Progressive Greetings October 2018

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On The Cards ‘Please stop uploading pictures of your genitals to our cards’ was a request made via Twitter from Moonpig that went viral. The titters from this Twitter post make it worthy of an appearance on Have I Got News For You - and nonetheless elicited a sizeable ‘piece’ in the Daily Mail, pardon the pun. Is this a ‘flash in the pan’? As you know at PG we like to keep ‘abreast’ of things.

Apparently, the online retailer is having to step up its censorship checks against customers uploading photos of private parts onto its personalised cards and gifts.

As they say, all publicity is good publicity! Anything that prompts people to think about buying and sending cards is very welcome.

I was delighted to hear that Christmas is off to a positive start. While indies are waiting a bit to get their full festive range out, Lisa Rutherford, the card buyer of John Lewis, revealed to me that the department store group had sold over 1,000 single Christmas cards by the third week in September, while Joe Irons, Paperchase’s chief customer officer, said its Christmas sales were “off to a little flier” and that “Christmas cards” was the number one search term on its website and people “were not just looking, they were buying too.”

I know it’s early days, but I am ever the optimist and hope that the joys of sending cards in these somewhat scary times bode well for the lovely British tradition of card sending.

It is such a shame that both Card Factory and Paperchase have both come up against some tricky criticism, even though Card Factory is looking to make a £90 million profit this year and Paperchase (which has been damned over one credit insurer’s change of tack) has proved its worth for the last 50 years. The

@Prog_Greetings

Above: In IG Design Group’s (DGUK) cavernous single card warehouse (leftright) Andy Kemmett (DGUK), PG’s Jakki Brown, Adrian Coates (DGUK), Warren Lomax (PG), David Jackson (DGUK) and Sian Roberts (DGUK).

Left: (left) Paul Woodmansterne, md of Woodmansterne admitted defeat to Bruce Podmore, md of Windles, in the intercompany fun Wayzgoose championship recently, that was hosted by Woody as part of its 65th anniversary celebrations.

Below left: GCA’s Sharon Little (4th from left), PG’s Jakki Brown (5th right) and Autumn Fair’s Susan Fairley (centre) met with members of the Dutch greeting card association (of publishers, retailers and its postal operator) at the show to share insights about the respective market challenges and opportunities.

problem is that any negative coverage in the media casts a shadow over our great trade, and it’s invariably incredibly unfair.

But we are a resilient lot - as evidenced by the great news that the public spent an incredible £1.7 billion on greeting card in the last year, as confirmed by the finding of the GCA UK Greeting Card Market Report (see pages 40-41).

Greeting cards have always reflected society and adapted to changing times, be it in retail distribution (Aldi’s trials are certainly an example of this - see news) or in design, as our Words & Sentiments Focus piece this month touches on.

However, that said, I will certainly not be uploading images of my own ‘bits’ onto cards from Moonpig, thankfully there are plenty of better choices of designs out there than for me to give anyone an eyeful!

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Contents

What’s Inside?

Within This Issue: FOCUS ON WORDS & SENTIMENTS

29

49

52-53 7-19

33-39

News

Innovations

20-21

40-41

Over The Counter

Industry Issue

Scaramouche Do You Do The Fandango?

Figuring It All Out

Independent card and gift retailer, David Robertson, co-owner of JP Pozzi in Scotland, discusses reinvention and how indies need to tap into the consumer experience.

52-53

Discover the findings of the recently published UK Greeting Card Market Report, commissioned by the GCA.

Face To Face

The Undercover Publisher

43-47 Focus On The Words & Sentiments Market

22-23

Magical Words

Cardsharp

Some of the magical changes happening in the words & sentiments greeting card market.

Give Us Some Blessed Relief Cardsharp muses over topical events happening in the industry.

49-51

With IG Design Group now trialling a bespoke range of everyday cards in select Aldi stores, PG went to investigate.

54-55 Jeremy’s Journal

War On Plastic Jeremy Corner of publisher Blue Eyed Sun discusses the problematic effect plastic is having on our world.

25-27

Words & Sentiments New Launches

Viewpoints

Heart Beats

A State Of Independents

PG listens to the beat of some recently launched words & sentiments card ranges.

57-59

40

60-61

With bira last month making a plea to the government for a reform of the UK’s Business Rates, indies reveal their thoughts on current retailing issues.

29-31

Art Source What’s Hot? 62-74

Trends Spotlight

Classified

A Mexican Revolution Why radical Mexican artist Frida Kahlo is currently a potent muse for artists and card publishers.

75

Appointments Progressive Greetings is a monthly business magazine.

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Copyright© 2018. 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.

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NEWS Moonpig acquires Greetz

TOP STORY

A £1.7 Billion Market!

Reassurance from GCA UK Greeting Card Market Report The public spent a staggering £1.7 billion on greeting cards last year and sent an astonishing 864 million counter cards. These impressive facts were confirmed by findings of the recently published GCA UK Greeting Card Market Report, based on actual sales figures of the association’s publisher members.

While impressive numbers, they are tinged with a veil of caution, representing a slight decline in value and volume on the previous year.

Commenting on the findings, Sharon Little, ceo of the GCA, which commissioned the annual research that forms the basis of the Market Report said: “The overall picture is that the UK greeting card industry has shown a remarkable strength in what have been very challenging times for the high street.

Although there have been slight dips in value and volume across the sector, these decreases are marginal - the figures show that the industry is stable.”

The average price paid for a greeting card in 2017 (compared to 2016) was

Above: The shape of the UK greeting card market in 2017.

up to £1.75, 2p more than in the previous year.

In the preface of the Report, Ceri Stirland, GCA president (and UKG’s customer and channel director) points out: “The major proportion of greeting cards are still bought in physical bricks and mortar shops rather than online, with cards remaining an important, highly profitable product category across all retail channels.”

(See pages 38-39 for a fuller report).

A rocking GCA AGM & Conference There are bound to be loads of cardies ‘rocking up’ at the imminent GCA AGM and Conference this month, given the strong line up of ‘headline acts’ as well as the afternoon workshop sessions.

Taking place on October 17 at Knebworth House, home of the legendary rock festival, the keynote speakers are Karen Hubbard, ceo of Card Factory as well as Moonpig’s design director Geoff Sanderson and Sarah-Jane Porter, its head of licensing. While Karen will present her take on the card industry, Geoff and Sarah-Jane will reveal what online card retailing tells us about the UK consumer.

“Another important element of the morning’s session will be a focus on the environment. Ceri Stirland, our GCA President and UKG’s customer and channel director, will be joined by Sue Morrish, director of The Eco-friendly Card Company to confront the ever evolving environmental picture for the greeting card industry,” explains Sharon Little, ceo of the GCA. The afternoon workshop sessions are being led by: Carly Pearson, head card buyer at Sainsbury’s, who will share insights into the supermarket's research on diversity.

Paul Woodmansterne, managing director of Woodmansterne Publications, in the 65th anniversary of the company, will be laying himself bare with a session entitled ‘Mistakes I Have Made and How To Avoid Them’.

Reggie Pugh, studio director of Paper Rose and The Art Group, will lead on trends and creative direction.

Anthony McGhie, digital engagement manager at Barclays will present on cyber security, the main cyber threats and how to help prevent them affecting a business.

Ged Mace, managing director of The Art File, will be delivering a business strategy session.

Jeremy Bacon, ceo of The Sherwood Group will share his take on the possible ramifications of Brexit, whether ‘hard’ or soft’, on the industry.

Sarah Hamilton, the creator of the Just A Card campaign all about it.

To book your place, contact Sharon on gca@max-publishing.co.uk Above: The keynote speakers at the GCA AGM & Conference include (right-left) Moonpig’s Sarah-Jane Porter and Geoff Sanderson, Card Factory’s Karen Hubbard and The Eco-Friendly Card Co’s Sue Morrish.

Photobox Group, the parent company of card and gift retailer Moonpig, has acquired Dutch online cards and gifting retailer Greetz.

The acquisition makes it the European market leader in online greeting cards and personal gifting.

Greetz was founded in 2001 as an online greeting cards retailer - in which it is the undisputed market leader in Holland, with over 7.5 million cards sold in the Netherlands in 2017. Greetz has also established itself as Holland’s leading brand in personal gifting, with strong positions in categories like online flowers, chocolate, beverages and balloons.

In 2017 the company sold almost a million gifts. Growing at 25% year on year, the business is on course to double its 2015 revenues in 2018.

The acquisition comes as Moonpig has started offering non-personalised greeting cards on its website - the first step into Moonpig broadening its card selection with the addition of ‘bought in’ publishers’ designs.

Below: Greetz is the largest online retailer of personalised cards and gifts in the Netherlands.

Brexit - a hard ride for the card trade?

Jeremy Bacon, ceo of the leading greeting card and packaging business, Sherwood Group (which also includes Loxleys) is gearing up to be put in ‘the hot seat’ at this month’s GCA’s AGM & Conference, sharing his beliefs of the likely impacts of Brexit on costs for greeting card publishers.

Jeremy (left) has just proved his ability to push forward to adapt to a changing landscape of a different nature.

Jeremy recently competed in the UCI World Amateur Cycling Championships which saw 2,300 riders from all over the world endure the tough 130km course (with 1,950 mtrs of accent) in the Italian lake district. Jeremy came in the 15th fastest British rider (in his age group) and 240th in the world.

As to the similarities and differences between greeting card printing and top level cycling, Jeremy said: “Both are very hard work with a lot of uphill struggles. At least in cycling you get to enjoy some exhilarating freewheeling on the downhill stretches, not something afforded to us in the card trade!”

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NEWS TOP STORY

Art Angels’ 25th celebration

A Second PG Live PG launches second show in January 2020 Following a record breaking 10th PG Live this June, Max Exhibitions has announced the launch of a second PG Live, which will take place on 7-8 January 2020, at the Business Design Centre in Islington.

Explaining the rationale behind the show, PG Live’s joint organiser, Warren Lomax said: “We have been urged for some time by publishers and retailers to launch a second PG Live at the start of the year - and so we are!”

As Warren pointed out, “The start of the year is a hugely busy buying time for greeting cards and ancillary product launches, but up until now we could not get the dates at our fabulous venue, the Business Design Centre in Islington, London. So, when the opportunity came up it was too good to miss.”

He elaborated that retailers have been keen on a second dedicated greeting card show as early in the year as possible, when they have empty shelves to fill post-Christmas. “Being an early January show, it will be ideally timed

for calendars and giftwrap launches too, hence the byline of ‘Cards. Wrap. Calendars’ for the show.”

PG Live January 2020 will have all the features that have made the PG Live June show so successful, such as delicious free lunches, free hot drinks, a free on-site first night party and special Golden and Silver tickets given free to Retas finalists and winners as well as monetary vouchers for Greats’ winners and finalists to spend at PG Live January 2020.

Like the June show, there will also be an exciting Springboard section for new and emerging publishers.

Operations director of Max Exhibitions, Simon Boyd added: “The greeting card industry has really embraced PG Live over the last decade, and we really believe that PG Live January 2020 can really do the greeting industry proud.”

For more details regarding PG Live January 2020 contact Warren Lomax on warren@max-exhibitions.co.uk

Windles V Woodmansterne Windles may be well-known for its ability as a greeting card printer, but it seems that its staff has other talents too, as the company beat two Woodmansterne teams in the second annual Wayzgoose event which took place recently, retaining the shield it won at the inaugural event last year.

“Don’t you lot do any work?” quipped Paul Woodmansterne, md of Woodmansterne Publications, to the Windles employees, making a light-hearted reference to their team’s honed skills, especially on the football pitch and at the ochie!

Resurrecting a historic printing tradition with a modern twist, hosting the event in the magnificent grounds of Luton Hoo country house estate, as part of its 65th anniversary celebrations, Woodmansterne’s two teams challenged Windles to a football match, clay pigeon shooting, Segway racing, darts and table tennis.

In the three way championship - Windies (Windles) v Woodies (Woodmansterne) v Wickies (Woodmansterne’s Milton Keynes’ Mr Pickwick picking and packing side) - Windles won the darts, football and rounders.

Woodmansterne showed its prowess at clay pigeon shooting and table tennis, while the Wickies came first in the Segway racing. This meant that Windles was the outright winner.

Left: Oxon-based greeting card printers Windles retained the Wayzgoose shield that it won last year.

Paperchase quashes rumours Paperchase has been quick to quash suppliers concerns about its creditworthiness, sparked by the media picking up on one credit insurance company, Euler Hermes, deciding to reduce cover on the retailer. Joe Irons, chief customer officer, said:"We're disappointed that Euler Hermes decided to reduce our credit insurance a couple of months ago, along with a number of other UK retailers. We're in discussion with them around why we believe this decision should be reversed. Paperchase has excellent long-term relationships with suppliers and very supportive lenders and owners. Trading so far this year is line with expectations."

What started as a plucky artist approaching an independent card retailer in Norwich, asking if they knew who could publish her work on cards, resulted in Chris Cordingly and his wife Judy setting up Art Angels!

The publisher recently celebrated its 25th anniversary with a party attended, not only by many of the artists whose work it publishes, but many of the company’s overseas distributors.

“We ended up with quite a crowd,” admitted Chris of the celebration. “It was amazing to see so many artists from the early days - Lucy Clibbon, Clare Sprawsom, Rebecca Gibbon etc, up to the present day with Angela Harding and so many others. And of course, our wonderful distributors who have become such great friends. Not a bad way to celebrate 25 years of collaboration!”

As a keepsake, Art Angels produced a special pack of playing cards, which featured 52 pieces of artwork by artists it has published over the years.

Above: The keepsake Art Angels 25th anniversary playing cards.

Danilo’s Cliff and Kelly calendars hot off the press As Danilo gears up to celebrate its 40th anniversary this month, some of its products have also been in the limelight.

Providing a great boost to its retail stockists who are ramping up on their calendar displays, Danilo’s consumer PR push (driven by its PR maestro Jennie Halsall) clinched some high profile coverage for its 2019 calendar titles.

The Mirror went to town turning the pages on Cliff Richard’s official 2019 calendar in its September 4 edition. The newspaper tipped that it could be Cliff’s best-selling calendar yet as fans rally around the 77-year-old after his High Court victory over the BBC over its coverage of a police raid on his home amid false sexual-assault claims.

Meanwhile, Danilo’s Kelly Brook 2019 calendar was also featured in detail by The Daily Mail’s popular online newsfeed.

Daniel Prince, managing director of Danilo said he was “delighted to kickstart the 2019 calendar season” with some notable consumer press coverage.

Above: Will the 2019 Danilo calendar be Sir Cliff’s biggest selling yet?

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NEWS TOP STORY

Gearing Up For The Calies

Asda And Sainsbury’s Go Naked Sainsbury’s trials undressing, Asda commits to go for it Sainsbury’s went ‘naked’ first, but in a limited way, then a few days later Asda committed to undressing completely in the new year.

In the middle of last month Asda shared the news that it has committed to a removal of avoidable plastic from the greeting cards stocked in its stores. From January, Asda will start to remove cellowrapping from the vast majority of the cards it stocks. The only exceptions will be the more delicate, hand-crafted cards that will remain in a plastic ‘sleeve’ to protect them against damage.

The decision is expected to save over 50 million individual cellophane bags annually - the equivalent to over 100 tonnes of plastic.

Nikki Dixon, Asda’s senior manager for plastic reduction, said: “We know that customers are looking to reduce the amount of plastic they use and want us to help them to do so. Our shoppers love sending greeting cards and this change will mean they don’t need to worry about their impact on the environment - just that the card gets there on time!”

A few weeks previous to Asda’s announcement, Sainsbury’s revealed that is underway on a trial in 10 of its stores, whereby 100% of its cards, both from branded

publishers and the grocer’s own brand designs, are being sold unwrapped (ie non-cellowrapped).

Carly Pearson, buyer of cards and wrap for Sainsbury’s told PG: “Sainsbury’s is committed to reducing the volume of non-essential plastic waste, with all cello bags destined for the bin it is the right thing to do for our business and the environment to investigate how essential this plastic is within our department.”

She confirmed that the initial reaction from customers is that the cards actually looked better in the rack without the plastic bags. “We will be monitoring the effect on sales and waste and also the impact on the display over the coming months to help inform us in making a decision on our stance on cello bagging for the future,” added Carly.

Above: Asda is the first major retailer to commit to going naked on all its greeting cards.

Left: Some of the unwrapped cards in one of Sainsbury’s stores in the trial.

WRAP embraces the Recycle Me logo What started as part of Woodmansterne’s mission to improve the recyclability labelling on its products has led to ‘recycle me’ becoming a new nationally accepted logo, recognised by WRAP (the Waste and Resources Action Programme) that can be used specifically on greeting cards (with a few caveats).

The Woodmansterne team came up with the phrase ‘recycle me’ and approached WRAP to grant the body’s approval for its use with its ‘circular arrow’ graphic.

“Before, they had simply ‘recycle’ or ‘recycle now’. We believe, that for greeting cards, ‘recycle me’ feels more friendly (and doesn’t demand that you throw away your card instantly!)” elaborated Paul Woodmansterne, md of Woodmansterne.

Building on the relationship the GCA has already forged with WRAP on wider industry issues, Sharon Little, ceo of the trade association aided the progression.

The result is that the recycle me logo has been officially recognised by WRAP and it has been uploaded to its Resource Library for use only by greeting card publishers for the backs of their cards (providing certain criteria is met).

As it clearly states on the WRAP website, the recycle me mark ‘Should NOT be used on greeting cards that contain glitter or additional non-recyclable decorations, such as batteries or badges, unless accompanied with the instruction. ‘Please remove any glitter, batteries or badges and dispose of these items with your non-recyclable waste' This mark should also NOT be used on any form of packaging, as this is where the OPRL labelling system is applicable.’

Above: The recycle me logo is available to card publishers (with a few caveats).

Plans are readying for The UK Calendar Awards 2018, now known under their friendlier moniker of The Calies.

With the judging taking place in the middle of this month, it is not long until the reveal of which calendars, diaries and Advents have made it through to the finals.

The winners of The Calies will be unveiled at a memorable afternoon/early evening awards event to be held on Wednesday 28 November 2018 at the historic Stationers’ Hall, in the City of London. Anyone with an interest in calendars (retailers, publishers and licensors are most welcome). Drinks reception, awards ceremony, post awards drinks and canapes (while networking) included.

The cost is £45 + VAT per ticket, and the event will start at 17.15, finishing at 19.45.

To book tickets contact Clare Davies of Createvents at clare@createvents.co.uk or call 01183 340085.

Paperchase revises its environmental guidelines As part of its mission to minimise its impact on the environment, Paperchase has issued revised Product and Packaging Guidelines for its suppliers “We already only accept FSC or recycled paper and are now trying to reduce the use of plastics across our entire production process. In particular, any plastic packaging or single use plastic,” states Emma Clooney, Paperchase’s greeting card buyer.

Under its new requirements, Paperchase states that all plastic must be recyclable. The multiple is now working towards a goal of only stocking products which include biodegradable plastic by this time next year and has asked all suppliers to confirm their compliance on this front.

Meanwhile, from immediate effect, publishers sending card samples (either preproduction of finished cards) to Paperchase’s head office are being strongly urged not to use any additional packing.

Above: Paperchase’s (left-right) Emma Clooney, Lucy Sumner, Scott Corbett and Hazel Walker at The Retas at which the retailer won two awards.

