Progressive Greetings July 2025

Welcome to the world of Hallmark’s special friend, Liz Harry!

An illustrator, crafter, colour obsessive, rainbow romantic, dopamine dresser, mental health advocate, strong women celebrator and donut appreciator!

Liz and Hallmark come together in this playful collaboration that brings a POP OF POSITIVITY and celebrates the emotional power of sending and receiving cards.

Perfectly simple pop-ups and colourful floral centrepieces add a hit of happiness to any space, making them the perfect treat for yourself or someone special.

My partnership with Hallmark has been forming for years, ever since we met at New Designers in 2022. We’ve kept in touch since then, waiting for the ideal project to work on together. The Magical Botanicals collection was the perfect meeting point for both our brands. If I had to choose 3 words to describe my brand it’d be playful, colourful and comforting - which shows in each of the floral-themed items for Magical Botanicals.

Living in the city is a massive influence on my work and I’m very much drawn to all the vibrance, sights and signage that city living brings - you can really see this in our NEW greeting card collection, which is lettering-based and speaks to folks looking for celebratory cards that are totally joyful bursts of colour too!

An all-new range of inspirational humour cards from award-winning illustrator and creative human Katie Abey - available to order now.

ON THE CARDS

Shared special moments are at the heart of every relationship, and with our sector very much in the relationship business it is fitting that those within the community are very good at grasping its collective strength.

The last month has seen several instances of this at work, bringing benefits to all involved and percolating through to many more.

Right: PG’s Jakki Brown (third left) with some of the Peaky Blinders support team for the Toni’s Trek Cardgains Charity Challenge.

Below: PG’s Warren Lomax (second left) and Ling’s David Byk (far right) with Retas award winners’ (left-right) Daisy Daisy’s Andy and Rebekah Mudie and Celebrations’ Tanya and Sonia Haandrikman-Sibbald.

Bottom: The greeting card industry Pride marchers.

PG Live kicked it off. Yes, the two-day trade show is about retailers and overseas distributors coming to see and order the thousands of stunning new products that publishers, large, medium and small had in abundance. But it was more than that. Seeing retailers’ sheer joy at meeting up with fellow retailers at The Retas and Greats drinks reception, hearing the laughter between overseas distributors as they exchange funny stories about life in their respective corners of the world, watching friendships being strengthened between neighbouring exhibitors. It all happened and added to the buzz.

Then there was the Cardgains Charity Challenge, Toni’s Trek which saw 55 cardies brave the heat walking 27 miles together to raise money for Pancreatic Cancer UK, in memory of Toni Cresswell, who was part of the Emo team for 28 years before the insidious disease took the lovely lady from us all too quickly last year. As part of the support crew, I witnessed that bonding through blisters!

(Billy the) kid in all of us with the sustained whoops and cheers throughout the ceremony reflecting the mutual respect retailers and publishers have for each other in this wonderful industry, not something that is commonplace by any means.

And, as if that wasn’t enough, last weekend the card industry did itself proud once again, with a strong contingent of almost 50 publishers and retailers taking up the banner for D&I, as part of the London Pride parade, giving out 35,000 greeting cards in the process.

Yes, life and business can be lonely, but feeling you are part of something, and can share those good moments as well as the tough ones with people who understand what we all do, is something I truly relish.

See you in Harrogate for some more collective fun!

11-21 News

All the latest happenings and developments in the trade.

22-23 Over The Counter Shark Tale

With this being Jaws’ 50th anniversary David Robertson, co-owner of JP Pozzi risks delving into shark habits.

24-25 Cardsharp Nailing Jelly To A Wall

While the Jellycat brand is still riding high, Cardsharp questions its recent actions concerning its indie retail stockists while also touching on changes at Moonpig.

27-31 Viewpoints Pick Of The Crop

Retailers happily share what marvellous products caught their eye at the recent PG Live show.

32-35 PG Live in Pics Sharing The Vibe

PG Live packed a lot into the two day show, just take a look at the photographic evidence.

36-37 In Conversation With…M&G Above The Fold

PG Live saw Museums & Galleries launch The Fold, a whole new sub-brand dedicated to contemporary artistry. PG unfolds more.

38-39 Retailer In Profile Barkers’ Bite

Building on its strong greeting card reputation, Barkers’ department store buyer Sarah Lishman explains how she turned her hand to create the new award-winning gift department.

40-45 Innovations

New launches, including a selection that will debut at Harrogate Home & Gift.

46-49 Focus on… Spring Seasons Spring In Their Step

On the back of a decent 2025 Spring Seasons, PG looks at their changing patterns and what other events are coming to the fore.

