have just launched and we have lots of new everyday arriving in shops which we’ll be adding to following the upcoming Spring trade shows. We’re looking forward to getting out of the office, seeing lots of lovely products and catching up with everyone!”

Abi Wilson, head of buying & design – Celebrations at Sainsbury’s, Argos and Habitat Christmas Verdict: “Celebratory.”

Reveal All: “We ended on plan – so I’m thrilled with the performance, which was up on year.

We have certainly seen the switch out of boxed cards and into single cards over the last few years as the cost of stamps has increased. Boxed cards remain important, but in a smaller way than five years ago.

We know that customers like buying generic and charity cards - for different missions. Both came in on plan, with all our non-religious cards linked to our Comic Relief charity donation.”

Your Approach: “We really focused on offering the best ever value choice across both boxed and single card ranges - so offering a new value 25p single card through to premium at over £5 means that whatever ‘value’ means to our customers, there was a card available to their budget - it's so important to be accessible to all. We also extended the lovely BFG to Christmas as part of our corporate advert.”

Hunch for 2025: “Optimistic. Our ranges are looking strong and we are so fortunate to collaborate with amazing suppliers, publishers and artists and continue to evolve how we show up for our customers, I can't wait to see all the newness land in store for Valentine’s Day, it’s so much fun!”

PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE 27

A s tun n i ng choice of d es ig ns s p a nning ch a ri ty C h ris tma s p a ck s, bu mp er a nd lu xu r y a perture boxes a s well a s ca p tioned ca rd s, a l l ava ila ble to p re-ord er

To find out more or place an order, please contact us on: www.abacuscards.co.uk

28_PG February 2025.indd 1

Tel: 01638 569050

Email: info@abacuscards.co.uk

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VIEWPOINTS John Procter, co-founder of Scribbler, 38 stores nationwide Christmas Verdict: “Exceptional.”

Reveal All: “We saw an 18% increase across all Christmas products for the eight weeks leading up to Christmas Day. Our single card sales were up 10%, our pack Right: Scribbler’s naughty Santa featured prominently.

Below: A new Scribbler store opened in London’s Clapham Junction station in the run up to Christmas.

Right: John Procter (centre) and other members of the Scribbler team inside the new Clapham Junction store.

sales were up 15%, gift sales were up 40%, gift packaging was up 17%, stationery showed a 15% increase while party products were up 10%.”

Your Approach: “We expanded our relations selection and it really worked, so we will be further expanding the selection this year.”

Star Performers: “Redback, Tillovision and Jessica Hogarth’s designs all performed brilliantly.

On packs, it was the Scribbler own brand that really performed, seeing strong sales for our Coppafeel and Creating Memories charity cards.”

Hunch for 2025: “I feel very optimistic about trading – we

opened four new stores in 2024 and have a store opening in Southampton early this year with hopefully a few more to follow.

Any business dies or thrives on its products and I do believe we have the best selection of products ever. However, I am feeling rather nervous for all retailers being hit with a triple whammy of increases in NI, Minimum Wage and business rates.”

Mark Janson-Smith, managing director of Postmark, 15 stores in London, Birmingham and Glasgow Christmas Verdict: “Marvelous” Reveal All: “We couldn't be happier with our results. Overall, our likefor-like sales were up 10.4% in the Christmas category for the eight weeks leading up to Christmas Day. Our single card sales were up 9.3% and relations cards were up 7.2%. We had a healthy overall sell through of 85% on single cards.

Packs showed a modest 1.3% increase, and we saw an excellent 94% overall sell through. Our gift dressings sales were up 10%.

The only festive product area that showed a decline for us was Advents. Our fears that card packs would be down after the wellpublicised price rise on first class stamps thankfully were unfounded.”

Star Performers: “Our pack sales were led by the experts in this category, with our top three in this category being Museums & Top: Mark Janson-Smith was Galleries, The Art File and Woodmansterne. delighted by the store group’s Total sales were led by some of our Christmas sales.

Above: Lucy Maggie Designs bigger publishers due to the volume we was among a top performer for Postmark this Christmas. carry, but some special mentions go to Below left: Festive window Cinnamon Aitch, Louise Mulgrew dressing from Postmark. and Poet & Painter, whose Christmas cards sold out so quickly, and we will definitely be looking to grow with these publishers in the years to come.

As always, design-led traditional designs sold well for us. We also improved our humour offering this year to some mixed results. Lucy Maggie did very well for us, but we did have some non-traditional designs from other publishers that didn't work so well, so getting that balance spot on is still a work in progress.

The Royal Mail price increase seemed to affect stamp sales, but our figures were slightly skewed as we had periods when we didn't have any stamps to sell due to issues at Royal Mail. Overall, I'd say our stamp sales were fairly flat.”

Hunch for 2025: “We're very excited about the year ahead with at least 10 new ranges launching in January and plenty more to come after the trade shows. We feel card sending is very much alive, albeit in a rapidly changing retail environment.”

Lucy Cornwall, senior assistant buyer – Home & Gift of Oliver Bonas, 80+ stores nationwide Christmas Verdict: “Strong.”

Reveal All: “I’m pleased to report that we had a strong season on Christmas cards, showing good growth on last year. We focus primarily on single cards that are full of personality, and they did not disappoint.

There was an early spike in sales in October and November as customers seemed to be getting ahead of the game.”

Star Performers: “Kiss Me Kwik, Poet and Painter and Redback Cards.

Hunch for 2025: “I’m feeling positive going into 2025, I’m sure there will be challenges along the way, but I’m looking forward to getting out to the trade shows and discovering our new best sellers.”

Above: The new Oliver Bonas Cardiff store.

Left: Oliver Bonas’ Lucy Cornwall was delighted

by OB’s Christmas card performance.

PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE 29

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VIEWPOINTS Ross Lasseter, buying and merchandising manager of Tesco Christmas Verdict: “Single cards had a fantastic performance.”

Reveal All: “We saw high single digit year on year growth in both volume and value on single cards.

We saw growth at the higher price points.

We saw a big growth in minor captions with From Above: Abominable, the Cat & Dog, Daughter and Boyfriend, Tesco’s own character Godson and God Daughter all performing featured across many products in the run up to above expectations.

Christmas 2024.

While boxed cards performed in line with plan, we saw a double digit YOY decline.”

Star Performers: “We saw strong performances from Paper Rose, Emotional Rescue and Carte Blanche.”

Below: Tesco’s Ross Lasseter with Jacqui Castle (centre) and Veronica Short from UKG’s merchandising team shortly before Christmas in a Tesco store.

Below right: The Grinch collection from Danilo featured prominently in Tesco’s stores as did some bespoke Cardmitment PoS.

Miles Robinson, co-owner of House of Cards, seven stores in the Home Counties Christmas Verdict: “Pleasingly better than expected.”

Reveal All: “We ended up nicely above 2023 levels in the till. And my predictions on boxes/packs were definitely wrong!

Some boxes/charity packs were up nearly 20%! So much for all the negative publicity surrounding the demise of The Christmas window in Christmas cards, perhaps this actually did Above: House of Cards’ Woodley store.

Left: Some Christmas singles us all a favour from Paper Salad. and helped boost sales. Single card sales were very robust too with pet card sales through the roof for us.

Christmas stamp sales (Second Class) were very strong so the consumer is getting the message on that front for sure.”

Star Performers: “Stand out performers for us were Bug Art, Emotional Rescue, Five Dollar Shake, Janie Wilson, Ling Design, Lucilla Lavender, Paper Salad, Pigment, Paper Shed, UKG and Woodmansterne.”

Hunch for 2025: “We are feeling very positive with regard to Christmas 2025, but I am feeling a certain amount of trepidation for what is coming in April as a result of the Budget!”

Philip Nield,

Andrea Pinder,

co-owner of Reflections in Nantwich and Rugeley

owner of Presentation, Barrowford

Christmas Verdict: “Absolutely great.”

Reveal All: “We had a record Christmas at our Nantwich store – we sold more Christmas singles and boxes than ever before. We saw a 9% increase on both singles and boxes. Meanwhile our Rugeley store sales held steady on 2023 Above: A Christmassy welcome from levels.

Reflections.

Below: A Midnight Lustre design from UKG. Charity card boxes and packs far outsold the generic ones.

A few customers did mention the cost of stamps, but thankfully they still were keen to buy Christmas cards, and if anything traded up this year.

Cards for and from the pet, which we started including 10 years ago as a bit of a joke has become a sizeable component of over 15 different designs within our selection.”

Your Approach: “We did put our displays of Christmas cards out earlier than usual, to keep up with garden centres’ Christmas displays timing.”

Star Performers: “UK Greetings’ cards performed really well for us this Christmas. The Country Companions box from Hallmark also deserves a mention. We also did very well with single boxed cards from Hallmark, IC&G and Carte Blanche and customers come to us specifically for these.”

Hunch for 2025: “I think we’ll see it through another year!”

Christmas Verdict: “Mission accomplished.”

Reveal All: “Our card sales were up around 3%. While we saw a 12.5% increase in customers compared to the previous year, the average spend was lower than 2023 on individual gifts.

However, our free gift wrap service encourages our customers to return.

People spent more on single special hand-finished cards rather than sending multiple cards to the same family. Pet cards sales were up, especially for/from dogs while our top captions were grandchildren, Both of you, Special Couple, To All Of You. We sold fewer boxed cards this Christmas probably due to Booths supermarket being only 20ft away from our store.”

Star Performers: “Best sellers for us were from Five Dollar Shake, Paperlink, Second Nature and Wendy JonesBlackett.”

Your Approach: “In the first week of December I paid a visit to Boundary Mill Stores, only a mile away. I was very disappointed that identical boxes from three of my well known suppliers that I was selling at £11.99 were in there on sale at £4.50. So sad that some leading publishers are turning their backs on independent retailers.

Hunch for 2025: “I am feeling a bit anxious about the financial impact the Budget will have on retailers.”

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VIEWPOINTS Celia Leeson-Cox, visual merchandiser manager, Yarnton Home and Garden, Yarnton Christmas Verdict: “Good! And nice and early!”

Reveal All: “With the launch of our new greeting card department our Christmas card sales have nearly tripled, so we’re really pleased!

Below: A display of Wanderlust (x Archivist) and Heart & Soul Card Studio Crackers in Yarnton.

Above right: Yarnton was super packs/boxes active on social media to were very promote Christmas trade. popular and, at first seemed like they were the fastest off the blocks, however our customers were also buying single cards to send to loved ones far away,

so they were actually just as quick to sell. So, it’s been pretty even sales wise.

Charity packs are generally our best-sellers and people really care about which charities they are supporting.

We think more people bought more cards and although they were price conscious there was still that enjoyment of Christmas, celebration, and connection out there. The demand for relations cards is most definitely increasing and customers bought into our special ranges.”

Star Performers: “The Art File, Caroline Gardner, Counting Stars, Gemma Koomen, Ohh Deer, Museums & Galleries, Noi and Stormy Knight. We especially loved Counting Stars (Five Dollar Shake) vintage-inspired luxury handfinished singles and boxed sets.”

Your Approach: “We relocated our

Paul Cheshire, co-owner of &Quirky, Berkhamsted Christmas Verdict: “Steady.”

Reveal All: “Our single cards sales were up 20%. We sold more single cards than packs this year. We tried to improve our single card offering, as Above: &Quirky co-directors Paul Cheshire (centre) and Donald supermarkets had a hold on Tether with Laura Faulkner, card buyer and Paul's sister. packs, selling them at a far Below left: The bespoke Heyyy lower price. That said, we had a Cards design that fared well in &Quirky. selection of boxed charity cards which did well for us.

We experienced a last minute rush for our relatives and cheeky cards, areas we will look to further expand for 2025.”

Star Performers: “Dean Morris, Heyyy Cards, Ohh Dear and Robert James Hull were our star performers with Raspberry Blossom doing really well on mini cards.

The bespoke cards from Heyyy sold out, highlighting the value in this style of card.”

Your Approach: “We promoted the Cardmitment signage in the store to encourage sales. We put our Christmas cards out on display at the end of September, but it was right up to the last minute for most of the card sales.”

Hunch for 2025: “We are feeling very positive, and we also increased our card space instore in August to allow us to add a lot more card ranges to our current offering.”

Christmas department this year to enhance our seasonal customer journey, and dual-sited our Christmas cards and stationery between our card department and our Christmas shop.

Our marketing team worked with influencers this year creating Christmas campaigns which included a ‘Christmas Wishlist’ based in our new stationery department. This did well across our social media platforms, attracting our younger customers into the store, meanwhile the Christmas Shop ranging was tailored to our more traditional customers.

The Cardmitment campaign really helped to get a positive message across to the wider public and seeing the GCA on TV was great for business!”

Hunch for 2025: “We’re feeling optimistic.

Enthusiasm for writing, be it in greeting cards, notebooks, diaries or scrapbooks, it’s most definitely growing.”

Aga Marsden, owner of Highworth Emporium, Highworth Christmas Verdict: “The best Christmas we have ever had.”

Reveal All: “It was very jolly season from the very beginning. Christmas trade started early and it was consistently good with sales ending 9% growth versus Christmas 2023. On Christmas cards alone we saw an 8% increase in value and 5.5% growth in volume, which is amazing and proves what I have seen over last few years, that special single cards are definitely growing. We did really well with charity packs as well, while our boxed cards sales remained pretty much on a par with what we experienced Above: Aga (top right) and members of the Highworth Emporium team. in 2023.”

Below right: Highworth Emporium Star Performers: “On single cards our top dressed for Christmas. performers were from Ling Design, UKG and Woodmansterne. On charity packs Paperlink and Tracks were the tops while on boxed cards it was Museums & Galleries and Tracks who were most notable.”

Your Approach: “We took part in Cardmitment campaign and also managed to secure distribution of Scouts Stamps for our town (cheaper stamps for cards delivered in the vicinity), which definitely brought new customers into our shop and encouraged existing customers to buy and send cards using the service. We sold nearly 4,500 Scout stamps which is a lot of cards being sent from Highworth, which has a population of around 8,000 people.”

Hunch for 2025: “I feel positive and encouraged by our achievements in 2024, therefore I am really looking forward to 2025, although I am twitching a little when I think about the minimum wage cost increase.”

PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE 31

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VIEWPOINTS Heidi Early,

Right: The GCA motto, send a card deliver a smile, was front and centre in Earlybird’s Christmas window.

Below left: A Christmas message from the Earlybird team on social media.

fco-owner of Earlybird Designs, Stoke Newington Christmas Verdict: “It worked! It bloody well worked!”

Reveal All: “I am so pleased (and feel like saying to John Lewis, see, that's what you can do when you invest in cards, the joy of sending Christmas cards is well and truly alive!

So overall for the Christmas period we saw a 7.7% increase in revenue, which is such a good improvement on 2023 when we saw a 2.6% increase.

While initially I was disappointed in a 2% drop in our card pack sales, this was more than made up for with our single cards which saw a substantial 16% increase in sales, reflecting the overall trend we're seeing in the industry of a higher spend on individual cards.

Incredibly, but perhaps not surprisingly given the industry push on the subject we saw our 2nd Class stamp sales increase by 35% compared to the equivalent time last year, but what we were staggered by was a 106% increase in 1st Class stamp sales! We had bought 1st Class stamps in bulk before the last price increase and then froze our price to customers for the Christmas period, so keeping them at £1.35 definitely worked!

Working with the GCA and an amazing team of indie retailers aka The Cardmitments, has without doubt helped to achieve these strong trading figures.”

Star Performers: “Our star performer on singles was our bespoke Merry Christmas from Stokey design, we sold 100 of that one design alone and could've sold more. Me & McQ's 3D designs also sold out early.

Our own Earlybird general and relations designs were really strong performers for the second year running. We also did really well with Stormy Knight’s decoration cards, Poet & Painter and Studio Boketto.

On packs, our own bespoke Hackney charity card pack was a star performer and Museums & Galleries charity designs were, as ever, really strong.”

Your Approach: “We worked hard to really get the word out about the importance of sending cards and our sales have reflected that.

Our coordinated approach on social media, our staff Christmas card writing event, our press coverage as part of Small Business Saturday and making a conscious effort as a business to send more cards early has meant we went into the New Year feeling buoyed up.”

Hunch for 2025: “It’s really important that we carry on our concerted effort; we absolutely cannot afford to sit back. This year will be tough economically, the increases from the Budget will affect margins significantly. And we need to keep on questioning and shouting loudly on Royal Mail issues to ensure our industry is listened to.”

Penny Bailey, co-owner of Bailey’s, Ainsdale, Crosby and Maghull Christmas Verdict: “Absolutely delighted.”

Reveal All: “We had a remarkable, if slightly unexpected Christmas trading period. The lesson learned is to stay in my lane and ignore the negative press!

We traded over 8% up on 2023 across all three stores. Surprising, but very much welcome is the news our Christmas card sales were up 13%, with boxed cards sales up 22%! I am absolutely buzzing.

Both single cards and boxed cards sold well for us, with people still happy to spend

their money on quality cards, for those who are special to them.

There was a bit of customer chat around stamp prices, but we kept emphasising the "go early, send Second Class" argument which seemed to get through. I heard some comments about people not sending as many cards, but our sales just didn't reflect that.”

Star Performers: “IC&G, Ling Design and UKG sold brilliantly for us, as I think Christmas brings out the desire for nostalgia and tradition, which these companies do so well, in captions particularly. In open Christmas, Five Dollar Shake performed well, despite the higher price point, as they are just so special.

Below: A beautiful handmade card from one of Bailey’s 8year old customers. There wasn't a dry eye in the shop when Penny opened it!

Bottom left: Penny and Simon Bailey at the Peter Rabbitthemed Retas event last July.

Twizler's humour was an absolute knockout range, a first season for us, but we will definitely order more in 2025. The Paper Salad/Emotional Rescue funnies were brilliant too.”

Your Approach: “As they were so popular in 2023, we increased our humorous offering for 2024, and they were a real hit. Where, I feel, we let customers down was having too small a range of same-sex relation cards e.g. sister and sisterin-law, but they are so difficult to get hold of without being very oldfashioned or too small. Customers need the same quality as they would get for their sister and brother-in-law cards. That's my little plea to our fabulous publishers.”

Hunch for 2025: “I am genuinely excited for 2025. I can't wait to start my Christmas 2025 buying.”

PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE 33

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State of the Nation

Inset: The good ship Greeting Cards is in full sail on the high seas!

BATTLING THE ELEMENTS ‘Steady as she goes’ was the nautical metaphor of the annual State of the Nation article in last year’s PG February edition. Back then, with memories of Covid fading fast, the greeting card industry was generally cautiously optimistic about the industry’s prospects for the coming year.

So fast forward 12 months, and to continue the briny theme, the industry finds itself facing somewhat stormy conditions, battling many violent gusts coming from many different angles and yet remarkably remaining on a steady course.

The ongoing uncertainty of the future of Royal Mail, the inflation busting increase in the cost of stamps and a continuing decline in retail footfall have presented three hefty headwinds for the UK greeting card industry in the last year.

On the retail front, unlike 2023 when Paperchase went bust and disappeared as a standalone high street retailer, there were no major retail casualties in our sector during 2024, although a worrying number of independents seem to have had enough and are throwing in the towel.

However, the comments from both multiple and independent retailers about trading this Christmas have largely been positive (see Viewpoints pages 29-33). In fact, in many cases, the positive nature of trading for cardies, with flippant headlines announcing the demise of Christmas cards being way off the mark.

The work that the GCA has done in regard to dealing with Royal Mail uncertainties has been incredible, as was the huge amount of positive publicity that our industry achieved in the national media prior to 34 PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE

Above: The battle continues for the industry to safeguard Royal Mail services and keep stamp prices acceptable to the consumer.

Left: The GCA’s Cardmitment has worked wonders to promote card sending, thanks to widespread industry engagement.

Christmas as well as the widespread engagement with its overarching Cardmitment campaign.

Looking at the UK economy generally, the economic situation is not great. Growth seems to have stalled. Rachel Reeves’ first Budget has had a damaging effect on business confidence and investment with inflation remaining stubbornly high, preventing the interest rate cuts that could give the economy a boost. There is talk of a return to stagflation, a combination of no growth accompanied by above target price rises.

More pessimistic commentators are even mooting the possibility of a technical recession, in other words, two quarters of negative growth.

While this seems unlikely, it will certainly be a tough couple of months for the economy before the increases in public spending announced in last October’s Budget feed through and hopefully give the economy a bit of a boost.

But looking at the general retail scene, some 13,500 retail stores closed their doors for good in 2024, a 28% increase on the 10,500 who shut in 2023. This is lower than the closure figures from 2019 and

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State of the Nation

Left: The GCA’s recent UK Market Report showed how everyday and Christmas singles sales have increased while Spring Seasons cards sales overall have held firm.

Below: Research company Kantar has shared how empty nesters are overarching on their greeting card purchasing.

Best Service Award to the Independent Retailer in last October’s Henries awards.