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NEWS TOP STORY

Wholehearted Thinking Retailers and publishers embrace the 5th Thinking of You Week There has been a great deal of thought expended towards Thinking of You Week this year, with retailers, publishers and suppliers all pulling together to make the 5th anniversary event even more embracing.

“The reach has been so much greater this year - extending way beyond the confines of our industry and into the consumer market,” said a delighted Sharon Little, ceo of the GCA of the Thinking of You Week activities which encouraged people to send extra cards as a show of support, love and care.

Among the multiples to get involved with the GCA-initiated Week (24-30 September), Clintons launched a ‘30% off all cards’ promotion in its stores, while Paperchase launched a punchy PR campaign that reminded people of the potency of sending cards. It backed this up with a number of customer initiatives that rewarded and encouraged card sending.

Under the heading of ‘The power of the card in a digital age’, Paperchase’s press release, sent to the consumer media at large, rammed home the message of how greeting cards are more than holding their own in a time of unprecedented communication alternatives.

It points out that sending cards is ‘not something that is restricted to the older generation - research has shown that millennials not only appreciate writing more but are more likely to keep hold of handwritten keepsakes than those in their fifties.’

Paperchase revealed that its sales of cards for family members have increased 10% year-on-year, underlining the importance of this tangible way of show you care. However, the retailer highlights that it’s not just family members or birthdays that customers are buying cards for, ‘there’s a shift towards celebrating different life events and achievements by sending cards, while some send a card simply as a note to let someone know they are thinking of them,’ says the release.

During Thinking of You Week anyone who bought a card from Paperchase was given a free sticker which reinforces the positive message of sending cards, plus it gave away free cards randomly in over 160 stores nationwide.

Top Drawer’s PaperAwards winners Wanderlust Paper Company, Katie Leamon and Emily Brooks all triumphed in Top Drawer’s A/W 18 PaperAwards.

The PaperAwards support and recognise the creativity and innovation of exhibitors in the Greetings & Stationery sector at Top Drawer, and are supported by paper company G.F Smith. There were five finalists in each of three categories.

Here are the winners and finalists: Exciting Use of Colour: Winner Emily Brooks. Finalists - The Completist, Rhombus & Pineapple, Scout Editions and Lorna Syson.

Engaging Print: Winner - Wanderlust Paper Co. Finalists - 1973, MishMish, Studio Wald and UWP Luxe.

Emotive Design: Winner - Katie Leamon. Finalists - Petra Boase, Pressed and Folded, Small World and Stormy Knight.

All finalists had their work featured in the Greetings & Stationery area of the September trade show, with the winners of each PaperAwards category receiving a prize worth £1,000.

Top Drawer’s next trade fair will take place 13-15 January 2019 at London’s Olympia.

Above: Emily Brooks won the Exciting Use Of Colour category in the PaperAwards.

Above: The GCA’s ceo Sharon Little (left) with Nicola Hutchinson of Hutch Cassidy and Jen Rowland in front of the Thinking of You Week wall of happiness at Top Drawer.

Above: The sticker that Paperchase gave out.

UKG forges society links

Publishers put thoughts into action Publishers were keen to get involved with Thinking of You Week this year.

Pabuku had a special Thinking of You Week promo on Northlight’s stand (its distributor) at Top Drawer whereby it invited visitors to write a free Pabuku card on its stand and post it in the little red Pabuku postbox with the publisher picking up the costs for postage!

As well as running events in its own three shops, Belly Button Designs, via a link with one of its accountants’ team, was also involved in greeting card writing events with several UK armed forces bases in Germany.

Meanwhile, for the fourth year running, James Mace, sales and marketing manager of The Art File team, headed to Nottingham Children’s Hospital at the Queens Medical Centre to deliver some cards as part of its Thinking of You Week activities. Nurses and doctors on the wards also encourage parents, friends and visitors to write cards to the children they're visiting, creating a wave of positivity and thoughtfulness at difficult times.

Hallmark put together a special Thinking of You Week card kit, while Coulson Macleod engineered a card writing event at a venue nearby to its Kettering base, and even paid the postage for the cards being sent.

Above: The Art File’s James Mace in Nottingham Children’s Hospital as part of its Thinking of You Week activities.

Left: Belly Button has got behind Thinking of You Week again this year.

UK Greetings got behind Thinking of You Week with a host of activities, which saw it put greeting cards at the heart of all relationships, be it in joy or sadness.

The card publisher organised a greeting card event at the Pilgrims’ Friends residential complex in Mirfield. And in addition, members from the UKG team (including some calligraphers) undertook some poignant card writing themselves, spending time at Martin House Children’s Hospice, a Yorkshire-based charity that UKG supports.

“We wrote some heartfelt thank you cards to the many volunteers who help the charity, as well as those who have donated to the worthy cause, many due to personal connections,” explains Louise Makin, UKG’s internal communications manager.

A more joyful event saw members of the UKG team go into Reinwood Junior School, in Huddersfield, to help facilitate a greeting card writing session with the children.

Above: UKG took a selection of cards into Pilgrims’ Friends for residents to write to people they may have lost contact with over the years.

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Just A Card’s Indie Week

Aldi’s Gets Into Everyday Cards Card Factory and IG Design Group trials underway Aldi is showing its aspirations to be a retailer of everyday greeting cards, with trials underway with card selections from both Card Factory and IG Design Group.

Card Factory has installed a dedicated display of some of its best selling everyday cards in 12 Aldi stores in the north of the UK. The trial involves 64 of Card Factory’s best selling everyday designs, and is to run for a three month period.

The end cap fixture, which has been developed by Card Factory, features its existing branding with the cards being on sale at the same RRP (99p) as in its own stores.

Karen Hubbard, ceo of Card Factory commented: “We are pleased to be working with Aldi, a brand which shares our focus on quality and value, to test our proposition in the convenience market."

Running concurrently, in 10 Aldi stores in the south, is a bespoke collection from IG Design Group that comprises 107 greeting card designs (across multiple price points, from 49p-

£1.99 and different formats) and 12 giftwrapping products.

Lance Burn, managing director of IG Design Group UK (DGUK) said: “As an existing and longstanding partner supplier to Aldi UK we’re naturally delighted to be participating in this trial that we feel is a natural evolution to our current supply to Aldi of single card solutions merchandised in CDUs.” Both the Card Factory and IG Design Group trials are expected to run in Aldi for three months.

(See pages 52-53) Above: Leading value retailer Aldi is now testing selections of cards from Card Factory and IG Design Group in 22 stores in the UK.

Card Factory starts opening concessions Card Factory has delivered what its ceo Karen Hubbard summed up as “solid interim results with overall sales growth, despite the weak consumer environment and particularly challenging footfall across the high street, driven by various factors.”

However, while the value card chain’s overall sales were up by 3.3% in the six month period to 31 July 2018, its profitability was impacted by a drop in like-for-like sales, which dipped marginally (0.2%).

“Despite this difficult consumer backdrop, we have seen record numbers for Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day and Father’s Day both in terms of volume and value. This strong seasonal performance gives us confidence for the key Christmas trading period,” stated Karen in the company’s official statement.

As well as its own programme of store openings (on course for 50 additional stores in the full year), the interim statement also make reference to Card Factory trialling different methods of extending its market penetration.

In addition to the trial with Aldi, which has seen units of Card Factory products installed on a dedicated fixture in 12 Aldi stores (see above), Card Factory is to also open its first franchised unit. Plus it is also exploring the benefits of operating as a concession within other retailing outlets. Two concessions have already opened with another four being currently kitted out.

On the online front, although its Getting Personal platform is still “challenging”, the Card Factory branded online site is doing well, up 85%, albeit from a low base, and is on track to be profitable this year.

Commenting on trade since the end of July, Karen admits that trading has “remained challenging given the weak consumer environment” but is encouraged by a continued growth in average spend and improved performance of its redesigned everyday ranges.

Those in the industry have an opportunity to hear more of what Karen has to say about the industry and Card Factory at the GCA AGM & Conference on October 17 (taking place at Knebworth Hall) where she is one of the keynote speakers.

The Just a Card campaign, the brainchild of designer Sarah Hamilton to encourage the public to support independent retailers, is bolstering its activities in the Christmas trading period this year with the launch of Just A Card Indie Week, which debuts 19-23 November.

Sarah envisages the Week’s focus as a “Christmas extravaganza to encourage people to make this a truly independent Christmas.”

The Week will culminate in an alternative to Black Friday - Indie Friday.

As Sarah quite rightly points out, so many independents find Black Friday a challenge to compete with larger brands. “So now’s our time to shine, to put the colour back into Black Friday and demonstrate the wonders and benefits of supporting independents.”

Above: Designer Angela Chick has created some funky graphics for the new Indie Week.

IG Design Group acquires Impact Innovations IG Design Group has acquired US-based gift packaging company Impact Innovations in a £56 million deal, which means it is now the world’s largest gift packaging company.

The acquisition doubles IG Design Group’s business in the States, giving the group a 22% market share of the US gift packaging market.

Founded in 1968, with its headquarters in Clara City in Minnesota, as well as offices in Memphis and Asia, Impact Innovations supplies major US retailers with gift packaging and seasonal décor products. It has a turnover in excess of $150 million. Walmart is its largest customer.

Below: Paul Fineman (left), ceo of Design Group, with Impact Innovation’s ceo John Dammermann shaking on the deal.

Above: Card Factory says it is on course to open 50 new stores in its full financial year.

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Cardzone Commits To Hallmark Half of its R&O displays to be Hallmark in 60 stores Growing specialist retail group, Cardzone has committed 70% of its greeting card shop estate to Hallmark, making it the dominant card supplier - and the greeting card brand is being added to the fascia of the shops. By mid January, 50% of the relations and occasions cards in around 60 of its stores will be Hallmark designs, while the publisher’s brand will also feature on these shops’ frontage.

This is the latest development in Cardzone’s ambitious growth plan to double the business in the next three years. The group, headed up by founder Paul Taylor, now comprises around 130 stores, including specialist card shops, Hallmark factory outlets and some standalone home fragrance stores.

Explaining the rationale behind the partnership with Hallmark, Paul told PG: “We feel that this is the right decision to grow our greeting card sales and give us a point of difference. Not only has the publisher’s product range improved immeasurably, but our experiences of the last two years since we took over the Hallmark factory outlets has proved that the Hallmark brand really resonates with the consumer.”

Commenting on the development, Ciaran Leonard, Hallmark's director of independent sales said: "We are delighted by the show of faith from such a progressive, strong and growing retailer."

As part of the agreement between Cardzone and Hallmark, stores located in the vicinity of a committed Gold Crown retailer will not be included in the transformation.

Jo Hancock, operations director of Cardzone, has planned the displays (combining both Hallmark and other publishers’ designs). The new plans will be introduced into 24 stores by the end of this month, with a further roll out in the new year.

Above: Cardzone is building on its relationship with Hallmark, having taken over its Factory Outlets a few years ago.

Cardzone acquires nine Cardland stores Cardzone has acquired the Cardland group of nine card shops in Northern Ireland, meaning that the growing greeting card multiple now has 14 card shops in the country, and a presence in most of the larger towns and cities.

Allan and Elaine Mackinnon, who have owned the group of nine shops, which traded under the Card Land banner in Northern Ireland for the last few years, have now joined the Cardzone management team. They are now responsible for the management of all stores owned

by Cardzone in Northern Ireland.

Commenting, James Taylor, trading director of the Cardzone group said: “We have further ambitions to grow in Northern Ireland should the right opportunities come before us.”

Left: The Card Land store in Bangor, Northern Ireland, which is now part of the Cardzone estate.

GCA readies for Festive Friday Wouldn’t it be great if Christmas card sending this year was back on the up? With at least 100,000 people employed in the industry, if everyone did their bit and sent their personal Christmas cards early, it would be off to a good start.

Now in its 6th year, Festive Friday, (which this year falls on 30 November), is Above: The 2018 the special day for everyone in the card industry (and all card senders) to start to send artwork for Festive Friday by The Art File. their personal Christmas cards. Instigated by the GCA, the idea is to create a great first wave of Christmas cards arriving in early December to get the nation in the card-sending mood. And the GCA is aiming for it to be even bigger and better than before.

The new look Festive Friday Toolkit is live on the GCA website (www.greetingcardassociation.org.uk), giving everyone in the industry (and beyond) the free mixings to promote the event.

l Popular sales agent Robin Hill is retiring at the end of this month after 28 years covering the North West area.

“I have always said I would retire by the time I was 60. With all the product launches that publishers are gearing up for, now seems the ideal time to hand over the baton to whoever is going to take over from me,” Robin said.

Robin has represented Caroline Gardner for 25 years, The Art File for 21 years and Belly Button for over 20. He also carries Stop the Clock, Pulp and Rosie Made a Thing.

“Thank you all, it’s been a great 28 years... now though there’s time for a few more holidays!!

I’ve loved working in this industry - the people and the products are just fabulous,” says Robin.

When asked about the lowlights of his time as an agent, Robin says, “There has only been one, but it is a biggie - the M6!”

Above: Agent Robin Hill toasts his customers and principals as he looks forward to retirement.

l Having worked within the distribution and logistics sector for over 20 years, Rob Hannan (right) is enjoying his new role as general manager of LB Warehousing, which provides 3rd party warehousing and dispatch for many greeting card publishers.

Sad Loss of Edward Williams l Edward Williams, one of the kindest, most creative people in the card industry, has sadly passed away, aged 71 years.

Edward, who has been a key member of the Simon Elvin group for almost 30 years, heading up its social stationery and party division, lost his long battle with cancer last month.

Edward will leave an indelible mark on the industry, through the products he created and the relationships he forged. His Buddhist beliefs provided him with an inner strength to keep working almost right to the end, far exceeding the life expectancy predicted by the medical experts.

Having graduated from the revered Hornsey College of Art, Edward’s natural talent for illustration and advertising led him to join Image Arts, a leading card publisher in the 70s that was headed up by Simon Elvin.

One of Edward’s most significant creations while part of the Image Arts team was the Razamataz greeting card concept, featuring cute nostalgic characters reminiscent of the popular Bugsy Malone film that was popular at the time.

Knowing that it had a real hit on its hands, Razamataz was even advertised on TV and later made into a book.

“I had the great pleasure of working with Edward since the 70s - and, together with so many others, I will miss him greatly. He was a very special man,” Simon Elvin said of his friend and colleague.

Above: Edward Williams, founded and headed up Simon Elvin’s social stationery division since it started.

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The icing on the cake Below: Various aspects of the new approach have already proved themselves at retail.

Crowning Glory Hallmark unveils Gold Crown revamp It has been a long time in the waiting, but Hallmark has revealed its plans for a totally revamped Gold Crown programme.

A two day event held at Hallmark’s HQ in Bradford at the end of last month brought together over 80 Gold Crown store owners and prospective Gold Crownies from the UK and Ireland to hear all about the plans for the future for the retail programme.

Graeme Francis, Gold Crown business manager, said the new approach for the programme focuses “on the most important things for retailers today as well as for the future; customer service, product, in-store environment, digital and marketing. For us it’s all about ensuring the service in these areas offer a real first class retail concept for both our customers and consumers.”

Don Hall, ceo of Hallmark, flew over from the parent company’s head office in Kansas City to be present at the event.

As Ciaran Leonard, Hallmark’s head of sales for UK and Ireland reinforced: “We

are fiercely protective of the independent retailer. The Gold Crown programme gives them the opportunity to maintain their independence but with the support, and drawing on the insights, that we at Hallmark can offer. The revamp of Gold Crown is long overdue, but we are excited about what it can offer our customers.”

The aims are that the new approach, various aspects of which have been trialled at retail, will help to build up the Gold Crown network back up to 200 stores over the next couple of years, from its current base of 122 stores.

Hallmark UK’s head honcho Steve Wright to retire After 22 years with Hallmark, Steve Wright, the company’s co-international ceo and managing director of its UK business, is to retire at the end of the year.

Amanda Del Prete, the publisher’s product & creative director, will step into the role of UK managing director as of 1 January 2019, while Cindy Mahoney will transition into the role of ceo Hallmark International for all operations. Cindy has been president of Hallmark Canada for over two years and has been co-ceo of Hallmark International since February.

Commenting, Steve said: “I feel like the time is right for me to leave the business and I’ll take with me very fond memories of the journey Hallmark has been on. I know the company will be in great hands with Cindy and Amanda”.

Steve joined Fine Arts Development (a company Hallmark acquired) in 1996 in the role of sourcing and technical director, progressing quickly to more senior roles, including heading up the Tigerprint division, which supplied Marks and Spencer. He became co-international ceo in 2012.

Above: Hallmark UK’s md Steve Wright (left), who is retiring at the end of the year, with Don Hall, ceo of the whole group.

Far left: Amanda Del Prete is to become Hallmark UK’s md.

Left: Cindy Mahoney to take on the full ceo International role.

Fenwick moves to central buying After years of buying its greeting cards (and all manner of products) on an individual store basis, the Fenwick group of department stores has made the switch to centralised buying.

As of September 1, all greeting cards for the Fenwick department store group came under the auspices of a single buying team. There are nine department stores in the Fenwick group. These are located in Newcastle, London's Bond Street, Bracknell, Brent Cross, Canterbury, Colchester, Kingston, Tunbridge Wells and York.

While at the time of PG going to press the head of greeting card buying had yet to be revealed, Abigail Ball is the assistant buyer for all greeting cards for Fenwick. Abigail was previously assistant buyer of everyday and Christmas cards for the group’s flagship Newcastle store as well as for its York branch.

Meanwhile Jenni Taylor, the popular former card buyer for Fenwick’s Bentalls and Bracknell stores, is retaining her link with the retailing of greeting cards, having joined the award-winning Tadworth-based independent retailer Aligator Pear as its buying manager.

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Founders of leading greeting card wholesale publisher Simon Elvin Ltd - Janet and Simon Elvin - received a lovely surprise recently when they were asked to “pop down to the company’s canteen” at its Wooburn Green headquarters.

They walked through the door to be greeted by a roar of cheers as unbeknownst to them their staff were all assembled to present them with gifts and a cake to mark the company’s 40th anniversary.

While caught on the hop on that day, Simon made an impassioned speech: “Most importantly I wanted to thank everyone who had contributed to our company over the last decade - although my biggest thanks need to go to Janet [Simon’s wife] who has played such a crucial part in making the business what it is today. In the early days she used to write out the invoices by hand and we never received any complaints.

Thankfully she doesn’t have to do that anymore!” said Simon.

Over the last four decades Simon has lost count of the number of designs the wholesale publisher has produced: “It must be over 50,000 different designs by now, but I still vividly remember the very first range… excitedly skipping around the kitchen when those first cards arrived, having dinner, then packing up the orders. I used to go out selling during the day, then Janet and I would work until midnight to pack up the orders.”

When pressed on the advice he would give his younger self, he reveals: “Ignore the end consumer at your peril. When you look to publish any design, you always have to have in your mind, ‘who would buy it and who would they buy it for?’ Thank goodness that there are over 60 million people in the UK and they all have different tastes and different relationships to cater for!”

Above: Simon and Janet Elvin received a surprise 40th anniversary celebration!

Below: Abigail Ball (right) and Jenni Taylor at The Henries 2018 judging.

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Thortful Founder At Ladder Club A number of big industry hitters also top the bill He won over the ‘Dragons’ in the ‘Den’, in the much watched BBC series’ Christmas episode, now Andy Pearce, founder of the print-on-demand greeting card business, Thortful, will tell his story and insights at The Ladder Club seminars next month.