51 Art Source Creative Clare-ity

Artist Clare Lambert reveals how clinching a design competition at Uni opened up her eyes to the potential of the greeting card industry.

53-54 What’s Hot?

A trio of retailers reveal their best-selling ranges.

55-63 Sources of Supply

TOP STORY

The Retas Hoedown

A yee-haw afternoon for 400 cardies

“This year’s Retas Country and Western theme with the emphasis on big hats, cowboy boots and distinctive music is very appropriate for The Retas, as excellence in card retailing is all about standing out from the crowd while surviving the bucking bronco of challenges that attempt to lasso you,” began PG’s Jakki Brown in her welcome speech at The Retas greeting card retailer awards event, which took place recently at London’s Grosvenor House Hotel.

The country and western theme of the event was embraced by the 400 attendees, and host Ignacio Lopez really caught the mood while the Honky Tonk Angels provided great musical accompaniment with a line-dancing session crowning a memorable afternoon.

It was especially memorable for Waterstones’ Hazel Walker and Megan Douglas as the bookstore chain was awarded the prestigious Greeting Card Retailer of the Year, as well as Best Non-Specialist

Multiple Retailer of Greeting Cards.

As Ged Mace, md of category sponsor

The Art File said before the final trophy was presented:

“All of today’s winners are truly magnificent which makes the choice of our retailer of the year award, a really challenging one.

approach and commitment to greeting cards.

Moreover, they have achieved this by retaining total control of their greeting card selection with a dedicated and talented buying team whose passion and product knowledge shines through.”

The regional independent winners were Earlybird (Stoke Newington), Inklings (Hungerford), Abigail’s Cards & Gifts (Dereham and Norwich), Occasional Cards and Gifts, (Kingsbridge), Daisy Daisy (Cardiff), Hugs & Kisses (Tettenhall), Celebrations (Carlisle), Cards & (Dronfield) Penny Black (Glasgow) while The Letter Arty (Manchester) won the Best Newcomer

The Award goes to a retailer who has really excelled in last few years not only by expanding its estate on our nation’s high streets, but more importantly through its

Other winners included Scribbler, Utility, UOE Store, Blue Diamond, Bradbeers, The Kitchen Range and Polkadot Gifts, Archerfield Walled Garden, More Than Just A Gift and Jackson’s CRS

The August edition of PG will feature the winners in all their glory.

Clintons is in the pink

UOE’s 30-store expansion

UOE Store has unveiled a massive expansion programme that will see its mix of post office services, greeting cards, stationery and gifts take it from nine outlets to at least 39 by the end of the summer.

The retail group which won The Best Non-Specialist Retailer Of Greeting Cards South category is run by Elliot Jacobs and private equity backed by Next Wave Partners. The expansion follows the shake-up of the UK’s Crown Post Offices.

“I’m honoured to announce that UOE has been appointed to operate a further 30 Post Office locations across London and the Home Counties,” said Elliot, who is CEO and postmaster at the retail chain that he’s built up over the past 27 years as well being a non-executive director at Post Office Ltd and chair of the postmaster panel.

“Building on our existing capabilities and network of stores, UOE will shortly become a network of 40-plus stationery retail and Post Office stores serving around 9 million people every year with a team of nearly 250 amazing people!

The new store list includes 24 in London as well as locations in Cambridge, Leighton Buzzard, Milton Keynes, Oxford, St Albans, and Windsor.

Clintons is in the pink as the first of the new-look stores was unveiled by owners Cardzone a few weeks ago, following 15 months of working on turning around the long-time greetings retailer.

“We’re incredibly excited to unveil the first Clintons 2.0 store at Metrocentre,” said Clintons trading director James Taylor, who is also trading director at Cardzone, the family-run retail group whose parent company Pillarbox Designs bought the 163-store business from the Weiss family, founders of American Greetings, in March last year.

Having had queues waiting for the reopening on Monday 9 June, James added: “This new store design marks an exciting step forward for Clintons, creating a modern and interactive shopping experience for our customers. With a complete overhaul and relaunch of greeting cards, an expanded gifting range, and exclusive product offerings, we believe our customers will love the refreshed store.

“We were pleased to see huge support from local customers on our opening day and are buoyed by the momentum in trading we have seen over the last few days. The re-opening of Clintons Metrocentre is a bold and positive step forward as we continue to evolve the Clintons brand and continually improve our offering to customers.”

