Progressive Greetings May 2022

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From The Editor

ON THE CARDS When I was a little girl, one of my favourite books was The Magic Faraway Tree by Enid Blyton. I loved the idea of when the wind blew, the ‘world’ at the top of the tree moved on to something new. I do feel that this ‘Faraway Tree’ has come rather close to home, with unexpected things happening of which we have no control.

I empathise with David Robertson in his column this month (pages 18-19) about his super busy brain having gone into overdrive, trying to process the ever-changing circumstances affecting our lives and livelihoods - rises in the cost of living, supply issues, the real worries about the ongoing war in Ukraine, what ‘normality’ is going to look like would be something that would keep even Moon-Face, Dame Washalot and Mr. Watzisname (protagonists in Faraway Tree) awake at night, let alone us lot in the greeting card tree of life.

That said, it does look like the first quarter of 2022 branched out fairly well, for many indies especially. As the comments in our Viewpoints section (see pages 23-25) suggest the first three Spring Seasons events have been pretty decent, the Shop Local trend is continuing and footfall is creeping back, albeit slower than most would like.

But going back to the ‘greeting card tree of life’, the recent death of David Hicks, founder of Really Good and Soul, has knocked me for six.

Like many others in our industry, I feel incredibly fortunate to be able to call David a proper friend for over 30 years (see some tributes on pages 27-29). Warren and I got to know him when we were just starting out with Progressive Greetings and he was in the early days of Really Good. Both he and Warren had a good amount of hair back then and I was a lot ‘younger’ in the dress size I wore. Together with the then new breed of card publishers we forged strong bonds as our respective businesses cut their way through the recession of the early 1990s and beyond, enjoying the banter as well as the serious discussions about life and business.

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Above: Not long now until PG Live…the card samples have arrived and are now being turned into dresses for the show (June 7-8) See pages 33-35 for some newbie exhibitors stories and Innovations for more PGL newness!

Below: PG’s Jakki Brown with her friend David Hicks many moons ago.

Below left: A recent meet up. David (second right) with (right-left) Ian Hyder, Miles Robinson, Jim Bullough, Jakki Brown, Nicole Mendelsohn (David’s wife) and Jen Hyder.

It was less than a year ago that David was diagnosed with Motor Neurone Disease, a cruel and unforgiving illness for which they have yet to find a cure.

True to David’s independent character, he took the tough decision that he did not want to wait until the inevitable happened, so it was that at the start of last month, together with his lovely wife Nicole and dear friend Miles Robinson (of House of Cards) they went to Switzerland.

David made such a difference to so many people’s lives when he was on this earth, as well as a very sizeable contribution to the industry. There is a great podcast on the GCA website that David recorded with Amanda Fergusson, ceo of the GCA, in January this year that is well worth a listen, whether you knew him or not.

Like so many others, I miss him, but hope that one day when the wind blows at the top of the Faraway Tree that we will meet again, no doubt he will be wearing some crazy outfit, be spouting the latest Hicksy philosophy and ordering exceedingly expensive wine.

Cheers to David and to all of you.

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What’s Inside?

CONTENTS 27

35

42

7-17 News

33-35 PG Live Newbies Once Upon A Time

All the latest happenings and developments in the trade.

The stories behind a handful of PG Live newbie exhibitors.

18-19 Over The Counter Mind Over Matter

37-39 Innovations

Musings of David Robertson, co-owner of JP Pozzi’s busy mind.

Publishers’ new ranges and designs.

40-43 Focus on Diversity and Inclusion All Inclusive

20-21 Cardsharp No Stamp of Approval

PG delves into some of the publishing developments on the important diversity and inclusion front.

PG columnist examines the historic intertwined relationship with Royal Mail.

45 Art Source What Katy Did Next…

23-25 Viewpoints A Juicy First Quarter?

Independent retailers’ share their trading reports of Q1.

Greeting card artist Katy Welsh shares her story and his creative inspirations.

27-29 In Tribute to…David Hicks A Really Good Bloke

46-47 What’s Hot?

A fitting tribute to David Hicks, founder of Really Good and Soul.

A trio of retailers share their best selling ranges.

30-31 Retailer Focus Birthday Buddies

48-59 Sources of Supply

Having opened their shops on the same day, Sean Austin, owner of Austin & Co in Malvern and Jo Barber, owner of No14 Ampthill celebrated their first decade, albeit a year late.

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Copyright© 2022. 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

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NEWS TOP STORY

PG Live 2022’s final countdown Not long now until the specialist greeting card show It’s the final countdown as exhibitors put the final touches to their launches and exclusive offers planned for Progressive Greetings Live 2022 and retailers and overseas distributors plan their trips to the show, which is all set to open its doors in on Tuesday and Wednesday, 7-8 June, in Islington’s beautiful Business Design Centre, in London.

Everyone who registers for the show will receive a free PG Live Show Preview, which gives a taster of just some of the thousands of brand new designs and exciting ranges that will be making their debut.

“This year’s show is definitely one for any retailer who stocks greeting cards, it’s a great opportunity to see the product in the flesh and hold it in your hands, checking out the latest ranges from so many leading card publishers, as well as the creative delights from newbies and brand-new start-ups,” commented Warren Lomax, co-show owner of PG Live. “As the UK's only specialist greeting card show, PG Live 2022 will bring the whole global greeting card community together - publishers, retailers, overseas distributors and trade suppliers - to share in what makes our industry so great…its products and its people!”

Coming right after the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee Celebration weekend, the royal rollcall of exhibitors for PG Live

Former John Lewis buyers launch Retail100 Consulting 2022 includes loads of great names, such as Abacus, The Art File, Belly Button Designs, Cardology, Caroline Gardner, Danilo, Dean Morris Cards, Deva Designs, Emotional Rescue, Five Dollar Shake, Hammond Gower, Ling Design, Museums & Galleries, Ohh Deer, Paperlink, Paper Salad, Pigment, Tache Cards, Redback Cards, Rosanna Rossi, UK Greetings, Wendy Jones-Blackett, and Woodmansterne.

Alongside the host of fabulous publishers there are some wonderful gift, giftwrap and trade supplier companies too, such as The Bright Agency, Creative Sparrow, Cotton & Grey, Fenner Paper, Funko, Globe Enterprise, The Imaging Centre, Jehane, Sherwood Group, and Wish Strings, www.progressivegreetingslive.com Top: Perfect preview – register to receive your free Show Preview Above: As ever a free lunch, refreshments and opening night party are all part of PGL.

Wish you were here Long-time supporter of PG Live, and printer to over 600 card publishers, The Imaging Centre’s digital presses have been busy!

The Imaging Centre has printed over 9,000 promotional postcards for PG Live exhibitors, free of charge, with the board donated by GF Smith.

Exhibitors have, as ever, made the most of this marketing gift, using the post cards to promote their companies, give a taste of what they will be showcasing as well as show-only offers.

Left: Adam Short, md of The Imaging Centre with a couple of the postcards.

Above: Newbie publisher Utterly Conkers’ postcard, who will be making its PG Live debut.

Right: Jonny Javelin is among the leading names at the show.

A 100 years of retail experience gives the new Retail100 Consulting team a solid background to help clients maximise their potential - and with former John Lewis card and gift buyer Sara Allbright on board, expertise on the greeting cards front is part of the mix.

Working with Sara’s fellow cofounders, Neil Amer, Anna Berry and Elaine Hooper have all clocked up years of experience at the John Lewis Partnership at senior levels including head of buying, senior buyers and senior merchandiser across greeting cards, gifting, homeware, seasonal and beauty, and they have a multitude of insights to offer.

“We have a passion for helping others learn and grow effectively within the retail world,” Sara told PG. Retail100’s approach is to focus on six key areas within a business - strategy; buying; merchandising; retailer insight and retail navigation; coaching, training and culture; and tools and toolkits.

Above: Retail100 co-founders (from left) Neil Amer, Sara Allbright, Elaine Hooper and Anna Berry.

Davora’s Cheat Sheets As part of its commitment to diversity and inclusion, greeting card publisher Davora has re-released its set of Cheat Sheets, which distill key information on many ethnic festivals that occur throughout the year down to an easily digestible A4 page.

"Our Cheat Sheets are designed to empower retailers in selling ethnic cards.

"If a retailer has a basic understanding of what a festival is, who celebrates it and why, they can feel more confident in stocking and promoting relevant cards," believes Raj Aurora, managing director of Davora.

Raj hopes that the Cheat Sheets will help greeting card retailers to gain more clarity and confidence in catering for the many ethnic festivals that are widely celebrated across the UK. Among the festivals covered are those for Eid, Diwali, Passover, Jewish New Year, Chinese New Year and Rakhi.

Above: Davora’s handy Cheat Sheets (www.davora.co.uk).

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NEWS TOP STORY

Eggs-cellent Easter Indie retailers report sunny sales Eggs-cellent sunshine bathed most of the UK over the Easter break and it was also a pretty sunny time for greeting card retailers with a whole host of independents reporting good sales, helped by being able to clear stock left over from the lockdowns.

“Easter seasonal sales were up since April 2019 which is great news,” said Hannah Rudder, co-owner of Dee’s Cards, Leighton Buzzard. “We were up around 25%.

At Wishes Of Cudworth, Barnsley, owner Julia Keeling said: “While I wouldn’t say it was the most eggcellent of Easters, it definitely wasn’t no yolk! Our lovely customers said they struggled to find Easter decorations or gift bags on the general High Street this year so they looked to shop more locally. Footfall was good for what can be one of our quieter seasons.

On star performers, Julia revealed that she sold “lots of religious greeting cards and packs of Easter cards did well too from Budget Greeting Cards.

Wishing Well and Abacus Cards were a popular choice, plus money wallets did well. We sold out of Easter gift bags and wrap was low too.”

At House of Cards, seven shops in the Home Counties, Wrendale Designs and Woodmansterne’s Easter cards did well, both instore and online. Of this year’s Easter trading period, co-owner Nigel Williamson said: “The sales in our tills alone have been just above budget which is a good sign. Online sales in 2021 were very

Below: Sunshine sales - &Quirky, Wishes of Cudworth and Hugs & Kisses had colourful Easter displays.

Middle: Good sellers - Wrendale and Woodmansterne sold well online for House of Cards.

good because the High Street was closed at Easter and this year we kept around half those sales.”

At Hugs & Kisses in Tettenhall, Wolverhampton, owner Caroline Ranwell confirmed online sales held steady, but it was her gift shop that was really busy.

“Easter trade was surprisingly good this year,” she said, “which is wonderful after the terrible time we had last year.

I always put an Easter window in with an Easter tree with lots of decorations on, and, of course, lots of bunnies and chicks.”

Threads Of Harpenden cited Ling Design, Tracks Publishing and Think Of Me as among their bestsellers for the third Spring Season event of 2022, with owner Lara Wares adding: “Easter was good - it was a huge relief to be open, and to be able to finally sell stock that we bought three Easters ago! We sold out of most lines, so I think customers were as happy as us to finally be able to celebrate with family again.”

Happy bunnies Easter trade was very good at Highworth Emporium, Highworth, where co-owner Aga Marsden confirmed: “Footfall was not necessarily higher, but there were a lot of big spenders, and we did especially well with Jellycat bunnies and Gisela Graham’s Easter/Spring collection.”

In keeping with previous years, Highworth ran an Easter charity raffle with the main prize being a 2.5kg chocolate bunny. This raised £1,000 for the DEC Ukraine Appeal.

Above: Highworth Emporium Saturday girl Emily Milton with the 2.5kg bunny prize.

The Art File’s £48,000 charity donation from card sales The Art File’s philanthropic publishing activities have seen the publisher donate almost £49,000 to four worthy causes as a result of sales of its charity packs last year.

The Nottingham-based publisher recently announced: “Just in! We've just received our total amount raised from our 2021 Christmas charity pack campaign. Together with the help of our brilliant customers, we're proud to announce we have raised £48,596 for the following amazing charities - MND Association, Young Lives Vs Cancer, RSPCA England & Wales, and Dementia UK. And James Mace, The Art File’s sales and marketing manager, made a strong point with his own Facebook post: “To those of you who posted statuses last Christmas saying you weren’t buying Christmas cards and giving to charity instead… just to inform you that our business and may other publishers produce charity Christmas cards, and for every pack sold we donate to amazing charities.

“Last Christmas we raised a fantastic £48,500 for four amazing charities. So next time you can support local business AND give to charity AND make someone smile with a card.”

The announcement is particularly poignant as The Art File co-founder and md Ged Mace was a best friend of industry stalwart David Hicks who died on April 8 (see pages 27-29), having been diagnosed with motor neurone disease a year ago, with one of the publisher’s charity new recipients being the MND Association, which focuses on improving access to care, research and campaigning for people in England, Wales and Northern Ireland living with or affected by the condition.

Above: The Art File’s festive card packs raise thousands.

The Paintbox’s win Llongyfarchiadau is exactly the word Emma Louise Caresimo deserves to hear as congratulations are definitely in order for her Welsh In Business award triumph.

Based in South Wales, Emma is owner and creative director of The Paintbox, specialising in Welshthemed and language greeting cards and gifts, and has recently won a Business Growth 2022 Award, clinching the South Wales Welsh In Business category.

“Greeting cards are a great way of communicating,” Emma told PG, “what better way to spread the Welsh language than with a card.”

Above: Winning ways - Emma with her award.

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NEWS TOP STORY

GCA’s Cards for the Queen’s initiative

Below: The Queen reading some of her first Platinum Jubilee greeting cards.

Below middle: The GCA is to hand deliver a collection of cards from the industry.

Greeting card ‘Crown Jewels’ to be on display at PG Live Her Majesty the Queen will receive sacks full of greeting cards from members of the UK public to commemorate her Platinum Jubilee, but there will also a very special postbag coming her way too, full of good wishes from greeting card publishers and retailers as a result of a Cards for the Queen initiative that is being instigated by the GCA and PG Live.

GCA members are being encouraged to create and sign greeting cards to mark Her Majesty’s 70th year of her ascension to the throne which will form a special Cards for the Queen feature display at the Progressive Greetings Live show (June 7-8 at London’s Business Design Centre).

In addition to these cards which will include publishers’ own celebratory messages, card companies are also being asked to donate extra cards (either made specifically for the occasion or existing suitable designs) that will be made available at the show for visitors to select and write there and then, pop them into the Cards for the Queen ‘postbox’ at PG Live.