Although it is too early to have any real accurate figures for the size of the market in 2024, there is no reason to believe that £1.5 billion recorded by the Greeting Card Association’s recent Market Report (covering 2023) is going anywhere but up. And this figure was a 4% increase on the 2022 figures.

And encouragingly at last September’s GCA AGM and Conference market research company Kantar, which bases its findings on the buying habits of 60,000 households, stated that the UK greeting card market is in growth, with the sales around seasonal events showing the fastest sales growth. As Kantar shared, the research company believes the average UK household is now spending £35 a year on greeting cards, shopping an average of ten times a year for them.

2022, but worryingly the Centre of Retail Research predicts a further 17,500 closures in 2025, largely attributed to the anticipated increase in employers’ National Insurance contribution that comes into force in April as well as the reduction in the business rate relief for smaller independent retailers from 75% to 40%.

Can we as an industry buck this trend? Certainly, as far as The socio-demographics of UK card buyers (Kantar) our many of our multiple chains are concerned, growth is very much on the agenda. In the value sector, Cardfactory is still expanding while Cards Direct continues its impressive growth and is now trading from 80 stores and has quietly become a significant player in the market.

Scribbler and Postmark have also both stated they are in expansion mode, while Waterstones, a sizeable card stockist, has recently announced its ambitious new store opening plans for 2025.

Of course, the biggest event in the multiple retailing scene of the last 12 months happened last March, when Paul and Below: Cards Direct opened its And on a further encouraging note, recent research 80th store, in Corby before James Taylor, the owners of Cardzone acquired Clintons. from Hallmark found that the card sending habit is being Christmas.

Below right: The Cardzone Although Clintons was a shadow of its former self when the passed on down the generations with 63% of all 18-30 owners are determined to deal was clinched, it still had around 200 shops, thereby confront the challenges they year olds having shared their intention to buy and send discovered after buying Clintons. representing a mighty big lump for any business to swallow Bottom: There is vibrancy more Christmas cards. among UK publishers, as the and as the Taylors have admitted, turning Clintons around Interestingly, the greeting card sector still has among the Gold, Silver and Sunshine Ticket and integrating it into the Cardzone operation has been a recipients at PG Live in June lowest level of market penetration of online sales of almost exemplify. huge challenge, but 2025 should see positive any retail product category changes coming to fruition. in the UK, Kantar On the publishing side, as in the estimates this to be last few years, there was very little around 22% which many publishing activity on the acquisition industry experts think may front, the most significant being the be a little on the high side.

Swan Mill Group (which owns Ling, While offering the benefits GBCC and Penny Kennedy), of photo uploads, acquiring stationery and calendar personalisation, AI help specialist, The Gift Stationery and ultimate convenience Company (see pages 87-89). being able to order by However, in place of the big phone, the British public – acquisitions, collaborations and and don’t forget that over distribution deals, such as Cath Tate Cards 90% of the UK population send cards taking over the distribution of Type & Story - still enjoy the tangible experience of and The Art File’s collab with Fox Under selecting a greeting card in person in a The Moon, are becoming more frequent. shop, something which is seemingly UK Greetings continued to be the most engrained in our psyche. dominant publisher, being the anchor broker So, although the greeting card for the big four supermarkets, Sainsbury’s, industry needs to be braced for some Tesco’s, Asda and Morrisons while also heavy storms that are likely to hit in achieving the remarkable feat of being the 2025, thankfully our industry galleon is indies’ fave, winning the Gold trophy in the pretty skilled in navigation!

PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE 35

Brand new Mother’s Day designs and our new Hip To Be Square Range in store or online at tigerfeet.com 36_PG February 2025.indd 1

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PG Retail Barometer

HOME IMPROVEMENTS While the last year’s trading was not easy for all indie card retailers, things are defo on the up for many, as reflected in the findings of PG’s recent Retail Barometer, with 50% reporting growth in 2024 and around the same expected for trade in the coming year.

Taking matters in their own hands, it was improvements to their greeting card displays on the back of the public’s greater appreciation of cards, and a continuing ‘shop local’ trend that put more money in indies’ tills, with stationery cited as an area to write home about for the year ahead.

PG delved into the findings of the only annual survey into the health and wealth of the independent greeting card retailer to find out more about the boons and banes of the last year’s trade as well as areas highlighted as potential to be realised.

What happened to your average spend per customer 5% Increased Significantly

14% Declined

53% Increased Slightly

28% Remained The Same

Business Boons

How Was Business 2024 v 2023?

21% Worse

The PG Retail Barometer is an annual survey of independent greeting card retailers. This latest survey includes both independent retailers who are Cardgains members (accounting for around 1,000 rooftops) as well as those who are not a member of the buying group. All surveys were completed by 10 January 2025.

50% Better

29% Same

After four years in succession of the ‘shop local’ drive coming tops as having been the biggest boon to their trade in the last 12 months, it was improvements to their own greeting card displays that delivered the readies, echoing the sense that public has a growing appreciation of the role greeting cards play in our social communication.

Broadening their selection of gifts once again came up trumps for many respondents, while engagement with customers through social media as well as other promotional activities also made a big difference to an indie’s trade, with 78% of respondents saying they used social media regularly for business purposes.

Continued on page 38

How Has Your Business Fared Over The Last Year?

PG looks back at the last nine years of PG’s Retail Barometer data.

2024 v 2023 50% Better 29% Same 21% Worse

2023 v 2022 47% Better 29% Same 24% Worse

2022 v 2021 44% Better 32% Same 24% Worse

2021 v 2020 65% Better 22% Same 13% Worse

2020 v 2019 19% Better 16% Same 65% Worse

2019 v 2018 31% Better 38% Same 31% Worse

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

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

PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE 37

PG Retail Barometer

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

Business Predictions For 2025

3rd

Improved Gift Selection (2nd)

4th

Social Media (4th)

5th

Staff (5th)

6th

Promotional Activity (6th)

7th

Improvements in Shop Displays (8th)

(more positive than last year) Indies have started 2025 pretty optimistic, with almost half (49%) aiming for growth, and 10% anticipating their uptick to be ‘significant’.

Looking further ahead to the next 10 years, that positivity is holding, with 45% all respondents pretty upbeat about the role of the independent card retailer a decade hence, up 8% since the last PG survey. That said, at the other end of the spectrum, 15% see the card indies’ long-term future as weak, but that is a marked improvement on the feeling in last year’s Barometer.

8th

New Customers (=9th)

Expectations for your business for 2025?

1st

Improved Greeting Card Selection (3rd)

2nd

The ‘Shop Local’ Support (1st)

9th= Increasing Prices (7th) 9th= Participation in Online Platforms (eg Amazon, Faire, Trouva) (=14th) 10th Decline in Local Competition (11th) 11th

People Working From Home (10th)

12th

Cardmitment Campaign/PR Activity (New)

12th

Winning An Award (=15th)

13th

Website/Online Activity (=9th)

2% Major Decline

10% Significant Growth

10% Slight Decline

39% Marginal Growth 39% Remain About The Same

14th= Collaborations with Local Businesses/Groups (=14th) 14th= Shop Improvements/Refits (12th) 14th= Decreasing Prices (13th) 15th= Improved POS (=15th) 15h= Improvements in Service from Suppliers (=14th) 16th

Change in Government (New)

How do you feel the consumer’s appreciation of greeting cards has shifted over the last year?

2% Declined Significantly

7% Increased Significantly

5% Declined

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

8% 47% 30% 10% 5%

Very Positive Positive Neutral Weak Very Weak

What main factor(s) have had a detrimental effect on your business this year? (Previous year’s position in brackets) 1st

Cost-of-Living Crisis (1st)

2nd

Postal issues (2nd)

3rd

Selection of Cards in Supermarkets (4th)

4th

Costs of Staff/Minimum Wage (5th)

5th

Concerns Over Budget Implications (New)

6th 7th=

Drop in Customer Footfall (New) Competition from Multiples and Garden Centres (7th)

7th= 8th 9th 10th

Parking Issues (11th) Business Rates (=12th) Rent Review (=13th) Reduction in Service from Suppliers/ Reps/Agents (15th)

The Big Downers

11th

Charity Shops Selling Greeting Cards (=9th)

The vagaries of the cost-of-living was, for the third year running, the top reason indies cited as having had a detrimental effect on their business over the last year, with the anticipated financial implications of October’s Budget featuring highly too. Not surprisingly, given the upheaval at Royal Mail during 2024, postal issues secured second spot in the list of biggest banes, with drop in footfall, exacerbated by parking issues also featuring in the bugbears.

12th Consumer Lethargy (=9th) 13th= Expansion of Value/Discount Retailers (6th) 13th= Online Activity (Including Temu Copying) (10th) 13th= Print on Demand Cards (=13th) 14th People Going Back to Work in Offices (14th) 15th Environmental Concerns (New) 16th Empty Shop Units in the Vicinity (8th)

34% Increased Slightly

52% Remained The Same

38 PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE

PG Retail Barometer

Threats And Opportunities Supermarkets’ improvements in their greeting card selection, coupled with the convenience of shopping in these grocery emporiums means they are rather an annoyance to indies on the greeting card front, with 60% citing them as a threat to their sales. However, it is the digital players, both the specialist greeting card online operators as well as the

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

14% Serious Threat 30% Neutral

mega generalist of Amazon, who indies see as gnawing at their business. The easy and free option of just sending a message by social media is also an irksome no-win for any retailer. Garden centres still track as a threat for over a third of card indies and Cardfactory has dropped right back to only being seen as a serious threat to 8% of indies.

How do you currently view Moonpig, Funkypigeon and Thortful?

5% Serious Threat 35% Threat 53% Neutral 8% Bonus

How do you currently view Amazon?

5% Serious Threat 35% Threat 58% Neutral 2% Bonus 56% Threat

How do you view texting, emailing or social networking sites as an alternative to greeting cards?

How do you currently view garden centres?

29% Serious Threat 37% Threat 34% Neutral

2% Bonus

How do you currently view Card Factory?

10% Serious Threat

8% Serious Threat 23% Threat 567% Neutral

63% Neutral

Which card categories have you seen sales grow in your shop(s) in the last year? (Previous year’s position shown in brackets) 25% Threat

1st

Humour (1st)

2nd

Relations and Occasions (=2nd)

3rd

Christmas Card Singles (=2nd)

4th

Mother’s Day (=8th)

5th

Contemporary Trend (=6th)

6th

Pop-up and 3D (4th)

7th= Christmas Packs or Boxes (5th) 7th= 8th= 8th= 9th

Growth Indicators

Above: The power of laughter wins

The power of laughter and a greeting card’s ability to cheer someone up continues to be reflected in the Barometer findings, with humorous cards once again topping the greeting card charts for indies as being the card category that showed the largest growth over the last year compared to the year previous.

Other industry ‘stalwarts’ that are the backbone of many indies’ card racks, that of relations and occasions cards also held firm in the second position for the second year running, with Christmas singles retaining the third slot.

Hand-finished or Handmade (=6th) Valentine’s Day (=8th) Words & Sentiment (=7th) Easter (3rd)

10th= Art (=7th) 10th= Father’s Day (=9th) 10th= Licensed (8th=) 10th= Photographic (10th) 11th= Cute (=9th) 11th= Diversity and Inclusion (=8th) 11th= Male (=9th) 12th= Children (=9th) 12th= Mini Cards (New) Continued on page 40

PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE 39

PG Retail Barometer

Appetite For More

On The Slide

When asked in which card categories indies would like to have an increased choice, following a pattern of several years, once again, it is more laughs they are looking for! After humorous cards, it’s a wider choice of male designs that there is a call for, with a plea for more relations & occasions coming in third place on the wish list.

More diversity & inclusion designs shared 4th place in the survey alongside more words & sentiment and Mother’s Day designs.

On the specific caption front, there is a still a rally call for more adult milestone age cards as well as children’s ages 13-18, while on the occasion front, designs covering divorce sadly cropped up. The pet card boon continues, so more tail wagging desgns please, plus more specific loss of your dog/cat designs.

While there is still an appetite for more minor captions, including great grandma, cousin, and great grandchildren, there is still ground to be gained on the LGBTQ front across all events, especially same sex anniversary cards.

Echoing the pattern of last year’s Barometer, the downside of Christmas singles faring so well in the ‘growth league’ is that for many indies this impacted on their Christmas box sales as reflected in their number one position in the list of sliders.

Festive Greetings

6th= Father’s Day (3rd)

After the real concerns about the hike in First Class stamp prices affecting Christmas card buying and sending, the Barometer readings on number of Christmas cards sent in 2024 makes for some happy reading, with indies reckoning that a quarter of people increased the number of Christmas cards they sent in the recent festive period. And somewhat countering the perceived 40% decline in volume of Christmas cards bought and sent – which was less dramatic than the 64% of the year previous - the Barometer findings echo the shift to the public buying more special single cards as well as PR and promotional activities having helped to boost sales of Christmas cards for indies.

However, coming out loud and clear, it is the cost of stamps that indies firmly believe is the biggest barrier to people buying and sending more Christmas cards.

6th= Licensed (8th=)

What is your feeling about the number of Christmas cards people sent in 2024?

25% 35% 40%

More than the previous year Same as the previous year Fewer than the previous year

What do you see as having had the biggest detrimental effect on your Christmas card sales?

72% 15% 8% 5%

The cost of postage Consumers seeing the sending of Christmas cards as less important than previously Consumers’ concern over reliability of Royal Mail delivery Consumers saying they are making a contribution to charity instead

What do you see as having had the biggest positive effect on your Christmas card sales?

43% 20% 23% 6% 9% 3%

Consumers moving to sending more higher priced single cards Consumer sentimentality Better designs on offer Your own promotion The GCA #Cardmitment campaign’s activities The longer run up with many schools breaking up on Dec 15

40 PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE

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

1st

Christmas Card Boxes (1st)

2nd Handmade or Hand-Finished (7th) 3rd= Valentine’s Day (2nd) 3rd= Words and Sentiments (9th) 4th= Cute (4th) 4th= Easter (=5th) 5th

Diversity & Inclusion (New)

6th= Children’s (=8th)

6th= Photographic (10th) 6th= Pop-ups and 3D (6th) 6th= Relations & Occasions (New) 7th

Christmas Singles (New)

Sustainability Drivers Concerns Concerns about the environment, and playing their part in sustainability, featured strongly for indies in the last year.

Changes were made in relation to their product stocking and/or the running of their business on the environmental front in the last year for a whopping 71% of respondents.

Above:Ohh Deer is now a B Corp company as part of its sustainable drive.

How do you prefer your cards to be packaged?

41% 22% 17% 10% 10%

Naked and Nested In Biodegradable Bags Card Clasped Cellowrapped Paper Banded

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

7% 52% 41%

Greatly Marginally Not at all

PG Retail Barometer

What steps did your business take in 2024 on the environmental front?

1st

Reduction in Cellowrapped Cards 57%

2nd Reduction in Plastic bags in the Shop 50% 3rd

Reduction in Cards/Giftwrap with Glitter 40%

4th

More Vigilant Recycling 34%

glory has not been lost on indies, while the strong bonds they have with their agents and reps as a lifeline to sourcing new products remain ever strong, especially as the cost of staffing makes it all the more problematic to leave the shop.

However, the role of the catalogues and actual card samples should never be underestimated, seen as important or very important by 80% of respondents.

5th= Persuade Staff to be More Sustainable 30%

How Have You Sourced Products In The Last Year?

5th= Expansion of Eco-products Stocked 27%

1st

6th 7th 8th 9th

2nd Agents and reps (1st)

Removal of Cellowrapped Cards 27% Greater Use of Paper Bags 23% Increase in Cards in Compostable Bags 17% Introduction of ‘Bags for Life’ 10%

10th Change of Energy Provider 7%

Marketing Muscle Indies have harnessed the potential of various promotional activities with 66% having flexed their marketing muscles to promote their shops and the products they stock.

Trade shows and their websites (3rd)

3rd

Progressive Greetings and other media (4th)

4th= Online platforms (eg Faire, Trouva) (=6th) 4th= Publishers’ websites (5th) 5th= Catalogues and leaflets (2nd) 5th= Looking in other shops (4th) 6th

Cards sent to you (7th)

7th

Social media (=8th)

8th

Word of mouth (=8th)

9th

Feedback from customers (19th)

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

10th Cardgains’ newsletter and website (10th)

1st

What trade exhibitions are you planning to visit this year?

Social Media Promotions (1st)

2nd In-store ‘Money Off’/Discount Promotions (3rd) 2nd= Charity Fundraising/Community Engagement (5th) 3rd Collaboration with Other Businesses/Programmes (4th) 4th Press or Online/Google Advertising (7th) 5th Loyalty Cards/Loyalty Initiatives (2nd) 6th Customer Events/Private Shopping and Competitions (=6th) 7th= Exclusive Products (New) 7th= Gift Voucher Scheme (8th) 8th Leaflets (=6th) 9th= Free Gift Promotions (=6th) 10th Radio Advertising (New)

Progressive Greetings Live 81% Spring Fair 75% Top Drawer (January) 67% Harrogate Home & Gift 53% Top Drawer Autumn 50% Autumn Fair 44% Harrogate Christmas and Gift 14% Giving & Living 8% Publishers’ own shows 11% Glasgow Spring Fair 5% Maison Object 3%

How do you view seeing catalogues and actual card samples?

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

Local Retailers Group 50% Charities 39% Local Schools 29% GCA 25% Bira 18% Just a Card Campaign 18% Chamber of Commerce 17% Federation of Small Businesses 11% BOSS Federation 3% Below left: PG Live is in the diary for Fine Art Trade Guild 2% 81% of respondents.

10% Not important

25% Important

65% Very important

Sourcing Matters The importance of physical connection with the greeting card community comes out stronger than ever in the Barometer findings, both on human and product fronts. The joy of discovering new products at trade shows and seeing them in all their

If you place orders online, what percentage?

25% 13% 20% 43%

Under 10% Around 25% Around 50% 75% And Above Continued on page 43

PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE 41

A little book of cocktails A che er of co ful collec ck tio and R tail recip n e osie funni s es

Fair g n i r Sp P21 3 d n a St

trade.rosiemadeathing.co.uk | 0116 4062000 | office@rosiemadeathing.co.uk

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PG Retail Barometer

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

23% 75% 3%

Increase Remain the Same Decrease

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

43% 53% 5%

Increase the number Remain about the same Decrease the number

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

5% 18% 64% 10% 3%

Improved Significantly Improved Slightly Remained the Same Decreased Slightly Decreased Significantly

The Selection Box On the product diversification front, stationery and writing instruments has jumped into pole position with sustainability products and impulse products sharing the silver spot with children’s products and chocolate/confectionery clinching the bronze, and giftwrappings nudging upwards into 4th place.

Above: The Art File has expanded on the stationery front.

Into which product areas would you like to further diversify?

1st Stationery/Writing Instruments (=2nd) 2nd= Impulse Products (=4th) 2nd= Sustainable Products (=2nd) 3rd= Children’s Products (=6th)

Would you consider being supplied via a brokerage system?

3% 23% 73%

Yes Undecided No

3rd= Chocolates/Confectionery (=3rd) 4th Giftwrappings (=6th) 5th= Candles/Home Fragranced Products (=3rd) 5th= Jewellery (1st) 6th Home Accessories (5th)

Do you see geographical exclusivity of supply as an issue?

55% 45%

Yes No

Is The Price Right?

7th Books (=7th) 7th= Wellbeing Products (=9th) 8th= Calendars and Diaries (=9th) 8th= Bath and Body Products (=9th)

In the face of inevitable cost rises battering us from all angles, some 8% of respondents are actively calling for an increase in RRPs of cards, but the vast majority (82%) would like them to remain at 2024 levels.

As for the real price ‘pressure points’, continuing the trend of last four years, while some indies are fearful of breaking through the £3.00 barrier, the new worry is £4.99, though for cards for special occasions, even this is much less of an obstacle than it was a few years ago.

8th= Clothing (=8th)

In the coming year would you like to see the Recommended Retail Prices (RRPs) of counter cards?

12th= Balloons and Partyware (=9th)

8% 82% 11%

Go Up Remain As Now Come Down

9th= Sentiment-based gifts (=6th) 9th= Plush (=6th) 10th= Fashion Accessories and Bags (=4th) 10th= Kitchenware and Tableware (=9th) 11th= Food Gifts (=7th) 11th= Gardening Products (=8th) 12th= Advents (=9th)

12th= Pet Products (=8th)

In A Word There were many more positive words than negative descriptors in the Barometer question which asked indies to select the word they feel best describes the UK greeting card industry today.

The word ‘Resilient’ came out tops this year on the positive front with ‘inspirational’ and ‘vibrant’ also scoring highly.

The top ten POSITIVE descriptors… Resilient, Vibrant, Important, Buoyant, Creative, Optimistic, Thriving, Hopeful, Exciting and Amazing The top five NEUTRAL descriptors… Stable, Engaged, Diverse, Consistent and Competitive

Above: Giftwrappings is cited as having further growth potential for indies. The new Ric Rac collection from Glick, which is part of its Colour Hub portfolio.

