Progressive Greetings September 2020

September

FC_PG_September 2020.indd 1

2020

27/08/2020 17:03

PG-07-20-left.indd 1 IFC-03_PG_September 2020.indd 1

27/08/2020 14:31:15 27/08/2020 14:53

PG-07-20-left.indd 1 IFC-03_PG_September 2020.indd 2

27/08/2020 14:32:03 27/08/2020 14:53

Made in Great Britain

Christmas 2020 Our beautiful Christmas cards are in stock

Place your orders NOW! www.regalpublishing.co.uk Full range also available from the following Regal Gold stockists:

www.greetingshouse.co.uk www.crosswear.co.uk

www.jacksons-crs.co.uk

www.card-party.co.uk

w w w. r e g a l p u b l i s h i n g . c o. u k Made in Great Britain

04_PG_September 2020.indd 1

04/09/2020 10:40

5_7.qxp_Grid 03/09/2020 11:23 Page 1

From The Editor

ON THE CARDS I was taken aback when I heard something at lunchtime today that has not been part of my daily soundscape for what seems like a long, long time it was of children laughing and shouting to each other in the playground of the primary school at the end of my road.

Hearing children laugh is always uplifting, but today (there first day back at school) it was even more poignant as those squeals of delight represented a step towards normality, not just for the youngsters in the many thousands of school playgrounds up and down the UK, but for their parents (relieved that home-schooling is over!) and everyone else in their extended eco-system.

Mums/dads/grandparents on school drop off and pick up duty are now catching up with their counterparts at the school gates, the birthday party invites are being reinstated and the ‘popping into the shops’ visits on their way home is a signal that traffic could/should be on the up for retailers, including greeting card stockists.

Now normally, like most people, I hold on to the last rays of summer, willing my sunflowers to hold their heads up high as long as possible, encouraging the butterflies in my garden to chance another flutter. This year though I am somewhat torn as I find myself also drawn to the thoughts of a cosy Christmas. I love the idea of everyone being together, in redecorated lounges (theirs, not mine!), rooms festooned with Christmas cards sent from everyone in their address book, luxuriating around a superbly decorated tree and Bing Crosby’s mellifluous voice melting into the harmonious congregation.

I am inclined to agree with those in the greeting card community with far more trade nous than me (including Paul Taylor of Cardzone, Simon Wagstaff of IC&G, Sonya Haandrikman-Sibbald of Celebrations, Carlisle, among others) who believe that there is merit in pushing for an early Christmas (buying wise) this year.

The thought of a second spike in

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

EXHIBITIONS

@Prog_Greetings

Above: Paperchase’s senior buyer Joe Guest, Zoomed in to chat to PG’s Jakki Brown.

Below left: Look what lockdown does to people! Mark is among the consumers to reveal (almost) all about their card sending habits!

Below: A still from the new Thinking of You Week film.

late November horrifies me (both personally and businesswise) but I do think that with the public making fewer shopping trips, we are all more inclined to buy when we see something we know we will need, and Christmas cards most definitely fit into the latter.

And talking about ‘fitting in’, I loved the quirky approach Dominique (Miranda) and Jack (Parker) of Lanther Black have taken with the mini film they have created to promote Thinking of You Week (which happens September 21-27 in case you didn’t know), demonstrating that while we all could try and make a Psychic Thought Transmitter in order to get a caring message across to someone, actually writing and sending a card is a pretty damn good invention!

Amanda at the GCA laid down the challenge to Dominique and Jack and left them to come up with something authentic, which they have done in spades. And while we are on ‘authentic’, I take my hat off to my friend (and retired policeman) Mark for revealing more than most would about his card sending habits (see pages 45-49). He definitely will be receiving an early Christmas card from me by way of thanks. When the photo popped into my inbox I laughed wholeheartedly just like those children in the school playground. Laughing, greeting cards and Christmas - three great gifts any wise man should proffer!

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

5

Our latest release will have you covered for all occasions! Keep it simple but stylish with the new botanical leaf range, have some fun with the colourful graphics in our Happy Days range and shout about your celebrations with the stunning Mini-Poms luxury range.

finished with fun pom-poms and gold foil

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

00_PG_September 2020.indd 1

carolinegardnerofficial

24/08/2020 15:38

5_7.qxp_Grid 03/09/2020 11:24 Page 3

What’s Inside?

CONTENTS 41

51

35

11-23 News

45-49

All the latest happenings and developments in the trade.

Public Opinion

Consumer Vox Pops Consumers share their greeting card buying habits.

24-25 Over The Counter

51-53

Climb Every Mountain

Retailer Insights

David Robertson, co-owner of JP Pozzi in Scotland likens the current challenges to scaling a mountain.

Percentage Pointers

26-27

55-59

Cardsharp

Product Focus

Sex In The City?

The Big Cover-Up

PG columnist believes that we all need to ‘get back to the office’ for the sake of humanity, sanity and the economy.

Face coverings - this season’s ‘must have’ accessory.

Insights from Card Factory’s Capital Markets Day.

29-33

61 Art Source

Viewpoints

Rachel Bright, creator of The Brightside.

An Orderly Fashion Retailers reveal how they are now sourcing and ordering products.

62-63 What’s Hot? Retailers share their best sellers of the last month.

35-39 Innovations

65-66

Publishers have been busy creating new ranges.

Jeremy’s Journal

What A Score!

41-43

Blue Eyed Sun’s Jeremy Corner reflects on the company’s journey of the last two decades.

Retailer Face to Face

A Guest Appearance Paperchase’s Joe Guest looks back at his first year anniversary as senior card buyer for the retail multiple.

67-79 Sources of Supply Subscribe to Progressive Greetings from £60 (UK) to £90 (International).

You can organise this quickly and easily online at our secure site: Max-Subscriptions.net For assistance, please email maxsubscriptions@marketingreinforc ements.co.uk or call 0207 700 6740.

Jakki Brown

Warren Lomax

Ian Hyder

Tracey Arnaud

Editor/Joint Owner

Joint Owner

Joint Owner

Sales Manager

jakkib@max-publishing.co.uk

warren@max-publishing.co.uk

ianh@max-publishing.co.uk

traceya@max-publishing.co.uk

Use your smartphone app to scan the QR code to visit our website.

Copyright© 2020. 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.

PG is the official magazine for the Greeting Card Association GCA: Amanda Fergusson 020 7619 9266 Email: hello@gca.cards www.greetingcardassociation.org.uk

PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE

7

LOOKING TO THE IN 2021 FOLLOWING A TOUGH LAST FEW MONTHS, WE’RE SETTING OUR SIGHTS ON WHAT WE HOPE WILL BE A REALLY POSITIVE 2021 WITH SOME EXCITING NEW LICENSED RANGES…

STRANGER THINGS

This 80’s themed sci-fi horror series has become a cult hit over the past few years, receiving over 35 award nominations, and winning a Screen Actors Guild Award.

The third season, released in July 2019, quickly cemented its place as the most-viewed Netflix original series in its first four days and we’re delighted to hear there is a fourth season in the works. A brand new range of Stranger Things greetings cards which will be launching this year, alongside the official 2021 Calendar and Diary range.

The Brightside brand, created by Rachel Bright, with its distinctive ‘voice’ and look has proved to be very positive and successful since it was first created over 10 years ago.

This fun range includes ‘silver-lining’ captions which aim to encourage, inspire, indulge and uplift and our new Brightside greetings card range will aim to do exactly that, helping people to send happy thoughts around the globe. The new Brightside range will launch in Spring 2021.

FATHER TED

This Irish sitcom was first aired in 1995 and ran until 1998 with a total of 25 episodes. This popular TV show has won critical acclaim over the years, winning several BAFTA awards and still remains popular now, with Father Ted being voted the second greatest British sitcom in 2019 by The Radio Times. The new greetings card range will utilise the brilliant characters of Father Ted Crilly, Father Dougal McGuire, Father Jack Hackett and Mrs Doyle alongside renowned catch phrases to accommodate a number of different captions and designs. The new card range will launch Spring 2021.

BILLIE EILISH Billie first gained media attention in 2016 when she uploaded the song “Ocean Eyes” to SoundCloud, which was subsequently picked up by a record company. Billie has since become the youngest person and first woman to win the four main Grammy categories in the same year. Danilo have published the first official Billie Eilish 2021 calendar, with a range of greeting cards following this launch.

63428_DANILO_PG_SEP-2020_DPS.indd 2 00_PG_September 2020.indd 1

VAN GOGH MUSEUM

Dedicated to the prominent works of Vincent Van Gogh, we are delighted to partner with the Van Gogh Museum.

More than 125 years after his death, he is still inspiring the next generation of artists around the world. Our new official greetings card and gift wrap range will display some of Van Gogh’s most renowned and revered works of art. Danilo will be launching a full range of Official Van Gogh Museum greeting cards, gift wrap, calendars and diaries from Spring 2021. The official Calendar, Diary, Greetings Card and Gift Wrap range will also be available in 2021.

24/08/2020 15:46

KICKING OFF IN 2021...

2021 WILL BE A GREAT YEAR FOR THE FOOTBALL FAN. WE WILL SEE THE DELAYED 16TH UEFA EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIPS, SET TO TAKE PLACE IN JUNE AND JULY, AS WELL AS THE USUAL FAVOURITES OF THE PREMIER LEAGUE, EFL, CHAMPIONS LEAGUE AND EUROPA LEAGUE. WITH THIS IN MIND, DANILO HAVE THEIR LATEST RANGE OF FOOTBALL THEMED CARDS TO SHARE WITH YOU.

PREMIER LEAGUE CLUBS

Alongside the new champions Liverpool, Danilo have card and wrap ranges across the other big Premier League teams including Arsenal, Chelsea, Man Utd, Man City and Tottenham Hotspurs. All ranges will be updated with the latest kits, branding and club specific artwork. With stunning finishes, the new designs give a fresh edge to the range.

ENGLAND FA

These new official cards have two distinct styles to them.

One follows a modern and vibrant look and the other has more of a retro feel which replicates the vintage theme of England’s former match posters and souvenir programmes.

DESPICABLE ME

Brand new greetings cards have been designed for our Despicable Me Minion range to celebrate the Euros next year. The cards all feature the loveable Minions characters in a football theme and include different captions such as To a ‘Super Son’ as well as general birthday.

published by

SUBBUTEO

Celebrate your footy mad loved one’s birthday in pure retro style, with our fantastic range of Subbuteo cards and gift wrap. With new seasonal captions also added, this is a great alternative to a team card.

www.danilo.com published by

www.danilo.com published by

www.danilo.com 01992 702 900 | SALES@DANILO.COM | WWW.DANILO.COM Independent retailers contact Words & Wishes on 01942 233 201

00_PG_September 2020.indd 2

14/08/2020 12:18 24/08/2020 15:46

11.08.20 A4 Ad print.pdf

10_PG_September 2020.indd 1

1

27/08/2020

10:46

27/08/2020 14:02

11_13_17-19_21_23.qxp_9/11/13/15/19/23/25 03/09/2020 10:36 Page 1

NEWS TOP STORY

Best Service Henries’ Finalists Indies say who’s tops on the service front Indies voted in droves for the card publishers who have excelled on the service front over the last year to arrive at the finalists for the hotly contested Henries’ Best Service to the Independent Retailer Award 2020.

The nomination process involved asking independent greeting card retailers to submit their votes for the three card publishers they feel have offered them the best service in the last year.

The Henries 2020 Best Service to the Independent Retailer Finalists (listed alphabetically): The Art File Cherry Orchard Publishing Dandelion Stationery IC&G Jonny Javelin Nigel Quiney Publications Noel Tatt Pigment Rosie Made A Thing UK Greetings Wendy Jones-Blackett Woodmansterne Publications “So much has been put to the test over the last year - and being able to rely on a good service from their suppliers has been a top priority for all greeting card independent retailers both pre-lockdown, during and now,” explained Warren Lomax, joint md of Max Publishing, which owns and organises The Henries greeting card

industry awards. “We were inundated with indies pledging their votes for this year’s Best Service award contenders, ever grateful of the lengths some publishers have gone to over the last 12 months.”

As in previous years there will be a Bronze, Silver and Gold award for the Best Service To The Independent Retailer category in The Henries 2020.

Other publishers who were ranked highly on the service front by retailers in the nominations, but just missed out on making it into the finals, were (shown in order of the votes): 13th = Hallmark 13th = Words ‘n’ Wishes 14th Second Nature 15th Cardigan Cards 16th Paper Salad 17th Wrendale Designs 18th Redback 19th Rachel Ellen Designs 20th Five Dollar Shake The winners of this award category as well as the product award categories (the finalists of which were due to be announced after PG went to press), will be revealed on December 10!

Bill’s back!

Bill Greeno has a big smile on his face - as he’s back talking to retail customers. Popular industry stalwart Bill Greeno, whose redundancy from Paperlink (where he was sales director) was announced in July is now back in the greeting card world. Bill’s working for Abacus Cards/Clare Maddicott two days a week (on a consultancy basis) to head up the card publishing group’s multiples/national accounts’ business.

“I can’t tell you how good it feels to be doing some work!” exclaimed Bill, who has set up BG Consulting Services. “I am blown away by the breadth of the product portfolio, especially the BBC licensed Countryfile, Gardeners’ World and Springwatch ranges.” As Bill told PG: “This feels very exciting. I want to make sure I do a good job for Abacus and its customers before I commit to any more work for other companies.”

Nick Carey, managing director of Abacus Cards, who has known Bill for many years is “delighted” to have Bill on board. “He is effectively taking over the responsibility of looking after our national account customers from me, meaning Bill can do what he does best, and I can concentrate on being a managing director. It’s great to have him on board,” Nick added.

While Bill is now looking after Abacus’ multiple customers, Nathan Hitchcock, in his role as Above: With almost 40 years sales manager, will continue to oversee the group’s independent industry experience, Bill has set sales force and its many independent customers. up a BG Consulting business.

‘Refuelling Retail’ is Spring Fair’s mission Following on from a digital Autumn Fair @ Home two-day experience, show organiser Hyve is also gearing up its plans for a real Spring Fair 2021, under the banner #RefuellingRetail21, with the tagline ‘Driving UK retail forward for 2021’.

Julie Driscoll, Hyve’s UK regional director said she is very much looking forward to opening the physical doors to Spring Fair 2021 (February 7-11). “What digital has shown us is that whilst it’s a great tool, there is no substitute to faceto-face meetings and being able to touch and feel product again,” she said.

Film brings Thinking of You Week to life The GCA’s Thinking of You Week (September 21-27) has really come to life this year. Not only is the card sending initiative being more widely embraced by retailers and publishers, but there is a brand new dedicated mini film, that has gone viral on social media (and hosted on www.thinkingofyouweek.cards), which underlines the importance of greeting cards at this time.

The quirky film, commissioned by the GCA and made by the talented Lanther Black duo (Dominique Miranda and Jack Parker), shows that while building a Psychic Thought Transmitter is one way of showing you care, it is not as reliable or as effective as sending a card!

“The film is a fabulous way of us being able to get the message out to the consumer as well as within the greeting card community about Thinking of You Week,” states Amanda Fergusson, ceo of the GCA. “It is great that so many retailers and publishers have already firmed up on their plans for the Week, but there is still time for everyone to get involved!”

Asda, Sainsbury’s, Cardzone, Card Factory, Paperchase, House of Cards are among the retailers who have planned their activity while on the publisher side, UKG, Hallmark, Carte Blanche and Cherry Orchard are among those to have shared their plans.

Above: A still from the new Thinking of You Week film, which shows sending a card is better than inventing a physic thought transmitter!

Left: Sainsbury’s has installed a TOYW display in 200 of its stores.

FOR THE LATEST NEWS VISIT PGBUZZ.net PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE

11

Made in Great Britain

Made in Great Britain

Beautiful new British made Christmas stock available now!

Place your orders for guaranteed delivery

Order online www.piccadillygreetings.co.uk

Made in Great Britain

12_PG_September 2020.indd 1

Piccadilly Greetings Group Ltd 4 Horizon Point, Swallowdale Lane, Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire, HP2 7FZ T: 01442 215500 E: sales@piccadillygreetings.co.uk www.piccadillygreetings.co.uk

04/09/2020 10:41

13.qxp_9/11/13/15/19/23/25 03/09/2020 10:38 Page 2

NEWS Wrendale’s prized plush launch competition

TOP STORY

Political Incorrectness Really Wild Cards joins Second Nature’s portfolio Donald Trump, Boris Johnson, José Mourinho, Kim Jong-un and Piers Morgan are among the political leaders, statesmen and celebs to have added their voices to the Second Nature sales force as the company gets underway as distributor for Really Wild Cards’ humorous Politically Incorrect sound cards.

The distribution agreement with Really Wild Cards (owned by John Wignall) comes a few months after Second Nature took over from Words ‘n’ Wishes, as distributor of Quitting Hollywood for the independent channel, an agreement which officially started in May, but is now getting into its stride.

Commenting about the Politically Incorrect collaboration, Tim West, sales manager of Second Nature said: “We love the range, as it is great topical humour with a USP.” As Tim highlighted: “There is true merit playing to your strengths and working with experts in different genres.

John is the maestro of creating sound cards while Second Nature is well known for its focus on handmade cards, but we have a full sales force with good relationships with retail customers, a talented design studio and manufacturing capabilities. It made total sense for us to join forces

and to be able to offer our customers something different.”

The Second Nature national sales team (which comprises 13 sales representatives in the UK and Ireland as well as a couple of sales agents) is now offering 24 designs of Really Wild Cards’ Politically Incorrect designs, which have been dual-branded to also include the Second Nature logo on the rear.

John Wignall is delighted to have secured the deal with Second Nature.

“It’s fantastic. Their distribution, my talent, what a partnership!” exclaimed John.

Under the new agreement, while the Politically Incorrect range is being distributed by Second Nature, the sales team will also effectively act as agents for Really Wild’s other ranges, such as its sound cards of bird calls, animals and vehicles.

Above: Trump and Boris are the current top two selling designs from The Politically Incorrect sound card range.

Left: The Politically Incorrect cards, including the latest Ant and Dec design, are being dual-branded Really Wild Cards as well as Second Nature.

Jess H becomes a shopkeeper Jessica Hogarth, founder and creative maestro behind Jessica Hogarth Designs has fulfilled a long-held dream of opening her own shop and on top of this has secured a retail manager who is very close to her heart!

“Oh, I love it! I have wanted a shop for about 15 years, so it really is a dream come true for me,” exclaimed Jessica after the recent opening of her contemporary card and gift shop in North Yorkshire’s picturesque Robin Hood’s Bay, the village in which she grew up, not far from the publisher’s base in Whitby. “We have had a great start. It’s so exciting to know that people want to buy the products we have selected,” she added.

Jess’ new retail venture offers a potent mix of products from her own card and homewares portfolio, as well as those from many other companies.

The securing of the shop unit was the catalyst for Jess’ boyfriend, Phil Hammill to leave his Manchester retail job, move in with Jess and undertake the running of the shop.

“Having Phil’s retail knowledge is fab which combines with my knowledge of running a business,” said Jess.

Above: Jessica and her boyfriend Phil Hammill outside the shop.