All these greeting cards will then be hand-delivered to Buckingham Palace by members of the GCA and PG Live teams.

“What a wonderful and fitting way for our industry to show its appreciation of our

Retailers’ Royal fanfare

long reigning monarch,” commented Amanda Fergusson, ceo of the GCA. “I have no doubt that the abundance of creativity from publishers will result in some gorgeous greeting card ‘Crown Jewels’ being on display at PG Live before being delivered to the Queen at Buckingham Palace.”

There is no size restriction for the cards, but each should be accompanied by an envelope. The signed cards should not be supplied in sealed envelopes to allow for them to go on display first at PG Live.

All cards, those signed by publishers as well as blank versions should be sent to the GCA, Cards for the Queen, United House, North Road, London N7 9DP to arrive no later than Monday 30 May. This year’s Cards for the Queen Platinum Jubilee initiative follows in the footsteps of similar projects in 2012 and 2016 at PG Live to mark Her Majesty’s Diamond Jubilee and her 90th birthday, that were very successful.

Left: Wendy Jones-Blackett has already

Jess’ jubilance about licensing deal Jessica Hogarth is in full on jubilee mood having forged a licensing partnership with Temple Island Collection for a tea towel, bone china mug, ceramic coaster, magnet and keyring collection in her distinctive illustrative style, which complements the London scenes cards she already publishes.

Having worked with Temple Island previously, Jessica knew it would be a good fit when the company approached her about licensing some Jubilee designs back in February 2020: “Cue Covid and lockdowns which inevitably meant that things didn’t get going as quickly as planned. I’m delighted to now be developing work with them for multiple projects and the Jubilee collection is the second one to launch,” said Jessica.

As well as stocking the full range (left) in her own shop, in Robin Hood’s Bay, Jessica is supporting The Queen’s Green Canopy Plant A Tree For The Jubilee initiative, by donating £1 from her own sales of each tea towel and mug.

Greeting card retailers all over the UK are pulling out the stops to mark the celebrations for Her Majesty The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee.

At Red Card in Petworth, owner Sally Matson is all set to embrace the four-day village celebrations - including beacon lighting, a church service, a big screen showing of the Buckingham Palace concert, and a big lunch with gusto, her shop’s jubilee window display is already in situ along with a celebrations and souvenirs wall.

“It’s really exciting to have such a special occasion to celebrate after a really challenging couple of years. We’ve found some fabulous products from many different companies,” Sally told PG. “The most popular thing so far has been the gorgeous fabric crown and Union Jack bunting from Powell Craft. Made in India, it’s really beautiful and can be used for all royal celebrations in years to come. Talking Tables has done a good range of tableware and decorations and we have also bought lovely souvenirs from various other companies.”

At Cardies in Stevenage, owner Jo Sorrell has been busy recycling plastic pop bottles into glorious crowns which bring a flavour of traditional pomp to the high street.

And Jo has enlisted her auntie Pamela and her friends who have been busily knitting and crocheting fabulous Royal-themed post box toppers.

As Jo explained: “We’ve been busy upcycling old pop bottles into glorious crowns to decorate our railings and High Street in partnership with Caroline Moody, the amazing landlady of Old Town Bar, the pub directly opposite the shop.”

Top: Wonder wall - Red Card’s window display and instore offer.

Above: Crowning glory - Jo’s upcycled pop bottle street decorations.

Below: Top of the box - Auntie Pamela’s knitted wonder.

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NEWS Going Local

TOP STORY

Refinancing sees Card Factory shares soar

Below: Greetings giant aims to transition to omni-channel retailer.

Below left: Card Factory’s CEO Darcy Willson-Rymer announced the refinancing deal.

Debt reduction marks “significant milestone’ for specialist Shares in Card Factory jumped 32.8% after the UK’s largest specialist greeting card retailer completed its refinancing with its current banking syndicate, and used positive cash flows to reduce its net debt to £79million.

With more than 1,000 stores in the UK, Card Factory has revealed that it has agreed revised terms for reduced debt facilities of £150m, down from £225m, as a result of the progress it has made using cash flows to cut debt.

Card Factory’s chief executive Darcy Willson-Rymer said: “I am pleased to be able to announce the successful completion of Card Factory's refinancing. This is an important milestone for our business, ensuring we have the financial foundations in place to capitalise on the opportunities ahead.”

Darcy said that the refinancing means the retailer is “now well positioned” to continue its “strategic transition from a store-led card retailer to a market-leading omnichannel retailer of cards and gifts. I look forward to updating you on our progress at our full year results next month.”

The listed company said the commitment to its banks of raising net equity proceeds of £70m by July 30 has been removed from the revised facilities, and the announcement added: “The board has no current intention of completing an equity raise.”

Having been appointed in March 2021, Darcy led a full review of the business and in October announced the plans to transition Card Factory’s offer.

He said: “While cards will remain the largest part of our business, we will substantially increase our focus on the complementary gifting and party markets, enhancing our customer offer and significantly increasing the size of our addressable market.”

Nottingham to host GCA Conference and AGM

Having been trialled by members in South London and Manchester a few months ago, the first official GCA Local event was held in Loughborough recently, instigated by Mark Callaby, co-owner of Ohh Deer and GCA Council member.

Joining Mark and the GCA’s ceo Amanda Fergusson at the recent meet up at the Needle & Pin pub, were representatives from Dandelion Stationery, Molly Mae, Sarah Boddy, Urghh Design, Not At All Jack and The Art File.

As Amanda explained: “GCA Local events are about meeting up to chat about cards over a cup of coffee, or a drink after work. These are solely networking events and not a selling opportunity, it’s about

sharing ideas and also feeding back to the GCA about issues where support is needed.”

There is small cost to attend a GCA Local event, which is used to secure the venue while also providing attendees with a drink on arrival.

As PG went to press other GCA Local events were due to take place in Bristol and central London. All the Locals are featured on a blog on the GCA website.

Above: Informal networking - the first GCA Local event in Loughborough. (Left-right) Amanda Fergusson, GCA; Victoria Hawley, Molly Mae; Sarah Boddy; Jude Kenney, Molly Mae; Mark Callaby, Ohh Deer; Jo & Paul Wilson, Dandelion Stationery and James Mace, The Art File.

Nottingham is to host this year’s GCA Conference and AGM. It will take place on Thursday 29 September in the city centre’s Trent University.

“Our 500+ members are located throughout the UK, so it is important that our annual Conference and AGM is held in different locations to make them as accessible to all,” stated Amanda Fergusson, ceo of the GCA. Of the agenda for the day’s event, Amanda said: “We will be focusing on the hot topics affecting our industry, sharing the latest market research and, of course, it will be a great opportunity to meet others in the trade and exchange news.”

Some special livery has been created by The Art File to promote the event, as the Nottingham-based publisher was well-placed to tap into the city’s iconic landmarks.

Long-time GCA Council member and former president Ged Mace, managing director of The Art File, elaborated on some of the elements in this year’s Conference branding that was created by the company’s in-house designer Kate Mainard, as well as his personal connection with the venue.

“As a graduate of Nottingham Trent University, I not only took some of my exams in the building where the Conference and AGM will be held, but it was also where I collected my all-important student grant!” shared Ged. Of the bespoke image, he added: “Central to the illustration, Kate has re-created is the Council House, fronted by two lions. It’s a tradition in Nottingham for people on a first date to meet in front of the left lion. It also features A Trip To Jerusalem, supposedly the oldest pub in England; Paul Smith’s flagship store; the city’s working windmill; a tram, and, tying it back to our industry, a post box.”

The Conference and AGM will kick off on September 29 at 10.15am with coffee and will officially finish by 4.30pm. The cost of attending, including lunch, is £80 per person. Places can be booked online via the GCA website (www.gca.cards), which also features a dedicated blog about the event that will be updated on a continual basis as more plans for the day are confirmed.

Above: The GCA’s annual Conference and AGM is set for September 29.

Right: Get together - Nottingham Trent University is in the heart of the city centre

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NEWS Janet Stevens retires

TOP STORY

Hooray For The Henries 2022 The greeting card publishing awards are open for entries The Henries 2022, the ultimate accolades in greeting card publishing, are now open for entries. As ever, entry is free of charge and there is no limit to the number of entries a publisher can submit. The deadline for entering ranges is 15 June 2022.

This year, for the first time, there will be a two-stage judging process. The initial judging stage will take place entirely online (www.thehenriesawards.co.uk), undertaken by an extensive panel of retail buyers who will be invited to judge at least six categories each.

As a result of the judges’ votes, a shortlist of contenders will be arrived at.

Following this, a live judging round of all shortlisted entries will take place, (again

being judged entirely by retailers) for which publishers will be asked to supply actual physical card samples. These will be mounted on boards and presented to the judges with their votes deciding the finalists and winner in all the product and Best Young Designer categories.

“The two-stage hybrid approach to The Henries judging process this year provides the best of both worlds. The online submission means that the retail judges can carefully consider the entries over a number of weeks, but then can also enjoy seeing the shortlisted ranges

Above: All entries should be submitted online via a portal on The Henries website.

Below: The 2021 Henries winners…what ranges will triumph this year?

in the flesh with many of their retailing peers at an in-person Henries judging event, something that has not happened since 2019!” commented Jakki Brown, managing director of Max Publishing, which owns and organises The Henries.

The Henries 2022 award categories span the whole gamut of greeting card publishing, from humour to cute, art to children’s, Christmas to sentiment. Introduced last year, there is also a Best Diversity and Inclusion Range category, that is sponsored by the GCA. Submissions should be for card ranges that have been launched at retail 15 June 202115 June 2022 or for new designs to an existing range launched in that period. In the Best Spring Seasons Range category, for this year only, due to the knock-on effects of the pandemic, all Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day, Easter and Father’s Day greeting card ranges that have been launched into UK retail (bricks and mortar and/or online) between 15 June 2020 and 15 June 2022 can be entered. This two-year window accommodates those publishers who carried forward Spring Seasons ranges. Entries for this category should be event-specific, ie publishers should submit a separate entry for Valentine’s Day, a separate entry for Mother’s Day etc.

The Henries 2022 Awards ‘Big Night’ The Henries awards event is the industry’s ‘big night’. It is a fabulous opportunity for the greeting card community to get together and celebrate its creative excellence as well as its strong sense of camaraderie.

Taking place at The Royal Lancaster Hotel in London on Thursday 6 October 2022, The Henries 2022 awards will be jumpin’, especially as it will take on an up-tempo 1950s theme this year!

To book tickets head to www.thehenriesawards.co.uk/tickets/

Fun and laughter are the main things GF Smith’s Janet Stevens is both taking away and leaving behind as she retires from “the best job ever”.

For 15 years as a greeting card consultant at the Hull-based paper company, Janet has been known, loved and respected for helping publishers and printers pick the perfect paper and board for their products from the company’s vast selection, and she’s been particularly good at nurturing newbies.

“It’s been the best job I’ve ever had, working for such a wonderful company with amazing colleagues.

I also feel very grateful and extremely privileged to have been part of the greeting card industry, where I’ve met some incredibly talented and really nice people,” said Janet.

Adding her personal endorsement of Janet’s personality and contribution, GF Smith’s director of sales Abbie Ross said:

“What an absolute pleasure it has been to work with the legend that is Janet Stevens.

Her real and honest approach to work along with a kick-ass sense of humour has made it a total pleasure and lots of fun. So many memories of great events, drinks, dinners and, of course, epic Henries awards ceremonies.”

Above: Janet (fourth right) with industry pals at The Henries last year.

Lark’s store expansion A fast turnaround has seen gift, greeting card and lifestyle retailer Lark open its 10th London store, this time in Chiswick, only 10 days after getting the keys to the new building. What’s more a further four Lark stores are due to open over the next 12 weeks.

Co-owners Priya Aurora-Crowe and her husband Dominic were very busy bees in the few days after picking up the Chiswick store keys, with Dom undertaking all the building work and carpentry himself, while Priya focused on the merchandising and stocking of the shop, which includes Redback Cards, James Ellis, and Tache among its greeting card offer.

“Customer feedback has been absolutely amazing, the Easter weekend was fantastic and Chiswick performed the best out of all our stores,” Priya added about the new store’s reception, Above: Shop assistant Eunice Boka Nlasa at Lark’s new Chiswick store.

FOR THE LATEST NEWS VISIT PGBUZZ.net PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE

15

The GreATesT COLLeCTiOn OF GreeTinG CArDs in The WOrLD

Lots of happy, shiny people are looking forward to PG Live 2022…

“We can hardly wait to visit PG Live this June – great way to celebrate N&Q’s belated 40th anniversary with our UK friends and partners!”

“The PG Live show has such a happy vibe and energy. It is my favourite show of the year. I love that it focuses on just greeting cards and offers a mix of large publishers, established independents and new starters.”

Alan and Vanessa Harnik directors of Notes & Queries USA

SAVE THE DATE Don’t miss PG Live 2022

Tuesday 7 - Wednesday 8 June Business Design Centre, London +44 (0) 7734 111633 www.progressivegreetingslive.com @PGLiveLondon #pglive2022

26_PG_May 2022.indd 1

Georgina Black owner Pretty Shiny Shop London

“I really love Progressive Greetings Live – if you are a retailer reading this and have never visited, I implore you to put it on your list to go. We always come back with new and exciting ranges.”

Maggie Wynn owner Just Cards Honiton

The FuTure OF GreeTinGs Book your frEE TickETS now www.progressivegreetingslive.com

25/04/2022 12:53

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NEWS Pigment sales stars retire

TOP STORY

Cards 2 Confetti Retailer and fellow life boaters drive donations to Ukraine Independent greeting card retailer, Nick O’Brien, the owner of Cards 2 Confetti in Brixham together with five friends has just returned from arguably the most significant drive of his life, delivering two van loads of much needed items into Ukraine, where they were handed over to Star Life Foundation, a well-connected charity who is now distributing them to those in need, including the hard-to-reach locations in the war-torn country.

As well as being an independent card retailer, for the over the last 20 years Nick has been a member of the Torbay RNLI Lifeboat crew.

“We couldn’t just sit back and watch the devastation inflicted on the people of

Ukraine, we felt we just had to do something,” Nick told PG about how he and his fellow Lifeboat volunteers felt about the atrocities in Ukraine. So, together with five of his fellow Lifeboat volunteers, they launched a Ukraine Relief campaign, to collect new and unused goods that are much needed by people in Ukraine. In addition to items, cash donations enabled further goods to be purchased.