The serial entrepreneur (who only went on the BBC programme for the massive exposure it afforded his brand) is to speak on both days of The Ladder Club seminars, which take place on Tuesday 6 November and Wednesday 7 November (in Westcliff-on-Sea, Essex). He will tailor his talk to suit both audiences - the first day’s seminar being for would-be or newbie publishers and the second for more established publishers looking to progress up ‘the industry ladder’.

Another big draw for Day 2-ers is to hear what Paperchase’s deputy chairman, Timothy Melgund, has to say.

Having headed up Paperchase for the last 22 years - and a senior executive of WHSmith prior to that, Timothy has earned his ‘greeting card spurs’ and will impart some of his industry insights to delegates attending the Wednesday 7 November event.

Other speakers at this year’s two one day seminars include Mark JansonSmith, md of Postmark; Louise Tiler, founder of Louise Tiler Design; agent Ian Bradley; Megan Purdie, founder of Megan Claire; Jess Hogarth, founder of Jessica Hogarth Designs; Jeremy Corner, md of Blue Eyed Sun as well as loyal Ladder Club supporters from The Imaging Centre, GF Smith, Enveco, The Sherwood Group, GCA and PG. Places are filling up for both Ladder Club seminars.

To attend a Ladder Club seminar it costs £85 (including VAT) (and includes lunch and refreshments).

To book a place at The Ladder Club seminars email Clare Davies or call 01183 340085.

Above: Andy Pearce, founder of Thortful will address attendees at this year’s Ladder Club seminars.

Left: Paperchase’s deputy chairman, Timothy Melgund is confirmed to speak at The Ladder Club.

Pabuku, Doll Truths and Sarah Burman in License This! finals Cardies’ potential as licensed properties score highly in BLE’s License This!, with Pabuku, Doll Truths and Sarah Burman being among the finalists in the two categories of the competition being run by Brand Licensing Europe.

Having debuted with great aplomb with card publisher Doll Truths at PG Live in June, doll character Gail Grisham is now hoping to make her presence felt in the licensing field too. The brainchild of Celia Law, Gail Grisham is a vintage doll with lots to say, especially about the ‘joys’ of motherhood and family life.

The brand is up against The Real Monster Show, an anti-bullying themed brand concept from Argentina, and Oddcats, a preschool creation by Zara Picken in the Character & Animation category.

But there are two other greeting card-centric finalists in the line-up of the competition, with respected Austrian-based card publisher Pabuku, which gives vintage imagery a contemporary twist, being one of the three finalists in the new Brand & Design category. Pabuku is up against Animals, a brand concept from Sarah Burman, who also publishes greeting cards.

The final contender in this category is Blubz, a cute concept from Drew Bristow.

The winners will be the concepts that the judges feel offer the greatest potential for licensing.

Among the judges were Danilo’s licensing director, Dan Grant and Stuart Cox of I Like Birds (who now licences the brand to The Art File for greeting cards and wrap).

The winners of both categories of License This! will be announced during BLE, the key licensing event in Europe, which takes place 9-11 October 2018 at Olympia London. To register go to www.brandlicensing.eu Above left: Gail Gresham is one feisty doll!

Above right: One of the many designs from Pabuku.

l Rose Hill Designs is gearing up for a special #Make Your Pet Famous exhibition at Old Diorama Arts Centre in London’s Drummond Street next month.

The event will showcase Rose’s new art styles as well as giving pet owners the chance for their pets to experience a live photoshoot with complimentary photography alongside made-to-order portrait commissions. Instagram star, Eroc the skateboarding dawg will also be making a special appearance for launch night on November 15.

Above: Some of Rose Hill’s artwork.

l Meera Santoro, cofounder of Santoro greeting card, gift and licensing business, made a memorable impression at Buckingham Palace recently as a result of some cheeky remarks she whispered into Prince Charles’ ear!

Meera was invited to the Palace to receive a prestigious Queen’s Award for Enterprise, notably for the company’s international licensing activity for its brands, such as Gorjuss. The plucky entrepreneur, who started the company with her husband Lucio in 1985, and launched the licensing division a decade later, didn’t waste an opportunity of having the ear of the next in line to the throne, HRH The Prince of Wales.

“I said a good few things to Charles but the most printable was that he “actually looked hotter in real life than he did on camera,” Meera admitted. “I also whispered something cheeky in his ear which he roared out loud about, while everyone else were wide-eyed as to what I’d actually said!” added Meera.

Above: HRH The Prince of Wales was clearly pleased by what Meera Santoro was saying, while others nearby found it amusing.

l As part of its ‘back to uni’ activity, Scribbler partnered with the popular recipe influencer, Mob Kitchen, to launch its debut cook book, which is only available on the high street at Scribbler stores.

Scribbler also designed a Mob Kitchen-inspired greeting card to celebrate the new partnership, featuring Pablo Escargot, Al Mascarpone and the Krayfish Twins. Set up by Benjamin Lebus, Mob Kitchen is an online publishing company, producing one-minute, healthy ‘how-to’ food videos, on a budget. Its soaring success is amplified by the collaborations and celebrity guest chefs, who are set weekly recipe challenges.

The interactive cookbook features a carefully curated playlist on Spotify.

Above: Scribbler has launched a Mob Kitchen inspired greeting card to coincide with the launch of the book.

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OVER THE COUNTER

Scaramouche Do You Do The

Fandango?

Independent card and gift retailer, David Robertson, co-owner of JP Pozzi in Scotland, discusses how indies need to tap into the consumer experience.

Re-invention was the theme that struck a chord in last month’s column. In 1975 a band known as Queen also re-invented itself, and perhaps pop music too, creating a six minute epic ballad mixed with hard rock and an operatic chorus meshing these elements into what is now recognised as one of the greatest singles of all time - Bohemian Rhapsody. The song was of course ground-breaking, multi-million selling and still much loved today.

Fast forward 43 years, and the song’s same opening bars of music provide the background to a trusted advert formula classic song, a family situation we are all familiar with and two and a half minutes of pure storytelling with no mention of who the ad is for or what product it’s selling. Right at the end of the advert we hear the crescendo of Queen’s frontman Freddie Mercury’s voice and view stage fireworks with a simple message flashing up: ‘When you are part of it you put your heart into it.’

It then fades to the new JL and Waitrose logos with the addition of the word ‘Partners’ to both.

This is classic JL and is a fantastically expensive yet simple way to say 'we are different'. In typical John Lewis style the school play is taken to the extreme and the message that the advert is conveying is that John Lewis, together with its staff, are here for you. The mini tagline ‘For us, it’s personal’ reinforces this further.

JL wants to be viewed almost as the small man’s local big department store. It wants to offer that personal touch, that feeling that we as indies aim to give all our customers. It wants you to feel that most important of all human needs... valued.

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Like everyone else however, it is the value of the retailer’s figures that also needs to be kept up, and while I have never experienced anything but excellent service in a JL store, even that may not be enough.

In the wake of the advert, JL returned an interesting set of figures showing a near 99% drop in profits. Of course, behind these numbers there are many reasons, and explanations, but one thing that was reported was a large increase in savvy shoppers eating into its margin by using their 'never knowingly undersold' price promise.

John Lewis, like everyone else, is feeling the squeeze, and the retailer, like you and me,

is suffering from the same problems of footfall, less spending, the internet and actually knowing who its customers are.

Shoppers used to be split into different sectors quite easily - those who shopped on price - those who shopped because of convenience - those who shopped out of loyalty - those who shopped because they wanted to make a statement about themselves.

Now, this is simple. In card terms my mum used to say there were those who looked at the picture on the front, those who read the words diligently and those who simply looked at

Above: Queen recorded the six minute epic song, Bohemian Rhapsody, in 1975.

Below: A still from John Lewis’ recent advert parodying Queen’s Bohemian Rhapsody video.

the price. My concern is that there are less of these distinct categories of buyers. People almost seem to be falling out of love with the whole shopping thing. We can no longer categorise consumers. What is a normal shopper any more?

Your shop and my shop are put together with blood, sweat, tears, worry, joy and a million other emotions. I can’t even cover a fraction of what we all go through to be an indie retailer these days, yet when people get that feeling, it is the still one of the best feelings in the world.

When a stranger to the town says "your shop is amazing" or "I love your selection of cards" or they comment on that window display, there is no better feeling. It is a vindication of what we put into the business.

Equally, when people don’t come in and things are tough it is demoralising. It feels just now we are on a rollercoaster with huge highs, lows and lots of bits in between where we never really are sure what is coming. Up one week, down the next. Looking forward, hoping that there are better times ahead. In truth, each year will continue to get more challenging.

The consumer just now is difficult to predict and all sizes of retailers are trying to figure them out. The question is can we as indies?

‘The death of the great British department store’ is a somewhat lazy headline which

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OVER THE COUNTER

perhaps should be more shocking and be ‘The death of traditional retailing’.

The department store was designed to have something for everyone, but not everyone is shopping any more. But ‘something for everyone’ is too vague, too woolly, and House of Fraser, Debenhams and others are stuck with nowhere to go.

Retail consultant Kate Ancketill spoke recently on BBC Five Live about the huge inflexibility in old business models. Everyone assumed that these retail behemoths would have the lead in terms of cash, knowledge and experience, but their model simply is not working anymore. For 169 years House of Fraser has straddled our high streets, but it struggled and went because it could not update itself quickly enough and the stores did not appeal to the current shopper.

The new rise of online retailers has left the larger established bricks and mortar retailers behind as they are more nimble and are using social media and influencers as the drivers of their business. They are reverse engineering, opening stores where their data tells them their customers are. The massive investment in their artificial intelligence means that they can sell online and then maximise and give the shopper an experience by opening stores in their strongest markets.

The stores are also a reflection of their customer because they have collected so much data that they know to whom they are appealing. They can design the store in terms of layout, colour, even music, to match the profile of who is buying their goods to create what is almost a sure thing.

So where does that leave us? Well, to an extent we can be like these new fleetfooted online retailers. We will know our customers and we will know how to keep ahead and keep them tempted, but let’s not hide from the fact that this is a lot more challenging and a lot more work than perhaps it was before. Even on a local level our

customer is changing. Knowing them and catering for them is one thing, getting them through that door however it quite another.

‘Experience’ is that one word seems to be the key to the shopping world. But what does experience really mean though? When I think of it in our stores I believe it starts with a welcome, with great service and product knowledge and is reinforced by having unusual, different items that we are passionate about. We also need to

Top: What do the new breed of shoppers want?

Above: House of Fraser didn’t change with the times.

Below: The second phase of Selfridges’ Accessories Hall has been launched in its Oxford Street branch.

emphasise that things are perhaps easier to find than in a large city centre store.

In our case it also means we have introduced coffee and food to create a hub for people to meet, shop and socialise, and at its core that is what I believe the high street will have to become to actually survive.

It seems that everyone’s plan for action was to offer experience. The sound logic was to give the shopper a reason to go to the mall or high street rather than just do it online. So the high street and malls need to be a great experience, from tills to toilets, from parking to lighting. It is not about trampolines or cinemas, these are attractions in their own right. It is about the shopper being made to feel special.

It’s that word again ‘valued’. When people have this emotion and really believe

they and their money are valued it will keep them coming back.

This again is much easier to do in a mall than it is on a high street. Malls are, on the whole, privately owned and are very aware that empty units do not help with footfall. Mall owners also usually have a vested interest, with many of the rents tied to a percentage of turnover, so it is in their interest to get the place working by doing or adding whatever is needed.

I would imagine that most of you however are not in a position in a shopping mall as you simply could not afford the rent, rates or service charge. Most of you will be in small highs streets or secondary sites and will face similar problems to myself, and one of the other major problems is the environment in which we operate. Our local council is literally a few years away from possible bankruptcy, and things like the public toilets have been largely closed. This makes town centres a less attractive destination as people need to relax, and not being able to spend that penny will result in many £pounds lost. I know the amount of use our customer toilets get by non-customers because they are of a great standard, BUT it does not translate into sales.

Retail is something that I still love and believe in. I don’t want and can’t accept that the high street will die - not in my lifetime anyway. I celebrate when I see great retail, such as Selfridges’ newly launched second phase of its Accessories Hall, the largest in the world. Initially opened in 2016, it’s 60,000 sq ft of exclusive brands, one hour service for prescription glasses, collaboration with a very trendy jewellery company and not

to mention the beautiful design using walnut, white terrazzo and marble. In other words it is special and you feel special when you are in that space.

Exceptional experience based retail is the only way that we will survive, and, like JL, it sure as hell is personal to us indies: ‘Is this the real life, is this just fantasy? There is no escape from reality…’

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

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CARDSHARP

Give Us Some

Blessed Relief How many more ‘Crisis in the high street’ headlines can Cardsharp spot this year? The coverage has been extensive and well-documented and has even generated press campaigns like the on-going one being carried out by the much maligned Daily Mail, but so far Cardsharp has seen very few remedies that could be implemented quickly and make a real difference to so many struggling independent card and gift shops. Until now.

The British Independent Retailers Association, known as bira, with over 6,500 independent retail members, has come up with a practical and politically possible remedy to most indies’ bugbear, namely crippling and pernicious Business Rates!

First the facts. We have all witnessed the high profile retail business failures (such as Toys ‘R’ Us, Maplins and House of Fraser) as well as the growing list of retail CVAs (Creditors Voluntary Agreements). And, as well as the high profile names, sadly too many independents are quietly just closing their shops. It has been estimated that as many as 50,000 retail jobs have been lost this year, many of these by young and older people that may find it hard to find jobs outside the sector. Retail accounts for a quarter of all jobs and 5.7% of GDP so it cannot be simply ignored by the government.

And, Cardsharp reflects, it is not just the high streets’ economic performance that makes it so important. High streets are a town’s beating heart, the glue that holds the community together, providing an energetic and lively area.

Now the reasons for bricks and mortars’ current problems are numerous

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and well-documented. The competition from the internet, and Amazon in particular, the drop in footfall, the increase in the minimum wage, the added financial burden of auto-enrollment and the general squeeze on consumer spending are just some of the dampeners retail businesses have been forced to endure. But there is one particular

Above: Retailers need relief from business rates.

Below: Crippling business rates on the high street are closing businesses.

bugbear guaranteed to get independent retailers hopping mad, and that is extortionate business rates.

Now, although we know that the only thing that is inevitable in life other than death is taxes, but surely there can be a degree of fairness about them? But in Cardsharp’s mind the current system is grossly unfair, no wonder retailers are so exasperated by recent revaluations.

Business rate bills should be based on profitability and ability to pay income tax, not on property values.

The recent revaluation threw up some ridiculous situations. The average indie ended up paying an extra £3,600, while supermarkets saw an average reduction of 5%, and incredibly Amazon’s bill went down by 1.3%. Equally galling is that the ubiquitous high street charity shops pay no business rates at all, get rent relief, free stock and volunteer labour. So much for a level playing field! Apparently major online retailers pay on average 7p per square metre business rates, while the average indie pays a whole £pound for the same space.

At present the only relief available is for retailers with a very tiny turnover or a charity shop. The vast majority of independent retailers pay anything between £1,500 and £51,000 per shop. Bira estimates that as many as 85% of independent retailers fall

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CARDSHARP

within this band. The trade association has come up with a very simple and easily implemented proposal to make life fairer and easier for these retailers. Grandiosely entitled the BIRA Business Rates Manifesto, it really is just a simple request for all these retailers to receive a £12,000 allowance. It’s not such an outrageous request. It is how Income Tax works. We don’t pay tax on our first £12,000 or so of income. The £12,000 allowance would only be per business so it would only really benefit independent retailers and not the multiples, and as such would not hit UK

Above: A lively and exciting Portobello Road in London, full of independents.

Below: ‘He’s not the Messiah, he’s a very naughty boy!’

- a clip from the Life Of Brian.

revenues that badly, especially if it means more small businesses survive to actually pay the business rates. And it would be administratively easy, reducing the large numbers of costly business rates appeals.

Cardsharp thinks bira should be congratulated for coming up with such a simple, effective and easily implemented proposal. It won’t be the answer to all the high streets’ problems, but it would be a start.

But will bira get anywhere? Well, the signs are encouraging. The trade association recently made a presentation of the manifesto at the House of Commons, and although many members of parliament seem pre-occupied with Brexit at present, some influential members of both the Commons and the Lords seem to be getting behind it.

Influential back bencher, Sir Geoffrey Clifton-Brown, whose Cotswolds’ constituency contains many small town high streets, has been a particularly strong advocate. But who knows what effect the campaign will have on the government, or more importantly the Treasury?

Cardsharp knows this is just one step, but it’s a practical positive one in the right direction and one that bira has the power to push. Moreover, if adopted, the benefits would immediately go to the independent retailer. From what Cardsharp has gauged the bigger question of the introduction of some kind of internet sales tax is beyond bira’s remit but is surely up there as another topic for debate.

I’m Not The Messiah For some reason Cardsharp was thinking of a very funny scene in Monty Python’s brilliant ‘Life Of Brian’ film recently. “No pleasing some people!” Brian says to an ‘ex-leper’ (aka Michael Palin (pictured right)), who laments losing his lucrative begging trade after being miraculously healed by Jesus. The ex-leper retorts “That’s what Jesus said, Sir!” This follows on from Cardsharp’s column last month about the flak that Card Factory was getting for what he thought were a perfectly good set of financial results.

Well since last month the pressure on Card Factory has intensified. A story in the Sunday Times carried the headine, ‘Angry Message for Card Factory Boss’, and stated that Card Factory chairman Geoff Cooper was under pressure from investors over the chain’s poor performance ahead of the company’s first half performance. So called ‘Disgruntled’ shareholders were said to be losing patience after a string of profit warnings and weak sales.

At the time of Cardsharp penning his column, the retailer’s shares were trading at 193p, having lost a third of their value in a year.

As Cardsharp wrote last month, a 0.2% drop in like-for-like sales, underlying earnings of between £89-91 million in the current difficult climate, as well as opening 25 new shops in the last six months, in his view was pretty good going. But apparently it’s not good enough to stop poor Chairman Geoff taking a battering at a results presentation.

What Cardsharp did find intriguing was the news that Card Factory is in trials with Aldi in 12 stores in the North to sell its cards.

Hitherto Aldi has done little on the greeting card front, and although the trial has only allocated a small amount of space to Card Factory in these stores, it is still a significant development for both parties. Cardsharp was also interested to see that Aldi is also trialing cards in another 10 stores in the South, with IG Design Group (formerly International Greetings).

Now this sounds strange to Cardsharp. He can see the sense in it for Aldi, but for Card Factory? Firstly, this will be Card Factory wholesaling as oppose to retailing and therefore it will lose a big chunk of the hefty profit margin that it currently enjoys as a result of its vertically integrated model.

But, more importantly to Cardsharp’s mind, the worry is that Card Factory might cannibalise some of its sales in its own stores. There must be a huge overlap of value conscious Aldi and Card Factory shoppers. In many cases the two stores are in similar locations, and by enticing shoppers to buy their cards from the tiny selection in Aldi, surely they risk losing out on a potential add on sales of maybe other cards or ancillary gifts or giftwrap purchases.

But who knows, perhaps this Aldi trial is an attempt by Card Factory to show investors that it has more strings to its bow, but if Cardsharp were at the results presentation this, rather than the widely pre-advertised financials, would be the subject that would interest him the most.