Wrendale Designs’ menagerie has grown with the arrival of its plush collection, coinciding with a competition offering £800 of prize money for retailers’ creative ideas to welcome the new furry animals. Wrendale Designs has millions of fans all over the world who have lapped up company founder/creative director Hannah Dale’s zoologically correct, but quirky watercolour depictions of animals and birds.

The significant launch of the company’s inaugural plush collection (comprising a rabbit, fox, duck and hedgehog) sees Hannah’s 2D artwork being re-interpreted in 3D form.

Wrendale has launched a competition inviting retailers to create displays and/or a creative campaign to promote the products.

The open brief for retailers is for ‘the most beautiful and eye-catching displays featuring all four characters’ or the most creative campaign to introduce the new collection to customers. First prize is £500 worth of Wrendale stock while three runners-up will receive £100 worth of stock. The winners will be announced at the beginning of October.

Below: A scene from a beautifully shot film made to launch the plush to the many millions of Wrendale fans.

UKG joins Kuehne+Nagel’s Net Zero Carbon Programme In a significant step forward in UK Greetings’ ongoing commitment to improve its environmental credentials, the major card publisher has become the first UK company to sign up to logistics company Kuehne+Nagel’s Net Zero Carbon Programme.

Since March 2020, UKG has been working in partnership with Kuehne+Nagel UK, to manage its sea freight logistics from Asia. (That said, the publisher has, since last year, massively reduced the percentage of its greeting cards that are now produced in Far East, having brought 40% of its everyday card production back to UK shores.)

UKG’s commitment to the Zero Carbon Programme means that not only is the company using a climate-friendly transport solution, but is now offsetting the remaining emissions with CO2 certificates.

This means UK Greetings’ logistics process is now climate-neutral (having no net carbon [greenhouse gas] emissions). This is achieved by minimising carbon emissions as much as possible and using carbon offsets to mitigate the remaining emissions.

FOR THE LATEST NEWS VISIT PGBUZZ.net PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE

13

XPRESSIONS_DPS_ADVERT_FA_OL.pdf

14-15_PG_September 2020.indd 1

1

19/08/2020

22:12

25/08/2020 16:03

XPRESSIONS_DPS_ADVERT_FA_OL.pdf

14-15_PG_September 2020.indd 2

2

19/08/2020

22:12

25/08/2020 16:03

e Pers Th u as i

veness

of

Quality

For a

BEAUTIFUL mantlepiece this

CHRISTMAS www.archivistgallery.com info@archivistgallery.com 16_PG_September 2020.indd 1

01/09/2020 12:08

11_13_17-19_21_23.qxp_9/11/13/15/19/23/25 02/09/2020 19:19 Page 5

NEWS TOP STORY

Masking the art

Cherry Orchard Restructure COP’s sales team elect to become agents “There is no way any of us could have foreseen the immense upheaval which this horrid Covid-19 has and is causing to people’s lives, livelihoods and businesses,” said Jackie Collins, managing director and owner of Cherry Orchard Publishing. “I had envisaged Team Cherry Orchard would have been celebrating Cherry Orchard’s 25th anniversary year, not having to restructure the company to safeguard it for the future,” Jackie added, having recently undergone a consultation process with all members of its sales team. This has resulted in all of its employed sales team being made redundant, but with all five individuals collectively approaching Jackie with their proposal to continue working for the Tewkesbury-based publisher, but as independent sales agents.

The company has been represented in Scotland by two sales agents since February, following the retirement of sales representative, John Clark.

In addition, Fi Douglass-Gibson, the company’s sales director for the last three years

has taken redundancy, but is hoping to remain working in the industry, sharing her 32 years of experience.

Paying tribute to Fiona, Jackie commented: “Fi is an absolute gem, I cannot thank her enough for everything she has done for Cherry Orchard, building wonderful relationships with all the team at Cherry Orchard and Cherry Orchard’s customers. It is with a very heavy heart that we have to lose her and will miss her immensely. I wish her all the best.”

Of the proposal Jackie received from the sales team to become agents following their redundancy, Jackie said that this solution means that “a sense of continuity will prevail. It means that our retail customers will be able to continue their relationship with members of our wonderful sales team, as they transition to become agents. I am very touched how everyone has been so supportive and committed to Cherry Orchard,” added Jackie.

Top: Cherry Orchard Publishing this year celebrates its 25th anniversary.

Left: Fiona Douglass-Gibson has spent the last three years with Cherry Orchard as its director of sales, but has worked in the industry for the last 32 years.

Woodmansterne pulls out of Spring Fair Woodmansterne has taken the decision not to exbibit at Spring Fair due to the uncertainty of ‘normality’ returning by the time of next February’s show that would make its presence beneficial enough to customers or the business to justify the investment.

Woodmansterne has been exhibiting at Spring Fair since 1989 and would be there in 2021 on its impressive stand at the front of the greeting card hall, were it not been for the ongoing effects of the coronavirus.

As Seth Woodmansterne, managing director of Woodmansterne told PG: “Spring Fair is our principal showcase each year, which provides structure and rhythm to our publishing and our publicity.

We always enjoy meeting up with established friends and relish the opportunity to welcome new ones.

Unfortunately, in this climate of uncertainty, we cannot see how things can possibly return to a level of normality that will allow us, or our customers, to benefit from our exhibiting.”

With Spring Fair organisers, Hyvve, understandably needing a commitment from Woodmansterne to secure their prime spot at next February’s show, Seth said that the Watford-based company had “taken the reluctant step to pull out of the 2021 show.”

Seth highlighted that the company would be channelling its “energies to improve the methods and frequency of our communication in many other ways.”

Above: Woodmansterne’s stand at this year’s Spring Fair.

Left: (Left-right) Andy Paterson (Woodmansterne); Jerry and Debbie Brown (First Class Greetings), Sarah Green (Wave/High Tide), Paul Woodmansterne (Woodmansterne) and Guy Mitchell (Wave/High Tide) on Woodmansterne’s stand at this year’s Spring Fair.

In a witty topical move, The Fitzwilliam Museum has ‘repainted’ some its greeting card designs to include masks on some of its famous figurative fine art reproductions. The collection of cards are being sold by the museum with a range of matching face coverings.

The Cambridge-based museum, while closed temporarily during the lockdown, came up with the idea for its Fitzwilliam Masterpieces 2020 Edition, based on the idea of how some of its favourite paintings would be entertaining themselves during this most unusual year.

(See pages 55-59 for more on face coverings) Right: Modern update of preRaphaelite artist John Everett Millais’ The Bridesmaid (1851) from The Fitzwilliam Museum’s new Masterpieces card collection.

Thortful draws on young talent In celebration of the recent Children’s Art Week, online greeting card operator Thortful drew on young talent in hospitals and raised funds for Spread a Smile charity.

Thortful teamed up with the charity to create a new range of cards, which were drawn by children being cared for in hospital. The entire profits from the range (available on www.thortful.com/spread-asmile) are being donated to the charity, which supports the wellbeing of thousands of seriously and terminally ill children and their families throughout their hospital stay and during periods of recuperation and respite at home with hospital visits, art & craft workshops, family outings, events and digital services.

What is most touching is that underneath each of the 16 designs in the range are not only the names and ages of the children who created them, but the person or pet they are dedicated to, from grandparents to best friends, cats to brothers, who the children can't see and cuddle at present. The children’s original drawings were tweaked by Thortful’s community of creative talent to further enhance them.

Above: One of the designs, that one little girl created for her brother who she’s missing.

FOR THE LATEST NEWS VISIT PGBUZZ.net PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE

17

11_13_17-19_21_23.qxp_9/11/13/15/19/23/25 02/09/2020 19:20 Page 6

NEWS TOP STORY

Cardies Predict An Early Xmas Covid or no Covid, get ready for Christmas!

Cardies have been making hay while the sun shines by encouraging early Christmas card sales.

“So many holidays have been cancelled; so many events have been postponed, but Covid or no Covid, Christmas will definitely happen - and after everything we have all been through, we will want to make it one to remember.

Sending Christmas cards will be part of that, so we as an industry should make the most of that,” believes Sonya Haandrikman-Sibald, co-owner of Celebrations, Carlisle. Sonya is among the greeting card retailers who have taken the decision to bring forward the installation of their Christmas card displays this year.

Paul and James Taylor, md and trading director of Cardzone also believe that there is merit in the industry working together to promote buying Christmas cards early to consumers.

“The High Street typically does not launch Christmas until the beginning of October, but we are planning to put our Christmas cards out earlier this year to encourage consumers to buy earlier,” said James. As Paul adds “people are making fewer shopping trips, but are spending more when they do come in, planning ahead.

Everyone wants and needs a good Christmas and we as an industry have an important part to play in this.”

The changing shopping patterns, due to the pandemic with fewer shopping trips as well as fear of the second spike encouraging people to stock up while they

can has led to Christmas displays being brought forward.

“We put 20’ of our Christmas singles, 4’ of boxes/packs and 4’ Christmas gifts out at the beginning of August, a month earlier than usual. There is certainly an underlying anxiety within the community of a second spike, and people have been stocking up while they feel they can, not just on Christmas, but across the board,” says Sonya. “Since we have put out the Christmas stock, it has been selling well.

Christmas is certainly helping people to have hope and to give them something to look forward to.”

IC&G is among the publishers to feature in Celebrations’ Christmas display.

Tony Roberts, director of sales of the Dorset-based publisher said that it was well prepared for early Christmas stocking, keeping its in-house printing presses busy during lockdown to produce its entire Christmas card collection of 400 single counter cards.

“As we had manufactured our Christmas cards, we made them available to our retail customers early. We have had a great reaction and shipped out over £125, 000 worth of Christmas stock in July alone,” Tony told PG. As Simon Wagstaff, joint managing director of IC&G added: “None of us know what is going to happen with regards to the pandemic, but with so many of our retail customers making the most of the ‘shopping local’ habit, it makes sense for them to put out some Christmas cards early if they have space in store.”

Above: The Christmas card display in Celebrations in Carlisle which includes designs from IC&G, Ling, Second Nature, Jonny Javelin, Wendy JonesBlackett, Belly Button and Tracey Russell, amongst others.

Left: One of the 400 IC&G Christmas cards. Even if they received them early, they have until December to settle the invoice.

JL plumps for an early one John Lewis hit the headlines recently as a result of the department store having launched its online Christmas shop, its earliest ever date - some ten days earlier than last year.

With four months still to go until Christmas Eve, John Lewis & Partners launched its online Christmas Shop on www.johnlewis.com. The retailer says it has brought forward the launch in response to the high level of customer searches on its website for Christmas products, which so far this month are already up 370% on last year. Christmas cards were right up there near the top of the most searched for products, alongside Christmas trees, baubles, wrapping paper and lights.

Predicting a festive bonanza, Jason Billings-Cray, John Lewis’ buyer responsible for packaged Christmas cards and other Christmas products, said: “Christmas always provides a reason for celebration and a welcome break. Understandably it looks as if people are looking forward to and planning for it earlier than ever this year.”

Views on the news l Sue Rodgers, who co-owns More Than Just Cards, in Sheffield’s Chapeltown with her husband Mike, took

up the option to put a selection of Christmas cards on display, and they are selling.

“As the IC&G Christmas cards arrived at the end of July and we had some from Jonny Javelin, we decided to try putting out an initial 4’ display for customers, using the space we usually dedicate to wedding cards,” explains Sue. “Customers are definitely buying cards much further in advance than prelockdown, and this will probably continue through to Christmas,” adds Sue. Right: Sue Rodgers in front of the Christmas card display in More Than Just Cards.

l Joe Gadjic, owner of Special Occasions, Ferndown is another indie who has gone out early on the Christmas front: “I view Christmas first and foremost as a religious festival, but due to the coronavirus and the social distancing safety requirements, I put out 20’ of Christmas cards in August. Yes, some customers have been surprised, but when I explain it is for their welfare as we may not be able to accommodate as many people at the displays closer to Christmas, they appreciate what we are doing,” said Joe. Left: The Christmas display in Special Occasions, Ferndown.

FOR THE LATEST NEWS VISIT PGBUZZ.net 18

PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE

11_13_17-19_21_23.qxp_9/11/13/15/19/23/25 02/09/2020 19:20 Page 7

NEWS TOP STORY

“Start Buying Stuff or We’re All Screwed!” States Scribbler Scribbler’s Marketing Campaign Hits Home Forget fancy subliminal messages with subtle undertones in times of need. Scribbler has taken the ‘bull by the horns’ and rammed home the message to customers in no uncertain terms that they need to get their wallets out, empty their piggybanks and flex their credit cards in shops.

“Start buying stuff or we’re all screwed” is the mantra at the heart of Scribbler’s current consumer campaign, unleashed on posters in the stores’ windows as well as on its social media channels last month.

As John Procter, co-owner of the business quipped: “This seems an equally appropriate tagline to be adopted by our chaotic Government right now too!”

This marketing, together with other, more quirky incarnations, handwritten on A-boards positioned outside the Scribbler shops, tie-in with the retailer’s dramatic sale, offering products up to 75% off gifts.

The upfront activity has resulted in a positive response from Scribbler’s many consumer fans who have been taking photos of themselves with the A-boards and posting the pictures on social media.

As John told PG: “We’ve had a great reaction from the public, who seem to like the approach we’ve taken.”

While he confirmed that “card sales have been pretty good” the sale is intended to help clear out the current gift stock so that the Christmas selection can go on display.

On trade generally, John described it as “patchy”. While, he says “some stores are doing OK-ish”, such as its shops in Manchester and Leeds, trading around 55% of the level pre-lockdown, there are some in central London “that are a disaster, due to the lack of office workers or tourists.” As John sums up: “It is what it is. We will struggle through, but there are some sizeable bumps in the road.”

Above: Scribbler has not held back with its marketing messaging!

Left: A Lionel Richie inspired sale message from Scribbler.

Over 31,000 UKG cards raise funds for the NHS UK Greetings has been living up to its altruistic tagline - ‘we make the world a more thoughtful & caring place, every single day’ - in more ways than one of late.

The Dewsbury-based greeting card publisher has been raising funds for the NHS, through the sales of over 31,000 specially produced greeting cards (all profits going to the NHS Charities Together Covid19 Urgent Appeal, thanks to Wrapid printing them for free).

In addition, the company has also repurposed a major car park at its Dewsbury headquarters to allow it to be used as a Covid-19 testing centre.

Following a spike in the number of people

contracting the Coronavirus in the area where the publisher is based, when Kirklees Council approached UK Greetings, to see if it could provide space for an NHS Walk-in Test Centre, the company had no hesitations in providing the facility free of charge.

Commenting, James Conn, ceo of UK Greetings said: “The centres are critical to the community within which we operate. It’s a very busy and bustling town with businesses large and small and having densely populated residential areas. The walk-in centres make it easier for people without cars to get tested too.”

Above: The facility for the Covid-19 testing centre and production of the special charity card are just two ways UKG is supporting the NHS and the community at large.

Paperlink pulls out of brokerage schemes for indies Paperlink is to cease supplying independent retailers via brokerage schemes for the foreseeable future. The card publisher has recently given notice to W-Select (Woodmansterne’s brokerage arm), but is also not working with Waterwells (GBCC’s brokerage) nor is involved with UKG’s brokerage service to indies.

“We believe now is the time for us to really support independent retailers and work closely with them to ensure they have the best selection of products for their customers,” Louise Tighe, managing director of Paperlink told PG. “We have a dedicated sales force who are out there for our many independent retail customers, listening to their needs and sharing our best sellers. Now is a tough time for all, and many retailers are operating on reduced staff, but we are here to help,” she added.

Louise is however a big advocate of planned displays and Paperlink is more than happy to continue to work with publishers on building displays for indies.

Above: A recent design from Paperlink.

“I believe planning works as it is a partnership between the retailer and the publishers involved in their plan.

Brokerage, by its very nature, is inevitably skewed towards the broker’s interest. Like many other businesses out there, Covid-19 has made us all look at what and how we operate, our profit margins and what is important to us. Having more intimate relationships with our independent customers and/or being directly involved with them alongside other publishers in a planned display makes sense, now more than ever, helping us all to get through this testing period together,” underlines Louise.

Paperlink will however continue to supply multiples through the various brokerage schemes. “I fully appreciate that due to the size of multiples’ respective estates and the logistical complexities which the merchandising of greeting cards presents, brokerage offers a solution to provide a broad selection of card designs to their customers, and we will continue to work with brokers on this,” clarifies Louise.

FOR THE LATEST NEWS VISIT PGBUZZ.net PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE

19

00_PG_September 2020.indd 1

24/08/2020 15:44

11_13_17-19_21_23.qxp_9/11/13/15/19/23/25 03/09/2020 11:11 Page 9

NEWS TOP STORY

Nigel Quiney Publications’ And Paper Rose’s Sales Teams To Merge Reggie Pugh, Paper Rose’s creative director is made redundant The Nigel Quiney Publications, and Paper Rose sales teams have been merged. From 24 August, the new merged Nigel Quiney/Paper Rose sales team started offering products from both companies to the two companies’ collective independent retail customers. The sales team will continue to be a mix of fulltime sales territory managers and agents, dependent on the geographical area. (Grass Roots however will continue to be represented by sales agents.)

This forms part of an ongoing restructuring within the Paper Design Group, which acquired the Simon Elvin group (including Nigel Quiney Publications, Paper Rose, Glick, Polytint and Simon Elvin) at the start of the year.

Ian Jackson, ceo of Paper Design Group explained that “sadly” the restructure “has resulted in some redundancies within Paper Rose, and we would like to thank all those involved for their hard work and loyalty over the past years.”

Explaining the rationale behind the group’s changing structure, Ian said: “While many of these changes were part of our long-term strategy, the impact of Covid19 on the retail sector has undoubtedly accelerated their implementation. Regrettably, to protect the businesses from the possibility of even tougher times ahead, we needed to act now rather than later.”

As part of this, Reggie Pugh, who has been creative director of Paper Rose for the last 16 years, is to leave the business in October. Paying tribute to Reggie, Ian stressed how she has “played a key role in developing the Paper Rose ranges over the past 16 years. Everyone at Paper Rose wishes her well for the future.”

Continuing her expanded role, Alison Butterworth (continuing md of Nigel Quiney) is to now also manage sales and product development for both Paper Rose and Nigel Quiney, with John Lowey overseeing finance and operations in both businesses.

Alison will be supported in the management of the companies’ larger retail customers by Jenny Weare, previously national accounts manager of Nigel Quiney Publications.

Ian Jackson told PG that the “intention is that Paper Rose will remain as a selftrading entity in Nottingham, distributing Paper Rose and Grass Roots” while Nigel Quiney will continue to operate from Saffron Walden.

Above: Ian Jackson, ceo of Paper Design Group.

Middle Paper Rose’s Spring Seasons 2021 catalogue has just been published.

Left: Reggie Pugh, the longstanding creative director of Paper Rose is to leave the business in October.

BLE Goes Virtual Global licensing trade show Brand Licensing Europe (BLE) will not be taking place as a physical show this October. Instead, it will be transitioning to form part of a new global event - the Festival of Licensing - which will run over a four week period, from October 6-29.

The event will feature four regionally tailored events in key licensing territories, with a two or three day focus in each area.

“We want Festival of Licensing to offer amazing experiences for everyone who joins us,” comments Anna Knight, Global Licensing Group’s vice president.