Having collected 60 tonnes of donated items, Nick and his five crew mates undertook a 2,700 mile journey there and back in 90 hours, to Chervonograd, 25 miles into Ukraine where the Star Life Foundation has a base.

“Making sure the goods reach those who need them was paramount, hence the reason we worked with the Star Life Foundation, which has 67 offices throughout Ukraine and support from over 6,000 volunteers,” says Nick.

Left: Nick O’Brien (fourth left at rear) with his lifeboat pals and new Ukrainian friends.

Above: Nick has always juggled his time between Cards 2 Confetti and being a RNLI Lifeboat volunteer.

After almost two decades of success as area managers with Pigment Productions, the publisher says it is end of an era as Mandy Harvey and John Kipling have both decided to retire early this summer.

Mandy has been an integral part of Pigment’s growth and a much-loved colleague and friend.

Having started her career as a merchandiser with Hanson White, Mandy is well-known and respected throughout the industry, making many life-long friends along the way - whoever takes her place at Pigment will have some serious high-heeled dancing shoes to fill!

After nearly 20 years as Pigment’s northeast area manager, John has decided he wants to spend more time enjoying his hobbies of fishing, walking the dog and photographing his beloved Yorkshire or “God’s Own Country”, as he’s fond of reminding everyone. John’s great sense of humour and friendly banter will be missed by colleagues and customers alike.

Steve Baker, Pigment’s sales and marketing director, said: “It’s a double whammy that both John and Mandy are leaving around the same time and we’re going to miss them both so much. They have both been brilliant work colleagues and wonderful personal friends, and will be sorely missed by us all! However, as always, it’s a fantastic time of opportunity for us to bring fresh faces into our team.”

Above: Pigment wishes John and Mandy a happy retirement.

Online growth forecast for Funkypigeon WHSmith is back in the black and is anticipating growth from Funkypigeon.com, its online print on demand greeting card arm.

The retail group’s recent interim results announcement covered the six months to 28 February 2022, and showed profit before tax and underlying items hit £14million, rebounding from a £19m loss a year ago.

The 230-year-old retailer’s travel arm has bounced back to a total £10m profit in the period with sales more than doubling to £338m after it was hit hard by the pandemic due to lockdowns and the work from home culture when it fell into a £28m loss in 2021, and it now plans to ramp up its travel stores with 125 new stores in the pipeline, including in North America and 31 in Spain.

And, while sales in its High Street locations sales remained flat, trading profit in the division rose 8.3% to £26m, with group chief executive Carl Cowling commenting: “Our High Street business delivered a resilient and profitable Above: WHS back in profit.

Left: Funkypigeon.com is performance in the period, despite the challenges facing the UK High Street.”

Regarding Funkypigeon.com, Carl added: “During the period, our online businesses continued to perform well against a expected to grow significantly strong pandemic-related performance in the prior year. “ In its announcement, WHS recognised that the UK greeting card market is “substantial” and “stable”, worth £1.7billion with British adults sending on average 20 cards per person each year.

It forecasts the current estimated online penetration of around 15% to grow to circa 20% of the card market by 2024 thanks to online growth of single card sales over the next three years. While the pandemic accelerated the growth of online shopping, WHS said it is apparent this is still an underpenetrated market, with plenty of opportunity to develop business further and see significant growth opportunities with Funkypigeon.com. The company has developed its Funkypigeon.com app to improve customer conversion by extending the fulfilment centre, and has also launched a new next-day delivery service, which operates seven days a week.

Following a very strong prior year and a period of exceptional growth, Funkypigeon.com delivered total revenue of £21m (2021: £29m) and EBITDA of £4m (2021: £9m).

FOR THE LATEST NEWS VISIT PGBUZZ.net PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE

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OVER THE

COUNTER

BY DAVID ROBERTSON OF JP POZZI, ELGIN AND BUCKIE.

Mind over

Matter?

With so many of us reeling from rising costs, falling footfall, staff challenges, changes to the retail landscape… on top of things going on in our own personal lives and the world at large, our grey matter is being put to the test.

With a baby’s imminent arrival, the fragility of life brought to the fore by the passing of two industry icons and all the think tanks and meetings I have attended recently, my brain has never been busier. Here is this month’s ‘brain dump’!

Busy minds think about big topics, none more so than life and death.

In recent weeks sadly our industry has been rocked by the passing of Deborah Jones, the artist behind Forever Friends and of course David Hicks, the founder of Really Good and Soul.

When we started in business 34 years ago Forever Friends was a must have product. I can clearly remember ordering everything from stationery to school bags and of course the greeting cards. The ‘Brownsword bears’ helped build a company that reached dizzying heights and Cardsharp’s column in last month’s PG perfectly framed the history of this iconic brand in UK greeting card landscape.

David Hicks has also rightly been classed as a legend in cards and gifts and not surprisingly there have been many glowing tributes shared.

Really Good’s Bright Side Man Tin was of course was a recent phenomenal product, but it was the Not Particularly Orange postcards, that is my first memory of David.

Loss is of course part of life. In contrast, as I write this, in eight weeks today my first child is due to arrive. I think it is fair to say I am in for a shock.

Our greeting card industry is of course built on these notable events. It is all about celebrating, remembering and sympathising.

With my imminent arrival I have been thinking long and hard about business and the retailing landscape.

Perhaps some of the meetings I have attended in the last few weeks are making me question everything even more.

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PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE

A case in point, I was invited to meet our local MSP and other members of the Scottish Parliament to discuss a Just Transition. This document is focused on the move towards Carbon Zero and acknowledges the mistakes of the past. It wants to avoid creating ghost towns and leaving workers and families behind in the race to rid ourselves of oil, gas and anything else that doesn’t fit the new hot topic.

The easiest way to relate to it is the coal miners and the ‘pit towns’ that were abandoned as the men and coal were discarded.

I then went on from this meeting to one about The Right Change to Retail Strategy. This Scottish Government document was also supplemented with a local 156-page retail strategy. Attendance at both meetings was average at best and sadly it was the same faces who always tend to support and discuss these and other issues who were present. I am not sure if it is apathy, nervousness or just a lack of interest/care that stops people turning up.

What becomes clearer with every weighty document is the people writing them, the people formulating the ideas, the people trying to highlight the need for change have in fact invariably never done what we do. They have never paid a wage, created a job or risked not having a monthly amount of money to pay their bills.

In some ways it is like a group of football players being managed by someone who didn’t play the game. That manager will have to work a lot harder and prove a lot more in terms of success to gain the trust of those that are actually doing it.

We are the players. We are kicking that ball. We are living the 90 mins of retail, except our game doesn’t ever really end.

Continuing the analogy, my team, Manchester United has just announced its new manager and like every city centre it too needs to regenerate.

Top left: The workings of the brain have yet to be fully understood by David Robertson, and everybody else for that matter!

Above: Few ranges will ever make the same level of impact on the card racks as Forever Friends did.

Left: Indies are key players in the beautiful game of retailing.

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OVER THE COUNTER Town centres the length of the country are putting new plans in place to make the difference. They are desperately trying to save themselves from becoming irrelevant, but when you see iconic buildings such as HMV Oxford Street shop become American Candy stores, I do worry.

Today I was asked to give an opinion on plans for a city centre redevelopment of an old department store. This local town centre had secured nearly £3 million of funds to turn this building back into a key venue. It sits proudly in the centre of the town square and at one time was a fantastic UKG account. Now the local group is setting about turning it into a cinema, coffee shop, communal class space with retail.

One of the committee members asked my advice about what they should do with the retail side. While I was flattered to be asked for my feedback and input, at the back of my mind I sensed that the retail aspect of the redevelopment was at best an after thought with little idea of what to do with it. They didn’t have a clear strategy for it. They hadn’t thought about leasing the space or how retail would work with the larger building or even if there would be any call for it. It annoyed me that like so many of these projects and documents, retail is shoved in some way at the end rather than being seen as an important element.

Left: Micro-chips under the skin could do away with money and credit cards, with the technology Walletmor is proposing.

Below: Not long now until David Robertson’s life will change forever.

Below left: David Robertson (right) at The Greats 2018 with fellow Scottish indies from The Gift in Beauly.

success. Their belief is that that they will be rewarded in some way for their decisions.

Fair work - reduce workbased poverty

impact of what is already there for over 15 years and guess what, whenever there is a new development on the outskirts it is approved. You only need to look at the amount of empty concrete centres in town centres that are now trying to be repurposed or knocked down to realise that new and shiny wins and if new and shiny has solar panels and is carbon neutral, it wins even more.

Online sales tax The vast majority of us retailers have tried to go online in some way although we will probably never reach the volume that would mean this tax will be an issue, in my mind we simply can’t compete with the main online operators. I believe that the only thing we can do is make the shopping experience so good that the consumer opts to shop with us in store. Any online sales for me are a bonus. And what are the government going to do with the tax? Please give it to us bricks and mortar retailers especially as shortly in Scotland we will be back to paying full rates.

Traffic in town centres

My brain is still buzzing with the overload from my recent meetings, distilling some of the most talked about elements, a few of which are the following…

City/town centre first This is supposed to be the priority, yet permissions are increasingly being granted for more and more on the edges of towns and cities.

I have been speaking about ‘town centre first’ and looking at the economic

There is a lot of chat around upskilling to retain jobs. One interesting theory is that selfscanning could rid retail of one of its largest costs - people.

British/Polish firm Walletmor is now offering under the skin microchips so that you can literally pay for your coffee, taxi or train by scanning your arm. Science fiction that is now science fact!

In essence reducing car use is great if you live in major areas with good and quick connectivity. It doesn’t work though in small local areas where the convenience of having your own car wins.

There should be more emphasis on encouraging people to live in town centres again by redeveloping buildings and upper levels into housing.

Incentivising entrepreneurship I have never met an entrepreneur that has needed to be incentivised. We can be tempted to do things if the conditions and costs are favourable, but every entrepreneur that I know makes decisions based on

And sticking with science fact, with it now less than two months until I become a father, I have been thinking what my legacy will be? It is a difficult question as we don’t get to look back and write our own story once we are gone. That story is written by our actions and decisions and we have to hope that it is as bold and shiny as a Bright Side tin or as lovingly thought of as a cute Forever Friends bear.

Ultimately will any of our stores be remembered as anything more than a local institution? I can think of lots of shops that have come and gone and are spoken about in the ‘do you remember them?’ tones, although I do hope that our Pozzis business, with its 110+ years heritage will live on forever.

However, one of the bigger questions that keeps me awake at night is not will my child take over running my shops, but will he/she even be shopping at all? Now that’s something to keep our brains busy, that’s for sure.

To contact David email: jppozzi@btconnect.com PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE

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cardsharp

No Stamp Of Approval Royal Mail is integral to the UK greeting card industry, reflects Cardsharp. Without being able to send a greeting card to the recipient easily, affordably and punctually to arrive on that special day, the industry’s very reason for its existence is significantly negated.

At a time when the GCA is fighting the industry’s corner to safeguard the six day a week postal delivery service, Cardsharp examines the historic intertwined relationship with Royal Mail.

Although the Royal Mail courier service predates greeting cards and goes back to the reign of Henry VIII in 1516, it is fair to say that the Royal Mail and the greeting card industry have historically enjoyed a symbiotic relationship with benefits enjoyed by both parties, as they should in any good relationship.

Indeed, Sir Henry Cole - the pioneer of the first commercial Christmas card (and namesake of The Henries greeting card awards), assisted Sir Roland Hill, in the introduction of the Penny Post in 1840 and the famous Penny Black stamp - realised that without a cheap and efficient postal system, greeting card sending would never take off. And ever since then, the two sides have been almost joined at the hip. This success meant that a similar model took off all around the world and as we were the first in on the act, Britain is the only country that does not bear the name of the country on its stamps.

As well as being heavily involved in the greeting card industry for over 30 years, Cardsharp has his own very personal relationship with Royal Mail. As a child he was a keen philatelist aka a stamp collector and has rediscovered this nerdish hobby with a passion in the last five years. In fact,

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PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE

Cardsharp could bore (over a beer or two) all about the history of British Empire stamps of the George VI era.

Historically the Royal Mail and the Post Office have been very supportive of the greeting card industry, understanding the mutual dependency. In the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s it invested in advertising campaigns to promote greeting card sending, most notably to promote Spring Seasons. This was for selfinterest, recognising it made the thud of bills and promotional mail that landed on the doormat much more interesting and acceptable to members of the public. After all, what is more thrilling to receive a good wish from someone that cares among all the statements telling you how much you owe them?!

In those days, as in Sir Henry Cole’s and indeed Henry Eighth’s time, Royal Mail was nationalised as part of the Post Office.

Although industrial relations were often troublesome (there was a strike causing a two-month suspension of service in 1971 and another national strike by Post Office workers

Above: Royal Mail and the greeting card industry have enjoyed a symbiotic relationship for years…but the romance needs rekindling.

Below: What we need is Postman Pat and his black and white cat to work some magic.

Below left: Sir Henry Cole was the assistant to Rowland Hill on the Penny Post’s inbtroduction.

in 1988), there was generally a good service as well as a sense of duty and pride among employees.

It was not called Royal Mail for nothing. First Class post generally meant next day delivery. The cost of a stamp, especially compared with the cost of a greeting card, was generally cheap.

This all helped the greeting card industry grow rapidly in the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s.

In the early 1990s, the Conservative government, under PM John Major, moved towards privatisation, only to back down due to opposition from its own MPs. Various changes did take place though. In 2001, an ill-considered name change from Royal Mail to Consignia was soon

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abandoned, having proved highly unpopular with both employees and the public.

And then to add insult to injury in 2004, the much loved ‘Second Post’ that arrived late morning was abolished. A couple of years later Royal Mail lost its 350year historical monopoly on postal delivery.

Then in 2011 Royal Mail finally succumbed to the trend for economic liberalism with the Postal Service Act, which led to the private stock market flotation in 2013.