The top five NEGATIVE descriptors… Precarious, Worrying, Struggling, Declining and Old-fashioned

PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE 43

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In Conversation With…ROSIE MADE A THING

Above: Rosie’s humour begins with gin!

GIN AND FROLICKING Not many newbie publishers hit on a classic from the off, but that’s just what Rosie Made A Thing managed, thanks to founder Rosie Harrison’s original Doodles drawings.

Having launched the black and white humorous card range at Spring Fair in 2015, the immediate feedback from one of her first customers at the show – the Fenwicks’ buyer – was that it just needed colour.

Rosie organised herself an Adobe teaching session to learn how to colour in her designs, slung in a name change to Gin & Frolics after the caption on one of her first cards, and the rest, as they say, is history.

Rosie, who revels in her head of nonsense title, is quite rightly keen to celebrate a decade of Rosie Made A Thing with her 16strong all-female team, longstanding band of sales agents, overseas distributors and the company’s many retail customers.

“It all began with a Save The Date card I designed for my wedding in 2014 which became one of my first card designs,” Rosie explained. “It’s a couple of characters holding hands, and says ‘let's hold hands and have an adventure’.”

The greeting card royalty came into the story even earlier as Rosie used to work for the Lawn Tennis Association before retraining as a PE teacher in London where she taught Caroline Gardner’s daughter Flora.

Then, when she and husband Tim had their first child it was time to move out of the capital and back to their roots in Leicestershire, where she “happily bumbled along” helping her 44 PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE

own mum in a concession in an antiques shop and started selling her cards.

Rosie laughed: “They were obviously handmade. I used to actually sew little rabbit creatures in big embroidered pictures. I then photographed those and put them on cards. and I also did black and white hand drawings so, when I did my first show, there were two very different ranges.

“I’m friends with Anna Danielle, who runs The Little Dog Laughed with her brothers Gavin and Nathan Smith – we were introduced through our husbands who were rugby players – and she said “if you want to do this properly, do a trade show, and we’ll do your fulfilment for you”, because they did their own.”

Rosie is so grateful for the “ridiculous

Eight Henries awards, three Gift Of The Year awards, a Louie and a ‘must have’ range for retailers, Rosie Harrison has achieved a great deal in the first decade since she founded Rosie Made A Thing.

PG found out how greeting card royalty, rugby, and needing a creative outlet with three young children in tow led to creating one of the industry’s best loved brands which is quite rightly making the most of celebrating its 10th anniversary year.

amount” of help The Little Dog Laughed trio gave her. “I had no computer skills, no Adobe skills or anything. I had to try to learn how to get these hand-drawn images on to a computer. At first, Anna would help me scan them in, clean them up and make them into cards.”

Danielle gave up a huge amount of her time to help get Rosie’s first cards artworked, printed and ready for sale. “I’m pretty sure she even came up with the range name of Doodles and company logo at 2am about a week before my first Spring Fair! Anna and her brothers are absolute legends and I would never have dreamed of getting myself involved in any of this nonsense had it not been for their help,” revealed Rosie.

Rosie got a few orders at that first show, met some sales agents and absolutely loved Above: The first stand in 2015 and Rosie with Jenny Cummins, of Aussie distributor McMillan Cards, at Spring Fair 2024.

Above left: The save the date card that started it all and the longstanding top seller.

Left: Industry pals Dom Early, Earlybird; Tim Gould, Objectables; Heidi Early, Earlybird; Marina Brook, Marina B; Chris Stanley, Redback Cards; Bex Hassett, Bexy Boo; Adam Short, Imaging Centre; and Suzie Simpkin, Marina B, help Rosie celebrate her eighth Henries Award in October.

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In Conversation With…ROSIE MADE A THING

Above: (From left) Victoria Bullock, RMAT; Sarah Robinson, Midlands agent; Grant Gibson, Scottish agent; Carl Stirk, NE agent; Mark Robinson, Midlands agent; Richard Ives, SW agent; and Julia Tarratt, RMAT. Below: Rosie’s first book Wine Not? is now being joined

by Happy Hour.

the experience. Acting on the suggestion of the Fenwick buyer who suggested adding colour to Rosie’s black and white designs, Rosie went back to the Adobe teacher running courses at Derby Uni who had given her a day’s training in the previous December.

“I went back to him and said ‘right, can you do another day?

I need to colour them in now’.

So, the style of Gin & Frolics came from those couple of training days. The photographic elements are basically borne out of a technique he showed me, and the hair, which is a photo of real hair, is just a technique he showed me of a clipping mask – it's easier than drawing hair!” explained Rosie.

While Rosie decided to drop the sewn cards as they took too long to create, the Rosie Made A Thing name was inspired by an antiques shop called Daisy Found A Thing as well as her own love of sewing and crafting that had kept her sane while her children were young. The now established range name came from Rosie’s early design of two characters on roller skates with the caption Gin & Frolics.

Constant updating of the captions has kept the long-standing range fresh and much-loved by retailers and consumers alike as the gentle humour really strikes a chord with people’s lives. The past 3½ years have seen Rosie bring in card designer Bineta Chauhan, artworker Esther, and product designer Charlotte Dudley, giving scope to bring in other ranges, including the children’s version Cheeky Chops and the black and white Stroke Me, then in 2024 she began licensing the Tipp Top collection from Tipperleyhill.

“There's been a lot of pressure on that one range which is what we're known for,” Rosie said, “it's a good one to keep going, but we

need some new stuff all the time – I think humour is what’s expected of us.”

While Rosie Made A Thing’s cards are stocked in major retailers, Rosie gives huge praise to the publisher’s indie stockists. “It’s the independents that have been our bread and butter, and always will be. Gifted Glasgow, Wistow Gallery, Threads of Harpenden and A Little Mooch, Allestree, all placed orders when we started and are still customers today along many others.”

On the business front there have been a number of changes, moving from local printers to now mainly working with Windles Group, and giving The Little Dog Laughed a break by going to JBH Fulfilment in Gloucestershire, although the huge rise in website sales during Covid meant RMAT

quickly outgrew the small house Rosie had bought in the village so she now also rents another building just around the corner where the picking and packing for online orders is done.

Having run the business from home until 2019, with Melanie, Julia, and her mum helping on website orders and the children occasionally chipping in, Rosie’s best pal Bec joined just before the pandemic hit: “We discussed whether this was a good idea, and decided what could possibly go wrong!”

The team has now grown to 16 plus Rosie herself and the sales agents, many of whom have been with her since the start – and the company’s first-ever sales meeting was held in December.

This year’s 10th birthday celebrations will see a new range of mugs being produced inhouse, following the end of a previous licensing agreement, along with the new Pop! range that’s a little different with neon colours and deboss finish.

Plus, there’s release of the Happy Hour book of cocktail recipes and Rosie funnies, which will be leading the party fun on the RMAT stand, 3P21, at Spring Fair. As Rosie explained: “In keeping with our new cocktail book, we’ll be having our very own Happy Hour and there will be goody bags and lots of show offers!

“We also wanted to do something a bit special so have partnered with a brilliant company called Treeapp to plant 10,000 trees in the UK and overseas by the end of 2025 – we can’t wait to get going and will even be getting our hands dirty and doing some planting ourselves,” said Rosie.

“I feel very lucky to have fallen into a business and an industry that I love. It’s wonderful to be part of such a creative, friendly and thriving industry and to have developed amazing friendships around the world with fellow publishers, customers, sales agents and export partners. That’s the best bit for me – and we’d love to see everyone at Spring Fair and in June at PG Live at which we will continue the celebrations!”

Above: (left-right) Some RMAT team mates; Esther, creative artworker; Bineta, card design manager; Victoria, key account manager; Helen, export manager; Emily, digital manager; Cassie, eComm ops assistant; Emily, marketing manager; Bec, eComm ops manager; Alison, senior merchandiser; Faye, indie account manager; Gill, trade ops manager; Kellie, head of operations; and Rosie, head of nonsense.

Right: Spring Fair sees the launch of the inhouse mugs and new Pop! Range.

PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE 45

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Showtime… SPRING FAIR

I have a dream

DIAMOND GEEZERS

It’s the diamond jubilee for Spring Fair with its semisesquicentennial event running at Birmingham’s NEC over 2-5 February.

PG takes a look at the show’s history, along with memories and some of the dreams and fears of exhibitors.

As Spring Fair is all set to mark its 75th anniversary, the show has grown exponentially since it began up in Blackpool in 1950, and has royalty, building works and plenty of diamond geezers in its history.

And the timing of this year’s show, which opens on Sunday, 2 February, is perfect, marking exactly 49 years since the then monarch, Queen

“I often dream on the eve of a trade show that I’ve driven to the show and I open my boot and I have forgotten all the stuff, my boot is totally empty – arghhhhh!” laughed Dom Early, of Earlybird Designs.

“There's also the one where I turn up to the trade show and they’ve moved my stand to outside the toilet miles away from anywhere and just given me an old table, when I complain I get a telling off. And also I’m sometimes naked or just don't have any pants on!

“What surprises me is I’m fairly organised, so there’s no real reason for these dreams but in one fell swoop I get imposter syndrome, forget everything, don’t trust the organisers and have a fear of being exposed!

“I’d have thought that, after 10 years of trade shows, I'd have put these fears to bed, but it clearly affects even the experienced exhibitor – my industry pals like Sarah Jackson at Stormy Knight and Lizzie Parker from Penguin Ink get them too, so we're all in this together.

“AnnoyingIy, I never dream about taking tons of orders or a distributor spending £20,000 in one go so on this occasion I’m glad my trade show dreams actually don't come true!”

Earlybird Designs, stand 3Q24 Below: Dom dreams on with pals Sarah and Lizzie.

Elizabeth II, opened both the NEC in Birmingham, and Spring Fair’s first outing in its new home.

Since that day in 1976, the trade fair which is now owned by Hyve Group has been springing forward to become the UK’s largest gift and home event with more than a dash of greeting cards in the mix and, as the NEC’s largest event in terms of space, even persuaded the venue to build the newest halls 17-20 due to increasing Left: Queen Elizabeth II opened the very first Spring Fair in in 1950 as well as when the show moved to the then brand new NEC in 1976.

Below left: Rachel Hare, founder of Belly Button Designs whose trade fair launch was at the Spring Fair in 1994, which involved meeting King Charles in the Prince’s Trust area.

demand for space and visitors in the 1990s.

While exhibitors have come and gone over the past 75 years, and the show has been trimmed from five days down to four, there are many

Coming to life However long you’ve been in the business, and however big the publisher, everyone is subject to the same anticipation when it comes to Spring Fair.

“It’s all about anticipating, as it’s exciting and I look forward to seeing the endless sketches and backdrops come to life on the pod on Cardgains Village,” said UKG’s regional sales manager Andrew Thomas. “There are the sleepless nights, worrying about getting there and finding everything we’ll need to set the display up – will the display fit? But I love bumping into former colleagues as we all struggle to get everything ready for the opening – that coffee and sandwich when it’s finished and ready for the Sunday opening is a delight!”

Above: Just a taster of what UKG will be showing on its pod at this year’s Spring Fair.

PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE 47

Introducing Plantasia

A brand-new collection of gift bags created for gift senders ever ywhere

See over 250 new designs in our Spring Summer Ever yday 2025 Collection at Spring Fair. Visit us at Hall 3 Stand P11 0115 850 7490 | sales@theartfile.com | theartfiletrade.com

48_PG February 2025.indd 1

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Showtime… SPRING FAIR

Comedy of chaos Trade shows can be stressful enough but, for Louise Tiler and her partner Gav Nicholas, the 2023 Spring Fair turned into a full-blown comedy of chaos – one that definitely wasn’t on the schedule!

As Louise explained: “Gav had just picked up his tools and arrived at the NEC to start setting up the stand when I called him with some unexpected news – our baby was coming early! Orla had decided she didn’t want to wait until her due date.

“In true Gav fashion, he powered through, setting up as much of the stand as he could before rushing home and leaving the rest of the team to carry on, so he could be by my side, the trade show had to happen, after all!”

As Gav was on route to the Yorkshire hospital Louise, despite being in labour, was still asking about the setup. “How’s the display looking? Did you remember the catalogues?” she asked between her discussions with the midwives because,

Pushing the envelope

Above: Baby Orla’s birth is a great Spring Fair memory for Louise.

of course, a perfectly-executed trade show stand was still top of mind while she was in the middle of bringing a new life into the world!

Louise laughed: “The show went on, but Orla’s safe arrival on 2 February would forever be the highlight of 2023 – not the stand, the brochures, or the perfectlyplaced greeting cards.

“Four months later Orla, now a bit older and ready for new experiences, got to take part in her very first trade show at PG Live, this time as Louise Tiler Designs newest team member!”

Louise Tiler Designs, stand 3S11

For David Byk, the fears about Spring Fair are always financial as the Swan Mill MD takes prominent stands for the company’s brands Ling Design, Penny Kennedy, GBCC and now The Gifted Stationery Company and Hey Hugo too.

He laughed: There’s always the risk of lastminute expense and it’s made riskier where I have to hand over my credit card!

“Thankfully, we generally haven’t had any major problems that we couldn’t solve – there was the year though that all the samples were supplied with wrong colour envelope and so we had to do a mass change on the stand.

“And the carrier did leave half a pallet behind one year so our factory manager had to drive the boxes up to Birmingham in haste, fortunately we’re only based in Gloucester.”

Ling Design/Penny Kennedy 3L10-M11, GBCC 3L20-M21, The Gifted Stationery Company 3Q15, Hey Hugo 5H23

“I remember meeting Really Good’s David Hicks for the first time at Spring Fair when he rugby Portico Designs, Ged and Karen Mace went tackled me in the aisle. into business for themselves, setting up The Art “You must be Ged Mace” File in 1997 and taking their first Spring Fair he said… I asked if he’d stand the following February. ever thought about doing “The stand was just 1m x 1.5m,” Ged said, “it humour cards. was so small I wasn’t allowed on it because no “To me, exhibitions one could see our two fledgling collections with remain one of the most me standing in front of them! Karen did an valuable experiences a amazing job at that first show and, as a result, Above: Then and now, The Art File’s 1998 Spring Fair stand and its 2024 version. publisher can ever engage we drove away from the NEC on the Thursday in. Whether it’s assessing evening knowing we had created a business.” diamond geezers who have a long-term your latest collections or gaining feedback from He added: “I have so many happy memories association with Spring Fair. customers about your brand or the wider market of exhibiting at the show but, for me, the The Hall Of Fame will be brought to life at the – your investment in exhibitions will always pay standout must be all the amazing people I’ve NEC with a timeline and large digital screen dividends in my mind.” met over the years at this show – thank you showing pictures and stories, and a selfie wall After working for other publishers including Spring Fair.” celebrating retail’s past and present – and Hyve has been gathering memories of products and influential people across those seven decades.

After over 35 years in business, Cardgains buying group has For Ged Mace, MD and co-founder of The plenty of experience at trade shows, even having run its own Art File, his memories go back to 1986 so 2025 version, but MD Penny Shaw still gets the collywobbles. will be his 39th year at Spring Fair: “I worked for “It’s still a little daunting to arrive at the NEC for Spring Fair Accord Publications at the time, which was to a huge empty space where the Cardgains Village will be,” owned by Richard Horton. she commented. “I may have more than 20 years’ experience Above: Hyve’s Daniel Goodban in setting it up, but there are always a few fingers crossed “Richard was a true inspiration to many people presenting Penny Shaw (left) and that everything will go to plan. financial director Helen with a cake and built a strong team around him who included to mark the buying group’s 35th “With such a big stand, the electrical team is crucial as each the likes of Riou Baxter, Jack Straw and Beth anniversary at the 2024 Spring Fair. socket has to be in exactly in the right place for when the Robson. platform and carpet go down. The pods are then built and placed to the millimetre and “The Accord stand was probably 8m x 4m and stand like sentries in line.” on that stand we had eight salespeople, a This year the Cardgains Village 3M10/N11, will incorporate pods from The Gifted national account manager, and an export Stationery Company, IC&G, Jacksons, Rainbow Designs, Sarunds, Smart Toys, UK Greetings, Words ’N’ Wishes and Woodmansterne. manager. No one stopped working all day, every day – we had so much fun!

Beating the collywobbles

PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE 49

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Behind The Scenes

INTO THE FOLD

N Smith really are the Willy Wonkas of cardboard engineering. In the last year alone, just within our sector, the Midlands-based company has built a Roman chariot and full size Doric columns for The Henries, a Mr McGregor’s Garden set for The Retas, a giant pen and enormous card for PG Live and the PG Pub for last year’s Spring Fair, all out of cardboard.

But even by their own high standards, the maestros are raising the cardboard bar even higher for this year’s show, commissioned by Hyve, Spring Fair organisers, to create a parade of shops to form the Hall 3 Buyers Lounge, shopfronts for the entrance ways, giant cards, post boxes as well as a double bay-windowed pub for its own stand (3K41), that it will be sharing with PG. flexibility and growth potential, meaning we could offer bespoke FSDUs and Point of Sale as well as cardboard box manufacturing. Pretty much all the profits we made in those early days we invested back into the business, which has stood us in good stead, enabling us to further invest in new machinery,” reveals Kerry, a case in point being the £1.7 million investment in the Agfa Onset digital printer a couple of years ago.

To add some scope to the immensity of the operation, N Smith uses over 10 million square metres of cardboard every year, the equivalent space of 1,400 of the company’s beloved West Bromwich Albion football stadium!

It was working for a company that produced Easter egg boxes that gave Kerry Tyers the cardboard bug, but it was finding kindred spirits when she joined N Smith, cardboard box company whose origins date back to the start of the 20th Century, that really secured her place as the boxing queen.

“My daughter, selecting which GCSEs to take, asked me whether I thought I would be Above left: Just some of the props N Smith made for the Ancient selling cardboard boxes when I grew up. Not Roman-themed Henries 2024.

Right: Kerry Tyers and Steve Wilkinson in front of The Emporium that N Smith made for Autumn Fair. really, but I am so glad it happened,” Kerry Below: The rough plan for the Hyve Street shopfronts at Spring Fair. confessed to PG, who, along with four fellow directors – Nigel Reynolds, Steve Wilkinson, Gary Hogg and Linz Cavanagh - staged a management buyout of the business back in 2015.

“We didn’t know how the business would develop, but investing in two digital printing machines gave us more

Far left: N Smith’s Kerry Tyers and Nigel Reynolds on their stand at PG Live with some of their creations.

Above: Nigel Reynolds (right) and Steve Wilkinson at the recent GCA Conference with a giant Thinking of You Week card, pen and post box N Smith made.

Left: Having traded since 1901, N Smith now uses over 10 million square metres of cardboard manufacturing boxes, FSDUs, PoS and other packaging needs.

While Kerry explains that cardboard boxes remain the “bread and butter” of the business, “our digital print work is gaining ground fast” supplying many leading retailers and brands with bespoke creations.

However, it is their bespoke creations of a very different kind that will be gracing the halls of the NEC during Spring Fair.

On the back of creating The Emporium ‘shop window’ for Autumn Fair, that was used for window display workshops, for Spring Fair the N Smith team are to build a ‘Hyve High Street’ of different shops to form the Buyers Lounge in Hall 3, as well as ‘shopfronts’ for the entrance ways relevant to each hall. And to mark the show’s 75th anniversary there will be two giant birthday cards, featuring designs by The Art File. One of which will be positioned in the Piazza while the other in the GCA Lounge.

Alongside these will be a post box and a display of free cards which attendees are invited to write to someone and then pop in the post box.

Kerry remembers back to the days when the N Smith stands at trade shows just used to be a pile of cardboard boxes. “Then we got to know the team at PG and things started to change and the requests to make various items became increasingly challenging, but we love it, as it means we can show our skills to a very special, creative industry!”

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A selection of wonderful products that will be on show at Spring Fair.

Colourful Relationships Awash with Colour is IC&G’s new illustrated traditional watercolour card collection.

Comprising 16 designs that celebrate cherished relationships, the cards (all price code 60) feature embossing, delicate foiling and environmentally-friendly glitter.

International Cards & Gifts 01202 897494 www.icgcards.com Spring Fair Cardgains Village 3M10-N11

Animal Magnetism Swifty Moves Keeping in with the in-crowd, Five Dollar Shake & Counting Stars’ Haute Hippie range has been expanded with new general birthday as well as designs for daughter and granddaughter birthdays, with Taylor Swift a clear inspiration. All the cards are handpainted with glitter and supplied with a complementary cream envelope.

Five Dollar Shake & Counting Stars 01424 434062 www.fivedollarshaketrade.com Spring Fair Stand 3R15

You can unveil whispers of the wild with Lola Design’s brand new photographic card range, Happy Hour. The 24 delicate, dreamlike designs invite you into an ethereal world where animals take centre stage, in softly lit enchanting landscapes. All enhanced with foil detailing, the cards are printed on 100% recycled FSC board.