The Festival will conclude with Licensing Leadership Summit taking place on October 28-29.

Visit www.festivaloflicensing.com for more information.

Lark and Halls both message ‘Where You Shop Matters’ Greeting card retailers, Lark London and Halls of Llandaff are among the independent retailers to star in Visa’s current Where You Shop Matters campaign.

Pete Hall (owner of Halls) and Lark’s owners, Priya and Dominic Aurora-Crowe appear in specially shot videos commissioned by Visa as part of the credit card company’s commitment to help 50 million small businesses globally to adapt due to changes caused by the pandemic.

The hefty marketing campaign from Visa straddles both encouraging consumers to support independent businesses as well as helping small business to adapt to the changing circumstances, such as by embracing online opportunities.

In a film, shot in one of their six card, gift and lifestyle stores in South London, Lark’s Priya and Dominic, share how, when lockdown happened, they diverted their efforts to developing their online presence, using Shopify.

“We agreed to be involved with the filming as our feeling is that any publicity is good,” Priya told PG. “It has definitely helped us get on the radar,” she added.

As Priya said on the film: “Times like these are tough for us small businesses. So, let’s get the high street online and remind the country that where you shop matters.”

For Pete Hall, owner of Cardiff-based Halls card shop, his film appearance is something of a sequel as he also featured in Visa’s pre-Christmas campaign to prompt the public to support indies.

This time though, Pete shares the spotlight with three other retailers, who collectively deliver the message that while they have adapted to the changing circumstances to continue to serve the local community, they now need the support of the public, signing off with the message: “Now, more than ever, where you shop matters”.

Visa’s research details that, nine out of ten (92%) small businesses report that shoppers are spending less time browsing, compared to pre-lockdown levels. However, on the positive front, over three quarters (76%) reported that shoppers are visiting their store to buy product.

Top: Lark London’s co-owners, husband and wife team Dom and Priya Aurora-Crowe on the Visa film.

Above: Pete Hall, owner of Halls of Llandaff was the ‘poster boy’ in Visa’s activities preChristmas too.

FOR THE LATEST NEWS VISIT PGBUZZ.net PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE

21

22_PG_September 2020.indd 1

27/08/2020 14:51

11_13_17-19_21_23.qxp_9/11/13/15/19/23/25 02/09/2020 19:21 Page 11

NEWS TOP STORY

Flying Start For Waitrose’s Replan A double-digit sales increase for the new card selection Waitrose’s overhauled selection of greeting cards, which has just been installed in around 340 stores, is performing very well, with the retailer already reporting a “double digit” sales increase.

“It has been a journey, but we are delighted to have launched the Waitrose replan with a great reaction from customers,” exclaimed Sarah Moughtin, who is responsible for buying greeting cards, giftwrap, stationery and partyware for Waitrose as well as John Lewis department stores.

The new replan coincides with Woodmansterne taking over as

The Retas 2020 cancelled for this year

broker/category manager for the grocery retailer from Hallmark.

The new selection includes greeting cards from around 33 different card publishers. As to what Sarah feels differentiates the new cornucopia from Waitrose’s previous card displays, she cites “Some fun contemporary designs and a nice chunk of humour” as being the most likely to “stand out as the biggest change and are already proving popular with customers!”.

Things are also looking encouraging on the greeting card front in John Lewis.

“I'm pleased to say that card sales in JL are recovering well in branches with an amazing week’s trade last week,” revealed Sarah. “We will also be looking at our online selection through a new lens to ensure our customers can complete their gifting journey,” she added.

Above: New greeting card displays have gone into 340 Waitrose stores.

Left: The new card collection, brokered by Woodmansterne, includes designs from around 33 different publishers.

It is with great sadness that the organisers of The Retas 2020 greeting card retailer awards (Max Publishing) announce that the awards have been cancelled for this year due to the ramifications of Covid-19. The awards event had been pushed back to November 11, from their original date in July, in the hope that these respected annual awards would happen.

“For everyone’s sake, we so wanted The Retas to be able to go ahead, but in our heart of hearts knew that the immense upheaval caused by the ongoing pandemic and the ramifications on retailers’ businesses makes the judging of these prestigious awards highly problematic,” explained Jakki Brown, joint managing director of Max Publishing, which owns and organises The Retas. “In order to maintain the integrity of the awards, we have taken the incredibly difficult decision to cancel The Retas 2020.

We commiserate with all our wonderful retailers who have taken the time and trouble to enter and thank all our sponsors for their understanding in supporting this decision, with their sponsorship carrying over to next year. Rest assured, we will make sure that The Retas 2021 will be one to remember, when we will all be able to really enjoy celebrating together,” added Warren Lomax, joint managing director of Max Publishing.

The Retas 2021 awards event will revert back to the historic July dateline (specific date to be announced), and the entry and nomination process will commence in early Spring next year.

Exam results fiasco affects card sales With no wedding season of any stature to ring the tills this Summer, greeting card retailers were hopeful that sales of ‘exam’ congratulations cards would make the grade. However, the fiasco of A level results, the U-turn on GCSEs and results of BTecs delayed while flaws in the algorithm were recalibrated, all this controversy impacted on card retailers who noted a ‘downgrading’ in the volume of cards generally bought for the event.

“Sales of exam congrats cards seemed a lot slower this year. The wording ‘congratulations on passing your exams’ just doesn’t really fit the situation,” said Penny Bailey, co-owner of the Bailey’s group of four card shops (in Southport, Ainsdale, Crosby and Maghull). Her own card sending was reflective of the unusual tone of exam results season. “I ended up sending a general Congratulations card to my son to mark him getting into Uni - it just seemed more appropriate. Poor kids...who’d have thought the pandemic would throw up so many problems,” said Penny.

A more general buying approach was also been evident in Inklings in Hungerford. As Fiona Haddrell, owner said: “We have sold lots of general ‘Congratulations’ and ‘Well Done’ cards rather than the ‘your hard work has paid off’, “Congratulations on your Exam Results’ type of captions.”

Above: A display of exam congrats The consensus for the shop’s customers is that people have still wanted to say well done, but also to acknowledge that cards, in prime position in Inklings. this is a bit of a different year.

“I really feel for the young ones who were waiting for their results. To have the whole fiasco played out in the national press and then not to be sure that what you were awarded is what you might have achieved should you have been able to do the exams, must have been very difficult,” said Fiona.

Sarah Green, co-owner of High Tide in Southwold and Wave in Bungay described the shops’ exam congratulations sales as having been “subdued. Normally people buy them in advance, in anticipation of good results, but this certainly didn’t happen this year,” undoubtedly partly due to the confusion and upset surrounding the way the results have been awarded.

FOR THE LATEST NEWS VISIT PGBUZZ.net PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE

23

24-25_muk.qxp_Grid 01/09/2020 13:03 Page 24

OVER THE

COUNTER

BY DAVID ROBERTSON OF JP POZZI, ELGIN AND BUCKIE.

Climb Every

Mountain During lockdown one of the highlights were the inspirational people who undertook challenges raising huge funds for charities in the process.

Most notable were Captain Tom’s and 9-year old Ethan Beardow’s (a young lad with cerebral palsy) epic walks for the NHS and to pay for funerals for coronavirus victims respectively.

Many of us loved following these feats of endeavour; they focused our minds away from the constant worry Covid-19 was causing to people’s lives and businesses.

The latest challenge of this ilk that has come to my attention was a trio of local women climbing Bennachie (Scottish mountain) 17 times in 30 hours to emulate a climb of Everest. However, they are not the only ones though who have faced mountains to climb in these arduous times!

I followed with great admiration all the lockdown feats of physical endurance and the Bennachie one is the kind of thing I keep saying to myself that I want to do. The reality is that I still haven’t had a day off since before lockdown (November is looking likely for this event!). I haven’t yet made the time to go for a walk every day, but I will start tomorrow. It will be a step forward in the right direction!

The mountain analogy is often used in business - whether it is about conquering rocky ground, confronting steep challenges or the difficulties we face in our quest to reach the summit. At the moment, just being able to even get on the mountain is a small blessing. This got me thinking about a quote from famous climber Sir Edmund Hillary who said: “It is not the mountain we conquer, but ourselves”.

Having the focus and the determination to come back stronger is something of which indie business owners are famed. That is certainly being put to the test right now.

I have lost count of the number of times people have asked me how am I getting on? How are things picking up? The natural reaction is of course to give a standard stock answer. “Fine, challenging, same as everyone else, getting our share, footfall is poor, but improving”.

24

PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE

Above: Bennachie, the Scottish mountain that was climbed 17 times recently by a tenacious group of women to raise money for mental health charity, Brothers in Arms.

Left: Captain Tom and Ethan Beardow are among the inspirational individuals who have come to light during this pandemic.

The truth is that everyone’s personal situation is different and everyone’s business will be different. Indeed, within our different stores the answer and situation can be quite different, even with only 17 miles between all our buildings.

The strength of your mind is and will be crucial and that is what Hillary meant. He believed that as you climb you conquer your challenge within yourself.

Covid-19 has weakened so many businesses, even those that were previously never under any threat. I have watched M&S, John Lewis and others warn of huge job losses and bespoke stores such as Harvey Nichols admit that they still can’t open their full estate.

The general consensus is that garden centres and out of town destinations are getting a decent turn while High Street locations, especially those in heavily populated areas are struggling. The elusive ‘they’ are saying that market towns and smaller indie shops are reaping some benefits from those who want to support local and not enter the more populated ‘risky’ stores. Is this really true or just perception?

I spoke earlier of a stock answer something which doesn’t give too much away or offend anyone, but what I don’t think you should or can do is give a false positive. Don’t say that things are good if they are not.

Mental strength is one thing - denial is another. As with all mental health issues, accepting where you are now, how you feel and what you are going to do is a huge step towards dealing with it.

24-25_muk.qxp_Grid 01/09/2020 13:03 Page 25

OVER THE COUNTER We are all under a huge amount of pressure so we don’t really need to know about others. Your situation is not theirs and theirs is not yours. It is however human nature to compare, but it is not a healthy thing to do.

In business too it is easy to look at other places and think they are more successful than you.

To avoid making us feel even more vulnerable I use the following checklist to try and keep that part of my personality in check: l Become aware of your triggers - if it is a certain person or page that really makes you feel under pressure simply avoid them where you can. l Remind yourself that someone else’s outsides can’t be compared to your inside. You are only seeing a snapshot, not the whole picture so you can’t really judge. l Money is not the stick to measure happiness - again you have no idea what debt is being serviced or truly what the numbers are. l Be grateful for what you have as opposed to worrying about what others have. l Use comparison as a motivation in terms of wanting to be more helpful or generous or understanding as opposed to it being simply about being better.

President Franklin D Roosevelt said that, “comparison is the thief of joy” but sadly it is only natural to make comparisons, but you need to try and keep it in check, now more than ever and see it through a filter somehow.

One business I have always looked to compare myself to in terms of the way it acts is John Lewis. It is not in the same

Above: John Lews’ chairman Sharon White knows full well that the demands of the retail group has changed radically since the Swinging Sixties!

Below left: JP Pozzi is one of the 85,000 new website entrants.

Below right: The Picnic Box has been a surprising star product from the JP Pozzi website.

league as our business, so is ‘safe’ territory for me!

The “Never Knowingly Undersold” retailer (though its tagline now under threat) and its strong focus on staff and customers has taken a few knocks in recent months.

I believe John Lewis, despite a difficult ascent ahead, should be able to reach the summit.

Under the guidance of its new chairman Sharon White, the retailer accepts it needs to change, as a result of, in her words, “having lost their way”. She has a new team at the top of JL/Waitrose and is looking at refocusing on core values and having more cross pollination.

So, out go travel, spa and a downgrade of woman’s fashion. In comes a fresh new look to bricks and mortar; a more inspiring curated look. She wants less ‘stuff and stack’ and more wow. Virtual room styling, better customer care, a home first centre along with better customer experience, such as roof top cafe are all changes that are underway.

The emphasis will be on digital first due to the huge rises of online purchasing in lockdown, which, in itself is not good for the high street, nor is the closing of a number of their stores.

They want to build a deeper knowledge of their customer (something indies do very well), linking sales such as offering a children’s ISA to a couple they know have just had a baby.

Big marketing pushes on Christmas and ethical retailing are to come with more radical ideas, such as furniture rental to tie in with the modern idea of subscription rather than outright purchase.

Time will of course tell what of these new ideas stick and there will be learnings that we as indies can take from this to improve our services and what we offer.

John Lewis knows that it now also has 85,000 new competitors online of which we are now one. This grand figure is the estimate of businesses that have gone online in the UK in the last five months.

Going online, if not a ‘mountain to climb’ has been a steep incline to ascend! We launched our retail site pozzibijou.com a few weeks ago, our online store echoing the feel, look and service of our stores. We have been working on this for a long time, but have accelerated its progress, trying to judge the investment needed with the return we think we will get. In essence, we don’t make or have our own product, so we are competing with everyone across their own sites and of course the likes of Amazon and others.

Thus far, while the sales from our new site have not been amazing, the customer feedback has been excellent.

Interestingly, our big success so far has been our take-home picnic box of foodie treats. This has had our largest response ever on social media and has made us rethink how we move forward. It has driven clicks and sales on the web because it has hit a perfect pathway for our customers. It is our great local food served in a quirky way that they can eat outside or at home.

The climb to the top as they say is never necessarily the route that you expect to take!

As rock climber, mountaineer, author and filmmaker Greg Child summed up: “Somewhere between the bottom of the climb and the summit is the answer to the mystery why we climb…”

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

25

26-27_muk.qxp_Layout 1 01/09/2020 13:14 Page 26

cardsharp

Sex In The

City?

Despite the apocalyptic predictions about the death of UK city centres, Cardsharp does believe that eventually they will recover, and the announcement of their death is premature. The big question is will that recovery be too late for many of our key card retailers? Cardsharp hopes not, but it is up to those in the greeting card trade to actually make a difference and take a lead.

To Cardsharp’s mind, no one in the greeting card trade could have failed to be moved by Cards Galore director Rumit Shah’s plea on BBC News, for the public to make a return to city centres. His open letter was an unashamed pleading for people to try and help save the business, founded by his uncle Rajesh over 30 years ago, that he and his colleagues have sweated blood and tears for over the last three decades.

Likewise, for all its quirky bravado, Scribbler’s upfront marketing message: “Start buying stuff again or we’re all screwed”, also hit home.

And then there’s the plight of Paperchase, whose continued survival is reliant on a return to commuter travel and city centre footfall. While there were more than a few ‘ouches’ of pain as card publishers gave in to the unexpected requests of retro discounts from the design-led retailer, the goodwill has been there on both sides.

26

PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE

Paperchase has done its best to get the message across that needs must and is trying to play fair with suppliers in these most horrendous of times.

Even previous ‘City Darling’, WHSmith has been forced to go cap in hand to its investors asking for extra cash as its travel division, which has been something of a

Above: No social distancing when Sex in the City was all the rage!

Below: An empty Cards Galore shop, which has become the norm as city folk are WFH. Bottom: The upfront messaging of Scribbler’s latest sale.

‘cash cow’ for the PLC in recent years, not surprisingly it has seen revenues plummet as consumers and commuters have avoided airports and transport hubs.

And, as Cardsharp pens this, posh sandwich retailer Pret a Manger, formerly a bastion of success and ‘home from home’ eatery for many en route to work or during lunchtime, has just announced the slashing of a massive 2,800 jobs after experiencing a 60% drop in sales in the last five months.

Cardsharp, right from the start of this crisis, has not been afraid to nail his colours to the wall. He believes that whatever the tragic number of deaths from this appalling pandemic it will never be equal to the loss of life resulting from suicides, heart attacks, lack of cancer treatments and mental health issues that may happen as a result. As Cardsharp pointed out last month, the chances of anyone under the age of 50 dying from Covid-19 without pre-existing health conditions is so statistically small that it does not even register.

Now, reflects Cardsharp, whatever the rights and wrongs of the past few months, we desperately need to get people back to their offices, if not every day, then as much as humanly and safely possible. Otherwise there will be no Paperchase, WHSmith, Scribbler, Oliver Bonas or Cards Galore to sell cards to the public. And if that becomes the case, what becomes of the supply base and all the publishers that rely on them for their livelihood?

Cardsharp saw a newspaper headline recently that read, ‘One person’s ‘working from home’ is another’s P45’ and he totally agrees. It’s all very well us bemoaning socalled ‘lazy civil servants’ sitting at home, supposedly in their pyjamas not doing much, but we can’t in the greeting industry cast aspersions unless we take a lead.

26-27_muk.qxp_Layout 1 01/09/2020 13:14 Page 27

Cardsharp has heard through the grapevine that some larger greeting card publishers are not anticipating opening their offices until the new year. That hardly sets an example or gives moral support to the likes of poor Rumit and others, who depend on commuters and office workers.

And those companies themselves have a duty to think of all the other hardworking people who will lose their livelihoods and then be unable to buy our greeting cards, not because they don’t want to, but because they won’t be able to afford to! Taxi drivers, sandwich makers, shop assistants, dry cleaners, restauranteurs, publicans and the like.

Putting food on the table and paying the rent will be their priority.

Working from home must, in Cardsharp’s view, become a temporary

expedient, but surely not our way of life.

Cities and major towns are the arteries of our modern life. All human development from ancient Babylon, Athens and Rome has emerged from urban centres. Without them there can be no progress and as an economy, an industry and indeed as a civilization, we will be so much poorer. As an amateur historian, Cardsharp knows that the decline and fall of the Roman Empire, was not caused, as some people think, by a mass invasion of blood thirsty Vandals, Huns and Goths, or sexual and moral depravity, but in fact by the slow abandonment of a vibrant urban city lifestyle, in favour of a more supposedly gentle pastoral living.

So, what can we do?

To Cardsharp’s mind, the fact that the schools are going back with full pupil attendance will undoubtably help. But he

feels the government needs to start bashing some heads and confront the unions and insist that civil servants too need to be back at their desks. From our industry’s point of view, where appropriate, staff need to start going into the office more regularly. Not just on the supplier side, but on the retailer side as well. It’s no good retailers complaining about lack of urban footfall if most of their office staff are home working.

And it would help, reflects Cardsharp, if retailers started to welcome and encourage socially distanced face to face meetings in and around office locations. How can we in the greeting card industry encourage people to get out there and buy greeting cards if we are not doing our damndest to encourage it?

And, mused Cardsharp it is not just for purely financial motives that we need to get people back to offices and city centres.

Without physical and social interaction, human existence is a very unhealthy hollow shell. The more our endorphins are boosted by positive social interactions, generally the healthier we are.

This ironically boosts our immunity so much that it makes us less susceptible to getting the virus or other diseases in the first place.

And you only have to look at the very high level of human longevity in small towns in southern Italy where there are more recorded daily social interactions than anywhere else globally to see it leads to a long healthy active lifestyle.

Online greeting card sales were a real boon in the height of lockdown, but so many greeting card enthusiasts that Cardsharp has spoken to have said buying

Above: A Danilo licensed card, based on the popular Friends series.

Left: This is what a square in London’s City used to look like at lunchtime, now it’s deserted.