Coinciding with these events, new letter sorting machinery purchased from Germany to increase efficiency, led the Royal Mail management to embark on a move to implement size-based pricing. All well and good reflected Cardsharp, until it was realised this new machinery did not recognise letters with equal dimensions both horizontally and vertically, meaning they were still sorted by hand, which added to the cost. This signalled that posting square greeting cards could be subject to a postal surcharge in the UK as they were in the several other countries around the world, Germany for starters. It was largely due to tenacious lobbying by the Greeting Card Association that stopped this happening as well as sparing small cards from being ousted by Royal Mail under the much discussed adoption of Pricing in Proportion (PIP) postal tariff. The main argument, which was potently delivered by Paul Woodmansterne (GCA president at the time) was that penalising square cards and small formats would stifle the innovation in the UK’s world leading greeting card industry, surely something Royal Mail would not want on its report card. As part of the trade off, and in an effort to minimise consumer confusion inherent with such a change to the UK’s postal charge structure, the GCA set to in coming up with standard logos (that Hallmark devised) that all UK greeting card publishers and others could use on their products to easily communicate whether the card could be posted using a standard stamp or necessitate using a higher priced ‘Large Letter’ one if going through the postal system.

Left: The Penny Black was the way forward for regular affordable post.

Below right: Thankfully handsorting means that square cards and small cards were not penalised when PiP was introduced in 2006.

Below left: The industry needs to know it can rely on a First Class servive from Royal Mail.

Cardsharp clearly remembers all the hoo-ha PiP’s imposition caused at the time, coming into effect in August 2006, though it has been pretty much accepted by the greeting card industry and the UK consumer over time.

Not so the huge drop in service though, reflects Cardsharp, observing that the term ‘First Class’ now means very little.

Some days there seem to be no deliveries, and the next day a bewildering large pile.

As a magazine publisher this is a common occurrence at ‘PG Towers’ by all accounts. An irritated reader will rightly complain that they have not received their monthly copy of PG, only for a check to reveal it was dispatched eight days previously. Covid could be used as an excuse a year ago, but not now, and Cardsharp sees little sign of improvement.

And at the start of April, rather sneakily, Royal Mail imposed a 10p increase in the cost of a First Class stamp, taking it to 95p. That’s nearly a quid, more than the cost of many a card bought in the likes of Card Factory, and almost the same price as McDonald’s cheapest burger!

Royal Mail justifies this recent increase on a long-term decline in letter usage. Its CEO Nick Landon states, “We need to carefully balance our pricing against decreasing letter volumes”. But Cardsharp recalls that in 2004 when volumes were at their peak, a first-class stamp was just 28p!

It is obvious that texts and emails are cheap and immediate and would have led to a decline in postal usage what ever happened, but Royal Mail’s recent policy has certainly exacerbated this trend. All this would become evident when stamp prices were no longer governed by the postal regulator and subsequently the price of a stamp has tripled and the service has deteriorated.

Cardsharp thinks this has already had a terrible negative on our industry. And if it continues this trend, taken to the extreme greeting card posting could become the preserve of the middle class and the older generation. To Cardsharp’s mind, the now

privatised Royal Mail is seemingly not as committed to letter post, let alone the greeting card industry as it should be. While quite rightly the GCA is packing the punches in the support of our industry, the easy reading between the lines is that Royal Mail’s head has somewhat been turned to the more profitable parcel delivery market.

While it looks like the GCA has quashed the ‘swear words’ of a move to a three day week postal delivery, there could still be trouble ahead. There are loud rumours rumbling that the Saturday delivery could be sacrificed, or only saved by a premium price being imposed for a guaranteed weekend delivery. But what is the now current 95p stamp price if not a premium price?

Cardsharp by nature is not a great fan of state-owned industries, but it is hard not to come to the conclusion that Royal Mail privatisation has been a disaster for the consumer and the UK greeting card industry.

Back in 1913, the British prime minister, Herbert ‘Squiffy’ Asquith, would send a letter to his mistress by post in the morning suggesting an evening assignation. He would then receive a return letter from her by the late afternoon.

Lucky old Squiffy! These days he would be lucky to get a reply four days later. By that time, I am sure his ardour would have cooled! That’s progress for you!

In the meantime, Cardsharp will console himself by perusing his beloved stamp collection, reminding himself of the time when the UK postal service was the envy of the world.

PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE

21

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VIEWPOINTS

A juicy

first quarter?

On the back of what was a good Christmas period for many independent card retailers, there were high hopes for the first quarter of this year, but that was before the spiralling cost of living really started hitting people’s pockets.

With three of the 2022 Spring Seasons events ticked off the calendar, PG checked in with some leading indies for their trading reports.

Above: Some retailers are finding trade juicier than others.

Mark Janson-Smith

managing director of Postmark, six shops in south and west London “Our sales were 20% up on the first quarter of 2022 compared to 2020 and 16% up on 2019’s first three months. The working from home trend is still benefitting us though the retail price rises also account for some of this year’s increase. Not sure though how much further we can push these prices up without a backlash from the consumer. I think we are reaching a ceiling price point wise.”

Below: Part of Postmark’s Easter marketing.

Mark Rees

owner of Penmark/Henry & Co “It is very tough at retail right now. We were trading circa 3.5% down for the first quarter of this year.

Mother’s Day was disappointing for us overall with sales for the two weeks prior down 10%.

With the cost of living crisis and the war in Ukraine I think people are battening down the hatches and non-essential spend will more than likely suffer as a result.

I was feeling positive after our Christmas trade, but am feeling a little less confident as we go into the summer trading period. Having said that, the business has plenty to be excited about as we will be refitting two stores in April/May and another one in June. Our Henry & Co stores continue to outperform the existing estate, which I guess proves that if the model is right, shoppers will come and spend!”

Above: The Henry & Co shop in Ormskirk.

Right: Mark Rees holding Penmark’s winning Retas 2021 trophy.

Penny Bailey

co-owner of Bailey’s, Ainsdale, Crosby and Maghull “I am cautiously optimistic about this second quarter, based on our performance in the first quarter of this year, Strangely, it felt very quiet earlier in the year although the takings say otherwise and Above: Penny Bailey (left) with we have, mostly, met our targets.

Paper Salad’s co-owner Karen I think it's because over the last couple of Wilson at PG Live 2021. years we had such hectic periods of being open, then closed, then open PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE

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VIEWPOINTS again, followed by the crazy Christmas period. That buzz and almost manic feeling has calmed down and although footfall may be down a little, the average spend is up.

Our customers tell us we are a little bit different so I think, and I hope, that's what keeps them coming back.

The main challenge for me has been getting stock, particularly for our gifting ranges. Some orders placed at Spring Fair for the Spring/Summer season have only just arrived or are still to arrive, which, although I understand all the constraints, is a little disappointing, especially as those goods missed Mother's Day. Luckily, I'd placed some orders from current suppliers before Spring Fair, to fill gaps and bring newness post-Christmas, which have served us well.

Our greeting card suppliers have been great. I have had no issues with supplies and am so excited by many of the new ranges.

I just wish I had room for more.

We have been pleased with the Spring Seasons trade though it is a little tricky to comment on Easter, as despite having three shops, and Crosby now being three years old, we've only ever had an Easter in our Ainsdale shop!”

Above: One of the Rosie Made a Thing mugs from Mclaggan Smith that chimes with Bailey’s customers.

Stuart Delahoy

owner, Set in Leicester

Philip Nield

co-owner of Reflections in Nantwich and Rugeley “Trade’s been good in the first quarter, but not reached the same levels as the phenomenal Christmas performance we enjoyed.

Our Valentine’s Day sales were on a par with 2020 while we were slightly up on Mother’s Day and Easter.

However, we were not disappointed by this, especially as our everyday sales improved in the second half of the first quarter when footfall was definitely on the up.

All the doom and gloom in the news is not helping, but people who do come in are responding positively to our product selection.

We have been doing very well with UKG, Little Dog Laughed, Alex Clark, Second Nature and The Art File, while our introduction of additional chocolate brands to sell alongside Thorntons has proved successful. For Q2 we have high hopes for Special Delivery Cards, The Alternative Image Company and Hype that we are stocking for the first time, plus are awaiting the arrival of an impressive gold ice cream freezer from Carte D’or which I feel sure will work well.”

Above: Spring is in full bloom at Reflections.

Left: Reflections’ customers are responding well to its greeting card selection.

Below: Stuart Delahoy reports “pretty solid” sales in Q1.

“Our card sales for the first quarter have been pretty solid, but we’re still suffering from a lack of footfall in the city centre, and I think that might be typical for a lot of city centre shops.

With cards it’s bums on seats, if you sell a card to every third person in the shop you need people in the shop, but we’ve done OK. On card buying patterns, people are definitely going early and being more organised. This started with Christmas when we found our best card sales were in November and this pattern carried through to Mother’s Day. Now we’re having a little bit of a card sale to make the most of the lull before Father’s Day. We have permanent displays and also an occasion wall so with no events we’re trying to move older stock in time for Father’s Day.”

Sally Matson

owner of Red Card, Petworth “Our first birthday in the new double-sized premises was 12 April, consequently, all our sales since opening have been up on previous years by quite some margin.

Our greeting card sales have been extraordinary right through from the start of January. We had a record Valentine’s Day, Mothering Sunday and Easter.

We have noticed people are definitely buying seasonal cards and gifts earlier, and I think this is partly due to the pandemic - people feel uncertain about when things may be available in the future so they buy when they see it, but that said you always have the last-minute purchasers!

We’re not usually open on Sundays but opened for the day before Valentine’s Day and on Mothering Sunday and did a roaring trade for both events.

So, spring seasons have been amazing for us even with the pandemic and the war. The shop is thriving, but we don’t take this for granted. We will keep working hard to fill the shop with beautiful cards and gifts at the right prices.”

Right: One of the Mother’s Day windows in Red Card.

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VIEWPOINTS Hannah Rudder

co-owner of Dee’s Cards, Leighton Buzzard “Our greeting card sales have been up this year by about 15% which is great! On Mother’s Day alone our sales were up by 5% while our Easter sales were up around 25% up compared to April 2019, which is wonderful news!

This increase could be down to a couple of factors. The first could be that this is the earliest we have ever put our Easter display out. They were on sale for almost eight weeks. This made customers buy earlier than they normally would and when they did run out of their multi-packs they had time to buy more and still had time to post them.

Also, our high street is no longer pedestrianised on non-market days, so the buses that bring people in are now finding it a lot easier to come in town and shop on the local high street.

There are definitely changes in buying habits. Customers are more organised, they are buying a lot earlier than they normally do, no leaving it to the last minute. They will buy two or three months in advance so they are coming in less frequently but buying more when they visit.

We are feeling really positive about the second quarter. Every month our sales seem to be up so we are very optimistic. A lot of our customers buy a lot of cards so it’s great to be able to get new designs in and just keep the shop looking full and up to date. Our blank card selection has been extended and so have our occasions and relations so we are giving our customers more choice than they’ve ever had. The feedback we receive is really positive so we must be doing something right!

Just a note of caution, with the current hike in energy and household bills this may impact on retail sales but the greeting card industry has proved to be very resilient so we will be keeping our fingers crossed that it will be another successful year.”

Above right: Putting Easter cards out early worked well for Dees Cards.

Left: The Dees’ card sales being up by 15% is good reason for co-owners Hannah Rudder and Paul Mordecai to jump for joy!

Jo Barber

owner, No14 Ampthill

Sean Austin

owner of Austin & Co, Malvern “Turnover is vanity, profit is sanity, but cash is king. To look at how well we've done in the past quarter means we have to go way back to 2019 as, in 2020, we were just beginning to see the early impacts of Covid on the business, and we were in full lockdown in 2021.

Turnover has certainly returned to pre-pandemic levels, but then prices have gone up too so this gives a false positive. What I'm happy with, though, is that through cautious and prudent buying during the past months, profit has increased too over 2019 levels.

And, if we take the measures of success away from the accounting sheet, we had the best day ever for the total of cards sold in a day during this period.

Mother's Day profits were on a par with 2019 and you can't ask for more than that. Despite talk of rising inflation, energy and fuel costs, a card for your mum is still priority for many customers - and a nice card at that.

In addition to new titles, it was also a case of clearing through what cards had been bought for the 2021 event but we were very happy how certain lines sold through.”

Above: Austin & Co’s inventive Valentine’s window which is a recreation of a Dandelion Stationery card.

Right: Sean Austin is happy that old stock has cleared through.

“Card sales in Q1 grew at a rate we’ve never seen before. This was partly due to a new housing development nearby, coupled with an incredible Valentine’s and Mother’s Day. A stand out for us was Mother’s Day, which was fabulous. The lead-up was incredible. Our Mother’s Day cards began selling online before they reached the shelves in the shop. This year, as the day fell later in the month, we put our cards out the day after Valentine’s and they started selling immediately. We ended up pretty much selling out of cards, customer spend was much higher than usual, the shop was buzzing and we had a record-breaking Saturday prior to the actual day.

This Easter made up for previous years, in that we had a lot of unsold cards from lockdown Easters and they pretty much sold out. We benefitted from stronger margins as wholesale prices had increased since ordering and the warm weather leading up to Easter produced a strong turnout and a huge ‘feelgood’ factor.

Generally, customers are spending more time perusing cards but we’re becoming very mindful of price points. I’ve stopped buying any cards that retail over £3.95. The main reason being that they started to make us look expensive as there are so many beautiful ranges which retail around £3.50 or less. I feel some publishers may need to look at their more expensive ranges, the most recent price increase may have pushed them out of reach.”

Above right: On top of the early buyers, No.14 sold a record number of Valentine’s Day cards on the day itself.

Above: Jo Barber with her Retas 2021 trophy.

PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE

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25/04/2022 12:55

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In Tribute to... David Hicks

Left: David Hicks in front of Penelope, the boat he and his wife Nicole lived on, moored on the Thames in London’s Wandsworth.

A Really Good Bloke David Hicks, founder of Really Good and Soul, who sadly died recently, was a true ‘one off’. He was great friend to many and inspiration to everyone who had the good fortune to meet him. David most definitely made the most of his life, but the cruelty of Motor Neurone Disease cut it too short.

Here PG shares just a fraction of the tributes that have flooded in to pay respects to a true industry legend who was a really good bloke.

David will always be remembered for lots of reasons - his character, his wicked sense of humour, his vision, his entrepreneurial talents, his principles, his dress sense, his love of travel, photography, food, but most of all his love of people and interest in their lives.

Having “stumbled by accident” into the greeting card industry in the late 1980s, David did things his way right from the off, something that was to continue right to the end. The Really Good Card Company, David’s first publishing venture, made its mark initially with postcards featuring the cartoons of Robert Duncan, published under the typically oblique range name of Not Particularly Orange. This led onto a vast array of over 250 greeting card ranges.

