Progressive Greetings July 2019

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In Profile

A Grass Roots Movement “It is an illogical, yet totally logical decision,” said Stuart McKay, chairman of Paper Rose and non-executive director of Simon Elvin a few weeks ago when it was announced that Grass Roots’ Write from the Heart ranges was to be re-introduced to the market as part of Paper Rose, thereby broadening the publisher’s portfolio with the addition of these respected traditional brands. PG met up with Stuart to find out more about how this break from tradition at Paper Rose is bedding in. For many retailers seeing a selection of Grass Roots’ Write from the Heart designs on the Paper Rose stand at PG Live a few weeks ago was the first time they had really thought how the traditional greeting card brand does in fact slot unhindered into the Nottingham-based publisher’s portfolio. With orders now being shipped thick and fast from Paper Rose’s Nottingham warehouse and the company’s sales team fully conversant on the ‘chapter and verse’ about the new traditional card strand, it seems that the Write from the Heart’s ‘roots’ are taking hold in their new home. The Grass Roots/Write from the Heart launch at PG Live came two and a half months after the news broke that the longestablished Liverpool-based publisher Grass Roots International had ceased trading and was to be liquidated. Just previous to this, having been alerted to an opportunity, the Simon Elvin Group (which comprises Nigel Quiney, Glick, Simon Elvin, Polytint and Paper Rose) had acquired the vast design and verse bank of Grass Roots International as well as the publisher’s brand names, Grass Roots and Write from the Heart. “As this is not something we had anticipated, we are still debating how best to use the designs, verses and brand names

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PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE

and which of our companies are best suited to be their ‘home’,” Simon Elvin, founder of the eponymous company admitted just after the acquisition was finalised. In keeping with the horticultural names of both businesses, it wasn’t long before it was revealed that Grass Roots/Write from the Heart was to be grafted onto Paper Rose, to sit alongside Avocado Designs and The Art Group as a standalone brand.

As Stuart McKay, chairman of Paper Rose highlighted: “The most important thing was to get up and running as quickly as possible to be able to serve Grass Roots’ existing customers so as to ensure continuity of supply, but we had to first work out what products we could offer them straightaway from the stock we had bought.” Having acquired 90% of the Grass Roots’ stock from the receivers, as well as thousands of cards from three of the

Above: Design and editorial combine in the Write from the Heart range. Below left: (Right) Reggie Pugh, creative director, in the Paper Rose warehouse checking in the latest batch of Grass Roots cards to have arrived. Inset: Stuart McKay, chairman of Paper Rose has enjoyed bringing Grass Roots/Write from the Heart into the fold. Bottom left: The Simon Elvin Group now owns the brand names of Grass Roots and Write from the Heart.


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