Bottom All ancient civilizations emerged from urban centres.

them online was a pretty inadequate substitute to going into a real physical shop. The very act of browsing, making a choice and then interacting with the person at the till makes it a much more fulfilling experience.

And, concludes Cardsharp, by not going into offices and bonding with colleagues, we are not forming those special relationships that lead to lasting loves and friendships. And if these are not forged, who are we going to send greeting cards too, other than our immediate family? And even if we had those existing relationships before Covid, will they not wither and eventually die without the nourishment of constant refreshment?

We must never forget we are social animals and from a selfish point of view that is what drives and sustains our greeting card industry. Everything great in our human existence and development comes from urbanity. Just look at the great television series of the last few decades that city living and working has inspired Friends, Only Fools and Horses, Frasier and Sex in the City to name a few. Cardsharp can’t really imagine an alternative 2020 version ‘Sex sitting lonely in my pants in front of a computer screen’ - being very popular.

Cardsharp hopes that, for the good of our industry and society in general that city slickers as well as city slackers soon return to their offices.

PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE

27

PG AD AUG 2020.indd 1 00_PG_September 2020.indd 1

18/08/2020 14:38 24/08/2020 15:41

29_31_33_muk.qxp_Grid 01/09/2020 14:37 Page 29

VIEWPOINTS

An Orderly

Fashion

Below: Just as social distanced queuing has become order of the day in shops so new procedures have been adopted by retailers placing orders.

With all the trade shows cancelled, social distancing requirements and flexi-furloughing still in place, the ‘normal’ patterns of showcasing of new greeting card ranges and retailers’ placing of orders has been disrupted.

PG checks in with some leading greeting card retailers to learn more about their current ordering procedures, how they are sourcing products as well as the pluses and minuses of the new scenario.

Penny Bailey co-owner of Bailey’s in Southport, Ainsdale, Crosby and Maghull Changes: “I already did much of my ordering online, though this has definitely increased post-lockdown. I like the flexibility of being able to order in the evenings or weekends as that sometimes suits me better.

I also love a good catalogue, but they seem to have reduced in number. Many companies are now sending electronic copies and while I understand why, it's not as easy to flick backwards and forwards and you can't scribble on them the same!

Having said that, nothing beats seeing cards in real life. Getting a feel for the quality of the board, the added gems or foil, any embossing, the lovely envelopes, all persuade me to buy.”

Face to face: “I have only physically met three reps/agents face to face since reopening, which is fewer than usual. Although Above: Penny Bailey at home (where she now does most of her ordering) with The Art File I've missed some of the face Christmas samples she was glad to receive. to face contact and catching up on the gossip, the social distancing measures means it would never be as much fun, so, for now, I'm happy to keep in touch via phone and email.”

Sourcing: “Finding new goodies has been a bit more tricky, so I'm relying on my existing suppliers and building on what I know does well for us. I chat with friends in the business and we trade ideas and any new finds. I'm probably using Instagram more for inspiration and I find Progressive Greetings a great help.

I was kindly asked to judge The Henries awards and as a result I've spotted some wonderful new card ranges there, which is great.”

Positive steps: “I had a fab box of Christmas samples arrive from The Art File. It really helped me put my order together and I have probably ordered more than I'd planned to because of that.

I've also been grateful to the many publishers offering lower thresholds for carriage paid orders. It means I've been able to top-up ranges sooner and keep the card racks and spinners nice and full.”

Any missed tricks?: “Everyone is trying to get through this as best as they can and we're all facing different challenges but the companies who have been proactively keeping in touch with us from the start have, naturally, had more business from us.”

Miles Robinson partner of House of Cards, a group of six shops in the Home Counties: Changes: “Strange times! Our stores and warehouse are ordering more online, by phone and email, which is quite a fundamental change for the moment. I think this will be the new way and will be here to stay, certainly for some time yet.”

Face to face: “While initially we didn’t allow reps into our stores due to safety/number of people in the branches, we changed our policy on rep visits (from 6 July) once the government guidance was to encourage people to go back to work, but we are seeing very few.

Those companies whose salesforces have been proactive in contacting and come in well prepared with PPE etc, are the ones we will see, subject to our rules/guidance on how visits must take place.

Our managers are quite happy not seeing many reps at the Left: House of Cards’ coowners’ Miles Robinson (left) and Nigel Williamson in their flagship store in Wallingford.

PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE

29

On the New Product Launch AW/20

REGISTER NOW AT: widdop.co.uk/brightsideshow

27th August - 11th October

by

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

00_PG_September 2020.indd 1

24/08/2020 15:45

29_31_33_muk.qxp_Grid 01/09/2020 14:37 Page 31

VIEWPOINTS moment and have only done so when absolutely necessary. We are not going to force this issue as everyone needs to feel comfortable.

The same goes for Nigel [Williamson, Miles’ business partner] doing the main group gift buying as he is now doing a lot by phone, email etc.”

The lack of face to face contact is definitely one of the hardest changes, but I think most understand that if we all do our bit and have as little contact as possible the quicker life will come back. The last thing any of us want is another lockdown!”

Sourcing: “We are sourcing from existing suppliers, by paying attention to the trade adverts in Progressive Greetings/on PG Buzz as well as word of mouth.”

Positive steps: “Many publishers have been busy during lockdown creating new ranges and many brilliant lockdown cards (you know who you are!). These will give Thinking of You Week a serious boost this year.”

Any missed tricks?: “I think quite a few publishers have been very slow to wake up, unprepared on how to deal with customers now and some can’t even give us anyone to deal with yet! The proactive, well prepared publishers will win through this no doubt.”

Above: House of Cards’ Wallingford branch.

Sally Matson owner of Red Card, Petworth, Sussex: Changes: “Towards the end of lockdown I started requesting companies to email and post me catalogues and I placed orders directly to ensure the shop was ready to open with great new ranges.

Since we reopened on 15 June I started seeing reps and agents again. I am lucky to have an office space where we can sit with the patio doors wide open and also socially distance, so this has worked very well. This means that my buying habits have not had to change much at all, which is a relief as I missed face to face contact with the wonderful people who bring me lovely cards so much over lockdown!”

Sourcing: “Having no trade shows Harrogate, PG Live, Autumn Fair and Top Drawer - meant being asked to join the judging panel of The Henries a bit of a saviour actually, as I have found a few lovely new companies via this avenue.

Having no trade shows is making gift buying for the festive season pretty challenging. Spotting trends and picking up those small interesting things to fill the shelves is really tricky. I am doing as much research as I can online and have managed a couple of days out visiting towns with lovely independent shops to get a feel for what ‘newness’ is around.”

Positive steps: “I always find myself commenting on the superior service my smaller publishers offer. They have come up trumps again during and post lockdown, many offering discounts and extended credit. This has made a real difference. Three of these

Samantha Gibbs owner of Nest, a trio of card and gift shops in Stoneygate, Broughton Astley and Thurlaston: Changes: “I would say we have been ordering as many cards as usual and possibly been introducing new ranges in earlier.”

Face to face: “I don’t tend to see reps as a rule because I am not based in the shops but instead am based at the warehouse. I do miss finding the new companies via the trade shows, as then once the initial order has been done for the shops, I pass the responsibility on for the repeat orders.”

Face to face: “I absorb so much at trade shows and really value the time I spend at them, so really miss that face to face contact. I now fully appreciate how valuable the trade shows are and am hoping that they will resume as soon as possible. I do not want the new normal to stay normal!”

Sourcing: “It is so unfortunate that there are no trade shows.

While I appreciate the freedom that the internet gives you and the time it frees up, I would not want to go without the trade shows forever, I can’t wait to get back to sourcing face to face!

In the meantime, I have been pleasantly surprised at the number of new ranges our suppliers have launched.”

Left: Samantha Gibbs, owner of the three Nest card and gift shops in the Leicestershire area.

Continued on page 33

companies (Rosie Made a Thing, Caroline Gardner and Lucilla Lavender) the stock has sold through so quickly that I have done repeat orders. Wendy Jones-Blackett also deserves a mention as I changed the delivery date on an order I placed pre lockdown at least three times and it still arrived when I asked for it with a big chunk of extended credit.

Maria McKenna is one of my favourite agents/reps and her assistance coming out of lockdown was fantastic. Maria obviously has a great relationship with the companies she represents so is in a position to make a phone call and get cards out quickly when they are really needed. Special thanks to Green Pebble too for opening a new account for me and getting a huge order out within 48 hours.

I received other calls from agents/reps asking how we were as we were coming out of lockdown and these were hugely appreciated.”

Any missed tricks?: “There have been some publishers that have made personal contact a priority; have sent letters acknowledging the challenging times and offering to help however they can to get us open and busy again, which has been great.

I think the publishers who haven’t acknowledged these extraordinary times have definitely missed a trick as I have no doubt they will see a downturn in their orders.”

Left: Sally Matson, behind the Perspex screen at the Red Card till area.

Above: Sally took to Instagram in her thanks to Dandelion Stationery for the continuous supply of great designs during and post lockdown.

PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE

31

00_PG_September 2020.indd 1

25/08/2020 16:01

29_31_33_muk.qxp_Grid 01/09/2020 14:37 Page 33

VIEWPOINTS Positive steps: “For Nest there are two standout stars and it is no surprise as we are constantly grateful for having these guys as part of the family. The first is Think of Me for the continuity of service and the quality of its new ranges (including the amazing new designs). I am so happy our card racks have been graced with this company’s gorgeous cards for years and we truly wouldn’t want to be without them.

The second, without question is Rosie Made A Thing. Rosie deserves a medal for her amazing response to the pandemic - for the imagery she produced to aid retailers with the signage we would need once opening again and for her incredible Lockdown range which meant the shops couldn’t have looked more current in the new climate.

It was an amazing response and we are really grateful to her.”

Any missed tricks?: “ I think everyone is doing their best given the situation!”

Andrea Pinder owner of Presentation, Barrowford, Lancashire: Changes: “I run a stock ticket system for my card display so nothing has really changed with regards ordering cards.

However, any telesales Above: Andrea Pinder placing an order with sales agent Lewis Holmes. service is obviously better if the person taking the orders is kept up to date with new ranges. I have found online ordering is rather time consuming for me.”

Face to face: “For most of my agents it’s been business as usual. I’m very lucky to have the space to do my buying meetings in my bistro attached to Presentation, meaning I can do social distancing with agents. I have though missed some sales representatives due to them being furloughed for an extended period and of course this means I have not seen many new products in the flesh.”

Sourcing: “Due to there being no trade fairs I have to look online, rely on agents and reps who are working and being supplied with information on new products and designs.”

Positive steps: “During the pandemic there have clearly been some very busy designers and publishers, who have been working hard to bring out new ranges to keep our card selections looking fresh.

Our ‘card room’ has never been as busy. This is due to new customers that would normally be working from a town or city office now working from home. We `are benefiting from people shopping local and supporting their local businesses.”

Any missed tricks?: “While some companies have offered a fabulous service, I have noticed the turnaround time from some companies has been slower than usual.”

Georgina Black owner of Pretty Shiny Shop, Stroud Green, London: Changes: “I do now tend deal directly with the publisher using their online portal.”

Face to face: “The only sales person I talk to face to face currently is agent Joanna Above: Georgina Black, McFarlane - the others I don’t let in due to a owner of Pretty Shiny Shop at PG Live. couple of bad experiences at the beginning.”

Sourcing: “I now find most of my new cards through Progressive Greetings…I am very picky with my cards!”

Ellie Kleinlercher buyer of Between the Lines, a group of 15 card and gift stores in the south of England: Changes: “Actually, nothing that much has changed for us, we are still using the same ordering process; relying on a combination of samples and catalogues.”

Face to face: “At the moment we are not seeing reps, but this was not something that we did before lockdown anyway.

I imagine that going forward with the lack of trade shows this will be something that we may have to incorporate. I have been working from home all through lockdown and post-lockdown and have missed seeing both my colleagues and suppliers in person.

It has been nice to be able to use Zoom and Google Meet though just to keep in touch.”

Sourcing: “We typically used samples and catalogues that were sent to our HO anyway - sourcing gifts for Christmas is slightly more challenging though!”

Positive steps: “Our suppliers have been fantastic. It has been so helpful that they have redirected any samples from head office to my house. My Grandma, who was shielding until the August 1, has been living with us so I tried to only go out when really necessary and this avoided many trips to the office, so thank you!”

Above: Between the Lines’ Ellie Kleinlercher (left) with her father (the company’s md), Florian and Toasted Crumpet founder Jo Clarke at PG Live, which sadly could not be a sourcing option for retailers this year.

Paul and Zoe Carter owner of Zo and Co, a group of four shops in Cheadle, Didsbury, Knutsford and Marple: Changes: “Our ordering process has not really changed during Covid-19 as we have ordered online for the last 12 months. We have a great telephone relationship with all our suppliers and have always ordered that way. We have always been given catalogues to order at home, Second Nature has been especially great.”

Face to face: “In terms of seeing reps, it is not something we really do as we tend to be busy on our shopfloor.”

Positive steps: “Janie Wilson and Five Dollar Shake have sent us some fabulous and greatly appreciated signage welcoming our customers back.

Our Woodmansterne rep (Emma Chatting) has been our superstar! She’s efficient, helpful and always follows through with everything we ask! She’s great at helping us to order our cards.”

Sourcing: “Sourcing products is something that Zoe loves to do. She’s always on the hunt to ensure we are up with the current trends, such as environmentally-friendly products. Testament to this is the new biodegradable party range from Pioneer we are stocking.

An important tool for us to find products are companies’ brochures, but PG magazine is also a vital tool in our ‘source kit’, as the mag is ‘in the know’!”

Any missed tricks?: “We could have received some more mail shots from our suppliers telling us best sellers to stock after lockdown.”

Above: Paul and Zoe Carter, owner of Zo and Co, with their Retas award in 2017.

PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE

33

ADJUSTABLE TRIPLE-LAYERED WASHABLE

2x

COVERINGS PER PACK POPULAR DESIGNS & CHARACTERS

AVAILABLE NOW Sales Enquires? Contact us today! 0116 284 3640.

Discover the collection at www.pyramidinternational.com TM & © CARTOON NETWORK LOONEY TUNES and all related characters and elements © & ™ Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (s20) WIZARDING WORLD and all related trademarks, characters, names and related indicia are © & TM WBEI. Publishing Rights © JKR. (s20)

00_PG_September 2020.indd 1

JUSTICE LEAGUE and all related characters and elements © & ™ DC Comics. (s20) FRIENDS and all related characters and elements © & ™ Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (S20)

27/08/2020 13:58

PG Innovations Sept 2020.qxp_38-39/40-41 02/09/2020 18:30 Page 1

PG showcases a selection of new product launches

With Thanks!

Helen Wiseman’s Tropical Bird Thank You collection has been created to make you feel better. The square 14.5 x 14.5 cm bright and cheery designs are available blank as general greeting cards with pink or blue envelopes available that can be cello wrapped or naked.

Helen Wiseman 07956038377 www.helenwiseman.co.uk

Animal Magic Wrendale Designs has added 12 new designs to its award-wining Country Set collection. With beautiful watercolour artwork by Hannah Dale, these cards are perfect for any occasion. This new collection features delightful pets and wonderful woodland animals. The cards are printed on 350gsm sustainably sourced textured board and supplied wrapped with a recycled Kraft envelope.

Each card measures 15cm square.

Wrendale Designs 01652 680253 www.wrendaledesigns.co.uk

Boldly British Clanna Cards has introduced more 'Very British' new 7”x5" occasions cards, including Happy Birthday, Get Well Soon and Thinking of You. Clanna Cards now has over 300 cards including exclusive licenced ranges from British Airways, P&O Cruises, Le Mans 24 Hours and Brooklands Museum in addition to its popular collections by Richard Partis and Jack Russell MBE. Many of the cards are ideal for men and are supplied cello wrapped with colour coordinated envelopes.

Clanna Cards 01242 575574 www.clannacards.co.uk

From Past To Present Wise Words The Henries award-winning Words of Wisdom Collection from Dandelion Stationery continues to grow with new designs for birthdays and all occasions.

Printed onto luxury 300gsm FSCcertified board, each card is hand-finished with subtle sparkles and supplied with rustic brown kraft envelopes which are made in the UK from recycled paper.

Dandelion Stationery 01332 504940 www.dandelionstationery.co.uk

Santoro’s Incidental Instants collection celebrates modern-day social media trends by combining them with traditional greetings. Picture perfect moments from around the world are captured on these 14 polaroid-style designs with a glossy photo finish and embossed canvas effect. The interactive element continues as recipients are encouraged to post their own ‘incidental instant’. Each comes with a pastel envelope.

Santoro 01709 518100 www.santoro-london.com

A Pop Of Colour Alljoy Design has introduced a new 3D pop up children’s card collection. Each of the 12 new designs comes flat with an envelope, but easily unfolds to create a fun 3D look. The cards are printed and created in Ireland.

Alljoy Design 00353 (0)1 630 1213 www.alljoydesign.com PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE

35

34_PG_September 2020.indd 1

02/09/2020 17:42

PG Innovations Sept 2020.qxp_38-39/40-41 02/09/2020 18:30 Page 2

PG showcases a selection of new product launches

Pinning Ways!

Redback has introduced 12 new additions to its popular Pinata range.

These new enamel pins include colourful designs such as a dinosaur, sausage dog, college ages, and many more. These fun cards are 140mm square and are paired with a premium white envelope.

Redback Cards 01752 830482 www.redbackcards.com

Artistic In Nature Lockdown Lols

ArtPress is understandably excited to add Susan Kane to its portfolio of artists with the Flora range. Susan captures the freshness and spontaneity of botanicals with deceptively simple watercolour brushstrokes and translucent layers. Her flowers are inspired by botanical cyanotypes, pressed foliage and follows on from her background in textiles, which began in Mary Quant’s studio. All designs are 170 x 120mm with an accompanying white envelope.

ArtPress Publishing 020 7231 2923 www.art-press.co.uk

Continuing its Lockdown range Sneezy Does it, Poet and Painter continues to encourage you to smile beneath the masks as we all try to make the best of the ongoing challenges and extended restrictions that affect us all in 2020. Printed as ever with environmentally friendly ink on lovely stock, the 150mm x 150mm cards are available naked, with ecoklasps, or cello wrapped.

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

Zooming Marvellous Zoom was not on anyone’s radar until lockdown, but then neither was lockdown!

Paper Bird Publishing spent a lot of time learning new tricks and the challenge has inspired a new range, Zooming Cats and Dogs

by Una Joy. The 150mm square designs feature Una's characterful drawings and a witty array of literary and celebrity monikers. The cards are supplied with a kraft envelope, either with an ecoBand or cello wrapped.

Paper Bird Publishing 020 8613 8085 - 07766 164 807 www.paperbirdpublishing.co.uk

Beautiful Belle Truly Representative Diverse greeting card publisher Huetribe, has expanded its recently launched illustration range, Celebrate BIG! Eight new designs have been added to the range featuring weddings, birthdays, Valentine's Day, Father's Day and Mother's Day. The cards come in 145x145 and 5x7 sizes. The cards come cello wrapped with purple envelopes.