Above left: Always his own man!

Above right: One of the many Not Particularly Orange designs by Robert Duncan that Really Good published.

Above: David having his locks cut at Spring Fair when Happy Helalumps was in its heyday.

While not a designer himself, as a publisher they all had the David Hicks touch, adhering to his mantra of having to be different from what was on the market - no ‘me toos’ for him, that was for sure.

While some of these were incredibly successful, most notably Happy Hefalumps, Edward Monkton and Bright Side - by David’s own admission “I have also published some awful failures, but they were always a bit different!”

The expansion sideways for both Really Good and Soul (which launched as a sibling brand in 1997) from cards into gifts provided another avenue for David’s entrepreneurial nous to come into play - only he could have come up with the idea for a ‘Man Tin’ of which an astonishing three quarters of a million were sold over a five year period.

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In Tribute to... David Hicks

Always one to see the bigger picture, standing up for things he believed in, David was a leading light in the complete reformation of what is now the Greeting Card Association some 25 years ago, making it relevant and invaluable to newbie publishers, recognising them as the lifeblood of our industry with their new design approaches that are relevant to the ever evolving tastes of the card buying public.

While David took the decision to close down both Really Good and Soul in 2019, with the intention of spending more time travelling and on his photography, he retained strong links with his many friends in the industry.

It was less than a year ago that David was diagnosed with Motor Neurone Disease. Aware that his health would deteriorate rapidly, in true David fashion, he made no secret of the fact that when the time came, he would be going to Switzerland to control the inevitable.

Sadly, that time came at the start of last month.

David received two industry Honorary Achievement Awards, one in recognition of his contribution to the greeting card industry presented at The Henries in 1997, the other for his achievements in the gift arena at The Greats in 2017, but he will most certainly never be forgotten.

Mike Gray, managing director of MEG “It was circa 1990 that I first met David, we both remembered the meeting - Athena in Park Street in Bristol. I was merchandising stock and there was a scruffy guy - jeans, T shirt and long hair - lovingly tending to his postcards. “Are you with The Really Good Card Company?” I asked, only for David to uncoil to his full 6ft something, thrust out his hand and with a beaming smile, proudly declare “No, I am The Really Good Card Company!”

Little did I know then, that five years later, I would find myself working with David and embarking on a friendship of a lifetime.

I look back on those years as some of the

most exciting of my life; I remember the unbelievably funny times we shared, working our socks off but partying equally as hard with a wonderful group of colleagues as David began to make his indelible mark on the industry.

Anybody who knew David would be well aware of his easy wit and love of a wind-up and, on more than one of the many business trips we would take together, my first job would be to buy replacement buttons for a shirt, shoelaces or even boxer shorts, as David had inevitably managed to hack into my luggage and wreak havoc with a pair of scissors. Still, to this day, I don’t think he completely thought through the Above left: At The Henries with PG’s Warren Lomax.

Above right: Mike Gray with his best man, David Hicks at his wedding.

Far left: The message David asked his wife Nicole to post on Facebook to announce his death.

Left: (left-right) Happy Hefalumps, Edward Monkton and Bright Side, were a trio of successes for Really Good.

Nicole Mendelsohn, David’s wife remembers meeting him for the first time, at a ‘Brits night out’ convened during the New York Stationery Show, when she was working in the creative team of The Almanac Gallery.

“If it weren't for Nick Adsett [then creative director of GBCC], I would never have met David. Nick took me along to a dinner in New York and I sat opposite David. We talked all night and we knew straightaway that there was a connection. I remember thinking that I'd met a real maverick, and I loved that about him. Two a half years later we met again in my role as artist agent. We married four years later. I wish we could have shared more of our lives together, but I will be eternally grateful for the time I did have with him. David was a wonderful, kind, inspirational human and he will be in my heart and thoughts forever.”

Right: David and Nicole shortly before he died.

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In Tribute to... David Hicks

Wendy and Steve JonesBlackett, co-owners of Wendy Jones-Blackett

Ged Mace, managing director of The Art File “David Hicks was my best friend. We go back over 30 years and the first time we met at Spring Fair, he rugby tackled me to the floor!

He was an inspiration to so many of us, delivering brilliant greeting card ranges through Really Good and Soul over decades in an industry he loved. David was a game changer.

We will all have special memories of David, for me these include many a fun time in Oxford, Nottingham, London, New York and Hong Kong. However, the best times always involved drinking too much on his boat as we rewrote the greeting card industry from A to Z. Later Bro…

My thoughts are with his wife, Nicole.”

possible outcome of placing a 1kg bag of white vacuum cleaning powder in my luggage for me, in my blissfully unaware state, to take through customs at JFK airport! Oh, how I laughed!

David’s love was design: he always aimed to be progressive, shake things up and make an impact, which he certainly achieved whether through his great card ranges (as well as the ropier ones), his leadership, his willingness to go against the grain or just the friendship and inspiration he offered to anyone with whom he came in contact. If asked for advice, he would always willingly oblige.

Away from his work, David’s passions were travel, photography, enjoying fine food and the company of his friends - of whom

“The card industry has lost its brightest shining star and we have lost a lovely friend.

Some people are just born legends and David Hicks is one of those.”

Below: David with Wendy and Steve Jones-Blackett on his boat.

Above: David with good friends Ged Mace (second left), Alan Hawkes and Lisa Shoesmith, who was general manager of Really Good and Soul, at a PG Live opening night party.

he had many in all corners of the world.

Anybody who was lucky enough to be one of those friends will be remembering his cutting wit, generosity and his interest in what others were doing and, if any of his friends were ever in trouble or needed help, he was always the first to spot that something was wrong, step in and offer assistance if he could.

I was privileged to be one of those friends. He was my best man, my best friend and I’m remembering the man that grabbed life with both hands, his infuriating stubbornness, the cutting humour, his generosity, his immeasurable kindness but, above all, his love for life and people.

Thank you, my friend - the world has been a better place for you being in it.”

Jenny Cummins, owner of McMillan Cards & Paper, Sydney “Like many I am just so sad. David was a close mate in the true sense of the Australian word. We learnt a lot from each other, yes, I shared my female wisdom and logic quite loudly…over all the years, but he still remained my rock and dear friend.

I miss him badly, can’t quite come to terms that he is not here anymore, but this will be the same for so many others who were lucky enough to share time with him. I was looking at the many photos which reminds me of all the good times we shared. He introduced me to the Royal Academy exhibition back in 2012, which was just part of my ‘education’ from him of so many good things and people British’.

For now it’s simply painful to know that he has left us too early, that he could not live a full life and share the best end of it with dear Nicole.

You will live on always in my heart David Hicks. A kind, very generous and thoughtful man. Be at peace. And thank you for so many good times and very special memories which I treasure.”

Left: Jenny Cummins (far right) at Cart’s Markus Keller’s 50th birthday party (front) with David (centre back), Blue Eyed Sun’s Jeremy Corner (second right) and Rosanna Rossi’s Troy and Anna Nelson.

Father and daughter duo, Alan and Vanessa Harnik, directors of US distributor Notes & Queries, enjoyed a long and close relationship with David Hicks. Vanessa sent out a lmessage to N&Q customers and partners on the day David died, which included some special thoughts from Alan too…

“In addition to David being a very successful entrepreneur, photographer, world traveller, David was a very successful and inventive chef. We enjoyed dining out together at Michelin star restaurants, He introduced me to Malbec, one of his favourite red wines,

varieties of which we have finished many a bottle together. This past year David has taught me about the true meaning of courage and how to cherish and enjoy the time one has on this planet. In the end we can learn so much from one another. I have benefited from the many years I have known David and hope that I can pass what I have learned onto others The Brits have a term GUTTED and that expresses how I feel.”

Above: David with Alan Harnik.

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Retailer Focus

Birthday

Buddies J

o explained how the friendship with Sean came about despite being located in towns five counties apart: “In the early days I set up a Facebook page and found a shop a few hundred miles away that I really connected with. They seemed to be new to the world of greetings and stationery too and we started messaging each other.”

It transpired that both Jo and Sean not only had opened their shops on the same day, but also had very similar tastes in both cards and stationery. “Some 11 years later we’re firm friends, we meet at trade shows, share ideas and generally support each other, it really works,” Jo told PG. “It can be lonely when you start a new business, and I couldn’t imagine not having Sean as my sounding board, mentor and friend!”

Here, Jo and Sean share their greeting card retailing tales.

“Brexit, global pandemic, three national lockdowns, high inflation, growth of online, rising fuel and raw material costs - but we’re still here!” exclaimed Sean Austin, owner of Austin & Co in Malvern on April 21 as he shared the marking of his retailing business’ first decade with his good friend Jo Barber, owner of No14 Ampthill, who opened her shop on exactly the same day.

With the pandemic having stopped these two Retas’ award-winning retailers from celebrating their first decade’s anniversary last year, PG persuaded these retailing buddies to share their stories.

Above: No. 14 Ampthill and Austin & Co are still going strong after their 11 years of trading.

Below: Then and now - Jo’s first tiny window and opening day at her current premises.

Bottom: Jo Barber.

Jo Barber, owner of No14 Ampthill…

Having spent over 20 years working my way up the corporate ladder and securing one of the best jobs I could have hoped for, I always hankered after my own shop, selling the things I loved.

After meeting up with a good friend in early 2011 and being told she’d received a life-changing diagnosis, I knew I had to make that leap. It meant leaving behind a good salary, a company car and all the perks but, sometimes, these things aren’t enough, I suddenly realised life was too short - I had to open my shop!

I remember attending Spring Fair before I’d even secured any premises, walking around in utter amazement. There was so much to take in and, while I think I have a pretty good head for business, it was a completely different world for me.

We were in the depths of a recession so it wasn’t too tricky 30

PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE

finding an empty shop and I managed to secure the perfect lease that was strong enough to protect me, but flexible enough should I find myself needing larger premises. I still remember the awful feeling in the pit of my stomach the day I opened, it was a glorious sunny Spring Day and I was shivering with nerves. What if nobody came, what if nobody liked what I sold, what if the shop had burnt down

overnight? Secretly I hoped it had burnt down overnight, so I could say I did at least try, and then could go back to a proper job!

Strangely there wasn’t a queue forming outside, surely those A4 printed signs in the window saying ‘opening soon’ should’ve meant a stampede? Thankfully though, people did start to come in and, when I shut up shop that evening having taken £55.20, I was the happiest I could have been, though it’s a good job my overheads were low!

When I started out, there were many big brand names, but I decided to major with Caroline Gardner, and we still stock the company’s ranges today. I didn’t want to be the run-of-the-mill card shop, I

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Retailer Focus

wanted to be different, so I chose smaller publishers to complement my personality.

Shortly after opening I was reading a copy of PG mag and saw an ad by Megan Claire. I got in touch, and we’ve been stockists ever since. Similarly, Dandelion Stationery sent an introductory email late at night when I was just closing my laptop but thought I’d take a quick look. How pleased am I that I did!

I sent a message back and owner Jo Wilson replied instantly. There we were putting together an order at 11pm - that’s what I like about ordering from independent companies; it’s great watching their businesses grow too.

Left: Caroline Gardner and Molly Mae are among No.14’s top sellers.

While these three brands have been with us since the early days, we have since welcomed many others, notably Molly Mae (the quickest order turnaround on the planet), Redback Cards (customers crowd the spinner for a good belly laugh), Toasted Crumpet (its new mini cards literally fly out),

Janie Wilson (sometimes only luxury will do), Urban Graphic (who doesn’t love a gorilla sticking up his middle finger?) and Brainbox Candy (when only the F Word will suffice).

We’re also proud to stock lots of smaller brands to complement our offering.

It might be 11 years on, but I still consider myself a relative newbie to the industry however, having moved to new premises quadruple the size of the original shop, employing four full time and six parttime members of staff, having a fully operational website (thanks lockdown) and picking up two Retas awards, I think we’ve crammed a lot into that time.

I definitely agree with Mark Twain, who famously said: “Choose a job you love, and you’ll never have to work a day in your life.”

Sean Austin, owner of Austin & Co, Malvern…

I was a corporate librarian and business researcher for a number of Top 30 UK law firms and also FMCG companies, including Mars Confectionery and a stint at WHSmith’s head office in Swindon. The credit crunch of 2008/9 hit the law sector hard and through consolidation of research services, opportunities became less and to make up the difference in income, I began to sell greeting cards at markets and via car boot sales before opening the shop.

I was always told to sell what I love, because you'd love what you sell. I think we stand out for our USP and tagline - Cards.

Stationery. Dog. I know many card shops go down the route of candles, jewellery and scarves as their gift offer but, frankly, I know nothing about any of those sectors.

We've always been known as a dog-friendly shop. Of course Above: Sean Austin in his current shop.

Above right: Austin & Co has stocked James Ellis’ cards (front spinner) since the shop first opened.

Right: Old and new - the original Austin & Co and today’s store. The current shop window display is bigger than Sean’s first shop.

accidents can happen so, just in case, a mop and bucket is kept close by. In 11 years, I've had to use it twice - for children.

Greeting cards have always been my mainstay and always will be. James Ellis has been with me since the very beginning, as have Quotable cards. Urban Graphic (now U Studio) which all continue to be among my top sellers, as well as Ohh Deer, The Art File, Dandelion and Poet and Painter.

I always wanted to be edgy with the shop’s offerings, but Malvern wasn't quite ready. I initially had to rein it in a little and present a more conservative offer, but as customers got to know me, I was able to reintroduce the edgy stuff little by little to curate the successful collection that we’re now known for.

I do love to take a punt on the up-andcoming with Springboard at PG Live always the go-to area. I love it when they make it big and feel I played a tiny part in their success.

I’m currently loving the work from Alphablots, The Grey Earl and Hunter Press.

I've moved the shop three times in 11 years, due to outgrowing the previous premises. Fortunately, Malvern is small

enough that you'll always be found. I have no plans to move again though, the new shop has a refurbished basement for me to expand my online offer, and any physical expansion will probably be an additional shop.

Building a website in the first week of the inaugural lockdown saved us. It was never going to achieve the turnover from a physical shop, but it was enough to keep the shop name out there, enabling me to sleep at night. The lockdowns brought the Shop Local movement to the fore and Lockdown 3 perversely helped with the planned relocation to the current shop as it gave me the time to plan and build the shop I’d always wanted.