Lola Design 01904 900141 www.loladesignltd.com Spring Fair Stand 3S24

Bottled Up Alljoy Design is launching 31 exciting new designs into its awardwinning Message in a Bottle pop-up card collection. Among the latest additions are tractors, dumper trucks, diggers, a 4x4 off road vehicle plus others that celebrate nature and sports.

A space is left on the back of the cards for a message.

Alljoy Design 00353 (0)16301213 www.alljoydesign.com Spring Fair Stand 3L25

Purple Patch Sweet Pea is Megan Claire's brand new contemporary Mother's Day range for 2025. The 12 designs all feature a pastel pink and lilac colour palette. The cards are finished with a luxury gold foil deboss and matched with a luxury neon pink envelope.

Megan Claire 01536 560345 www.meganclairetrade.co.uk Spring Fair Stand 3R33

Finders Keepers Based on the success of its Christmas Keepsake cards, Paper Mirchi has launched a Birthday Keepsake Collection. As well as cards that include a detachable handmarbled ornament, there are also some photo frame keepsake cards featuring handmarbling and block print designs, which can hold a 4"x6" photograph. The cards are all made using 100% recycled cotton rag paper.

Paper Mirchi 07896141278 www.papermirchi.co.uk Spring Fair Stand 3S34 PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE 53

A W i ld i n g Ye ar

BY AWARD-WIN NIN G ARTIST HANN AH DA L E

P L AC E YOU R P R E - O R D E R TO DAY G e t i n to u c h wi t h yo u r a re a sa l e sp e r s o n , o r c o n ta c t u s d i re c t ly : i n fo @w re n da l e de s i g n s . c o. u k 01652 680253 w w w. w re n da l e de s i g n s . c o. u k

A mar vel. Participating in the restoration of nature is about the “most joyful thing a person can do, and this book radiates that joy.

Ben Goldsmith, author of God is an Octopus

”

Hannah Dale tells the beautiful, heartening and quietly courageous “stor y of rewilding her family farm. It honestly reveals the opposition she has faced but also the support, and the joy of witnessing the wild world burst back into life. Most of all, it powerfully shows nature’s own enthusiasm for rewilding!

”

Patrick Barkham, Natural history writer for The Guardian

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A selection of wonderful products that will be on show at Spring Fair.

Country Life A host of new designs are joining Wrendale Designs’ award-winning Country Set collection. As ever featuring Hannah Dale’s distinctive watercolour artwork, the cards are made in the UK and printed on 350gsm sustainably sourced textured board from responsibly managed forests. They are supplied unwrapped, accompanied by a recycled kraft envelope.

Wrendale Designs 01652 680253 www.wrendaledesigns.co.uk Spring Fair Spring 3P10-Q11

Italian Job Clanna Cards is launching new additions to Visoni.com’s Italian Collection, based on designs from British Airways and P&O Cruises’ archives from the 1920s-1960s. New designs include Amalfi, Portofino, The Spanish Steps in Rome and Tuscany which will complement the current titles featuring Venice, Verona, Sorrento and Naples.

Clanna Cards 01242 575574 www.visoni.com Spring Fair Stand 3N30

Life’s Absurdities Amii Illustrates is the latest range from Redback Cards. Amii's simple, playful designs pick out the absurdity in a host of familiar life moments, often centred around the furry friends with whom we share our spaces. Launching with 22 designs, the 120x170mm cards come accompanied by a lime green envelope.

Redback Cards 01752 830482 www.redbackcards.com Spring Fair Stand 3R20-S21

Giving Thanks

Blooming Bright

Earlybird has extended its popular Thank You pack collection with the addition of seven new designs. Based on the best-selling imagery from the publisher’s birthday collections, the thank you cards feature neon inks, are printed on FSC board and come with matching kraft fleck envelopes in a plastic-free kraft box.

Earlybird Designs 01227 765 372 www.earlybirddesigns.co.uk Spring Fair Stand 3Q24

Among the newness from Paper Salad, new female relations designs are joining its awardwinning Hunky Dory range. All based on paintings by Karen Wilson, the publisher’s owner, the designs feature Paper Salad’s signature bright neons, deep embossing and a luxurious cold foil finish. Each 165x192mm card is paired with a colourful patterned envelope.

Paper Salad 0161 427 0001 www.papersalad.com Spring Fair Stand 3R10

History Reinvented Huzzah! is a new show-stopping card collection from The Art File featuring witty medieval scenes. Created by the publisher’s talented in-house designer, Lucie Cox, every design is infused with bold colours, intricate design and relatable humour. The cards are finished with die-cut, gold foil, emboss, and come with a luxury ivory envelope.

The Art File 0115 8507490 www.theartfiletrade.com Spring Fair Stand 3P11

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2ND - 5TH FEBRUARY 2025 NEC BIRMINGHAM | HALL 4 C10-D11

OVER 2000 Radiant Rose LED Domes

Pebble Glass Sentiment Frames

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BRAND NEW LINES!

Bridgewater Pen Company - Occasion Pens

Equilibrium Captured With Love

Email: sales@joedavies.co.uk

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A selection of wonderful products that will be on show at Spring Fair.

Absolutely Fabulous Dean Morris Cards is launching lots of new designs into its popular Fabulous range, which is now edging towards its 20th anniversary and boasts over 150 designs.

In keeping with the range’s topical referencing, the new icon of air fryers features in the new line up, in the usual bright colourful and retro Dean Morris Cards style.

Dean Morris Cards 01902 560247 trade.deanmorriscards.co.uk Spring Fair Stand 3R39

Mr & Misses The Mr. Men Little Miss brand is joining Rainbow Designs’ licensed portfolio of classic characters. The new range of large cuddly cushions, collectable soft toys and plush keychains includes the iconic characters Mr Tickle, Mr Happy, Mr Bump and Mr Strong, alongside Little Miss Hug, Little Miss Sunshine, Little Miss Princess and Little Miss Chatterbox.

Rainbow Designs 01329 227300 www.rainbowdesigns.co.uk Cardgains Village 3M10-N11

Have A Flutter Bexy Boo’s new Painted Ladies collection has been named after the beautiful butterfly and inspired by Bex’s love of vintage wallpaper and fashion.

The open birthday designs are die-cut so the 3D wings can be pressed out to make them flutter. All are printed on 300gsm board, and come with a ribbed envelope, vertically banded.

Bexy Boo 01565 830 546 www.bexyboo.co.uk Spring Fair Stand number 3S26

Joys of Spring Plewsy is full of the joys of Spring, launching some general designs for the new season as well as designs for Valentine’s Day, Mother's Day, Easter and Father's Day. All the cards are illustrated in Yorkshire, printed in the UK on recycled, FSCaccredited board and come paired with a kraft brown envelope.

Plewsy 07725 530875 www.plewsy.com Spring Fair Stand 3S41

Pop! Goes The Weasel Pop! is a brand-new collection from Rosie Made a Thing which blasts out neon contemporary designs with Rosie’s signature humour and a debossed finish. The cards are 109x157mm and are printed on quality FSC board. Each card is paired with a bespoke spotty envelope and supplied naked.

Rosie Made A Thing 0116 478 0946 www.rosiemadeathing.co.uk Spring Fair Stand 3P21

A Welcome Windfall Molly Mae is welcoming 10 new designs into its popular Carried on the Breeze collection. The latest new additions cover general birthday and sympathy. The new birthday designs feature florals, cakes, drinks and even a multi-coloured glitterball for those dancing queens among us. The 124mm square cards feature foiling and embossing and are supplied with a luxury white envelope.

Molly Mae 01455 557115 www.mollymae.co.uk Spring Fair Stand 3S37

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A selection of wonderful products that will be on show at Spring Fair.

Extra Dimensions Picture This is a brand-new 3D card collection from Ohh Deer. The 12 cards, based on designs

by Natasha Durley, feature four layers to create a 3D scene inspired by the natural world, enhanced by neon inks. In addition to the 3D cards, the designs have also been translated onto notebooks and postcards..

Ohh Deer 01509 812075 www.ohhdeerwholesale.com Spring Fair Stand 3Q10-R11

Coastering Along Going Dotty Available in seven different colourways, from spicy hues through to earthy tones, is Popsy & Plum’s brand new Popsy Dots collection. All the cards are designed and printed in the UK on sustainably sourced FSC-certified card, are blank inside and come with a colourful matching envelope. The publisher will be exhibiting with other Theo Paphitis Small Business Sunday winners at Spring Fair.

Popsy & Plum 07769 212269 www.popsyandplum.com Spring Fair Stand 5E64

Providing a gift and card in one, Sam Jayne Design will be debuting its collection of GOTY Shortlisted Coaster Cards. Featuring Sam Jayne’s hand drawn illustrations and positive heartfelt words, the coaster affixed to the front of the card blends seamlessly into the artwork. The cards are 150mm square and come with a coloured envelope to complement each design.

Sam Jayne Design 07836626217 www.samjaynedesign.co.uk Spring Fair Stand 5D56

Marking The Years

Word To The Wise

Holy Mackerel’s beloved One Lump or Two range has received a fresh twist.

Renowned artist Erica Sturla is bringing her signature charm to Holy Mackerel’s top-selling anniversary cards, introducing stunning designs that celebrate love and milestones with these whimsical, heartfelt creations.

Holy Mackerel 01395 578571 www.holy-mackerel.co.uk Spring Fair Stand 3R36

As part of Dandelion’s 2025 everyday release, 75 new designs have joined its best-selling Words of Wisdom collection.

The new designs cover birthdays, occasions and relations as well as customisable options. All printed onto sustainable FSC board, the cards are hand-finished with subtle flitter and are supplied with recycled envelopes in a variety of packaging options.

Dandelion Stationery 01332 504940 www.dandelionstationery.co.uk Spring Fair Stand 3Q31

Personal Trainers Jonny Javelin has shared that its brand-new Signature Grandson trainers’ birthday design is one of the highest kickers in pre-sales. All of the new 30 Signature birthday cards, created by in-house designer Lindsay Wells feature bright and funky images with popular and contemporary icons on colourful backgrounds, vibrant finishes and colour printed inserts.

The Jonny Javelin Card Company 01423 563740 www.jonnyjavelin.co.uk Spring Fair Stand 3P34

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RESET. RENEW. REFRESH.

view our new 2025 collection at

thinkofmedesigns.com

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A selection of wonderful products that will be on show at Spring Fair.

Spot On Despite being Louise Tiler Designs’ newest range, Dots & Dashes has already been extended with 17 new female ages additions joining the line-up – including ages 13-18, plus the big milestones up to age 80. Offering a blend of modern design and timeless elegance, the cards feature handpainted illustrations with embossed gold foil details adding a touch of luxury.

Louise Tiler Designs 01535 957878 www.louisetiler.co.uk Spring Fair Stand 3S11

Festive Cuties

Squaring Up

Among the newness from Paper Shed is the launch of its new Christmas 2025 range which includes new additions to its The Bear The Hare and The Mouse, Absolutely Barking and Buttercup Farm collections. The expansion of the Christmas offering sees a larger selection of captions now included.

Paper Shed 01189744283 www.papersheddesign.com Spring Fair Stand 3S40

New from Rush Design is the Pom Pom collection. The 30 designs feature a vibrant combination of text with colour popping dots combined with gold foiling covering male and female age and birthday captions, plus a selection of occasions cards.

All of the cards in the range are 130mm square.

Rush Design 01788 521745 www.rushdesign.co.uk Spring Fair Stand 3S20

Abundant Newness

Neon Lights

The Ling Design, GBCC and Penny Kennedy stands will be burgeoning with new products. All of the new 2,000+ Christmas products (pictured are Ling Design products) will be on display as well as 800 new everyday card and gift packaging releases, plus 50 new gift and stationery lines from GBCC. Ling Design; GBCC and Penny Kennedy www.lingdesign.co.uk www.greatbritishcards.co.uk Spring Fair Ling Design & Penny Kennedy Stand 3L10-M11 Spring Fair GBCC Stand 3L20-M21

Featuring street art, graffiti or scribbles on the backs of toilet doors, the Quick Wit collection from Hotchpotch celebrates quick wit and the British sense of humour in a fun and eclectic style. Each card is printed with a smattering of neon inks.

Hotchpotch 01243 792600 www.hotchpotchlondon.com Not exhibiting at Spring Fair

Pushing On Bare Cards’ Push The Limit collection comprises 36 designs covering lots of different sports for both male and female sends. In keeping with the publisher’s sustainable push to do away with envelopes and instead incorporate it within the card, the full side of the card creates a landscape design while a QR code on the back of the card links to an instruction video on how to send and display.

Bare Cards +447968041892 www.bare-cards.co.uk Not exhibiting at Spring Fair PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE 61

Visit us at Spring Fair 2025

STAND 3L25 Explore Our Award-Winning Greeting Cards

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A selection of lovely new products to pep up retail displays.

Masterpiece Magic Love Country’s new Spring Watercolour Paint your Own Kit includes quality brushes, professional British-made paints and all the other materials needed to create three greeting cards. Each kit has the added value of unlimited access to online video tutorials for step-by-step instruction by the artist, making them perfect for beginners.

Love Country 01502 507352 www.lovecountryuk.co.uk

Weird And Wonderful Weirdles is just one of three brand new ranges from Objectables. Described as based on publisher Tim Gould’s “oddball collection of illustrated weirdness”, the designs are certainly bright, colourful and wacky. The 120x170mm cards come nested with neon envelopes.

Objectables Publishing 01303 767240 www.objectablestrade.co.uk

Och Ay Wee Wishes’ Character Coo range is ever expanding with new titles such as Mary Queen of Coos and Saltire Coo. The range celebrates famous figures in Scottish history and culture and is aimed at anyone who appreciates a bit of humour and highland coos.

Printed on to 100% recycled Novalis 280gsm board, some designs include a special liquid foil finish.

Wee Wishes 01337 830959 www.weewishes.co.uk

Cloud Surfing New from Kali Stileman Publishing is the Colourful Cloud Collection. The range features rainbow designs for all sorts of occasions – from good luck, new home and wahay. These cool and colourful cards are printed on a linen textured board and come with a brown craft envelope.

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

Jewels In The Crown Bug Art has extended its Jewels range. The new cards feature elegant designs set against a black background, a style that has kept this unique and popular range flourishing for over 20 years. Each of the cards is beautifully embossed with two different foils and is blank inside. They measure 118x167mm and can be supplied naked or wrapped in a biodegradable bag, with a gold pearlised envelope.

Bug Art 0115 929 4776 www.bugart.co.uk

Cowboy Time Pink Pig’s new Yeehaw range of birthday cards features quirky characters like a disco cow, cowgirl seagull, and some super sweet kitties and puppy dogs with fun birthday titles and puns.

There are currently 17 cards in the range, all 127x177mm, printed with silver and gold foiling on 300gsm FSC-accredited board. They come with a recycled eco kraft envelope.

Pink Pig Cards 07583 088596 www.pinkpigcards.co.uk

Ink Spots Inked is Stormy Knight's newest collection.

Inspired by classic tattoo design, the cards feature vintage typography, iconic imagery and bright saturated colours. All are finished with black hot foil which leaves a bold indentation on the paper stock that is reminiscent of letterpress printing while the satin foil creates a textured leathery finish.

The cards are paired with a fleck craft envelope.

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In Profile: GLICK

ALL GLICKING INTO PLACE

“Yes, I suppose we are going for it this year!” accepts Becky Dobson, the longstanding managing director of Glick, clearly relishing the opportunities she senses are out there for the leading gift packaging company.

Certainly, the company is on a mission, but Becky is not one to crow. In fact, it took some persuading for her to shine the spotlight on how its Henries 2024 award in the Best Gift Packaging Range category for its Stephanie Dyment Collection was Glick’s 10th win in succession.

“I was probably the most nervous I have ever been at the last Henries as I so wanted us to win it. It felt very special to go on stage with Stephanie Dyment, and be presented with the trophy, knowing that it had been voted for by so many retailers,” revealed Becky.

With the company having just launched its largest ever range of products, Becky and the team are going to have their work cut out deciding what to put forward for this year’s Henries awards.

The new collection includes over 200 new everyday SKUs, on top of the 130 new lines Glick unveiled for pre-sell in November, plus oodles of new gift dressings. The new Christmas collection spans 365 SKUs, with 35% more giftbag options than a year ago, while its

expansion on the napkins front includes a countertop display unit.

But it is not just the sheer size of the new collection that is impressive, but the diversity of design styles and brands within it as well as the further improvements on sustainability credentials.

It’s hard to believe that 15 years ago Glick’s entire giftwrap portfolio comprised base colours onto which patterns and motifs were hot foiled stamped.

“It all changed in 2011 when we launched our very first licensed range with Paper Salad, and we haven’t looked back since,” sums up Becky, with the winning relationship with Paper Salad continuing to thrive across everyday, juvenile and Christmas collections as well as spawning the Colour Hub sub-brand.

Having clinched its 10th Henries win in succession, just unveiled its largest ever product launch, welcomed Chris Bryan into the team to head up UK sales, revamped its website and about to move into a new triple sized HQ, Glick is all set for a mega 2025.

PG caught up with the gift packaging company’s indomitable managing director, Becky Dobson to find out if she has anything else under wraps.

Left: A new collection from Stephanie Dyment.

Below: Becky Dobson, Glick md in front of just some of the new products.

Bottom left: One of the latest Paper Salad collections.

Bottom right: Becky (right) with Stephanie Dyment at The Henries 2024, which was on a Roman theme.

The immediate success of a licensing collaboration with Paper Salad, a brand revered for its distinctive bright, highly-finished greeting cards has forged the way for partnerships with other design brands, each with their own look and following.

“As well as Paper Salad and Stephanie Dyment, we now have licensed collaborations with Louise Mulgrew, Stephanie Davies, Kate McFarlane, Think of Me, I Drew This, Summer Thornton and now also Emily Hauck. The Classic range, which are our own designs, only represents 10% of what we offer,” explains Becky.

With the enlarged product offering and exponential growth the company’s imminent move to a new 37,000 sq ft premises in Batley, which is three times the size of its

PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE 65

Launching our BRILLIANT NEW To be Frank! Giftware range and more at Spring Fair!

STAND 3M34 www.mint-publishing.co.uk

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In Profile: GLICK

THE SOCIAL CLUB

Above: A group pic of the company’s sales meeting, held at Watermark’s offices in Ireland that was shared on Glick’s social media. It was a first for Chris Bryan (far right).

current HQ in Bradford is badly needed.

“At present we have more stock outside our building than in it, as we have had to take on extra storage facilities nearby,” revealed Becky. “Our new warehouse will enable us to expand our range of products and manage all of our stock under one roof in order that we can better serve our customers.”

Alongside moving premises, Becky also revealed there is to be further investment in a new pick and pack technology “to further improve efficiencies in our warehouse operations.”

Before the move though is Spring Fair, at which Glick has a commanding position right

“In tandem with our increased investment in products, we also want to further improve our support for our retailer customers, which is where Carrie comes in,” said Becky, referring to Carrie Whitham, who joined the team last year as marketing manager.

While new to Glick, Carrie and Becky have known each other for years, in fact since their school days!

Having held senior marketing posts for various blue chip companies and charities, Carrie is enjoying getting to grips with Glick, with improvements to the website and social media engagement already up several notches, and the company’s annual Christmas window display competition making more noise than ever before.

“Throughout 2024 we maximised the use of social media to reach customers and support our retailers in a way that hopefully works for them. Our views for the year are 57.5k on Facebook and 62.9k on Instagram,” quantifies Carrie.

Linking Glick products to retailers has worked well enabling them to share with their customers.

“We have created content such as sneaky previews of product launches leading up to actual product launches, while some behind the scenes posts of our photo shoots have really been fun.

We’ve featured antics at the Glick office with Charlie, our office dog who was definitely our social media star for 2024, shared news from our sales agents and did a lovely and moving tribute to our Dads on Father's Day,” Carrie elaborated.

Taking engagement a stage further, a handful of Glick stockists were also invited to take control of Glick’s social media for a week with plans to ramp up this Social Media Takeover in 2025.

“We also had brilliant engagement from our followers through giveaways with a chance to win a much-coveted Glick Goodie Box, while in the summer we collectively wrote an ‘Ode To Glick' with followers each writing a line and we ended the year with a fabulous 2024 Christmas Shop Window Competition which was a great way of fanfaring some incredible festive displays,” summed up Carrie. “I have lots more ideas for this year, but I am also all ears for customers to come to me with different ways we can help them promote what they do.”

The winners of the Glick 2024 Christmas Shop Window Competition were Lerwick’s Westside Pine, Hugs & Kisses in Tettenhall, Cardiff’s Paperweight, and Expressions Of Broadstairs.

Below left: Emily Hauck is debuting with Glick this year.

Right: Expressions of Broadway’s winning Christmas Window Display.

Below right: Window Display title went to Westside Pine in Lerwick.

at the front of Hall 3. While the stand will be burgeoning with newness on the product front, there will also be a familiar face who has many years industry experience, with Chris Bryan, having left Second Nature after 24 years to join the Glick team at the start of the year as head of UK sales.

