Progressive Greetings September 2018

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Design is at the heart of everything we do

Following the rebranding of International Greetings Plc as IG Design Group plc in 2016 we have now managerially and operationally unified all of our UK businesses as Design Group UK to allow us to progressively present-to-market our extensive product category and supply chain solutions in a coordinated commercial fashion.

Our business comprises of three UK sites in South Wales – Gift Packaging & Greetings, Newport Pagnell – Stationery, Creative Play and Frames & Albums and Stapleford – Specialist Composite Gifting supported by our wholly owned manufacturing facility in Huizhou, China and our dedicated UK Sourcing Office in Hong Kong.

This summer we launched www.igdesigngroup.uk which is designed to communicate our product category competencies plus our company capabilities and resources that we apply to bespoke, house brand and licensed solutions to suit our customers’ specific requirements.

“Design is at the heart of everything we do” and we believe our rebranding to Design Group UK brings together our UK resources, will focus our organisation strengths and build true brand equity for commercially relevant innovation and supply chain excellence.

We have also relaunched our Tom Smith Brand Website to incorporate our new Brand Livery colours www.tomsmithcrackers.com Tom Smith is a respected brand that IG Design Group UK Ltd holds with great pride. As an authentic Christmas brand, the Tom Smith range is created to reflect not only our core traditional heritage, but to offer product diversity within an evolving market.

Moving the Tom Smith brand to navy was a targeted approach to maintain the brand values whilst expanding our customer demographic. Navy reflects the honesty, integrity and quality of our former branding, at the same time as keeping Tom Smith relevant to the ever-evolving market place; providing a sympathetic background to both our traditional and on-trend product portfolio.

Our new websites and new company brochure seeks to demonstrate Design Group UK’s unique breadth of great products, fantastic design skills and a business of best-in-class capabilities & talented people.

Visit us now at www.igdesigngroup.uk IGDESIGN GROUP A4 ADVERT 2018.indd 1 004_PG_September 2018.indd 1

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Leader

On The Cards Like millions of other people (you too I expect!) I was an avid fan of the BBC’s Blue Planet series, watching in awe at the stunning footage of creatures from the deep. But then I was also haunted

by Sir David Attenborough’s plastic plea and proof that, unless there is drastic change, our oceans’ eco-system will be irrevocably damaged. It certainly hit home at all levels, from the top down, at government levels through to us as individuals, with retailers and suppliers of consumer products in the middle.

Scared, confused, angry were just a few of the emotions that our trade felt at what to do for the best. And ‘best’ for who? For the fish in the sea? For our employees who rely on the income generated by our businesses’ profits to put food on their tables and a roof above their heads? For suppliers that retailers and publishers have relied on for so long?

As in so many aspects of life, understanding all the nuances of such a complicated and evolving subject as the environment is complex.

In previous ‘green periods’ enthusiasm has waned, passion superceded by what were deemed more pressing matters. This time though it hasn’t and everyone is focusing on what they can to improve matters, one reusable coffee cup at a time.

As PG went to press, the GCA’s first installment of an online ‘In To A Greener Future’ guidance resource for the greeting card industry was on the verge of being launched.

While this will be very much a ‘work in progress’, with additions bound to be made as developments and solutions come to light, and inevitably regulations come into force, it is nonetheless a significant step.

The development of this resource reinforces the importance and value of all sides of the industry working together. The greeting card industry’s eco credentials are far better than so many other industries, but there is always room for improvement, be it on the substrates used on cards’ production and wrapping, the labeling to the consumer and, of course, their disposal (be it at retail level as a result of SOR or replan or at the consumer end).

I really enjoyed going down the ‘green memory lane’ with Sue Morrish this month, co-owner of Glebe Cottage/The Eco-Friendly Card Company, which celebrates its 25th anniversary in

www.max-publishing.co.uk THE HOME OF MARKET LEADING TRADE MAGAZINES

EXHIBITIONS

@Prog_Greetings

September (see pages 94-95). Above: Someone who knows a thing to two about campaigning is Sarah Sue and her husband Scott have Hamilton, founder of the Just A Card campaign (seen here with PG’s Jakki trailblazed on the environmental Brown). She will be at September’s Top front since they started, refusing to Drawer, while Cardgains is championing the indie initiative on its stand at the accept that as a tiny company they Autumn Fair.

Left: (left) Jo Clarke, founder of Toasted were powerless to make any Crumpet opened her studio to PG’s Jakki headway. But they did and they have. What’s more, they have always been keen to share their learnings and encourage more publishers to follow their example for the greater good.

And this is what is coming out of the current green movement. The light has gone on that it is in all our interests to safeguard our industry from criticism on environmental grounds and minimise any consumer confusion as to the knock-on effects of buying, sending and receiving cards on the environmental front.

There have been some great strides made already - Museums & Galleries’ eco-Band on its BBC Earth range for starters (replacing cellowrapping with a paper band), Loxleys’ and Windles’ trials on bio-degradable flitter is another, Woodmansterne’s friendly ‘Recycle Me’ logo being accepted by WRAP/Recycle Me for wider use on the backs of cards is yet another.

There is still stacks to be played out. The Art File’s move to offer retailers a 4p reduction for unwrapped Spring Seasons cards raised a few eyebrows of approval, while there are strong rumours circulating of major retail players who are planning to go ‘naked’ Sir David Attenborough would certainly like that!

THE HOME OF MARKET LEADING TRADE AWARDS

Max Publishing Ltd, United House, North Road, London N7 9DP Tel: 020 7700 6740 Fax: 020 7607 6411 www.progressivegreetings.co.uk PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE

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Contents

sue:

this is Within ENRIES EH

What’s Inside?

25

TH DS AWARS 2018 T S LI FINA

76

89

9-19

35-75

89-91

News

The Henries Awards Finalists 2018

Licensing Lookout

20-21

Find out who made it into The Henries finals this year.

With the upcoming Brand Licensing Europe trade exhibition (October 9-11, at London’s Olympia), PG highlights how licensing is flourishing in the greetings industry.

Over The Counter

Brand And Deliver

Buzz On Batchen Street Independent card and gift retailer, David Robertson, co-owner of JP Pozzi in Scotland, discusses retail reinvention and creating a buzz.

22-23 Cardsharp

Under Pressure Cardsharp muses over topical events happening in the industry.

25-29 Viewpoints

Hot Hits From The Henries With this year’s Henries Awards on a 1980s theme, The Henries retail judges share their hot hits from the vintage decade and highlight some current good moves for the industry.

76-77 In Conversation With…

Toasted Crumpet

92-93

A Good Grilling Jo Clarke, founder and illustrator, reveals how she turned her back on a glittering career in the City with Price Waterhouse to launch her card, prints and gift company Toasted Crumpet.

Jeremy’s Journal

79-86

97-99

Innovations

Art Source

A showcase of some new greeting card product at Autumn Fair and Top Drawer.

100-101

Thinking Of You Jeremy Corner of publisher Blue Eyed Sun takes a look at the benefits of Thinking of You Week this September.

What’s Hot?

33

102-114

Classified 115

31-33

Appointments

The Henries 2018 Judging Process

Living The Electric Dream The background behind this year’s Henries Awards judging.

Progressive Greetings is a monthly business magazine.

SUBSCRIPTIONS:

UK subscription: One year £50 Two year £85 Three year £110 Overseas subscription: One year £75 Jakki Brown

Warren Lomax

Gale Astley

Michelle Board

Editor

Advertisement Director

Deputy Editor

News Editor

jw@max-publishing.co.uk

warren@max-publishing.co.uk

galea@max-publishing.co.uk

michelleb@max-publishing.co.uk

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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PG is the official magazine for the Greeting Card Association GCA: Sharon Little 0203 370 4865 Email: gca@max-publishing.co.uk www.greetingcardassociation.org.uk PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE

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NEWS TOP STORY

Electric Dreams Come True The Henries 2018 finalists are announced The votes have been counted, the data double-checked... and the finalists of The Henries 2018 greeting card product awards revealed! Over 50 retail buyers considered the 15,000 greeting cards and items of giftwrapping that formed this year’s record breaking number of entries from publishers of all shapes and sizes.

“After a fabulous Judging Day, it is wonderful to be able to reveal such an inspiring line-up of finalists,” commented Warren Lomax, joint managing director of Max Publishing (owner of Progressive Greetings and The Henries) as the results were announced on August 2. “The finalists reflect the abundant creative dynamism within our industry, with the ranges hailing from UK publishers of all sizes; from leading established players to brand new start-ups.”

Reading like a ‘who’s who’ of card buyers, this year’s impressive Henries Judging Panel included buyers from Paperchase, Scribbler, WHSmith, John Lewis, Oliver Bonas, Between the Lines, Sainsbury’s, Fenwick, Longacres

Below: The Henries’ Judging Panel 2018 comprised 50 retail buyers.

Back to the 80s

Garden Centres, House of Cards, Postmark, Moonpig as well as host of leading independents from right across the retail spectrum.

Commenting on The Henries Judging Day, Kim Lewis, buyer from Longacres Garden Centre Group said: “The Henries is a brilliant way of championing our publishers - from the largest to the smallest all being treated equally.”

The winners of all categories will be announced on Thursday October 4 at a lavish awards event, on an 1980s Electric Dreams theme, taking place at the Royal Lancaster Hotel in London. For tickets call Clare Davies of Createvents on 01183 340085 or email clare@createvents.co.uk.

(To see all The Henries finalists see pages 35-75).

UKG card contributes to Dewsbury archives A specially-created UK Greetings birthday card is going into the Dewsbury town archives in honour of local celebrity Eileen Fenton, one of the first female Channel swimmers.

Eileen celebrated her 90th birthday in front of the BBC Look North cameras and, on behalf of the people of Dewsbury, was given a handcrafted card created and designed by Rachel Rattigan and Caroline Slater of UKG. Eileen, who became the first women home in the famous Cross Channel swim sponsored by the Daily Mail in 1950, told the Dewsbury Reporter that she had been overwhelmed by the beautiful card saying, “I received lots of cards and good will wishes but this was the greatest surprise of all. It’s absolutely wonderful. I will treasure it.”

Above: Eileen Fenton is presented with the UKG-designed card by Harry Gration, presenter of BBC Look North.

Winners galore with UK Greetings There was more good news to celebrate as the winner of the third Golden Ticket from UKG was announced as Glibert Book Shop in St John’s Wood London. UKG has been giving away the £500 Golden Tickets as part of an ongoing commitment to supporting independent retailers. The tickets have been hidden in retailers’ UKG orders.

Ashish Patel, owner of Gilbert Book Shop said: "We’ve been UKG customers for over 25 years so it was a real delight to be one of its Golden Ticket winners. Over the years UKG have always provided us with great service and have a fantastic product offering, so it’s going to be very easy spending this voucher. Thanks UKG!" l The winner of UKG’s Kindred PG Live stand promotion to win a luxury Above: Incredibles winner! spa experience worth £250 has also been announced. Sarah Barrington of UKG sales exec Tracey Markham with Andy Jones Blue Dog in Clare, Suffolk, is the lucky winner. l And in the UKG Incredibles 2 competition, Andy Jones, owner of Kev Jones and his son Ethan. & Son of Gosport, won a family trip for four to Disneyland Paris. All independent customers who ordered the Incredibles 2 FSDU were entered into the draw. Andy was 'over the moon' with the good news.

The Paper Rose/The Art Group design team took on the challenge of designing an 80s’ themed ticket and went to town, with a pair of 3D glasses (which accompanies each ticket) needing to worn to appreciate the full effect.

Designer Jojo Eccles, from Paper Rose, explains the inspiration: “We wanted to give a nostalgic nod to one of the most iconic TV shows of the 80s - Top of the Pops. Using a variety of digital techniques and experimentation we created the awesome neon sign and 3D effect you can see on the front of ticket. Adding a final bit of 80s magic is a cool retro cassette tape inside the sleeve - we wanted to bring back as much nostalgia as possible. Nothing boosts 80s creativity more than rocking out to a bit of Bon Jovi in the studio - if only we still had our Walkmans!”

The ticket is now in production, with Windles providing the printing and GF Smith the board.

Above: If you’re attending The Henries this year look out for your 80s inspired invitation coming out soon!

The Art File adds Peace & Blessings The Art File is extending its portfolio into contemporary cards for key cultural festivals through a licensing collaboration with Zakera Kali, founder of awardwinning multi-cultural card company, Peace & Blessings.

Under the new arrangement, The Art File is to offer a range of Peace & Blessings designs (right) under licence with Zakera.

The inaugural range, which will debut on The Art File’s stand at Autumn Fair, will comprise card designs covering Chinese New Year, Passover, Eid, Diwali, Vaisakhi and Hanukkah. These will feature the Peace & Blessings brand as well as The Art File’s brand on the rear of the cards.

“These will be followed by other key cultural festivals throughout the year,” confirmed Ged Mace, md of The Art File. “Zakera is such a talented designer with a fresh approach. Up until now the market has been rather dominated by more traditionally designed cards and we feel there is a real appetite for more stylish cards that appeal to a younger more progressive audience.”

Peace & Blessings won a GOTY award in February.

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Autumn Fair - Hall 4 / F44 www.ecofriendly.cards 01626 369269 ESTABLISHED 1993

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NEWS Cardzone Group debuts Paper Kisses Retail Concept

TOP STORY

Worldly Wise GCA to launch environmental guidance for the industry Environmental groups, publishers, suppliers and retailers and have all inputted into a significant new GCA resource that is to ‘go live’ very shortly that will provide guidance on environmental matters for the greeting card industry.

Commenting as PG went to press, Sharon Little, ceo of the GCA said: “We are now only a matter of weeks away from being able to share full advice with our card publisher members and associate retailer and supplier members on environmental matters in relation to greeting cards,” explaining about the imminent launch of its ‘Into A Greener Future’ guidance resource.

“The industry has strong environmental credentials, but there is always room for improvement and greater clarity for the consumer,” added Sharon.

As a result of lengthy dialogue with WRAP and its Recycle Now campaign (by both Sharon and several key council members, notably Ceri Stirland of UKG and Paul Woodmansterne of Woodmansterne), plus input from suppliers, the association is in a much better position to provide clear guidance on labelling as well as the pros and cons of different wrapping methods.

The advice, which will go live on the GCA website in the coming weeks, will include a downloadable ‘Recycle Me’

Top: Woodmansterne has instigated a new ‘Recycle Me’ logo working with Recycle Now. Above: Minimising damage to the environment is affecting us as individuals, businesses and as an industry.

logo as instigated by Woodmansterne Publications (and accepted by the Recycle Now national recycling campaign) as a more friendly option for the backs of greeting cards. The guidance will also include a ‘table checklist’ that will allow publishers and retailers to consider the various environmental merits and costs of using different methods of wrapping cards.

The new guidance will include information on plastic recycling and the appropriate use of logos.

As Sharon pointed out, it is a very complicated arena with more information coming to light on a daily basis. “Any guidance is always going to be a work in progress as new innovations are developed. I value the ongoing input from members and our supplier associates as our research progresses,” she added.

On the Cards winner in Paperchase The winner of the On the Cards student greeting card design competition – Luna Paszliewicz from Nottingham Trent University – has seen her creative dreams become a reality as her winning card design concept has been developed into real products and are now on sale in four flagship Paperchase stores.

Luna’s Herby Friends range has debuted in Paperchase’s Tottenham Court Road, Glasgow, Manchester and Nottingham Paperchase stores.

The On the Cards competition organised by Paper Rose/The Art Group, GF Smith, Sherwood Group and Paperchase with support from the GCA and PG, was conceived to highlight the opportunities within the greeting card industry to undergraduates.

Luna’s winning entry, Herby Friends, is a card concept based on vegetable or herb pun illustrations and includes seed discs of the featured plant.

Luna spent time developing the concept with the Paper Rose/The Art Group team before Sheffield-based greeting card printers Loxleys produced the cards using environmentally-friendly methods and materials.

Above: There are six cards in Luna’s collection for Paperchase which include discs of actual seeds.

Left: On the Cards’ winner Luna Paszliewicz (left) with Paperchase’s Hazel Walker at PG Live.

Paper Kisses of Broughty Ferry is the first of what will be several stores to be transformed under a new upmarket retail concept from the Cardzone group.

Currently the 110+ stores within the Cardzone group (which trade under the Cardzone, Card Centre, Home & Fragrance as well as Hallmark factory outlet stores) are positioned as value to mid-market shops, dependent on their location. The new Paper Kisses concept extends the group’s stretch into the upmarket, design-led segment.

While the design and brand treatment of Paper Kisses is something of a departure, the trading name harks back to the very first shop Paul Taylor, founder of Cardzone, co-owned.

Scottish retailer David Robertson (md of JP Pozzi), who came on board with Cardzone in February as business development director on a part-time basis, has been working with Paul and his son James, the group’s trading director, to develop the new Paper Kisses look.

“Paul and James are very aware that certain stores need to appeal to a different market and that their business model must adapt to the challenges of the high street,” David told PG. Work is already underway on the next store to embrace the new concept with Paper Kisses of Cults expected to open shortly.

Above: The new look frontage of the Paper Kisses at Broughty Ferry store.

Happy News for John Lewis Emily Coxhead, the design maestro behind Pigment’s uplifting Happy News greeting card range, has even more reason to smile as John Lewis is really getting behind the brand with product launches from Widdop and Co and Blueprint being fanfared, as well as dedicated events being planned.

To celebrate the launch of the new ranges, there are a number of initiatives lined up with John Lewis over the next few months, most notably in its Cambridge store on 10 October (for World Mental Health Day).

Above: Emily Coxhead with a Happy News display in John Lewis.

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NEWS TOP STORY

Summer Lovin’ Did sunny climes hot up cardies’ till takings?

It’s been sunny, we had the positivity surrounding the World Cup and there was the opportunity surrounding end of term teacher’s cards and gifts, but it would seem that the dip in consumer confidence was echoed in the tills of some card retailers, while others made hay with the boost in tourism.

Consumer confidence fell by one point in July to -10, according to GfK’s longrunning Consumer Confidence Index. Joe Staton, client strategy director at GfK, says: “Despite the World Cup, Wimbledon and warm weather playing front and centre in the nation’s psyche this July, the Barometer again reveals a decline in

consumer confidence. The Overall Index Score has now registered at zero or negative since February 2016. Concerns about our personal financial situation, and especially the general economic outlook, have contributed to this long slump.”

The nation may have been feeling good about the weather and football, but that didn’t necessarily lead to increased spending as Carl Dunne, owner of Cards & Gifts in Sheffield explains: “July was a very dead month for us. The

Right: Retailers reported takings were down on the Saturday when England played Sweden in the World Cup. Below: Moda in Folkestone benefits from tourist spending.

hot weather made people stay in as they didn’t want to be out in the heat shopping.

Also the scaremongering news reports about the heat didn’t help. Sheffield was a ghost town on Saturday when England played Sweden. I closed at 4pm, only because we had no one in and had only taken £96 up to that time.”

It was a thought echoed by Helen Colley, co-owner of Retas-winning Hallmark Widnes. “You physically can’t drive people into your store with your wow-factor displays if they are at home soaking up the rays or partying BBQ-style celebrating the World Cup!” Down on the coast at Folkestone however, it was a different story for Amy Symons of Retas-finalist Moda, where the football didn’t have too much negative impact, except on the Saturday when England played Sweden which was “probably our quietest Saturday afternoon ever.”