Huetribe 07943416562 www.huetribe.com

Belle is an elegant figurative range from Abacus Cards featuring beautifully illustrated feminine characters in a loose painterly style. These stunning birthday designs have wide appeal and encompass an array of popular subjects, including fashion, birthday toasts, celebratory balloons, pampering and birthday gifts. For an added touch of luxury, the designs feature intricate hot foiled details, decorative die-cut scalloped edges and a hand applied bow.

These stunning designs feature front birthday captions presented in a 5” x 7” format. They are printed on a textured art board and are accompanied by a complimentary bespoke printed envelope.

Abacus Cards 01638 569050 www.abacuscards.co.uk PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE

37

Christmas Ad PG Sep 20.pdf

1

27/08/2020

07:19

Our Christmas Cards are in stock and being delivered now to our wonderful customers. If you haven’t ordered your Christmas then it’s NEVER too late! Give us a ring!

New customers are warmly welcome!

Greeting Cards

Set of 3 Mini Notebooks

Diaries Sketchbooks and Notebooks

FLAME TREE

Download our catalogues and price lists at www.flametreepublishing.com/catalogues or contact sales@flametreepublishing.com Calendars

38_PG_September 2020.indd 1

Jigsaws

27/08/2020 14:50

PG Innovations Sept 2020.qxp_38-39/40-41 02/09/2020 18:30 Page 3

PG showcases a selection of new product launches

Rainbow Hugs Not a Patch is a fun and cute illustrated patch badge range from The Typecast Gallery. These designs feature quirky typography and vibrant colours. With a range of around 25 designs, they cover a variety of occasions. All cards are available either cello wrapped or naked.

The Typecast Gallery 07590 369311 www.thetypecastgallery.co.uk

A Jolly Good Offering

Loving The Ladies

Pictured is just one offering from the new Jolly Awesome humour range - LINES. Designed by Matt Nguyen, this current and fun range comprises 40 designs covering everyday, love and major life events. The cards are A6 in format, come with a neon orange envelope and can be individually packed with eco labels or cellowrapped.

Jolly Awesome 07904383876 www.jollyawesome.com

Botanical Golds is a brand new range of 12 cards by Sarah Kelleher aimed at the amazing ladies in your life, covering mum, grandma, daughter, friend and general birthday. All are a new larger size for Sarah at 150mm x 150mm and are finished with sumptuous gold foil onto high quality textured FSC accredited card. They come with a ribbed brown envelope and are available either in cello or with an eco-card clasp to hold the card and envelope neatly together.

Sarah Kelleher 07768 123957 www.sarahkelleher.co.uk

A Celebration of Life Meet the lovely legends in Out of the Box’s Wonderful Babies range, which aims to reflect some of the gorgeous diversity of babies in the world, without resorting to pink or blue! The designs feature babies of different ethnicities to celebrate many new arrivals. These cards are printed on Callisto soft white 330gsm FSC card, with a laminate finish which makes the colours sing. Available naked or wrapped in compostable film.

Out of the Box Designs 07887506498 www.outofthebox.cards

Green And Blue Spring Loaded Lottie Murphy's new Spring Seasons range ‘Equinox’ includes 28 Valentine’s, Easter, Mother’s Day and Father’s Day designs. Featuring colourful animals and florals, each design is distinguished by its unique hand-illustrated style. Each card is proudly printed in England on FSC certified board and measures 127x177mm, inclusive of a brown kraft envelope and optional card clasp.

Lottie Murphy 0771 6304741 www.lottie-murphy.com

Wholesale card publisher Out of the Blue Studios has increased its everyday ‘instock’ range by a further 100 SKU’s with the launch of its Reflective Thoughts eight-page keepsake range. The collection includes open birthday, thinking of you, sympathy, blank, get well, sending a hug and thank you designs, landing into wholesalers in time for Thinking of You Week. The cards and envelopes are manufactured on FSC accredited premium board.

Out of The Blue Designs 07795 957995 www.outofthebluestudios.co.uk PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE

39

40_PG_September 2020.indd 1

03/09/2020 12:21

41_43_muk.qxp_Grid 02/09/2020 17:28 Page 41

Face To Face

A Guest

Appearance

This time last year, Joe Guest took over as senior buyer of greeting cards at Paperchase, never expecting what the following 12 months would bring.

“The world has completely changed, ways of working and putting ranges together have been overhauled, retailers have had to contend with huge drops in turnover while online sales have gone through the roof. However, throughout all this, greeting cards have held their own,” says Joe. PG Zoomed in to meet up with Joe and talk shop.

Joe Guest graduated from Cambridge with a degree in education, but it was the lure of retail, first fostered as a 16-year old Saturday boy working at Laura Ashley, that was to draw him down a different path of learning.

That was almost 12 years ago; Joe’s Peter Pan looks belie his retailing experience.

Having spent five years with Fenwick, he then took on the top card buying role at Fortnum & Mason where he spent three years, before heading to Paperchase, spending two and half years buying pens and

Top: Joe Guest at a Henries judging.

Above right: Diversity is to be recognised more on designs from Paperchase.

Above: Fun environment of the new Ringwood store.

Right: Paperchase’s new store in Ringwood.

desk accessories before being appointed to his “dream job”, as senior buyer of greeting cards and wrappings at the design-led retailer last September.

“It has been quite a year for everyone, especially the last six months, but all our shops are open now - and we even have a few new ones,” he says with reference to the new stores in Dundrum (Paperchase’s first standalone store in Eire) and Ringwood.

“Our instore card sales are ahead of expectations and sales of cards from our online site are ten times what they were this time last year,” says Joe, before adding the caveat, “but that said, we are being cautious in our predictions for the rest of the year.”

The last few weeks has seen the final clutch of Paperchase stores re-opening, in

line with the retailer’s three phased reopening programme. With so many of its stores in prime city centre locations and transport hubs (where footfall was on the floor) it elected to only open 18 out of its 126 standalone stores on June 15 (when nonessential retailers were allowed to trade again post lockdown) with the others following suit over the last few months.

The unforeseen circumstances have however called for some drastic measures. Paperchase, having been operating under a CVA since last March, had already been in negotiations with landlords over rents and then the pandemic hit.

“Effectively 95% of our turnover was switched off overnight. Not anything we, or any other business could have planned for,” says Joe. Together with Paperchase’s respected product director Frances Burkle, Joe had necessary conversations with card suppliers, asking them to agree to additional discounts. “We cannot thank our suppliers enough for their understanding and support.

As Timothy [Melgund, Paperchase deputy chairman] told PG at the time, these are indeed unprecedented times which require everyone in business to take measures that were almost unthinkable only a few months ago.”

As Timothy added “If this horror show has taught us anything, it is how you have to be nimble and maintain relationships be it with colleagues, suppliers and landlords.”

While Joe is not involved in the landlord relationships, he is very thankful for the strong relationships he has with his team PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE

41

PG AD SEP 2020.pdf

1

27/08/2020

12:25

The finest arts brands.

Covered.

C

M

Y

CM

MY

CY

CMY

K

Check out our trade store for lots of lovely Christmas stuff, available online at: www.dandelionstationery.co.uk

An exclusive range of 12 licensed Face Coverings for delivery in early Sept ‘20 – Available for pre-order!

Contact your local agent, register online or call our sales team for more information.

E: sales@mgml.co.uk

museumsgalleries.co.uk

T: 01373 462165

Home of the finest arts brands Progressive_Greetings_HPage_Ad_AW_Aug_Issue.indd 1 42_PG_September 2020.indd 1

28/07/2020 17:51 01/09/2020 12:10

41_43_muk.qxp_Grid 02/09/2020 17:28 Page 43

International Focus

as well as the many card publishers from whom the retailer buys.

“We actively buy from over 150 different card publishers, who are vital to the mix we offer our customers in our stores,” says Joe. Added to this are the own brand and exclusive selections that Joe and his team put together, which really come into their own at Christmas.

Joe is full of praise for his colleagues and how they have all adjusted to the new way of working over the last five months.

“I love our team, and not working in the office together has meant we have had to adjust and find new ways of being effective and creatively inspired,” says Joe. “It was a bit weird signing off the Christmas range via Zoom during lockdown, but we did it, and it is all about to go into stores,” says Joe. “And I do feel, after everyone having been apart for so long, that we are on for a good Christmas.

Greeting cards underpin relationships like no other product,” he adds.

Joe also recognises and fully embraces the wider role cards can and should play in society, citing diversity and inclusivity as being key issues.

Paperchase was one of the first card retailers to ensure that it catered for the LBGTQ+ community, with the current offering spanning some 25 designs within Paperchase stores across birthday and occasions categories.

“At the beginning of the year, we made a conscious decision to ensure that our card selection would be a better reflection of the diversity within society. It needs to become the norm, not the exception. Any of our

Waste not, want not “The environmental issue is a key area for us,” states Joe. While Paperchase had already taken measures to reduce its environmental footprint, by considerably upping the percentage of unwrapped cards in its stores, there were concerns that the public might wrongly perceive wrapped cards as being ‘safer’ in light of Covid-19.

“Thankfully, none of our stores have reported that customers are turning away from naked cards,” says Joe. Now, 80% of all the cards Paperchase stocks are sold naked (but the aim is to up this to 90%-95%), and it only asks for card clasps on its relations and occasions cards due to multi-pocketing designs.

“A big change for us this Christmas is on our own brand charity packaged cards.

There is no plastic used and the packaging generally has been minimised across all our Christmas boxes. We see it as very important to take a responsibility for our environmental footprint,” stresses Joe. These measures have resulted in an annual reduction of 45 metric tonnes of plastic.

All of the inks Paperchase uses in print are soy-based, and from 2021 it is saying goodbye to any glitter that’s not biodegradable. The company is also starting to reduce and offset its carbon footprint, including by working with more local suppliers as well as by making more of its products and packaging recyclable. l Paperchase’s gift cards are now made from paper instead of single-use plastic and it is also switching to fancy new paper carrier bags. l Paperchase has saved 200,000 sheets of paper and 40,000 till rolls per year by moving to paperless processes. l The retailer has removed all excess and plastic packaging from its notebooks, which adds up to a saving of 2.6 metric tonnes of plastic every year. l The company’s ‘tree index rating’ from environmental charity WWF has increased from 0 in 2015 to 2 (out of 3) in 2019. l Paperchase is introducing a set of eco icons designed to help customers understand a product’s eco credentials. These will appear on all own brand products.

own brand designs featuring people will reflect diversity,” assures Joe. “Diversity and inclusivity needs to be celebrated and recognised.

Paperchase is setting up a Diversity and Inclusivity forum across all areas of the business so that important discussions can be had,” adds Joe. “Greeting cards have an important job to play in this, something that we cannot afford to ignore,” he said sagely.

Clearly you can’t take the teacher out of this senior buyer!

Top: New eco icons will fanfare the green credentials of Paperchase products.

Left: The Dundrum store is Paperchase’s first standalone in Eire.

Ooh, that’s interesting…

Some personal revelations about Joe Guest’s life and loves. l What have been the key lessons in business that you have learned over the last 11 ½ years?

“Trust your gut instincts. Always know who your customer is. Don’t be afraid to ask questions and always remember that you are only as good as the rest of your team.” l If you hadn’t become a buyer, what occupation would you have pursued?

“I was training to be a teacher and had it not been that I loved working in retail so much - having caught the bug as a 16 year old working in Laura Ashley - that is what I would be.” l What is it that you love about the card industry?

“It is hugely creative, ever changing, full of energy and positivity - and incredibly friendly.” l What three words would your best friend use to describe you?

“Energetic, inquisitive and shopaholic.” l What or who are your guilty pleasures?

“Hotel Chocolate’s Florentine pralines and Rick Astley - I’m never going to give him up!” l You are a massive film fan, which movies top it for you?

“Calendar Girls, Father of the Bride and September Issue.”

Below: Calendar Girls is a fave film of Joe’s.

PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE

43

NEW from

New but not normal designs for 2020!

cathtatecards.com Tel: 0208 671 2166 cathtatecards

cath tate card ad.indd 1

Use code PG10 to receive

10% Off Valid until 15th October

Doy For You P E R S O N A L I S E D F O R YO U R S H O P

27/08/2020 13:03

Personalised Gold Foil Detailing No Minimum order RRP: £2.99

GREETING CARDS | MUGS | MARBLE PLAQUES | FRAMED PRINTS | PLYWOOD PLAQUES

coulson macleod. www.coulsonmacleod-trade.com | 01536 419944 | hello@coulsonmacleod.com Catalogue available on request

44_PG_September 2020.indd 1

27/08/2020 14:47

45_47_49_muk.qxp_Grid 01/09/2020 14:50 Page 45

Consumer Vox Pops

Public Opinion

As we approach the three-month marker since card and gift shops were allowed to re-open, PG canvasses public opinion about how this strange period in our lives has affected card buying habits.

Here are some great personal revelations…

Mark, aged 64, retired policeman

Top: Mark didn’t quite understand the question about ‘unwrapped’ cards!

Above: Mark with his wife Debbie and some of their card ‘spares’.

Right: Mark’s favourite place to buy cards is Serendipity in Saltaire. (There is a sister shop in Leyburn).

Pre-lockdown: “I would describe myself as a ‘needs must’ card buyer, but my wife Debbie always seems to have an extraordinarily large selection of cards to hand ‘just in case’ we need one.

I tend to go for cards that are more crafted, in their manufacture or the designs featured - not the ones with the cheesy messages! I have always avoided buying cards from chains or supermarkets as they don’t stock designs to my taste. My favourite shop to buy cards from has always been Serendipity in Saltaire.”

During lockdown: “It was an ideal time to dip into the huge stash of cards we had in the house. We probably sent the same number as we would have had it not been lockdown.”

Now: “As I have been shielding, I have not been to many shops since they re-opened.

However, I did buy a new home card from Not On The High Street. Right now I would prefer to buy wrapped cards so I can throw away the wrappings, sanitise and be reasonably sure that the card has been untouched for some time.

While communication by post has declined considerably, I still feel cards remain a different and essential form of communication. Nothing says I care less, than an email!”

Amanda, aged 43, event director Pre-lockdown: “The last five years has seen me become a rather avid card sender, largely due to the selection of cards now on offer. I buy cards and notelets, largely from independents, wherever and whenever I see them. I tend to buy more humorous and photographic cards.”

During lockdown: “I definitely posted a lot more cards during lockdown, particularly at the beginning, as if to say ‘hey, we’re still alive’.”

Recent card buying experience: “While visiting my in-laws in Devon, I popped into Sunshine and Snow in

Bideford to buy a birthday card, but ended up also buying two random cards for my ‘card drawer’.

I am aware that while I probably spent the same time looking at the cards, I picked up fewer, for safety reasons.”

Now: “For ecological reasons rather than anything to do with the coronavirus, I would tend to favour unwrapped cards, but if I really liked the design I would buy a wrapped card.

As I have got older, I have appreciated the role cards play - receiving one make you feel happy, especially the random ones.”

Right: Amanda, having had a successful shop at Sunshine and Snow in Bideford.

PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE

45

w ACC YO O w O UR PE w U O N .jo NT N ed TO LI av D NE ie AY s.c A o. T uk

The At Home

1st-11th September (open every day) Manchester Showrooms 9am-5pm

Colourful Campers

David’s Ducks

Equilibrium® Floral Bags

Bree Merryn Bee Happy

Leonardo Mug Sets

Pot Pals Planters

Stylish Script Frames

OPEN YOUR ONLINE ACCOUNT TODAY AT

www.joedavies.co.uk Equilibrium® Rainbow Collection

Amber Butterfly

Joe Davies 149 Broadstone Rd, Reddish, Stockport SK5 7GA

Tel: 0161 975 6300 Email: sales@joedavies.co.uk www.joedavies.co.uk

2020 07 - Progressive Gifts FP.indd 1 00_PG_September 2020.indd 1

24/07/2020 15:02:10 24/08/2020 15:38

45_47_49_muk.qxp_Grid 01/09/2020 14:50 Page 47

Consumer Vox Pops

Musharrifa, aged 28, quality governance facilitator for the NHS Pre-lockdown: “I have always been a pretty active card sender. I like sending them as I know that friends and family always appreciate receiving them.

I have tended to buy my cards from a variety of places, online and in store, including from Moonpig, WHSmith, Marks and Spencer, my local Oliver Bonas or Card Factory (the latter if I am buying balloons and other birthday/occasion accessories).

My personal choice tends to be humorous designs, glittery or customised.”

During lockdown: “I tended to buy online (mostly from Moonpig) as it was easier, plus it was good being able to customise cards to cheer people up.

I think I probably sent more cards during lockdown because of being unable to see people. Cards have been a great way of keeping in touch, plus, there have been

quite a few birthdays in my friends and family group during this time, and it’s been fun customising cards to really personalise them.”

Recent card buying experience: “The most recent card purchase was for a friend’s birthday, which I bought in my local Oliver Bonas shop (in London’s Finchley Road). This branch is spacious so you don’t feel like you are penned in and yo don’t have to make an effort to avoid other customers, which makes for a good shopping experience. Wearing a mask when you’re shopping isn’t great, but I’m sort of getting used to it now. I sanitise regularly and trust that others are doing the same, so picking up cards and putting them back isn’t an issue for me.

Above: Musharrifa outside her local Oliver Bonas store.

Whether a card is wrapped or unwrapped does not affect me at all - I take all the required precautions (regular hand washing and sanitising) and that’s good enough for me.”

Now: “I’m not someone who buys cards to keep at home for future events, I tend to buy as and when, but working from home has given me more time to put effort into sending cards and give more thought into what I’m actually sending.

I’m not massively active on social media and I don’t especially use it as a replacement for card sending. I really love receiving cards and I enjoy sending them, because I know how they make people feel.”

Aite, aged 37, travel industry IT Pre-lockdown: “I send cards for all the main events to friends and family. My card selection is very much dependent on what I think the recipient will like rather than my personal taste. While I do buy cards from charity shops and Card Factory, my favourite shop is Pretty Shiny Shop, an independent shop in Stroud Green Road [London].”

During lockdown: “I probably bought four cards during lockdown, which is the same number as I would have sent in normal times.”

Recent card buying experience: “It is my mum’s 60th birthday soon so getting the right card is important.

Having previously researched the selection on offer in Pretty Shiny Shop narrowing it down to two possible designs, I have just been back to buy one that I know she will like.”

Now: “I feel the sending of cards is an important and meaningful tradition. You generally send one to celebrate an event or happening in someone’s life who is important to you. That small bit of card with your handwriting on has a positive meaning. I don’t think that will ever diminish.”

Left: Aite (right) with his work colleagues, pre social distancing times.

Amanda, aged 50, school teacher

Kirsty, aged 51, graphic designer

Pre-lockdown: “I would say I am a pretty active card sender, and also the main purchaser for my family of four.”

During lockdown: “I found it hard to buy cards, finding the choice in supermarkets rather limited. I ended up purchasing quite a few through Moonpig, but am now a bit tired of these, especially as I received 12 Moonpig cards for my recent birthday.”

Recent card buying experience: “I went to Between the Lines’ store in Reigate recently to buy a birthday card for my son - and loved the Rachel Ellen Scribbles design I found.”

Now: “It’s so great to be able to go into proper card shops again!”

Pre-lockdown: “I would say I am an average card buyer and sender. I have always favoured humorous cards, buying them from independent card and gift shops.”