I’d tell would-be or new retailers to live within your limits, start small and build a unique offer. And pay your suppliers on time - they'll love you forever.

PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE

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PG Live Newbies

Once upon a time...

Everybody has a story to tell, and the greeting card industry is well blessed with some real humdingers of how the plot of life has brought people into this trade.

With next month’s Progressive Greetings Live (June 7-8, at London’s Business Design Centre) seeing a whole array of publishers making their debut at the show in the Springboard area, PG was all ears to hear chapter and verse from some of these PG Live newbies.

Oliver Stockley, founder and creator of Oliver Stockley Your plotline: “My career in greeting cards emerged out of really difficult circumstances. Back in 2015, I was diagnosed with a chronic illness that left me stuck at home and unable to work. One of the few things I was able to do without becoming more unwell was draw - so I drew, and drew, and drew. Given my illness, I could only draw bitesized things, and wanted to draw subjects that made me happy. So, I drew bunnies, cats and dogs. Adorable, smiley, happy animals.

A few years later, when I was well enough to start working again, I thought to myself: I love drawing, and I’ve always loved giving handmade greeting cards to those I care about. So, I put my designs on cards, started selling them, and haven’t looked back since.

The greeting card industry is such a joyful, collaborative place, and I’m so happy to be a part of it. PG Live is a celebration of all of that, so I can’t wait to be there and meet more of the amazing people who make the industry the special place that it is.”

Above right: A trio of Oliver Stockley everyday designs.

Far right: Some festive dressing up, Oliver Stockley style.

Right: An adverse situation prompted Oliver to progress his creative talents into greeting cards.

Inset: PG Live is all set to be a right riveting ‘read’!

Why cards? “I want to create objects that make people smile.

Cards are perfect for that: they’re a small slice of joy, gifted from one person to another. They represent the connection between those two people. That’s so special, and something you just don’t get with any other product.”

Your PG Live page turning launches: “I’ll be exhibiting a small but mighty collection of adorable animal cards that I’ve been refining for several years now. Each of my card designs starts with a detailed fine line pen drawing, lending them a fine art quality. They’re printed on beautifully textured board and coupled with a premium recycled envelope, giving them a luxury feel at an attractive price point. I’m so excited to share them at the show.”

The happy ending: “I hope to make some wonderful new connections. Having previously been based in Canada, I’m very new to the UK greeting card community, and am so excited to be taking part in a show that’s such a central part of the events calendar here.” l Oliver Stockley can be found in the Springboard section of PG Live on Stand 812 PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE

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PG Live Newbies

Klara Hawkins, founder and creator of Klara Hawkins Your plotline: “I fell into the greeting card industry after graduating from my illustration degree. Someone from Tigerprint [a division of Hallmark developing and supplying M&S with cards and other products] had sent a fax to Uni (yes, we’re talking in the days before the world wide web!) saying they did cards, stationery etc and were looking for freelancers. I had no idea who they were at the time but secured an interview and was invited to start freelancing there. A few months later I was lucky enough to be offered a full-time job. I loved it there so much I stayed for over 15 years.

After working in-house for so long I didn’t really know what ‘my style’ was so upon starting my freelance career I just kept drawing and drawing. Eventually my own style started to emerge and with it came a whole new wave of commissions and followers.

I’ve worked across all continents and illustrated children‘s books, packaging, wallpaper, homewares, toys and children’s clothing, but I have always loved designing cards. However, I’ve never been a confident person so becoming a card publisher was a faraway dream. Dreams are there to be realised though and I recognised that if I didn’t go for it, I would be forever frustrated with myself and never know what could have been. Lockdown gave me enough time to realise my own ranges which were taken on by a few online platforms, such as Moonpig and Card Factory. This gave me the boost I needed to push it further, develop more ranges and now, here I am, ready to officially launch at PG Live!”

Why cards? “I’ve always loved greeting cards. I know how important cards are and what a difference they can really make to someone’s day. Greeting cards are so humble - just a piece of card with nice words and a nice picture can make such a difference to how someone is feeling. It’s so simple but can mean so much and become something that is treasured. I just love that. The thought that one of my cards might brighten someone’s day and make them smile is amazing and really motivates me.

The greetings industry is a wonderful sector to be a part of and I’m truly grateful for what I do.”

Your PG Live page turning launches: “I’m bringing nine ranges to the show, which include Christmas relations, blank cards, kids’ cards, children’s age and much more. Also, I’m officially launching my pattern birthday and sentiment cards which are already proving to be really popular. People seem to like my illustration style and making someone smile through my work really means the world to me.”

The happy ending: “I am both excited and nervous for PG Live.

This show marks the beginning of a new journey for me which I’m very much looking forward to. Can’t wait to meet people and make new connections. Lots of orders would be super lovely too so keeping everything crossed for that!” l Klara Hawkins can be found in the Springboard section of PG Live on Stand 764 Above left: Klara Hawkins wearing a sweatshirt bearing one of her designs.

Above right: The diverse styling of Klara Hawkins.

Left: Klara’s work has been licensed by Lilipinso for wall decore.

Dani Cooper and Lisa Barrett, co-founders of Peony & Pangolin Your plotline: “After meeting at the nursery gates in 2013 we soon realised we were kindred spirits and became great friends. Fast forward a couple of years and we started working together in Hullaballoo [Dani’s bijou giftshop, in Mayfield, East Sussex].

Sharing a passion for all things paper, and an appreciation for the little things in life, we decided to create our own eco-friendly greeting cards of simple designs that are fresh and positive, with a playful pop of colour.

Our ‘quirky’ name came about after many brainstorming sessions over too many frothy coffees. One half of it originates from our joint love of gorgeous peony flowers. It’s a pretty 34

PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE

looking word in itself and we feel this beautiful flower perfectly reflects the classic simplicity in our designs, along with our pastel colour palette. Then to the ‘Pangolin’ part…we toyed with many words that would roll with ‘Peony’ and were particularly drawn to ‘Pangolin’ as we loved the idea of helping to raise awareness for this sadly endangered and little-known species. The more we learned about these armoured balls of cuteness the more we felt the name would be a perfect fit, giving a nod to the quirkier elements and cooler, earthy tones in our designs.

Having come from retail, it's quite a different experience being on the other side of the track, and Left: Simple stylised design from Peony & Pangolin.

Above: A commitment to sustainability and upcycling is part of Peony & Pangolin’s mission.

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PG Live Newbies

certainly a steep learning curve, but we love it and feel lucky to be part of such a friendly and supportive industry.”

Why cards? “In an ever-increasing digital world what we love about greeting cards is taking the time to choose the perfect card for someone, then putting pen to paper for the personal touch. Receiving a card full of love has meant more than ever over the past few years.

Looking through our own treasured things, we realise how many cards we’ve kept over the years, which now feel extra special as they transport us to significant moments and the people who wrote them.”

Your PG Live page turning launches: “Alongside our varied collections which include kids, Zodiac and a range to personalise, we’re also very excited to be launching our new eco initiative - P&P Planet. This concept aims to extend the lifecycle of each card, particularly through encouraging recipients to send it on, using a nifty postcard template that is printed on the inside of each card!

P&P Planet brings together several key elements for us, combining a focus on being eco-friendly, adding value for the customer and reminding people how meaningful a greeting card can be.”

The happy ending: “Having loved attending PG Live as a retailer, we are so looking forward to being there as an exhibitor. After

having initially signed up to attend PG Live back in 2020 the delay has given Above left: Peony and Pangolin’s us some time and opportunity to Lisa and Dani. establish a loyal customer base, which Above: Some of the children’s card designs from Peony & Pangolin. we hope to build on at PG Live. It's quite a different experience to being a retailer, but we feel lucky to be part of such a friendly and supportive industry and we’re very much looking forward to meeting retailers and fellow publishers face to face! We have also heard that the drinks party is legendary!” l Peony & Pangolin can be found in the Springboard section of PG Live on Stand 716

Archie Archer, founder and creator of Sea Glass by Archie Your plotline: “Since I was 18 years old, I have only ever worked for myself, which has seen over 30 years of one business morphing organically into the next, all ostensibly with an artistic flavour. I had wanted to go to Kingston or Farnham Art College, but my extraordinarily gifted genius of a father maintained: “Art is a hobby”. OK maybe he was right in some respects, but I’ve always craved to pursue my own creative path and over the last six years I’ve built and sold four different businesses.

After 23 years of living in the big smoke, I moved to the Kent coast to live the life I wanted most…to be a minimalistic bohemian soul and so discovered beach combing.

Friends constantly tease my relentless collection, “For heaven’s sake you are a magpie” they exclaim, but I always said it would lead to something, and super gluing sea glass to cards was to be that next chapter.

Since starting Sea Glass by Archie, I have sold 30,000 cards, each one featuring a found piece of sea tumbled glass.

I do not describe Sea Glass by Archie as a business, in my mind it is a lifestyle hobby. I am mindful of my experiences with past businesses, not to grow them at breakneck speed as they then plateau, I get bored and I am then onto the next project.

Sea Glass by Archie has given me a way to monetise my life at the beach, enabling me to be outside and just living my best life with my Labrador doggie Bolt.

I drive a 30-mile round trip to a secret beach where Bolt and I will spend six or seven hours three or four times a week collecting glass, which is effectively Victorian rubbish as there was a Victorian glass factory on the site.

Each piece of glass has true magic as it has been rolled around in the sea for 100 years and this means no card is the same. My designs at present largely reflect an outdoors lifestyle, featuring birds, bees, fish and beach huts. My cards are printed at home, in the bow of my boat, using Epson Eco printers. I hand-finish and package (with coloured envelopes Above left: Archie Archer with Bolt. from Enveco) all the cards myself so from start to finish they are all made individually by me… though Above: Every Sea Glass by Archie always with the support and encouragement of Bolt!” card includes a piece of glass that has been found and hand-affixed by l Sea Glass by Archie can be found in the Springboard section of PG Live on Stand 786 Archie herself.

PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE

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A selection of new launches that will be on show at next month’s PG Live ( June 7-8 at London’s Business Design Centre)

Studio Recording To enhance its everyday in stock collections, wholesale publisher, Out of the Blue Studios has launched its Studio portfolio, made up of five sub-ranges – Animals, Kids, Country, Paint and Art. The inaugural 36 designs are all Code 50, die-cut, foiled with full colour inside. Printed on 300gsm FSC- premium textured board, the cards come with a coloured FSC-accredited envelope.

Out of the Blue Studios 0800 529 8785 www.outofthebluestudios.co.uk PG Live Stand 317

Well Wishers There are six new collections launching from Wishing Well.

Aimed at a female send are Whimsical Wishes (soft pastels and embossed designs with celebratory sparkle and silver foiling), Window Shopping (watercolour illustrations depict the quaint high street shops) and Pastel Petals (fabulous florals complemented by gold foiling). In addition to two male ranges (Adventure Awaits and Wheels) is the unisex Sip Sip HOORAY! Collection. The designs feature mouthwatering illustrations of fabulous cocktails with the recipes inside the card.

Carte Blanche Greetings 01243 792600 www.cbgtrader.co.uk PG Live Stand 222

Dry Roasted Peanuts The Snoopy range of greeting cards from Hype has been expanded to 66 designs, 35 of which are in a square comic strip style. The humour of Snoopy and his friends hits home, whether you are a dog owner or not. His joyous ‘happy dance’ reminds us to enjoy the little things in life.

Hype Associates 0151 662 0400 www.hypa.com PG Live Stand 174

Kerrie On Bunch of Five Caroline Gardner is going for it with five new card ranges. Among these is Meadow, a floral collection that has been inspired by pressed flowers.

Placed over a coloured background and framed with white, the blooms’ bold contrasting colours will certainly brighten shelves. Also new, is The Write Words, an emotive range full of sentiment and charm, in hand drawn fonts complimented by little icons nestled among the text.

Caroline Gardner (0)20 8288 9696 www.carolinegardner.com PG Live Stand 404

Forming part of Lucy Maggie Designs’ Sunshine Llama sibling brand’s portfolio is a new collaboration with Kerrie McNeill. In keeping with the brand’s remit of helping up and coming artists, Kerrie is a Northern Irish illustrator who is graduating this year from The Belfast School of Art. The cards reflect Kerrie’s playful and vibrant style achieved through a mix of digital and traditional illustration methods.

The 105mm x 150 mm cards come naked or eco-packed.

Lucy Maggie Designs 07763239731 www.lucymaggiedesigns.co.uk PG Live Stand 772

Animal Instincts Animo will be launching four brand new collections at PG Live, all featuring the whimsical animal illustrations painted in watercolour by Swedish artist Anna Gisle.

Among these is The Good Ol' Days, which is inspired by the era of 1900-1920, with bicycles, footballers, dancers and a ‘girl power’, javelin-throwing mare. Meanwhile, Jungle Vibes is a lush collection of colourful animal cards. All cards are printed on recycled board and come wrapped in a non-plastic biodegradable cello with a Kraft envelope.

Animo +972507605099 www.animo.design PG Live Stand 530

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A selection of new launches that will be on show at next month’s PG Live ( June 7-8 at London’s Business Design Centre)

Lucky Numbers You can shake your tail feathers with Popsy & Plum’s new fun and funky range of numerical celebration Party Flamingo cards. Covering ages from 1 through to 15, all cards are printed on FSC-certified, deluxe, textured stock, are blank inside and come with a recyclable card clasp.

Popsy & Plum 07769 212269 www.popsyandplum.com PG Live Stand 445

Christmas Cavalcade Party Time

Raspberry Blossom’s most loved collections are getting a Christmas glow up! The publisher is releasing 25 brand new festive designs as part of its Golden Moments, Pawsome (its dog and cat collection) as well as its luxury floral Reflections collections. A brand new Keepsakes collection, designed to be kept and cherished throughout the festive season is also on the cards, each of which will have 3D elements, intricate die cutting as well as luxe spot-UV print finishes.

Raspberry Blossom 01926 257757 www.raspberryblossom.com PG Live Stand 207

Launching at PG Live is Stop the Clock Design’s Fiesta range. Bursting with colour and style, the collection comprises 24 birthday and occasion designs. A bit of razzle dazzle is added with the use of shiny gold foil and they are each accompanied by a bright yellow envelope. What’s more, there are complimenting boxed notecards and notebooks too!