However, on the upside, Amy says: “We noticed an increase in the number and spends of tourists this July compared to other years, but I’m not sure if this is due to the extended hot weather or other factors. Visitors are always looking for small, unbreakable items to take home, especially anything with a British theme doing particularly well since the holidays started.”

NSS to co-locate with New York Now The US National Stationery Show to co-locate the NSS with the New York Now Gift Show in February: “The market for stationery and greeting cards has changed and consolidated in recent years, but there is an even greater appreciation for unique and innovative products. Co-locating with an event like NY NOW offers even greater exposure for our exhibitors and the opportunity for attending buyers to also shop stationery products, greeting cards and other related items,” explained Kelly Bristol, show director of NSS. NY NOW attracts buyers and media from all 50 US states and more than 60 countries worldwide seeking unique trendforward products across the home, lifestyle and gift spectrum.

Kelly noted that the new time-frame gives buyers earlier access to new designs and products. One badge will allow attendees to access the NSS, NY NOW and Surtex.

The NSS will maintain its brand identity and autonomy, while providing access to thousands more buyers who attend NY NOW.

Below: The US National Stationery Show will co-locate with the New York Now show in February and not in May.

Consumer caution affects Card Factory results Card Factory announced its trading update for the six months ended 31 July 2018 in early August. The Group reported strong sales performances in its seasonal ranges, including a record Father’s Day in both volume and value terms. However, with extreme weather conditions impacting high street footfall and continued consumer caution across the UK, like-for-like sales for the Card Factory store network fell by -0.7%.

The Group opened 25 new UK stores, bringing the total UK estate to 940 stores, remaining on track to deliver approximately 50 net new UK stores in the current financial year, including a number of retail park stores. There was also one new store opening in the Republic of Ireland, bringing the total number of stores in that region to seven.

Karen Hubbard, Card Factory’s chief executive officer, said: “We continue to experience a weak consumer environment, made all the more challenging by the impact of this year’s extreme weather conditions on high street footfall.”

(See Cardsharp pages 22-23).

Above: Card Factory continues to expand its retail footprint, including opening stores in retail parks.

US GCA is launching a New York card show There is to be a new New York-based greeting card trade show next May, owned by the US Greeting Card Association.

The news comes as a reaction to the announcement that the current New York National Stationery Show (NSS), which is owned by Emerald Expositions, is to colocate with New York Now Gift Show (also owned by Emerald) in the Javits Center during the February 2019 show.

US GCA president Christy Kaprosy explained how the US GCA Executive Committee had voted unanimously to develop and manage a dedicated greeting card trade show for the US market.

The new, as yet unamed show is to be held at the Brooklyn Expo Center on 18-20 May. It will include VIP Retailer shopping hours, an opening VIP retailer reception on Saturday night, and the opportunity for publishers of all sizes to make 5-minute pitches to key retailers.

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Wild Things greeting cards designed by icon order online: www.icon-art.com telephone: 01242 679800 / email: info@icon-art.com

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NEWS TOP STORY

Caroline Gardner celebrates 25 years

Supporting Indies Cardgains promotes Just A Card campaign at Autumn Fair Visitors to Autumn Fair (September 2 - 5, NEC) will be able to find out more about the Just A Card campaign for indie retailers from the Cardgains Village in Hall 4 (D40/F41). Cardgains buying group, as part of its ongoing support for the campaign, has funded the production of a batch of Just A Card window stickers that retailers are encouraged to pick up from the stand at the show.

One side of a ‘pod’ display unit on the Cardgains Village at the show will feature a giant blow up graphic of a Just A Card ‘letter’ from Sarah Hamilton detailing the background to the campaign and how supporting it will encourage people to spend in independent stores. The display graphic on the stand will also show examples of Cardgains members’ shop windows, which feature the Just A Card sticker that retailers have shared on social media.

The Cardgains Village will also feature ‘pods’ from several of its card suppliers (namely Carte Blanche

Above: The Cardgains Village at Spring Fair this year.

Left and below: Sheffield retailer, Happy Days, is one indie who is now displaying the Just A Card sticker in its window.

Design-led publisher, Caroline Gardner will kick off its 25th birthday celebrations at Top Drawer on Sunday 9 September with drinks and birthday cards on its stand. The company will also launch a 25th birthday card range called twenty five, which is a modern take on its classic NT range. The NT’s were the first range ever printed, following Caroline’s original handmade wire cards, with the silver die-stamp reflecting the wire finish.

As part of the celebrations, Caroline Gardner is running a kids’ design-a-card competition, which will be printed and sold, with all profits going to Meningitis Now. Caroline will judge the entries with the winner announced on 14 September.

Above: The design competition for Meningitis Now.

Greetings, Cherry Orchard, Danilo, Davora, GBCC, Grass Roots, IC&G, Ling Design, Peartree Heybridge, Studio By Gemma and Words ‘n’ Wishes). In addition, some of its non-card suppliers will also have a presence.

These include BOC, Boxer Gifts & Books By Boxer, Brown Trout, Creative Party, History & Heraldry, Pioneer, Sarunds, Yankee Candle, Wax Lyrical and Xystos.

The Cardgains Village is ‘centre stage’ at Autumn Fair in Hall 4 Stand D40/F41.

See Theo at Autumn Fair Offering inspiration across five halls, Autumn Fair is positioned at a great time to put the finishing touches to a retailer’s Christmas line up.

This year's show also plays host to four theatre and workshop spaces, each delivering dedicated retail insight and trend information. A highlight of the seminar programme will be an ‘Audience with Theo Paphitis’ on 4 September, where the ex-Dragon and leading entrepreneur will share his insights and how he is championing the UK’s small businesses.

PG columnist and owner of Blue Eyed Sun, Jeremy Corner will talk about the rise in eco and socially conscious trends on the first day, while Charlotte Biggs, founder of the Card & Gift Network, will Above: Marina B will be launching a brand new collection, Tipsy speak on 3 September on why blogging is worth prioritising. Another cardie to look out for is Chris Fox, marketing manager of Wishes Tipple at Autumn Fair. of Cudworth (and founder of the Gift Shop Hub) who will speak on running a shop and managing online websites and social media on 2 September.

Among the greeting card exhibitors in Hall 4 at Autumn Fair this year are The Art File, Laura Darrington, Dean Morris Cards, Marina B, Lola Designs, Paper Salad, Rush Design and Glebe Cottage.

Visitors should also look out for the new GCA Debut area in Hall 4, comprising of 16 stands for GCA small publisher members who have never exhibited at Autumn Fair before.

(See Innovations page 79-86).

A chance to pitch to retailers at Top Drawer Top Drawer (9-11 September at London Olympia) will see the return of the PaperPitch, an opportunity for exhibitors to showcase their products to a panel of three expert retailers representing different markets - an independent, online and department store or multiple retailer. The retail panel will offer feedback, constructive advice and, if the product is right for their customers, purchase the pitched products.

PaperPitch is part of RetailFest (previously known as PaperFest), a curated line-up of inspiring and innovative speakers, industry experts and influencers. This year speakers include Sophie Conran (interior designer) and Holly Tucker (founder of Not on the High Street).

Top Drawer also plays host to the PaperAwards, sponsored by luxury paper specialists G.F Smith. Another new area at Top Drawer will be the Greetings Launchpad with the GCA. This is a new area in the Greetings & Stationery section of Top Drawer, specifically designed as an introduction for GCA members who have never participated in the autumn/winter edition of Top Drawer.

Also look out for the Just A Card stand, donated by organisers Clarion Events, a long-time supporter of the campaign.

Below: Katie Leamon will be exhibiting at Top Drawer 9-11 September.

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WOT A MUG

CHRISTMAS AND SPRING SEASONS

FOLLOWING RECORD NUMBER OF ORDERS TAKEN FOR THIS RANGE WITHIN THE FIRST MONTH OF LAUNCH, WE’VE NOW ADDED FANTASTIC NEW DESIGNS FOR SPRING SEASONS AND CHRISTMAS

SEE THEM AT AUTUMN FAIR ON THE CHERRY ORCHARD POD ON THE CARDGAINS STAND IN HALL 4, 4D40-F41

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NEWS TOP STORY

NEWS IN BRIEF

Great Thoughts Industry gears up for Thinking of You Week As the countdown to Thinking of You Week starts in earnest (taking place this year 24-30 September), retailers, publishers and organisations are finalising plans to build momentum and further awareness of this great event instigated by the GCA five years ago.

Tesco, Waitrose, Clintons, John Lewis and Card Factory are just some of the multiple retailers who have stated their intentions to participate in Thinking of You Week this year.

Hallmark has produced a special card collection kit exclusively created for its independent customers as well as a

designated shipper for Tesco and multibuy ‘4 for 3’ promo with Waitrose.

UK Greetings is putting the finishing touches to its Thinking of You Week programme of activities, which is to involve working with an residential

Below: There’s still time to plan Thinking of You Week events - check out www.thinkingofyouweek. cards for downloadable POS and other ideas.

community for older people and a children’s hospice.

Greeting card publisher Pigment is putting its own take on Thinking of You Week this year by producing special Happy Jackson postcards that it is giving away free of charge to retailers for them to pass on to their customers.

Steve Baker, sales and marketing director of Pigment, said that the publisher was keen to amplify the “fun and friendship side of Thinking of You Week”. In pursuit of this, the Harrogate-based greeting card publisher has designed two special Happy Jackson postcards featuring the new super bright fluoro colour palette and happy, upbeat tone of the Happy Jackson that is reflected in Pigment’s refreshed greeting card range.

All retailers spending over £200 with Pigment will receive 50 free postcards of the two different Happy Jackson designs with Thinking of You Week branding on the reverse side of the card.

Above left: The Hallmark Thinking of You ‘card kit’ for retailers includes cards with captions including Thinking of You. Above: Happy Jackson’s upbeat branding and wording on the free postcards will encourage people to get in touch.

IG Design overhauls Poundland card range IG Design Group has completely revamped the greeting card selection in 790 Poundland stores.

The new range of 258 designs, which is on sale in stores now, is “a complete overhaul,” according to Laura Baxter, head of creative for IG Design Group, including new card formats and all new designs.

“We recognise the greeting card market has become increasingly trend and innovation-led over recent years,” says David Jackson, channel controller for IG Design Group All Year Round Cards. “Consumers have the same high expectations of the single greeting cards offer in value and high street retailers as they do in specialist card retailers. Our latest collaboration brings the Poundland greeting card offer right up to date with the latest market trends and finishes, with a contemporary, innovative, high quality range at an extremely competitive price point.” l Following the rebranding of International Greetings plc to IG Design Group plc in 2016, which saw the company unify all its UK businesses under the one brand: Design Group UK, the company has just relaunched its website (www.igdesigngroup.uk) as well as the company brochure.

Above: New card designs in Poundland from IG Design Group.

l This year was another great Cardgains Charity Challenge achievement with over 30 industry colleagues successfully walking the 28½ mile trek from Dungeon Ghyll to Ulverston in the Lake District recently. Special mention must go to the 13-strong team from retailer, From the Heart in Maryport, West Cumbria, headed up by owners John and Nicole George, raised a staggering £10,000!

Above: The From the Heart team at the start of the Cardgains Challenge.

l Vicky Yorke, winner of the Really Good/Soul design competition, was presented with a cheque for £1,000 from founder of Really Good/Soul, David Hicks. The cheque was part of Vicky’s prize, which also includes her designs being made into a card range which will launch at the start of next year under Really Good.

Above: Vicky Yorke receives a cheque for £1000 from Really Good’s David Hicks.

l Ilona Drew, owner of I Drew This, has been picked to be a Snailspace Brighton & Hove artist. She is one of a select few artists who have been chosen to paint a snail, which will be launched across Brighton & Hove from 15 September. The Snailspace project is raising money for Martlets Hospice, a hospice for people living through a terminal illness in and around the Brighton and Hove area.

Above: Ilona Drew meeting her snail for the first time.

l Sexy gyrating hips, a chiselled jaw, revealing neckline and a way with words was the order of the day 40 years ago when Danilo started out with its very first Elvis Above: The Danilo calendar - and the same is true 40th anniversary today with its most recent signing, logo acknowledges its long history with Love Island.

Four decades on and it is sex Elvis. appeal and glamour that is still riding high as the phenomenal success of ITV’s Love Island series testifies, for which Danilo has the licence for calendars and greeting cards.

As the finishing touches are being put to Danilo’s Love Island 2019 calendar, the Elvis title for this year is ready to rock - and the King has something of a head start on the bronzed and beautiful Love Islanders as he features on Danilo’s special 40th anniversary logo.

“The logo, which will form part of the celebrations, focuses on Danilo’s roots as well as our future,” says Daniel Prince who took over from his father Laurence as managing director of Danilo at the start of the year.

FOR THE LATEST NEWS VISIT PGBUZZ.net PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE

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BEAUTIFULLY finished GREETING CARDS FOR PERSONALISATION with OUR 3d self-adhesive names

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NEWS PEOPLE

TOP STORY

Seat Of Learning Bookings take off for The Ladder Club on November 6 and 7 The buzz is building for The Ladder Club 2018 seminars - which this year will take place on Tuesday 6 November and Wednesday 7 November. Once again, the two one day seminars, which are aimed at helping both newbie (Day one) and emerging publishers (Day two) climb up the ‘greeting card ladder’, will take place in The Ladder Club’s ‘spiritual home’ in the Cliffs Pavilion in Westcliff-on-Sea in Essex.

“We are putting the final touches to the agendas for both days to ensure that it will be very much a day well spent for attendees, whether they are would-be publishers or more established players looking to move up the ‘ladder’,” assured Jakki Brown, who co-founded The Ladder Club with Lynn Tait (who sadly died last year). l The loyal sponsors of The Ladder Club 2018 include: Enveco, GCA, GF Smith, The Imaging Centre, Progressive Greetings, PG Live and Sherwood Group who each subsidise the event to make it even more affordable for attendees.

l Having last year completed the Three Peaks Challenge, Cherry Orchard’s creative director Beverley Fisher has now signed up for even more of the same and is taking part in the 8 in 48 challenge (8 peaks in 48 hours), Trek the Lakes over 13-16 September. Beverley and her team are raising money for Wellchild Children’s Charity.

Above: Beverley Fisher (left) and some friends in training for the Trek the Lakes challenge.

Above: Last year’s Ladder Club Day Two Seminar attendees, which included a talk by John Procter, coowner of Scribbler (pictured centre front with his wife and business partner Jennie).

l To attend a Ladder Club seminar the

costs is £85 (including VAT) (and includes lunch and refreshments). Each seminar fills up quickly and spaces are limited. To book a place at The Ladder Club seminars and for a list of local accommodation options email Emma Russell at emmar@createvents.co.uk or call her on 01183 340085.

That Festive Friday feeling The tools are there to get everyone in the festive mood good and early this year! Now in its sixth year, Festive Friday, 30 November, is the special day for everyone in the card industry (and all card senders) to start to send their personal Christmas cards. Instigated by the GCA, the idea is to create a great first wave of wonderful cards arriving in early December to get the nation in the Christmas card-sending mood.

At the centre of the campaign is a new look Festive Friday Toolkit, which is now live on the GCA website (www.greetingcardassociation.org.uk), giving everyone in the industry (and beyond) the free tools to get involved and promote the event. The toolkit contains a very festive banner, a flyer, an event poster and social media imagery and email sign offs, all designed by Jack Carter, courtesy of The Art File.

Above: The 2018 artwork for Festive Friday.

Woodmansterne shares The Wisdom Of Kids Woodmansterne Publications’ latest range - Little Genius - has come about as a result of a licensing collaboration with The Wisdom of Kids brand from Soula Zavacopoulos, founder of design company The London Studio.

Woodmansterne has selected some of the funniest quotes from The Wisdom of Kids archive and is now publishing them under its Little Genius brand, a young sibling to its established popular Genius adult humour brand. The card range launch is being backed up by a fullyfledged social media campaign and competitions which will inspire members of the public to share their own ‘little darlings’ views on life, the universe and the differences between the sexes.

Former card publisher (who now focuses her time on developing Above: Soula Zavacopoulos of The the brand concepts she creates) Soula Zavacopoulos makes no bones London Studio is delighted that her about how delighted she is that Woodmansterne is publishing the range. ‘baby’ Wisdom of Kids has a new home at Woodmansterne.

“I also have always had a tremendous amount of admiration for Woodmansterne, so I am over the moon to be working with them on this! They have an incredibly talented team and really know their stuff. My ‘baby’ is in safe hands!”

l Rachel Hevicon, the popular card buyer of WHSmith Travel, has jumped over to the supplier side, joining quirky gift company, Suck UK. Rachel’s new post is as head of UK sales of the entrepreneurial funky gift and homewares company, Suck UK, based in the trendy London OXO Galleries area on the Southbank of the Thames.

Above: Rachel Hevicon in Henries judging mode.

l After 21 years with the company, Tony Lorriman has been appointed managing director of Loxleys, the Sheffield-based specialist greeting card printer. Tony was latterly commercial director of the company. Richard Bacon, previously managing director, has now become chief executive of the business.

Above: Loxley’s new md Tony Lorriman (right) with Richard Bacon, now ceo, with some of the first trials of bio-degradable flitter it ran with Powder Arts.

l Matt Nguyen (right), founder of Jolly Awesome has been named as one of the ’40 under 40’ for 2018

by US trade magazine Stationery Trends. The programme acknowledges those that have been outstanding contributors and influencers in the gift industry. Matt is also a finalist in The Lynn Tait Most Promising Young Designer or Artist Award in The Henries 2018. l Otter House is launching a new card range in memory of world-renowned wildlife artist Pollyanna Pickering who sadly passed away recently after a short illness. Royalties from the sales of these cards will go directly to the Pollyanna Pickering Foundation across the globe to help protect endangered animals.

Above: A card from the Pollyanna Pickering collection from Otter House.

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OVER THE COUNTER

Buzz On

Batchen Street Independent card and gift retailer, David Robertson, co-owner of JP Pozzi in Scotland, discusses retail reinvention.

Bijou, our Elgin store in Batchen Street, has been in existence for around 13 years now, not a small feat in these current retail struggles. Originally we took over the lease of an old china and glass business, which had been in the town for over 30 years, but was no longer financially viable. We felt our idea of a mix of cards, gifts, ornaments and jewellery was the way forward, as we did a little of the collectables market without all the formal dinner sets. Our products were affordable yet still quality and the instant appeal was huge.

When we arrived in the street many of the shops were run down or empty, and we opened in what was a very reasonable site (paying £10k a year rent). We outgrew the original shop quickly and took a second site next door, before nine years ago buying and renovating the largest building in Batchen Street - a three storey former bar and nightclub.

Batchen Street is a well-positioned secondary street, rather than a prime high street location, and this I imagine is similar to many independents’ stores.

Our mix of product proved very popular, and despite the street lying largely dormant through high rents, poor landlords and a general lack of investment, our store has flourished over the last eight years. We as a 20

PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE

Above: David’s shop Bijou on Batchen Street in Elgin was formerly a three storey bar and nightclub.

Below: ‘Buzz on Batchen’ Art Competition is to create a bee mascot to signify how the Elgin road is now ‘buzzing’ with interesting retailers.

business continue to evolve, and interestingly, in these last two years we have seen the street around us change, and wait for it…reinvent itself.