During lockdown: “While I probably sent about the same as I would have normally, I definitely shifted my card buying to online, purchasing them from both Scribbler and Moonpig.”

Recent card buying experience: “I visited Mira, a small independent shop in my village [Beaconsfield] which has a good range of cards - unusual ones you don’t find in other shops. I didn’t handle the cards as much and was more conscious of other shoppers wanting to be in the area I was in, so didn’t want to waste time. I bought three birthday cards (two planned, one impromptu) and a good luck at University card.

Now: “As soon as lockdown lifted I am aware that I bought a few more cards than usual to replenish my ‘spares’. Now that all the shops have re-opened I will revert to buying my cards in the flesh, rather than online.”

Above: Amanda with the Rachel Ellen card she bought for her son.

Right: Kirsty with the two most recent cards she has bought.

PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE

47

50_PG_September 2020.indd 1

27/08/2020 14:07

45_47_49_muk.qxp_Grid 01/09/2020 14:50 Page 49

Consumer Vox Pops

Jenny, aged 56, deputy head of a primary school

Debbie, aged 56, marketing Pre-lockdown: “I would say I have always been a fairly active card sender - and am also the gatekeeper on the card front for my two daughters (aged 18 and 20) and husband. I have been furloughed, but prior to lockdown used to buy the majority of my cards from Occasions in Swindon during my lunchbreak. It not only has a great selection of cards and gifts but a very friendly service. My card tastes span from the pretty to the Prosecco-orientated and humorous. I go for less glittery ones these days.”

During lockdown: “Working from home and with no independents open, we used both cards we have in reserve (ours our stored in a large giftbag) while I bought others from supermarkets (Tescos and M&S). I reckon I sent about the same number of cards as I would have normally.”

Recent card buying experience: “I use a birthday calendar so seeing what events are coming up, I visited our local independent, Inklings in Hungerford, knowing that I would find a great selection. I bought a 21st design (Belly Button), one for a 50th (Dandelion Stationery) and a general one (Caroline Gardner).

The whole experience felt very safe, with hand sanitiser at the entrance.”

Now: “I realise that I am now more reluctant to touch the cards in the display unless I think there is a good chance I will want to buy it. I would rather buy an unwrapped card, especially as the virus is likely to survive longer on plastic than cardboard.

Greeting cards are super important in our lives - receiving one signifies that someone has really thought about you, in the design they have selected through to the message they have written inside. I keep all the cards we receive on show for ages!”

Top: Debbie is the main card buyer for her family, which includes daughters Libby and Anna.

Above: Debbie inside Inklings in Hungerford.

Pre-lockdown: “I am definitely an avid card buyer - and above average card sender. My favourite place to buy cards is Harriet & Dee close to where I live in Didsbury.

Going there is always enjoyable and the selection is great. I tend to buy art or humorous cards, always blank.

The invention of the card clasp as a step forward as I see no need for cards to be bought wrapped.”

During lockdown: “I sent fewer cards during lockdown, delving into my card box to see if I had something suitable, if not, I bought them from supermarkets, especially M&S.” Recent card buying experience: “While on holiday in Cornwall popped into Whistlefish in Padstow with the initial intention just to buy a tea towel for my neighbour, however I ended up buying 12 cards (to replenish my card box at home). The designs were lovely and there was a great promotion on - 12 cards, a tin to keep them in and a giftbag for £12!”

Now: “I am very happy that all the card shops are open again.

Sending cards is a lovely thing to do.

I enjoy choosing them, writing them and receiving them. I also like the fact that it enables a lot of talented artists to have their work seen.”

Above: Jenny selecting a card in Harriet and Dee. Left: Jenny (left) with Irene Bayliss, owner of Harriet and Dee, Didsbury.

Marlene, aged 44, housekeeper Pre-lockdown: “We moved to the UK from Brazil four years ago and while I sent cards when I lived there, I have sent a lot more since living here. This is partly as I know receiving them means a lot to British people, but also because I really love buying them for myself, my husband and our two children to send. I tend to buy them from Card Factory, Tesco and the Co-op, picking designs that I think the recipient will appreciate.”

During lockdown: “I bought a lot fewer cards during lockdown as my daughter [Pamela, aged seven] wasn’t going to any parties and there were no get togethers for friends’ birthdays etc.”

Recent card buying experience: “I wanted to send a card to our neighbours to thank them for being ‘our family’ during lockdown. I saw the perfect design in our local Co-op - a Hallmark card with bright colours and a glittery ‘Thanks very much’ on the front and lots of space inside for us to write our message and Pamela to draw a picture of their cats.”

Now: “I love it that cards provide a way of sharing how you feel about people. Writing down that sentiment is very important. In England receiving a card is appreciated more than a gift, while in Brazil it is the other way round, but I am trying to redress the balance by sending lots of cards to my friends and family over there!”

Above: Marlene and her husband Welyngton with the Hallmark card she bought from the Co-op for her neighbours.

PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE

49

50_PG_September 2020.indd 1

02/09/2020 16:59

51_53.qxp_Grid 03/09/2020 10:48 Page 1

Retailer In Focus

Below: Most of Card Factory’s growth will come through retail partnerships. Its ‘distribution points’ are planned to increase to 5,600 over the next five years.

Below centre: Pierre Hyde, strategy and insight director of Card Factory.

Bottom: The slide Card Factory’s Pierre Hyde shared at the meeting to reveal the UK’s card penetration.

Greeting cards are all about relationships, designs and sentiments - unless you are the UK’s largest greeting card retailer on a mission to convince hard-nosed analysts and shareholders of the merit in investing in the company’s five-year plan. That’s when you need some facts and figures to back it all up.

PG logs onto Card Factory’s Capital Market Day presentation and soaks up the percentages which the card retailer proclaims are shaping the current (and predict the future) greeting card scene.

B

rits’ card sending is the most ingrained in the world with over three quarters of the UK adult population (76%) having purchased a greeting card in the last 12 months - head and shoulders above the consumer greeting card engagement in any other country in the world.

While those in the greeting card industry might have taken a guess at this being the case, it is nonetheless good to hear it, and see it backed up by fancy graphs.

This was one of the attention-grabbing ‘setting the scene’ pitches of the size and scope of the UK greeting card sector, Card Factory presented at its recent Capital Markets Day presentation. Held via a

webinar, viewed live as well as afterwards by city analysts and investors, the lengthy presentation saw Card Factory’s senior management team unveil its five-year strategy for the business (see separate box).

Having put into context the UK’s centuries old greeting card history, Pierre Hyde, strategy and insight director of Card Factory shared a slide which showed ‘greeting card penetration’ in the UK compared to other English-speaking countries with established card markets.

The US comes in second on the card penetration front, with 53% of American adults having purchased at least one card in the last 12 months, according to Card Factory’s stats. While 50% of adults in Canada have spent their dollars on a card in the last year, Australia has a 46% penetration followed by New Zealand, which has at 41% penetration rate.

Looking specifically at the UK, Pierre said: “Penetration is higher among females than males, but only marginally.” Revealing the types of people less likely to buy cards in the UK, he cited “those on lower incomes, those living in London and younger age groups.” However, he assured that card “penetration in those groups does still remain above 60%.”

While explaining that the number of cards each person gives differs significantly, overall he purports that overall the average is 22 cards per person per annum.

Addressing what he described as a “common misconception” from those outside the sector that card giving is “in terminal decline, akin to letter writing or traditional media. This is not true,” stressed Pierre, highlighting how there has only been a “mild rate of year on year volume decline of between -1% and 2%.”

PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE

51

i l a w Di Cards!

AV A I L

ABLE

V 2020

14th NO

R E D OnRline now!

O

NE O

1 641 6 1 0 L L A RC

NLI ORDER O

52_PG_September 2020.indd 1

0655 www.davora.cards

02/09/2020 18:01

51_53.qxp_Grid 03/09/2020 10:49 Page 3

Retailer In Focus

Sharing other high-level reflections on the card market, Pierre went into detail of how, while there is a dip in some of the more traditional card sending events (notably Christmas), there is an increase in other occasions or non-occasions, particularly among younger consumers.

He also confronted the increasing importance of the online channel for greeting cards (an area Card Factory is investing in), which was very evident during lockdown.

“Our analysis is that the share of online [for cards] peaked at 40%-50% during the Above: Just three of consumer groups Card Factory has highlighted.

lockdown, that’s from less than 10% beforehand. We believe this will settle at around 15%-20%. This growth will be at the expense of store sales,” he believes.

Card Factory is now underway putting these insights into practice in the belief it will be a route to grow its market share globally as well as win back the hearts and minds of

C

ard Factory has set its big stall out stating its intention to become the “world’s best greeting card retailer.”

As part of a mission, which the management team believe will see Card Factory increase its UK market share of the everyday card market to 45% (by volume) by 2024 (up 11% on its current position) and 31% by value (up from the current 20%), the retailer will look to open a few more stores.

However, largely the growth is expected to come from forging retail partnerships with other brands, such as it currently enjoys with Aldi in the UK as well as building its online presence.

“Over three quarters of the UK adult population buy cards and about 55% shop at Card Factory, which leaves a further

Card Factory shareholders, who have shown a lack of sentiment at the absence of dividends and declining share prices. The research however, did not go into detail as to whether analysts and city slickers are among the 76% of the population who are engaged in the art of card sending. If not, that is another opportunity for growth that could be highlighted at the next presentation by the value retailer!

Card Factory’s growth will come via other retailers 20% who do buy cards, but not from us,” said Paul Moody, executive chairman of Card Factory highlighting the potential.

Card Factory’s ambitions on the retail partnership front go way beyond UK shores. Its arrangement with The Reject Shop in Australia is held up by the retailer execs as a prime “case study” (which Card Factory supplies with a branded selection of cards). The Wakefield-based business is now to foster relationships with other retail players all over the world. As part of this it has set its sights on securing a 10% share of the everyday card market in the States, a market very much dominated by Hallmark and American Greetings.

Having previously stated that the ceiling for company-owned stores was 1,200 branches, the retail group’s new five-year Above left: Paul Moody, executive chairman of Card Factory presenting at the online Capital Markets presentation. Paul is fulfilling the role of ceo until a replacement for Karen Hubbard joins, not anticipated for several months.

Above right The retail partnership with The Reject Shop has seen Card Factory expand in Australia.

Left: The prediction by Card Factory is that the online channel will settle out as accounting for 15%-20% of the market, with the retailer looking to have a bigger slice of this than it has currently.

plan is to operate from around 1,100 of its own stores (it already has 1,018), but secure an additional 4,500 ‘distribution points’ (UK and international) through various retail partnerships.

While the full extent of Covid-19 is still to play out, Paul boldly stated that, Card Factory’s like-for-like sales will increase 3% by 2023.

In pursuit of improving efficiencies and reducing lead times, investment has been made in the retailer’s UK print business, Printcraft, which will result in 75% of all Card Factory’s cards for its stores being produced in the UK, bringing a big slug of manufacturing back to the UK. PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE

53

20 BRAND NEW AGE DESIGNS JUNIPER • Female ages • Age 18 - 100 • New additions • Embossed Embo with gold foil APOLLO • Male ages • Age 18 - 100 • Embossed with striking c opper foil

01 53 6 5 6 03 4 5 WWW.MEGANCLAIRE.CO.UK

AND NOW FOR SOMETHING COMPLETELY DIFFERENT...

Polypropylene & biodegradable bag specialists Over 40 years quality service to the trade Hotfoiling also available

GREETING CARD Our innovative greetings card finishes include: Thermography Foil Intense Glitter Snowraise Liquid Metal Blended Glitter Embossing Textured Foil Laser Cutting

FRIENDLY, EXPERT ADVICE DEDICATED AND KNOWLEDGEABLE TEAM FAST AND EFFICIENT SERVICE HIGH QUALITY FILM BAGS

ask about our ‘Mr Abbot’ sample pack

To discuss your next greetings card range call us on 01797 223355 www.abbotprint.co.uk sales@abbotprint.co.uk

54_PG_September 2020.indd 1

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

27/08/2020 14:46

55_57_59_muk.qxp_Grid 01/09/2020 15:01 Page 55

Product Focus

The Big

Cover-up “I would never have believed we’d even be stocking these a few months ago, let alone them being our best-selling item! We sold over 300 in the first two weeks,” exclaimed independent retailer Jo Barber, owner of No.14, the design-led greeting card and stationery shop in Ampthill.

No prizes for guessing what product to which she was referring, with the soaring sales of face coverings having been one of the retail boons of the ongoing pandemic.

PG ‘faces up’ to what has become, both literally and metaphorically, this season’s ‘must have’ accessory.

As soon as the Government’s dilly-dallying was over and face coverings became compulsory in shops and enclosed public places in England in the middle of July (following on from the same requirement in Scotland, with Wales having slightly more lenient rules), so the clamour from both retailers and the public to get equipped whipped up into a veritable frenzy of ordering and purchasing.

“In all my years in the industry, I have never known anything like it,” stated Richard Marsden, head of sales for Eco Chic, which was well positioned to lead the charge with its range of face coverings.

Having launched its inaugural collection on June 15 (the day non-essential retailers

Above: A post from Rosie Made A Thing about how face coverings are the new fashion accessory!

Left: A bit of stylish wit from Five Dollar Shake.

Below: A V&A William Morris Strawberry Thief design face covering from Museums & Galleries.

Far left: One of the original Eco Chic designs, the next phase will include more sizes and include other elements.

were allowed to re-open) with 1,500 pieces in stock for each of the 12 designs, four weeks later (when face coverings where declared mandatory in shops in England), its factory had ramped up to producing 30,000 pieces a day.

“It just went nuts. We took 600 orders in the first two days alone. It was like being sat in a wind tunnel with three reams of paper all flying around, with each sheet being an order!” says Richard. “And we’re still busy now with orders and it’s likely to remain so for a while. We have our phase two collection set to launch in October,” he adds.

Certainly, as the consumer and retailer demand has hotted up, so has the supply, including from unlikely sources.

Five Dollar Shake, Museums & Galleries, The Art File, Caroline Gardner, and Wrendale Designs are among the leading brands who have been agile in adapting their greeting card design prowess towards creating attractive PPE. “Our feeling was, if you have to hide your face at least you can spread a little bit of happiness and positivity wherever you go,” said Hayley Messenger, customer services manager of Five Dollar Shake about its new collection of sassy face masks (made from two layers of soft, comfortable, adjustable jersey).

“Who’d have thought a year ago that face masks would be this year’s ‘must have’ accessory. It is awful that they are required, but we might as well PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE

55

01924 950500 The perfect solution for all of your Greeting Card Software requirements Enquiry Hotline

CARD manager

Ready-made WEBSHOP

for Customer and Salesforce Orders

Salesforce MOBILE Ordering

using iPhone, iPad, Tablet, etc. incl. Consignment and Van Sales Email us at enquiries@exponential.co.uk or visit our website at www.card-manager.com

UK- 01924 950500 / USA- (617) 8618-517 / Australia- (0432) 846546 Exponential Limited 1-3 Tithe Barn Street Horbury Wakefield West Yorkshire WF4 6HN

56_PG_September 2020.indd 1

27/08/2020 14:09

55_57_59_muk.qxp_Grid 01/09/2020 15:01 Page 57

Product Focus

make them attractive,” commented Sophie Bylina, Museums & Galleries’ administration and relationships’ manager. The company has just received the first delivery of its collection of 12 designs, the majority based on licences with national museums (including the V&A, Tate, British Museum and Natural History Museum) which are being offered with a counter-top display for retailers.

The M&G masks, which have contrast colour on the reverse, come with attractive pouches. “This means they not only good for self-purchases, but also makes them a thoughtful little gift,” adds Sophie.

Recognising speed was of the essence and keen to keep production as close to the UK as possible, The Art File (with help from the GA) sourced a manufacturer in Turkey for its new collection of face coverings.

The collection of eight designs (washable up to 15 times) features some of The Art File’s most popular patterns, such as Frank the sausage dog from the Call Me Frank collection, as well as its best-selling giftwrap designs of bees and bicycles, among others.

“We also thought it was important to provide a resealable bag with each mask, which means the face covering can be kept safe and clean when not being used, instead of being placed in a pocket with other items such as keys and mobile phones,” said Emma Hancox, marketing assistant of The Art File.

“We weren’t planning to do any face coverings, but we received so many requests from our customers that we’ve gone ahead with a small range,” revealed Hannah Dale, founder of Wrendale, delighted that the company was able to find a manufacturer who could produce them in the UK. Normally at this time of year, Eurostick is busy supplying products to retailers to cater for the tourist market, but with the travel restrictions in place it has been quick to change tack a bit. In response to

Above: A full house from Joe Davies’ Snoozies! face coverings.

customer demand during lockdown it created a new reusable face masks brand, The Glasgow Mask Co. “We were able to use our established supply base to fulfil some of the urgent demands,” confirms designer Louise Main Dalziel. “As a souvenir, gift and accessory company we are always inspired by national tradition, but we were also very aware that our customers would need to pivot their usual buy to appeal to a purely domestic customer.”

With that in mind, she says that it has been great fun sourcing ditsy florals, palm prints and paisley patterns, alongside the company’s Union Jack and tartan stories.

Top: The Caroline Gardner face masks (made from 100% cotton) have three layers with an adjustable covered metal rim concealed in the nose panel and adjustable ear elastics with an easy slider feature. They are supplied in individual cellos with a euro hook board.

Above right: The Wrendale face coverings, which feature Hannah’s distinctive artwork, are 100% cotton on the outside and 100% bamboo fibre on the inside, which is hypoallergenic.

Right: One of the on trend designs from Xpressions.

Below: The Call Me Frank design from The Art File is available in both medium and large.

Continued on page 59

Batman’s in good company It appears Batman was a trendsetter in his mask wearing, something that has not gone unnoticed by Pyramid International which made sure to include him in its first collection of Warner Bros’ licensed face coverings which are now in stock.

The superhero is joined by some ‘Friends’ (yes, including a design based on the popular TV series of the same name) as well as Scooby Doo, Harry Potter, Rick and Morty, Wonder Woman and Superman.

Coming in packs of two, an FSDU unit is available to make them stand out in store.

Right: A Scooby Doo face mask from Pyramid International.

PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE

57

The GreATesT COLLeCTiOn OF GreeTinG CArDs in The WOrLD

“We are looking forward to PG Live returning in 2021. We missed not having a major summer showcase opportunity this year - PG Live has become a vital part of the trade calendar for the Danilo team over last 10 years. It’s an important show and the summer timing works exceptionally well for us as we launch new ranges around the show dates.

We are very much looking forward to getting together with other publishers, welcoming retailers to our stand and enjoying a return to normality.

We can’t wait for PG Live 2021!”

Daniel Prince, managing director, Danilo

The FuTure OF GreeTinGs Last few stands remaininG www.progressivegreetingslive.com

58_PG_September 2020.indd 1

PG Live 2021 Tuesday 8 - Wednesday 9 June Business Design Centre, London +44 (0) 1635 297070 www.progressivegreetingslive.com @PGLiveLondon #PGL2021

02/09/2020 17:48

55_57_59_muk.qxp_Grid 01/09/2020 15:01 Page 59

Product Focus

“Our Tartan collection was an instant success, but as mandatory face coverings have gone nationwide, we are now seeing a fantastic uptake on all designs and are launching around five news designs a week.”

