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NEWS TOP STORY
The Henries Boogie Wonderland Some 500 cardies celebrated together The winners of The Henries 2021 greeting card industry awards were announced at a fabulous awards event, hosted by comedian Tom Allen, which took place recently at the Royal Lancaster Hotel in London. The industry’s big ‘comeback party’ event, which this year took on a Boogie Wonderland theme, was attended by over 500 members of the greeting card community who shared in the joy as the publishers of the UK’s most innovative greeting card ranges, as well as those who had gone the extra mile on service, made their way to the stage to be crowned as winners. Organised by Progressive Greetings, The Henries are accepted as the ultimate accolades in the greeting card industry. Friends and colleagues were thrilled to be part of the first big awards bash for two years. “We all deserved a great party after what has been a truly a torrid 20 months that have been brutal for all of us, both professionally and
personally,” said Warren Lomax, co-owner of The Henries. “And it certainly was that!” The emotionally uplifting grand finale was the presentation of Honorary Achievement Award, which was presented to Paul Taylor, co-founder and managing director of specialist greeting card retail group, Cardzone. (The list of all Henries winners appear on pages 28-29, but they will be featured in all their glory in the November issue of PG) Top: Tom Allen was a fabulous host of The Henries. Above: IC&G won the Gold in the Best Service to the Independent Retailer category which directors Simon (left) and Ian Wagstaff were delighted about! Left: Rush Design’s (r-l) Lorraine and Ian Bradley and Twizler’s Laura Murphy in the House of Cards photo pod.
Wrendale’s Prize Ticket campaign supports indies Wrendale Designs’ Country Set greeting card range scooped The Henry Cole Classic award in The Henries 2021, and as testament to the ongoing evolution of the brand, last month saw Elvis, Daphne and Fern make a grand entrance into the company’s plush collection, and one that supports the retail stockists to boot. To mark the launch of Daphne the guinea pig, Elvis and owl and Fern the squirrel into stores, Wrendale instigated a Prize Ticket Campaign which involves each participating stockist receiving a Golden Ticket which they can use to reward one lucky customer, enabling them to claim a plush character from the original line-up. “We are very aware of the tough time that retailers have had in navigating their way through the pandemic and this prize ticket campaign is something we wanted to launch as a ‘thank you’ to our retailers who have been so loyal and supported us over the years,” stated Hannah Dale, founder and creative director of Wrendale Designs, whose illustrations feature on the company’s greeting cards and gifts, and are the basis of the plush incarnations. Each stockist has also been supplied with a media pack and advice as to how to how to promote the competition and increase footfall to their stores with customers on the lookout for the hidden tickets. Left: The latest additions to the Wrendale plush menagerie – Daphne, Elvis and Fern.
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PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE
Paper Salad’s triumphant awards As well as winning two awards at The Henries (and another two through the company’s collaboration with Emotional Rescue and Glick), Paper Salad has also been crowned Business of the Year in the Stockport Business Awards. The Romily-based company was one of three finalists in the award category for local businesses with a turnover £1m-£5m. It was up against two recruitment firms, Jobwise and Odin Recruitment. Commenting, Karen Wilson and Claire Williams, co-owners of Paper Salad, who attended the awards event, which took place at Edgeley Park last month said: “It felt really good to receive the award, especially as so many members of the team were there too, as it really is a team effort.” These latest awards continue Paper Salad’s winning streak as the publisher also scored a hat trick in The Louie Awards, the US equivalent of The Henries in July. Above: Paper Salad’s directors Karen Wilson (right) and Claire Williams with the company’s general manager Jack Wilson at the Stockport Business Awards event.
The upbeat vibe Adding to the Boogie Wonderland theme of The Henries, the ‘placecard’ for every attendee was an actual 7” vinyl single, featuring hits from the disco era. “When Ohh Deer’s Mark Callaby suggested sponsoring the records as an idea, to follow on from the historic greeting card we gave to everyone for the last physical Henries event, we jumped to it, scouring record collectors’ sites, charity shops and auctions to build an impressive musical anthology of retro hits,” explained PG’s Jim Bullough. The records were used in a Higher and Lower elimination quiz at The Henries, which saw the winner Tom Horton, strategy and implementation manager of general merchandise at Tesco receiving a pristine 12” version of Earth Wind and Fire’s Boogie Wonderland hit as well as a magnum of champagne. Below: Ohh Deer’s md Mark Callaby (right) presenting Tesco’s Tom Horton with his prize.