Stop the Clock Design 01457 763335 www.stoptheclockdesign.com PG Live Stand 221

Blooming Greats Stormy Knight is expanding BLOOM, the original best-selling Seedstick collection to 32 blooming beautiful designs. The success of the range, which launched at PG Live 2021 sees 20 new designs join the line-up with new seed varieties, cocktail recipe cards and grow your own Christmas tree cards. Each card is finished with satin gold foil with smooth rounded corners. The seed sticks are biodegradable, sustainable, and made in the UK and the cards come completely plastic-free.

Stormy Knight 0117 909 8684 www.stormyknight.co.uk PG Live Stand 160

Extended Odyssey The Rosanna Rossi studio has been a hive of creativity in readiness for PG Live. The Odyssey collection, known for its beautiful, detailed illustrations has been extended to include graduation, pet sympathy, birthday relations and more! There are also new additions within the Fiori Rosa collection with its vivid pops of colour and gloss black detail.

Rosanna Rossi 07900698522 www.rosanna-rossi.co.uk PG Live Stand 520

Got Your Number Lottie Simpson has launched a bright and bold new age card range featuring 17 cards, covering 11-100! Each card is hand-finished with Lottie's signature sparkly crystals.

The 150 x 150mm cards come with a bright coloured envelope and are available wrapped in biodegradable film, secured with a Lottie Simpson clasp or with the envelope simply nested in the card.

Lottie Simpson 07464 163 528 www.lottiesimpson.com PG Live Stand 524 38 PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE

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A selection of new launches that will be on show at next month’s PG Live ( June 7-8 at London’s Business Design Centre)

Grand Designs Rush Design has launched a new collection of granddaughter and grandson age cards. The new range of covers ages 1-5, with a design for both a granddaughter and grandson for each of these early milestone years.

Rush Design 01788 521745 www.rushdesign.co.uk PG Live Stand 121

Spot On Festive Splendour Cinnamon Aitch is in full on Christmas 2022 mode. Newness includes two festive card ranges that build on the success of its Gypsy and She everyday ranges as well as new designs joining the Cranberry Sauce and Margo Loves Christmas successes. Festive gifts, including candles, soaps and lip balms, all made in the UK, further extend the Christmas story.

Cinnamon Aitch 0121 773 6833 www.cinnamonaitch.co.uk PG Live Stand 231

The big cats might not be able to change their spots, but White Cotton Cards’ Leopard Print collection shows how versatile their coat pattern can be when mixed with the publisher’s creative talents. Each of the cards is encrusted with bio-degradable glitter and gems, as well as little wooden hearts and stars.

White Cotton Cards 07714633390 www.whitecottoncards.co.uk PG Live Stand 225

Stem Sell Life Drawing The Pigment stand at PG Live will be proudly showing off the latest in its Life in Pencil collection.

Based on the fine art by Shaun Vickers, the 13 designs (150x150mm square), feature highly detailed country life illustrations. A little bit of wit and warm words combine in this rural-inspired range, which is authentic, beautifully crafted and full of charm.

Pigment Productions 01423 520098 www.pigmentproductions.com PG Live Stand 313

Bella is Lucilla Lavender’s beautiful new range. Featuring loosely painted florals in an uplifting colour palette, the handwritten style text adds to the fresh, fun feel, and embossed gold foil gives the finishing touch. The 12 designs feature warm and varied birthday messages, such as ‘Happy Birthday lovely friend’ and ‘Happy Birthday Gorgeous’.

Lucilla Lavender 0203 405 1410 www.lucillalavender.com PG Live Stand 305

The Relationship Business Kingfisher Cards has relationships covered with some 180 captions included in its Special Titles range. This expanded range covers all those hard-to-find titles which add to a card retailer’s USP. All the cards are on the trademark Kingfisher soft-touch board, are enhanced with subtle foiling and include an insert.

Kingfisher Cards 01803 431515 www.kingfishercards.co.uk PG Live Stand 420

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Focus on... diversity & inclusion

All inclusive

Below: Creeping Thyme from Peartree Heybridge was developed with diversity in mind.

Someone who looks like me and reflects my life should not be the biggest ask of anyone scanning a greeting card display, but there has been something of a wake-up call among publishers and retailers to provide a selection of designs that celebrate diversity and inclusion.

With the search now on for the contenders in the Best Diversity & Inclusion Range in The Henries 2022 greeting card awards, PG delves deeper into some of the publishing developments on this important issue.

It needed to, but ground has most definitely been gained on the diversity and inclusion front in the greeting card sector. There have been some major initiatives, most notable of which being the Sainsburys x GCA Design A Card For Black History Month project, which attracted 1,000 entries and resulted in a dedicated range going on sale in 107 of the supermarket’s stores, but arguably the most progress has been in the engagement, discussion and as a result better understanding of where we as a sector have been falling short.

Of course, there is still much to do, but with significant retailers, from Card Factory to WHSmith, Scribbler to Moonpig, all committed to better reflecting society, and mainstay publishers through to niche players all keen that their card designs are relevant to all, progress will continue to be made.

Diversity and inclusion is not only about skin colour, hair type, Mr & Mr, or acknowledging a father figure - as Helen Barker states, she started her greeting card company Cake And Crayons a year ago because her little girl wanted to see others

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PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE

Right: Fiercely fashion-forward at The Art File.

Below right: Diversity is part of Jolly Awesome’s brand.

Below left: Celebrating all mums with Cake And Crayons.

wearing an eye patch and glasses just like she does.

Helen said: “When we see ourselves represented in pictures, we feel celebrated and greeting cards are all about celebration! So, I was surprised when I couldn’t see many cards representing disabilities, family set-ups, gender roles and multi-racial families.”

To her mind: “Businesses have become more accountable to their customers but you can't just talk about inclusion, you have to be intentional and committed to being diverse; everyone has a role to play. This isn’t just about selling cards, it’s about making a positive difference!”

Not before time, last year saw the inaugural Best Diversity & Inclusion Range category introduced into The Henries Awards, sponsored and wholeheartedly supported by the GCA with the finalists collectively celebrating a breadth of difference that should be recognised on greeting cards just as they should in other aspects of life.

In the Cath Tate Cartoons range people using wheelchairs and walking aids show humour isn’t just for the able-bodied, while Lottie Simpson’s Hello Family range

covers many different relations, Embrace (Race) from Emotional Rescue and AfroTouch Design’s Live In Colour Collection featured numerous religions and ethnicities, while the princesses in Kitsch Noir’s Family And Friends Collection definitely aren’t the white, simpering, constantly fainting variety.

The first-time winner of the category was The Art File, with its Fierce & Fabulous collection celebrating female empowerment across a broad spectrum of ethnic and cultural diversity.

Beth Kemp, the inhouse designer who

created F&F, wanted to encapsulate positivity and evoke a smile: “It’s all about embracing imperfection, owning our identities, and celebrating diversity and what it means to be female in today’s society.”

Now, in response to customer requests for a male counterpart for F&F is You The Man, which also honours diversity and inclusivity at its core and captures a variety of identities in a fashion-forward yet relatable design style.

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Focus on... diversity & inclusion

At Jolly Awesome, founder Matt Nguyen has used his personal experience of being British-Vietnamese to make sure everyone is catered for: “There’s almost no one in mainstream media or entertainment that looks like me. I decided to use my publishing experience to create a platform that championed diversity and inclusivity, while celebrating my love of illustration and good design.

“Both Jolly Awesome and our sister company Paperboy welcome and represent

talent no matter their gender, race or religion or preference and we have since been joined by an amazing family of talented international creatives. Illustrators from Thailand, Nigeria, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Poland, Malaysia, Brazil, Spain, Japan, Germany - the list goes on.”

Laura Niles is another publisher who is making sure her eponymous card business has the broadest reach: “I feel it's so important to have cards everyone can relate and connect too,” said Laura. “The Black Lives Matter campaign really set us talking about diversity and inclusivity. I had many conversations and listened to my friends and strangers with their heart-breaking stories which helped me open my eyes to being more diverse and inclusive no matter your size, shape, colour or sexuality, everyone should feel represented.”

Among her stockists is Diverse, in Brixton, owned by Anita Thorpe. Laura added: “The world needs more people like Anita. She empowers and nurtures new Above: Diverse’s owner Anita Thorpe champions diversity.

Left: Laura is filling a niche.

creatives bringing diversity to the High Street. We were chatting recently about the frustrations she had with people not being authentically diverse, it takes more than a change of colour of skin to be diverse, it's in the details, the different shapes of people’s features, attention to hair, cultures and lifestyles that will truly bring diversity and inclusivity to a brand, and not half-heartedly doing it to tick a box, but actually feel passionate about the subject and making a change.”

Cultural fusion at UKG As part of its commitment to diversity and inclusion, UK Greetings has recently collaborated with Eastern Print Studio as well as with AfroTouch Design to bring traditional and colourful patterns influenced by religious and cultural events from the East as well as an authentic fusion of West African and western cultures into its greeting card portfolio.

The Eastern Print Studio is a cultural design-led card brand rooted in the desire to reflect Eastern design styles rich in heritage, textiles, and cultural traditions. The collections are inspired by traditional and colourful patterns from the East, often tailored to religious and key cultural events and celebrated in Western society today.

AfroTouch Design is a significant new collaboration for UKG’s Kindred brand and Georgina Fihosy, the creative force behind the collection, explains she formed the company back in 2016 mainly out of frustration around the lack of representation in the greeting cards industry.

“Giving a greeting card or gift on any occasion is about spreading love and drawing a smile, giving an AfroTouch Design product does just that, plus so much more,” Georgina explained of her designs which feature African fabric. “It gives you a glimpse of the fusion of West African and western cultures and promotes the beauty of West Africa in both a unique and memorable way.”

The collaboration with UK Greetings, is all part of Georgina’s “mission to ensure that Black culture is equally reflected within the greeting card and gift industry”.

Having reached the finalists in the inaugural Best Diversity & Inclusion Range category in The Henries 2021 Awards, AfroTouch Design is also reintroducing its African fabric-finished Father’s Day collection, of 10 beautifully culturally reflective cards which are available in three different colourways.

Above and left: Cultural expansion at UKG. Below: Georgina Fihosy.

PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE

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Focus on... diversity & inclusion

Sense of pride “Licensed brands are really starting to support the diversity movement and this is in line with retailer and consumer demands so, wherever possible, we are growing our offering in this area”, says Daniel Prince, md of Danilo. “We are increasingly designing cards for top brands that promote this positive message including captions such as Mr & Mr and Mrs & Mrs as well as for popular event Pride.”

And there has been more licensing action for the gay community from Cardology. Recognising there’s a superhero inside everyone, Cardology was delighted to work on a new range of officially-licensed DC Comics cards, featuring well-loved LGBTQ+ characters. Making its debut in the Gay Pride Shop, Manchester, the range is designed to appeal to the superhero in all of us.

As Jason Guy, the director of Gay Pride Shop, says: “This amazing range of LGBTQ+ specific cards featuring the DC Comics characters have been a huge hit with our customers.”

Timed to coincide with the publication of the DC Pride hardback book in June, this range is more than just adding a rainbow to an existing image. They feature LGBTQ characters Poison Ivy and Harley Quinn, alongside fan favourites Nightwing and Superman.

The range will be on Cardology’s stand at Progressive Greetings Live (June 7-8).

Rush Design has always embraced a diverse range of captions for its greeting cards, often led by customer demand, with the additional of gay wedding cards to the collection which are selling very well.

Founder Lorraine Bradley confirmed: “When we launch our new Wedding & Anniversary collection at PG Live this year, we will definitely be including new gay wedding cards along with non-binary wedding and anniversary cards too.”

Meanwhile, Dandelion Stationery’s inclusion range is really stepping out, not Top left: Among Danilo’s licensed offering. only featuring designs which cater for Top right: Everyone’s a superhero at Cardology.

LGBTQ+ community and all skin tones, but Above: Weddings for all at Rush Design Left: Say how you feel with Dandelion. even for those who are fans of Crocs!

Listen to your feelings

Left: Lisa shows off her designs.

Coming from a Caribbean background, In Ya Feelings co-founder Lisa Scarlett was determined to bring their warm and vibrant memories to the fore, and that’s what led to setting up the family-run business with her two daughters and a friend, creating all designs between them.

Lisa said: “Celebrating special moments and milestones with friends and family is the norm. Sharing a little food and rum together, gift-giving, and sending cards. Just spreading a little joy and happiness along the way.

“We struggled to find cards that could help us do that - cards we could relate to, offering a positive and humorous representation of our culture, but were still current and fresh and diverse enough that they could cater to all age groups, without feeling dated. Cards that looked like us and talked to us.

“We decided to change that. In January 2021 myself and my daughters put pen to paper and began planning, and that’s when In Ya Feelings was born.”

Bridging the gap The Black Card Company is an online marketplace for diverse greeting cards.

Instigated by three publishers - Cinnamon & Brown, StreetGreets and Colourshot - the sites features designs from over 50 black owned brands.

“We are Streetgreets - colourful cards that celebrate the culture!” so say the Above: Straight-talking at Streetgreets.

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Focus on... diversity & inclusion

Streetgreets team of Siobhan Wauchope and Naomi Nicholas, who established the online card and gift brand in 2017 to champion BlackBritish and popular culture.

Using words and phrases often said by many, but not accessible on the High Street, they aim to change that with their straighttalking and colourful designs, Streetgreets is for everyone who can relate to the language!

The girls’ personal fave is Big Man Ting, which is readily available from major online Above: Streetgreets’ Siobhan Wauchope and Naomi retailers such as Moonpig, Thortful and Jamii - and Nicholas also work with The two of their cards, Mi Luv Yuh Like and Bruv Happy Black Card Company.

Birthday Innit, were among the winners of the GCA x Sainsbury’s Black History Month competition last year.

Siobhan and Naomi added: “We’re elated that Streetgreets has resonated so well, thus being able to bridge the gap for cultural representation in the UK.”

Spreading Sunshine Sunshine Llama founder Lucy Nicholson is keen to support up-and-coming artists so has been working with emerging graphic designer Beth Free as one of the first collaborations for the new brand.

Though a lot of her personal work is tailored towards a female audience, Beth was keen to change things ups and design something celebrating diversity, so they collaborated on a LGBTQ+ collection covering a broad range of occasions.

“We're particularly fond of the Homo Owners card,” Lucy said, “we just love the simplicity of the design with the rainbow stained-glass window. It's the most popular design in the range for us right now with our trade customers. Beth most enjoyed designing the Birthday Queen drag card though, because, in her own words, the featured character is ‘just so sassy and fabulous’!”