We now have a tanning store, craft beer pub, stationery store, florists, pram shop, two beauty salons, two hairdressing salons along with solicitors, phone shops and a hundred year old butcher shop. This means that for the first time in Bijou’s time in the street it is full with people/businesses actually looking for units. These new businesses are niche, locally owned and dare I say passion projects.

There is a real buzz on the street, so much so we are all working together on a competition

to design a bee mascot for the buzz of excitement around the mix of indie stores.

Now that is a long introduction to highlight something quite simple: Reinvention is not a new concept Whether it is streets, football teams, actors or indeed just about anything, the need to constantly look at yourself and what you are doing and change it is obvious. I believe that our store was partly the catalyst for change in the street and it is exciting to see the street now full and busy today.

This however does not directly translate into sales as we are now looking at how we can combat falling footfall and overall spend in this store, just like so many other retailers are trying to figure it out across the UK. We have a coffee shop that has continually flourished for eight years, so we have implemented the ‘experience’ factor and we have refreshed the store - but is it hip enough for the new 2018 customer?

We have the desire and belief that our product mix is right, but is it really right for the new shoppers? How will I know? We know that we need to blend a digital and physical presence but are struggling with the cost and infrastructure needed for this how can we succeed?

Questions, questions, questions! And while the answers are there, it is not always easy to find them in among the daily challenges.

Even with the positivity of all these new stores opening around us it is still only our one street that is full. The rest of the town continues to struggle. In fact, the shopping centre, which should be the jewel in the crown of the town, feels very, very dated, like something out of the 80’s. Quite simply it is not a draw in my opinion and as it is locally owned it does not benefit from the investment and knowledge many of the larger players in this game have.

Re-invention is crucial as our customer base is changing all the time. A huge part of my core audience are of a certain age, but as they disappear the next generation

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OVER THE COUNTER of customers does not automatically get what we do.

Next year we are told that the millennials will be the largest consuming group and they are not interested in ‘stuff’. They are more interested in being and doing rather than owning. They want to travel, they want tools to improve and make their social media lives more interesting.

They want things to make them more attractive to the gender they want to appeal to.

It is the culture of ‘what you do’ and not ‘what you have’. So they want the picture of the store, the product, the bag and the way they are treated as a customer as much as they want the product themselves.

We are aware of this, just as the leisure sector (pubs and nightclubs) have been very aware that you need to keep reinventing yourself.

Fashion is the best at reinventing itself in some respects four times a year! The ‘latest thing’ is without doubt accessories.

Sneakers or trainers are now viewed as an essential part of the wardrobe, and prices and exclusivity are driving that market.

I recently watched Japanese tourists buying this new status symbol and each pair of trainers was photographed, along with the bag and branded sign, before Harvey Nichols eventually sold the tourists a pair of Gucci sneakers. This is the reality of shopping in 2018 and beyond, and, I believe, this will continue to be the case: The check-in and the selfie in store next to the cool wall or brand is about making customers part of the brand.

The experience of being in the store and what store is crucial, but how do we fit in to this modern millennial world with our little card and gift store? How do this generation want their cards? What do they want from them? Do they even buy cards?

I view Card Factory as being a very, very successful functional business but I don’t think anyone is tagging themselves in a Card Factory store and posting it on their social media. In my mind Scribbler, Paperchase and us indies offer the new card buyer what they want more so than the larger players in our market. It only took a glance at the recent list of The Retas awards nominees to see that there are some fantastic looking quirky stores out there and I think that these will have the chance of success with millennials.

Far left, left and below: Some of the retailers now along the Batchen Street include a hi-end fashion store, independent coffee bar and Pencil Me In, a beautiful stationery shop.

Bottom: Keep up to speed on new trends on cards by following publishers on social media.

In my stores we still try to hedge our bets with both traditional cards for our key core older customer but we also offer a fantastic wide selection of cards from young designers that simply jump off the screen when that photo is taken.

This however, is just a small part of it, and cards are fashion-led, so in that way we need to find more ways to highlight our different products and make them appealing.

If you think of the way retailers now merchandise we don’t group a single company or single product in one place - it is all lifestyle images with candles and scarves on the same shelf. Colour and theme play a huge part and the consumer is far more aware of design in home décor.

We as a business, and our industry, have all jumped on and exploited unicorns, llamas, cactus, pineapples and other trends to make the most of the sales from these themes. This practice will continue at pace I feel, and we will need to be even more

switched on to fashion and home trends.

It is great to see even the larger companies realising this, with UKG’s Kindred range being one that immediately springs to mind. It has been created as a standalone collection to shout ‘look we can do something really on trend’, and I think it’s great!

The big boy card publishers will need to be good as the small publisher market has never been stronger, and the young breed of designers have grown up with Instagram and they get it even more than us oldies! It is well worth following on social media guys such as Megan Claire, Counting Stars, Rifle Paper Co, Emily Mcdowell, Jade Fischer, Smudge Ink, Chalk Scribe and Sapling Press… I could literally go on and on.

I believe Bijou exploited the demise of the china and glass store 15 years ago, taking a lot of the money it used to, but moving forward, I just don’t see the next generation wanting what I have heard described as ‘dust gatherers’ and I know our stores and probably yours have now very little, if any, of the ornaments that used to fill our shelves.

But this is part of the constant reinvention. Re-invention is never just for the sake of it. It is always because it has to be done. Whether business or personally, we sometimes need to take that long, hard honest look at ourselves to really figure out the next step.

House of Fraser last week (10 August) was the latest to slip into administration, and perhaps it waited too long for that introspection.

New owner, Mike Ashley, has said he intends to make House of Fraser ‘the Harrods of the High Street’, and this is a great tagline, but the reality is it will take a huge amount of investment and time to turn the House of Fraser buildings and business around.

Shopping at its core is hunting and gathering. It is a social and enjoyable experience and we have to find a way to get that enjoyment and instinctual need back. It is no longer enough to simply sell stuff, it has to be an experience.

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

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CARDSHARP

Under Pressure ‘Um bu bu bum da de Pressure pushing down on me Pressing down on you no man ask for Under pressure that brings a building down Splits a family in two Puts people on streets,’ so sang Freddie Mercury in the 1982 hit Under Pressure. To Cardsharp’s mind it is not just the ‘Um bu bu bum da de’ bit that rings true today for retail pls.

The negative media coverage that Card Factory received following the release of its 2018 first half financials made Cardsharp reflect on the nature of being a retail plc these days and how the challenge certainly makes the ‘mercury rise’.

Just like Clintons was in the 1990s and 2000s, Card Factory is the public face of greeting cards for most in the UK. With over 940 outlets now, after opening 25 new outlets in the first six months of this year, it has a presence on virtually every high street in the UK. It plans to open another 25 new outlets in the next six months, and on this rate of growth it will soon hit the magic 1,000 store mark that Clintons, at its hubristic peak, achieved when it bought the Birthdays chain in the early noughties.

Cardsharp was interested to read Card Factory’s recent results which reported that revenue across the group (which included online sales), increased by 3.2%, with the expectation that its full year profits will be between £89 million-£91 million. To

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Cardsharp’s mind this is not bad work, given the state of consumer confidence, and the challenges facing bricks and mortar retailers. But the City and the business press were having none of it! Even before the results were released there were headlines that chief executive, Karen

Above: The amazing Freddie Mercury with Queen.

Below: Bricks and mortar retailers are under pressure.

Hubbard was under pressure.

Subsequently, post the results, this pressure seems to have intensified. The shares slumped 11% to 188 pence almost immediately, meaning they have now dropped by a third in the last year. In fact the share price is the biggest faller in the Footsie 250 in the period.

Now Cardsharp suspects that a good proportion of his readers will have little if no sympathy for Card Factory’s predicament, especially those independent retailers whose business has been decimated by the arrival of Card Factory. The ‘Card Factory effect’ has been especially prevalent in recent months with its expansion, meaning more shop openings in secondary and even tertiary sites, and in quite a few small towns and even large villages. But Cardsharp notes that when Clintons failed a few years ago the industry got bad headlines, with lazy ill-informed (usually male!) journalists blaming it on the demise of greeting card sending rather than poor management and the rise of Card Factory. If the headlines say that Card Factory is struggling it means the whole industry is shadowed under the ‘People are not buying greeting cards anymore’ headlines that the sector can well do without.

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CARDSHARP So what is the substance behind the headlines? Well analysts expected Card Factory’s profits to be in the region of £94 million for the year, not the £89-91 million that is now predicted. And although sales overall were 3.2% up, it was only half last year’s pace of growth. Like for like sales were down 0.7% during the six months to July and its online Getting Personal division suffered an 8.5% drop, which it attributed to increased price competition. So much for the view that all sales will eventually gravitate to the net.

Now Cardsharp knows from speaking to so many buyers and chains confidentially that a 0.7% fall in the first half of 2018 was in fact a stellar performance. Cardsharp has heard tales of many indies and multiples experiencing sales falls of between 10% and 15% in the same period, so in that context the figures are quite remarkable. In that six month period we experienced the ‘Beast from the East’ and scorching June weather, both of which had a huge effect on high street footfall. Despite this, Card Factory had a strong performance on Spring Seasons, even experiencing its best ever Father’s Day, although recognising that its everyday card performance lagged behind the seasonal performance and needed attention.

But despite this, the UK’s largest greeting card retailer’s results attracted the ire of a number of commentators. In The Times Patrick Hoskins joked that Karen Hubbard, ‘Seems to have encountered snow and sun, but a strange bit of fog too’. Ouch!

Cardsharp recalls when he was a young man, the advice of a legendary industry figure, Keith Chapman, who in his late 70s still owns and runs successful Yorkshire based greeting card printer, Herbert Walkers. Back in the early 1990s Keith was the driving force behind the incredible success of then listed company, Fine Art Developments plc (he was later to sell its greeting card company, Creative Cards to Hallmark for £170 million) and he admitted that, “If I had my time again I wouldn’t have ever gone public”.

This same sentiment now seems to emanating from Elon Musk, the Tesla founder, who rather unconventionally tweeted his desire to go private again and

buy out his shareholders. Similarly, the Weiss family, who were the major shareholders at American Greetings, presumably growing tired of the endless round of quarterly reporting (as opposed to the bad enough bi-annual reporting in the UK) took AG private again after several years of being publicly quoted.

These examples and Card Factory’s recent share price drop beg the question of whether shareholders in plcs have become too powerful and whether corporate short-termism has negative economic consequences.

The impulse to satisfy ever-hungrier shareholders has come with an appetite for near constant company news. Going back a couple of generations, directors had few obligations to produce detailed accounts and respond to shareholders.

Shareholders have also become more fickle.

Some 25 years ago, the average share was held for six years, now it is less than six months. And recently we have the impact of computer-generated share purchases and sales and algorithms that allow investors to buy and sell shares in seconds.

Meanwhile, plcs were forced to issue financial updates initially annually, then six monthly and now quarterly - with the expectation of trading statements in between if unforeseen bumps are encountered.

Cardsharp observes that in many cases directors have to focus on short-term trading and are therefore more likely to cut discretionary spending on research and

Above: Card Factory has currently 940 outlets.

Left: Elon Musk.

employee trading. The fact that Card Factory has managed to maintain its high level of customer trading and service, despite the trading conditions and the demands of the shareholders, does the value group great credit.

In Cardsharp’s view, Card Factory is, at present, a solid exceptionally well-run business, that has produced a set of results that are more than satisfactory. It is the expectations that cause the problems.

Perhaps plc directors could help by trying to lower those expectations, but then again that is difficult when it is their duty to try and keep their share price as high as possible.

Perhaps the most level headed comment that Cardsharp saw regarding Card Factory came from analysts Liberum: ‘While the overall performance for the first half is clearly disappointing, we note that in the wider context of the retail environment and financial reporting, this could have been far worse’.

Cardsharp would go a lot further though! In light of 20 retail plcs issuing profit warnings already this year, loads of retail ‘financial restructurings’ and administrations, as well as the high profile failures of the likes of Toys R Us, Maplins and most recently House of Fraser, by contrast Card Factory’s figures were rather good – and a congratulations card would be more in order rather than a ‘get well soon’ or even ‘sympathy’ cards that other retailers are receiving.

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VISIT US AT THE Indulge

2nd - 6 th September NEC Birmingham Hall 4 Stand N6-N20

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Broadgate, Broadway Business Park, Chadderton, Oldham OL9 9XE UK T:+44(0)161 688 1226 I F:+44(0)161 682 6808 I sales@widdop.co.uk I www.widdop.co.uk

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VIEWPOINTS

Hot Hits From

The Henries While The Henries greeting card awards celebrate the ‘hot hits’ of the current card publishing world, the theme of the awards event will be a blast back to the 1980s.

From bubble perms to Duran Duran, prawn cocktails to Top Gun, The Henries retail judges share their personal revelations of what they feel were the best things about the 80s.

In addition, while ‘Greed is Good’ was the philosophy spouted by Michael Douglas in the 80s movie Wall Street, the judges add their views on what would be ‘good’ for our industry right now.

Claire Castle, senior buyer of WHSmith: Your 80s Hot Hits l The music was the best ever - Depeche Mode, Duran Duran etc! l The clothes - at the time I really liked the big shoulder pads and shiny suits. l Prawn Cocktails!

Industry Boosters? l Free parking for high street. l Smaller print runs for seasons. l Set and adopt industry standards for environmentallyfriendly packaging etc.

Above: WHS’ Claire Castle (centre) with colleagues from the WHSmith Travel/Funky Pigeon side, Rachel Hevicon (right) and Katie Briggs during the post judging lunch.

Left: A sign that is not as common as all would like.

Andrew Webb, buyer of Scribbler: Your 80s Hot Hits l The world coming together for Live Aid. l Amazing films like Ghostbusters, Back to the Future, Star Wars, Goonies and any John Hughes film. l Saturday morning cartoons like Transformers, Mask, Racoons and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.

Right: Scribbler’s Andrew Webb and Sarah Bertram (second left) with (right) Natalia Kosterska (Oliver Bonas) and Kim Foster (Hawley Garden Centre).

Sarah Bertram, assistant merchandiser of Scribbler:

Below: Everyone agrees that further improving the environmental credentials of the greeting card industry will safeguard it against criticism.

Your 80s Hot Hits l Thomas the Tank Engine - because that’s all I really remember about the 80’s! l Gordon the Gopher what a legend. l Power ballads - they’ve made karaoke so much more fun.

Industry Boosters? l Tackling plastic waste and the environmental credentials of materials used in greeting card production. l Being inclusive with sentiments and not making cards that enforce stereotypes. l Championing new designers.

Megan Eyles, director of Peppertrees in Northampton: Your 80s Hot Hits l I have no idea - I wasn’t born!! I asked Sally Matson of Red Card and all she said was Jason Donovan, but then she is an Aussie!”

Industry Boosters? l More birthdays l More babies l More love PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE

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VIEWPOINTS Sally Matson, owner of Red Card in Petworth: Your 80s Hot Hits l The Sony Walkman - I won one in a competition - portable music! l Amazing movies - The Breakfast Club, Top Gun, ET - all favourites of my teen daughters now. l Getting laid - (can I say that!?) if not, a high street full of independent shops!!!

Industry Boosters? l To stop the closures of banks and post offices in small and medium-sized towns. l Free car parking in small and mediumsized towns. l More things like ‘my shop life collective’.

Above: Red Card’s Sally Matson (left) with Peppertrees’ Megan Eyles catching up in between judging categories in The Depot, the brasserie where some of the judging tookplace.

Tim Reynolds, retail manager of The Medici Gallery: Your 80s Hot Hits l The Channel Tunnel, which enabled easier access to the cheap, wine-filled, French hypermarkets. l Joan Collins in Dynasty - especially when she got into a cat fight with Crystal Carrington. l Dodgy sexist Athena posters - except the one of Debbie Harry that was genuinely artistic.

Industry Boosters? l A freeze on postal charges. l Discounts from suppliers to

Ellie Kleinlercher, buyer of Between the Lines: Your 80s Hot Hits l I wasn’t alive in the 80s, but I’ve heard the fashion and hair were very interesting! l Films - E.T. and Ghostbusters? l Music - Wham! And Michael Jackson.”

Industry Boosters? l Push to use plastic free or recyclable packaging on all products. l Continue to increase the diversity of designs. l Continue to support new and upcoming designers.

Above: Ellie Kleinlercher of Between the Lines embracing the challenge of judging the vast Contemporary Trend category.

Left: Who you gonna call?

Ghostbusters of course!

Mark Janson-Smith, director of Postmark, five shops in London:

small independent retails (Rather than for multi-outlet chains). l Lower business rates.

Left: Medici’s Tim Reynolds (left) with Jerry and Debbie Brown from First Class Greetings.

Above: The shoulder pads, the big hair and the glamour of the Dynasty TV series epitomised the 80s.

Kristan Madigan-Miller, director of Cadeaux and Co, Wells and Chipping Sodbury: Your 80s Hot Hits l Ra-Ra skirts - because if you can’t wear them as a teenager, you never can! l Michael Jackson - A continuation of loving Jackson 5, ‘Off the Wall’ is possibly the best album of all time. l Malvern youth centre - for the reasons above!

Industry Boosters? l An abolition/change of the business rates structure for high streets to create a ‘level playing field’. l There is so much plastic. Surely outers of cards could be made of a material that is easily recyclable?

Right: Kristan Madigan-Miller puts pen to paper on her judging form.

Your 80s Hot Hits l Michael Jackson was my hero! Still to this day, 30/40 years on, his music feels current! l Roller skates - nothing used to beat heading out on my roller skates. l Neon! Used to love my neon shoe aces and t-shirts.

These are now making a comeback, but nothing will beat the 80’s originals!”

Industry Boosters? l Something needs to be done about making business rates more realistic. l Lower/higher VAT rates for bricks and mortar/ online retailers l Take VAT off Christmas charity packs!

Above: Postmark’s Mark Janson-Smith (right) shares views and news with Set Design’s Stuart Delahoy and Melinda Stead.

Above right: Ah…the wheels of the 80s!

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VIEWPOINTS Daisy Enticott, buyer and Lucy Sumner, assistant buyer of Paperchase: Industry Boosters? l For the industry to produce more environmentally-friendly products. l Be great is there super sparkly environmentallyfriendly glitter! l More UK manufacturing would bring benefits. l Lower business rates!

Anne Barber, owner of Heaven at Home, Market Harborough: Your 80s Hot Hits l Duran Duran and the Rum Runner in Birmingham - meeting Simon Le Bon there!!! l Top Gun l Flash Dance and legwarmers!

Industry Boosters? l More kindness. l Anything which encourages

Right: Paperchase’s Daisy Enticott (left) with colleague Lucy Sumner enjoying the judging.

customers to buy and send more cards. l Loyalty schemes and initiatives like Thinking of You Week!

Abigail Ball, buyer of Fenwick, Newcastle: Your 80s Hot Hits l Flash Dance – I love the music!

Right: Abigail Ball (right) with fellow ‘Fenwicker’, Jenni Taylor of Bentalls and Fenwick Bracknell.

Carly Pearson, senior buyer of Sainsbury’s: 80s Hot Hits l Being born! l Club Tropicana l Gordon the Gopher.

