15_17_Retailers Reactions.qxp_Calendars Grid 15/01/2026 11:01 Page 1
RETAILER REACTIONS
A DATE WITH SALES
Selling calendars, diaries and advents can be good business for indie retailers as they make relatively inexpensive gifts or for people to treat themselves. Here a handful of indies give the lowdown on sales of 2026 dated products in their shops.
Carl Dunne, owner, Cards & Gifts, Dronfield “We noticed a big change from the square calendars popular for 2025 to the tall slim ones. I’m Above: Carl only had a few slim calendars left after Christmas. guessing the reasons for the change were down to postage or just cheapness with the cost of living. That said we stocked Dronfield-themed calendars one and sold 40 of the square format ones, which was more than last year, but of the smaller A5 Dronfield calendars, having sold 60 in 2025 we increased our order to 100 and sold out! Customers like to buy these a gift to post. We ordered these from Jacksons wholesalers in Sheffield who never fail you when you pre-order high volumes. We put them on sale back in June and they were selling. On slim calendars we sold a lot more of floral themes titles, of which we offered 16 different variations, ordering from the Gifted Stationery Company.
We also had a couple of specialised ones like trains and tractor which did OK, plus had some Tatty Teddy and Violent Veg slim calendars from Carte Blanche. I ordered some of Tiger Feet’s own brand family planners and we sold a reasonable number. We did notice another big increase in calendars featuring roaring ladies of the 20s from Tiger Feet, for which we ordered slims, squares and the fridge/notebook diary calendar. For diaries I cut back on the number of designs this year but increased the volume of each, ordering the majority from Tiger Feet. We put these on sale in June which was earlier than 2024 – but ended £800 up saleswise on diaries and calendars, which for a little independent retailer, is absolutely phenomenal! “We only have a very small handful of 2026 dated products left so nothing to worry about. I’ve put them in the sale just to get rid of them to clear the deck for Valentine’s.”
Chris Beards, co-owner, Manton’s Cards, Port Erin “Our advent calendar sales were steady, with our main success being refillable advent boxes – 24 small Above: Manton’s had calendars numbered out on sale in September. boxes inside a larger box – and we also sold out of the reusable cloth advent calendars. On dated products we focused on The Art File for 2026 and sold out of nearly all the calendars and diaries we had and are now actively looking for new suppliers.” Below left: M&G’s slimline diary is Stephanie’s pick. Right: Roger la Borde’s 3D pop-n-slot original treehouse advent design is still a top seller for Stephanie.
Stephanie Morrison, owner, The Gift Box, Peebles “We always do well with advent calendars in various forms. I sell them in cards, traditional flat calendars and the 3D pop-n-slot ones from Roger La Borde. Last year the advent calendar cards from The Art File and Cinnamon Aitch went really well for us – and they’re cheaper to post than a standard-sized calendar. I do find a lot of my customers buy advents for grown-up children that are away from home, as a wee reminder of past family traditions. These days people buy an advent calendar per person, but I do recall back in the 80s sharing a calendar with my brothers and fighting over who was going to open which door first! Roger La Borde’s 3D pop-n-slot ones as ever were really popular. We always make sure we make up a display model of each one, which is a brilliant way to dress the window and helps customers visualise the sets. The publisher brings out new designs every year, but the original treehouse design is still one of the best sellers! Our calendars and diaries sales held steady. As there’s a lot of competition
from supermarkets and charity shops the key is to stock something they don't necessarily have. I have stocked Portico for a long time and by far the bestselling design has to be Rosie Made A Thing followed by Caroline Gardner. The RMAT family calendars are the first to sell out with the slimline diary and slimline calendar being among the best sellers for us. This year among The Art File’s lovely illustrated calendars, Into The Forest was the most popular one. As ever I had a few calendars and diaries left after Christmas – people wait to buy them in the sale or maybe need to buy as they didn't get given one for Christmas - but as of 5 January my calendars were almost sold out. Ssshh! Don't tell anyone, but I buy my personal diary from a local competitor – it’s a very slimline month-to-view one by Museums & Galleries, which is perfect to fit in my bag!”
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