Above: Simplicity and celebs at Sunshine Llama.

l “When I first drew an angel with a crown in her afro hair, brown skin, day-dreaming and Christian background, I knew it represented me!” explained My Authentic Self founder Heather Ellis.

“The angel became my logo and was the start of My Authentic Self, greeting cards for people of many shades from the African, Caribbean, diverse and mixed heritage community.

Right: Heather’s designs are inspired by children and animals

l Natis Creations’ founder Fatima Bonnah was inspired to start her company “due to the lack of greeting cards that reflected and represented black and brown people.

I found it almost impossible to find positive and representative images on cards of black men in my family, so I decided to create a range of cards for black and brown family members.

I believe it’s for this that our current best seller features an illustration of a black male with headphones on, with the word King written on and incorporating Kente African print, which is also known as the cloth of kings, on the headphones. I hope those who receive this card see a positive image of themselves and their importance in the community.”

Above: Fatima with her top-selling cards.

Bubbling up Inclusivity is on the cards with new card and stationery publisher Saffron Bubbles, which launched in autumn 2021.

Needing a Muslim sympathy card and discovering the lack of availability in UK stores and online, owner Jo Groeneveld decided to expand Above: Saffron Bubbles’ the range and become more multicultural, and now offers language of diversity. a wide selection of sustainable greeting cards and stationery.

Saffron Bubbles recently featured at the London Muslim Shopping Festival where its cards for Ramadan and Eid, as well as a Mother’s Day card with a saying from the Hadith, proved to be extremely popular. Other products include Eid gift wrap with matching gift tags and the Salaam Collection which donates proceeds to the Afghanaid charity.

l Deadpan Cards has ensured it includes diversity designs within its general ranges.

“With our cards for gay people,” co-owner Nick Padmore said, “we've just tried to do our usual thing but for a massively underserved audience.

There aren't anywhere near enough cards for coming out, so we wanted to add our own little contribution.”

Right: Deadpan’s contribution to cards for coming out.

PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE

43

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Art Source

What Kat y Did Next...

She was only 10 years old at the time, but when Katy Welsh was given a book by her auntie about making greeting cards it was to spark a creative career that has seen her designs grace the shelves of many leading retailers.

Enjoying the freedom of being a freelance illustrator, Katy shares more about her life and loves.

“Looking back, my start in greeting cards came pretty early in life. When I was 10 years old my auntie gave me a book all about card making. I was so excited by all the Blue Peter style makes featured in the book that I started on my own creations that my mum sold to colleagues at the school where she worked with a little label on the back proclaiming them as hailing from Katy’s Card Company. I was reminded about my childhood venture recently when I came across those original stickers and they hit home as to how my career has progressed.

I always knew I wanted to be an artist, but I wasn’t always sure what form that was going to take. It was on my Art Foundation course that I learned about surface pattern design and it seemed like the perfect fit, combining all the things that were most important to me in my creative practice - colour, pattern and working by hand.

After graduating from Leeds Arts University with a degree in Printed Textiles and Surface Pattern, I went straight into a job as a designer at a lovely independent publisher in my hometown of Bristol. It was there that I found my footing in the world of illustration, working with an amazing team of artists, both in-house and around the world.

I love that greeting cards are a way of bringing art into the everyday; we all have birthdays, we all celebrate, and it’s so lovely that as card designers, we get to be a part of it.

Top left: Katy Welsh has been in the card world since she was 10 years old.

Top right: Bold colour palettes are part of Katy’s signature look.

Above: Katy loves how being a card designer means you are part of people’s lives.

Right: The influences from fashion and interiors are also evident in Katy’s work.

Left: Typography features as well as a whole array of subject matter in Katy’s work.

WANT TO BE FEATURED?

Finding this appreciation for the industry made me realise I wanted to work with more clients on more projects, and so it was time for me to go it alone.

I started my business as a freelance illustrator, specialising in greeting cards at the beginning of 2020, and am happy to say I have had ranges based on my designs on sale in almost every major supermarket in the UK since.

I am very inspired by the art and design world as a whole, I like being able to bring in influences from fashion, interior design, film and music into my work wherever I can.

Some of the artists I'm loving the most right now are Matt Underwood, Charlotte Ager and Molly Martin, but I cite my greatest influences as being Matisse, Picasso, The Bloomsbury Group and Beyonce!

I recently made a move down to the Cornish coast with my partner and I am enjoying the slower pace of life as well as the inspiration the landscape is bringing to my work.

Each day I fire up my computer in our small cottage and get to work. Every design starts with an idea, often I don’t sketch first, preferring to retain the energy of the first pen stokes in the final design. I then use a mixture of drawing, painting and collaging to create my designs, taking breaks every now and then to tend to my sourdough starter or to the pots in our first ever garden.

I love the variety of the exciting projects that come my way as a freelancer, and the agility I have as a one woman band to flex my style to fit different looks, sometimes many times a day!

My work is always bright and happy, often funny and has a strong feeling of the handmade. I love illustration, pattern and typography in equal measure and making my clients happy makes me feel that I am doing a good job.

Some of my favourite things to draw are flowers and food.

This week I was even asked to draw a sausage sandwich, which was a new one! I just love working with creative teams who bring my designs to life and seeing them in store gives me a real buzz.

If the younger Katy could see me now, I hope she would be just as excited as I am to be able to draw every day.” l Check out Katy’s portfolio on www.katywelsh.com

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

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PG ASKED A SELECTION OF RETAILERS FOR THEIR BEST SELLERS. Ross and Aaron Wilkes, co-owners of Party Box, Just Party and The Emporium.

A group of four card, balloon and party shops in the West Midlands.

Category

Name of Publisher

Product/Name Range

Comments

Everyday

Nigel Quiney

Pizazz Ltd Editions

Noel Tatt

Felizia

Cherry Orchard

Grace; Grayson

Danilo

Generally

UKG Second Nature IC&G UKG Eurowrap Carte Blanche Widdop & Co Pyramid

Disney Champagne Generally Giggles Generally Me to You bears Bambino Mugs and gifts

“Selling well across all of our stores.”

“Has received many compliments and been reordered.”

“Grace has been purchased continuously - it stands out on our racks.”

“The Xbox and Minecraft designs are doing very well.”

“Great for the classics.”

“Popular for the older send.”

“Strong for the younger ages.”

“Such wide appeal.”

“Wide choice and great value.”

“Good price points.”

“Great baby products.”

“Strong selection of Marvel, Pokemon products.”

Top: Some Felizia designs from Noel Tatt.

Children’s

Adult Ages Gifts Humour Giftwrap Gifts

Above: An expanded range from Carte Blanche’s Me to You is selling well for Party Box.

Andy and Melanie Mills, co-owners of A Shaw Thing, Shaw.

A popular card, gift and personalised products shop in a town in the borough of Oldham .

Category

Name of Publisher

Product/Name Range

Comments

Everyday

IC&G

Lottie Loves

Humour

Cherry Orchard Jonny Javelin Kingfisher Carte Blanche Pigment

Grace Generally Horoscopes Generally Animal Antics; Midget Gems; Rib Ticklers; Various

“Massive shout out for the service levels too!”

“Shining for us at the moment.”

“Our bread and butter.”

“These are ticking over very nicely.”

“Steady sellers.”

“We have a spinner of them which is great.”

GBCC Thinking of You Relations and Occasions

Adult Ages Gifts

Carte Blanche Greetings Kingfisher Cards IC&G Cherry Orchard Jonny Javelin Cherry Orchard IC&G Creation Express

Blue Mountain Arts

History & Heraldry

Home & Heart candles and diffusers; socks, wallets and succulents

Generally Generally Generally Generally Down Memory Lane Year You Were Born Personalised products

“Our trial of a few ranges is going well.”

“These are forever popular.”

“These four publishers all perform very well for us in relations and occasions.”

“These two ranges just continue to sell and sell.”

“The new photo block range is very popular.”

“The great thing about H&H is it offers such a wide variety of gifts at very competitive prices.”

Top: A Lottie Loves design from IC&G. Middle: One of the Horoscope cards from Kingfisher.

Above: A Rib Ticklers design from Pigment.

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Sandra O’Connell, co-owner of Mooch, London.

A group of four card and gift shops in Ealing and Fulham.

Category

Name of Publisher

Product/Name Range

Comments

Everyday

Paper Salad

Generally

Jade Fisher

Generally

Noi Publishing

Generally

Relations and Occasions

Caroline Gardner

Generally

Humour

You’ve Got Pen of Your Face

Generally

Dandelion Stationery I Drew This

Words of Wisdom Landmarks

Kiran Ravilious

Florals

English Graphics The Art File Paper Rifle Five Dollar Shake

Generally Generally Generally Generally

Children’s

James Ellis Think of Me

Shakies Generally

Adult ages

Rosie Made a Thing

Gin & Frolics

Giftwrap

James Ellis Paper Salad Globe Enterprise

Shakies Generally Generally

The Art File

Rollwrap

Jessica Hogarth

Localised gifts

Penguin Ink

Mugs and coasters

“Always bringing out new designs to keep it fresh and different.”

“Contemporary without being fussy.”

“A real winner with our customers.”

“A great range for every occasion with new designs each season.”

“A brilliant way of expressing humour in a quirky and often, quite naughty way.”

“Just a great range.”

“Great London-themed designs.”

“Gorgeous - the notebooks are also great.”

“Stunning.”

“Very, well designed cards.”

“Classy yet simple.”

“Elegant cards for all occasions.”

“A gorgeous range.”

“They add great colour to our card wall.”

“The humour is perfect for milestone ages.”

“Both publishers’ cards do well for us for adult ages.”

“The most gorgeous gift bags from India that we have stocked from the start.”

“A solid favourite; the designs are timeless.”

“We do well with the localised items Jessica has designed for us.”

“As well as the cards, the mugs and coasters are proving popular.”

Art

Thinking of You

Gifts

Top right: A new Jade Fisher design.

Above right middle: A quirky design from You’ve Got Pen On Your Face.

Above right: A Kiran Ravilious design.

Above: Mooch does well with Penguin Ink’s cards, mugs and coasters.

More gift insights from Sandra: “Jewellery is a huge part of our business; however, it is the quirky individual pieces we source that fly of the shelves the quickest and these products continually change. Children’s clothes and wooden toys are also selling very well, probably as more parties are now being held again. This year we have branched a little more into summer clothing and we are literally re-ordering dresses and kimonos on a weekly basis. We have seen a real upturn is ethically sourced goods and products manufactured using recycled materials this year.

On the self-purchasing front it’s earrings all day long, Evelyn (one of MOOCH’s co-owners) makes lots of our earrings, so we get many return customers to see what she has been creating. We source from lots of small designers/makers so we have a great selection and even having customers who come weekly for an earring fix!

Scented candles are also a big self-purchase, we have over 10 candle brands to choose from. We get a lot of general self-purchases by our customers. The current favourites seem to be sunglasses, pouches, summer dresses, beach towels as we think everyone is loving the recent sunshine and looking forward to a holiday this year.”

PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE

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PRODUCT DIRECTORY

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Publishers of quality blank greeting cards Tel: 0115 929 4776 enquiries@bugart.co.uk Order Online

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PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE

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Classified Complete 2022_GF.qxp 29/04/2022 15:51 Page 49

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PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE

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High Quality Greeting Cards, Gift Bags, Gift Wrap & Ta Tags for every occasion.

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)

CHARITY GREETING CARDS 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.

Innovative high quality gift wrap, gift bags, tissue paper and accesssories galore for all seasons and occasions.

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PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE

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

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Send Love e ( all year round )

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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All our cards are supplied on consignment, so you only pay for what you sell.

We also supply card fixtures and spinners free-on-loan.

We replace slow sellers and damaged stock free of charge.

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PRODUCT DIRECTORY

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Products: Greetings Cards, Gift Wrap, Gift Bags, Social Stationery, Partyware

Brands: Blossom & Bows Card Essentials Greetings Impressions In Touch Isabel·s Garden Planet Happy Sentiments With You In Mind Word Play

Method of sale: Wholesale Distributors

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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

7RPFDW &DUGV

The UK’s leading publisher of highest quality handmade Greetings Cards.

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

52

PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE

6 Heron Trading Estate Alliance Road, Park Royal, London W3 0RA T: 0208 385 4474 F: 0208 385 4471 E: info@Xpressyourselfcards.co.uk

Products: Greetings cards for all occasions, Christmas and Spring Seasons. Spinners and other retail displays available.

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Market Leaders in

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PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE

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Classified Complete 2022_GF.qxp 29/04/2022 15:55 Page 55

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All Industry Finishes Available In-House Including Laser Cutting

The Print Works Colville Road, Acton, London, W3 8BL

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E-mail: sales@pj-print.co.uk Tel: 020 8993 5160 www.pj-print.co.uk

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Social Sta tationerry Printer of the Year

Award winning U UK & Global specialist manufacturer ffor the greeting card industry fo or over 40 years To discuss how we can worrk together, contact Richard Bacon: Tel 0115 928 7766 Email ric chard.bacon@sherwoodgroupuk.com

www.sherrwoodgroupuk.com Hadden Court, Glaisdale e Parkway, Glaisdale Drive West, Nottin ngham NG8 4GP

WAREHOUSING & DISTRIBUTION

Same day order turna around Accurate fulfilment Value added only as you sell the product

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Exclusively Greeting Cards Dedicated Account Managers

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APPOINTMENTS

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DO YOUR DISPLA AY YS GENERA AT TE SALES?

Are you a Greetings s Cards Consignme signment Operator?

Sal S les Agentt requ uir i ed for territory t it consisting of No orthamptonshire, Bedfordshire, e Oxfordshire, Buckinghamshire and Hertfordshire.

Please email chris.no oble@wplgifts.co.uk to register interest and detail your experience.

Are you looking for an exclusive range of Everyday & seasonal products to distribute?

We’re expanding and looking to develop our network with the right calibre of people who share our passion for greetings s cards and are industry professionals.

Interested? Then we’d love to hear from you.

www w..wplg gifts.co.uk

Contact Jonathan Waterson on 07854 776 307 www.plan-it.cards

JOB OF THE WEEK ADVERT

s seas

Please contact Deb or Sally on 01234 381214 3 or email info@pineapplepark.co.uk www.pineapplepark.co.uk

PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE

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