As Becky explains, Chris’ appointment means that Michelle Airth, who used to juggle UK national accounts with the company’s export customers will now be able to concentrate on the international key accounts.

“As both our UK sales and international exports have grown over the past two to three years, Chris’ appointment comes at a significant time for the company while Michelle will continue to have her hands full with our growing international business,” says Becky.

So, with all this going on, is there anything else under wraps? A twinkle in Becky’s eye suggests there is more on the horizon. “Yes, we have set our sights on some other product areas for logical diversification, but we won’t let the cat out of the bag quite yet,” she said. Good job as it would be a tricky to decide which giftbag to choose!

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13-14 2025 13-14 MAY MAY 2025 BUSINESS DESIGN CENTRE BUSINESS DESIGN CENTRE ISLINGTON, LONDON ISLINGTON, LONDON

The The ultimate ultimate destination destination for for stationery stationery products products

Register Today!

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www.stationeryshowlondon.co.uk www.stationeryshowlondon.co.uk

To discuss exhibiting, please contact Chantelle White: To discuss exhibiting, please contact Chantelle White: chantellew@max-publishing.co.uk chantellew@max-publishing.co.uk

Max Exhibitions, United House, North Road, London, N7 9DP Max Exhibitions, United House, North Road, London, N7 9DP

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THE GLOBAL GREETING CARD GATHERING OF PUBLISHERS, RETAILERS, OVERSEAS DISTRIBUTORS AND SUPPLIERS

Tuesday 3 June and Wednesday 4 June 2025

London’s Business Design Centre

An upbeat vibe, newness galore – and free refreshments, lunch and opening night party, PG Live 2025 is not to be missed!

Over 180 fabulous companies have already booked their stands… and there are plenty more in the pipeline.

PG Live has lots of great retailer fans…

“We spent a fantastic couple of days at PG Live. It was great, as always to catch up with our suppliers, see the new ranges, and meet new talented designers.

The whole Scribbler team got involved in hosting the PG lunch, alongside our friends at Talking Tables, and got to play a small part in the event, which really added to our enjoyment.”

Tori Heath-Smith, buying manager of Scribbler

“The show was great!

Thoroughly enjoyable with some fantastic product and beautiful people to share it with. My colleague Heather (who has never been before) loved it, and her comment was: Why can’t all trade shows be like this?!”

Sonya Haandrikman -Sibbald, co-owner

of Celebrations, Carlisle

Don’t Miss Out… Book Your Free Tickets Registration is now live at: www.progressivegreetingslive.com Register now and be a part of it!

Call us on: (0) 7734 111633 or email: jimb@max-publishing.co.uk Follow us @PGLiveLondon #pglive2025

69_PG February 2025.indd 1

“PG Live is great – we’ll be planning to attend for both days in 2025 as there are so publishers to see. PG Live is always great for catching up with current publishers in person as well as discovering new ones and we of course love the lunch” Hazel Walker,

senior buyer of greeting cards, stationery and gift wrap for Waterstones

Want to know about exhibiting at PG Live 2025?

We have stand options available to suit all shapes and sizes.

Contact: Tracey Arnaud on 07957 212062 traceya@max-publishing.co.uk Warren Lomax on 07977 572086 warrenl@max-publishing.co.uk www.progressivegreetingslive.com

17/01/2025 10:59

Dog Breeds

Animals

Artists

Bikes

Cars

Flowers

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Travel

Over 250 Titles of 2025 Calendars to choose from.

T 01225 704060 – E sales@avonsidepublishing.co.uk – W www.avonsidepublishing.co.uk 70_PG February 2025.indd 1 AVON ADVERT 2026.indd 1

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PROGRESSIVE CALENDARS: DEVELOPMENTS & NEWS

STILL GOING STRONG The demise of the physical calendar and diary has been predicted ever since the digital age began but even with the plethora of smartphones, apps and online links there’s something about the tactile nature of writing down appointments and dates that still resonates. is determined to ensure they’re also kind to the planet.

“We’ve been working hard on improving our sustainability,” he explained. “We want to ensure we’re doing everything we can to reduce our impact on the environment. With this in mind, we have a brand-new square wall calendar format, complete with envelope, which protects the finished product and extends durability. This is completely plastic-free and printed on FSC-certified paper.”

With many eco-friendly moves under its belt, the Danilo team remains steadfast in its dedication to sustainability, and MD Daniel Prince commented: “In 2025, we will complete our carbon footprint assessment for 2024 and expand our Scope 3 emissions reporting to include a broader range of factors.

“This effort underscores our ambition to join the Science-Based Targets initiative (SBTi) imminently, aligning our carbon reduction goals with global climate objectives. Furthermore, we’re committed to introducing even more products with plastic-free packaging, ensuring that sustainability remains at the heart of our product development process.”

All Flame Tree calendars and diaries are produced with FSC-certified paper and plastic-free packaging, ensuring products align with environmentally friendly practices, and brands the company works with are also meeting the same goals.

MD Frances Bodiam said: “We are proud to eliminate non-recyclable materials in our packaging.”

Products from Andrews McMeel Publishing feature fully recyclable materials, such as sturdy chipboard easels in place of plastic. Amber Lotus furthers these sustainability efforts by using soy-based inks and wraparound cover flaps instead of shrink wrap.

“They also partner with How2Recycle and Trees For The Future, providing resources and training for farming communities in sub-Saharan Africa, and have now planted over 1,250,000 trees. Abrams will also be introducing plastic-free packaging to the 2026 calendar range.”

Sustaining the planet Sustainability is the watchword in the calendar world, with Carousel Calendars having committed to the rigorous Science Based Targets Initiative (SBTI) back in 2022.

Avonside Publishing is also among those staying ahead of the curve by removing all plastic packaging from its products.

Happy with the consistent levels of business year on year, both in the domestic and export markets, MD David Higgins said: “Our slim calendars have been plastic-free packaged for three years and, from this point, all Avonside Publishing calendars will have no plastic packaging as we’ll stop using shrink wrap, so the entire range of 2026 wall calendars will be PFP too.

“Our solution is to use a printed cardboard envelope which will have identical artwork as the calendar within. The envelope is made of board, sturdy enough to replace the stiffener used previously to assist with displaying the calendar.”

Art Angels is always looking for ways to reduce its carbon footprint, having moved to biodegradable cello many years ago, and operations manager Rory Hill commented: “This year we’re looking into ways to reduce this need altogether, balancing our many customers’ varied needs.”

The publisher has also come up with ways to extend the life of its Above right: Flame Tree’s products, introducing a desk calendar in 2024 Amber Lotus brand.

Below: All Avonside products that features 12 artworks with perforated borders are now plastic-free. so they can be used as postcards once the month Below right: Art Angels’ postcard calendar. ends, where Rory added: “We saw really strong demand.”

Creating inspiring designs is always important at The Gifted Stationery Company and founder Nigel Parr

Putting it on paper The team at Carte Blanche has been busy learning new skills for its latest Me To You PhotoFinish calendars with the Paper Craft concept. Having evolved from a blend of photographic and illustrated images, this is a fully photographic representation of the iconic Tatty Teddy character.

And Carte Blanche’s PhotoFinish designer Martin Pickering has seen his role expand to include responsibilities such as photographer, model maker, set builder, paper engineer, and digital artist.

Printed in larger sizes than traditional designs, the calendars offer a new level of visual impact, aimed at telling stories and creating scenes that draw the viewer in and hold their attention.

Marketing executive Natalie Pearce said: “Paper Craft takes the trend in sustainability, origami and quilling to new heights, using paper

Right and below: Designer Martin accents to Pickering sets up a shot for the create a totally Paper Craft calendar. hand-crafted world for Tatty Teddy to star in, which stay true to the handmade essence of the Me To You brand.

“Each image features paper crafted elements, whether it's intricate folds, layers, or textures. These designs bring the scene to life in a way no other calendar can.”

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FLAME TREE CAL EN D ARS

HIGH QUALITY CALENDARS, GIFTS AND STATIONERY

FLAME TREE continue to produce beautiful Fine Art calendars and diaries and are passionate about working with, and publishing new, diverse and upcoming artists as well as promoting museums and galleries across the UK and the exhibitions that they will be holding through the calendar year. 2026 calendars continue to be produced to the highest quality with Plastic Free Packaging and FSC materials.

Come and see us at the Spring Fair, Hall 4, Stand B23 Contact us at sales@flametreepublishing.com. flametreepublishing.com 72_PG February 2025.indd 1

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PROGRESSIVE CALENDARS: DEVELOPMENTS & NEWS Hitting the headlines Calendars hit the headlines thanks to Danilo as its annual top 10 was picked up by The Sun among other media outlets.

For the 2025 calendar sales football proved its resilience by kicking global pop favourite Taylor Swift off the top spot and turned the Danilo top 10 red, as coverage of these calendar-centric consumer buying habits made the news.

Below: Liverpool pushed Taylor Swift off the top spot with Man Utd in third place.

Worldwide expansion Carousel Worldwide is the new name for one of the big boys in the industry as Carousel Calendars has now fused with Go!Retail, The project joins the UK’s largest publisher and distributor of calendars and diaries with the largest retailer of calendars in the US, significantly bolstering Carousel’s presence in the American market.

The company has also seen Gillian Richmond take over the helm as managing director as Steve Plackett stepped down from the role after many years, but the company is delighted he has assumed the role of production director.

And the expansion of Carousel Worldwide’s distribution to a more global scale has been aided by the recent acquisition of Gladstone Media, which was founded by Leonard Phillips in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia in 1995.

The company also recently formed a partnership with Niquea.D, working closely with the lifestyle brand founded by former Clintons’ boss Dominique Schurman in 2020 to distribute its range of calendars.

Above: Steve Plackett is now production director.

Right: Carousel has recently forged a tie-up with Cats Protection.

The licensed calendar and card specialist’s annual league table of its top-selling products put Liverpool’s 2025 offer at number one, leapfrogging Miss Swift to relegate her to the runners-up spot while close behind came rival Reds Manchester United, who stay in third place, as Arsenal enter the list at number six.

Taylor had made the chart for the first time last year, swooping straight into the top spot, but couldn’t repeat the feat this year, although music fans have shown their devotion for two oldsters with Sir Cliff Richard’s 40th edition of his annual date with fans at number eight, dropping down three places, while the Oasis reunion made the Britpop stars a new entry at number nine.

Showing how movies and entertainment influence purchases, Disney Stitch climbed two places to fourth, and children’s favourite Bluey appeared for the first time in seventh place, The Gruffalo slipped in at 10, and the recently-released Wicked was a new entry in fifth place.

Family Planning Family planners have been gaining market share over recent years due to the busy lives of modern families and how they organise their time, and the constraints Above left: Gifted’s new wiro-bound weekly format. of the small boxes Above right: Bluey is part of Danilo’s expanded deluxe planner range. and lines on a general calendar meant more room was required.

“You’d think today’s digital world would mean families are leaning into apps to run their lives,” commented The Gifted Stationery Company co-founder Nigel Parr, “but, despite everyone being absorbed in their screens, we’ve seen growth in the sector with people using a physical planner as part of their family routine and structure.

He explained that Gifted has expanded the genre with a completely new format this year with its wiro-bound weekly family planner, which features 52 sheets of week-to-view, two sheets of reminder stickers and is complemented with the addition of handy shopping and to do lists.

Wrendale Designs offers a family organiser with space for up to five family members as well as a couples’ calendar Founder Hannah Dale said: “We see growing demand for calendars every year – although people are increasingly organising their lives digitally, there’s still a strong market for beautifully-designed calendars. I think there’s no substitution for the convenience of having a calendar in the kitchen!”

Danilo is also big on planners and has run with titles from its 2025 top ten to grow its deluxe range, including Liverpool FC, Manchester United, and Disney Stitch.

“These planners are designed for maximum functionality and style and each one comes fully equipped with sticky notes, to-do lists, and stickers and branded pen, ensuring you stay on top of your tasks with ease,” said MD Daniel Prince.

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MARK 2025 IN STYLE with Danilo

As Danilo gears up for another incredible year, the business is ready to bring a fresh wave of inspiration to the 2025 Spring Fair. Visit Stand 3M20 to immerse yourself in their exciting lineup for 2025!

Exciting New Designs This year, Danilo’s collection is bursting with fresh and exciting releases that promise to delight fans of all ages. The beloved Hello Kitty rejoins the line-up with an adorable new calendar, diary, and card range, perfect for fans who adore her timeless charm.

Gaming enthusiasts will love stepping into the pixelated world of Minecraft with a dynamic range of cards inspired by the hit game, while Bluey, the playful blue heeler pup, brings heartwarming fun to a delightful new calendar and card collection.

Adding a motivational twist, lifestyle brands like Pinch of Nom and the Kate Smith Company join the lineup, offering new designs that brighten everyday moments with creativity and modern flair.

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Retro Favourites Danilo is dialling up the nostalgia with some incredible new additions. Music lovers can celebrate the legendary Oasis reunion tour with Danilo’s official calendar, a Britpop essential for fans.

Meanwhile, the cult-classic Rocky Horror Show is making its Danilo debut, bringing bold flair and rebellious fun to your plans.

Fans of heartfelt storytelling can immerse themselves in the charm of Stars Hollow with the all-new Gilmore Girls calendar, capturing the warmth and wit of the beloved series.

Movie & TV Magic Danilo’s collection for 2025 is brimming with cinematic and TV delights, with something for every fandom. The Disney lineup shines with official calendars and cards for Lilo and Stitch, Snow White, and Zootopia 2, capturing timeless magic for fans young and old.

If prehistoric action is for you, the Jurassic World collection roars to life, while gothic beauty takes centre stage in Corpse Bride, a hauntingly elegant addition to Danilo’s calendar collection.

Superhero enthusiasts will be thrilled

by Marvel calendars featuring Fantastic Four, Spider-Man, and Captain America.

Stranger Things and Wednesday Season 2 fans will adore Danilo’s stylish new calendar and card releases, and Star Wars devotees can bring the galaxy home with the Andor calendar, celebrating rebellions in epic fashion.

published by

Wicked Part 2 enchants with a musical-inspired calendar and card collection, while fans of soaring adventures will love How to Train Your Dragon’s calendar and card range.

www.danilo.com published by

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FLAM E TREE P UB L I SH I N G FLAME TREE are the exclusive distributor for Andrews McMeel, Rizzoli Universe, Abrams and Amber Lotus calendars

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Come and see us at the Spring Fair, Hall 4, Stand B23 Contact us at sales@flametreepublishing.com. flametreepublishing.com 78_PG February 2025.indd 1

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PROGRESSIVE CALENDARS: ADVENT CALENDARS & CARDS

COUNTING DOWN THE DAYS

It’s all about the numbers with advent calendars and advent cards as counting down to the big day is the thing – and it’s not just Christmas these days, or only for humans! Here PG covers some of the latest developments in the genre.

Steaming ahead Already well-known for its large range of calendars and diaries, Museums & Galleries is steaming into a new area for 2025 giving customers the chance to countdown to Christmas with its new fine art advents.

Sophie Bylina-Williams, M&G’s administration and relationships manager, said: “M&G’s Christmas offer has long had an astonishingly diverse range of styles and talent, so it seemed a perfect fit to offer retailers advent calendars featuring some of our most popular artists – especially given that we’re frequently asked for them.”

The eight-strong range, each with card windows revealing small illustrated details to suit the festive and impactful cover scenes, has four designs from M&G’s Imaginarium artist Emma Frances Grant, and a very festive option from massive fan favourite Brambly Hedge, while bestselling Christmas card designs from Lucy Grossmith and Caroline Bonne Muller have been promoted to Above: Advents are new advents, and Christmas Express will appeal from Museums & Galleries. to vintage steam train aficionados.

Festive fur-baby fun Making sure every member of the family gets a festive treat, Woodmansterne’s Caltime brand offers speciality advent calendars for the furry favourites – and has even picked up an interesting accolade.

Hello! magazine named the Dachshund Through The Snow Above: Dachshund Through The Snow made the weird calendars list.

Dog Treat version in its top 16 Below: Pet treats for 2025.

Weird & Unique Advent Calendars 2024, with senior lifestyle editor Karen Silas confessing: “It's hard not to laugh while discovering some of the weirdest advent calendars out there to put this handy list together.

“The weirder the better. As much as I love beauty advent calendars – I buy one for myself every year – the ones that really keep my attention are those that are unusual and unexpected. Advent calendars are all about a surprise treat a day, and weird advent calendar gifts range from the hilarious to the bizarre.”

The pup-tastic product had the description: “Dog lovers rejoice!

Your favourite pup can also enjoy a weird but wonderful advent calendar. This dog biscuit calendar includes 24 well-deserved treats for your fur baby.”

With prices ranging from just £17.49 up to £242, the Woody offering is probably one of the saner ones on the list which includes the Coppenrath Gramophone Musical Advent Calendar, Koka Instant Noodles 12 Days Christmas Countdown, Brewdog Craft Beer Advent Calendar, Newby London 24 Teas Of Christmas Calendar, Happy Socks 24-Pack Advent Calendar Gift Set, The Bearded Man Co 24 Days of Beard Treats Advent Calendar, Ilchester Cheese Advent Calendar, Haynes Retro Radio Advent Calendar, Personalised Spotify Christmas Advent Calendar, Lovehoney Sexual Wellness Advent Calendar, Personalised A Date A Day Advent Calendar, Shocking Science Tricks Advent Calendar, Papier 24 Doors Of Desk Delights, Sewing Advent Calendar, and Seed Advent Calendar For Gardeners.

The good news is that people will be able find out for themselves as Woodmansterne has new versions for the 2025 festivities with Watching Santa Paws and Christmas Cats already available to order and a perfect pet treat behind every window.

Spellbinding countdown The point of an advent calendar is counting down to the big event and Something Different has run with the concept to mark the spookiest night of the year.

And the quirky 13 Nights Of Halloween Spooky Spells Advent Calendar has caught the industry’s eye to make it through to the 2025 Gift Of The Year shortlist in the Festive & Occasions category.

Each door reveals a new magical surprise for repelling unwanted energies and celebrating the season of spirits, aimed at Halloween truly spellbinding.

The contents include coffin and crescent moon-shaped obsidian crystals, mini magic broomstick, mystical moon tealight holder, opium-fragranced tealights, star-shaped clear quartz crystal, black star spell candle holder, four coloured spell candles, and a drawstring bag for storage.

Right: Something Different’s spooky surprise.

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PROGRESSIVE CALENDARS: ADVENT CALENDARS & CARDS Putting in the research Spinning around Publisher Santoro has brought in additional designs for its reusable Pirouette Countdowns, expanded from its famous 3D cards, after the 2024 launch was a sell-out.

The innovative and fun festive treats come ready to put the base Above and below together, with 25 pieces left: Santoro takes advents 3D. to slot in each day running up to Christmas, bringing the artwork to life in a seasonal scene that spins around to show off all the foiled details – and the new designs have been shortlisted in the 2025 Gift Of The Year Festive & Occasions category.

There’s no cutting or sticking required and Winter Market and Deck The Halls designs have now been added to the classic Christmas Tree and Elf Workshop.

Special gift Having added cards to its range of advent calendars, Wrendale Designs’ founder Hannah Dale is pleased these have become a bestselling Christmas line for the company.

“They make a really special gift and I think that, with an ever-turbulent world, there’s an increasing demand Above: Wrendale’s bestselling for embracing seasonal customs, advent cards and traditional gifts like advent calendars are certainly part of that trend,” said Hannah.

Joy of design The joy of designing both the main image and the tiny detailed ones behind the advent windows is something Lucy Ledger loves as the head of creative at Great British Card Company.

And she’s been able to expand the output as the company’s growing market and proven success has seen it invest in 16 Above: GBCC has expanded brand-new designs across advent its offer. calendars and calendar cards, plus a new extra-large version in robust framed packaging.

“Lots of design, thought and creativity goes into each one,” she said. “You get the joy of designing both the front and what will sit behind each of those highly anticipated windows, and each one takes a lot of thought.

“Each our advents are plastic-free and come with an envelope too, which makes them perfect for gifting and posting,” believes Lucy.

Much thought and research goes into the Ling Design advent offer, as head of design Claire Twigger explained: “We need to get the right balance of offer. We make sure to offer a choice across sizes and design, from traditional Christmas scenes and religious content to cute and fun illustrations for a younger recipient – as both are core markets for this product. Plus, the envelope means you can post or gift them with confidence that they’ll be protected and make for a thoughtful gesture.”

Below: Ling offers And ceo David Byk added that customer feedback design choice. has led to the introduction of more options for Christmas 2025, bringing in a foiled extra-large format with a £5.50 RRP. “Our advent calendars have become a firm favourite with our customers at Christmas” David said, “as the high quality plus great design and competitive price points means they’re getting great sell-through.”

Angela’s the queen Advents have been a core section of the Art Angels product range for many years and the brand-new advent cards brought in under new owners Page Bros went down so well in 2024 that the range is Above and below left: Art being expanded.

