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NEWS TOP STORY
Encouraging Early Christmas Buying
Below: Signs are that the public have started their Christmas shopping early. Below middle: Just part of the Christmas card display in Just Cards, Honiton.
Stock issues loom large for suppliers and retailers The Christmas countdown has begun in earnest with many greeting card retailers reporting encouraging early buying patterns, prompted by the media scares of shortages. However, frustrated by order shortfalls and delivery delays many indies are being forced to hold their nerve while enjoying the early ringing in the tills. “Trading has been very positive in all three of our shops and I feel confident about our Christmas sales,” said Chris Bryant, who co-owns of Expressions in Swindon, Cats Whiskers in Bishops Cleeve and Polkadot in Keynsham with his wife Tracey. The decision to bring forward their Christmas displays in all three shops has brought some lucrative festive cheer, with sales up 15% overall in October across the three shops. Anne Anderson, owner of Paprika in Chippenham and Bath is also feeling buoyant about her festive business: “Our Christmas trade is shaping up well. People are definitely starting early this year which is great. I am hoping bricks and mortar will be the way to go this year. I do feel people have just missed the joy of a well-presented shop and the help of good staff.” Down in Devon Maggie Wynn, owner of Just Cards in Honiton is another indie who is enjoying an earlier sales blast. “Here we go again! Christmas has definitely arrived early this year in Just Cards. I think the media has pushed Christmas forward with all the news of
shortages and shelves being empty. I think this has made the public want to buy early just in case they can’t get it later, so sales have been good.” While the media coverage about shortages of stock has kickstarted the public’s Christmas shopping, supply issues have been and are likely to continue to be a headache for card retailers in this ‘Golden Quarter’. “If all my stock arrives, I will feel a lot happier about Christmas!” stated Hayley Bastable, owner of HBB Cards in Newport Pagnell. “It has been a frustrating and worrying time. Despite ordering it at the beginning of the year, my main Christmas card supplier only delivered my order in the third week of October, which was very late! Thankfully many of my other card publishers have enabled me to put on a good display in the interim but I was very relieved to finally have my main Christmas display out by the end of October. So, I’m looking forward to a busy November, fingers crossed!” As Anne Anderson summed up: “The supply issues we are facing mean the message to customers is clear: “Buy it now as we cannot guarantee more stock will be available before Christmas”. (See pages 16-18)
Tickets at the ready for The Retas As PG went to press, the excitement was well truly building up for The Retas greeting card retailer awards, with the winners all set to be revealed at a lavish lunch and afternoon celebratory event on Tuesday 16 November at in the ballroom of the Grosvenor House Hotel on London’s Park Lane, hosted by comedian Stuart Goldsmith. Tying in with the ‘Finery of Greenery’ theme this year, the ‘hottest tickets in town’ for the event (designed by Paper Salad and produced by Windles) have been winging their way to the hundreds of retailers, publishers and trade suppliers who are looking forward to being part of this important retail awards reunion. “Having not taken place last year, The Retas 2021 is doubly significant and is all set to be doubly enjoyable,” enthused Warren Lomax, joint md of Max Publishing, which owns and organises The Retas. The Retas 2021 has a strong roster of sponsors which include The Art File, Belly Button Designs, Carte Blanche Greetings, Cath Tate Cards, Danilo, Hallmark, Heritage Art & Design, The Imaging Centre, Kantar, Ling Design, Ohh Deer, Paper Salad, Paperlink, Pigment Productions, Progressive Greetings Live, Second Nature, Sensations, UK Greetings, Wendy Jones-Blackett and Woodmansterne Publications. Tickets to The Retas 2021 can be bought online via www.maxsubscriptions.net or by contacting The Retas’ awards organiser, Clare Hollick of Createvents on 01183 340085 or by emailing her on clare@createvents.co.uk. Top: The ticket for The Retas was produced by Windles and designed by Paper Salad.
Crackers times for IG Design Group ‘Lower margins will be IG Design’s gift to Christmas shoppers’ was the headline in a recent news item on the Times online edition with a similar version appearing in the newspaper’s business section too. The AIM-listed global group, who is a major supplier of greeting cards, wrap, crackers and many other products to many leading retailers, has warned that the soaring costs and supply chain issues, are affecting its profit margins, Above: The Times newspaper as well as its online edition resulting in the company’s share price dropping by over a third. covered the IG Design Group The Times piece, by Tom Howard, highlighted that IG Design Group was the third listed supermarket story. supplier that week to have admitted that the current disruptions are denting profits and margins. Right: Paul Fineman, ceo of Analysts at Canaccord, IG’s house broker told The Times that this year’s profits for the group will be IGDG. “significantly below current expectations” going so far as to more than halve the underlying earnings estimate for this year to $26.4 million. Reinforcing that IGDG is the world’s largest Christmas cracker manufacturer, ever one to put a positive spin on the situation, Paul Fineman, ceo was keen to assure that for all the problems, that there would not be a shortage of its crackers this year and neither had the increased costs of supply been passed on to the consumer.
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