Industry Boosters? l More events with opportunities for publishers and retailers to meet. l Plastic reduction - #savethewhales. l Shorter lead times from publishers.

Above: Carly Pearson (Sainsbury’s) relished the opportunity of seeing comparative products altogether at The Henries judging.

Right: Who could forget the young Philip Schofield’s Gordon the Gopher?

John Barratt, director of Card Centre in Felixstowe: Your 80s Hot Hits l Spending two weeks every year during 80s at The Proms. l Meeting my partner. l The opening of the Channel Tunnel and the M25.

Industry Boosters? l To have a freeze on postal rates. l For Royal Mail to introduce reduced price stamps for Christmas. l Discounts for independents from companies.

Right: John Barrett of The Card Centre once again greatly enjoyed judging The Henries.

Top: Anne Barber was all smiles at the judging.

Above: Anne Barber was no only a Duran Duran fan, but met the lead singer Simon le Bon in person!

Natalia Kosterska, assistant buyer of Oliver Bonas: Your 80s Hot Hits l The music: Cyndi Lauper, Top of the Pops, The Cure and Bowie. l Big hair and wild clothing. I am thinking of my mum in the 80’s!

She looked an absolute babe. l Ghostbusters and Top Gun.

Industry Boosters? l Moving towards more eco-

environmentally friendly cellowrapping and more easily recyclable materials. l More networking events as it’s great to meet new suppliers and fellow retailers which makes you love the industry more.

Above: Natalia Kosterska (Oliver Bonas) in judging mode with Sarah Green (Spots, High Tide and Wave).

Left: Cyndi Lauper added her own colour to the 80s!

Sarah Green, director of Spots and High Tide in Southwold and Wave in Bungay: Your 80s Hot Hits l Being in my twenties. l The music. It was exciting times with new innovative music with all synthesizers etc. l The Sony Walkman which revolutionised travel as it longer felt like a waste of time.

Industry Boosters? l Sorting out business rates. l Change the VAT rates so that online retail sales pay more than bricks and mortar outlets as this would help high streets survive. l Cancel Brexit!

Above: The Sony Walkman made music portable in the 80s.

PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE

27

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VIEWPOINTS Nigel Williamson, partner of House of Cards, six shops in the Home Counties: Your 80s Hot Hits l It has to be the music - the 80s heralded a new generation of sound. l Margaret Thatcher. She changed the working ethic of the UK. l The hot hatch - Ford XR2, Golf GTI and the Peugeot 205.

Industry Boosters? l We need to finalise the industry’s green credentials and get that message out to the public. l More face to face personal service - both from retailers and publishers. l Any initiatives to drive footfall would be welcomed by all. More free parking would be a start.

Above: House of Cards’ Nigel Williamson with Kim Foster (Hawley Garden Centre) considering some of the giftwrappings entries.

Left: 80s’ Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher imposed her iron fist on the nation.

Kim Foster, company secretary of Hawley Garden Centre, Dartford: Your 80s Hot Hits l There were so many great films in the 80s Footloose, Dirty Dancing, Top Gun, just for starters. l Bucks Fizz winning the Eurovision Song Contest with Making Your Mind Up. l Cagney & Lacey.

Industry Boosters? l Help for publishing companies to instigate Above: Top Gun was a initiatives to increase card sales and heighten top movie of the 80s for awareness of the value of sending cards.

Hawley Garden Centre’s Kim Foster. l For retailers to give over more space for card displays to draw customers to certain products. l More good weather as it puts the customers in a better mood and as a result is more likely to purchase.

Katy Sales, buyer of Supersales in Nuxley Village, Belvedere: Your 80s Hot Hits l Watching Dirty Dancing over and over and over again!! l Wearing shell suits!! l Loads of hair scrunchies!!

Industry Boosters? l Free high street parking. l Lower postage stamp costs. l More social media exposure from celebrity endorsements about the joy of sending and receiving cards.

Above: Katy Sales (Supersales) goes in close to one of the entries.

Right: Katy Sales confessed her Dirty Dancing obsession!

Marion Flaherty, owner of Best Wishes in Garstang:

Below: It was worth the long trip from Garstang for Marion Flaherty.

Your 80s Hot Hits l Being member of Lancashire Young Farmers Club and partying nearly every night! l Travelling to Brazil, Finland and Russia with my Young Farmer friends. l Training as a cafe decorator at Blackpool & Fylde College, working in a chocolate factory, passing my driving test and seeing the world.

Industry Boosters? l For more retailers to realise that customers will pay for higher quality cards. l More good weather = lots of tourists. l A wider range of card titles for birthdays, anniversaries and occasions.

William Oscroft, partner of Love It in Stamford and Bury St Edmunds: Your 80s Hot Hits l I loved how I was free to travel anywhere in the world, cheaply and quickly. l Lazy Sundays. No-one worked on Sundays in the 80s! l Doc Martens. Love them.

Industry Boosters? l Lower business rates. We could employ more staff. l Teach youngsters the power of

pen and paper over ‘touch and go’ on the phone. l More Triumph TR6s. It worked on my wife Amanda!

Top: Will Oscroft (Love It) gets up close to one of the entries.

Above: It was Will’s wheels in the 80s that helped him woo his now wife Amanda.

Janey Apps, co-owner of Paper Turtle, Lewes: Your 80s Hot Hits l Taping the charts onto a mix taper and making up dance routines in the garden. l Morten Harket, the lead singer from A-ha because he was 'oh so fine' and is still looking good. l Neon everything - and just making its comeback.

Industry Boosters? l Regeneration and investment in the high street. l Consistent, mediocre weather. l To introduce a sliding scale of VAT registration making expansion worthwhile.

Above: Paper Turtle’s Janey Apps (right) met the GCA’s Sharon Little during the judging day.

Left: A-ha’s lead singer Morten Harket still does it for Janey.

PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE

29

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The Henries 2018 Judging Process

LIVING THE ELECTRIC DREAM This year’s Henries awards will take on an 1980s Electric Dreams theme.

PG got into the groove with the 50+ top retailers who formed this year’s Henries judging panel to gain a ‘behind the scenes’ view of the judging process for The Henries 2018 and to witness how the finalists are arrived at.

Who Judged The Henries?

The entire responsibility of judging the product entries to this year’s Henries lay in the collective hands of the judging panel, made up entirely of retailers. The judging panel comprised over 50 leading greeting card retail buyers, from right across the retail spectrum. The panel included buyers from leading independents, department stores, large specialist chains, medium-sized groups, supermarkets, garden centres, bookshops, varietal stores and online operators.

The Henries 2018 Judging Panel (In alphabetical order by surname) l Janey Apps, co-owner of Paper Turtle in Lewes l Will Apps, co-owner of Paper Turtle in Lewes l Jane Bailess, events manager of John Lewis (51 stores) l Abigail Ball, buyer of Fenwick (nine department stores) l Anne Barber, owner of In Heaven at Home in Market Harborough l John Barratt, director of The Card Centre in Felixstowe l Sarah Bertram, assistant merchandiser of Scribbler (37 stores) l Katie Briggs, junior buyer of Funky Pigeon/WHSmith Travel (100+ stores) l Debbie Brown, owner of First Class Greetings, Hadleigh l Jerry Brown, owner of Plum Green, Hadleigh l Claire Castle, senior buyer of WHSmith High Street (575 stores) l David Colman, co-owner of The Only Place For Pictures in Islington and Palmers Green l Teresa Colman, co-owner of The Only Place For Pictures in Islington and Palmers Green l Melinda Cooper, owner of Thinking Of You in Denby Dale l Stuart Delahoy, owner of Set Design in Leicester l Daisy Enticott, buyer of Paperchase (200+ stores) l Megan Eyles, director of Peppertrees in Northampton l Marion Flaherty, owner of Best Wishes in Garstang l Kim Foster, company secretary of Hawley Garden Centre and Nursery, Dartford l Sarah Green, director of Spots, Wave and High Tide in Southwold and Bungay l Rachel Hevicon, buyer of WHSmith Travel (600+ stores) l Danny Ingram, store manager of Creased Cards in Brighton l Mark Janson-Smith, director of Postmark, five shops in London l Ros Jones, managing director of Celtic Company in Welshpool l Ellie Kleinlercher, buyer of Between The Lines, group of 15 shops l Natalia Kosterska, assistant buyer of Oliver Bonas (72 stores) l Kim Lewis, card buyer of Longacres Garden Centres (four centres) l Sarah Lishman, buyer of Barkers and Barkers Home in Northallerton l Kristan Madigan-Miller, director of Cadeaux and Co in Wells and Chipping Sodbury l Sally Matson, owner of Red Card in Petworth l Amanda Oscroft, partner of Love It, Stamford and Bury St Edmunds l Will Oscroft, partner of Love It, Stamford and Bury St Edmunds

l Carly Pearson, senior buyer of Sainsbury’s (1,000+ stores) l Andrea Pinder, co-owner of Unit 7, Party Planet and

Presentation in Manchester, Birmingham and Barrowford l Sarah-Jane Porter, head of licensing of Moonpig l Tim Reynolds, retail manager of Medici Gallery in Kensington l Katy Sales, buyer of Supersales of Nuxley Village in Belvedere l Sheila Sales, partner of Supersales of Nuxley Village in Belvedere l Melinda Stead, card buyer of Set Design in Leicester l Lucy Sumner, assistant buyer of seasonal, Paperchase

(200+ stores) l Jenni Taylor, buyer of Bentalls/Fenwicks (nine department stores) l Vivien Thomas, creative director of Celtic Company in Welshpool l Yasmin Twist, buyer and co-owner of Gee Tees, a group of

five shops in the north l Andrew Webb, card buyer of Scribbler (37 stores) l Nigel Williamson, partner of House of Cards, a group of

six shops in the Home Counties Above: The Henries 2018 Judging Panel comprised over 50 retail buyers.

Left: (Left-right) Jenni Taylor (Bentalls), Natalia Kosterska (Oliver Bonas) and Sarah-Jane Porter (Moonpig) at the judging.

PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE

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The Henries 2018 Judging Process

Left: Unit 7’s Andrea Pinder loved being a Henries’ judge.

Right: The Henries 2018 judging gets underway.

Below: PG’s offices were deluged with Henries entries.

Bottom: As sponsor of The Lynn Tait Most Promising Young Designer or Artist, Daisy Enticott (left) and Lucy Sumner (both of Paperchase) were delighted by the quality of the entries in this category.

The Preparation Throughout June and July, PG’s offices were deluged with boxes, Jiffy bags and envelopes, boldly marked ‘The Henries’. Together they created a mountain of packages containing over 15,000 greeting cards, sheets of giftwrap and giftbags, submitted from well over 200 different UK publishers.

All greeting cards submitted for The Henries 2018 are treated equally, whether they are sent in by a multinational company, a new start-up one-man band publisher and everything in between. The Henries are free of charge to enter meaning the awards are open to all.

Each entry is logged in and assigned a number. One card design from each entry is retained for archive purposes while the other cards in each submission are mounted onto their own large display board. A label was affixed to the top of each board that prominently featured a distinct entry number as well as the RRP(s) of the mounted cards.

To overcome any preconceived ideas judges might have had of publishers, the brand and company name of each submission for the product entries are concealed.

In the case of The Lynn Tait Most Promising Young Designer or Artist category those entering were invited to submit their own ready-mounted boards if they wished.

For the Henry Cole Classic award, publishers were asked for some substantiating text to demonstrate how and why the range has stood the test of time.

The Judging Process The judging for all the product categories, as well as The Lynn Tait Most Promising Young Designer or Artist, took place on a single day, in premises adjacent to PG’s London offices.

The criteria for judging were: l Quality of Design l Quality of print, production and manufacture l Appropriateness for the market sector at which it is aimed l Value for money All entries were put on display category by category. The judges considered all entries in each category, individually selecting the five entries they deemed to be the best in each category.

Judging forms were completed by writing the corresponding entry numbers, in order of merit, in the relevant boxes on the form. Points were then awarded accordingly by the adjudication team; five points being assigned to the entries each judge felt was the best in the category down to one point for the fifth choice. The points from all the judges’ forms were then correlated to arrive at the winner and five other finalists.

The winners will only be revealed at The Henries 80s Electric Dreams awards, an evening event taking place on Thursday October 4 at the Royal Lancaster Hotel in London.

Which Ranges Were Eligible To Enter?

Entering The Henries 2018 was open to all UK publishers, as well as UK-based distributors of card publishers from overseas.

Publishers were invited to enter ranges that had been launched since August 1 2017 or new designs that had been added to ongoing ranges.

The Henry Cole Classic award is slightly different in that this is for ranges that have stood the test of time and therefore the onus is on the heritage and evolution of the brand rather than just the new designs in the range.

Publishers could enter as many categories as they wished, with as many entries in each category as they wanted.

Above: Creased Cards’ Danny Ingram considers the relative merits of some of the entries.

PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE

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The Henries 2018 Finalists

THE LYNN TAIT MOST PROMISING ARD W A T IS T R A R O R E N IG S E D G YOUN Open to: This award was open to all greeting card designers and artists (employed or freelance) under the age of 35 on August 1 2017.

FINALISTS

(in alphabetical order)

l Emma Grant, senior designer for CardMix, The Proper Mail Company and Woodmansterne l Charlotte Mason, in-house designer for Woodmansterne and The Proper Mail Company l Matt Nguyen, founder of Jolly Awesome l Ian Owen, illustrator and founder of Folio l Lizzie Parker, founder of Penguin Ink l Emma Pearce, senior designer for Hotchpotch

Emma Grant, senior designer for Woodmansterne, The Proper Mail Company and CardMix: “As a London-native, country-side dweller, my work is a blend of the energy and attitude of the city and the colour and soul of the natural world. Art is my passion and I am inspired by animals, impressionism and fashion. I believe I evolve as a designer by being obsessive and taking risks; never wanting to create something ordinary. My aim is to create vibrant designs that give people as much joy as I get from creating them.”

Charlotte Mason, in-house designer for Woodmansterne and The Proper Mail Company: “I have worked as an in-house designer for Woodmansterne Publications for the last four years and for The Proper Mail Company since it was founded in 2016. I love to use traditional techniques such as embroidery, calligraphy and watercolour painting, and enhance these with digital processes and foil and flitter embellishment. My designs are detailed and take time to perfect. I hope that this craftsmanship and attention to detail demonstrates my passion for greeting cards and creates an extra-special gift for the recipient that is made with love.”

Ian Owen, founder/illustrator of Folio: “Folio is a fun-loving, stationery design studio based in Cardiff. I am a self-taught illustrator, and it seems to surprise a lot of people that I never went to university.

However, a passion for drawing and design led to me buying my first MacBook and a graphics tablet and I haven’t looked back since. My aim is to create more joy in the everyday by encouraging people to text less and write more through the use of illustration and greeting cards. I have been in business since February 2017 and exhibited for the first time at Spring Fair in February this year. It helped catapult the brand into the spotlight, and I am now fortunate enough to get to work with fantastic names such as Oliver Bonas and Selfridges, as well as some of the UK’s most exciting independents.”

Lizzie Parker, founder of Penguin Ink: “I trained as a graphic designer and have now found my true passion. I’m proud to say I’ve been self-publishing my designs through Penguin Ink since 2016. I draw inspiration from my loves, life and travels. My designs are striking, bright and simple using just one or two colours to depict the shadows, highlights and character of animals, concentrating on their eyes. I use simple lines and shapes to get a lovely texture and to bring out the character of that creature. I love to touch everything and my cards are an expression of that.”

Emma Pearce, senior designer for Hotchpotch Matt Nguyen founder of Jolly Awesome: “I am a designer-illustrator and owner of Jolly Awesome. In 2014 I quit my corporate marketing job and founded Jolly Awesome, publishing my contemporary illustrations, humour-led stationery, greeting cards and giftware. What started as my passion project quickly grew into an awesome international brand, and now together with my wife Katie and dog we have since sold millions of products into the nicest retailers around the world.”

“I’m a silly pun maker, lovely letterer, painter, quirky character creator and greeting card geek. I’ve been designing greeting cards for nine years and feel so fortunate to be living my design dream. As a freelance designer I’ve worked all over the world and created artwork in-house for Artwrap in Australia and IG Design Group in Wales. Now, I design for Hotchpotch and love the creative freedom of working on innovative and trend-led collections. I’m so proud to see my designs on the shelves in some exciting stockists including Oliver Bonas, Selfridges, Harrods and lots of lovely independent stores. I can’t imagine myself working in any other industry.”

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The Henries 2018 Finalists

BEST CHILDREN’S RANGE Open to: All children’s greeting card ranges that have been launched or updated (with a minimum of eight designs) since August 2017.

FINALISTS l l l l l l

(in alphabetical order)

BK’s from Noi Publishing Hoot Parade from U Studio Design Marzipan from Paper Rose Paper Gallery Juvenile Ages from GBCC Party Popper from Cinnamon Aitch Zoo Lane from Paper Salad

l BK’s

l Hoot Parade

l Marzipan

l Paper Gallery

l Party Popper

l Zoo Lane

CATEGORY SPONSOR PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE

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The Henries 2018 Finalists

BEST CHRISTMAS COUNTER RANGE Open to: All Christmas counter greeting card ranges that have been launched or updated (with a minimum of eight designs) since August 2017.

FINALISTS l l l l l l

(in alphabetical order)

Christmas Collection from Naughty Little Cards Festive Friends from The Handcrafted Card Company Flair from Hotchpotch Gin + Frolics from Rosie Made a Thing Paloma Christmas from Belly Button Designs Sketched from Janie Wilson

l Christmas Collection

l Festive Friends

l Flair

l Gin + Frolics

l Paloma Christmas

l Sketched

CATEGORY SPONSOR PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE

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The Henries 2018 Finalists

BEST CHRISTMAS BOX OR PACK Open to: Any Christmas box or pack that has been launched since August 2017. This award could be for a specific item rather than for a range.

FINALISTS l l l l l l

(in alphabetical order)

Christmas Houses from The Art File Iced Silver from Five Dollar Shake Pizazz Handmade from Nigel Quiney Poles Apart RSPCA Charity Collection from UK Greetings Sally Swannell Snowy Street from Wrendale Designs Snowy Farm Scene Premium Box from Noel Tatt

l Christmas Houses

l Iced Silver

l Pizazz Handmade

l Poles Apart RSPCA Charity Collection

l Sally Swannell Snowy Street

l Snowy Farm Scene Premium Box

CATEGORY SPONSOR PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE

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The Henries 2018 Finalists

BEST TRADITIONAL WORDS & S E N T IM E N T S R A N G E Open to: All traditional words and sentiments greeting card ranges that have been launched or updated (with a minimum of eight designs) since August 2017.

FINALISTS l l l l l l

(in alphabetical order)

Eternal from IC&G Love + Laughter from Paperlink Love Unlimited from Pigment Symbols of Love from UK Greetings Treasured Moments from Words ‘n’ Wishes Velvet from Jonny Javelin

l Eternal

l Love + Laughter

l Love Unlimited

l Symbols of Love

l Treasured Moments

l Velvet

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The Henries 2018 Finalists

BEST CONTEMPORARY WORDS & S E N T IM E N T S R A N G E Open to: All contemporary words and sentiments greeting card ranges that have been launched or updated (with a minimum of eight designs) since August 2017.