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Mobile phones away and prepare for a good old Bust Up or find out who’s a Liar, Liar, Pants On Fire!

www.boxergifts.com Boxer, Leeds, UK. LS13 4BS Sales: 01133 955 595 sales@boxergifts.com

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VIEWPOINTS Below: Members of the bira team in the Houses of Parliament delivering their Business Rates Reform manifesto to MPs in an effort to help independent retailers.

Below left: Robert Petrie with his wife Caroline and daughter Lorna at The Retas, suitably attired to fit the oceanic theme.

Below right: Shoppers and tourists out and about in Kirkwall town centre.

A State Of Independents Last month bira, the British Independent Retailers Association had the ear of Government. The trade association didn't waste the opportunity of its rare audience with MPs, making a convincing plea for a reform of the UK’s anachronistic Business Rates system that is unfairly crippling many small independent retailers.

And with next month seeing the launch of the first ever Just A Card Indie Week as a prompt to support independents in the all-important Christmas run up, PG tapped into some independent thinking.

Robert Petrie owner of Kairds in Kirkwall, Orkney: What is being done to help indies in your area?

“We do have the Kirkwall BID (Business Improvement District) in place to promote the town centre and to try and increase footfall in the town, away from the major supermarkets.

Each non-domestic property within the town centre BID area pays a small levy based on their rateable value and the funding is matched by the local council. The principle is good, but it is difficult to create events which suit all businesses in each area of the town and a lot of the ideas are centred around discount shopping days which does not really help if you have to give 10% discount on every event day.”

Your independent stance “We are proud of being an independent and made the most of promoting our Retas’ win (Best Independent Card Retailer - Scotland) in July, securing an article in our local press, commissioning special banners to go across the top of each window and creating a display including the trophy and some cards.

I am also a believer in supporting local organisations, so we often get involved with sponsorship, including placing advertisements in the local press.”

If you had the ear of your council/government, what would you like to see happen to help indies?

“At present we do receive some small business rate relief on our

A call for action Some 70% of SMEs in the UK say that not enough is being done by councils or the government to support the nation’s high streets, according to findings from research commissioned by Close Brothers Asset Finance. And while this is an overall figure, some areas are even more strident about the need for support - 83% of independent retailers in the South East, 80% in Wales, 78% in the South West and 74% in East Anglia.

When asked what was the biggest single cause of the problems for indies, business rates and rents came out tops, followed by parking.

Q: Of these options, which is the single biggest cause of problems on the high street?

Business rate charges, including rent 35% Customers having to pay for parking 24% Online shopping 21% Changing shopping habits 16% Out of town shopping centres 3% The survey, carried out by GMI, canvassed the opinion of nearly 1,000 SME owners across the UK and RoI

rates, the rateable value of your premises depends what percentage of relief you get. We also get Employment Allowance, which reduces the staff National Insurance contributions that I have to pay, up to £3,000 per year.

As even the larger chains are finding it hard to remain open I feel something needs to be done to ensure both the small independent retailers and larger chains can remain on our high streets before they are filled with nothing but restaurants and charity shops.”

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VIEWPOINTS

Jo Sorrell owner of Cardies in Stevenage:

Below: Jo Sorrell (right) with some of her four legged and two legged helpers!

Independent stance “As far as I am aware I’ve not heard of any help or initiatives in our area to help indies, which is such a shame.

However, as a small independent we always try to interact as much as we possibly can with our community, which for us helps to promote our shop.

This can be small things like giving raffle prizes to local schools and charities for fundraising events or helping to arrange a community royal wedding tea party on ‘The Green’. We feel if we can help to support our community and our community in return is happy to help support us.

We have always found that giving good customer service, fairly priced product and a good selection means that we are recommended by our customers to their family and friends, which has always been the best way to promote our shop.”

If you had the ear of your council/government, what would you like to see happen to help indies?

“If we had the ear of our council it would be to allow free retail parking for at least three hours and a fairer parking charge for all day parking.

We are lucky in that we do have free 2-3 hours parking on our high street, but the car parks along the backs of our high street are all chargeable and as a result often sit empty.

Also, I really believe more needs to be done to try to level the playing field between online trade and high street trade.

Councils and government could do so much more to help make the high streets a community again.”

Chris Fox marketing maestro of Wishes of Cudworth:

Janet Stow owner of Love Letters in Anlaby: What is being done to help indies in your area?

“Unfortunately there is nothing currently happening in our area to help indies, however I am hoping that nearer Christmas there will be a Best Window Display competition or a Treasure Hunt which is run by the local church, which are good for local trade and something we will take part in as they do help to boost independent trade and morale.”

Your independent stance “This year once again we have supported our local library by taking the ‘shop’ to their Community Fun Day, which happens in May and September. This event helps both the library and us. We support and donate to the library, while at the same time promoting the shop both physically and on social media. We are also booked to take the ‘shop’ to the local church and Spire Hospital in November and to Humber Rescue in December, our supported charity. All these events help to promote the shop while helping good causes.

As this year is our 5th Anniversary in the shop we initiated a number of promotions and events, such as a display of gifts reduced to £5 or £5 off. In addition, Robbie Mulhern, the Above: Janet and Dudley Stow with Robbie rugby player who plays for Hull Mulhern, a rugby player for Hull Kingston Kingston Rovers who we sponsor, Rovers that Love Letters sponsors. came to the shop to meet, greet and sign autographs for customers, which caused a lot of interest and featured highly on social media both from the shop and the rugby club.”

If you had the ear of your council/government, what would you like to see happen to help indies?

“Hopefully I do have the ear of the local council at the moment. I have lots of problems with parking and I continuously complain to the council, however, they have just contacted me to say they are looking into the problem, so fingers crossed, but I will not get my hopes up. Luckily, our business rates were reduced last year which has really helped us and I am hoping that it will continue. It seems business rates and parking issues are the biggest problems for all small businesses, so in my opinion these are the issues that need addressing urgently.”

Independent stance “We try and put something back into the village where the shop is based. Any good shop should pride itself on good and friendly service. It’s not just the products you sell.

The longer Wishes has been part of the high street the more we’ve wanted to help promote our great village to the wider area. We’re happy to support local charities and promote local events however, that sense of responsibility has grown over the last couple of years. It all started with last year’s Cudworth Bunny Trail and this year we’ve been involved with a number of local projects.

There is no doubt that this year’s Cudworth Bunny Trail has really taken off. We’ve even had to print more stickers off and seen people travel from all over Yorkshire to do the trail. There are 12 bunnies, each decorated by a different artist, hidden in 12 shops around Cudworth. Local children and parents pick up a leaflet/map and use it find the bunnies that have been decorated by artists.

Every Bunny Trailer gets a little treat bag, which has cost us in sweets, but the increase in football fall, not just in our shop but on the whole high street, has been terrific.

In addition, a group of us have got together to form the Cudworth Businesses & Community Together association and set about raising money to buy new Christmas lights for the community. We’ve held raffles, stood with a collection tubs in the local Co-op, did local galas and even a pubcrawl. We also set up an online CrowdFunder, which hit its £4,500 target (we had the added bonus of some £2,000 matched funding from Barnsley Council as part of their Barnsley Boost campaign).

I encourage more small businesses to work together, as with each other and with the wider community as together you really are stronger.”

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Left: Julia Keeling, owner of Wishes of Cudworth with the Bunny Trail leaflet and stickers.

Above: It was hot work fundraising for Christmas lights in the middle of a heatwave!

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Julie Donabie owner of My Favourite Things in Raynes Park: What is being done to help indies in your area?

“Free parking! We still have several areas of free parking (some for over two hours) in Raynes Park and I believe this must continue.

What myself and other business owners would like to see is for the local councils to 'free up' some of the CPZ parking time restriction on the roads that have CPZ all day (8.30am to 6.30pm). CPZs were introduced to stop commuters from parking near stations in residential roads. Our argument is that because we have no official ‘town car park’ in Raynes Park we do need more short-term parking so if the council introduced just a one hour restriction in the roads that have CPZ it would still stop commuters parking but free up more parking spaces for shoppers. It is frustrating when many of the roads remain empty during the day and could be used to help indies.”

Independent stance “My shop represents proof that independent shops can continue to trade and flourish in this online and digital age and that greeting cards are ever more popular in our lives.

Having seen real improvements for independent retailers since I initiated the Raynes Park Independent Business Association five years ago, I am keen to broaden the idea. I am interested in setting up similar groups and would like to start in areas of London first. I would also like to initiate a London-based meeting for indies in the new year – and am currently assessing the overall situation by speaking to other independent card shop owners and card agents.”

If you had the ear of your council/government, what would you like to see happen to help indies?

“The ugly topic of Business Rates increasing next April has been in the news again and I am looking to maybe do a documentary with the help of a reporter I met from BBC Radio 5 Live. Both the government and local councils need to re-asses the calculation structure as is should NOT be based on where your business is situated, but on the annual turnover of the business.

This would be fair for independent businesses that are in London and who are struggling with high rents. Why Top: Having spearheaded the Raynes Park should a larger (and more Independent Business Association, Donabie, owner of My Favourite Things is now looking profitable) shop pay less rates to help indie card retailers do the same in because they are not in London? other areas of London.

Above: My Favourite Things is a stalwart indie It is quite ironic that when you in Raynes Park.

Google 'Business Rates' it confirms that it 'is the commonly used name in England of non-domestic rates, a tax on the occupation of non-domestic property. Rates are a property tax with ancient roots that were formerly used to fund local services that was formalised with the Poor Law of 1572 and superseded by the Poor Law of 1601. The word 'poor' certainly relates now to us business owners who are being squeezed so much just to survive. And on top of that, we business owners receive NOTHING in return for this payment. We even have to pay for our rubbish to be collected and an annual licence. Something needs to be done about this!”

Claire Richardson proprietor of Rathbones, South Chingford: What is being done to help indies in your area?

“We are part of the Love South Chingford initiative, set up by a group of women in the locality. The mission is to rejuvenate the area, including the high street. While there is a limit to what can be done, every little helps.”

Independent stance “This shop was started by my dad (Roy Ansty) 22 years ago and I took over the running of it when he retired.

We have some good loyal customers and like to support them and the local community, such as through charity initiatives.

For example, when we received a lovely hamper from IC&G as part of its summer promotion we decided to raffle it off to raise money for local charity, St Francis Hospice. It went down well and was one by one of our regular customers who was delighted.”

If you had the ear of your council/government, what would you like to see happen to help indies?

“I can’t hide that it is tough being an independent retailer at the moment; the high street needs all the help it can get.

Rents, rates and parking are all crippling indies, but we need to do all we can to remind people of the importance of shopping in independents.

The public needs to be reminded that they need to ‘use it or lose it’!”

Above: Claire spotted this and was keen to share it with her customers by posting it on the retailer’s Facebook page.

Kristan Miller owner of Cadeaux & Co, Wells and Chipping Sodbury: Independent stance “In Wells there is a greater awareness of needing to support the indies - so many have closed down in recent months/years to be replaced by the big high street names that locals are realising that it really is a case of ‘use them or lose them’. I know, from talking to fellow retailers in both Wells and Chipping Sodbury, that it’s tough out there, with sales being very sporadic.

We are gearing up for our Christmas Preview events, which attract a wonderful following.

Customers now come each year and make an evening of it, coming for fizz and canapés while doing a bit of shopping before going off for dinner somewhere. It’s a really lovely evening.”

Above: Cadeaux’s Christmas Preview events always a boost to trade.

Left: Kristan at The Henries judging this year.

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Trends Spotlight

A Mexica n Inset: Mexican artist Frida Kahlo holding an Olmec figurine.

Below left: A high quality gift tag from Really Good’s Jessica Russell Flint stationery collection.

Revolution Radical Mexican artist Frida Kahlo has been dubbed the original selfie queen, but her thoughts on identity ran far deeper than a quick pout for the camera.

Currently, Frida’s colourful but brooding and introspective self-portraits of her identity, heritage and the creation of ‘self’ are chiming with the present vernacular of diversity and feminism, while her artwork’s bright colours of Mexican folk art taps into the South American tropical trend and big, boldly brushed florals.

Artists and card publishers reveal why Frida Kahlo is a potent muse.

T

oday, over 60 years after her death, Frida Kahlo and her artwork is an inspiration for millions of other artists, designers and folk all around the world, but a recent surge in her popularity, accelerated by the V&A’s recent exhibition ‘Frida Kahlo: Making Her Self Up’, showcasing the artist’s clothing and personal artefacts, has seen her iconic images scattered on cushions, fashion and interiors, calendars, greeting cards, giftwrap and bags… even PM Teresa May was spotted wearing a bracelet with Frida’s face on.

“I think Frida’s work is so in demand at the moment because it chimes with so many things in the zeitgeist right now. She was a strong independent woman in the PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE

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Far left: Bright, clashing colours and vibrant patterns are Tattersfield Design’s style.

Left: ‘Colourful Cacti’ from Ezen Designs.

Right: A Cut and Paste design created by Katy Welsh from U Studio.

Below left: Tiffany Lynch’s ‘Emerald Kisses’ is a 120cm x 100cm canvas recently sold. Also available as a greeting card.

Middle left: Tiffany’s Frida Kahlo camping gear!

Middle right: Bold striking vibrant blooms designed by Claire Picard from Cinnamon Aitch.

Below right: A ‘Bloomin Marvellous’ card published by Card Nest.

Bottom left: A beautiful fan on a design from Black Olive.

years before feminism was ever recognised as a movement, and her work is beautiful, bright and summery and aligns with a lot of commercial trends we see, such as tropical, but takes them further and into the realm of fine art! All these things coming together in 2018 have made her work a perfect embodiment of the times,” believes U Studio’s range Cut and Paste’s designer, Katy Welsh. And as a female designer, Frida’s work has always aligned with what interests Katy in art: bold colour, pattern and texture: “‘Cut and Paste’ is a range which really embodies my natural style but I share a lot in common with the way Frida worked too, so now is the perfect time to be working on a range like this.”

Much like Che Guevara, Frida Kahlo has become an icon. In Mexico, where

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Kahlo is known as la heroína del dolor, “the heroine of pain,” the artist is a national idol, and her imaginative, often surreal, artwork not only captures herself but also the Mexican natural world and traditional crafts which celebrate her mixed heritage as mestizaje (mixed European and Mexican). She also wore traditional garments, making the Tehuana dress, which comes from a matriarchal culture of Oaxaca, her signature style.

The Este Macleod range from Cinnamon Aitch is licensed from the beautiful paintings by the esteemed artist who, as a trained textile designer, has always been influenced by folk art and craft styles: “The bold patterns and symbols of Mexican folk art, and the way Frida Kahlo adapted it to create her very unique art, continues to inspire the flower, bird and botanical shapes that appear in different guises in my art and surface pattern design,” Este explains.

“Frida Kahlo captures the imagination. Her life was intriguing, her art truly unique and beguiling. I am drawn to Frida Kahlo’s expressive personal style as well. Mexican folk images and symbolism are used effectively in her art to tell her story,” says Este, adding, “As a colourist, bold strong colours resonate with me, and I find the way she dressed, often in traditional costume, with flowers as part of her headdress, as well as her colourful home, inspiring on different levels.”

Featuring in her very personal artwork, Frida’s headdress was made from the beautiful big blooms from her garden, such as dahlias, peonies and bougainvilleas, she painted her traditional embroidered shawls and textiles and many motifs from Mexico’s indigenous culture, as well as symbolising her

many South American pets - dogs, monkeys, birds and a fawn - in her colourful art.

Jane Tattersfield’s bold, highly decorative designs, natural forms and use of oil paints to give the brightest of bright colours, is reminiscent of Mexican folk art, and, in succession, Frida’s work. As Jane (who publishes her work on cards, prints and cushions under Jane Tattersfield Designs) says, “Bright, clashing colours and vibrant patterns are very fashionable at the moment but I've always loved them! I've been to Mexico and would say it's the folk art and crafts of the country, rather than Frida Kahlo herself, that has inspired my work. I visited the villages in the south, where the indigenous

people live, and saw stunning textiles being produced. In Oaxaca beautifully carved wooden animals are intricately decorated with colours and symbols that derive from images and methods dating back hundreds of years.”

Jane also loves fashion, having similar taste to Frida of clothes that are folksy, such as blouses with large puffed sleeves and lots of embroidery: “The last room at the V&A’s Frida Kahlo show was my favourite, with the clothes she wore and the Technicolor style photographs of her in various amazing outfits.”

Bex Parkin, whose designs are published on cards by Early Bird, feels connected to Frida artistically, her imaginary tropical landscapes usually include lots of big leaves, exotic flowers and characterful

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Trends Spotlight

animals, and she loves the combinations of clashing patterns and colours in the textiles and floral headdresses she can be seen wearing in her portraits. However, she’s inspired by Frida personally too: “I am drawn to Frida’s work, not just because of our shared love of wildly exotic colours and animals, but the spirit and rebelliousness of Frida herself that is evident in every brushstroke. Despite the difficulties Frida faced, she never limited herself and faced the obstacles in her life with incredible Above left: Characterful animals, tropical foliage and exotic flowers designed by Bex Parkin from Early bird.

Above right: A fruity design from Lagom.

Far left: Luscious lemons on a Stop the Clock card.

Left: Artist Este Macleod has been influenced by folk art styles. Her work is published by Cinnamon Aitch.

strength and bravery. She developed a unique style all of her own that reflected her emotions and struggles and gave women the go ahead to really express themselves through their work. Her artwork is incredibly relevant to women today and I think the popularity of her painted ‘selfies’ is partly due to their raw honesty.”

And in the year that marked 100 years since women won the right to vote, with female equal rights and feminism high on the agenda, Frida Kahlo is perceived as a strong feminist icon. She was one of the first women to use fashion to broadcast a feminist message of equality and independence so it’s no surprise that Etsy, and many other retailers, are awash with Frida iconography on a plethora of products, usually set against a contemporary vernacular.

“Strong and passionate historical female figures are important icons for strong female identities,” states artist Claire Picard, whose wonderful bold floral designs are the best-selling range from Cinnamon Aitch.

“I think Frida Kahlo’s art and personality are appealing, not only because she was a strong female figure, a revolutionary soul and creative artist in a male-dominated world, but also because of the exoticism surrounding her and her paintings. Frida was also a decorator,

you can see this in the way she adorned herself with floral headdresses and her jewellery, as well as the decorative aspects of her paintings.

I would also call myself a decorator, mixing layers of flowers and foliage, decorating either the central subject matter or placing them around the edge, framing it, rather similar to some of Kahlo’s self-portraits.”

Colour-wise, Claire loves Frida Kahlo’s use of faded vintage colour, bright Mexican palettes and the textured painted backgrounds one sees in many photos of the artist. She enthuses, “Those deep emerald greens, turquoises and vibrant pinks! I love to use feminine, retro, yet strong-natured Right: Bold brushstrokes on a Woodmansterne design.

Below right: Wonderful big blooms on a design from Paper Salad, reminiscent of Frida Kahlo.

Below left: Frida Kahlo: female, strong and passionate on a Noi Publishing card.

colours, in unusual combinations, and I try to capture a textured feel to these colours with hand-painted backgrounds in my illustrations.”

Tiffany Lynch, artist and founder for Littlelynch Design, produces limited edition prints and greeting card designs derived from her painterly coloured layered canvas work, and she has been awe inspired by the work and life of Frida Kahlo since her St Martins art college days.