Also new on the face mask scene is Lesser & Pavey which has recently launched a collection, ranging from pink, black and silver bling to floral and pastel shades, as well as pink and green camouflage, butterflies, the colours of the rainbow and plain.

But not all face coverings are patterned or have something to say.

“Our masks are plain as opposed to designed and we have seen a real demand for them,” confirmed Spice Kitchen’s co-founder Sanjay Aggarwal. “The plain masks appeal to adults who want a more subtle look, especially males, who want their mask to fit in with a more urban fashion style.”

For Global Journey, face masks are

complementing the company’s sanitisers and were a natural follow-on. Sales director Ian Samuels explains: “They’ve been in stock since the beginning of July. They’re an ideal product to site next to the checkout/till area, alongside the sanitisers.”

As PG went to press the chat was ongoing about the wearing of face masks in schools. Whatever the final decision, there is no doubt that children’s masks will become more commonplace over the coming months.

Kidcentral is one company who, as Amy Smith, marketing manager explained has picked up on the need to “help kids feel more excited about wearing a face covering,” with its Zoocchini organic masks “protecting little ones while staying fun.”

Puckator is producing designs for Above: Sparkles from Lesser & Pavey.

Left: Puckator’s wide range includes masks for both adults and children.

children (as well as adults), with fun designs for youngsters including Space Cadets, Cutiemals, Shark Cafe and Monstarz mouths. As its designer Laura Billingham points out: “There’s no reason to be dull and drab when taking personal safety seriously.”

Spanning children and adults alike, the new Snoozies! face coverings collection from Joe Davies, is planning ahead, with sequinned options for the party season along with Christmas prints.

Whether for a quick bus trip or attending a snazzy ‘masked ball’, there is a face covering for all eventuality. It is a sad reality, so we might as well embrace the big cover up.

Fingers on the pulse With hygiene and safety being paramount at this time, hand sanitisers have become an essential product, both for on-the-go as well as a handy at home item.

Gift-led hand sanitiser has been a winner at Mad Beauty. As the company’s managing director Trevor Cash explained: “During lockdown, sanitisers went crazy, especially as we have a 68% alcohol content and tested 99.99% kill rate, but our Clip & Clean sanitiser gels came into their own as they have a carabiner clip which attaches onto handbags, lanyards, backpacks and belt hooks making them easily accessible.”

At Heathcote & Ivory, sanitisers have also been flying out of the door, with the company introducing an array of new products for Autumn/Winter to include a new Vintage & Co Forest Folk range - a collaboration with artist Nathalie Lete.

“Our low alcohol hand sanitisers, which kill 99.99% of bacteria, combine effective sanitising properties with the feelgood factor of lovely fragrances and kind-to-skin formulations. They are also a great looking product for a handbag’s ‘eye candy’ factor, making them popular as a gift,” purports the company’s beauty editor Emma Hill At the beginning of the pandemic the Cumbrian-based Wax Lyrical responded to the national shortage of sanitiser by adapting its factory facility – which usually manufactures home fragrancing products - to create 65% alcohol hand sanitisers and surface sprays. The sanitiser has since been repackaged in a 60ml format and 100ml surface spray, fragranced with lemon and verbena.

Above: Fun children’s masks from Kidcentral.

Above: Heathcote & Ivory’s Meredith Wing sanitiser spray comes in the shape of a dress.

Right: Mad Beauty’s Keep It Clean trio of sanitisers.

PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE

59

ART SOURCE

The Lesser-Known Patron Saints

TO APPEAR REGULARLY IN THE

ARTSOURCE SECTION OF PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS CONTACT TRACEY ARNAUD ON 01234 740 051

60_PG_September 2020.indd 72

A unique range of humorous “medieval” designs available to buy or license

www.Chiz.ink hello@Chiz.ink

03/09/2020 15:08

61.qxp_49/51 02/09/2020 08:04 Page 61

Art Source

All Things Bright And Beautiful With Widdop and Co having just launched its inaugural Brightside collection of giftware and Danilo and Portico not far behind with their respective cards, calendars and diaries, PG put Rachel Bright, the brand’s creator in the Art Source ‘hot seat’.

Rachel shares the story of how The Brightside launched into the world via David Hicks, md of Really Good/Soul and how his decision to ‘retire’ and close his businesses down over the coming months, has meant a new life for the brand…

“The Brightside has been on quite a journey already and I have enjoyed every minute of working with David Hicks at Really Good who has ideas, energy, originality and enthusiasm in spades. We have had so many amazing times over the years and we both look back in wonder at how far The Brightside has come from that first

Above: The Brightside manifesto!

Below middle: Danilo is launching a range of Brightside cards from next Spring, including this design.

Below left: The super talented Rachel Bright.

Below: One of The Brightside products which is now being offered by Widdop and Co.

Valentine’s card idea I created in a dusty print room in Bristol so many years ago!

When David first told me he was retiring, I was so happy for him! After all… following your instincts and answering the call of your soul to do something new… this is the stuff of life!

I think if The Brightside were a person, it would be an eternal optimist and purposeful possibilitarian - and so would be advocating for him flying into new territories (or indeed lying in a hammock in them!) at every turn!

I wasn’t sure when he told me what the future would hold and what the next steps for The Brightside would be, since David and I had Rachel Bright describes herself as a ‘Wordsmith. Printmaker. Professional Optimist’ as well always taken them together up until that point, as a ‘an accidental entrepreneur’, the latter due to The Brightside. but I always have great faith in the unfolding of Having trained in Graphics at Kingston University, followed by a Masters degree in things in their own time and was absolutely Printmaking at UWE, Rachel’s striking illustrations and typographic style, coupled delighted when the with her witty storytelling have resulted in a celebrated collection of over 25 picture books, published by Hachette (Orchard), Harper Collins, PenguinRandomHouse, opportunity to work with Farrar Strauss Giroux, Simon & Schuster and Walker Books. Her titles have sold Stephen [Illingworth] at well over a million copies and been translated into over 40 languages. Her most Widdop, Dan [Grant] and famous creations to date include international bestseller The Lion Inside and the the team at Danilo and Love Monster series (a US best seller), which is also now a major animated series Simon [Harrison] at on CBeebies and around the world. Rachel’s newest books are ‘The Way Home for Portico Designs came up.

Wolf’ and the timely bestseller ‘The Worrysaurus’. Rachel has seven more books This all happened due for release during the next 18 months, including her self-illustrated book, ‘When just at the time when the world flipped on its I’m Bigger Mama Bear’, a sequel to ‘In a Minute Mama Bear’. head and...well…I thought - if ever there is a Rachel lives on a smallholding near the sea with her time for championing the silver lining…of fiancé Robbie, their daughters River and Sky as well as what helping people find ways to see the light she believes is “the nicest dog in the world” (Elvis). She has turned her philosophies on life into a professional speaking amidst all of the dark, it’s now. career and is the co-founder of a brand new health and wellWe’re all working together very closely to being retreat, Happy River, recently awarded a major rural see how The Brightside might evolve and bring development grant, which will provide all manner of upliftment some rays of sunshine to the world in the at alphafarm.co.uk from Spring 2021. coming months and years.” www.lookonthebrightside.co.uk and l The Brightside has sold over 15 www.rachelbrightbooks.co.uk million cards and five million gifts on five Left: Love Monster, another of Rachel’s creations, has gone from being a book to a TV series. continents to date.

About Rachel

WANT TO BE FEATURED?

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

PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE

61

62-63_muk.qxp_Grid 01/09/2020 13:19 Page 62

WHAT’S HOT? PG ASKED A SELECTION OF CARD RETAILERS FOR THEIR ‘HOT’ CARD SELLERS Sarah Green, co-owner of High Tide in Southwold and Wave in Bungay.

Two card and gift shops in Suffolk coastal towns.

Category

Name of Publisher

Product/Name Range

Comments

Everyday

Woodmansterne

Generally

Art

Green Pebble

Relations and occasions

Art Angels Stop the Clock Woodmansterne Abacus

Stephanie Lambourn and Chris Williamson Angela Harding Generally Quentin Blake Generally

“The Emma Bridgewater designs do especially well.”

“These artists’ work based on Suffolk scenes are popular.”

Humour

Rosie Made A Thing

Gin & Frolics

Woodmansterne Jellycat Star Editions Emma Ball WPL Mclaggan Smith

Hysterical Histories Plush Southwold gifts Trays, tins and mugs

Children’s

Ancillary Self Purchases

“I put in a big order at Spring Fair and they have sold well.”

“Rosie has kept us all going during and post lockdown!”

“There have been a lot of mugs bought - to show on Zoom calls.”

Above: A Chris Williamson design from Green Pebble.

Right: A WPL mug design that has proven popular for Zoom calls.

Denise Laird, co-owner of Spirito, Glasgow.

A popular medium sized card and gift shop in the west of the Scottish city.

Category

Name of Publisher

Product/Name Range

Comments

Everyday

Caroline Gardner Rachel Ellen Designs

Gold Lining; Word Up; Cut Out; Mix Up. Piccolo and Luna

Humour

Rosie Made A Thing

Gin & Frolics

Art

The Art File

Sara Miller London

Thinking of You

Louise Mulgrew

Flora

Relations and Occasions

Rosanna Rossi

Generally

“Contemporary text, good colours, wide appeal.”

“Bright, contemporary and so cheerful.”

“Such a fun, clever, contemporary range.”

“Beautiful with rich colours, added textured foils and embossed lines.”

“So pretty with soft watercolour brush strokes.”

“Stylish, bright contemporary cards in a lovely colour palette.”

Giftwrap Self-purchases

Belly Button Designs Earth Squared

Rollwrap Face coverings

Gifts

Parlane

Plant pots and hanging candleholders Vases

Coach House

“Popular selection of floral, stripe and plain designs.”

“Homewares have been popular post lockdown.”

“A Chow vase was our first sale when we re-opened.”

Above: A Caroline Gardner Gold Lining design.

Right: A design from Rachel Ellen’s Piccolo’s range.

62

PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE

62-63_muk.qxp_Grid 01/09/2020 13:19 Page 63

Nigel Hamilton-Evans, co-owner of Boroughbridge Post Office (which include The Well Good Card Shop), a popular shop in the North Yorkshire town.

Category

Name of Publisher

Product/Name Range

Everyday

Words ‘n’ Wishes IC&G Sally Scaffardi Design

Generally Generally Lost The Plot

Woodmansterne Ling Design Caroline Gardner

Genius Rainbow

IC&G

Born in…

Sally Scaffardi Design Ling Design The Art Group (Paper Rose) Roger la Borde Sally Saffardi Design Penny Kennedy

Only Bloking Morris & Co Designers Guild

Humour

Relations and Occasions Adult milestones Male Art

Giftwrappings

Museums & Galleries

Flat wrap Flat wrap Sara Miller rollwrap and tissue Matthew Williamson giftbags and tissue

Comments

“Never had such as great selling range.”

“Great, eye-catching designs.”

“I sell these above RRP no problem.”

“Stunning designs on quality paper.”

“Quality and class in abundance.”

“High end, with great matching tissue.”

Above: A Lost the Plot card from Sally Scaffardi Design.

Right: A quad of designs from The Designers Guild range from The Art Group (Paper Rose).

Michelle Ellingham, owner of Box of Delights in Flitwick, Bedfordshire.

A well positioned established card and gift shop in a small commuter town.

Category

Name of Publisher

Product/Name Range

Comments

Everyday

Wendy Jones-Blackett Paper Salad Janie Wilson Paperlink Dandelion Stationery Rosie Made A Thing Brainbox Candy Woodmansterne Canns Down Press Belly Button Designs Five Dollar Shake Caroline Gardner Rachel Ellen Designs Stop the Clock Design The Art File; Deva Designs; Belly Button Designs; Penny Kennedy; Caroline Gardner Counting Stars; Lime Tree Designs Stoneglow

Quicksilver Jumbo Jamboree Macaroon All Words of Wisdom Gin & Frolics Quotish Across the board

“The wide appeal sets these apart.”

Elle/Bleu/Luxe Diamond Blush Across the board Cherry On Top Across the board Across the board

“There is a card for every taste.”

Face coverings

“Signs of the times!”

Humour

Art Relations and occasions

Children’s Giftwrappings

Self Purchases

Gifts

Powder/Caroline Gardner East of India Wrendale Designs Joma Katie Loxton Belly Button Designs Bomb Cosmetics

Urban Botanics diffusers Hairbands Sentiments Water bottles A littles Perfect Pouches Bone china mugs Bath melts

“Customers love a good laugh, especially now!”

“Wonderful selections.”

“The colours and engaging designs score.”

Above: Embossing and foiling features on this Elle design from Belly Button.

Right: A Ticker Tape design from Stop the Clock Design.

PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE

63

A VIRTUAL CELEBRATION OF THE GLOBAL LICENSING INDUSTRY 6-29 OCTOBER 2020 The Festival of Licensing is a 4-week large-scale digital gathering that will bring together the global brand licensing industry to connect, learn, strike deals and do business on an international stage.

Get your free ticket today and meet with Hasbro, Natural History Museum, Penguin, NBA and many more.

POWERED BY

LEARN MORE BY VISITING

www.festivaloflicensing.com

ORGANIZED BY:

64_PG_September 2020.indd 1

OFFICIAL PUBLICATION:

EVENT SPONSOR:

26/08/2020 10:55

65-66.qxp_Grid 01/09/2020 13:27 Page 65

JEREMY’S JOURNAL

BUSINESS BLOGGING BY PUBLISHER JEREMY CORNER OF BLUE EYED SUN

What A Score!

Jeremy Corner, owner of greeting card publisher Blue Eyed Sun and distributor of BambooCup and Bioloco, looks back on his first two decades of the business.

Incredibly, Blue Eyed Sun has been trading for 20 years this year. With everything that has been going on, I’ve not taken a moment to celebrate this achievement. It’s quite something, considering I’m not really a greeting card publisher!

I recently shared our story with Therese Ørtenblad on her Let’s Talk Shop podcast series and it got me thinking about how grateful I am for the time I’ve had in our industry and for everything we have accomplished.

Talking to Therese on the podcast really brought home to me how it’s a privilege to run a business that is so resilient and has had greeting cards at the very heart of its prosperity. Blue Eyed Sun endured the 2008 recession and is surviving the current Coronavirus downturn remarkably well so far.

While the company has been successful and has generated good profits

over the years, I am also proud of the fact that it has enabled a lifestyle in which I could spend lots of time with my family, friends and loved ones; contribute to our industry as well as allow me to pursue my passion for travel and adventure.

Looking back at the last two decades I came up with a list of elements that

have been effective in building the Blue Eyed Sun brand...

PR & Marketing Having a good spread of PR and marketing approaches has avoided the vulnerability of having a single source for generating new business. Since starting, we have sent out hundreds of press releases and appeared in countess trade magazine articles. Every new product range has had a photo and press release sent out to editors that made it easy for them to feature in their publications. Once we grew big enough, we advertised regularly in the trade press to secure Blue Eyed Sun’s brand in the minds of our customers.

In addition to this, our quarterly direct mailings of new brochures allowed retailers to see our products regularly outside of trade shows. We have exhibited at over 100 exhibitions, which have been a regular source of

sales, enquiries and market research. Our stands have always been modest, affordable and profitable. It’s a marketing strategy that has served us well.

In recent years our blog and social media content has driven a new generation of customers and retailers to us. With a sizeable email list of great retailers and our useful monthly emails (that offer more than just adverts for products) we have high open and click through rates on our digital marketing.

Every email we send results in sales, even when we are not ‘selling’.

Entering awards has been another great way of getting our products seen by quality buyers. While we’ve lost out on trophies more times than we’ve won, we are proud to have won a Gift of the Year award,

Top: Jeremy, some of the Blue Eyed Sun team and customers at one of the presentations connected to the company being awarded a Queen’s Award for International Trade.

Left: Therese Ørtenblad interviewed Jeremy recently for an episode of her Let’s Talk Shop podcast series.

Right: A Blue Eyed Sun stand at Spring Fair.

PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE

65

65-66.qxp_Grid 01/09/2020 13:27 Page 66

JEREMY’S JOURNAL a Henries trophy and a Queen’s Award for International Trade. And we’ve had great PR from every nomination along the way.

Sales & Distribution While we have some large clients, I feel having a diversified customer base has helped Blue Eyed Sun remain resilient to market changes. Our loyal independent UK retailers have been key to our success and we love them for it. We’ve been able to maintain these relationships at trade shows, online and through our team of freelance sales agents.

International distributors have given us access to other markets. This last month alone we have shipped over 60,000 cards abroad. Offering our cards in other languages and bespoke production has added further valuable sales strings to our bow (I love these jobs as they require minimal stock holding).

Our brochures make it easy for retailers to order offline if they prefer. For those that are happy to order online, our B2B website has been incredible in bringing in sales and leads from smaller shops that agents might miss or territories we aren’t covered in, especially during this pandemic.

Further important relationships are with brokers like Hallmark, UKG, Woodmansterne and others. All are instrumental in helping us to supply larger key accounts. In fact, the supermarkets, our website and international trade kept sales going through lockdown this year (without any marketing spend).

Mistakes, I’ve Made A Few Although it was fun, in hindsight, setting up our wedding stationery business, Ivy Ellen, was a mistake (as was not closing it down years ago). It was a distraction and we would have been more profitable without it.

Ditto for from my brief dalliance with being a trade show organiser with the Fresh area at Spring Fair in 2010.

An industry friend of mine thinks the same of my involvement with The Ladder 66

PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE

Above: Jeremy speaking at The Ladder Club, explaining to newbies how they need to think of their business as a ship.

Below left: Like many other companies, BES’ B2B website has been invaluable for customers wanting to order online in between agents’ visits.

Below right: BES retail customer, Andrea Pinder, owner of Presentation in Barrowford stepped in to help out Jeremy on the stand at PG Live when he came a cropper!

Bottom: Diversification into taking on the distribution for BambooCup and Bioloco has proved fruitful for BES.

Club, the Greeting Card Association and the Giftware Association. These do take up time, but speaking at events and contributing on committees is about putting something back into an industry that has been very good to me and my business. It’s not all about making money.

Some things that you try, just don’t work. Occasionally I have overspent on marketing. I’ve also kept bad staff and poor sales agents longer than I should have. You live and learn (mostly).

Occasionally I’ve made a good decision, like our diversification into eco-friendly giftware which now make up half of our sales. Our BambooCup business is a good example of how we were able to put an ontrend product through the distribution systems we have built with Blue Eyed Sun and scale it up rapidly.

Systems Years ago, I decided to work ‘on the business’ rather than in it. The result was a series of systems, operations manuals and

procedures that have made managing the business easier than most. It’s made it simpler to hire and to adapt to new circumstances, good or bad. When the lockdown happened I was able to get up to speed on my own pretty quickly and relatively easily.

Using industry leading software systems like Sage, Adobe Creative Suite, Microsoft, Shopify and Magento has also helped when hiring, training and outsourcing as they are commonly used and known.

Online banking, digital credit control and cashflow forecasting keep our finances simple to manage. Keeping our financial drawings consistent and relatively low enabled us to stay cash positive so we could seize opportunities like BambooCup and Bioloco as well as survive the pandemic.