FINALISTS l l l l l l

(in alphabetical order)

#Justsayin from Lucy Maggie Designs Classics from Deadpan Cloud Nine from Redback Cards Glitter Typography Collection from Oh Squirrel Graph from Paper Plane More Glitter!!! from Counting Stars

l #Justsayin

l Classics

l Cloud Nine

l Glitter Typography Collection

l Graph

l More Glitter!!!

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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 • PG Worldwide • Interviews • PG Live • Newsflash • Events Gallery • Jobs • Ladder Club • GCA

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The Henries 2018 Finalists

BEST CONTEMPORARY TREND RANGE Open to: All contemporary greeting card ranges that have been launched or updated (with a minimum of eight designs) since August 2017.

FINALISTS l l l l l l

(in alphabetical order)

Brush Strokes from Stop The Clock Design Cosmic from Meraki Cut Outs from Jolly Awesome Everyday Word Play from Poet and Painter Miami Vibes from Hotchpotch Pinata from Redback Cards

l Brush Strokes

l Cosmic

l Cut Outs

l Everyday Word Play

l Miami Vibes

l Pinata

CATEGORY SPONSOR PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE

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The Henries 2018 Finalists

BEST HANDMADE OR H A N D -F IN IS H E D R A N G E Open to: All handmade or hand-finished greeting card ranges that have been launched or updated (with a minimum of eight designs) since August 2017.

FINALISTS l l l l l l

(in alphabetical order)

The Adventure Collection from Stephanie Davies Design Embroidery – style 416 from The Proper Mail Company Love Is A Four Legged Word from English Graphics Paper Kisses from Janie Wilson Pure Fabrication from Counting Stars Strawberry Fizz from Talking Pictures

l The Adventure Collection

l Embroidery – style 416

l Love Is A Four Legged Word

l Paper Kisses

l Pure Fabrication

l Strawberry Fizz

CATEGORY SPONSOR PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE

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The Henries 2018 Finalists

BEST PHOTOGRAPHIC RANGE Open to: All photographic greeting card ranges that have been launched or updated (with a minimum of eight designs) since August 2017.

FINALISTS l l l l l l

(in alphabetical order)

1000 Words from U Studio Design No Kidding from Woodmansterne Nostalgic Memories from Honovi Design Say It from CardMix Travel/Ocean from The Art Group Unleashed from Portfolio

l 1000 Words

l No Kidding

l Nostalgic Memories

l Say It

l Travel/Ocean

l Unleashed

CATEGORY SPONSOR PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE

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The Henries 2018 Finalists

BEST HUMOUR RANGE Open to: All humour greeting card ranges that have been launched or updated (with a minimum of eight designs) since August 2017.

FINALISTS l l l l l l

(in alphabetical order)

Classics from Deadpan Cloud Nine from Redback Cards Everyday Humour from Mean Mail Holy Flaps from Redback Cards Hurrah for Gin from Cath Tate Cards World of Moose from Woodmansterne

l Classics

l Cloud Nine

l Everyday Humour

l Holy Flaps

l Hurrah for Gin

l World of Moose

CATEGORY SPONSOR PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE

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The Henries 2018 Finalists

BEST ART RANGE Open to: All art greeting card ranges that have been launched or updated (with a minimum of eight designs) since August 2017.

FINALISTS l l l l l l

(in alphabetical order)

Charcoal + Sparkle from Sarah Boddy David Doran from U Studio Design David Shrigley x Brainbox Candy from Brainbox Candy Escapes from 1790 Cards Landmarks from I Drew This Wildlife Botanical from Lola Design

l Charcoal + Sparkle

l David Doran

l David Shrigley x Brainbox Candy

l Escapes

l Landmarks

l Wildlife Botanical

CATEGORY SPONSOR PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE

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BEST LICENSED RANGE Open to: All greeting card ranges involving a licensing agreement that have been launched or updated (with a minimum of eight designs) since August 2017.

FINALISTS l l l l l l

(in alphabetical order)

Disney/Marvel Magazine Covers from Hallmark I Like Birds from The Art File Ladybird Books for Grown-ups from Danilo Peter Rabbit from UK Greetings Quentin Blake from Woodmansterne Sara Miller London from The Art File

l Disney/Marvel Magazine Covers

l I Like Birds

l Ladybird Books

l Peter Rabbit

l Quentin Blake

l Sara Miller London

CATEGORY SPONSOR PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE

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Quality Bespoke Envelopes!

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

Plain, printed, coloured & textured finish.

100% recycled & FSC available.

Please call us on 01274 581327 with your enquiry or email us on joanne@ukenvelopecentre.co.uk

www.ukenvelopecentre.co.uk We will be delighted to help!

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The Henries 2018 Finalists

BEST GIFTWRAPPING RANGE Open to: All giftwrapping collections that have been launched or updated (with a minimum of eight designs) since August 2017. Entries could either be a range of giftwrap sheets or a collection of wrappings (eg co-ordinating wrap, bags, boxes, ribbons etc).

FINALISTS l l l l l l

(in alphabetical order)

Confetti Balloon from Belly Button Bubble NW’s from Noi Publishing Paper Salad from Glick Sara Miller SS18 from Penny Kennedy Starry Starry Night from Five Dollar Shake Stephanie Dyment Everyday from Glick

l Confetti Balloon

l NW’s

l Paper Salad

l Sara Miller SS18

l Starry Starry Night

l Stephanie Dyment Everyday

CATEGORY SPONSOR PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE

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Nominated for Best Cute Range, Best Children’s Range, Best Male Range and Best Giftwrapping Collection for Glick!

Nominated Best Cute and Children’s Range

Nominated Best Male Range

Autumn Fair

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The Henries 2018 Finalists

BEST MALE RANGE Open to: All greeting card ranges aimed at men (non-humour) that have been launched or updated (with a minimum of eight designs) since August 2017.

FINALISTS l l l l l l

(in alphabetical order)

Brooklyn from Folio Fit For A King from GBCC Jamboree from Paper Salad Luxe from Hotchpotch Paloma Blue from Belly Button Designs Ralph from Stop the Clock Design

l Brooklyn

l Fit For A King

l Jamboree

l Luxe

l Paloma Blue

l Ralph

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BEST WHOLESALE RANGE

New Male Designs Available at all good wholesalers from mid September 2018

Made in Great Britain

Made in Britain to ensure continuity of supply Stunning new designs with personalised heartfelt verses Direct to Retail product available from leading Wholesalers Premium quality Codes 50/60 & 75/90

Made in Great Britain

All enquiries: 01442 215532 sales@regalpublishing.co.uk

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The Henries 2018 Finalists

BEST WHOLESALE RANGE Open to: All greeting card ranges (of any design type) that are distributed via wholesale distributors or cash & carries that have been launched or updated (with a minimum of eight designs) since August 2017.

FINALISTS l l l l l l

(in alphabetical order)

Candy Club from Xpress Yourself Cherished Moments from Regal Publishing Everyday Collection from Out of the Blue Studios Female Collection from Simon Elvin In Loving Memory from Regal Publishing Special Days from Simon Elvin

l Candy Club

l Cherished Moments

l Everyday Collection

l Female Collection

l In Loving Memory

l Special Days

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A4 Henries Finalist 15.08.18.pdf

1

15/08/2018

10:51

Finalist – Best Christmas counter range – Sketched Finalist – Best occasion and relations range – Copper Leaf Finalist – Best handmade of hand finished range – Paper kisses

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The Henries 2018 Finalists

BEST RELATIONS OR O C C A S IO N S R A N G E Open to: All relations or occasions greeting card ranges that have been launched or updated (with a minimum of eight designs) since August 2017.

FINALISTS l l l l l l

(in alphabetical order)

Copperleaf from Janie Wilson Gin + Frolics from Rosie Made a Thing Happy Jackson from Pigment Occasions Collection from Naughty Little Cards Paloma from Belly Button Designs Straight Talkin’ from Abacus Cards

l Copperleaf

l Gin + Frolics

l Happy Jackson

l Occasions Collection

l Paloma

l Straight Talkin’

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The Henries 2018 Finalists

BEST SPRING SEASONS RANGE Open to: Greeting card ranges for the Spring Seasons occasions that have been launched or updated (with a minimum of eight designs) since August 2017.

FINALISTS l l l l l l

(in alphabetical order)

Charming Valentine’s from Blue Eyed Sun Gin + Frolics Mother’s Day from Rosie Made a Thing Father’s Day Collection from Ohh Deer Father’s Day Collection from Sooshichacha Easter Collection from Roger la Borde Quicksilver Easter from Wendy Jones-Blackett

l Charming Valentine’s

l Gin + Frolics Mother’s Day

l Father’s Day Collection

l Father’s Day Collection

l Easter Collection

l Quicksilver Easter

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Scrabbley Pom Pets

We are absolutely thrilled to be nominated, for the 4th year running, for best Cute Range at this year prestigious Henries Awards. 24 of the CUTEST designs all hand finished with a bespoke vintage letter tile, fluffy pom poms and sparkly crystals. Yay!

2018

progressive greetings awards

T: 01565 830546 E: enquiries@bexyboo.co.uk www.bexyboo.co.uk

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The Henries 2018 Finalists

BEST CUTE RANGE Open to: All cute greeting card ranges that have been launched or updated (with a minimum of eight designs) since August 2017.

FINALISTS l l l l l l

(in alphabetical order)

Fizzle & Pop from Twizler Fruit & Friends from Stripey Cat Krafty Glitter from Tache Crafts Scrabbley Pom Pets from Bexy Boo Tiny Squee Mousies from Santoro Zoo Lane from Paper Salad

l Fizzle & Pop

l Fruit & Friends

l Krafty Glitter

l Scrabbley Pom Pets

l Tiny Squee Mousies

l Zoo Lane

CATEGORY SPONSOR PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE

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r e w a r D p o T at s u in o J London Olympia, 9th - 11th Sept

stand F11 We are starting our 25th birthday celebrations on Sunday 9th September, please join us at Top Drawer from 4pm, for bubbles and birthday cake!

NEW 25th birthday range

tel: 020 8288 9696 | email: luca@carolinegardner.com | www.carolinegardner.com

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The Henries 2018 Finalists

THE HENRY COLE CLASSIC AWARD This award is for ranges that have stood the test of time.

All winners of this award enter The Henry Cole Hall of Fame. The 2018 winner will join previous winners, which are Bestie from Paperlink, Eric the Penguin from GBCC, Forever Friends from Hallmark, Giggles from UKG, Me to You from CBG, Medici Cards Blue Label from GBCC, On the Ceiling from Emotional Rescue, Pizazz from Nigel Quiney, Pop-Ups from Second Nature, Quentin Blake from Woodmansterne and Rainbow from Ling Design.

FINALISTS

(in alphabetical order)

l The Bright Side from Really Good l Die Stamped from Caroline Gardner l Harold’s Planet from Clare Maddicott Publications l Matt from Woodmansterne l Photocaptions from Cath Tate Cards l Swing Cards from Santoro

The Bright Side from Really Good

Matt from Woodmansterne

The Bright Side was first published by Really Good in December 2007. The range has taken the industry by storm in both cards and giftware over the last 10 years.

The hugely popular range that shares the thinkings of Rachel Bright has gone from strength to strength. With new designs still being added to the range to sit alongside old favourites, The Bright Side continues to be ever popular and instantly recognisable to both the industry and consumers alike.

These excellent observations on cards by Daily Telegraph cartoonist Matthew Pritchett have been raising smiles since they were launched in 2008. Five-times winner of the UK Press Awards and receiving an MBE in 2002, Matt has been wryly capturing everyday British moments for over 20 years.

Die Stamped from Caroline Gardner Without a doubt Die Stamped (NT) is the range most people would recognise instantly as Caroline Gardner and for good reason!

2018 marks the 25th anniversary and NT’s are the same age! When Caroline started making cards 25 years ago each card was completely handmade!

Starting with a beautiful and thick textured board, Caroline added pieces of wire, each one carefully bent into a shape, including prams, hearts and stars among others. But demand soon because too high for this level of hand finishing, so Caroline took a trip to an artisan printer in London and hit on the very traditional, and then quite rarely used, method of die stamping, and so the Die Stamped range was born. The range flew off the shelves and is doing so to this day. It truly has stood the test of time!

Harold’s Planet from Clare Maddicott Publications Harold’s Planet was the brainchild of the Last Lemon duo Lisa Swirling and Ralph Lazar. The range started as a part-time project in London back in 1996. The pair decided to give up their jobs enabling them to commit to the project full-time. The couple decided to move to Ile au Cerf an island in the Seychelles and it was there that Harold came to life. Clare Maddicott collaborated with Last Lemon to introduce Harold onto greeting cards. Inspired by their travels, the lovable uncomplicated character of Harold evolved and is portrayed through a series of simple but beautiful illustrations. Printed in bold colours, these funny, upbeat and life affirming cards cover all the usual subjects, which Harold holds dear to his heart, such as wine, Prosecco, gardening and the art of forever staying young.

Photocaptions from Cath Tate Cards Cath Tate Card’ Photocaptions range have been supplying people across the UK and around the world with a dose of Cath Tate’s witty and wise sense of humour for nearly 20 years. Now with over 300 designs in the range, Cath Tate first came up the idea of marrying an old Edwardian Photograph with a modern humorous caption in the late 1990’s. Today the Photocaptions range is still a bestselling range and ranks in the top selling humour cards for many shops. Seven collections from the range have been published as popular books. Over the years the Photocaptions have been many times imitated but never surpassed in their unique style and sense of humour.

Swing Cards from Santoro First published in 1994, Swing Cards® have become an evergreen global sensation, winning a swathe of international awards for their intricate and innovative design and creative use of paper. A classic collection within the industry, Swing Cards® will celebrate its silver anniversary in 2019. The collection has stood the test of time and from an initial launch of 12, this has now grown to a portfolio of over 200 designs available in more than 60 countries around the world. For nearly 25 years Santoro’s Swing Cards have brought together innovative pop-up technology, creative paper engineering and design innovation. This creates simply astounding and unique paper sculptures with swinging moving parts that are suitable for all occasions.

CATEGORY SPONSOR PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE

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NEW RELEASES FROM NIGEL QUINEY!

` `

8 brand new beautiful animal designs

` `

A mix of Birthday and blank designs

` ` ` ` `

8 brand new distinctive images NEW textured gold foil detail Die-cut finishing Illustration flows onto back page Great value at £1.90 RRP

Contemporary art designs with gold foil styling Extremely good value at £1.75 RRP

For more information contact: Nigel Quiney Publications Cloudesley House, Shire Hill, Saffron Walden, Essex, CB11 3FB Tel: 01799 520200 Fax: 01799 520100 www.nigelquiney.com

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The Henries 2018 Finalists

BEST SERVICE TO THE

IN D E P E N D E N T R E T A IL E R The finalists in this category were arrived at as a result of an exhaustive poll involving over 1,500 independent card retailers. The retailers were invited to nominate which companies they considered to be their top three card suppliers on the service front over the last year. The response was amazing - service being a key issue to retailers.

The responses were then correlated, awarding three points to all first choices, two points to those mentioned as second choices and one point to all third choices. These points were then totalled up to arrive at the 12 finalists.

There are three trophies in this category, the Gold, Silver and Bronze awards which will be presented to the top three scoring suppliers in the retail poll.

FINALISTS l l l l l l l l l l l l

Other serious contenders:

(in alphabetical order)

The following publishers polled well but not quite well enough to make it into the finals.

Cherry Orchard Publishing Grass Roots IC&G Jonny Javelin Nigel Quiney Noel Tatt Paperlink Pigment Second Nature UK Greetings Woodmansterne Publications Words ‘n’ Wishes

TM

GRASS ROOTS

INTERNATIONAL

13th 14th 15th 16th 17th 18th 19th 20th 21st 22nd 23rd 24th 25th 26th 27th 28th 29th 30th

Ling Design Tracks Publishing Rosie Made a Thing Belly Button Designs Dandelion Stationery Wendy Jones-Blackett The Art File Paper Rose Hallmark Cards Abacus Cards Carte Blanche Greetings Group Rachel Ellen Designs Five Dollar Shake The Great British Card Company Stop the Clock Design Ohh Deer Think Of Me Blue Eyed Sun

CATEGORY SPONSOR PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE

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GREETINGS & STATIONERY A/W 18

9—11 SEPTEMBER 2018 | OLYMPIA LONDON

DEFINE YOUR STORY

BOUNDLESS ORIGINALITY AND GREAT DESIGN Create an irresistibly unique edit for your customers from our curated selection of over 1,000 design-led brands and publishers.

Register at topdrawer.co.uk/progressive

058_PG September 2018.indd 58

PRODUCT CREDITS (Clockwise from top) PORTICO DESIGNS / LONETREE / KATIE HOUSLEY

EXCLUSIVE LAUNCHES NEW PRODUCTS TOP BRANDS UNSEEN DESIGNERS LATEST TRENDS

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The Henries 2018 Finalists

HONORARY ACHIEVEMENT AWARD This prestigious award is presented to an individual who has contributed greatly to the UK greeting card industry. The winner can come from the retailing, publishing, wholesaling or the supply side of the trade.

Nominations are sought from the entire industry for this special award.

Who will this year’s winner be?

The previous winners of this award are: 2017 - Rod Schragger and Trevor Schragger (co-owners of Second Nature)

2004 - Peter Reichwald (founder of The Great British Card Company)

2016 - Gary Rowley (former ceo of UK Greetings)

2003 - John Charlton (former chief executive of UKG and senior vice president of American Greetings) - Stuart Mackay (former managing director of UKG and former managing director of Birthdays, but currently chairman of Paper Rose and director of Simon Elvin)

2015 - John and Jennie Procter (founders and co directors of Scribbler) 2014 - Louise Tighe (founder of Paperlink) 2013 - Beth Genower and Matt Genower (founders of Five Dollar Shake) 2012 - Lynn Tait (former owner of The Lynn Tait Gallery and founder of The Ladder Club sadly now deceased) 2011 - Giles Andreae (creator of Purple Ronnie, Edward Monkton and co-creator of Happy Jackson) 2010 - Timothy Melgund (deputy chairman of Paperchase) 2009 - Keith Auty (former marketing director of UK Greetings) 2008 - Mike Bugler (former managing director of Clinton Cards) - Dennis Podmore (chairman of Windles sadly now deceased) 2007 - Clinton Lewin (former group managing director of Clinton Cards) - Debbie Lewin (former product development director of Clinton Cards) 2006 - Chris Dyson (joint managing director of Cardgains buying group) 2005 - Duncan Spence (business angel with an investment in Carte Blanche Greetings and Moonpig) - Stephen Haines (founder of Carte Blanche Greetings)

2002 - William McCracken (former GCA special advisor, former managing director of Ling Design and founder of one of the four first specialist card chains) - Paul Woodmansterne (managing director of Woodmansterne Publications) 2001 - Simon Elvin (founder of Simon Elvin, and owner of Nigel Quiney, Glick Designs and Paper Rose) 2000 - Andrew Brownsword (founder of Andrew Brownsword Collection and former owner of Gordon Fraser) 1999 - John Condon (former director of Clinton Cards) - George Pomphrett (former director of Clinton Cards) 1998 - Don Lewin OBE (founder and former chairman of Clinton Cards) 1997 - David Hicks (founder of Really Good and Soul) 1996 - Stewart Stott (former managing director of Nigel Quiney - sadly now deceased)

CATEGORY SPONSOR PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE

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In Conversation With... Toasted Crumpet

“The eureka moment was when I put the phone down, having just turned down what I had previously thought would be a dream job,” reveals Jo Clarke who turned her back on a glittering career in the City with Price Waterhouse to launch her card, prints and gift company Toasted Crumpet.

