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Always Look On The Bright Side Of Life Cardsharp sees a challenging time ahead for so many of us in business as we enter a new political era, but there are still positives to be had. By the time you read this the results of the election will be known, meaning we can all get on with life knowing that despite all sides, manifesto promises, the tax burden will increase, the economy will struggle to grow at the rate needed to increase most individual prosperity and so many of our key institutions will continue to struggle to be fit for their purpose. As Cardsharp reflects, the last five years since the 2019 election have not been kind for most of us. Brexit supposedly ‘sorted’, the Covid pandemic and the associated lockdowns following on shortly from that. And then the post Covid inflation rampage later, exacerbated by the war in Ukraine. Add to that four different Prime Ministers and the debacle of different cabinet ministers coming and going through an ever-revolving door. For the past 15 years, the average Brit has seen little increase in living standards, which not surprisingly made our lives in the greeting card industry, a lot harder. So, will a new government improve our economic performance and our living standards? With the amount we pay in tax set to rise and government debt at record high levels, this looks unlikely. Most disappointingly, in this election campaign, very little has been said about the outrageously unfair Business Rates tax system in this country, where many bricks and mortar retailers end up paying through the nose, sometimes as
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much as their rent, while the big online retailers like Amazon pay just a fraction per square metre. Let us hope the new Labour government with its large majority will look to help the ‘hard working small businesses’ it talks about and levels the playing field. If that was not enough, our particular industry has had to live with the ongoing uncertainty over the fate of Royal Mail. It seems the billionaire Daniel Kretinsky, the secretive and silent Czech Sphinx has undergone a metamorphosis. He has suddenly become ‘Mr Cuddly’, promising almost anything to get his deal
Above: Always look on the bright side of life! Below left: Those crosses in the boxes on July 4 reflect the public’s feeling. Below: A Quitting Hollywood Rishi Sunak design on the Thortful platform.
to buy Royal Mail over the line. There are media friendly interviews, guarantees galore, and even a promise of shares for the ‘posties’. Cardsharp is half expecting that next Kretinsky will also be offering free use of his various luxury mansions at the weekend for all! But there seems to be little doubt that uncertainty over Royal Mail, notably the increased cost of stamps and poor postal delivery is having a negative effect on our industry. For the last decade our industry has more or less held its own in terms of value. There are worrying signs now that in the last year, volumes of greeting cards bought are starting to drop. Mind you, we should be thankful that in the greeting card industry we are in a lot better position than another social expression sector, closely