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NEWS TOP STORY
Royal Honour Wrendale Designs receives a Queen’s Award for export Wrendale Designs, the Lincolnshire-based greeting card and gift brand, has been honoured with a Queen’s Award for Enterprise: International Trade. This top accolade continues to shine a light on the industry’s creative global preeminence, with Wrendale Designs following in the wake of Santoro being feted in 2018, The Art File in 2017 and Blue Eyed Sun in 2016.
Wrendale Designs, founded by wife and husband team Hannah and Jack Dale, made its debut as a greeting card publisher at PG Live in 2012 with The Country Set, a greeting card collection based on Hannah’s zoologically correct, but cute nonetheless creations. Since then, the Wrendale Designs’ portfolio has expanded to include a wide range of gift and homewares, including tinware, stationery, textiles and tableware, produced both under the company’s own steam as well as through licensing agreements with other brands. “We are so thrilled to receive this award - launching our brand and seeing it so well received across the world has been incredibly exciting for us, but we’d like to say an enormous thank you to all of
our loyal customers in the UK who have supported us since we launched Wrendale - without their belief in our brand this would never have been possible,” commented Hannah Dale, who prior to pursuing her artistic talents in the greeting card scene had been a stockbroker. Hitting the ground running since its debut at PG Live only seven years ago, the Wrendale brand has been on a steep success curve ever since, amassing a huge number of collectors, not just in the UK, but worldwide, as testified by this top export accolade. Wrendale’s export sales have grown more than 400% over the last three years following the brand’s successful launch in the US, Europe and Japan, as well as growing relationships with distributors elsewhere in the world. Among the notable brand expansion has been a continuation of the successful collaboration with tableware group Portmeirion, onto many ceramic and kitchen items, including a recently launched dinner service. While naturally shy and self-deprecating personalities, Hannah and Jack will attend a reception with the Queen at Buckingham Palace in June, before receiving the award at the company’s premises in Brigg from a representative of the Palace. Wrendale Designs is able to make full use of the award’s endorsement for the next five years. Top: Wrendale Designs can use The Queen’s Award endorsement for the next five years. Above left: Hannah and Jack Dale with some of the Portmeirion group licensed products. Above: Former stockbroker, Hannah Dale has drawn on her zoological degree and natural artistic talent for the basis of her brand’s USP.
UKG creates extra buzz for Toy Story 4 Tipped to be the biggest family film of this summer, Disney Pixar’s Toy Story 4 hits the big screens on June 21, and UK Greetings has something extra in store for all retailers ordering one of the specially designed shippers that has been developed to house the 20 greeting card designs for the Disney franchise. For every order of the UKG shipper (each of which will come with a wobbler to further highlight the new film), the retailer’s name will be entered into a free prize draw, with the lucky winner receiving a £250 voucher to spend at the Disney Store. There is so much anticipation about the new film, especially as it’s been eight years since Woody, Buzz and the gang were on the big screen. The UKG Toy Story 4 shipper will be delivered by May 17. The winner will be contacted on 10 May. Left: The UKG Toy Story 4 shipper.
Wraptious’ cards sees trees planted Card and homewares company Wraptious has considerably upped its commitment to the environment through a partnership with charity Trees for the Future, as well as through a switch to naked cards. Officially launched to coincide with World Earth Day on April 22, the company, founded by Simon Wadsworth, shared its Go Further mission. This allembracing pledge covers its commitment to the environment, the local community, as well as to its customers and artists with whom it works. “For every order we receive, no matter how large or small, even if it is just for one card, we pledge to plant three trees through our partner, Trees for the Future,” assured Naomi Smith, Wraptious’ marketing and media manager. Trees for the Future is a not-for-profit organisation which is working to end hunger and poverty for smallholder farmers by revitalising degraded lands. This is done through strategic tree planting, which creates sustainable food sources for farmers and their families, livestock feed, products to sell, fuel wood and a 400% increase in their annual income in four years. “Trees for the Future is a fantastic charity and Wraptious is excited to be a part of it. We've planted 10,000 trees so far - we now want to get to 100,000,” said Naomi. Reinforcing its commitment to the environment, Wraptious has now gone ‘naked’ with its cards, unless a retailer has a specific request. “Now all our online greeting card orders come without cellophane wrap, in order to reduce the impact of plastic in our industry,” added Naomi. Top: Wraptious is supporting Trees for the Future, a not-for-profit organisation which is working to end hunger and poverty for smallholder farmers. Above: Kate Findley is among the artists whose work Wraptious publishes on cards as well as other products.
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