As every crumpet deserves, PG gives Jo a good ‘grilling’ about the trials, tribulations and triumphs of juggling a business with a young family.

With a beaming smile almost as wide as the handful of Retas Golden, Silver and Sunshine Tickets she was holding, a jubilant Jo Clarke, founder and creator of Toasted Crumpet bounced into the organisers’ office at PG Live to redeem her riches. This was further evidence that Toasted Crumpet’s dazzling debut at the show the year previous was not a fluke, when the company’s stand was equally as well blessed with special tickets, testament to the groundswell of retailer endorsement for Jo’s British country style of illustration that graces her cards, prints and giftware.

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PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE

And, what’s more, post PG Live 2018, orders are now winging their way to France and Australia as a result of two new distributor appointments.

Meanwhile, on home turf, with five agents now on board, the retail representation of the brand is expanding as is consumer brand awareness (enhanced by its presence on Not On The High Street and at select consumer shows).

“I vividly remember setting up at PG Live in 2017 thinking: ‘If this doesn’t work then perhaps I am not destined to be a card publisher.’ Thankfully the response I received blew me away and spurred me to do so much more,” says Jo. Although she had always loved painting and drawing, with a natural tendency to countryside imagery due to her farming upbringing, until she set up Toasted Crumpet in 2016, her working life had been in the corporate business world.

“I took a business degree, joined Price Waterhouse and became a chartered accountant in

Top: Jo Clarke, founder of Toasted Crumpet with one of her mugs on the steps of her studio.

Above: Bees feature strongly in Toasted Crumpet’s portfolio - on cards, stationery and giftware.

Left: One of the Toasted Crumpet Spring Season designs.

Below left: A display of some Toasted Crumpet products in National Trust’s Polesden

the City. I loved it and it was great for 14 years,” explains Jo. However when the time came for Jo to go back to work after maternity leave with her second child it was crunch time. “Lee [Jo’s husband] and I decided that it just wouldn’t work for both of us to commute in and out of London. Plus I wanted to spend lots of time with our little boys, but be involved in a business too,” explains Jo. It was when Jo turned down a part-time post with Price Waterhouse, that nailed

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In Conversation With... Toasted Crumpet

the decision for her to instead turn her creative talents into a business.

“I have always loved painting and drawing and part-completed a foundation course at art college before switching to a business degree so it was an obvious possibility,” says Jo. Limited herself initially to just two mornings a week to dedicate to it, Toasted Crumpet was born. Buoyed by the reactions to her prints at a local flower show close to their Surrey home, Jo and her mum ventured to Hampton Court Flower Show to check out the potential of showing there.

It was a chance conversation Jo’s Mum had with someone at that show that was to prove pivotal.

“He was called Dan Cooke, and was at that time a buyer for National Trust. He pointed out that however much people liked my prints that not everyone would be able to buy them and suggested I translate my work onto different products, which is precisely what I did.” Jo then spent a lot of her two mornings a week allocation sourcing suitable British suppliers, in keeping with the brand values of Toasted Crumpet. And, what’s more, National Trust became one of the company’s first wholesale orders!

“Having given the company a British favourite name and having grown up on a farm Above: Jo with the tools of her trade working on some characters for a new children’s range.

Left: Jo’s two boys are forever asking her to paint different animals, birds and insects that they see.

Above right: Among the many retailers who chose to spend their Retas Golden, Silver and Sunshine tickets with Toasted Crumpet at PG Live this year was Penny Bailey of Baileys Cards and Gifts.

Up Close and Personal l What is the best piece of business advice you would share?: “To always think about

the cashflow as that is the one thing that could kill any business, regardless of size.” l Where would you like a magic carpet to take you?: “To Vegas, then onto Thailand and

then around Australia and New Zealand.” l What three words would your best friend use to describe you?: “Relaxed, bubbly

and organised.” l What advice would you give to your younger self?: “To always trust your instinct.” l What is the hardest decision you have taken?: “To leave the art foundation course I was

on and to go and do a business degree. As it turned out it was the right decision, thankfully.” l Which artist or designer do you most admire?: “Beatrix Potter has a special place in my

heart, as an artist and inspiring woman.” l What are your guilty pleasures?: “Watching Suits, drinking Malbec and Gary Barlow.” l What makes you laugh?: “Most things actually, but I do love ‘8 out of 10 Cats do

Countdown’. You can’t beat silly humour.”

I wanted to keep everything as UK-sourced as possible,” said Jo. While the company’s ‘soft launch’ at Spring Fair 2016 was more of an “emotional rollercoaster” than a blinding success, Jo was not dissuaded.

“I had been used to little consumer shows when people stopped and said nice things. There was I at a massive trade show for five days and busy buyers just charged by,” admits Jo. “However I did take a few orders and learned a lot - like how good it is to make friends in the industry. Five days at the NEC is a long time if you don’t know anybody.”

Her experience at Spring Fair made exhibiting at PG Live last year so much easier. “By then I had figured out what I needed to do! I realised that you have to make the buying decision as easy as possible for retailers by focusing on distinct collections and making them as special as they can be so you have the wow factor.”

Since last June the Toasted Crumpet ‘rollercoaster’ has been gathering speed.

With both her boys now at school Jo has more time to spend on the business, creatively as well as keeping an eye on the financial side. The appointment of a studio manager in Cathy Moore to handle the stock and orders, Jo says has been an incredible boon to the business.

While all the company’s ‘card only’ orders are dispatched from The Imaging Centre, using its Simplicity system, retailers requiring a mixture of products are currently fulfilled from the Toasted Crumpet studio, a cute wooden ‘pavilion’ in Jo’s garden.

However, with plans to expand the portfolio with a children’s range and a dog collection, plus a stand booked at Spring Fair next February, as well as a major consumer show, Jo will have a few more crumpets to squeeze under the grill!

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AUTUMN 2-5 SEPTEMBER 2018 Hall 5, Stand C10/D11 Over 2500 brand new gifts 10,000+ lines to choose from

snoozies!® Fun Boozies

Only £100 minimum order ‘Little & Often’ Ordering System

FREE next day delivery Award winning customer service

Doodles Knit

Equilibrium® Sentiment Pendants

Bug Art Owls

Love You To The Moon

Starlight Birthday Lanterns

Landon Tyler Candles 16 Times Winners of the PG Greats Awards

Gold Award Winner 2018

BEST SERVICE TO THE INDEPENDENT RETAILER

Leonardo Bamboo Flamingo

From The Heart Plaques

Joe Davies 149 Broadstone Road, Reddish Stockport SK5 7GA Tel: 0161 975 6300 Fax: 0161 975 6301 Email: sales@joedavies.co.uk www.joedavies.co.uk

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A selection of products that will be on show at Autumn Fair, 2-5 September, Birmingham NEC.

Going Wilder Penguin Ink is adding to its Wild range with the addition of new Safari designs, including this striking Cheetah. Beautifully letterpress printed onto luxury card stock, the cards will come with 100% recycled Kraft envelopes and individually cellowrapped. In addition, a whole new collection of Christmas little notes will debut at the show along with a spinner offer.

Penguin Ink 07525 497122 www.penguinink.co.uk Autumn Fair Hall 4 Stand D71

Four Of A Kind Festive Funnies

GBCC is launching four new ranges at Autumn Fair. Licensed by RNLI is a range of 16 art and photographic cards supporting a much loved British institution. By Jove is a splendid collection of 12 wonderfully witty cards, all in a letterpress style. Photographic range, Wish You Were Here, captures the wonders of the British Isles, while Wise Words combines whimsical photographs accompanied by inspirational quotes.

Building on the popularity of last year, Twizler is introducing 15 additional cards to its Canine Christmas humour range.

From exasperated centipedes to a tetchy baby Jesus, everyone is sure to find a chuckle! Each card comes with a festive red envelope and is individually cellowrapped.

Twizler 01959 532 532 www.twizler.co.uk Autumn Fair Hall 4 Stand F69

The Great British Card Company 01452 888999 www.greatbritishcards.co.uk Autumn Fair Hall 4 Stand D40/F41

Mugging Up For Christmas Following Cherry Orchard’s highly successful launch of Wot A Mug humour cards at PG Live, the publisher has augmented the collection with 14 Christmas designs.

Supplied cellowrapped, these festive delights come with red spotted envelopes.

Cherry Orchard Publishing 01684 295500 www.cherryorchardpublishing.co.uk Autumn Fair Hall 4 Stand D40-F41

Little And Large Earlybird Designs is going ‘little and large’ for Autumn Fair, launching 21 new designs in its Mini collection, including some Christmas relations designs, as well as six new large square designs. The Mini Christmas cards measure 120mm x 90mm and come with a red envelope and the large cards (which are 210mm square) come with a kraft ribbed envelope. Also new are six Thank You packs which come eight cards to a pack.

Joining The Jamboree

Earlybird Designs 01227765372 www.earlybirddesigns.co.uk Autumn Fair Hall 4 Stand C68

Paper Salad 0161 427 0001 www.papersalad.co.uk Autumn Fair Hall 4 Stand B01

Responding to the immediate popularity of its new Jamboree range that debuted at PG Live, Paper Salad is adding 19 additional designs covering birthday and occasions. Featuring unique patterned textures, deep emboss, bright colours and finished off with a gorgeous foil, all the cards come with a colourful envelope are individually cellowrapped.

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The

Artof Fine Gifts

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GIFT STATIONERY, CALENDARS, DIARIES & CARDS Come and see our new FLAME TREE ranges at Top Drawer, Stand O30

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PG showcases a selection of new product launches

Winging It Spot the Birdie is a fast growing new bright and cheerful range from Laura Sherratt Designs. The cards are hand-finished with a wooden bird as well as a jolly yellow gem and even neon pink resin flowers! The 15cm square designs cover everyday occasions, birthdays, Mother's Day and Easter 2019! The cards come with neon envelopes, making them really pop on the shop shelves.

Laura Sherratt Designs 01538 384566 www.laurasherrattdesigns.co.uk

Natural Inclinations Fur You Only Wrendale Designs has introduced 16 new quirky designs to its popular Fur, Feathers and Whiskers occasions range. Including everything from sloths and alpacas to farmyard animals, the collection now boasts a wedding card and this fun new birthday design. The cards are blank inside, measure 170mm x 138mm, are printed on textured FSC board and are supplied wrapped with a Kraft envelope.

Think of Me has just launched, CALI, a fresh and wild new range to its greeting card line-up. Cool, calm and utterly captivating, CALI is a illustrated range of 12 exquisite designs that capitalises on the current trend for exotic and unusual flora and fauna.

Printed on high quality board and finished with embossing and cold foiling, these 120mm x 170mm cards are complemented with a white textured envelope.

Wrendale Designs 01652 680253 www.wrendaledesigns.co.uk

Think of Me 01727 375399 www.thinkofmedesigns.com

Lovely Lexicon Grass Roots International has been extending its popular ranges and experimenting with new styles and looks, resulting in a greater diversity of design styles that straddle contemporary and traditional, as well as shorter verses. The publisher’s popular Words of Love traditional verse and sentiment collection has been extended with the addition of 10 brand new titles.

Grass Roots International 0151 541 0448 www.writefromthehheart.co.uk

Down To The Letter Kali Stileman Publishing’s new Tiddly Widdly Little Letters collection comprises 26 deigns, each dedicated to a letter of the alphabet. The colourful designs include A is for apple, B is for bird, C is for cat, D is for daisy… Printed on luxury linen textured board, the cards, which are 9.5cm x 12.5cm in size, come cellowrapped with a crisp white envelope.

Kali Stileman Publishing 01305 848899 www.trade.kalistileman.co.uk

Miniscule Manliness Small in stature, but big in style, The Little People Collection from Laura Darrington is a hip, metrosexual men’s collection.

Comprises 30 new designs, the latest additions include everyday captions as well as some relations and occasions, such as Get Well Soon, Father’s Day and Retirement. The cards, which are 5” x 7” in size, come with a striped envelope.

Laura Darrington 01162 849660 www.lauradarrington.com PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE

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PG showcases a selection of new product launches

Rays Some Sass Really Good has launched a funny and sunny everyday range that is bold in colour, striking in illustration and not forgetting a little bit of sass. Illustrated by Laura Girling, there are 14 designs in the new Sass and Sunshine range. Blank inside, the cards measure 137mm x 169mm and come with white and pebble envelopes.

Really Good 01235 537888 www.reallygood.uk.com

Colourful Accents

Painting A Rainbow

Having been super stylish in largely monochrome for the last five years, Pigment is launching a new look Alice Scott collection, with more colour! The unusual mix of wit and heartfelt understanding is still very prominent, and the brand's signature black and white stripe envelope liner is still there, but there is a fresh look to the new occasions and relations designs, with more colour and more beautiful gold foil detail.

The Ling Design studio has been busy! Not only has the Penny Kennedy giftwrappings been busy signing new licences, Morris & Co being a case in point, but the group hasn’t lost its sense of humour either! The publisher has just launched a sizeable selection of new sidesplitting cards into its Rainbow range. The new designs will reinforce Rainbow’s position as one of the UK’s best-loved and longest-established humorous card collections.

Pigment 01423 520098 www.pigmentproductions.com

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

Caring Support

Emerald Isle Creations

Among the flurry of new collections from Poet and Painter is a rather special one.

Good Place has been designed specifically to send to people who are living with cancer. The distinctive styling combines with effective phrases to create cards that will really help with those difficult conversations. The cards are 150mm x 150mm in size and come cellowrapped.

Poet and Painter 07779 064894 www.poetandpainter.co.uk

Keep The Party Popping Cinnamon Aitch’s Party Popper range is popping even more. The publisher is adding eight new designs to the young and vibrant range this month. Punctuated with neon accents throughout, cheerful smiley jellyfish and fun unicorns embrace the spirit of these bright additions.

Cinnamon Aitch 0121 773 6833 www.cinnamonaitch.co.uk

As well as setting up a London office (in addition to its Dublin HQ), Art Cards Ireland has just added 12 new cards to its art range, taking the collection to 180 designs. The range features original works by living Irish artists of note. All the 6” x 6” or 5” x 7”cards are blank inside and feature an artist biography on the back and come cellowrapped with a white envelope.

Art Cards Ireland UK +44 207 183 7654 Ireland +353 1 235 3118 www.artcardsireland.com

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A selection of products that will be on show at Top Drawer, 9-11 September at London’s Olympia.

An Artistic Wonderland In addition to new Lowry and Michelangelo designs joining its foiled greeting card range, Flame Tree Publishing has a lot to write home about on the stationery side too! Joining its portfolio of foiled notebooks, for example, is an Inspired by Alice in Wonderland design, the iconic Girl with a Pearl Earring by Vermeer, and Gustav Klimt’s beautiful Portrait of Baroness Elisabeth Bachofen-Echt. Its sketchbook and pocket book collections have also been extended.

Flame Tree Publishing (0)20 7751 9650 www.flametreepublishing.com Top Drawer Stand O30

Patterns Emerging

Walking In The Air With this year marking the 40th anniversary of The Snowman, My Design Collections is launching a new design in its Music Box Card range featuring Raymond Briggs’ distinctive illustration of the moment when The Snowman and boy take flight through the air over the village.With a simple touch of a button, the characters move around the card to the song ‘Walking in the Air’! The card is foiled with shiny silver snowflakes and comes with a matching silver envelope.

My Design Collections +44 (0) 207 729 8731 www.mydesigncollections.com Top Drawer Stand X25

Olive & Belle’s new range Festoon features contemporary graphics with playful patterns in a fresh bright pastel colour palette. The range encompasses 14 different captions, including 'Bestie' and 'Thanks'. The cards, printed in the UK on beautiful textured FSC board, are 120mm x 170mm in size and come accompanied by a soft grey envelopes.

Olive & Belle 07836 247811 www.oliveandbelle.co.uk Top Drawer Stand U38

Absolutely Fabulous Pabuku has welcomed some quirky new additions to its Fabulous range. The vintage, steampunk-inspired designs are full of wit and designed to appeal to the curious.

Topped with striking neon orange accents, all cards are blank inside, sized 120mm x 169mm, come with matching coloured envelopes and are wrapped in renewable resources.

PABUKU – The Quirky Paperie (Distributed in the UK by Northlight Design) UK: 01235 848192 - www.northlightdesign.co.uk International: +43 664 88226655 www.pabuku.com Top Drawer Stand N19

Upcycled Fauna Animal Portraits is a brand new range from ArtPress by artist Sarah Battle.

Many of us recycle our cardboard but Sarah goes one better and has created these characterful creatures by printing on any packaging and paper that comes through her door! Each card in this everyday designs measures 150mm square and comes individually cellowrapped with an accompanying china white envelope.

ArtPress Publishing 020 7231 2923 www.art-press.co.uk Top Drawer Stand W29

Blooming Lovely Aimed at those who love cutting-edge design with a splash of fun, each design in the Zaquarella’s Glitterati collection showcases a flower that has been lovingly sliced through to reveal the intricate romance at the heart of each bloom. The flowers are surrounded by silver dots on a white background and the cards each have a special message also in silver.

Zaquarella Botanical Cards 075 7700 1145 Info@zaquarella.com Top Drawer Stand V11 PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE

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A selection of products that will be on show at Top Drawer, 9-11 September at London’s Olympia.

Face Up To It Facetime is Roger la Borde’s new whimsical stationery range illustrated by Katie Vernon.

Facetime is about the funny names we give to things and people, and is ideal for Mother’s and Father’s Day, birthdays, new babies and beyond.

The cards, which measure 170mm x 120mm, each features gold-foiled typography for a touch of added luxury.

Roger la Borde +44 (0)207 328 0491 www.rogerlaborde.com Top Drawer Stand W30

Doran Doran

Food For Thought Forever Funny’s new range is good enough to eat.

Forever Yummy features all sorts of food and treats characters in different hilarious situations – partying sushi and cheerful ice-creams, magical prawns, happy avocados and cute pizzas. All the designs in the collection are finished with gold foil, measure 105mm square in size, are blank inside and come with colourful envelopes.

Known for his travel-related illustrations, artist David Doran continues his use of muted colour and soft textures in the newest additions to his U Studio Design’s range. The new additions to the collection depict images ranging from the US to France. The blank cards measure 15cm square and come with matching envelopes.

Forever Funny 07512304391 www.forever-funny.com Top Drawer Stand Y28

U Studio Design 0117 944 5050 www.ustudio.design/ Top Drawer Stand E41

Opening Up As well as adding a whopping 24 new designs to its popular Good as Gold collection, Stormy Knight is also launching a range called Concertina Collection. This new collection comprises 10 beautifully illustrated cards that fold out to four times their original size when on display to reveal a special message inside. Each card is printed on FSC board and is finished with gold foil embellishing on the front.

Stormy Knight 07875027551 www.stormyknight.co.uk Top Drawer Stand Y36

Aloha Aloha In Their Element Coulson Macleod has launched a range of mini gold foiled cards entitled Precious Metals. Printed on heavyweight pearlescent board, there are 36 designs in this lovely range. The cards measure 12cm x 9cm and come with a slate grey envelope.