Angels’ Whippet Wonderland and High Street.

Embracing the lino-cut prints from printmaker Angela Harding, operations manager Rory Hill said: “We used some of our bestselling Angela Harding designs in the advent card format, and I’m pleased to say they were very well received across our stockists. We’re planning to expand this range again for Christmas 2025, as well as a continued focus on our everyday 3D and die-cut designs.

Indeed, Angela has become queen of advents as her first run of 5,000 of the countdown calendars 10 years ago – which she did because she “could never find an advent calendar I really liked” – has expanded to 50,000, outselling everything else the printmaker does.”

The next in the series of Angela Harding advent designs has been released and there’s also the latest High Street scene by Emily Sutton, which made a statement as an eightfoot-tall version at Top Drawer Autumn.

Sticking with it Stickers are the way to get people in the seasonal mood at Flame Tree Publishing where a trio of new advent calendars joins its 2025 range giving an interactive festive experience.

Bex Parkin: Doves Advent Calendar has an evocative winter countryside scene on the cover, and each door reveals one of Bex Parkin’s delightful seasonal illustrations as a sticker.

Beloved cartoonist Norman Thelwell puts the charm and humour into the festivities with the Showjumping Santa Advent Calendar, and Flame Tree’s continually expanding Moomin range now has the Christmas Comes To Moominvalley Advent Calendar.

Right: A trio of new designs from Flame Tree.

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PROGRESSIVE CALENDARS: NEW PRODUCTS

A DATE WITH THE NEW

Calendars have been around in one form or another since Mesolithic times – the oldest known is a monument of 12 pits and an arc in Aberdeenshire from around 8,000BC that tracked the moon to keep time in relation to the seasons. The earliest known paper calendar was commissioned by a wealthy Roman Christian called Valentinus in the 4th Century – and that creation is still going strong even in today’s digital age as these new products attest.

NEW PLAYERS The Art File

A collaboration with Fox Under The Moon is leading The Art File’s entrance into the world of calendars. For the first time, The Art File is launching both wall and desk calendars which feature striking designs and go hand in hand with the publisher’s everyday card collections.

They are based on the company’s own ranges, such as Under The Sea, Ink & Shadow and Soulmate, as well as the Fox Under The Moon calendar which is part of the new link between the two publishers.

Above: An Alchemy England title from Flame Tree.

Maggie Designs Having worked with Pink Ribbon Foundation for the past year selling specially-designed cards and coasters, Lucy Maggie Designs is expanding the partnership. Already donating 10p for every B2C card sale to the charity to raise awareness of and help fight breast cancer, owner Lucy Nicholson said: “We will be creating a calendar for 2026 to raise further funds for the cause and are currently in discussion about how this might look, prepping well ahead of time to make the most of sales when the time comes.”

DANILO Building on the success of its perpetual desk calendars, Danilo is thrilled to introduce a charming Winnie The Pooh version.

Simplify your scheduling with its user-friendly perpetual design, which can be used again and again, and choose which image you see & when. This timeless piece is ideal for adding a touch of whimsy and nostalgia to any space.

Meanwhile, for musical theatre enthusiasts, this year will see the launch of several new titles, including new formats for Wicked as an A5 diary and gift box set as well as exciting additions to the portfolio like The Corpse Bride and The Rocky Horror Show.

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MUSEUMS & GALLERIES Museums & Galleries has increased the size of its square calendars range by 25% for 2026.

The hugely popular Brambly Hedge calendar returns, along with customer favourites Eric Ravilious, Chris Dunn’s Wind In The Willows, Annie Soudain and Lucy Grossmith’s Coast & Country, while new titles include Emma Frances Grant’s Imaginarium, Mary Katrantzou, and Classic Art. There’s a strong showing from the V&A with William Morris & Friends, Art Deco Fashion, and Tranquil Landscapes, and the British Museum calendar explores Japanese Landscapes. Other popular artists in the mix include Robert Gillmor, Helen Ahpornsiri for Wild Press, and Catherine Rowe.

M&G will publish a choice of 10 year planner diaries, with many of the same titles repeating, as well as the addition of works by Venetia Higgins, Philipp Hainhofer, and Sian Hulse.

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PROGRESSIVE CALENDARS: NEW PRODUCTS CAROUSEL

AVONSIDE The ever-expanding Avonside collection truly has something for everyone with over 230 titles covering everything from dogs and exotic wildlife, through flowers and scenic views, to glamour, space and transport. And new for the 2026 calendar range in both slim and square formats are titles such as Amsterdam, Classic British Bikes, Croatia, Cockapoo, Sharks, Steam Trains, and Waterfalls.

FLAME TREE New collaborations for Flame Tree Publishing include two gothic fantasy art calendars featuring Alchemy England’s iconic designs, embodying the spirit of alternative culture.

The publisher also continues to showcase a diverse range of talented artists in its 2026 calendar range, working with Jason Engle, Andy English, Tiahni Dayes, Sally King, and Sophie Adde, among many others.

The slim calendars now include designs from Anne Stokes, Gustav Klimt, Josephine Wall, Annie Soudain, and William Morris, while bestselling designs from Angela Harding and Jade Mosinski have been expanded into the Foiled and Artisan Art Diaries.

As the UK distributor for Andrews McMeel Publishing, Flame Tree has the 40th anniversary edition of The Far Side Off-The-Wall Calendar, which debuted in 1986, and there are two new calendars from Orange Juice For Dinner artist Liberty Ewan who uses colourful illustrations to make light of mundane everyday situations. Two new calendars from LA-based digital artist Post Wook focus on surreal landscape collage art with refined visionary and psychedelic elements, while cartoonist and New York Times bestselling author Sandra Boynton has a 17-month family wall calendar that begins with the school year in August 2025.

From the Amber Lotus brand comes two new calendars and a weekly planner showcasing elegant calligraphies of short phrases that capture the essence of Thich Nhat Hanh’s mindfulness teaching and complements them with tranquil nature illustrations from contemporary artist Marisol Ortega.

In the same formats, Year Of The Witch features imagery from the wheel of the year and natural elements to inspire growth throughout 2026, while there’s an all-new wall calendar showcasing art by painter Katie Daisy, along with words of encouragement, and there’s bold and colourful fun with the Peanuts characters and quotes on two new wall calendars.

The Rizzoli Universe range offers the Autumnalwood calendar and planner combining storybook cottagecore cosiness with psychedelic fairycore, plus the Twilight humans, vampires and wolves from the Lionsgate Entertainment franchise, and the partnership with Viacom brings SpongeBob SquarePants and his pals to the calendar world.

And finally the Abrams’ brand from Flame Tree has a wall calendar based on the Spooky Lakes bestselling book, with illustrations by artist Geo Rutherford and info about 12 unusual and unsettling lakes, as well as over 300 images of super heroes and super villains from the Marvel Value Stamps in a daily desk calendar showing reproductions of the original 1974 and 1975 stamp series, alongside later reissues.

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Calendars are by nature useful items, and often beautiful, and Carousel Worldwide has upped the ante with its brand new for 2026 Wild Swimming title. The charming artwork by Lydia Evans aims to make you smile, and the calendar contains tips and upcoming swimming events, appealing to those who are new to wild swimming as well as those who already go regularly.

The nostalgic charm of Edith Holden’s famous A Country Diary forms the basis for a new range of calendars and diary which brings her detailed drawings and insightful observations into new and handy formats.

Having taken on a licensed partnership with the iconic Guinness brand two years ago, for the third year of publication, Carousel Worldwide is giving the range a thorough refresh. Incorporating modern design elements alongside the classic Guinness imagery that fans will immediately recognise, the range offers a more playful take while still being respectful to the brand’s long history.

And Carousel Worldwide is pleased to announce a new partnership with animal charity Cats Protection utilising imagery of fabulous felines. Drawing on its extensive experience of working closely with charities, Carousel will be producing two new calendars and a diary, with a commitment to support Cats Protection’s vital work from the sale of these products.

GIFTED At The Gifted Stationery Company co-founder Nigel Parr said he is “proud of the extensive collection of calendars, planners and diaries extending to over 500 titles so it’s fair to say we have something to suit every taste”.

With new products such as the 2026 Wonders Of The World 16-month calendar, Nigel added: “Our title list is forever growing and adjusting to the latest trends – we’ve found animals, art, floral and funny corner are among the bestselling subjects and these continue to form the backbone of our collection.”

CARTE BLANCHE Carte Blanche Greetings is excited to launch a new range of calendars and diaries for 2026 plus family organisers. And picking its cute Me To You, sentimental Blue Mountain Arts and humorous Violent Veg brands means the publisher has ensured all customers can have their favourite on the wall.

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In conversation with… The Gifted Stationery Company

PARR FOR THE COURSE

“I’ve worked in publishing and stationery of one sort or another since the late 70s, so it is fitting that I am now embracing a new chapter,” revealed Nigel Parr, who sold The Gifted Stationery Company to the Swan Mill group last October, though will continue to head up the Bathbased stationery business under the new ownership.

With a wealth of new products prepped to debut at Spring Fair from Gifted and its Hey Hugo children’s lifestyle brand, PG caught up with Nigel to find out more.

With a sizeable stand for The Gifted Stationery Company in Hall 3, plus a pod on the Cardgains Village area in that hall, as well as a separate stand for the sibling Hey Hugo children’s lifestyle brand in Hall 5, Nigel Parr is preparing for a somewhat busier Spring Fair than he had back in 2007 when he launched the company.

“At our very first Spring Fair, we were allocated a stand in the volume hall, right at the back, facing the NEC’s back doors. It was not a great debut, but we have exhibited at the show ever since, thankfully in better positions!” said Nigel.

This year’s Spring Fair will be the first official outing of The Gifted Stationery Company and Hey Hugo under the Swan Mill Group’s ownership, but Nigel is still very much hands on, and has given his commitment to remain as such for another year or so at least.

What attracted David Byk, ceo of Swan Mill to Gifted echo the reasons that has seen the company build a strong following among retailers over the years – “good quality products at great prices”.

With gift stationery at its heart, Gifted is also known for its range of calendars and

diaries while the launch of Hey Hugo in 2023 was a logical extension on the children’s product front.

While Swan Mill already has its fingers in the stationery field, notably with its licensed Morris & Co and Paper Salad collections through Great British Card Company as well as Advents under its Ling Design and GBCC brands, the Gifted acquisition significantly bolsters the group’s presence as well as giving it a foothold into the wall calendar and diaries sector with 500+ products.

“Nigel and I have known each other since 2019 and always knew that Gifted would be a business we should buy if he ever decided to sell,” commented David Byk. “We will continue to run Gifted as a standalone

business in Bath with Nigel in charge and he will be able to lean into the rest of the group where necessary,” David explained.

From Nigel’s perspective, he admits that he had been contemplating retirement for a while, but said: “A huge part of this process was finding the right home for Gifted, one that could take the business to the next level and beyond and have the financial strength to do so.”

Above: Nigel Parr who is to remain running The Gifted Stationery Company even though he has sold the business to Swan Mill Group.

Right: The launch of Hey Hugo has taken the company into children’s products, including backpacks, drinkware and storage items.

Below: Foxy Tales is one of the 2025 Spring collections from Gifted.

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32 New Designs COLLECTION

A sprinkle of captions for all occasions

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In conversation with… The Gifted Stationery Company

Up Close and Personal

Above: Gifted’s attractive premises in the centre of Bath.

Talking about ‘financial strength’ took Nigel back to Gifted’s tricky start. It had nothing to do with Nigel’s lack of experience, as he had worked for WHSmith’s wholesale side, had owned his own bookshops, headed up the export side of Parragon Publishing for several years as well as his own book publishing business, before joining forces with a mate who had experience supplying multiples to

Race across the world Nigel recalled his first meeting with David Byk was somewhat bizarre. They were at Heathrow, both due to fly to the Canton trade fair when the plane was cancelled meaning they had to find their own way to China.

“We were the only two mad people who thought it was a good idea to land in Hong Kong and then take three buses into China and a taxi to a hotel in Guangzhou, arriving unshowered nearly 24 hours later in order to be at the trade show as quickly as possible,” revealed Nigel. “We established we were both staying at the same hotel so decided to race each other to the hotel in China from Heathrow with the loser having to buy the beers. We still disagree though about who bought the beers but, at that point, I’d worked out that we have a business ethos in common!”

PG put Nigel Parr on the spot for some personal revelations…

What are the most valuable business lesson you have learned?

“Appreciate that cash is king; to always pay your bills and treat all customers as if they were the most important buyer in the world.”

As a youngster, what did you want to be when you grew up?

“A mechanic. And I still love tinkering with cars, motorbikes and boats.”

What is your guilty pleasure?

“My passion is flying. I have a pilot’s licence so if there’s a blue sky, I want to be up there.”

Can you share an unknown claim to fame?

“I was in a boy band 45 years ago, and can prove it with a YouTube video!”

launch a stationery business that “offered well designed aggressively priced products”.

Having spent a little bit of time trying to come up “with a clever name for the new business, in the end we decided to say what it was on the tin – a company that specialises in gift stationery,” recalled Nigel.

Less straightforward however was foreseeing the global economy.

“As soon as we had placed our first order for our first four ranges of products to be manufactured, we nearly went bust as the US dollar crashed from $1.97 down to $1.30,” admitted Nigel, reliving the horrors of the 2007-2008 global financial crisis. “The banks reined in borrowings and we had to run the business from hand to mouth. It was a real struggle those first couple of years. It taught me that cash really is king, but we got through it.”

Buoyed by the retailer response to the inaugural collections, four ranges of notecards and greeting card organisers, the portfolio has grown exponentially in both width and depth.

“We introduced Above left: Nigel Parr (left) shaking on the deal with calendars and David Byk, ceo of Swan Mill.

Below: It remains undecided diaries, then started who paid for the Tsingtao supplying charities beers! with products, and made the most of the jigsaws opportunity during Covid,” recalled Nigel.

Then in 2023, expansion into the children’s market beckoned, under

Do you have a quirky obsession?

“Fridge magnets. I have a collection of over 250 of them and can’t stop myself buying more.”

What trait in someone do you most dislike?

“Those who are economical with the truth.”

What trait do you most like?

“Those who show random acts of kindness.”

Which three people would you invite to a dinner party?

“Winston Churchill, Robert de Niro and Margaret Thatcher.”

A magic carpet awaits, where do you want to go?

“Japan. I have never been, but would love to experience the very different culture/way of looking at things.”

Above: Some of the new Kissing Hares collection.

the new brand, Hey Hugo. “I knew the potential was there for a separate brand of children’s products that would appeal to our existing customers as well as enabling us to appeal to new retailers, but I freely admit it has been a steep learning curve with the complex and rigorous product testing for children’s products, but life is for learning!” says Nigel.

Learning to read both retailers’ and consumers’ expectations and needs is a given for Nigel. “While a range in Gifted’s early days would have comprised five items, nowadays each of the collections, and we launch five or six every season, will span up to 27 product formats,” elaborated Nigel.

A new area of learning will of course be adapting to a working life as part of a much larger group. “It will be an education for both David [Byk] and I. While we both have different skills to bring to the partnership, we have a similar way of thinking and share a commitment to ensure that Gifted remains a special business.”

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Design Focus: Mocha Mousse

Lucy Ledger, head of creative at The Great British Card Company

With the wealth of product newness at the recent PG Live show, retailers were spoilt for choice as to which launches to rave about. Following on from last month’s Viewpoints, the good news keeps flowing as PG shares more buyers’ top picks that are now pepping up their product selection in their stores.

EARTHY PLEASURES Lex Rogy, founder of Little Roglets Colour Relevance: “It’s a very warm and earthy colour, and I think we could all do with a bit of grounding after the whirlwind of the last few years. It feels very appropriate to me and I’m happy about it as it’s a colour I use so much in and out of the business!”

Mousse On The Loose: “I use this colour a lot as it’s one that Above: Lex with her Grandad, who totally steals the show, ahead of the complements and Mocha Mousse curve. goes with most tones, especially for little details which tie everything together. Also, I’m rather partial to using it as a backdrop as it’s a very calming colour, and it makes me just want to dive into the image.”

Simple Pleasure Indulgence: “For me, a Above: One of Little simple pleasure indulgence would be Roglets’ brand new children’s designs capturing having a moment of peace with a the colours of Neapolitan ice cream using warm cup of tea on my brand new sofa, browns, pinks and creams listening to the birds outside. That which ties in with the year’s colour of choice. makes me sound really old, doesn’t Left: A card from Messy Meadow range that features it?! I am definitely appreciating the Mocha Mousse. simple moments more and more.”

90 PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDEZZZZ

Colour Relevance: “Mocha Mousse being the Pantone Colour of the Year highlights the aesthetic of simplicity that is in line with current Above: Lucy Ledger is on point with her drinking habits. trends.

Although this particular shade isn’t something you’d necessarily have featuring prominently on a greeting card, it isn’t to say it doesn’t have some influence or presence.”

Mousse On The Loose: “Our 2025 everyday cards are moving towards a more minimalistic look and feel, embracing ‘white space’ and tapping into the trends identified by the Mocha Mousse pantone. We also have a number of designs which tap into a more neutral colour palette, like our Animalia range. Our Vintagio collection also uses a more subdued choice of colours, despite being a male range, which leans into the themes of Mocha Mousse.”

Simple Pleasure Indulgence: “This time of year feels so cosy especially where I live in The Cotswolds and my simple indulgent pleasure is meeting my friends in an old pub by the fireplace to drink a bottle of fizz. Life is short and there is always something to celebrate!”

Above: A design from GBCC’s Animalia range.

Right: The GBCC Vintagio male range incorporates echoes of Mocha Mousse.

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Design Focus: Mocha Mousse

Bex Hassett, owner of Bexy Boo Colour Relevance: “Mocha Mousse is such a versatile yet understated colour, and we absolutely love it being Pantone’s Colour of the Year. For me, it evokes immediate feelings of warmth and cosiness, even the name Mocha Mousse feels decadent, luxurious and comforting.

Simultaneously, a warm brown is simple and feels organic. Mocha Mousse is a classic neutral that remains throughout Above: Bex Hassett with a Painted Ladies design from Bexy Boo which the seasons and literally echoes a sense features Mocha Mousse.

Below: A Butterfly Beauties design from of grounding! It’s timeless and can be Bexy Boo that combines the Mocha Mousse colour with neons. paired with any colour, making anything Bottom right: Bex’s perfect simple look instantly classy and comfortable. I pleasure. love brown as a transitional colour, especially a rich tone, like Mocha Mousse, as it feels softer than black and more muted than white. I feel as though I can wear it with anything! It looks beautiful in homes, my designs, fashion and in nature, too, of course. The Pantone Colour of the Year is perfect as it represents so many happy feelings as well as allowing us to feel rooted.”

Mousse On The Loose: “Mocha Mousse has been used in my most recent designs, specifically the Butterfly Beauties and my newest Painted Ladies. I used many neutral shades in the Butterfly Beauties, Mocha Mousse being one of them. It is a perfectly balanced colour that provides the perfect background to bolder colours like neon yellows and pinks. I felt as though it allowed the neons to pop! For my Painted Ladies, the wings were inspired by vintage wallpapers, which are all classic and nostalgic floral prints. Each print on the wings has details of Mocha Mousse within the leaves and flowers, which compliments the naturalistic vibe I wanted the Ladies to radiate. They are also obviously inspired by butterflies, which is why I named them after the Painted Lady. This new range has lots of nods to nature, from where Mocha Mousse emanates.”

Simple Pleasure Indulgence: “Mocha Mousse is described as exuding ‘inherent richness’ and ‘comforting warmth’ and relates to the ‘indulgence of simple pleasures’. For me, my ‘simple pleasure’ is my morning coffee.

It is literally a ‘comforting warmth’ (and unironically alludes to Mocha Mousse) but also consistently gives me something small to look forward to every single morning without fail. I love the mug that I have it in, I love heating the oat milk in a little jug, and I love pouring it in. I also love my gold flower teaspoon, and I love my little china saucer. All these small things may sound trivial and silly, but this is my definition of an ‘indulgence of simple pleasures’!”

Lucie Cox, Colour Relevance: “Mocha Mousse is a comforting and grounded colour, which reflects the rising of the Neo Luddite trend we are seeing for SS25. The Neo Luddite consumer wants to slow down and live a more Above: Lucie Cox believes that Mocha Mousse works well when paired with intentional life, looking after fresh greens, a spring blue, orange the earth and prioritising their and a soft stone colour. own community in the process. Traditional and nostalgic lifestyles are celebrated, focusing on foraging, wildlife and habitat, the countryside, prairie living, cooking, and academic and bookish interests.

Earthy tones, such as Mocha Mousse tie into this trend as it reflects a calming, humble and natural tone which the consumer is eager for.”

Mousse On The Loose: “Brown is quite a difficult colour to use within design, especially for greeting cards.

Too much and the design starts to look very autumnal and sepia. We believe it is best paired with fresh greens, a spring blue, orange and a soft stone colour. Our new ranges such as Nature’s Pocketbook, Over the Isles and Tale & Ivy all use elements of natural brown tones, which can be seen in animals and nature.”