Highlights Thanks to Blue Eyed Sun, I have met many amazing people and been to interesting places like 10 Downing Street and Buckingham Palace. I’ve been interviewed in magazines and newspapers, on TV, radio, podcasts and YouTube channels. I’ve been paid to speak at business events like Sage Summit in America.

We’ve also had the privilege of being stocked in many of the world’s leading retailers and recently even created a bespoke BambooCup for Balmoral.

Sometimes I have to pinch myself to believe it’s all real.

I don’t know what the future holds. Blue Eyed Sun is certainly a decent enough brand with a strong enough base to expand from (despite market challenges) and our new products are selling really well. All of our card production team are now back working their usual hours this month and are busy.

Fortunately, we remain profitable, we have great distribution and there’s a lot more potential to explore with our B2C sales and marketing in the run up to Christmas.

Right now though, I’m simply feeling very grateful to everyone who has supported us over the last 20 years - customers, suppliers, agents, trade mags, our team, friends and family. Thank You All! Read more on Jeremy’s blog at www.blueeyedsun.co.uk/blog

Classified Complete 2020.qxp 02/09/2020 17:14 Page 43

PRODUCT DIRECTORY

l PRODUCT DIRECTORY

l PRODUCT DIRECTORY

To appear in the Product Directories email Warren Lomax warren@max-publishing.co.uk or Tracey Arnaud traceya@max-publishing.co.uk

%!"

& "&" " "" ' " "

!" " #$

Te l : 0 1 6 3 8 5 6 9 0 5 0 w w w . a b a c u s c ard s . c o . u k Em ail: in fo @ ab a c us c a rds .c o.uk

To appear in the Product Directories contact

Warren Lomax

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

Tracey Arnaud

07957 212 062

or email traceya@max-publishing.co.uk

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

www.bugart.co.uk

To appear in the Product Directories email Warren Lomax warren@max-publishing.co.uk or Tracey Arnaud traceya@max-publishing.co.uk

01565 830 546 | bexyboo.co.uk @BexyBooLtd

BexyBooLtd

To appear in the Product Directories simply contact Warren Lomax on: 020 7700 6740 or email on warren@max-publishing.co.uk or contact Tracey Arnaud on: 07957 212 062 or email on traceya@max-publishing.co.uk

@BexyBooLtd PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE

67

Classified Complete 2020.qxp 02/09/2020 17:15 Page 44

PRODUCT DIRECTORY

l PRODUCT DIRECTORY

l PRODUCT DIRECTORY

Family-safe

HUMOROUS CARDS and posters PRETTY ELEGANT DESIGNS | LONDON

Available online Wholesale & Licensing

E EROUS GEN DISCOUNTS NEW DESIGNS P INTED PR IN THE UK

One of the UK’s leading suppliers of Greeting Cards since 19995 Products: High quality greetin ng cards with superb finishes. All maajjor and minor titles, covering traditio onaall to the latest in innovative design, n both Everydaayy and Seasonal. Providing an all NEW selection of Muggs and Notebooks. k

ORDER A TRAD E PACK

hello@emmabryan.co.uk www.emmabryan.co.uk

07566 742677 hello@Chiz.ink www.Chiz.ink

Brands Include: Down Memory Lane, Wo Wot A Mug and Tw Twist & Shout Methods of Sale: Direct to retail

SALES AGENTS WANTED Desiggners welcome contact beverley@cherryorchardpublishing.co.uk

www.cathtatecards.com

Unit 10 Duddage Business Park Brockeridge Rd Twyning Tewkesbury GL20 6BY 01684 295500 info@cherryorchardpublishing.co.uk www.cherryorchardpublishing.co.uk

To appear in the Product Directories email

Warren Lomax warren@max-publishing.co.uk or

Tracey Arnaud traceya@max-publishing.co.uk

Witty, gritty, switched on humour.

Cards and gifts with a real difference.

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

LOTTIE COLE Caspari Ltd Linden House, John Dane Player Court

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

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

Method of Sale: Direct to Retail

Beautiful, Soulful Cards www.lottiecole.com info@lottiecole.com lottiecoledesigns

AGENTS WANTED

To appear in the Product Directories email made with great imagination

@thecuriousinksmith

www.ch w eekyc w. ychoppstrrade.ccoo..ukk phone: Da Danielle :07946 056571 email:wholesale@speciall--day yss.coo..uk 68

PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE

01892 838 574

sales@thecuriousinksmith.co.uk

Warren Lomax warren@max-publishing.co.uk or

Tracey Arnaud traceya@max-publishing.co.uk

Classified Complete 2020.qxp 02/09/2020 17:17 Page 45

PRODUCT DIRECTORY

l PRODUCT DIRECTORY

l PRODUCT DIRECTORY

frrom the

;1b-Ѳbv|v |_mb1 u;;࢟m] -u7v "r S end i n g YO Y OU OU

WISHES

A w o n d e rf u l Eid!

Including firm favourites and brand new designs Brands include: Keepsakes, Words of Love, Jelly Beans, Bella Rose, Champagne and many more

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

Ch C hin nese ese HE IS

THE

WAY

THE AND TRUTH

LIFE

THE

Polissh Po h

Te T el: 0161 1 64 641 0 06 655 Email: m sales@da sales@d avora.co.uk av

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

Tel:: +44 (0)115 986 0115 Te customer t ser vices@paper i @ rose.co.ukk www.writefromthehear t.co.uk

135 Hea 13 135 eaton Moorr Rd | Stockp ock kpo port ort SK4 4HY 4 4H HY

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

@glickgiftwrap .6-5*3"$*"- and -(#5 (3&&5*/( $"3%4

• UK Market leaders with humour, art, photographic, contemporary and traditional occasions & relations cards, plus seasonal. • 2Î?HULQJ D IXOO SODQQLQJ VHUYLFH with merchandising and retail development opportunities.

Hue tribe

www.huetribe.com t: +44(0) 7943416562 e: info@huetribe.com facebook: www.facebook.com/huetribedesign

• Specialists in garden centres and the independent trade.

CPNF TFF PVS OFX JMMVTUSBUJPOT PO 45"/% 41 BU 1( -*7& % OFF ALL SHOW ORDERS

)

CHARITY GREETING CARDS One of the UK’s leading publishers of Charity Greeting Cards.

Impress offers a wide collection of images, including fine art, graphic, photographic and cute.

We also offer a bespoke design service for bulk orders and/or mail order fulfilment.

Find The Great British Card Company on: High Quality Greeting Cards, Gift Bags, Gift Wrap & Ta Tags for every occasion.

Hallmark Cards PLC SUPPLIER

*GCF 1HĆ‚EG +353 (0)404 20528 Email info@garlanna.com www.garlanna.com

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

Dawson Lane, Bradford, BD4 6HN UK&NI: 0800 90 20 900 ROI: 012 480 104 customerqueriesUK@hallmark.com

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

PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE

69

Classified Complete 2020.qxp 02/09/2020 17:18 Page 46

PRODUCT DIRECTORY

l PRODUCT DIRECTORY

WIDE RANGE OF PRODUCTS

l PRODUCT DIRECTORY

Marina B Designs from me to you with love

UK

“Art that tells a story…”

Happy Mother’s Dayy D

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

B rand N ames a Pizazz, Pizazz Gallery, G Pizazz Limited Edition, E Pizazz for Men, Doodle, D A of Nature, Whatt a Picture, Art Designers Corner Cloudesley House, Shire Hill, Saffron Walden,, CB11 3FB

T: 01799 520200 F: F: 01799 520100 www.nigelquiney.c w ww ww.nigelquiney.com om

Love Country

by Sarah Reilly

years

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

e in the U

+

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

ad

K

Tel: 07735 918118 sarah@lovecountryuk.co.uk www.lovecountryuk.co.uk

M

60

www.marinab.co.uk mar in a@ m a rinab. co.u k Agents wanted

originalposter.com

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

LING DESIGN

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 don’t have to.

THAT’S WHY WE’RE ORIGINAL!

www.lingdesign.co.uk

01892 838 574 information@lingdesign.co.uk

To appear in the Product Directories email Warren Lomax warren@max-publishing.co.uk or Tracey Arnaud traceya@max-publishing.co.uk 70

PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE

Great brands, Great service Bespoke planning We can help with all your bespoke planning requirements.

From smaller displays to redeveloping complete card departments

@NoelTattGroup 01227 811 600 sales@noeltatt.co.uk www.noeltatt.co.uk

01932 267 300

Classified Complete 2020.qxp 02/09/2020 17:18 Page 67

PRODUCT DIRECTORY

l PRODUCT DIRECTORY

l PRODUCT DIRECTORY

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

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

raspber r yblossom.com

@ @paperlinkcards

hello@raspberryblossom.com

Send Love e

020 3723 5405

( all year round )

LUXURY GIFT PACKAGING

t: 0208 6138 085 paperbirdpublishing.co.uk u

Exquisite Designs Beautiful Cards Key br ands include: Wr ite from the Hear t Ar tisan, Marzipan, Capisco Designer s Guild, Clare Tupperr Lucy Ledger plus man y more

ICONIC LICENCED BRANDS

greeting cards & contempoRary gifts

01892 838 574 www.pennykennedy.co.uk

PURPLE TREE DESIGNS Awesome cards & gifts inspired by life

www.redbackcards.com e: info@redbackcards.com t: 01752 830482

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

t. 07779 654 694 e. info@ruby-tuesday.co.uk www.ruby-tuesday.co.uk

LING DESIGN

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

Tel:: +44 (0)115 986 0115 Te customer ser vices@paperrose.co.uk www.paperrose.co.uk www.ar tgroupcards.co.uk

purpletreedesigns.co.uk info@purpletreedesigns.co.uk

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

AGENTS WANTED PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE

71

Classified Complete 2020.qxp 02/09/2020 17:21 Page 68

PRODUCT DIRECTORY

l PRODUCT DIRECTORY

l PRODUCT DIRECTORY

7RPFDW &DUGV Products: Greetings Cards, Gift Wrap, Gift Bags, Social Stationery, Partyware

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

To appear in the Product Directories contact

Warren Lomax

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

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

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

020 7700 6740

Tracey Arnaud

07957 212 062

Talking Pictures Cards Ltd

or email traceya@max-publishing.co.uk

14-20 Eldon Way, Paddock Wood, Kent, TN12 6BE

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

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

www.tomcat.cards info@tomcat.cards

DIRECT TO RETAIL & EXPORT

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

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: SENSATIONS – Direct to retail XPRESS YOURSELF – Now one of the leading wholesale publisher suppliers in the UK

TE L: 014 8 0 43 55 62 FA X : 014 80 4 50 5 99

www.tracksltd.com

To appear in the Product Directories contact

Warren Lomax

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

Tracey Arnaud

07957 212 062

or email traceya@max-publishing.co.uk

72

PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE

Classified Complete 2020.qxp 02/09/2020 17:21 Page 69

PRODUCT DIRECTORY

l PRODUCT DIRECTORY

WHOLESALE

view by rufus designed in thames ditton

We offffer a We COMPREHEN

range of high Greeting Cards f ALL Occasions,

CHRISTMAS an

... and if we fall into the ountain, we will just prosecco ffo ha av ve to drink our wa ay y out!

Season f Sale:

topdog@view by rufus.com 020 8972 9706

viewbyrufus.com

mail: inffo o@words-nWeb: www We w..words-n-wishes.co.uk

register ffo or a trade account: www w..viewbyrufus.com/b2b

Tel: 01942 233201

Market Leaders in

& entimen

an extensive range of superior quality,

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

A Cards e Art Botanical Fine

Verse

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

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

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

+44(0)1243 792600

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

EUROPE’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

To appear in the Product Directories email Warren Lomax warren@max-publishing.co.uk or Tracey Arnaud traceya@max-publishing.co.uk

PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE

73

Classified Complete 2020.qxp 02/09/2020 17:21 Page 70

DIRECTORY OF WHOLESALE

CLASSIFIED

l CLASSIFIED BAGS

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

BAGS 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

BAGS

GIVE E YOUR

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

CALL US TODA AY

01773 5378 810

V VIP

TREA AT A TMENT 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 ŏ ŏđŏ

ŏ

FOIL LB BLOCKING NG G EXTE XTENSIVE NSIV VE RANG V R RA ANGE OF S ST TOCK SIZES SIZ ZES AND BES AND BE ESPO OKE KE MANUF KE MANU UF FACTU TUR TURE T U E AT TED D WRAPPING SERVICE NEW AUTOMA

CALL CA CAL C LL US ST TO ODAY OD

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

74

PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE

Classified Complete 2020.qxp 02/09/2020 17:21 Page 71

CLASSIFIED

l CLASSIFIED

l CLASSIFIED

ENVELOPES

l CLASSIFIED

l CLASSIFIED

ENVELOPES

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

PAPER

100% Recycled Paper Available Stock & Bespoke Cello Bags Peel & Stick Envelopes Bespoke Service on Request

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

W W W. EN VE CO .CO .U K

01 90 83 78 86 6

FLITTERING

IN FO @E NV EC O. CO .U K

‘we we make Envelopes and Stationery’

MOREE THAN 50 COLOURS 6 POPULAR GREEETINGS CARD SIZES 50+ WH HITE SIZES IN STOCK BESPOKE ENV VELOPES AV AVAILABLE PEEL A AND SEAL CLOSURE RECYCLED / KRAFTT / 140GSM / 120GSM 11 SUPER BRIG GHT NEON COLOURS BESPOKE NOTEBO OOKS & STATIONERY

PLEASE GET IN TOUCH FOR TARY RY YOUR COMPLIMENTA ENVELOPE OR NOTEBOOK WATCH PA PACK SWA

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

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 PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE

75

Classified Complete 2020.qxp 02/09/2020 17:21 Page 72

CLASSIFIED

l CLASSIFIED PRINTERS

l CLASSIFIED

l PRINTERS

l CLASSIFIED

l PRINTERS

l CLASSIFIED

l PRINTERS

PJ PRINT LONDON The Capitals Only Specialist Greeting Card Printer All Industry Finishes Available In-House Including Laser Cutting

The simplest way to order your greetings cards

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

Powered by

Unit 8, Archers Park, Branbridges Road, East Peckham, Kent TN12 5HP www.theimagingcentre.co.uk Email: info@theimagingcentre.co.uk Tel: 01622 871449

we print

we finish

we pack

we deliver

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

Your saf ep ai

cturing ufa an m

s for Far E and as fh t o r

Outstanding, cost effective and efficient production of Greeting cards, Packaging and Social stationery, ideal for intricate and hand finished products.

• Over 15 years experience providing high-quality printed products direct from the Far East • Trusted and financially stable, UK owned by The Sherwood Group • Socially responsible manufacturing: SMETA, ISO9001, ISO14001, FSC certification • Full product prototyping in the UK for competitive speed to market requirements

To find out how we can benefit your business, contact Derek Lam +00 (852) 3527 3471 / derek@sherwood-press.com or The Sherwood Group Head Office love digi tal love lith o love card s

76

PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE

Hong Kong Office: 13/F, Kam Chung Commercial Building, 19-21 Hennessy Road, Wanchai, Hong Kong

www w..sherwoodgroupuk.com

000510

Classified Complete 2020.qxp 02/09/2020 17:21 Page 73

CLASSIFIED

l CLASSIFIED PRINTERS

l CLASSIFIED

l PRINTERS

l CLASSIFIED

l PRINTERS

l CLASSIFIED

l PRINTERS

Social Sta tationerry Printer of the Year

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

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

WAREHOUSING & DISTRIBUTION

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

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

Tel:0127 e 4 4531828 Email: info@herbertw o alkers.co.uk

www.herbertwalkers.co.u uk

T JSV EPP WXSGO QSZIQIRXW EVI SYV ERH .8 WYTTSVXIH F] E GSQTVILIRWMZI TETIV XVEMP JS LEPPQEVOW 4YV GER HS ETTVSEGL QIERWW [I EVI LETT] XS WSPZI ]SYV TVSFPIQW 4YXWSYVGMRK ]SYV [EVILSYWMRK STIVEXMSR VIPIEWIW ]SYV XMQI XS CREA AT TE/MARKET/SELL/ MANAGE/ /GROW THE BUSINESS =SYV FYWMRIWW MW SYV FYWMRIWW T =S TPIEWI ZMWMX Z SYV [IF WMXI ERH WII [LEX SYV GYWXSQIVW WE] XLIR XS ǻRH SYX S QSVI GEPP Ly Lynda Raymond ERH TIVLETW [I GER EVVERKI XS QIIX ERH HMWGYWW ]SYV RIIHW . EQ WYVI XLEX [I GER G LIPT

LB Warehousing 9RMXW Ȧ ȶ ȴ ;E]WMHI ;EVILSYWIW 8 8S S W I P E R H 3IEV X 3ISXW (EQFVMHKIWLMVI 5*Ȧȟ Ȱ7< Tel ȉȦȏȁȉ ȁȁȉȁȉȉ Fax ȉȦȏȁȉ ȁȁȉȟȉȉ Mobile ȉȮȁȁȟ ȴȟȟȴȏȦ P]RHE%PF [EVILSYWMRK GS YO

PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE

77

Classified Complete 2020.qxp 02/09/2020 17:21 Page 74

CLASSIFIED

l CLASSIFIED

l CLASSIFIED

l CLASSIFIED

l CLASSIFIED

DISPLAY AND SPINNERS

WAREHOUSING & DISTRIBUTION

à ® -:+< à ® *+< à ® 76:

.YLL[PUN *HYKZ +PZWSH` :VS\[PVUZ

>L HSZV KV! à ® *HY[VUZ à ® )V_LZ à ® +PLJ\[Z

*HSS! LTHPS! ZHSLZ'UZTP[OIV_ JV \R

^LI ^^^ UZTP[OIV_ JV \R U ZTP[O /HPUNL 9VHK ;P]PKHSL 6SKI\Y` >LZ[ 4PKSHUKZ ) 5A 6=,9 @,(9: 6- 4(5<-(*;<905. 05 ;/, <2

N.Smith Box.indd 1

21/05/2020 12:02

!"! ## $#

78

PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE

Classified Complete 2020.qxp 02/09/2020 17:21 Page 75

APPOINTMENTS

l APPOINTMENTS

l APPOINTMENTS

l APPOINTMENTS

SALES AGENT Established eighteen years and best known for our Alison’s Animals card and gift range, we publish several humour ranges and have new products ready to be released are soon as trading conditions allow. See www.splimple.com

MIDLANDS We need a new sales agent for our Midlands territory – and may appoint two people to cover this sprawling area from Herefordshire in the west to Lincolnshire in the east – and Wolverhampton in the north down to South Gloucestershire. Contact Stuart Caldwell on 07973 110324, or email stuart@splimple.com (ps – we could use someone in central London too!)

Say it how you like.

To appear in the Classified Pages simply contact

Warren Lomax: 020 7700 6740 warren@max-publishing.co.uk or contact

Tracey Arnaud: 07957 212 062 traceya@max-publishing.co.uk PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE

79

PG ADVERT_SEPT 2020_OL.pdf

1

18/08/2020

16:11

C

M

Y

CM

MY

CY

CMY

K

00_PG_September 2020.indd 1

24/08/2020 15:43