“I have always been inspired by vibrant colour from tropical botanical landscapes when I was a toddler my mad parents sailed to Barbados in a banana shipping boat, we have a history of family in the West Indies so I have early memories of luscious flora and hummingbird skies”, says Tiffany.

After she moved back to the UK, Tiffany soon discovered Frida Kahlo and loved how she portrayed herself surrounded by colour and wildlife. “I remember from my childhood, I travelled to Mexico City to absorb Frida's inspiration - her Blue House - the house she shared with her husband and artist Diego Rivera, and all the places she was inspired by,” says Tiffany, adding, “I also read anything I could about Frida and her strength to be a female artist in a political forum alongside a strong and powerful partner artist Diego Rivera - and how she kept her artistic integrity throughout.”

Tiffany’s Frida Kahlo influence shines through in her canvases, creating hugely vibrant colour combinations, avoiding trend-led palettes and mixing bold and almost vulgar colour combos that sing loud alongside each other, but ultimately it’s Frida’s individuality and persona that draws and attracts a fascination with the artist.

Tiffany affirms, “Frida is a huge icon for female artists. She expressed her inner feelings and strength through her dreamlike art, and many of her animal symbols are parallel to express happiness, freedom, love and joy alongside her Mexican palette of rainbow colours.”

PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE

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PG showcases a selection of new product launches

Halcyon Days Beautiful Days is Icon’s new happy and colourful photographic range full of vibrancy and cheerfulness. There are 24 cute and funky images with feel-good captions to suit general birthdays as well as a liberal smattering of partner-to-partner cards for any occasion. The cards are 160mm square and feature an eyepopping pink special ink to make them leap off the shelf.

Icon +44(0)1242 679800 www.icon-art.com

ChChChCherry Bomb

Pin It On

One of the newest U Studio Design’s ranges is Cherry Bomb. Designed by illustrator Ashley Le Quere, the range comprises 21 designs, which include blank, occasions and birthday cards. A deboss layer brings out the illustration’s details and adds to the texture. This card range is part of a wider Cherry Bomb giftware range that launched at Top Drawer Autumn.

Paper Sole has launched a unique and a little bit naughty Badge Me Happy range. Claiming to be the only range in the market with not one but two badges on each card, the collection covers most occasions, including everything from ‘Don’t ask my age’ birthdays, ‘Motorists beware’ just passed your driving test to ‘Mr & Mrs Right’ anniversary cards.

Papersole 07730 614437 www.papersole.com

U Studio Design 0117 944 5050 www.ustudio.design/

Paws For Thought Portfolio is ecsCATic about its new speCATular range of funny, photographic felines, called CAT TONIC. Printed with amusing CATtitude and individually cellowrapped with a white envelope, these cards are purrfect. With 15 146mm x 170mm designs to choose from, this range will CATer for everyone.

Portfolio 020 8960 3051 www.portfolio.com

Rush’s Rain Rush Design’s brand-new funky contemporary collection Starfish & Coffee was a real hit at this year’s Autumn Fair. The cards (135mm x 185mm) are on a textured board with a foiling technique that creates a handfinished look. There are 41 designs initially, including female relations, open birthday and occasions.

The cards come with a pearlescent rose gold envelope and are cellowrapped.

Rush Design 01788 521745 www.RushDesign.co.uk

Midwinter Midwinter from Art Matters is the new Christmas range from screen-printer and watercolourist Lizzie Perkins. Animal studies based on field trips over the last two years inspired the creation of 21 major artworks.

Details were taken from the originals to create 125mm square cards, which are sold cellowrapped in packs of five. The greeting inside is ‘With best wishes for a very Happy Christmas’.

Art Matters 01491 671758 www.lizzieprints.com PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE

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PG_full_page_May_2018.pdf

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A Bumper Crop Over 160 new designs are being launched

by Ling Design and Talking Pictures this month, available to pre-order for January.

From Talking Pictures is Manuka (pictured) by Dulcie Price. The range features striking black and gold designs on an elegant white board, with gold f oil and flitter, emboss and a copper heart embellishment.

From Ling is Garden Sketchbook, a new collection inspired by nature featuring work by artist Zoe Damoulakis, while King Street, a collection by artist Darren Dearden combines carefully illustrated sketches with snappy captions.

Velvet To The Touch

Ling Design 01892 838 574 www.lingdesign.co.uk

A Festive Flurry Lucy Maggie Designs has recently added 14 new designs to her Christmas range. The humorous, honest and shrewd designs feature strong references to current trends and culture and are the perfect for brightening up your Christmas offering. All cards are printed in the UK on FSC-approved board, measure 120mm x 170mm and come with a brown kraft envelope.

Clare Maddicott is excited to announce the introduction of brand new relations titles within the fabulous new Velvet Ink style. The designs span popular male and female relation titles and feature striking colourful images produced in a loose, inky watercolour style, teamed with bold captions. Presented in a 160mm square format, the cards are printed on art board and finished with de-bossed details and a special raised black, metallic or flitter ink, and are complemented by coordinating printed spot envelopes.

Lucy Maggie Designs 07763 239731 www.lucymaggiedesigns.com

Clare Maddicott 01638 569050 www.maddicott.com

Love The Everyday A Special Milestone Milestone is a new Afrocentric age range from Special Touch Designs. There are 20 hand-finished card designs, each featuring vibrantly coloured bold Afrocentric fabric. The cards are 150mm x 150mm square and come cellowrapped.

Special Touch Designs 07984 652962 www.specialtouchdesigns.com

Renegade Art is a London based artist who has recently branched into designing cards producing Pop Artinspired artwork of everyday objects, how they are used and the emotion they invoke. The Insane in the Mundane range mixes on-trend everyday items with funny captions that play on the images.

The captions are broad enough to suit a variety of occasions and are blank inside for a personal message.

Renegade Art 07720439469 www.renegadeart.co.uk

Honey Glazed Honey, It’s Christmas! is a new range of festive cards from Pennychoo that evokes the nostalgia of an all-American, family friendly 1950s yuletide. Illustrated in Sue Lee’s distinctive style, and featuring iconic midcentury objects, these funky, festive designs put the Ho! Ho! Ho! into retro. All cards are 127mm x 178mm and come with coordinating crimson envelopes.

Pennychoo 07941 645 018 www.pennychoo.com PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE

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T 01206 396209 E sales@badgerconverters.co.uk www.badgerconverters.co.uk

30/06/2017 16:3

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PG showcases a selection of new product launches

Pigging Out After the success of its Blooming Gorgeous range, Pink Pig has launched brand new floral range, Too Blooming Gorgeous, featuring a new colour palette of pretty lilac, indigo and mint green. There are 30 cards in the new range - 10 birthday, 10 occasion and 10 female relations. All 150mm square, the cards are supplied with a textured kraft envelope and cellowrapped.

Pink Pig 0779574548 www.pinkpigcards.co.uk

A Beautiful Flock

Magical Words When it comes to discovering something different Really Good has done just that with its new range, Magical Talking Books. These whacky cards originate from Melbourne-based artist and illustrator Anne Hoyle who depicts a vintage style with a contemporary humorous edge. Presented in a portrait format of 137mm x 169mm, the designs come with white envelopes and are blank inside.

Really Good 01235 537888 www.reallygood.uk.com

I Ended Up Here… has launched new fun additions to its Colourful Creatures and Flock ranges. Continuing with the bold colour and quirky style for which they are known, the new designs include some familiar faces from the farmyard and countryside. The cards are printed on FSC approved board, come cellowrapped with a pearlised envelope.

I Ended Up Here 07831 537889 www.iendeduphere.co.uk

Numero Uno New to Lagom Design is the Magic Numbers series of age-specific birthday cards by Kelly Hyatt (left). Bold and colourful, the numbers are printed using spot UV to create a super shiny finish. In large (109mm x 155mm) and small (90mm x 120mm) formats, each card comes with a mellow yellow envelope and are individually cellophane wrapped.

Lagom Design 44 (0) 333 123 0101 www.Lagomdesign.co.uk

Rocking Out Sizzling Designs Sausage Dog is a fun new range of cards from Hole in my Pocket. As the range name suggests, the designs feature a troop of cute little sausage dogs in bold, bright colours. The cards are printed on 300gsm card and come cellowrapped with a recycled brown kraft envelope.

Hole in my Pocket 07967636869 www.holeinmypocket.com/shop

The new It Rocks range is a bit of a change in direction for Molly Mae - these are ‘wordy’ cards with patterned backgrounds and wooden embellishments. Occasions covered are birthdays, Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day and Father’s Day with 40 titles in the range, this design (pictured) being the most popular so far. The cards are 155mm x 155mm, supplied with a kraft envelope and individually wrapped in recyclable cellophane.

Molly Mae (0)1455 557115 www.mollymae.co.uk PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE

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PG showcases a selection of new product launches

Welcome To The Jungle Following the great success of Sweet Design’s Endangered Collection with captions – the publisher has developed a range of 14 new cards without captions, featuring the favourite Endangered animals in their ‘Jungle’ or ‘Woodland’ setting, and on trend with their big bold colours and foliage.

Sweet Design 01934 751386 www.sweetdesign.co.uk

A Paw-fect Christmas

Dragged Up

Tomcat Cards has been busy extending its latest Tom, Kit and Friends range, featuring designs by Caroline Gatehouse.

It’s added six splendid Christmas designs to this popular new range, with each new addition including the same paper honeycomb enhancement as the rest of the range. So, from a snowman's tummy to a robin's red breast Tomcat’s got Christmas covered.

New designer Martin Lowe's hilariously smutty range of 18 Life's A Drag cards has been launched by Kiss Me Kwik! A firm favourite in Brighton already, the publisher has taken on the distribution to brighten up everyone’s day who needs a bawdy laugh.

Kiss Me Kwik (0)1273 571757 www.kissmekwik.co.uk

Tomcat Cards +44 (0)1243 837300 www.tomcat.cards

Girls On Top Great Scott

Musical Harmony

‘Beautiful Greeting Cards and Gifts Inspired by Great Artists' is the tagline of Isabel Scott. Images from the Munnings Art Museum's paintings, and artwork by Sir Alfred James Munnings are new for 2018. Munnings’ timeless style of capturing rural and equestrian life is brought to life on a range of 16 greeting cards.

Barley Bay’s AMUSO range celebrates musicians and music lovers. Featuring a variety of instruments with male and female players the artisan prints in trendy earthy colours include a circular groove design emoting vinyl records.

The cards are printed on a matt finish 300gm textured board and come with a white envelope.

Isabel Scott 01476 247077/07983 402035 www.isabelscott.com

Barley Bay 01908 583316/07722136495 www.barleybay.co.uk

Rosa & Clara’s new range Girls Rule is a collection aimed at feisty girls, especially tweens. Skateboards, rainbows, tigers and all sorts of colourful icons, feature in the range, which covers birthdays, blanks and age cards (covering ages from nine to twelve). The designs are created by hand, using a mixture of collage, pencil illustrations and some old school Letraset lettering. Printed in Kent on subtly textured board, the cards are cellowrapped with poppy red envelopes.

Rosa & Clara 020 8693 2335 www.rosaandclaradesigns.co.uk PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE

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Industry Issue

Figuring It All Out The votes are in, and the results are a show of confidence for the UK greeting card industry. The public spent an astonishing £1.7 billion on greeting cards in the last year.

This impressive sum - confirmed by the findings of the recently published UK Greeting Card Market Report, commissioned by the GCA - is only a smidge down on the previous year’s findings, which is certainly a cause for celebration, but one tinged with a dose of reality.

PG casts its eye down the stats and enjoys the resilient picture they paint. on’t ask the questions if you can’t face the answers’ is a concern that anyone commissioning widespread research has to accept. With last year’s industry report into the UK’s greeting card industry having hit an all time high, highlighting that the consumer spent an unprecedented £1.75 billion on greeting cards in 2016, many eyes have been focused on what picture would

‘D

Above: The UK public still have a huge passion for cards.

emerge from this year’s important industry quantitative survey.

Concerns were valid, but the big picture that the statistics paint is better than some feared and certainly a lot more palatable than so many other sectors are having to accept.

The public spent £1.5 billion on single greeting cards last year, representing just over a 1% drop on the previous year.

UK Greeting Card Market - Single Cards (includes Easter Packs) Retail Values 2011 to 2017

n £1,600.0

£1,400.0

Retail Values in millions

£1,200.0

£1,000.0

£800.0

£600.0

£400.0

£2000.0

£0.0

40

PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE

Everyday

n Christmas n Spring Seasons

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Industry Issue

Equally reassuring is that a staggering 864 million single cards were bought in the UK in 2017, 18 million fewer than the previous year, but compared to the total number a small percentage.

Commenting on the findings, Sharon Little, ceo of the GCA, which commissioned the annual research that forms the basis of the Market Report said: “The overall picture is that the UK greeting card industry has shown a remarkable strength in what have been very challenging times for the high street.

Although there have been slight dips in value and volume across the sector, these decreases are marginal - the figures show that the industry is stable.”

Certainly, when considered against the backdrop of the turmoil in the UK retail landscape over the last couple of years, the results are even more palatable.

Even the most bullish would only say that online sales of greeting cards accounted for up to 6% of the overall card market, meaning that 94% or more of sales come from individuals going out to the shops to buy their cards. Given the accepted drop in general footfall on the high street, it is testament to the engrained card sending

UK Greeting Card Market - Single Cards Everyday Cards - 2017 vs 2016 - Volume

n

Total Everyday Cards - Vol

2016

n 2017

Birthday/Bank - Vol

Aldi staking its claim, evidenced by its current trials with Card Factory products as well as the bespoke range from IG Design Group.

That said, the continued innovation from the myriad of branded publishers (offering cards at higher RRPs) has been lapped up by independent card, gift, garden centre and lifestyle retailers. It is good to see that despite all the activity at the lower end of the price scale, that the average price paid for a greeting card in 2017 UK Greeting Card Market - Single Cards (includes Easter Packs) (compared to 2016) was up Market Share by Season 2017 - Volume (millions) to £1.75, 2p more than in n Everyday n Christmas n Spring Seasons the previous year.

Another cause for a mini celebration is on the Spring Seasons front. For all the worries about Spring Seasons, with the inherent SOR expectations of multiples putting publishers off supplying, the results of the report suggest that, in actual fact Valentine’s Day and Mother’s Day did better in 2017 compared to 2016, though Father’s Day and habit of the British public, the design Easter were marginally down. leadership of publishers, as well as retailers The report, as in previous years, does willingness to stock them that has seen the not include actual data on sales of number of cards bought remain so high.

Christmas boxes/packs as this was As for the value front, it is not such a deemed too fragmented a segment to rely surprise that the total amount spent on cards on GCA members’ sales figures. Erring on in the last year dipped slightly. The expansion the conservative side, an estimate of 900 of Card Factory, as well as other value million Christmas cards, at a value of £230 players, notably Poundland, B&M, The million, was included in the overall £1.7 Works and Wilko upping their greeting card billion to cover this area. Although it game with their respective value offers has is accepted that the number of put a downward pressure on retail prices.

Christmas cards bought and sent And this activity in the value playground looks continues to dip, 900 million cards is still a set to further hot up in the coming year with very high number!

Occasions/Age/Relations - Vol

Having undertaken this annual research since 2011, based entirely on GCA publisher members’ sales figures (submitted in total confidence to the research company), the GCA Market Report is an important benchmark for publishers, retailers, suppliers and the industry as a whole.

While the findings do show a drop in value and volume, which should not be ignored, the percentages are small, so not major cause for concern, but likewise they will safeguard against complacency.

Putting it all into perspective in the report’s preface, Ceri Stirland delivers the overarching message: “The British appetite for buying and sending greeting cards continues unabated. Despite growth in digital forms of communication, such as texts, social media and emails, we know that cards remain the preferred choice when it comes to expressing a heartfelt personal message and making someone feel extra special.” And so say all of us!

The UK Greeting Card Market Report is commissioned annually by the Greeting Card Association (GCA) to provide reliable figures on the greeting card industry.

Award-winning market data company, Echo Research, once again undertook to manage the project again this year. Publisher members submitted their UK retail sales data covering January - December 2017 to a confidential, secure online survey.

The report assumes that the actual data submitted by GCA members’ accounts for 73% by value and 64% by volume of the greeting card market (considering the market shares of the likes of Card Factory and online operators). The collected sales data is then extrapolated to give full market figures.

The Market Report is available at no additional charge to GCA members (in the Members’ Library of the website) and for nonmembers for a cost of £750 (+VAT).

PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE

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Focus On The Words & Sentiments Market

Magical Words Ever wondered why unicorns have soared in popularity of late?

Well, the rainbow and glittered winged wonders became a symbol of escape from the everyday, the stresses and strains of normal grey old life and an antidote to the fears and sorrows of the current world’s events.

The mystic and mythological pony also coincided with a greater focus on our health and wellbeing in these times, and, just as magnificent, words and sentiments greeting cards are having a greater part to play in strengthening bonds and simply asking the question ‘are we doing okay?’

PG shares some of the magical changes happening in the Words & Sentiments greeting card market.

Part of the instigation of Thinking of You Week was to highlight how many of us suffer from loneliness and/or mental health issues or a serious illness at some point in our lifetime, and that sending a card to a person going through these tough periods can help them realise that someone cares and is ‘thinking of them’.

Knowing that our friends, family, someone in our community, or a complete stranger needs a little help to smile has facilitated a plethora of positive phrases and inspirational quotes on words and sentiments card designs; some short and sweet others tender and lengthier, but both aiming to send a message of support and caring.

“Mental health and depression are no longer taboo subjects and are quite rightly being spoken about much more.

We’re passionate about helping our consumers through tough times by offering cards that aren’t afraid to talk openly about them," explains Emma Bragg, editorial manager for Hallmark Cards. “We want to help people say the unsayable when someone they know is experiencing a difficult time. In some instances we boldly call out themes such as cancer, IVF or depression, and in others we offer a more open solution which could be sent for several occasions that require the same level of sensitivity and support.

We also recognise the importance of balancing our styles of editorial to appeal to all by also

Above: Recently launched, Cardigan Cards new light-hearted sentiments ‘Unicorns, Wings and Llama Things’ range.

Left: Straight talking, Cherry Orchard’s Wot A Mug range.

Below left: ‘I’m there for you’ sentiments on a Words of Wisdom card from Dandelion Stationery.

Below right: Hallmark is always on the watch for new words that have longevity, and become mainstream.

Bottom: Jonny Javelin is satisfying the call for wordy designs.

including humour or a lighter tone of voice. Sometimes you just want to tell someone: ‘You Got This’," adds Emma.

Mirroring this growing supportive trend, Dandelion Stationery’s best-selling design is a Words of Wisdom Thinking of You card. The publisher’s sales, marketing and admin co-ordinator, Jess Greaves, has found there is a demand for wordier verses, “as well as a need for simpler designs with a more personal message that are perhaps more suited to the card recipient’s situation, with colour schemes in muted tones that match the mood. For Dandelion Stationery, animals are doing well, perhaps because most people are able to relate to animals, potentially making the tone lighter.”

Well-known for its longer traditional prose, Cardigan Cards has recently launched its light-hearted sentiments Unicorns, Wings and Llama Things range. With simpler and colourful artwork, there are still many inspirational phrases, quotes and positive up lifting messages within.

“There are definitely changes afoot in the words & sentiment card market," says Hilda Richardson, co-founder of Cardigan Cards.