Simple Pleasure Indulgence: “Being a mummy of a very sassy toddler, indulgent pleasures are very rare! I generally cherish any moment of peace. So, a cosy evening in front of the log burner, with a bottle of red wine, a cheeseboard and watching my favourite films (Lord of the Rings) with my husband is my little indulgence.”

Above: The Art File’s recent move into playing cards has embraced the Mocha Mousse natural world slant.

Left: A Tale & Ivy design from The Art File.

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BEXY BOO CELEBRATING CELEBRATING 10 10 YEARS YEARS

Say Say Hello Hello at at SPRING SPRING FAIR FAIR 3S26 3S26

OVER OVER100 100 new new designs designs 33new new ranges ranges 80 80new new SCRABBLEY SCRABBLEY NEONS NEONS

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Design Focus: Mocha Mousse

Lorraine Bradley, founder and creative director of Rush Design Colour Relevance: “The first thing that came to mind when I heard the name is how tasty it sounds. On an interior design level, I am seeing some lovely shades of brown coming in and gently pushing aside the greys that have held dominance for a while now. Oh… does that mean we need Above: Lorraine Bradley silhouetted by a a new sofa and maybe paint some beautiful sunset.

Below right: Mocha Mousse in action on walls too?! a Rush Design card.

A new year is a new beginning Below: The mousse design in Rush’s Mocha Mousse’s range. and 2025 heralds the second half of this decade already. Time to embrace being relaxed, indulgent and elegant too, just like Mocha Mousse.”

Mousse On The Loose: “At Rush Design we have already embraced the Mocha Mousse vibe with a solid background colour for one of our new Watermelon designs. Not only enchanted by the gorgeous colour, we love the name too and as such, we have named one of our two new Christmas collections Mocha Moose and there is a moose design within this!”

Simple Pleasure Indulgence: “My indulgence of simple pleasure would be 10 days off-grid on a tiny Greek Island with amazing sunsets, while an inherent richness is buying two honey roast Iberico pork joints!”

Now, for a different point of view in the colour spectrum…

Grace Jackson, Colour Relevance: “Hmm... please don't let this be another ‘everything grey/griege/beige’ trend. Mocha Mousse has a place in the luxury world paired with sensual textures, but it personally doesn't inspire me for 2025!”

Mousse On The Loose: “I think I'm the Above: The ever colourful Grace complete Jackson with Sean Austin from Austin & Co at PG Live. opposite to Right: A new card from Grace Jackson Design which features neutral colours. Mocha Below: Mocha Mousse makes an Mousse, appearance in GJD’s B2C collection. but I know some great publishers that do this so well. The closest I have is a New Home Swatch card with neutrals on it. I know a lot of people who love a neutral palette, and that card is for them. I also have some taupe foiled leopard notecards.”

Simple Pleasure Indulgence: “As I haven't left my desk for weeks preparing new designs and getting ready for Spring launches, simple pleasures would include burning a Jasmine-scented candle in the studio while listening to Spotify playlist - Pop Goes Classical - best background music for computer work as I don't end up singing along or dancing - that's just for when I'm foiling cards - and having a big cup of tea to keep me going!”

Eating by colour Pantone’s colours give Melbourne-based Simson Cards plenty food for thought. For the second year running, members of the publisher and distributor’s studio team held a Pantone Lunch. Everyone pulled numbers from the international colour library’s book and then had to Below: Simo and Bindi (far end) and the team at Simson’s prepare a dish Pantone Lunch. to best match.

Right: Shades of food at the Simson lunch.

“It was a bit of a hoot when I went to the supermarket with my Pantone book trying to match the colours to various foods,” laughed John ‘Simo’ Simson, who runs the company with wife Bindi. “You think you know the colour of food, but it’s not until you reference a Pantone book that you truly select the right colour. The sight of me in the local supermarket matching colours in my Pantone book to raw salmon, strawberries and avocados left other customers and staff in the supermarket somewhat bewildered! And it turns out tomatoes are not exactly PMS 199 – but more 2035!”

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PG January 2025 New Releases.pdf

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25

NEW FOR 2025

years of Jonny Javelin Time flies when you’re having fun!

We’re exhibiting at the NEC Spring Fair in February.

To help us celebrate 25 years in this amazing industry...

Pop by for a chat, pick up a Silver Discount Ticket and enjoy a little extra bonus off your next everyday order.

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info@jonnyjavelin.co.uk

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AGENTS’ MUSICAL REVELATIONS

With Wicked working its magic at the box office and new musicals hitting the high notes in theatres, a chorus line of independent sales agents Guys & Dolls shared the score of trade over the last year.

They also revealed what would be their musical of choice as well as what will bring the hills alive with the Sound of Music in their patch in 2025.

Inset: Independent sales agents have to be in time with the song and dance routine of retailers’ needs.

Song And Dance Routines Rosie Trow

Corinne Forbes Corinne’s territory is the whole of Scotland which she covers with her two sub-agents Roberta and Lynsey. Among the card companies they represent include Belly Button Designs, Five Dollar Shake, Janie Wilson, Molly Mae, Paper Salad, Stop the Clock and Wendy Jones Blackett.

Rosie’s territory is the South West of England. She represents Accessories by Park Lane, Belly Button Designs, Bewilderbeest, Crumble & Core, Glick, Go La La, Janie Wilson, Life Charms, Marina B, Museums & Galleries, Oli Olsen, Paper Salad, Redback and Wendy Jones-Blackett.

Above: (left-right) Corinne Forbes with Maggie Marr and Nikki Halliday from The Bay Tree in Edinburgh.

Below left: No Grinchs please in 2025.

Bottom: Corinne is looking forward to a Wicked-ly good 2025.

A Wickedly Good or Les Miserables Year? “2024 was Wickedly good I am delighted to say. It is too early to know every customers’ thoughts on how Christmas ended up, but most were happy with how busy they were from mid-November onwards. More customers contacted me in December to re-order Christmas cards than the previous year which was great. There will always be The Grinchs who have stopped sending Christmas cards due to cost of postage etc but I do believe they are still the minority.

The high notes of 2024 were new products/ranges. It constantly amazes me how talented publishers are and how they keep coming up with new ranges time after time. It is so important to keep our customers interested and excited to see and buy new on a regular basis. Stranger Things may happen but generally no low points – we have amazing and loyal customers and fabulous products to sell – what more could you want?!”

The 2025 Sound of Music: “I’m just hoping for another Wicked year really!”

Your Musical Alter Ego: “I would love to appear in Mamma Mia – who doesn’t love a happy ending?!”

A Wickedly Good or Les Miserables Year? “Most indies Dreamed a Dream and appeared to be ‘less miserable’, battling on while facing every challenge with a positive mindset, ever keen that the show had to go on!

The Little Shop of Horrors for me personally was receiving six months’ notice from Jellycat after being the company’s agent for 21 years and receiving three months’ notice from Wrendale Designs after 11 years, losing both agencies to full time employed reps.

However, rather than Strictly Ballroom, these were ‘strictly business’ decisions and not personal Mamma Mia ones. Sometimes you just have to accept business is business and Walk The Line. I’ve been Truly, Madly, Deeply touched by customers thanking me for what I consider is just part of my job.”

The 2025 Sound of Music: “My hills will be alive in 2025 with all the great new products for my retailer customers. I am not living in La La Land, and know that a lot of indies have fewer staff, and struggle to get away from their shops, so I will be taking in ideas, thoughts and inspiration. Life is a Cabaret, after all!”

Your Musical Alter Ego: “My personal choice would be Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. What could be better than a car that can fly, have no speed issues or red lights to sit at so maybe I wouldn’t be late, and I’d turn the child catcher into a traffic warden catcher!”

Top right: Adrian Heathfield, buyer at Bernaville Garden Centre presented Rosie with a beautiful bouquet of flowers to thank her for the support she had given them with Jellycat and Wrendale.

Above: Rosie Trow is well aware that real life isn’t La La Land.

Right: A car that could dodge traffic wardens and busy roads would be a godsend for agents like Rosie Trow.

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AGENTS’ MUSICAL REVELATIONS

Bella Ghale of BG Agencies Bella covers the South East of England, including Kent, Sussex, Surrey, Hampshire and for some companies, Berkshire. The portfolio of brands Bella represents include Carrie Elspeth, Designworks Collective, Ginger Betty, Henry & Co Home Fragrance, Lifeguard Press brands (Kate Spade, Ban.do and Steel Mill) and Toasted Crumpet.

A Wickedly Good or Les Miserables Year? “It was really somewhere in between and the sense of uncertainty has unfortunately continued into 2025 with all the effects of the Budget about to come into play. Perhaps the musical Into the Woods would sum it up most appropriately. The musical captures unexpected twists, characters dealing with unforeseen challenges, the repercussions of their choices, and the realisation that ‘happily ever after’ isn't always guaranteed.

Luckily supplier wise, after now having our sales meetings, the majority have reported increased sales, which is a real positive.”

The 2025 Sound of Music: “The last year of trading has really been my first year trading (as

Richard Pass of STL Agency

Above: Bella with her daughter, Lurenna on a recent trip to see Wicked.

Left: Into the Woods is the musical that best sums up trade in 2024 for Bella Ghale’s retailer customers.

Below: A scene from Come Away Home.

an agent this time round!). A huge high is that I am so lucky to have maintained relationships with customers from 15 years ago when I first started working in the industry.

I feel very positive about our glorious industry. We have so many wonderful products and brands. However, if the public continue to buy solely online or through the cheap Chinese sites that are stealing designs and ideas from our fabulous designers it is so detrimental. I really hope that consumers make better decisions about supporting our brands and bricks and mortar shops.”

Your Musical Alter Ego: “I have a dear old friend who is in the West End musical show, Come Away Home. The storyline is about how an unexpected crisis brings people from different backgrounds together and follows how they navigate the uncertainties and find hope amid the chaos. We all need to work together, supporting local businesses and the companies that work so hard to provide respectable products for the end consumer.”

Richard’s territory is the North of England, representing Alljoy Design, Dandelion Stationery, Ohh Deer and Two Little Monkeys with The Art File just in the North West and Ginger Betty and Redback just for the North East.

A Wickedly Good or Les Miserables Year? “2024 was a Wicked-ly good year as I turned 60 and Sue and I celebrated our silver wedding anniversary. But from August it turned into Les Miserables due to illness and family bereavement. Although my customers all seem to have had a good year, albeit a little hit and miss on occasion, generally everyone kept smiling and selling lots of cards.

On the work front, the high notes included taking over the North West for The Art File and The Henries awards with Alljoy Design, The Art File and Ohh Deer all winning.”

The 2025 Sound of Music: “For 2025 I’m looking for inspiration from The Lion King (one of my favourite musicals) as my eldest son Jason is joining the STL Agency clan as a sales agent. I’m just hoping I don’t get thrown off the cliff! I am looking forward to all the exciting product launches this year and enjoying the conversations and banter with all my lovely customers.”

Your Musical Alter Ego: “The one musical I would love to appear in is Mamma Mia, who wouldn’t want to be on a sunny Greek Island and who doesn’t love Abba… the only downside is my wife Sue sings like Meryl Streep!”

Above: Richard (right) with his wife Sue and son Jason, who is joining STL. Above right: Richard will be re-enacting The Lion King with his son Jason joining the business.

Right: Here we go again!

Lucy Sharp of Sharp Stuff Lucy covers Scotland for Abrams and Chronicle, Caroline Gardner, Roger La Borde, Talking Tables - and who she describes as “a future West End spectacular”, Roomytown.

A Wickedly Good or Les Miserables Year? “The year whizzed by like Greased Lightning. It was a difficult start to the year for Above: Lucy Sharp entering stage left! most, with a late Easter, and Right: A positive Spamalot vibe is plenty of Singin’ in the Rain, in Lucy’s script.

Below right: Lucy is up for a but it picked up nicely and Hamilton of a performance in the coming year. most customers seem to be reporting pretty empty shelves post Christmas, so it ended up being very much alright on the night.

High notes were my superstar customers, who pulled off a cracking performance despite all the challenges. They very much deserve a standing ovation!

2024 was the year of Jellycat for the indies, which had both high notes and low points, particularly with stock challenges. That Broadway run has come to an

end for me as an agent, so rather than a repeat performance I'm looking ahead to a fresh production, with a Spamalot vibe of always looking on the bright side of life.”

The 2025 Sound of Music: “I'm very much looking forward to a year of high notes. I'm confident the product from my existing star performers will hit the high notes, and there might be a surprise performer or two ready to pull back the curtain on during 2025. So, take your seats, get the snacks in and prepare for a cracking performance!”

Your Musical Alter Ego: “I hope we're all spared that, as I'm much better at selling than singing! It definitely wouldn't be the Sound of Music, as I don't think my nun game is very strong! I love hip hop, so it's got to be Hamilton. I’m planning for a 2025 of very much being in the room where it happens.”

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AGENTS’ MUSICAL REVELATIONS

Beth Robson Beth covers London and Middlesex, representing Mint Publishing, Museums and Galleries, Pikkii, Real and Exciting Designs, Redback and U Studio Designs.

A Wickedly Good or Les Miserables Year? “2024 was a surprisingly good year for me. My principals produced some excellent new greeting card and stationery designs at the beginning of the year which retailers bought into and continued to do so through out 2024.

In May I passed a milestone - 40 years in this marvellous industry - obviously, I started very young! When the internet launched my friends said that it would be the end of my career - I’d like to say they have been proved very wrong!

Despite the rising cost of stamps, falling footfall at bricks and mortar, the weather and the increase in online purchasing, the Christmas trading period was a revelation such a busy December which is a very positive sign for all

Left: Beth with Why? Management’s Mike Board who played Widow Swanky in a panto in Aldwick, Sussex.

Below: Beth is prepared to climb every mountain.

Right: Beth would love to be Fanny Brice from Funny Girl.

Brendan Cahill Brendan covers Wales and Gloucestershire representing Carte Blanche, Glick, House of Marbles, Tracks, Woodmansterne, Words ‘n’ Wishes in all or some of his territory.

A Wickedly Good or Les Miserables Year?

“Fortunately, overall 2024 was a Wickedly good year for me, but it has been tough.

Meanwhile, for a few of my customers it has been Les Miserables, with their doors closing for the last time.

However, without my principals investing in Above: 2024 was a Les new products, it would have been much more Miserables year for retailers who were forced to close their doors. difficult. In the words from Oliver Twist, our Below: The Gene Kelly classic chimed with Brendan in 2024 with customers thankfully asked for “More... did the heavy precipitation levels in you say, more?”

Wales.

Below right: Brendan from The The low point of 2024, which affected all of Greatest Showman! us in some shape or form is the good old British weather which dampened summer trade. We all found ourselves Singin’ in the Rain. This added further uncertainty for all our customers, as it had the knock on effect on footfall, which all our retailers from garden centres to card and gift shops could not escape from.”

The 2025 Sound of Music: “I really hope for 2025 that the hills (especially the Welsh Hills) will be alive with the Sound of Music. Oasis fans, are you ready?!

Our retailers will be facing, among others a National Insurance increase in April and with the continuing uncertainty of our postal service for First and Second Class stamps, I hope, more than ever, that our customers will continue to look forward to our sales visits as well as meeting up at shows.”

Your Musical Alter Ego: “I sometimes think the role of a sales agents is to be The Greatest Showman, putting on a stunning performance to our customers of the best products in our industry. I just hope that a million dreams don’t keep me awake!”

retailing. Hakuna Matata all round!”

The 2025 Sound of Music: “Having left a sales meeting in December with all the new products for 2025 - I drove back to London through wind, rain and fog, but full of positivity and excitement, feeling really buoyed up for this year, excited to show my fantastic and loyal customers it all. I’m ready to ‘climb every mountain, ford every stream’, permanently Singin' in the Rain if need be!”

Your Musical Alter Ego: “I’d be Fanny Brice from Funny Girl her journey from teen to a successful woman is testament to the power of perseverance and self-belief. Fanny teaches us that with hard work and determination you can achieve your dreams, no matter how big they seem. ‘People who need people are the luckiest people in the world’ as Fanny sang in the musical, as well as my favourite song, ‘Don’t rain on my parade’!”

Ian Bradley of Bradders Agencies Ian covers the Midlands representing Glick, James Ellis, Katie Pythian Design, Lagom Design, Louise Mulgrew, Lucilla Lavender, Paper Salad, Portfolio and Rush Design.

A Wickedly Good or Les Miserables Year? “2024 was without doubt a bit of a rollercoaster ride. There were highs and lows across the year. One month I was Singin’ in the Rain and the next Above: The showman that is Ian Dancing on Sunshine. What with a Bradley.

Below left: As Michael Jackson mild wet winter and election blues for sang, 2024 can just Beat It, month after month, retail trade never according to Bradders.

Below: Bradders has We Will seemed to settle into its usual rhythm.

Rock You aspirations.

The Producers (the fabulous companies I work with) are always the highlight of my year. Along with this, it was amazing to take part in the annual Cardgains Charity Walk once again, but Mamma Mia was I happy to see the Christmas trade start early for the shops and keep its momentum right up to the last week.”

The 2025 Sound of Music: “At the start of the year, I was very optimistic. But on reflection 2024 can Beat It into distant Memory. Somewhere Over the Rainbow I see 2025 standing tall with One Vision, to be a great year.”

Your Musical Alter Ego: “Given that I am one of The Greatest Showmen I would undoubtably have to perform as Freddie Mercury in We Will Rock You. Playing my air guitar mic stand and prancing around in some typical Bradders fancy shirt (and leggings of course). I’m done with all the Innuendo so, I just Want to Break Free and I’m going Headlong into 2025, so Don’t Stop Me Now as I take on the challenge with my own Kind of Magic.”

PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE 99

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Relationship Businesses

SISTER ACT

Relationships are at the very heart of the greeting card industry, but several publishers take this a stage further by working with their sisters.

PG embraces the sisterhoods at work at Stormy Knight, Nigel Quiney Publications, Holy Mackerel and Little Roglets.

SARAH HOPKINS AND KATE MEEKE, SISTERS AND CO-DIRECTORS OF HOLY MACKEREL Sarah Hopkins set up Holy Mackerel in South Wales in 2002, after having been a shop owner then a business advisor and then setting up a handmade greeting card business. Meanwhile Kate was working in the South East for an energy company, firstly

Above: Sarah Hopkins (right) and Kate Meeke on one of the many Holy Mackerel trade show stands.

Above right: A sister card from Holy Mackerel’s One Lump or Two collection.

as a pricing analyst for industrial energy customers and then modelling workflows and resourcing requirements for several 1000seat call centres. Forced to take a few weeks off due to a fractured foot, and staying with Sarah for recuperation Kate realised that the rat race just wasn’t for her anymore, and at the same time Sarah was struggling to manage a growing business on her own, so a resignation letter went in and the rest is history.

Sibling Synergy: “We share lots of things, a love of the sea, cats and cream teas 100 PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE

(although we are on opposite sides when it comes to the jam or cream first debate!). We both love board games, and the rest of the family call us “Hive Mind” as we’re so in tune with each other’s thinking. We’ve also got to look more and more like each other as we’ve got older – lots of people now think we’re twins!”

Sarah sews and Kate knits, while they both confess to being partial to “a little gin”.

Workwise, Kate’s technical background means she’s a whizz on spreadsheets while Sarah is busy being creative. Kate hates a blank sheet of paper, but for Sarah it’s an opportunity to create something new and exciting! Sarah’s definitely the people person, while Kate’s happier in the back office. “The mix seems to work!” they agree.

Pros and Cons: “An advantage and a disadvantage of us working together is never fully switching off,” agree Kate and Sarah. Kate currently works remotely from Devon, while Sarah is based in the Holy Mackerel office and

Above: The Holy Mackerel sisters’ first meeting.

Below: Victoria Wood and Julie Walters would be the celebrity sisters of choice for Sarah and Kate.

warehouse in Pembrokeshire, “but when we’re together we’re always throwing ideas back and forth. We can easily end up annoying everyone else with ‘work talk’ when we’re together out of the office, but some of the best ideas definitely form themselves when we’re out in a kayak or grabbing a pint on the sea wall together!” they admit.

With Kate currently in the process of upping sticks and moving to West Wales, within a stone’s throw of both Sarah and their mum, they both sense “it might be a year of great ideas!”

Celebrity Sis Wish: “We agreed our wish for a celebrity sis would have to be someone who can make us both laugh like drains, so we’re adopting Victoria Wood and Julie Walters. Most lunchtimes someone mentions “two soups” or asks “is it on the trolley?” so why not have the ladies themselves to deliver the lines.”

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Relationship Businesses

LEX ROGY, FOUNDER OF LITTLE ROGLETS NOW WORKS WITH HER SISTER OLIVIA ROGY Lex: “I had always said that I wanted a Virgo (known for their meticulous organisational skills – an area I don’t personally excel at) to come and work with me and then one day my sister Olivia, who is a Virgo, mentioned

she’d love to help me. I knew I needed to step away from the day to day of running Little Roglets, and realised in order for me and the business to grow and flourish, that it was time to delegate and get help in the areas I in which I wasn’t the strongest. She may be my younger sibling, but I also look up to her in so many ways!”