Ohh Deer is launching Paper Jungle as a new sub-brand at Top Drawer, with Small Adventures as its debut collection. The designs draw inspiration from nature, cultures and traditions and hopes to inspire us to take time to connect to the beauty that surrounds us. The range comprises 16 square everyday designs as well as a handful of Spring designs.

Coulson Macleod 01536 419944 www.coulsonmacleod.com Top Drawer Stand I38

Ohh Deer 01509 649128 www.ohhdeer.com Top Drawer Stand I29 PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE

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BRAND

Licensing Lookout

AND DELIVER Beatrix Potter was a very talented and savvy woman, of that there is no doubt – just one of her far-sighted decisions was to licence her artwork onto all manner of products, the first of which was greeting cards!

With the Brand Licensing Europe trade exhibition now on the horizon (October 9-11, at London’s Olympia), PG shines the spotlight on how things have proliferated in this arena in all directions since Beatrix Potter’s day!

The UK public spent £11.2 billion on licensed merchandise in the last year (according to trade association LIMA’s research). But it is not just the huge sum of money that is incredible, but also the amazing diversity of intellectual properties that are being licensed out to third parties (greeting card publishers included) who in turn derive the benefit of being able to use popular characters, wellrecognised marques, revered artwork and talent endorsements on their products.

As the exhibitor line-up at the upcoming Brand Licensing Europe (BLE) show reflects, while children’s entertainment properties still hold a huge sway on consumer products, jostling for position (and gaining ground) are brands from the gaming world, the literary shelves, the food and drink sector, as well as from the art and design field (with more greeting card publishers than ever before joining the fray).

The finalists in The Henries Best Licensed Range category is testament to this multifarious licensing action. While entertainment giant Disney is in there (with Hallmark’s Disney/Marvel Magazine Covers), Danilo’s Ladybird Books for Grown-Ups rings both the nostalgic and literary bells, as do the

Right: Brand Licensing Europe, which takes place October 9-11, is Europe’s largest licensing event.

Below: Museums & Galleries’ co-owners, Debbie and Alan Williams on the stand at PG Live where its BBC Earth range was launched.

Bottom: Danilo was quick to spot the huge popularity of Love Island and signed it on cards and calendars.

Peter Rabbit greeting card range from UK Greetings and the Quentin Blake collection from Woodmansterne. Meanwhile, the remaining two, both from The Art File, hail from the design world (Sara Miller and I Like Birds).

Publishers who have specialised in licensed ranges for years are broadening their portfolios or have developed innovative design treatments for popular brands.

Danilo, which celebrates its 40th anniversary this year, has added a host of different types of licences to its strong stable, from Enid Blyton to Love Island, to appeal to different customers. Meanwhile, PG Live marked the launch of Studio By Gemma, a whole new division from the Gemma group targeting upmarket indies through design-led ranges featuring the likes of Guess How Much I Love You? and Moomins that it would not have touched before.

Over on the artistic front, Museums & Galleries (which has massively upped the number of licensing agreements, scoring a blinder with its signing of BBC Earth range (including Blue Planet), taking the publisher into the photographic field and chiming with the series’ ecological message by launching

The BLE lowdown

l Brand Licensing Europe (BLE) takes place from October 9-11,

2018, at London's Olympia and is the only pan-European exhibition dedicated to licensing and brand extension. l The show brings together over 280 leading brand owners and 2,500 properties, with over 7,600 retailers, licensees and manufacturers from 76 countries for three days of networking, deal making and trend spotting.

Visit: www.brandlicensing.eu PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE

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Whistlefish Trade has been offering our own unique vision in contemporary and traditional greeting cards since 1996. We produce cards that don’t compromise on quality while still being fairly priced for retailers.

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Licensing Lookout

its patent-pending ecoBand way of affixing the card to the envelope. While its ecoBand would still be breaking new ground for the greeting card trade if it was used on a general range, the BBC Earth licensed endorsement further amplifies this innovative alternative to cellowrapping.

Meanwhile, although revered for its own artistic creations, Brainbox Candy added extra weight to its offer through a licensing tie–up with respected contemporary artist David Shrigley.

Design-led publishers Jolly Awesome, Ohh Deer and Tache Crafts are just a trio of publishers who have similarly seen licensing as a way of adding an extra strand with

their respective Hello Kitty, Mr Men and Smiley collaborations.

But licensing is an increasingly busy two way street. Just as more card publishers have been open to the opportunities of ‘licensing in’, so too have publishers been keen to explore the potential of ‘licensing out’ their designs with the extra benefit of raising their brand’s awareness at retail.

Providing a ‘win win’ for both parties, gift company Lesser & Pavey’s relationship with Hearts Designs to take its Mad Dots range onto all manner of products has grown like topsy. Meanwhile, Widdop and Co is another major gift company who has spotted the design potency within the card sector, with its latest gift collection based on the Luxe range from Hotchpotch being a case in point.

And even closer to home, Glick is in the finals of The Henries’ Best Giftwrappings category twice with ranges that are collaborations with card publishers, namely Paper Salad and Stephanie Dyment.

The amount of traffic on the licensing dual carriageway is definitely increasing and the pace is hotting up.

Beatrix Potter may have been one of the early pioneers to licence her IP to cards, but she most certainly will not be the last.

A storming development

Jill White, founder of greeting card publisher Rocket68, is now a proud owner of a Stormie award for Best Use of Design on a licensed product using the Original Stormtrooper imagery.

Jill was approached last year by the Golden Goose Brand Licensing Consultancy, who represents the rights to the original iconic Stormtrooper characters. The first Stormtrooper models where designed in 1976 by prop maker Andrew Ainsworth of Shepperton Design Studios.

“They were looking for publishers to design new card and print ranges around the character. The brief was quite open and liberal, so it was great having a free hand. I sought to design a contemporary and inclusive range with a dash of humour, yet still retaining its retro appeal. I kept the colour palette fresh and hand drew the illustrations giving them a distressed finish,” explains Jill.

The initial range comprises 26 card designs and six prints.

Jill was thrilled to visit Shepperton Design Studios, witness an Original Stormtroopers mask being made from the original mould and meet Andrew Ainsworth who has also worked on films such as Aliens and Superman.

Below: Two of the designs from Rocket68 featuring the Original Stormtrooper licence.

Adding to the Luxe

“We were really excited when Widdop’s director Stephen Illingworth and designer Lucy Hopkins approached us at PG Live last year with the idea of expanding our Luxe greeting card range into gifting - for both male and female milestone ages and birthdays,” explained Hotchpotch’s head of design Anna Price.

Together with the card company’s head of licensing, Sarah Fullbrook, Anna visited the Widdop team at its impressive showrooms in Manchester and discussed how working together on these collaborations could be the start of something great for both companies.

“We see licensing as a huge opportunity to grow the Hotchpotch brand - we’ve seen how other greeting card publishers, such as Caroline Gardner, have created really strong lifestyle brands from originally just a few cards - and had great success,” added Anna.

The Hotchpotch and Widdop design teams worked closely together, from creating initial product lists, discussing finishes, packaging concepts and creating bespoke artwork for specific product lines. “We knew Widdop were experts in what they do and we were confident they’d be able to achieve all the little details which keep the Hotchpotch brand recognisable,” says Anna.

One year on, at PG Live this year, and to tie-in with the Widdop gifting, Hotchpotch expanded its Luxe collection of greeting cards, launched male milestone and relations cards and had a small selection of the Luxe Widdop gifting products on its stand. “The initial reaction from just a few products was fantastic! It will be a really fabulous opportunity for retailers to make lovely impactful displays in their stores and window - we can’t wait to see it all together!” concluded Anna.

Top: Some of the LUXE products from Widdop and Co. Above left: As well as reaching the finals in The Henries licensed category, Hallmark is also in the finals of the UK Licensing Awards 2018 with its Disney Princess Shoes Cards in the Best Licensed Paper Products or Stationery Range category.

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

Thinking Of You Jeremy Corner, owner of greeting card publisher Blue Eyed Sun, looks at the benefits of Thinking of You Week.

How would you like to improve your mental and physical health, become more attractive and have more sex? Believe it or not these are some of the potential benefits of taking part in the GCAinstigated initiative, Thinking of You Week this September (24-30 September).

That’s because sending Thinking Of You cards is an act of altruism that is often rooted in empathy and/or compassion.

Specifically, altruism is an action that benefits someone else. It’s different to empathy (our emotional experience of other’s feelings) and compassion (our emotional response to suffering and authentic desire to alleviate it).

If you have all three it can be good for you, good for others and even good for your business.

It’s good for you When we act generously towards others we benefit as much as those to whom we are giving. The Dalai Lama playfully calls this “selfish altruism”. For example, a Harvard Study has shown that those who give contributions of time or money “are 42% more likely to be happy” than those who didn’t give (ask those who have contributed 92

PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE

Above: Send a message of appreciation in a card this Thinking of You Week.

Below: Post a little happiness - a Natural Partners design.

Right: Generous behavior releases oxytocin in both the giver and receiver.

so far to my Mongolian fundraising and those that haven’t - the latter are definitely more miserable).

For those that donate their time, psychologists have identified something called ‘helpers high’. Giving produces endorphins in the brain that produce a mild morphine type hit. Neuroscientists have even shown that the same part of our brain that lights up when we have sex is triggered by giving money to charity.

It’s not just our minds that benefit, our bodies do too.

Compassion can also protect us from stress, through a lower heart rate and lower cortisol levels (the stress hormone) among other health benefits.

Spending money on others may also lower blood pressure and those that volunteer have been shown to experience fewer aches and pains, better overall health and less depression.

According to one study, older volunteers even have a significantly lower chance of dying.

Taking part in Thinking of You Week might also improve your love life. One

survey of 10,000 people across 37 cultures found that kindness is the single universal requirement and the most important criterion for choosing a mate. Altruists are considered more attractive than non-altruists and they also have more sex.

Taking the time to focus on others, rather than ourselves, is undoubtedly good for us. What’s more important is that generous acts, like sending a card, are good for others too.

Good for others None of us ever really know what’s going on inside other people’s minds. So often those who appear to have everything we might want in life decide to end it all. These deaths are a tragic and important reminder

for us to take care of one another and let each other know that they/we are loved.

Even those who don’t go to suicidal extremes may still be suffering in silence behind masks of happiness, success, etc. If you love someone, care about them or think they’re great in any way then let them know.

A few kind words in a card can really brighten someone’s day.

Royal Mail’s scientific study several years ago showed that mothers have a more positive emotional response towards

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JEREMY’S JOURNAL greeting cards compared to electronic messages on social networks, via sms or email. They also felt twice the amount of happiness receiving a card or handwritten note to digital alternatives. Furthermore, a nationwide survey showed that a handwritten note is the main thing mothers want on Mothering Sunday.

We all know how special it is to receive a handwritten card from someone who has taken the time to buy, write and post it to us. The 54 videos I made last year on the Greeting Card Project provides further anecdotal evidence of this. Card sending and acts of altruism in general have positive effects on the neurochemicals in our brains.

Leaders that are generous, by giving time and energy for example, can alter the biochemistry of their team. Generous behaviour releases a chemical called oxytocin which creates intense feelings of comfort and security. What’s interesting is that oxytocin is released in the recipient, the giver and anyone who witnesses the sacrifice the leader makes.

By this rational, the sender of a card, the recipient and those that see cards on their loved ones’ mantlepieces might also all receive the same hit of oxytocin themselves. A great example of this is Stephen Kelly, the ceo of Sage Plc, who

The Five Step Guide to Thinking of You Week 1. Make a list of people in your life that matter most or could do with a boost.

2. Get their addresses together so you know where you are sending them.

3. Buy cards that they’ll enjoy and feel the love with.

4. Take the time to write lovely messages using a nice pen.

5. Buy stamps and Airmail stickers and get them in the mail.

regularly sends cards to his team to thank them for projects they’ve worked on or contributions they’ve made. Many of them keep the cards on their desks for months afterwards. The knock-on effects can be greater than first perceived.

Sending cards is a powerful way to spread good feelings around the world and within businesses.

Good for business More and more consumers now want businesses to spread the love too. They want them to treat their employees and suppliers fairly, to be socially responsible in how they source their goods, sustainable with their impact on the environment, ethical in their behaviour and to contribute charitably to communities and causes they value. Essentially, companies that are kind are the more attractive and can generate more sales when this kindness is built into the brand DNA. A study published in the Journal of Business Ethics showed that charity might make corporations more valuable. What’s important in both business and personal altruism is that the gestures are not perceived as self-serving. In other words, the altruism has to be authentic.

Companies are using stories more and more to connect with their customers through their brands. People want these stories to reflect their values and the needs they relate to most. It’s important for businesses to recognise this shift and to embody values like contribution, community and the environment at the heart of their organisations. These are vales that resonate with all of us right now as we see more and more footage online and in the media on the effects of climate change, single use plastics and over consumption of resources.

Thinking of You Week is a great opportunity for businesses to get involved and send cards to their employees, suppliers and customers to let them know they are special and appreciated. It’s a nice alternative to Christmas as it’s secular and not tied to a religious holiday. It’s simply a time to be grateful and kind to others.

Above: Last year card publisher Paper Rose organised card writing events in schools for Thinking of You Week.

Left: Make someone’s day by sending a card to remind them that you care.

Below: Searangers collaborated with publisher Tony Fernandes to send cards during ToYW 2017.

than the initial act of generosity. In fact, I saw this first hand in my fundraising for the Christina Noble Foundation recently. One of my first donations was for £1,000. Soon after I had a second £1,000 donated by someone who was inspired by the first donation. This inspired others to donate higher amounts than I usually receive on fundraising endeavours. In line with one study on giving, the total raised was over three times greater than the initial large donation.

Conversely, selfish behaviour can spread just as easily. When we behave selfishly this can have a negative effect on the behaviour of others that ripples outwards.

So, we have a choice to make about how we live our lives and the impacts our actions have on others. We can choose to be kind, generous and loving on a regular basis and have a positive ripple effect on those around us. We can do nothing. Or we can spread negativity.

So, why not choose to spread a little love, send some cards during Thinking of You Week and create a ripple effect of love and kindness in the world. Who knows what might happen!

It’s contagious Many studies have shown that altruism inspires more altruism. Even when the cascading ripple effects diminish over time the total result can be three times greater

Contribute to Jeremy’s fundraising at www.justgiving.com/gobidesertenduro Read more on Jeremy’s blog at www.blueeyedsun.co.uk/blog PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE

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Publisher In Focus

Great Crested

GLEBE

What started 25 years ago initially as a means of paying for the next batch of materials to enable enthusiastic nature photographer Scott Morrish to develop his stunning images has evolved into a trailblazing greeting card, calendar and stationery business that has ecocredentials as well as a commitment to the independent retailer right at its core.

As Glebe Cottage/The Eco-Friendly Card Company prepares to kick-off its 25th anniversary celebrations at Autumn Fair, PG went down the green memory lane with co-owner Sue Morrish.

G

lebe Cottage (now also known as The Eco-Friendly Card Company) may be based in Devon, but from September it will also have a toilet in a village in Malawi, South East Africa. Sounds unusual yes, but then Glebe Cottage has never followed the normal path. Moreover, many in the industry, and the world at large, have benefitted from the trailblazing activities of this family publishing business too.

But back to the toilet. As Sue Morrish, who co-owns Glebe Cottage with her photographer husband Scott, explains: “With this being the 25th anniversary since we started the company we wanted to mark it by giving something back to society by supporting a different charity project every month for a year.”

Sue and Scott are kicking off this ‘anniversary programme of giving’ by supporting Toilet Twinning, a water and sanitation Top: The company has been producing The Wildlife Trusts’ cards, calendars and stationery under licence since 2011. The range is being re-launched at the Autumn Fair.

Above: Right at the start. Sue in the company’s first office, in Scott’s bedroom in the actual Glebe Cottage.

Right: Over the years, Glebe Cottage has been feted with several significant environmental awards. Scott and Sue Morrish were delighted to win a Business Commitment to the Environment (BCE) Environmental Leadership Award back in 2010.

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PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE

charity that aims to ‘flush away poverty, one toilet at a time’.

However, it was the ‘call of nature’ of a different kind that is the very reason the publishing company exists, and why a commitment to having the utmost environmental credentials has been part of its DNA since its inception.

Having graduating from art college, Scott set his heart on becoming the UK’s answer to Ansel Adams, striding out over the moors and into the wilderness of Devon to take photographs and then developing them in the garden shed of Glebe Cottage where he lived with his parents.

It was when he got to know ‘the girl next door’ (Sue’s parents moved there and she came home in her university holidays) that things started to take off, both romantically and businesswise.

“Scott would make a few cards featuring his photographs, which he could sell to pay for the materials to enable him to develop his next batch of photographs. And I joined in, driving around in a rusty Datsun Sunny selling cards to shops to fund Scott’s photography,” recalls Sue. It was as newly weds that Sue and Scott evolved their intermittent card publishing into a more commercial entity, clinching a Prince’s Youth Business Trust grant to provide its first footing.

A quarter century later, and the Prince of Wales retains a connection to Glebe Cottage, as the company publishes products for Highgrove Enterprises (which raises funds for The Prince of Wales's Charitable Foundation, a grant-making charity which supports a wide range of causes and projects), including supplying the Christmas cards for TRH The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall.

With Sue taking on the business side of the company, learning on her feet - “I did a degree in English and Anthropology, not

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Publisher In Focus

A personal campaign

Sue and Scott Morrish have been heavily involved in an important campaign with The Sepsis Trust for several years.

Following the death of their three year-old son Sam, who died from sepsis almost eight years ago, Sue and Scott have been committed to raising awareness among the public and clinicians as to how to spot the symptoms of sepsis early and acting quickly.

"Sam was sent home from the GP at 5pm, having been told he just had a virus, but 12 hours later he had died from sepsis - a condition I'd never even heard of,” shared Sue, who has made it part of her mission to minimise the chances of this happening to others. @sams_monkey Right: A photo of Sue and Scott’s son Sam and his monkey formed part of a NHS social media film to let parents know about flu vaccinations for children.

Business Studies!” she reveals - Scott was able to spend his time doing what he loves best, taking photos of nature, roles that have largely continued today, albeit juggled with looking after their children.

Right from the outset however, it was not enough for the couple to be producing products that celebrated the natural world as Sue and Scott have always been determined that the company would be run as environmentally responsibly as possible.

“To begin with, as a tiny publishing company, we felt rather powerless to be able to make a real difference, but by working with suppliers, investigating possibilities and remaining steadfast in our ethos we started to make progress,” says Sue modestly.

Indeed, Glebe Cottage was the first DTR card publisher to have its own FSC certification (even today most publishers use their printers’ FSC accreditation), it

started wrapping its cards in compostable bags (then made from potato starch) way back in 2006, and has been clearly explaining its eco-credentials on the backs of its cards before the majority of publishers had even thought about doing it.

Never afraid to campaign for change, whether to push for 100% recycled envelopes or working with Lake District papermill, James Cropper, to develop its own environmental board, Glebe Cottage has quite rightly earned the respect of its customers, the industry and the wider realm,

Left: Sue with baby Benjamin back in 2006 (he’s now 13) when Glebe trailblazed by using compostable bags made from potato starch.