“Although I believe there will always be a place and a need for traditional deep and meaningful sentiment within a certain age group and at particular times in life, I think that many of today’s younger purchasers are also passionate about life, love, family and friends and want to express themselves in a meaningful way, but with cards that they feel reflect their life style and who they PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE

43

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Focus On The Words & Sentiments Market

are as individuals. Some people would prefer to express themselves with a 16-line verse written over or around a pretty scene. Some would prefer to convey that same sentiment with one sentence, letting the images tell the rest of the story.”

While “rhyming sentimental verses are still extremely popular with traditional customers, with the trend to contain less formal phrasing, younger customers now want to send a more colloquial, less flowery prose or non-rhyming editorial, coupled with a more contemporary style," reflects Tony Cottrell, studio manager of Words 'n' Wishes.

And in this digital age, there has been a real shift to cards conveying a simpler sentiment driven by social media and therefore a younger demographic entering the card buying arena, with quips, quotations and a clever use of language more evident.

Tony explains: “The inspiring effect of social media on greeting cards has served as a real breath of fresh air to the industry, from a design point of view as well as an editorial one.

Artwork being more font/text based, allowing younger graphic-led design companies to enter the industry. These cards can be produced a lot quicker than traditional artwork allowing companies to rapidly enlarge their portfolio.

These are exciting times for cards, and for enjoying design as well as words in all their many forms, old and new!”

At UKG’s creative hub it sees new linguistic and graphic trends coming through all the time that expands its sentiment portfolio by offering something new and different to sit alongside the more traditional and conventional product. “For example, we have developed the ‘3 Words’ range, which offers the consumer something really fresh whilst still maintaining a close level of sentiment. It really goes to show that you can say so much with just a few short words. We feel that this range is perfect for the consumer who wants to send an editorially-led card which will connect on a deeper level with the recipient, but also looks contemporary and uncomplicated," says Caroline Slater, UKG editor.

Also keeping their eye on the linguistic ball, Hallmark tracks the Top: One of the new Follow Your Dreams designs from Ling.

Above left: IC&G’S Eternal range has been a wordy winner.

Above right: Supportive words on a design from Icon’s new Beautiful Days range.

Right: Watercolour wishes, a Pallet design from Soul.

changes, looking at lots of areas of life for inspiration: social media, films and TV, books, magazines, advertising. It’s then woven into its product so it’s fresh and modern.

“Language is constantly evolving. It grows like a plant, with new shoots appearing all the time (despite what some of the grammar police would have you believe)," jokes Lesley McLean, editorial manager for Hallmark Cards. “It’s a fine line with new language though. A new phrase may seem to catch on with people, but does it have the longevity, the strength to last and become a commonly used piece of language? If we’re going to use it, it has to be understandable, people have to get it. It has to be rad, no…wicked…no…peng! Well, you know what I mean…”

And Lesley feels social media is shaping our language trends in a big way: “We have cards featuring emoticons, hashtags, phrasing that sounds like memes, the list goes on and keeps growing.

A few years ago no one had received a Galentine’s card; there were no squad goals that hadn’t Left: A message of love on a design from UKG’s the ‘3 Words’ range.

Below: Straight from the heart, a Words ‘n’ Wishes design.

been scored by England; and definitely, literally, no Netflixin’ and chillin’ with your bae, binging on Love Island!"

Capella Andrean, designer for Redback Cards, appreciates that with the rise of technology and social media lending itself to a more informal language it’s no surprise that we start to see this reflected in the words and design of greeting cards as we strive to communicate and celebrate with our loved ones.

“Words that have started as social media slang like 'Yolo' (you only live once) or 'Bae' (before anyone else) have been finding their way onto greeting card designs, particularly those aimed at the younger generation, some have also made it into the Oxford dictionary. We expect to see more and more of this in coming years. Sending occasions are evolving to reflect our modern world, like relations cards that include stepfamilies and extended relatives,” explains Capella.

However, holding the hand of these social changes are the traditional cultural characteristics of being British, and as always, there is a ying to the yang of sentimental words in frank and direct dialogue.

Not really known for wearing our hearts on our sleeves, gentle teasing humour and bants are the British way of saying ‘I like you’ and ‘straight-talking’ phrases PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE

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Beautiful

SENTIMENT CARDS

for all occasions

For all enquiries on the Wishing Well portfolio please contact our friendly Central Services team on 01243 792600 or view online at www.cbgtrader.co.uk

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Focus On The Words & Sentiments Market

are a growing trend on words and sentiments designs.

Cherry Orchard's business development and marketing manager, Helen Pallen, says that the company’s recently launched Wot a Mug wordy range has the strapline ‘say it like it is’, summing up a new trend to focus on just that. “The designs are straightforward, often purely text-based and a simple font and a plain or coloured background. With just maybe five to ten words in the message which usually involves deadpan humour, mild swearing or plainspeaking heartfelt sentiment, such as ‘I Bloody Love You I Do’.”

Finalist in this year’s Henries’ Best Contemporary Words & Sentiments Range category, Deadpan's Classics range exists because founders Neil, Vic and Nick “got sick and tired of seeing bland, insincere cards carrying the same old messages. Like 'Sorry you're leaving' or 'Get well soon'”, says Nick Padmore.

“Wouldn't it be funnier, we thought, if the cards said what people were really thinking, such as ‘Astonishingly, I have remembered our Anniversary’.”

Another 2018 finalist in this Henries category, Redback Cards has also seen a surge of interest in humorous cards within traditionally words and sentiments sending occasions like anniversaries and Mother’s Day, with its designs ‘It’s remarkable how long we’ve tolerated each other’ and ‘Mum, You’re one of my favourite parents’ proving popular.

Kate Jamieson, creative manager for Icon feels the words and sentiments style of greeting cards has definitely evolved in the past few years, reflecting “the trend of the dreaded social media.” She believes the genre has certainly shifted into two very separate camps within the contemporary words & sentiments sector – the mindfulness inspirational messages and then the funky, more direct humour.

“So on one hand, we’re all about the enjoying of the journey, the breathing the joy of life and “isn’t yoga wonderful?”, then, in the same instant we’re loving the ‘you’re a gin-swilling, weird cat lady’ cards.

Basically, we’re a bit torn between trying to keep up the pretence that we’re as perfect as our Snapchat filters make us look and actually saying something quite rude because that’s what we really think and a bit of bants is what friendship is all about these days. Throw in a childish illustration of a unicorn eating an avocado while Top: Beautiful words on a ‘Love + Laughter’ design from Paperlink.

Above left: Short n sweet - Oh Squirrel’s Glitter Typography Collection is a contemporary words contender in this year’s Henries awards.

Above right: A Graph design from Henries finalist Paper Plane.

Right: A beautiful design from Effie Rose.

riding a llama munching a pineapple and you’ve got a winner!

You’re welcome."

But it’s not all about the bants in the words and sentiments cards realm, the ‘shout out’ for traditional heartfelt rhyming verses lives long... and prospers.

Tom Affleck, design lead for IC&G reveals that he continues to see a demand for traditional words and sentiment: “Our more traditional verses are still very much supported by our customers, especially designs for Wife, which are still highly requested. More recently the launch of our words and sentiment range, Eternal, has shown that edit does not always have to be short and punchy. Customers are still happy to read our longer heartfelt verse, and to buy them for not only birthdays, but also as words of support, encouragement, love and thanks - which is a lovely thing to know.”

Jonny Javelin has bought out a couple of ranges which are a bit more modern and contemporary, using less words and keeping things somewhat simpler to try and find other pockets in the rack and to sit alongside its more sentimental ranges. “These have sold very well to those customers who take a broad range of styles and genres to fill their racks, but for the customers who sell primarily traditional sentimental cards we’ve had the feedback “more words please!” says Jonny Spears, Above left: Redback is hitting humour and contemporary managing director for Jonny Javelin. the words notes with its Cloud Nine range.

So with the publisher’s Velvet range Below: Positive and straight to going from strength to strength, there are the point, a fantastic card from Henries finalist Naughty x Little plans afoot to bring out another x Cards. ‘traditionally-styled’ range in the new year at Jonny Javelin HQ to complement it.

Jonny explains: “This new range will definitely have a verse or collection of lines and these words will be ‘light yet meaningful’ as opposed to ‘deep and heart-wrenching’, which I believe is the way things have moved over recent years. These same customers have questioned the agents: “Jonny’s not moving away from tradition and sentiment is it?” “Certainly not!” we respond to these faithful customers. We’ll dip our toes into other genres from time to time, as we always have done, but our verses have defined our company over the years and we realise that the traditional area of the market is clearly as strong as ever!”

One thing’s for sure, the changes in the words & sentiments market are “keeping us on our toes," says Cardigan Cards' Hilda Richardson, “and as designers and verse writers we are discovering more freedom and inspiration to express sentiment in different ways.”

So whether deep and meaningful or short and sweet, or possibly even sassy, words of all kinds on cards can hold magic, and that’s not just a unicorn myth!

PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE

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Words & Sentiments New Launches

Heart Beats With the pounding of new words & sentiments ranges racing onto the market, PG takes the pulse of some that are currently touching the heart.

l A striking selection of beautiful designs have been added to Clare Maddicott’s delightful Velvet Ink range.

This latest offering includes a vibrant selection of bold, simple images created in a loose, inky watercolour style and combined with bold font captions. Presented in a 160mm square format, the cards are printed on art board and finished with de-bossed details and a special raised black, metallic or flitter ink. These luxurious cards have been left blank inside for the sender’s own message and are complemented by coordinating printed spot envelopes. l Following on from the incredible success of More Glitter, Less Bitter, Counting Stars’ super glittery range has been extended to include 26 brand new designs, making it even more magical and sparkling!

Featuring incredible quotes from F. Scott Fitzgerald and an exclusive glitter to Counting Stars, “More Glitter!” really does need to be seen to be believed! “Too much Glitter…” said no one ever! l The Right Lines has added a number of new Sympathy and Thinking of You cards to its contemporary word-based range, including this beautiful bereavement card. Owner Lindsay Randall says, “I wrote this card when my Mother-inLaw died and my husband and I felt there were a lack of cards which capture what you’d like to say in that situation but perhaps find it hard to express. It’s been a bestseller since”.

l Coulson Macleod’s best-selling, very wordy Wise Words range now comprises 85 designs, covering practically every subject, from old favourites like marriage and babies to new ones such as tattoos, yoga, and sailing, including this popular one, ‘Follow your dreams’. The cards are 15cm square and come with a white envelope. This range is also available as prints, both framed and unframed, on paper, wood, and now solid marble with gold foil text. l Henries finalist, Poet and

Painter has added more designs to its ever growing inclusive Soul Mate range, featuring the LGBT flag colours in its proud order and a heartfelt message to the recipient because love has always been an equal opportunities employer and the publisher wants everyone to celebrate it, every day of the year. l Soul UK’s Pallet range offers

a splash of colour with simple sentiment that comes across in a fresh look with a touch of luxury foiling and a colour coordinated envelope. Each design offers simple positivity without being over the top - ‘Keep Smiling lovely you’, ‘Beautiful moments’… and so much more.

Also, introducing Full Moon, a range by artist Kate Towers, which offers positive affirmations while being fun in its illustration. l Kate Andrews' greeting card

designs from The Eco-Friendly Card Co really hits the spot when it comes to sentiment. Some of her designs were highlighted as perfect for Thinking of You Week, with titles focusing on friendship, love, inspiration and celebration. All designs feature her distinctive floppy rabbits and floral and nature patterns. Kate often paints original on slate and these designs are then interpreted into cards.

PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE

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Words & Sentiments New Launches

l Brutally Honest is a range from Abacus that is most certainly brutal and honest!

Inspired by observations from modern life, this humorous text-based range features quirky and amusing captions, created in a combination of bold and italic fonts, along with simple graphic icons. The designs are created using a palette of bright clashing colours to provide maximum impact. Printed on textured art board and finished with emboss, the designs are presented to a 160mm square format, and are accompanied by white envelopes. l Huetribe's new Live.Laugh.Love range celebrates LGBT+ and interracial love just in time for Valentine's Day! There are nine designs in the range size 145mm square.

The cards are printed on 300gsm FSC grade board and sold with kraft ribbed envelopes in individually wrapped cellobags. l Simple but different...

Pebbles on the Beach of Life launches with its new and stylish range of cards based on a collection of original framed pebble pictures. These cute little bird characters depict scenes, emotions and sentiments from life’s rich tapestry and are suitable for a multitude of events and occasions. Blank inside they are printed on quality Mohawk card stock, 150mm square, cellowrapped complete with a brown ribbed kraft envelope. l Henries finalist Lucy Maggie

Designs is expanding her #JustSaying range. The vibrant, bold, typographical designs make strong yet light-hearted references to pop culture and current trends and feature an impressive range of 'young person slang' - words such as 'lit' and 'melt', to name a couple (no, we don't know what they mean either!). All cards are printed in the UK onto FSCapproved board, measure 12mm x 170mm and come with a brown kraft envelope.

l Lovelyday Gallery has a new wordy range called Bookplate - with some lovely wordy designs amongst the other simple Happy Birthday ones, like ‘You are SUCH a unicorn’ - and 'Steady on captain underpants' and 'To my dear brother - so lovely to have you in my life', and ‘I love you - rather a lot it has to be said’ etc...

To my wonderful brother, HAPPY Wishing you all the best.

TWENTY-FIRST So lucky to have you in my life.

BIRTHDAY

l Featuring a brighter, fresher and

more energetic feel with new fonts and pretty finishes, including flitter, foil, tabons and bows, the new Wishing Well Studios female relations range incorporates heartfelt words of love and friendship that remain the signature quality of the brand. l Featuring the delightful and

recognisable illustrations of the Guess How Much I Love You books and synonymous with the phrase ‘love you to the moon and back’, Studio by Gemma’s range of truly beautiful and enchanting greeting cards are perfect for welcoming a new member to the family or to celebrate that special day. l Rush Design is excited to launch a new collection inspired by the iconic paper coffee cup. Coffee Couture brings a new look words & sentiments range with an initial 10 designs that are generic love-based sentiments which will also work as Valentine’s cards while being all year round too. l The warm communication style,

dense inks, rich colours and beautiful papers that distinguished the very first Blue Mountain Arts products continue to make them a ‘must have’ today.

Featuring best-selling poetry from Blue Mountain Arts’ most popular authors, the range beautifully blends brilliant watercolour illustrations with timeless messages of love, inspiration and friendship, printed on heavyweight papers with a handmade embossed finish, artistic hand lettering and one-of-a-kind border treatments.

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Face To Face

The

Publisher In the depths of Wales lies one of the UK’s fastest growing greeting card publishers. The numbers are huge, the customers are few and yet the company’s identity appears nowhere on the cards.

The news that IG Design Group is now trialling a bespoke range of everyday cards in select Aldi stores, very distinct from collections it creates for Poundland, B&M and Wilko, prompted PG to go and investigate this undercover publisher!

IG

Design Group (DGUK) is a massive force to be reckoned with, across all manner of products and geographical territories.

With a turnover now pushing £0.5 billion, it is the largest gift packaging player in the world, the biggest producer of Christmas crackers and has certainly been nudging ahead on the greeting card front too.

“For the first time ever we sold over 220 million greeting cards in the last year,” Paul Fineman, ceo of IG Design Group revealed to PG, having just announced the group’s buoyant annual results earlier this summer.

He confirmed that the group’s greeting card sales are continuing to grow and accounted for 11% of the group’s turnover, with its single card sales having soared by 25% in the last year.

And that was before the news was revealed about its trial with Aldi, which got underway last month, initially involving a bay of 107 single card designs (and 12 giftwrappings) in 10 stores in the south of the UK. Adding extra fizz to the trial, it is not just that the sales have to justify the card displays’ presence in store, but the revenue generated has to exceed a counter trial being run concurrently in 12 stores based on a bay of Card Factory’s best selling 64 designs.

While certainly not taking anything for granted, DGUK’s ‘greeting card team’, are clearly exhilarated by the opportunity to prove 52

PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE

their creative and commercial prowess on the everyday greeting card front to Aldi.

While historically the company has been known for producing own brand boxes of Christmas cards, the last few years has seen it deftly move up several gears on single greeting cards, capitalising on a much larger, year round opportunity with incremental success.

From a somewhat surprising start back in 2010, International Greetings (as the company was then called) was given the Top: IG Design Group’s ceo, Paul Fineman, says that he sees single greeting cards as an area of growth for the company.

Above: (Left-right) IG Design Group’s Adrian Coates, Laura Norgrove and David Jackson with a mock-up of the Aldi designs in the company’s UK HQ. Left: One of the IG Design Group displays in Aldi.

opportunity to create some everyday cards for Tesco under its Finest brand, that got the ball rolling in the single card direction. While it became apparent that Tesco’s Finest brand did not lend itself to be stretched to everyday value cards, it gave IG a taste of the potential of the sector, winning some card pockets in Asda too, supplying (as with Tesco) via brokerage.

Building on lessons learned from these two experiences with the major grocers, the company scored a blinder in 2013, securing the business to create and supply a bespoke card range for Poundland. Two years later it

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Face To Face

seized the opportunity to produce a B&M card range, and two years after that Wilko joined the party with its own exclusive range developed by the company. The result is that, Aldi aside, IG Design Group is now supplying everyday cards into 1,773 rooftops that no other card publisher can touch - a cool 100 million cards a year! If the Aldi trial is a success and is rolled out to more stores, IG Design Group would have a £10 million everyday card business in the UK alone. Add to this its card presence in Australia (bolstered by its recent acquisition of Biscay Greetings that joins its existing Artwrap business), as well as its card publishing activities in the States and Canada, and the group’s greeting card imprint is certainly sizeable.

“We like to see it as a steady evolution,” states Adrian Coates, the company’s commercial director, playing down the ground gained in the UK on the single card front over the last few years. “We learned a lot from supplying Tesco and Asda on a brokered model, but believed that we could do a much better job by working directly with the retailer to develop a whole collection tailored to the needs and expectations of their respective customer bases.”

Past masters of supplying close retail competitors on so many other products, most notable of which being giftwrap, creating three (four, if you include Aldi) collections and maintaining them as differentiated product ranges is not something that concerns the team at all.

“We have a studio of 45 in-house designers here in Wales, plus we work with many more freelancers, so we have no problem keeping the collections very independent of each other,” explains Laura Baxter, who shares the role of head of

creative with Esther Young. “Plus, our retail customers have a lot of input as to what they would like to see too, whether in terms of design treatments, formats or finishes.

It is very much a collaborative effort.”

Even physically there are distinct showrooms set aside for the different retailers’ displays.

“It really helps to see how the designs will work together in store, and having the showrooms means we can present them as a consumer will see them,” points out Laura Norgrove, the design manager of everyday cards who worked on putting the Aldi selection together.

David Jackson, who joined the team a couple of years ago, and is channel controller responsible for the everyday greeting card business, has even surprised himself how ‘addictive’ working in greeting cards can be!

“We recognise the greeting card market has become increasingly trend and innovation-led over recent years,” says David.

“Consumers have the same high expectations of the single greeting cards offered in value and high street retailers as they do in specialist card retailers.”

Now, akin to proud parents showing off a new ‘baby’, David and Laura rattle off the merits of the inaugural Aldi range with great enthusiasm.

“We felt it was important to have a number of different price points, so have included cards with RRPs that range from 49p to £1.99,” says David. “We have positioned the larger cards at the top, graduating down to the lower priced designs, and have utilised the lowest area of the fixture for the wrappings.”