Sibling Synergy: “Similarities would be our Above: Cutie pies, Lex and Olivia.

Above right: A Little Roglets’ sister design.

mannerisms and silliness, and the way we view things in life.

Differences are our brains and energy levels. I’ve always been very creative, Olivia is more practical and logical, which is ideal for work purposes!

Olivia has always been a battery pack that never runs out of charge, while I need to frequently disappear and recharge and even then I can still only just about keep up with her!

We didn’t used to see eye to eye when we were little, maybe due to these polar opposites in our energy levels, but now it’s the best!”

Pros and Cons: “In all honesty, I’m yet to find any disadvantages of us working together as it just works - but I think that’s due to how strong our relationship is and the boundaries we discussed at the beginning. I guess more

Above: Lex (right) and Olivia at the recent Henries awards at which Little Roglets won the Best Cute Range trophy.

Below: Louise Thompson would Lex’s ideal additional sister.

of a challenge though, has been learning when to wear the ‘work hat’ and when to wear the ‘sister hat’.

A big advantage has been that the trust is already there, which is so important when starting to let go a little… a business is like a baby and it needs huge levels of trust when handing over the reins. It’s also been really lovely working with someone who gets me, on such a core level and vice versa.”

Celebrity Sis Wish: “Hmm… probably Louise Thompson. I love her and can resonate with her journey. She also has a great wardrobe that I could pinch things from!”

ALISON BUTTERWORTH, MANAGING DIRECTOR AND CO-OWNER OF NIGEL QUINEY PUBLICATIONS AND PAPER ROSE WORKS WITH HER SISTER JENNY WEARE, NATIONAL ACCOUNTS MANAGER “Jenny and I have not always been close as the five-year age gap meant when I went to college at 18, she was only 13,” relayed Alison Butterworth about her sister Jenny Weare. “We argued and fought a lot as youngsters, carving out our independence and appearing to be very different from each other. Jenny was into ra-ra skirts and school discos while I Above: Little Alison and Jenny.

Below right: Alison (right) and Jenny on the was watching Top of the Pops Nigel Quiney stand at PG Live last June. and going to see The Police in concert.

Before Jenny joined the greeting card industry she trained as a chef and worked in France for six months in a kitchen in which she was the only woman. She learned French from a cassette on her drive over to Normandy at 18 years old - and yes, she’s a great cook! I went to college in Leeds and then to Australia for six months. When I returned my dad advised me that I couldn’t put off getting a job any longer, so I started work for Colas (a subsidiary of Shell) as a marketing assistant. Eventually I saw an advert for a role with Gibson Greetings and decided to join them after an interview with Peter Osman and Jan Taylor – I never looked back!!

Jenny originally joined Gibson Greetings in Telford as our family home was located in Newport Shropshire, just a few miles away. She started in the sampling department and then became a product line planner. I was in research and marketing. We worked in the same office, but were quite separate in our daily work life. Family found it very boring if we started talking about work – which we did quite often!

I joined NQP in 2014, initially on the product side and Jenny then joined as a sales area manager and covered the area west from Liverpool, through North Wales, Manchester etc. I remember receiving lots of feedback from her on product – good and bad!

While I became md and more recently co-owner, Jenny moved into national sales. She is definitely the right person for the job with her product knowledge, presentation and young at heart ethos.”

Sibling Synergy: “As sisters we do complement each other and make a good team,” believes Alison. “We are very similar in attitude and character. We work well together and have similar tastes and outlooks. I know I can trust her to do the best job she can.

PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE 101

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Relationship Businesses

She has recently completed a project working on own brand designs for a customer, with Carl Pledger, our creative director. Jenny’s product background and style enables her to develop product successfully with customers and her sales knowledge gained while on the road servicing the independents, is also very beneficial.

Customers and publishers get us mixed up and think I am Jenny and vice versa. I end up waving and greeting people not knowing if they think I am Jenny or myself!!

We’re both home birds these days and Jenny is moving to Helions Bumpstead with her German Pointer, to be closer to the office. We both like running and walking so

I know we’ll see a lot of each other.”

Celebrity Sis Wish: “The celebrity sister who would make the biggest impact on us would be Marie Kondo to organise our work and personal lives – it would be life changing, what a dream!”

Left: A new contemporary sister card from Nigel Quiney.

Below: Marie Kondo, maestro of organisational tidiness would be a perfect additional sister for Alison and Jenny.

SARAH JACKSON, FOUNDER AND CREATIVE DIRECTOR OF STORMY KNIGHT AND HER SISTER KEL KNIGHT, WHO IS GENERAL MANAGER Sarah: “2020/2021 were a catalytic couple of years for me – Stormy Knight bounced Above: Sarah (right) and her back really sister Kelly on the Stormy Knight stand at Top Drawer last well after September.

Right: Stormy Knight’s best lockdown (which I selling Bottoms Up card has been translated into adult ages. was very grateful for), but I also had my daughter, Phoebe in April 2021 – just as the retail world reopened its doors post Covid!

Maternity leave wasn’t an option so I had to be creative with my time, fitting in work during naps and in between changing nappies. A friend was helping me out with the business, but it wasn’t a long term solution and it was clear that I needed something more sustainable. Meanwhile, Kel’s 20 year career as a secondary school maths teacher was really beginning taking its toll on her, and she was beginning to struggle with the increasing demands being asked of her. We were both at risk of burning out to be honest. We joked for a while about her coming to work for me and then after giving it some proper thought I realised that it could actually be a really feasible option.”

Kel: “I'd been commenting for years that I wanted to quit teaching and asking if Sar would like to employ me. She thought I was joking. Then one day Sar asked if I seriously wanted to work for her as she needed to

employ someone part-time. I dropped my teaching hours and started working for Sar on a parttime basis in Summer 2023 - I’m still teaching two days a week, but the plan is to be a full-time Stormy Knight employee this year!”

Sibling Synergy: Kel: “Sar definitely has all the creative genes! I am much more logical/methodical in my working (and I'm sure Sar will say bossy!).”

Sarah: “I couldn’t work with someone who wanted to have a lot of creative input - that’s the bit I love most (although I do allow Kel the odd suggestion!). But to be honest, Kel picks up the slack in the areas that I don’t really enjoy – namely admin and organisational tasks. Her desk is always much tidier than mine and I’ve never seen such a thorough to do list as hers! And yes, Kel is the older bossier sister, but I’m definitely the boss ;) If you asked our parents what we were like as kids, they would tell you that Kel was the typical first child when she was young – conscientious, clever, liked to help people and be a good girl. I apparently never stopped talking, even in the middle of the night, constantly asked questions, never sat still and was generally a lot more annoying. But we got on and played together well until we became teenagers… Kel became a bit of a Goth and I was into the Backstreet Boys

Above and left: Sarah and Kelly in their formative years.

Below: Katherine Ryan would be Sarah’s choice as an extra sister.

dressing like the fifth member of All Saints – let’s just say we had different tastes!”

Pros and Cons: Kel: “Disadvantages I have to rein in my bossy side since, although I'm the older sister, I'm not the boss at Stormy Knight! Advantages – as we know each other so well, we can be completely honest with each other particularly when we'd rather sit in silence and not listen to the other's chat or singing!”

Sarah: “Well, that’s not strictly true – I’d rather never listen to Kel’s singing if given the choice! Advantages – It’s very relaxed… work attire consists of leggings and baggy sweaters. We converted the loft in our house into our office a couple of years ago, so it’s nice having a family member traipsing around instead of a more ‘conventional employee’. And Kel really has added to the business – her skill set compliments mine and she’s allowed me to get back to being creative, which has been amazing. As for disadvantages – it really is just Kel’s singing that comes to mind – it’s pretty bad.”

Celebrity Sis Wish: Sarah: “I’m going to pick Katherine Ryan – she’s funny, direct and would help us get invoices paid in time.

Plus has a great wardrobe that I could borrow.”

PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE 103

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Art Source

Right: As well as echoing The Unexpected Red Theory trend, this Helen Black artwork celebrates authenticity and diversity.

Trend Spotting Drawing on her 20 years of experience in licensing artists’ creations, Hannah Curtis, founder of Creative Sparrow shares what she believes will be the Right: The red ribbon stands out on this Erin Donohue design. cultural drivers of our Below: Helen Black fully embraces colour combinations. creative tastes as well as Below right: The red elements in this Megan a trio of design trends Carter pattern attract the eye. that will pique our Unexpected Red aesthetic tastes in the Theory. The theory coming year.

Above: Hannah Curtis is adept at spotting and translating trends.

Creative Drivers For 2025 “Having said goodbye to another year of uncertainties, of threats to our industry and creativity as a whole, of regular Issues surrounding IP, copyright and creative protection, we will see a major need for authenticity across all areas of the industry. You will notice creatives making a statement in their work, of publishers pushing the boundaries to be different, authentic and brave. As ever this starts with design and will ripple through the industry in many forms.”

Trend 1: Bookshelf Wealths “Looking to specific design trends for 2025 we see that gallery walls, collections, books and ‘bookshelf wealth’ will feature highly. Reacting to the rise of AI we naturally feel the desire to learn, to read and be imparted with Above left: A Sally knowledge.

The bookshelf Darby depiction of the Bookshelf Wealth depicts the need to trend. appreciate the act of Above: A bold figurative work by Erin collecting things, of Donohue.

Left: Pretty work by surrounding yourself with Clair Rossiter. cherished possessions that nourish the soul. This trend combines the desire to read, the beauty of ‘geek sheek’ with adorning living spaces with items reflective of your interest, a sneak peek into the inner you. Again, this trend highlights the importance of authenticity, intentionally curated rather than cluttered, a decorative and meaningful style statement. Piles of books with thoughtful titles, book cover style designs and the act of reading all make lovely images for greeting cards.”

Trend 2: The Unexpected Red Theory “The use of shapes and geometrics will play an important role in design, carefully designed with playful colour combinations and retro textures. One colour trend that is featuring highly in interior design and could really develop a creative handwriting this year is the

WANT TO BE FEATURED?

that suggests that adding a small element of red to any room where it wouldn’t normally balance can exponentially improve the overall look and style of a room. If we apply this to illustration and design, we see really fun and playful results, sometimes subtly unexpected and other times brave, bold and obvious.”

Trend 3: Nocturism “Travel will continue to feature in design and this year we will see more of a focus on Nocturism – Nocturnal Tourism. Solar activity is going to be at its highest for decades in 2025 and with it the desire to seek out natural solar phenomena across the globe.

It’s not limited to the spectacular aurora however, simple acts of night swimming, open air camping, and taking part in activities usually cherished in sunlight hours.

Think night safaris and out of hours museum experiences as well as stargazing and bioluminescent beaches. With an ever-growing awareness for protecting our beautiful planet, Above right: Sentiment this lovely trend from Mell Oliver.

Right: Cordelia Hutchison offers a different captures the Nocturism trend beautifully. insight into the Below: Moody colours magnificence and from Jacqueline Wild.

Below right: A fun and romantic solitude quirky approach from Karin Lauria. darkness can bring.” l All the artists whose work features on this page are represented by Creative Sparrow.

If you are an artist, photographer or verse writer and would like to be considered to appear in Art Source, please contact PG’s Jakki Brown on jakkib@max-publishing.co.uk. This is an editorial feature and as such is free of charge.

PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE 105

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PG ASKED A GROUP OF RETAILERS FOR THEIR BEST SELLERS

Anne Barber, owner of In Heaven At Home, Market Harborough.

A well loved card and gift shop in the heart of a Leicestershire market town.

Category

Name of Publisher

Product/Name Range

Comments

Everyday

Sarah Kelleher

General

“Our customers particularly love her floral cards with gold writing as they are happy, bright and cheerful.”

Relations & Occasions

Woodmansterne

Emma Bridgewater

“These cards cover all occasions and are very popular.”

Humour

Simon Drew

Spot The…

Iain Welch

Dogs range

Bold & Bright

Jeffrey & Janice

“These always generate lots of interest and comments!”

“Our new favourite! Humour from a dog’s point of view.”

“These make our customers laugh out loud.”

Children’s

Hype Associates

Mr Men and Little Miss

“Super popular!”

Adult Ages

Counting Stars Objectables

Haute Hippie Bin Cards

“Great for the ladies.”

“These provide great amusement for the gents.”

Art

Deva Designs

Designers Guild

“The florals are beautiful and very classy.”

Cute

Raspberry Blossom

Mini Cats & Dogs

“Just the cutest.”

Photographic

Great British Card Co Woodmansterne

Wish You Were Here RSPB Hello Mr Magpie

“These are both great sellers.”

3D/Pop-Ups

Raspberry Blossom

3D Fold Outs

“Adorable!”

Gift Wrappings

Woodmansterne Deva Designs

Emma Bridgewater Double sided sheets

“It’s got to be these for creative wrapping of gifts.”

Gifts

S-C Brands Marmalade Of London

Miffy Luxury candles and diffusers

“Everyone loves Miffy.”

“Our very favourite luxury candles and diffusers.”

Right: A bold and gold design from Sarah Kelleher.

Right: A Spot the… design from Simon Drew.

Right: Bin fun from Objectables.

Right: One of Raspberry Blossom’s cute cats.

Far right: Woodmansterne’s Emma Bridgewater has it in the bag.

Left: Miffy of Bon Ton from S-C Brands.

PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE 107

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Andrea Pinder, owner of Presentation Cards & Gifts in Barrowford.

A long established card and gift shop that is at the very heart of the community in a village in Lancashire’s Pendle district.

Category

Name of Publisher

Product/Name Range

Comments

Everyday

Five Dollar Shake

General

Right: Hand-finished Talking Pictures age cards.

Wendy Jones-Blackett

Quicksilver

“Excellent sellers every single day, people like them because they’re pretty, high-end cards.”

“Vibrant colours and a good price.”

Humour

Rosie Made A Thing

Gin & Frolics

“It’s Rosie every day! The humour suits males and females - not offensive, funny with brilliant illustrations.”

Children’s

Redback Cards Rachel Ellen Designs Paper Salad

Shine Jigsaw Cards Jamboree

“This sequinned patch range is great.”

“These jigsaw cards are a gift too.”

“Just great cards, and also do well in children’s ages.”

Adult Ages

Ling Design Five Dollar Shake Second Nature

Talking Pictures Age cards Champagne

“Lovely handmade cards.”

“They’re high end and different.”

“They hit the spot, have nice finishing touches, and a little bit of wording.”

Gift Wrappings

Partisan Products Glick

Rollwrap and bags Flatwrap

“Really good value wrap.”

“Lovely quality and designs.”

Gifts

Rosie Made A Thing Joma Jewellery East Of India

Coasters General Sentiment Gifts

“A popular pick-up gift for the counter.”

“The jewellery is just lovely.”

“Good value, and a quick pick-up at £7.”

Right: Rachel Ellen’s Jigsaw cards are also a gift.

Right: The coasters from Rosie Made A Thing make great pick-up gifts.

Carl Dunne, owner of Cards & Gifts in Dronfield.

It’s all going choc-tastic at this established card and gift shop in a North East Derbyshire town.

Category

Name of Publisher

Product/Name Range

Comments

Everyday

UK Greetings

Word Portrait

Right: UKG’s Word Portrait has meaningful verse.

Paper Salad

General

“A greeting card with a meaningful verse which looks like a miniature book.”

“We’ve seen an increase in vibrant, neon designs, which Paper Salad does wonderfully.”

Relations & Occasions

UK Greetings

General

Second Nature

Champagne

“Grandson and granddaughter are captions we can never keep up with.”

“Tall and slim carda that stand ou.”

Words ’N’ Wishes Second Nature UK Greetings Dean Morris Cards

Emotional Rescue Quitting Hollywood Giggles General

“These have just gone doolally… everyone loves them.”

“Suddenly everyone has gone berserk for these cards.”

“Good old Giggles, still a solid seller.”

“These fly off the shelf.”

Children’s

IC&G Nigel Quiney

Fun House Poppin Candi

“We’ve just put out this brand-new kiddies’ range.”

“These are really classy and vibrant.”

Adult Ages

Second Nature

Champagne

“We go right up to age 100, and these always sell.”

Cute

IC&G

Right: A Cadbury’s bar from Custom Branding Company.

“We have even sales between these ranges. People like cute as it’s a simple send if you’re not sure what to pick.”

UK Greetings

Barley Bear Hun Bun Boofle Nutmeg

Photographic

Abacus

BBC Wild Isles BBC Countryfile

“Just beautiful photographs, so sharp and crisp – the photos are absolutely spot on.”

Gift Wrappings

UK Greetings Glick

General Gift bags

“We’ve always sold tons, but since Clintons has shut down, it’s gone mental.”

Gifts

Custom Branding Company

Personalised Cadbury Dairy Milk

“We sell about £1,000 retail of these personalised bars each month as gifts. It’s bonkers!”

Humour Right: A NQP’s vibrant Poppin Candi card.

PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE

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PRODUCT DIRECTORY

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www.bugart.co.uk 0115 929 4776 enquiries@bugart.co.uk

or contact Tracey Arnaud T: 07957 212 062 email: traceya@max-publishing.co.uk

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To appear in the Product Directories contact Warren Lomax T: 020 7700 6740 email: warren@max-publishing.co.uk or contact Tracey Arnaud T: 07957 212 062 email: traceya@max-publishing.co.uk

110 PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE

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THE GREATEST COLLECTION OF GREETING CARDS IN THE WORLD

Award winning designers and manufacturers of luxury gift wrappings and accessories Enquiries:

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warren@max-publishing.co.uk or Tracey Arnaud traceya@max-publishing.co.uk

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CHARITY GREETING CARDS

01274 655980 sales@glick.co.uk glick.co.uk trade.glick.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.

@glickgiftwrap

To appear in the Product Directories contact Warren Lomax T: 020 7700 6740 warren@max-publishing.co.uk or contact Tracey Arnaud T: 07957 212 062 traceya@max-publishing.co.uk

Hallmark Cards PLC Dawson Lane, Bradford, BD4 6HN UK&NI: 0800 90 20 900 ROI: 012 480 104 customerqueriesUK@hallmark.com

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

PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE 111

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PRODUCT DIRECTORY

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+ Great brands, Great service Bespoke planning We can help with all your planning requirements.

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Send Love ( ll year round) (al d)

To appear in the Product Directories contact Warren Lomax T: 020 7700 6740 email: warren@max-publishing.co.uk or contact Tracey Arnaud T: 07957 212 062 email: traceya@max-publishing.co.uk

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paperbirdpu blishing.co.uk

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112 PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE

info@papersheddesign.com www.papersheddesign.com tel: 0118 9744283

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PRODUCT DIRECTORY

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THE GREATEST COLLECTION OF GREETING CARDS IN THE WORLD

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warren@max-publishing.co.uk or Tracey Arnaud

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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.

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METHOD OF SALE: SENSATIONS – Direct to retail XPRESS YOURSELF – Now one of the leading wholesale publisher suppliers in the UK Te l : + 4 4 ( 0 ) 1 1 5 9 8 6 0 1 1 5 customer ser vices@paper rose .co.uk w w w. p a p e r r o s e . c o . u k

THE GREATEST COLLECTION OF GREETING CARDS IN THE WORLD

To appear in the Product Directories contact Warren Lomax T: 020 7700 6740 email: warren@max-publishing.co.uk or contact Tracey Arnaud T: 07957 212 062 email: traceya@max-publishing.co.uk

To appear in the Product Directories

To appear in the Product Directories

contact

contact

Warren Lomax T: 020 7700 6740

Warren Lomax T: 020 7700 6740

email warren@max-publishing.co.uk

email warren@max-publishing.co.uk

or contact Tracey Arnaud T: 07957 212 062 email traceya@max-publishing.co.uk

or contact Tracey Arnaud T: 07957 212 062 email traceya@max-publishing.co.uk Enquiries: warren@max-publishing.co.uk or Tracey Arnaud traceya@max-publishing.co.uk PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE 113

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PRODUCT DIRECTORY

DIRECTORY OF WHOLESALE l DIRECTORY OF WHOLESALE

Market Leaders in

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design-led Greeting Cards for all occasions, Spring Seasons & Christmas.

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mail: inffoo@words-nWeb: www We w..words-n-wishes.co.uk

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114 PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE

EUROPE’S LEADING GREETINGS CARDS, PARTY PRODUCTS, GIFTS, CANDLES, TOYS, STATIONERY AND FLORIST SUNDRIES DISTRIBUTION CENTRE 75000 SQ FT 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

THE GREATEST COLLECTION OF GREETING CARDS IN THE WORLD

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CLASSIFIED

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Enquiries: warren@max-publishing.co.uk or Tracey Arnaud traceya@max-publishing.co.uk

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116 PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE

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PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE 117

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118 PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE

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