How time flies

1993 - Business founded with the help of the Prince’s Youth Business Trust.

1997 - Made a commitment to only use 100% recycled envelopes.

1999 - Launched the company’s first art card collections.

2000 - Started printing with vegetablebased inks and alcohol-free print techniques.

May 2006 - Became the first card publisher to use compostable bags (made from plant starch).

the latter evidenced by the roster of environmental awards it has been presented with over the years.

While the environment is right at the heartland of the company, so too is its commitment to the broad mix of independent retailers who stock the company’s photographic and art cards, calendars and stationery ranges.

“I do feel very proud of the relationships we have built with our independent customers,” says Sue. “Some of them have been with us right from the start, while others, like the new breed of farm shops and delis that also stock our products today, have become customers in more recent years. We would never have reached our first year, let alone celebrate our 25th anniversary, without their support. I look forward to thanking as many of them as possible in person on our stand at next month’s Autumn Fair.”

Above left: Scott was more than happy to be snowed in at the Lost Gardens of Heligan, enabling him to obtain some stunning shots that appear on cards.

Above: In addition to a photographic collection, the company introduced artists cards back in 1999, and has continued ever since, including this design by Devon artist Sally Rich.

November 2006 - Obtained FSC certification - the first DTR card publisher to do so.

August 2007 - Introduced ‘eco-labels’ to communicate environmental credentials – Glebe’s ‘eco-commitments’ to consumers.

December 2007 - First card publisher to become CarbonNeutral(r).

November 2008 - Won a Gold award at the International Green Apple Awards in the highly competitive printing and publishing category.

June 2010 - Won a prestigious Business Commitment to the Environment (BCE) Environmental Leadership Award.

September 2010 - Started working with Highgrove to publish its own-branded greeting cards, including the Christmas card for HRH the Prince of Wales.

September 2011 - Granted a licence by The Wildlife Trusts to publish its cards, Christmas cards, calendars and stationery.

August 2012 - Commissioned new 100% recycled textured board from James Cropper paper mill in the Lake District.

July 2015 - Introduced cards printed on paper made from 50% coffee cup waste and commissioned new 100% recycled coated board.

September 2016 - Started trading as The Eco-Friendly Card Company.

PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE

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Art Source With her work gracing the cover of Breath and Flow magazines, let alone appearing in Vogue, on bedding for Anthropologie as well as on the Summertime greeting card range from Roger la Borde, freelance illustrator Jane Newland (represented by the Bright Group) is having to get used to an increasingly high profile.

Here she shares her story and her inspirations.

In the beginning…

“I’m a child of the 70s, very short sighted, and deaf in one ear. I think it made me quite self-contained, and it’s probably where my obsession with detail began. I was naughty and didn’t wear my glasses, so the only things I could see properly were the things right in front of my nose! My family is definitely on the creative side - both grandparents, my parents, an uncle, a cousin and my brother and sister all studied various subjects at art school, so there was no escape from it! I was surrounded by loads of artistic influence. So I studied illustration at art school, got a degree, worked a variety of awful jobs while also freelancing, mainly for my brother’s design company. This gave me a really brilliant grounding in working as an illustrator, and I’ve worked with some amazing clients. Wanting more from my career, I started to show more personal work online, which eventually led to me joining Bright.”

What or who inspires you?

“I was inspired to become an illustrator by my dad and grandfather. My dad is an amazing landscape painter of moody, glorious-skied Norfolk landscapes, and my grandfather, who was an architect by trade, also painted illustratively, particularly once he had retired. His work was reminiscent of Arthur Rackham, and as a child I loved sitting beside him watching him work.

Now, I am still inspired by dad and granddad mostly, and I like to think I’ve kind of merged the two into my own style.

I love looking at other artists work on social media, and I’m sure I’m influenced by what I see.

Favourites at the moment are Yasmeen Ismail, Marc Martin, Karl James Mountford, and too many more to mention. I’m also inspired by the photos I see of people’s lives, and I love seeing young up and coming illustrators’ work. But Bright is keeping me busy - so much so that I don’t actually have a lot of time to spend on social media these days!”

Where did your distinctive contemporary style come from?

“My current style began to emerge over the last couple of years. I was actually on the verge of giving up illustration, and decided just to forget about my style, instead simply doing what came naturally and drawing what pleased me - not what I thought anyone else wanted to see. And out it popped!

I’d had an email from the Bright team detailing trends, inspiration and ideas and one of the trends was “adventure”. It sparked something in me, and I decided that for my personal pieces of work I would take myself on an adventure. So I began by imagining where I would like to go, and, much to my genuine amazement and delight, it seems lots of people would like to go to the places I imagine too!”

How much time do you spend on creating an illustration?

“The detailed pieces take me between three and five hours. It’s my treat late on a Friday afternoon to do a personal piece of work.

I take part in #colour_collective on Twitter, where a huge bunch of lovely illustrators post their artwork using a designated colour every Friday at 7.30pm (UK time). So that’s my deadline. I start with a potential colour palette in mind, which includes the colour of the week, and sometimes I will have an idea of what I’m going to draw, sometimes not. I begin regardless, with a general background layer, and just keep adding more and more layers, building up details and intensity of colour. All the details, the billions of little leaves and grass etc, it’s just doodling on a large scale really!”

Top: Jane Newland, continuing her family’s artistic heritage.

Above: One of the designs in Roger la Borde’s Summertime range, which features Jane’s work.

Left: Some of the Bright team with umbrellas featuring Jane’s art, which were produced for Times Square Hong Kong.

Jane work appears on all manner of products commissioned and licensed through Bright agency. Clients include Anthropologie, Breath magazine, Egmont, Flow magazine, Harper Collins US, Leonidas chocolates, Little Tiger Press, Times Square Hong Kong, Usborne, Vogue magazine and Roger la Borde, who will be exhibiting Jane’s work on its Summertime range at Top Drawer (September 9-11).

PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE

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Art Source

Dubravka Kolanovic I live in the lovely Mediterranean town of Zadar on the Croatian Adriatic coast. My work-space is a studio room overlooking a little marina. I have three children: Marko, Ivan and Dorcas, and they are my biggest supporters and best critiques. My work is done in traditional soft pastel, guache and watercolour tehnique.

I studied illustration at Savannah College of Art and Design and also majored in painting at the Academy of Fine Arts in Zagreb.

When I was little girl I was would bring home lost and hurt animals and so now I also volunteer for various programmes all over the world to help conservation. Volunteering at remote and precious parts of the world like the Amazon rainforest, Borneo, Antarctica and saving the Scalesia rainforest in the Galapagos Islands (to name but a few) is a source of endless inspiration. Our planet is a beautiful place and we need to take care of it.

Some of the most memorable experiences were using my illustration skills to draw elephants for children in a remote village in Thailand or finding my polar bear Christmas cards selling to support an Eskimo museum in the far away Arctic.

Being a children's book illustrator is a really wonderful job that gives me the opportunity to be in a happy and colourful world every day. I also have to give thanks to my wonderful agents at Advocate Art. l Bhavisha Vadgama - Advocate Art l Tel: 0208 390 6293 l Email: bhavisha@advocate-art.com

Mary Stubberfield I decided to be an artist as a child and and went to Eastbourne art college at 16 and then completed an HND in illustration at Bournemouth Arts University. I worked for various publishers and designers in London as a freelance illustrator while exhibiting my paintings in a small gallery in Hampstead. I also worked for an illustration agency dashing around London carrying portfolios!

A highlight was a commission by Scotrail for a landscape painting of Plockton near Skye for their advertising campaign that was also used on shortbread tins. I showed my work in galleries and venues all over London and soon went travelling for inspiration.

I keep sketch books full of ideas and take photos which then get refined into a finished artwork. I primarily use acrylics for their versatility and vibrant colours.

Recent visits to the cote d'Azur have produced some colourful townscapes capturing the vibrant sunlight. I am inspired by Chagall, Picasso and Matisse, naĂŻve art and also love impressionism. Favourite subjects are nature, wildlife, cat portraits and coastal scenes. I am inspired by living on the Sussex Coast and spending time on the allotment. My Christmas cats have been very popular and I continue to expand on these themes while refining my style. l Yellow House Art Licensing l Tel: 01273 705752 / 07879 278100 l Email: sue@yellowhouseartlicensing.com

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

Sue Gregory, owner of Occasions, Lincoln, East Midlands A medium shop, in a historic city, with a loyal locals and destination shoppers customer base.

Category

Name of Publisher

Product/Name Range

Comments

Humour

Quitting Hollywood (distributed by Words ‘n’ Wishes) Hanson White (UKG)

Across The Board

Contemporary

Nigel Quiney

Pizazz

Traditional

IC&G

Across The Board

Right: A gorgeous design from Wishing Well.

Below: Good value wooden plaques with lovely sentiments from Joe Davies.

Gibson (UKG)

Simply Traditional

Wishing Well (CBG)

General

Children’s

IC&G

Magical Wonders

Ancillary

Joe Davies

Plaques

We cherry-pick from many of the humour ranges, which vary from gentle ribbing to cheeky.

There is a huge offering to choose from; most of our customers prefer saucy but not naughty jokes.

Pretty and bright feminine designs that continually sell well.

Very nice ranges with a great variety of relations and occasions captions and high age designs, which are good value.

Traditional words and sentiments cards go down very well with the higher age generations.

These designs go down very well with customers and they are at a good price point.

Nicely foiled and the publisher seems to get the theme in tune with the ages of the children.

Lovely simple sentiments plaques that are a good value keepsake gift.

Giggles

Clair and Elaine Chapman and Vivienne Hopson, co-owners of The White Ribbon, Cuffley, Hertfordshire A small family-run shop in a village with a loyal locals customer base.

Category

Name of Publisher

Product/Name Range

Comments

Everyday

Hammond Gower

Across The Board

Contemporary

Belly Button

Coco by Rachel Hare

Louise Tiler

General

Five Dollar Shake

Precious Metals

Real & Exciting Designs

Panache

Janie Wilson

Gold Leaf, Silver Leaf, Copper Leaf

A Made Hand

Eternity

We tend to cherry-pick the new baby and anniversary designs, but all of the collections are very pretty.

The stunning finishes make the cards standout.

Gorgeous female everyday designs with gold foiling and very reasonably priced.

An elegant range for men using coloured, gold or copper block foiling.

Artistic and stylish designs, for male and female sends, that are very different and look more expensive than what they are.

Simple eye-catching designs on snow white board enhanced with foil finishes and sparkly crystals. Covering relations, occasions and ages, the lovely new Christmas range is out soon.

Large size designs featuring painted figures and topped with diamante crystals. For special occasions, they are unusual and are at a good price for a bigger card.

Right: A Panache design from Real & Exciting Designs (Mint Publishing).

Below: A Made Hand’s Eternity cards are for those special occasions.

Handmade/ Hand-Finished

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Emma Grigg owner of Paperchain in Seaton, Devon A small shop in a seaside town with a loyal locals and tourist customer base.

Category

Name of Publisher

Product/Name Range

Comments

Everyday

IC&G

Across The Board

Humour

Pigment

Across The Board

Danilo

Enid Blyton, Ladybird

Photographic

Brainbox Candy Leonard Smith

Warning Across The Board

Contemporary

Noel Tatt

Boutique Spinner

Traditional

Jonny Javelin

Velvet

Handmade/ Hand-Finished

Ewe & Me

Giftwrappings

The Handcrafted Card Company Talking Pictures Wholesale Stationers

Ancillary

Xpressions 4U

Chocolate Cards, Guardian Angel Milestone Gifts Mirror Mirror

All of the publisher’s occasions cards are great sellers because of the strong designs and good price points.

Simple humour that always sell well.

The classics have made a great comeback!

Designs for our older audience!

Beautiful photos with a range of bible texted cards.

This has been a real strong seller for us. The cards are blank inside so they can be used for any occasion and are small and easy to pick up with great colours and captions. Customers will pick up five or six at a time.

Traditional wordy and pretty designs with just the right amount of glitter.

Fresh and simple designs hand-finished with touches of glitter and crystals.

Both bright and fun standout cards at a good price point.

Local Wholesale company that provides good quality affordable flat and roll wrap.

These have all been strong sellers Above: Fresh clean designs with a touch of sparkle from The Handcrafted Card and good pick me up gifts.

WPL

Strawberry Fizz Partisan, Simon Elvin

Company’s Ewe & Me range.

This range did fantastically and the relaunched products are also selling well.

Carl Dunne, owner of Cards & Gifts, Sheffield, South Yorkshire A medium shop, in a city centre, with a mature, loyal locals, office workers and tourists customer base.

Category

Name of Publisher

Product/Name Range

Comments

Humour

Carte Blanche

Me to You

Dean Morris

General

Paperlink

Across The Board

Rainbow Cards (Ling)

General

Photographic

Hedgerow Publishing

General

Art

Cherry Orchard

Signature Studio

Contemporary

Second Nature

Sparkle Dust

Traditional

Gibson (UKG)

Perfectly Said

Children’s

Cherry Orchard

Aloha!

Since the designs were refreshed this year, Tatty Teddy is one of our biggest sales of cute, especially in the general open birthday designs.

Our customers love the ‘blue’ humour, especially the extreme swear words.

Again, it's the swear words, but also the visual jokes that take the mickey.

We are located in the heart of a city so these go down really well.

Traditional British cartoon humour that’s clean and proper; everyone, young and old, gets it and laughs.

A Sheffield-based publisher that prints photos of local points of interest, such as the Crucible Theatre.

The frames around the design are embossed giving a classy effect.

Art Deco style artwork with a modern twist.

Incredibly glitzy and classy feminine designs. The quality is sky-high!

Page after page of verse, each card is like a stunning miniature book! I’ve got the entire range and it sells so, so well!

It’s very hard to find designs that are appropriate in style and colour for children’s age groups, but this range is spot-on.

Right: A tamer design from Dean Morris Cards.

Below: A Gibson (UKG) Perfectly Said design, a range that was nominated as a finalist in The Henries last year.

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M ETHOD OF SALE Direct to Retail

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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.

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AR RT TISTS CARDS

07957 212 062

glebecottage.co.uk 01626 369269

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

www.lottie-murphy.com lottie@lottie-murphy.com 07716 304741

AGENTS WANTED

LING DESIGN

www.lingdesign.co.uk

01892 838 574

information@lingdesign.co.uk 106

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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:

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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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PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE

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

Occasions, AS

and easons.

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

Sale: Direct to R

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

Market Leaders in

Verse

& entimen

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

il: inffo o@words-n eb: www w..words-n

Tel: 01942 233201

design-led Greeting Cards

view by rufus designed in thames ditton

sniff out our wide range of greetings card

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

jimm my y chews

topdog@view by rufus.com 020 8972 9706

viewbyrufus.com register fo for a trade account: www w..viewrufus i f .com/b2b /b2b

+44(0)1243 792600

Art Cards eA Botanical Fine

an extensive range of superior quality,

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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TRADING

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

BAGS

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

- HEADER BAGS - WA WALLET BAGS - ZIPPER BAGS - FLEXOGRAPHIC, HOTFOIL & THEERMAL PRINTING www.transrappackagin ng.co.uk sales@transrap.co o.uk

V VIP

CALL US TODA AY

TREA AT A TMENT

01773 5378 810

HIGH CLARITY L TY Y BA AGS FOR R GREETING G ET T NG CARD DS, CALEND EN N ARS ARS AND AND D ARTW TWORK WORK

ENVELOPES

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CALL CA CAL C LL US ST TO ODAY OD

0122 1228 228 2 28 8 56 5605 60 052 26 6 www.fful ulcrumfilms. ulcrrum mfillm ms s co.uk uk

FOR ALL YOUR ENVELOPE NEEDS! Largest range of in-stock colours Over 400 Bespoke Envelope Sizes 8 Sizes Permanently in Stock RECYCLED

100% Recycled Paper Av Available

PAPER A

Stock & Bespoke Cello Bags Peel & Stick Envelopes p Bespoke Service on Request

ORDER ON LINE AT: www.regentenvelopes.com 01274 583000 sales@regentenvelopes.com

We’ve been producing p bags of high clarity and high quality q for over 30 years.

01274 220 220 www w.wrapid.co.uk sales@wrapid.co.uk

PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE

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Quality Bespoke Envelopes!

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

Plain, printed, coloured & textured finish.

100% recycled & FSC available.

Please call us on 0843 5066684 with your enquiry or visit our website

www.ukenvelopecentre.co.uk We will be delighted to help!

FLITTERING FOR ALL YOUR FLITTER REQUIREMENTS

ABL Foil Ltd Unit 1, Industrial Estate East Hanningfield Chelmsford Essex, CM3 8AB

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

PRINTERS

PJ Print

(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

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APPOINTMENTS

+Something Classy + EXCLUSIVE GIFTWRAP

Established sales agents required, nationwide Something Classy imports exclusive giftwrap, guaranteeing that we can offer our customers something different.

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.

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.

Interested? Email your CV to sales@somethingclassy.co.uk, or call Ian Raybould on 01543 480914

www.somethingclassy.co.uk We look forward to impressing you

Card works

CONVERT Y EXCESS ST OUR OCKS TO CASH TODA Y!

EXCESS GREETING CARD STOCKS? 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

Account Manager Trade: www.trade.cathtatecards.com | Retail: www.cathtatecards.com

:H DUH ORRNLQJ IRU D SURDFWLYH $FFRXQW 0DQDJHU WR MRLQ RXU /RQGRQ RIĂ&#x20AC;FH full time, Monday- Friday 9am-5pm.

Established over 35 years ago and run by mother and daughter team Cath and Rosie Tate, Cath Tate Cards specialises in humour cards and gifts.

As a small business what each member of the team does can be quite Ă XLG :H VXSSO\ D ZLGH UDQJH RI 8. DQG LQWHUQDWLRQDO VWRFNLVWV DQG WKH $FFRXQW 0DQDJHU LV DW WKH KHDUW RI RXU VPDOO VRXWK /RQGRQ RIĂ&#x20AC;FH WHDP The Account Manager will be the main point of contact for key customer accounts, involved in dealing with new product submissions to shops and dealing with key accounts across all aspects of our business with them. You will also be involved in other aspects of the business, including product development, stock management, social media, and website maintenance and development. :H DUH ORRNLQJ IRU VRPHRQH G\QDPLF SHUVRQDEOH DQG D Ă H[LEOH WHDP player. We are looking for someone who appreciates our product. The LGHDO FDQGLGDWH ZLOO KDYH H[SHULHQFH RI ZRUNLQJ ZLWK SURGXFW HLWKHU IRU wholesale or retail. An interest in design and knowledge of design programs DV ZHOO DV H[SHULHQFH RI WUDGH VKRZV ZRXOG EH D ERQXV

6DODU\ GHSHQGHQW RQ H[SHULHQFH The ideal start date would be late Aug 2018 Please email your CV to rosie@cathtatecards.com PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE

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Our latest Everyday ‘In-Stock’ Brochure is available now!

With 72 new captions and sizes along with 70+ Design changes!

All available from your local Wholesale / Distributor.

We are proud our range has been nominated for the “Best Wholesale Everyday Range 2018” Christmas 2018 now ‘In-Stock’

Visit our website for your local stockists at: www.outofthebluestudios.co.uk OBC_PG_September 2018.indd 1

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