As for the designs, Laura points out, “We have covered a wide variety of tastes in the 107 card designs, making sure to include

Above: The publisher’s heads of creative, Laura Baxter (left) and Esther Young.

Right: A new pick, pack and dispatch warehouse that has been set up for the company’s UK single cards business.

Below: Two of the Aldi designs that reflect current trends.

featuring the latest trends, such as flamingos and llamas, as well different fonts and finishes.”

While less aesthetically pleasing, but incredibly impressive in its enormity and efficiency, is the dedicated pick, pack and distribution facility that has been created in a vast unit adjacent to the main HQ to enable the single cards being delivered direct to store.

“The investment has been huge, but it is working well,” explains Andy Kemmett, operations manager for everyday cards who was Among the impressive facts and figures from IG Design heavily involved in ensuring the Group is that, in the last year the group sold over: facility is more than able to meet l 220 million greeting cards retailers’ needs - with a bit of l 115 million bags extra capacity if the Aldi trial l 1 billion metres of giftwrap goes well. l 13 creative play products l 38 million colouring and writing instruments This undercover publisher l While not forgetting that its Tom Smith crackers have is certainly showing its cards a Royal Warrant! these days!

Claims to fame

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JEREMY’S JOURNAL Business blogging by publisher Jeremy Corner of Blue Eyed Sun.

War On Plastic

Jeremy Corner, owner of greeting card publisher Blue Eyed Sun, and distributor of BambooCup, shares his views on the war on plastic. brands and retailers and will shun those they find disingenuous. They are obsessed with health, wellness and travel. Most importantly, they have a passion for the planet and its environment.

Part of the reason the BBC’s Blue Planet documentary has resonated so deeply is how shareable clips of it have been online: Waking us all up to the effect our mindless waste is having on our world, particularly plastic and why it is so incredibly problematic.

annually. We send six billion of them per annum to UK landfill sites.

Plastic is everywhere - 72% of European tap water is contaminated by microplastics. It’s pretty much impossible not to find them in the food we prepare in our homes and in the fish and meat we buy at the supermarket. Even the clothes we wear affect our environment. A typical polyester fleece, for example, sheds 250,000 micro plastics in its lifetime, much of which is washed out to sea - so much so that there is now more plastic in the ocean than fish.

Plastic Population Dubbed ‘The Blue Planet Effect’, shocking images of vast swathes of rubbish in our oceans in David Attenborough’s documentary aired on the BBC appear to have galvanised millions of viewers to take action on the war on plastic.

The Queen has announced a ban on single use plastics on the Royal Estate, both the BBC and Sky have pledged to eliminate it by 2020, and communities up and down the UK are planning to go plastic free.

Last month I spoke about this trend at Autumn Fair. The environment and socially conscious living are at the forefront of the minds of the biggest wave of consumers to walk the planet: Millennials.

Plastic bottles can take 450 years to break down, plastic bags are even worse.

Packaging and cups made from styrofoam may be around forever (Americans currently use 25 billion of them a year). Single use coffee cups made from paper have plastic linings and 2.5 billion of these cups go into landfill each year in the UK (100 billion globally). There’s half a trillion single use plastic bottles produced in the world

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Plastic are polymers derived from hydrocarbons which are mostly derived from oil. Oil is effectively made from the hundred million year old corpses of living things that came before us. Microplastics attract organic pollutants and then contaminate our food chain causing both animals and humans a host of health problems.

BPA and Estrogenic chemicals in plastics have been linked to health issues like heart disease, hormone imbalance, increased cancer risks, infertility, ADHD and even genital deformities.

What Can We Do? It’s not just millennials that were affected by the images from Blue Planet, most of us want to do our bit too. There are four simple steps that we can all take to reduce the plastic we use in our lives.

Millennials With £4.4 trillion in earnings, millennials have more spending power than any previous generation. When it comes to traditional media, like TV, radio or newspapers, consumption is down by half, with most choosing to learn about the world via their mobile devices.

This generation research products carefully and spend more freely when they choose to do so. They value authenticity in

Plastic Problems

1. Refuse Above left: Museums & Galleries’ BBC Earth range includes the publisher's EcoBand that keeps the card and envelope together and discards the need for cello bags.

Inset: Cottonbuds made with plastic sticks often end up in the oceans.

You can refuse unnecessary plastic packaging. The biggest one in our daily lives is food packaging. Plastic food packaging increased by 25% between 2004-14, using 800,000 tonnes pa, only a third of which is

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JEREMY’S JOURNAL recycled. Feedback to your supermarket that you don’t want it and choose fruit and veg that isn’t wrapped in plastic.

Share excessive packaging photos on social media to get companies to take action and make change. If you are a company that people are doing this to then engage with them and take action. Talk through what is needed and how you can change.

Some independent shops are now refusing to stock plastic bags. Even changing a single word at the checkout can help customers to change. A retailer told me recently that they stopped saying “do you want a plastic bag?” and asked instead “do you need a plastic bag?” The result was a huge drop off in single use plastic bags taken by customers.

If you can’t eliminate plastic in your life then the next step is to reduce it.

delicate handcrafted elements it makes sense to reduce the reliance on cellos or shift to greener alternatives.

3. Reuse It helps to reuse materials repeatedly, rather than discard them after a single use like we do so often after one use.

That’s why it’s nice to enjoy your birthday cards or Christmas cards up around the house and even hold on to ones that have special meaning for you.

It’s the reusability that has a significant impact on single use items we get through everyday like plastic bottles, coffee cups and plastic shopping bags. Actively using reusable water bottles, reusable coffee cups and reusable shopping bags are small changes in habits that have a big effect when we all get involved and do our bit.

There are fantastic commercial opportunities for retailers stocking these reusable products at the moment.

You can also get involved at work by reusing items whenever possible. For example, we reuse pallets and cardboard boxes when shipping from Blue Eyed Sun. These little shifts all helps to reduce waste. Share this with your customers and shout about it on social media.

2. Reduce Laminate or cello glaze is not recyclable so try to reduce your use of it. The biggest source of this in most of our lives are Tetra Pak cartons which are laminated in polyethylene and contain a layer of aluminum which makes them difficult and costly to recycle. Most councils don’t take them at the moment. You can reduce your consumption of liquids using Tetra Paks or find alternative sources.

Glass milk bottles are on the rise again because of this trend. Similarly, SodaStream is seeing an uplift in sales as people reduce buying carbonated water in plastic bottles and make their own at home.

The greeting card industry is making real progress on reducing plastic packaging with trials in supermarkets selling ‘naked’ cards.

Asda is removing cellowrapping from the vast majority of its cards and will save over 50 million cello bags annually - the equivalent to 100 tonnes of plastic. Unless the card requires a bag to protect

4. Recycle When it’s not recycled the plastic we use is either going into landfill and breaking down over hundreds of years or gets into the environment and winds up in the sea. It is estimated that we are effectively dumping a lorry load of plastic into the ocean every single minute.

We need to recycle all of our plastic both at home and in the office. We also need to encourage councils to take more plastic waste. Councils don’t currently

Above: Non recyclable plastics (and some recyclable) just go to landfill, taking hundred of years to break down.

Left: Morrisons supermarket has recently launched its plastic free groceries.

Bottom: Tetra Pak cartons are difficult and costly to recycle.

recycle polypropylene film so compostable bags could be a better solution, especially if we can get all councils to make industrial composting more accessible for consumers.

So we need to campaign for change on this.

Greeting cards themselves are an easy material to recycle as the majority are made from paper which is recyclable.

Make sure you use your recycling bins at home and at work and encourage others to do so. If you are passionate about the environment recycling is a really important way to improve things. Small changes have a huge effect over time.

What To Do Next?

Build environmental awareness and sustainability into your business. Take action, join the conversation and get involved. There are beach clean ups across the country you can join. Take little steps towards improving every month.

One way to do this right now is to book your place at the GCA AGM on 17 October at Knebworth House. Sue Morrish from Glebe Cottage (aka The Ecofriendly Card Co) and Ceri Stirland from UKG will be discussing the card industry’s environmental issues and options open to publishers and retailers. You’ll have a chance to get involved and learn what’s best for your business as well as benefitting from all the other talks and seminars on the day. I look forward to seeing you there.

Global waste produced while you read this article: l l l l l

3,350 plastic straws 19 million plastic bags 10 million plastic bottles 41 tonnes of nappies 10 lorry loads of plastic dumped in the sea

Read more on Jeremy’s blog at www.blueeyedsun.co.uk/blog PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE

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Art Source PG helps to paint a pretty picture of freelance artists, designers, verse writers and photographers’ worlds in order to promote their talents to publishers and, conversely, make it easier for publishers seeking artists.

ARTIST IN FOCUS

Felix Sanchez del Rio As far back as I can remember (and I am 45 now) my biggest passions have always been cartooning and photography. I have always wondered why this was so as artistic expression was not something that was particularly encouraged by my parents. In fact, I was told off by them every time they saw me with a pencil in my hand ready to draw something! In spite of this negative attitude I brought these passions with me into adult life. Unfortunately, neither of them paid my bills so I decided to train as a languages teacher and I established myself in England, many years ago now. You could say now that teaching

feeds my bank account (not a lot though!) and photography feeds my soul.

As an amateur photographer I am inspired by many things: nature, normal people getting on with their lives, the human condition, everyday objects, architecture etc, and I like to experiment both with colour and black and white, the latter perhaps my favourite medium at the moment. Although I have never been a professional photographer I have published photos in a Spanish magazine specialising in local religious festivals.

I am currently the editor of the magazine of the school where I work and I have published some of my images there as well.

If you are interested to see more samples of my work and style you can find them on Instagram (fsr1972) and Facebook (Studio FSR).

I am a firm believer of Henri Cartier-Bresson when he said that photography was about being there in the decisive moment to capture it. My aim, my goal and my dream is to be there with my camera when my decisive moment arrives. l Tel: 07712 740743 l Email: felixsanchezdelrio@gmail.com

WANT TO BE FEATURED?

If you are an artist, photographer or verse writer and would like to be considered to appear in Art Source, please contact PG’s Emma Cain on emmac@max-publishing.co.uk. This is an editorial feature and as such is free of charge.

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Art Source

James Newman-Gray I was born in Sheffield and have spent most of my life there, close to my beloved Peak District where I love to walk, cycle and draw inspiration from. Drawing and painting is something I spent a lot of time doing as a child, and is something I became good at through practice.

Initially I was lucky enough to work in-house for several well-known greeting card companies, the main one being Hallmark Cards. There I learnt my craft, trying many different styles and media, both in traditional and contemporary illustration. I developed a few distinctive styles of my own, whilst continually trying out new things and keeping an eye on what was current. I love hand-drawn typography and cute characters.

After many years working in-house I decided to make a go as a freelancer, and my natural choice for representation was Advocate Art. They had provided Hallmark with quality illustration for many years, and so far I haven’t looked back. I am always kept busy with a wide variety of work in both greeting cards, books and magazines. I am particularly proud of my work that has appeared in adult colouring books, and enjoy illustrating cute characters, which has set me up well for the children’s book market, working closely with Igloo books in particular.

Other achievements as an artist include an appearance in the annual AOI exhibition and inclusion in their book, and also a watercolour panoramic view of Sheffield that was included in a touring show for the Sunday Times Watercolour exhibition. l Advocate Art 0208 3906293 l Email: bhavisha@advocate-art.com

Peter Brock Hi, I am a well-known Scottish artist and illustrator, Peter M.C. Brock, better known as 'Pedro', and I have been illustrating greeting cards for more than thirty years. I do remember winning a prize in my local town back in the 1970's for designing a Christmas card. Most of my work is for greeting cards in caricature or cartoon style format. Over the years I have been commissioned by several major companies to design cards. Most of the card illustrations are personalised and most are just local scenes turned into festive cartoon scenes. My work covers all themes and various styles, although I do love to create Christmas scenes, whether it be traditional scenery, snow scenes in watercolour or acrylic painting, or the cartoon style, which seems to be popular with the many private companies who commission cards each year.

Having spent so many years on personalised commissions I would like to get my style out to a wider audience, so I want to get involved with top major card publishers so my work is available in card shops throughout the UK and abroad, and I would like to illustrate for Advent calendars and giftwrapping paper.

Away from greeting card illustration, I draw on the spot caricatures at corporate events, weddings, trade shows etc, so if any company wants to hire me on their stand, then please get in touch, I have drawn a crowd at many trade shows in the UK and abroad. l Email: pedro@pedroart.co.uk

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PG asked a selection of card retailers for their ‘hot’ card sellers.

Amanda Lee, owner of Wot Nots in Shotley Bridge, County Durham A small card and gift shop in a pretty village with a local customer base.

Category

Name of Publisher

Product/Name Range

Comments

Everyday

Nigel Quiney

Pizazz

Cherry Orchard

Down Memory Lane

Cute

Paper Rose

Daisy Patch

Photographic

Abacus Woodmansterne

Countryfile National Trust

Art

Alex Clark

Traditional

Words ‘N’ Wishes

Sparkles and Little Sparkles Blossom

IC&G

Eternal

Wendy Jones-Blackett

Cloud Nine

We have stocked Pizazz for years, but it’s as strong as ever. New designs keep the range looking fresh.

Milestone age cards that are always full of interesting events from your birth year.

Pretty little cards with a bit of sparkle - great for adults and children.

Both ranges consist of nature-inspired designs featuring animals, country scenes and landmarks. Also good blank cards.

The designs feature mainly animal characters. They are lovely designs that are a constant best seller.

We sell a lot of sentiment cards and this range really fits the bill.

Lovely, attractive cards with a small verse.

Bold designs that are a good choice for men. There’s also a good collection of ‘Mam’ designs, which we always need in the North East!

Beautiful large cards for special occasions.

Wish Strings

Tie-on bracelets

Right: A gorgeous pup on a Countryfile design from Abacus.

Handmade/ Hand-Finished Ancillary

What a great idea! A lovely pick-up gift that can fit into a card, and suits any age and occasions.

Debbie Clemett owner of Kit and Caboodle in Romsey, Hampshire Two gift/lifestyle shops in a pretty market town with a loyal locals and destination shoppers customer base.

Category

Name of Publisher

Product/Name Range

Comments

Everyday

Caroline Gardner

Across The Board

Cute

Desito

Whimsicals

Humour

Rosie Made a Thing

Gin & Frolics

Art

Art Angels

General

Contemporary

Lagom

Mini Cards

Handmade/ Hand-Finished

English Graphics

General

Children’s

Hype

Giftwrappings

Cavellini & Co

Beatrix Potter and Elmer General

Ancillary

East Of India

Across The Board

Katie Loxton

Candles

Beautifully designed greeting cards with a huge range of designs to suit every taste, from modern to traditional.

Really cute felted character images on card loved by everyone!

Great humour and not too rude! Customers always laugh out loud at these cards.

Beautiful cards on quality paper. New cards for us but they are selling amazingly so far.

Fun and so much choice, and really well priced. Customers always seem to buy a few each time.

Charming illustrations of dogs and cats decorated with hand-applied glitter. Lovely to support a local New Forest artist too.

The badge age ranges are particularly popular.

Quality decorative wrap that’s almost too perfect for wrapping. Lots are sold as posters and for framing.

Great pick up lines for by the till. We’re always reordering, especially Top: An adorable Beatrix the hanging china heart sentiments.

Potter badge card from Hype.

Lovely candles and pouches with fantastic Above: The Whimsicals range packaging making for a really smart present. from Desito has the cute ahh factor!

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Katy Sales, buyer of Supersales, Belvedere, London A medium shop in a city suburb with a local customer base.

Category

Name of Publisher

Product/Name Range

Comments

Everyday

Avocado Designs (Paper Rose)

Jasmine

Cute

IC&G

Barley, The Little Brown Bear

Pigment

Riff Raff

Emotional Rescue

On The Ceiling

Medici Cards (GBCC)

Wish You Were Here

IC&G

Pavilion

Traditional

Jonny Javelin IC&G

Velvet General

Children’s

Paper Rose

Marzipan Toybox

Attractive pretty designs that appeal to most people and the cards are at a good price point.

A great modern take on the old classic - the teddy bear. Cute is a difficult genre to get right but this little bear has been very well received and we have placed repeat orders.

The retro cards keep selling well!

We sell both these ranges for under £2 each and I think this price point makes a difference for a card which is perhaps not a close family member or friend. It helps that the cards are very funny, and a wide audience think they are very humorous.

Great scenes from around the British isles, places that customers recognise or may have been to.

Popular cards for many occasions as they have very different contemporary images to suit most tastes.

Still our best selling ranges by far. They appeal to our essentially traditional customer base looking for a card with a few words and really great artwork. The finishes on the front add exceptional value and quality.

Glitter, bright, googly eyes, unicorns, and other animals... it ticks all the boxes for the kids! Very eye-catching!

Right: Bright and eyecatching, a Marzipan Toybox design from Paper Rose.

Humour

Photographic

Lucy Sticka and Heidi Richardson, partners of Little Paperie, Ashbourne, Derbyshire A small independent in a market town in the Peak District with a loyal locals and tourists customer base.

Category

Name of Publisher

Product/Name Range

Comments

Everyday

Lagom

Mini Cards

Cute

Paper Salad

Jamboree

Humour

Redback Cards

Holy Flaps

Children’s

Little Paperie

Snapshot

Contemporary

Stormy Knight

Concertina Collection

Ancillary

Paddywax

Prism Candles

Always a winner. Lovely simple designs where the sentiment says it all. Perfect as little notecards to cheer people up or just to say hello. Our customers tend to buy two or three at a time as they are great to stock up on for as and when you might need a card.

We love the embossed finishes and gorgeous colours. They are really eyecatching and, as ever from the publisher, always lovely quality too.

We do have to keep a few of these tucked away! We get lots of laughs at these in the shop as I think most people can relate to them!

Our own range of Snapshot animals have been selling really well. We kept the design quite simple so the paintings stood out more and people always comment on the eyes of the animals! We also offer them personalised which has proved very popular.

We recently started stocking Sarah’s cards and they have gone down a ‘storm’, especially the new Concertina Collection. The designs are so lovely and our customers love buying something a little bit different.

They fold out with a big message inside and look so beautiful!

These candles look and smell amazing. The best bit it is that all the vessels the candles are in are also re-usable. So when the candle has gone you can use them as a cute little vase too!

Above right: Little Paperie’s Snapshot children’s range is simple and fresh with striking eyes.

Right: Stormy Knight has created the beautiful Concertina Collection.

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To appear in the Product Directories contact

Warren Lomax

020 7700 6740 or email warren@max-publishing.co.uk or contact

Tracey Arnaud

07957 212 062

or email traceya@max-publishing.co.uk

To appear in the Product Directories contact

Warren Lomax

Abacus Cards Limited t: 01638 569050 e: info@abacuscards.co.uk w: www.abacuscards.co.uk

020 7700 6740 or email warren@max-publishing.co.uk or contact

Tracey Arnaud

07957 212 062

or email traceya@max-publishing.co.uk 62

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www.cathtatecards.com

Witty, gritty, switched on humour.

Cards and gifts with a real difference.

Unit 1, 45 Morrish Road London SW2 4EE Tel: 0208 671 2166 Fax: 0208 678 1119 info@cathtatecards.com

01565 830 546 | bexyboo.co.uk @BexyBooLtd

BexyBooLtd

@BexyBooLtd

Caspari Ltd Linden House, John Dane Player Court

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

www.bugart.co.uk

East Street, Safffrron W Waalden Essex, CB10 1LR Teel: 01799 513010 T Faax: 01799 513101 F Email: inffoo@caspari.co.uk ww ww w.CaspariOnline.com

Products: Everyday cards - birthday, blank & occasions, charity Christmas cards, gifftt wrap, bags, tissue, ribbon, hankies, napkins, paper plate, candles, placemats, crackers,invitations, placecards, notecards,diaries, address books, journals, advent calendars and bridge gifftts.

Method of Sale: Direct to Retail

To appear in the Product Directories contact

Warren Lomax

020 7700 6740 or email warren@max-publishing.co.uk or contact

Tracey Arnaud

07957 212 062

or email traceya@max-publishing.co.uk

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Ch C hin nese ese HE IS

Beautiful greeting cards from contemporary British artwork

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01892 838 574

sales@thecuriousinksmith.co.uk

or email on warren@max-publishing.co.uk or contact

www.dryredpress.com

on:

07957 212 062

or email on traceya@max-publishing.co.uk

T +44 (0) 1273 241210 E info@dryredpress.com

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Te T el: 0161 1 64 641 0 06 655 Email: m sales@da sales@d avora.co.uk av 135 Hea 13 135 eaton Moorr Rd | Stockp ock kpo port ort SK4 4HY 4 4H HY

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

*GCF 1HĆ&#x201A;EG +353 (0)404 20528 Email info@garlanna.com www.garlanna.com

Welsh and English cards

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GRASS ROOTS

INTERNATIONAL

G RASS R OOTS INTERNATIONAL

www.draenog.com Ç&#x2C6; 07815 153582

agents wanted

A U.K owned Greeting Cards Publisher.

Our everyday ranges for all occasions and relations include traditional, contemporary, cute, humour and photographic designs. We also have a full range of Christmas and Spring Seasons.

All products are designed and printed in the U.K on the finest quality board.

BRANDS â&#x20AC;&#x153;Write from the Heartâ&#x20AC;? brand includes; Corsage, Sentiments, Champagne, Celebrations and Jelly Beans.

M ETHOD OF SALE Direct to Retail

G RASS R OOTS INTERNATIONAL

To appear in the Product Directories simply contact

Warren Lomax on:

020 7700 6740

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

0127 74 4 655980 sales@glick.co.uk www.glick.co.uk

on:

Glick, Unit 1 Allenby House, European Ind. Park, Knowles Lane, Bradford BD4 9AB

07957 212 062

or email on traceya@max-publishing.co.uk

PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE

from the

or email on warren@max-publishing.co.uk or contact

Tracey Arnaud

64

Units 4 - 4A Valentines Buildin g Ra cec our se Bus in ess Par k Aintr ee, Liver poo l, L9 5 AL Tel: 0151 52 3 9600 Fax : 015 1 523 494 9 e-m ail: s ales@ writefr om th ehear t.co.uk

@glickgiftwrap

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• UK Market leaders with humour, art, photographic, contemporary and traditional occasions & relations cards, plus seasonal.

• 2΍HULQJ D IXOO SODQQLQJ VHUYLFH with merchandising and retail development opportunities.

• Specialists in garden centres and the independent trade.

Find The Great British Card Company on:

PHOTOGRAPHY SUPPLIER

www.greatbritishcards.co.uk Waterwells Drive, Gloucester GL2 2PH Tel: 01452 888970

glebecottage.co.uk 01626 369269 Estaab blished 1993

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CHARITY GREETING CARDS

To appear in the Product Directories contact

Warren Lomax

020 7700 6740 or email warren@max-publishing.co.uk or contact

AR RT TISTS CARDS glebecottage.co.uk 01626 369269

Tracey Arnaud

07957 212 062

or email traceya@max-publishing.co.uk

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.

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

Esta ab blished 1993 PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE

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60 years

Your Number One Supplier of Numerals, Name, Relation & Age Labels for Greetings Cards.

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Silk Screened Retro, Pop & Classic Cards Inspired by Music and 1960’s American Advertising.For all Vinyl & Rock n’Roll lovers

L E T U S TA K E YOU BAC K

Huge selection with immediate delivery y.. Buy direct or from your wholesalerr..

Listan Labels 3 Isis Court, Wyndyke Furlong, Abingdon Business Park, Abingdon, Oxfordshire OX1 5JN Te T el 01235 465489 Fax 01235 532118 www.listanpublications.co.uk sales@listanpublications.co.uk

For further details please get in touch.

info@vincentmcevoy.com

+44 (0)7779 578340

LING DESIGN The UK’s leading privately owned publisher of Greetings Cards and Stationery. ...The home for and

Products: Greetings cards for all occasions, Christmas and Spring Seasons cards, gift wrap and bags, charity cards, social stationery.

Bespoke service for charities and other fundraisers.

Ling Design Ltd 14-20 Eldon Way, Paddock Wood, Kent TN12 6BE Tel: 01892 838574 enquiries@lingdesign.co.uk www.lingdesign.co.uk

LING DESIGN

www.lingdesign.co.uk

01892 838 574

information@lingdesign.co.uk

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Products An exciting and innovative range of quality Birthday, Relations, Special Occasions, Art and Humorous greeting cards. Full range of Christmas and Spring Seasons merchandise. Comprehensive collection of handmade cards.

Pizazz Gifts.

Brand Names Pizazz, Pizazz Gallery, Pizazz Jewell, Pizazz for Men, What a Picture, Time Out, Bon Bon, Marshmallow Cloudesley House â&#x20AC;¢ Shire Hill â&#x20AC;¢ Saffron Walden â&#x20AC;¢ CB11 3FB T: 01799 520200 F: 01799 520100 www.nigelquiney.com

AG E N T S WA N T E D : Æ« Æ«Ä&#x2018;Æ« Æ«

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p p paperlink... the home of fabulous cards!

Design-led Stationery, Gifts, Calendars, Diaries and Cards Brands Laura Ashley, Roald Dahl, Lily & Val, Vintage Ladybird, Caroline Gardner, Monsoon, Born to Shop, Flash Gordon, Boofle and many more.

TRADE WEBSITE:

Ä&#x2039;

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Ä&#x2039; 01780 763 368

Our In-house design studio and established supply chain enables us to offer bespoke services.

356 Kennington Rd London SE11 4LD T 020 7582 8244 info@paperlink.co.uk k www.paperlink.co.uk Paperlinkcards

tel: +44 (0) 1225 329494 email: sales@porticodesigns.com website: www.porticodesigns.com

@ @paperlinkcards

Exquisite Design, Beautiful Cardss Key brands include Marzipan, Portobello, Mosaic, Daisy Patch, Aquarupella and Designers Guild, plus many more.

originalposter.com LUXURY GIFT PACKAGING All our cards are supplied on consignment, so you only pay for what you sell.

Tel: +44 (0)115 986 0115 Email: info@paperrose.co.uk www.paperrose.co.uk www.artgroupcards.co.uk PaperRoseCards TheArtGroupCards The_Art_Group

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

We replace slow sellers and damaged stock free of charge.

We merchandise regularly, so you donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have to.

THATâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S WHY WEâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;RE ORIGINAL!

01932 267 300

ICONIC LICENCED BRANDS

01892 838 574 www.pennykennedy.co.uk PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE

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Products:

Uk publisher of Greetings Cards with an extensive range of quality Birthday, Relations, Occasions and Seasonal product... available from

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Greetings Cards, Gift Wrap, Gift Bags, Social Stationery, Mugs and Glasses, Partyware

LING DESIGN

Brands: Card Essentials Designer Collection Greetings Impressions Inspirations In Touch ,VDEHO·V *DUGHQ Planet Happy With You In Mind

Our Brands: Laughter with Animals, Sporting Fun The Funny Side of Life.

Method of sale: Wholesale Distributors

Simon Elvin Limited Wooburn Industrial Park, Wooburn Green, Bucks HP10 0PE Tel: 01628 526711 Fax: 01628 531483 www.simonelvin.com mail@simonelvin.com

Method of sale: Direct to Retail 14-20 Eldon Way, Paddock Wood, Kent TN12 6BE Tel: 01892 838574 enquiries@lingdesign.co.uk www.lingdesign.co.uk

Sensations International Ltd Unit 6, Quad Road,East Lane Business Park,East lane, Wembley,MIDDLESEX HA9 7NE Tel. 0208 3854470 Fax: 0208 385 4471 Email: sales@sensationsinternational.com PRODUCTS: World’s leading publisher of high quality plastic greeting cards. Also an extensive range of quality greeting cards covering Everyday, Occasions, Christmas and Spring seasons.

BRANDS: Cherished Thoughts, Sweet Sentiments, Buddies Always, Symphony, Thinking of You, Style, Special Wishes, Special Times, Young Editions, Groove Sensations, Forever Blessed, Grey Skies, Classics.

METHOD OF SALE: Direct to retail.

2@= 29KL= M<K Just food and their friends....

NEW COLLECTION

5= N= ?GF= ?J==F raspber r yblossom.com hello@raspberryblossom.com 020 3723 5405

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greeting cards & contempoRary gifts www.redbackcards.com e: info@redbackcards.com t: 01803 712793

All greeting cards printed with vegetable inks on recycled boards/envelopes, including biodegradable packaging...

www.the-taste-buds.co.uk info@the-taste-buds.co.uk 07906 367 663

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&DUGV &DOHHQQGDUV &R & RDVWHUV 1RWHEER RRNV

w: www.tomcatcards.co.uk e: tomcat@tomcatcards.co.uk t: 01243 837300

We offffer a COMPREHE

range of hig Greeting Ca ALL

and easons.

Talking Pictures Cards Ltd 14-20 Eldon Way, Paddock Wood, Kent, TN12 6BE

Tel: 01892 838574 enquiries@talkingpics.co.uk www.talking-pictures.co.uk

Sale: Direct to R

Market Leaders in

Verse

& entimen

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Tel: 01942 233201

an extensive range of superior quality,

design-led Greeting Cards for all occasions, Spring Seasons & Christmas.

DIRECT TO RETAIL & EXPORT

Method of Sale: Direct to Retail Orders can be placed on our trader site

www.cbgtrader.co.uk or call our customer services team on

+44(0)1243 792600

Art Cards eA Botanical Fine

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

Occasions, AS

The UKâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s leading publisher of highest quality handmade Greetings Cards.

Vibrant and nd elegant gree greeting cards A freshly fr modern perspective on nature

Call Now 075 7700 1145 www.zaquarella.co.uk info@ zaquarella.com

TEL: 01480 435562 FAX: 01480 450599 www.tracksltd.com UNIT 2, 12 BLACKSTONE RD, STUKELEY MEADOWS IND EST,

Top-notch British Greeting Cards for Thoughts that Count

HUNTINGDON, CAMBS, PE29 6EF

01923 200600 | www.woodmansterne.co.uk PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE

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EUROPEâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S LEADING GREETINGS CARDS, PARTY PRODUCTS, GIFTS, CANDLES, TOYS, STATIONERY AND FLORIST SUNDRIES DISTRIBUTION CENTRE 75000 SQ FT BESCOT CRESCENT, WALSALL, WEST MIDLANDS. WS1 4NG 01922-646666 www.greetingshouse.co.uk info@greetingshouse.co.uk MON,WED,FRI 8.00am-4.45pm TUES,THURS 8.00am-7.45pm SAT,SUN 8.00am-1.45pm

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Polypropylene & biodegradable bag specialists

GREETING CARD

Over 40 years quality service to the trade Hotfoiling also available

T 01206 396209 E sales@badgerconverters.co.uk www.badgerconverters.co.uk

GIVE E YOUR

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Manuffacturers of high quality fllexible packaging 30 YEARS EXPERIENCE - QUA UALITTY Y SERVICE EXTENSIVE STOCK RANGE - QUICK DE ELIVERY ASSURED

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Quality Bespoke Envelopes!

From 5,000 quantity to many millions we can produce excellent quality envelopes for you.

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FLITTERING FOR ALL YOUR FLITTER REQUIREMENTS

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Contact DAVID JIGGINS Tel: 01245 400104 Email: david@abl-ltd.co.uk

PRINTERS

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(London)

The Capitals only specialist Greetings card printer

HOME OF THE LASER CUT GREETING CARD We are proud to be recognised as the specialist UK and global manufacturer for the greeting card industry for over 40 years

PJ Print (London) The Capitals only Greetings card printer

PJ-PRINT E-mail: sales@pj-print.co.uk The Print Works Colville Road, Acton London W3 8BL tel 020 8993 5160 www.pj-print.co.uk

E-mail: sales@pj-print.co.uk The Print Works

To discuss how we could To d work with you, contact Simon King 0115 928 77 7 66 sales@sherwoodgroupuk.com www w..sherwoodgroupuk.com

Colville Road, Acton, London W38BL tel 020 8993 5160 www.pj-print.co.uk Hadden Court, Glaisdale Parkw Parkway, way, Glaisdale Drive West, Nottingham, NG8 4GP

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Introducing a joint venture from

Following new investments in our digital printing facility we can help you with shortt run prints, rapid stock replenishmeent, market testing, design sampling and promotional produccts.

Our expert digital printing, finishing and packing facilities allow us to provide • high quality • fast turnaround • competitive pricing

Our specialist services includ de: Digital and personalised greeting caards Short-run print Flitter, foil, emboss, die-cut finishess Bespoke gifts including mugs, coasters, notepads and much moree Promotional items Marketing literature Exhibition graphics /stands Stationery Brochures... and many more Pick, pack and distribution

If you would like to discover how we could help you, please contact our saless team:

0114 250 1150 •

YOUR MANUFACTURING PARTNER FOR VALUE ADDED PRODUCTS English speaking production team, prices quoted in sterling... and only 3 days delivery to THE UK...

Really... and there s no VAT to pay or customs procedures either...that's a great deal!

• Hand made and hand finished greeting cards • Boxed sets and acetate packs of cards / envelopes • Giftwrap and tag packs • Individually open and closed wrapped cards • 'Pop up' and cardboard engineered products • Notelets and social stationery • Specialised printing on plastics & lenticular

07974 133735 • sales@digitalhubukk.com

DISPLAY AND SPINNERS Tel: 01929 550085 Email: sales@westminsterwire.com Web: www.westminsterwire.com

Home of the Wire Spinner Stand

The Wire Spinner is proven to be the most cost effective method to display and enhance products.

We also offer sheet metal, wood, acrylic and cardboard solutions or a combination of materials.

For production enquiries, estimates etc., please contact our UK Agent:

Rob Pearson 07710 132 232 rob@solutions-polska.com FSC accredited (BV-COC-002485). Audited member of SMETA. Printing to ISO12674-2 standard.

To appear in the Classified pages simply contact

Warren Lomax 020 7700 6740 or email on warren@max-publishing.co.uk PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE

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WAREHOUSING & DISTRIBUTION

SPECIALISTS IN SHORT RUN MULTI IMAGE PRINT s Foiling Services without the need for dies s Wiro bound notebooks, no minimum quantity s In House Fulfilmment Services

T 01274 305832 E info@hellocards.co.uk www.hellocards.co.uk

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

THE SPECIALIST GREE ETINGS CARD PRINTE ER

Exclusively Greeting Cards Dedicated Account Managers

Litho Print

Die-cutting

Digital Print

Flittering

Foiling

Packing

Embossing

Distribution

With an excellent reputation we work as an integral part of yourr team bringing QYGL QSVI XLER JYPǻPQIRX 4YV GSWXMRK WXVYGXYVI MW WMQTPI ERH XVERWTEVIRX ;I ; I GEVV] SYX EPP EWTIGXW SJ LERH ǻRMWLMRK ERH EWWIQFP] ERH TVSZMHI [LEXIZIV EHHMXMSREP WIVZMGIW ]SY RIIH 4YV WIPIGX XIEQ SJ SYX[SVOIVW GEVIJYPP] LERH [VET ER] WM^I SV JSVQEX SJ GEVHW YVKIRXP] 4ZIVRMKLX ;I GEVI EFSYX ]SYV TVSHYGX EW QYGL EW ]SY HS &XXIRXMSR XS HIXEMP 6( .WWYIW ;I ERH .8 WYTTSVXIH F] E GSQTVILIRWMZI TETIV XVEMP JS T JSV EPP WXSGO QSZIQIRXW EVI SYV

Tel:0127 e 4 4531828 Email: info@herbertw o alkers.co.uk

www.herbertwalkers.co.u uk

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APPOINTMENTS

+Something Classy + EXCLUSIVE GIFTWRAP

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Established sales agents required, nationwide

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Something Classy imports exclusive giftwrap, guaranteeing that we can offer our customers something different.

SALARY: &RPPLVVLRQ

Our collection includes high quality paper, metallic, and holographic designs, with complementary gift dressings.

Extensive stock holdings, and UK & European suppliers, enable us to offer next working day delivery on the majority of our collection.

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Successful candidates will be introducing an exciting collection of gift wrap and accessories to the market.

Candidates with contacts in the stationery and gift trades, not currently carrying giftwrap, may be offered the unique opportunity to join us. Early application is advised to secure your established territory.

We offer competitive rates of commission, always paid promptly, and offer full commission for repeat and direct orders.

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Interested? Email your CV to sales@somethingclassy.co.uk, or call Ian Raybould on 01543 480914

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EXCESS GREETING CARD STOCKS?

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CONVERT Y EXCESS ST OUR OCKS TO CASH TODA Y!

www.somethingclassy.co.uk We look forward to impressing you

WE OFFER A PROFESSIONAL CLEARANCE SERVICE FOR EXCESS & REDUNDANT STOCKS OF GREETING CARDS, WRAPPING PAPER, GIFTS & ALLIED PRODUCTS O GUARANTEED OFFER WITHIN 24 HOURS O WE COLLECT O PROMPT PAYMENT O UNFINISHED PRODUCTION CONSIDERED O MOST TRANSACTIONS COMPLETED WITHIN 7 DAYS O FULLY CONFIDENTIAL O 40 YEARS EXPERIENCE

SEND SAM PLES AND STOC K QUANTITIE S TODAY!

CARDWORKS CLEARANCE SERVICES

92 Station Road, Willingham, Cambridge CB24 5HG

Email: cardworkstrading@btconnect.com Tel: 01954 260728

From the team behind Progressive Greetings Worldwide, PG Live, The Retas and The Henries, PGBuzz.net has launched as the new online central resource for the greeting card sector online...

News, Editorial and Content Opportunities: Jakki Brown Joint md & editorial director jakkib@max-publishing.co.uk

â&#x2014;?

Twice weekly newsflash delivered to over 9000 inboxes

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The very latest news, views, articles and analysis

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Digital issues of Progressive Greetings Worldwide

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Dedicated pages for the GCA and The Ladder Club

Warren Lomax warren@max-publishing.co.uk

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Up to date information on PG Live, The Retas, and The Henries

Tracey Arnaud traceya@max-publishing.co.uk

Michelle Board News editor michelleb@max-publishing.co.uk

Advertising, Recruitment and Sponsorship Opportunities:

News â&#x20AC;˘ PG Worldwide â&#x20AC;˘ Interviews â&#x20AC;˘ PG Live â&#x20AC;˘ Newsflash â&#x20AC;˘ Events Gallery â&#x20AC;˘ Jobs â&#x20AC;˘ Ladder Club â&#x20AC;˘ GCA

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