Of the new pink-themed branding, which contrasts with the original orange and the later red colouring brought in after the US-based Weiss family took over the business in 2012, James commented: “We are delighted with the look but recognise there are lessons to be taken from the first one which we will then carry into selective future stores. It’s early days but we are very encouraged by the performance.”

Above: UOE’s greeting card category manager, Louise Cambridge was presented with The Retas trophy from Lynsey Burbidge, md of Pigment, sponsor of the award category.

Below: UOE is more than tripling its estate over the next few months.

Left: Clintons’ pink new look has gone down well with customers.

Above: Waterstones’ Hazel Walker (left) and Megan Douglas with their two trophies.

Above left: Cardiff-based host Ignacio Lopez (centre) was delighted that his local card retailer Daisy Daisy, owned by Rebekah and Andy Mudie won the Best Independent Retailer –Wales category.

Below: All The Retas 2025 winners on stage.

TOP STORY

A Joyful PG Live

A transatlantic

Newness galore at the global cardie gathering

Everyone who’s anyone in the greeting card industry was at PG Live last month, gorging on the amazing array of thousands of new designs on offer from companies of all shapes and sizes.

The show, held at London’s Business Design Centre was packed to the rafters with retailers and distributors from across the UK and the globe.

As Andrea Pinder of Presentation of Barrowford summed up: “Yet again, PG Live was the diamond showcase of all shows for greeting cards. It had the very best atmosphere, seeing all my suppliers and new publishers under one roof along with my best industry buddies from all over the UK and overseas, it was like coming home on business.”

The visitor list was a who’s who of greeting card retailing with buyers of specialist multiples, department store, garden centres, supermarkets, bookshops and indies from all over the UK. These included Asda Barkers, Blue Diamond Cardfactory, Cards Galore, Cardzone, Clintons, Dobbies, Fortnum & Mason, Funky Pigeon, Harrods, HMV, John Lewis, Lark, Longacres, Lorimers, Marks & Spencer, Moonpig, Morleys, Morrisons, National Trust, Next, Notcutts, Oliver Bonas, Postmark,

RHS, Ryman, Sainsbury’s, Scribbler, Selfridges, Squires, Temptation Gifts, Tesco, TJX, TKMaxx, Utility, Waterstones and WHSmith. With UK publishers being a beacon for overseas distributors and retailers, orders have been winging their way to Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, China, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and United States.

As Bindi Simson, co-owner of Simson Cards in Melbourne, Australia commented: “I’ve had an absolutely great PG Live. Well worth travelling from the other side of the world for.

I came with a specific shopping list and have ticked everything off!”

Fellow Antipodean, Jenny Cummins, managing director of McMillan Cards and Paper in Sydney, was among the first to start the ordering frenzy. “This has been the best-yet PG Live! I’ve spent so much money!” said Jenny, who placed her first order, with Five Dollar minutes after the show opened. “PG Live is the embodiment of the greeting card industry - the products and the people have been fabulous. If you’re in the world of greeting cards, you just can’t afford to miss it.”

(See pages 27-35 for more PG Live loveliness)

Among the hundreds of retailers enjoying the delights of PG Live was Chelsea Epenesa, buyer for Inkwell Home Store, in Corvallis, Oregon. Adding to the experience, this was also the first time she had ever been out of the US.

Chelsea was at the show as the winner of a competition run by US distributor Notes & Queries to bring one of their retail customers to London to find out for themselves the magic of the UK card industry.

Chelsea arrived a couple of days before PG Live with N&Q’s president and founder Alan Harnik and daughter and MD Vanessa, along with sales agent Stephanie Perry, who deals with Inkwell Home Store representing the distributor. PG Live show organisers, Max Exhibitions gave Chelsea the added bonus of a special £150 Golden Ticket to spend with an exhibitor on new stock for Inkwell.

As Chelsea commented: “At PG Live it was incredibly hard not to want to take everything back, I don't think I saw any products that I didn’t like.”

Chelsea eventually plumped to spend her Golden Ticket with Katie Tinkler. “I ordered a lot of the food birthday puns designs,” said Chelsea.

As Stephanie added: “Having worked for Notes & Queries for 20 years and knowing all my cards come from here, it was such fun to come to the UK for the first time and meet all the people behind the card ranges that I sell.”

Ticket choices from Aoife

11-year-old Aoife Janson-Smith earned a day off school to learn more about parents’ Mark and Leona’s Postmark card retailing business, and play her cards right with the company’s Golden and Sunshine Tickets. Aoife was given the prestigious task of spending Postmark’s £150 Golden Ticket for winning the Greetings Retailer of the Year title at The Retas 2024 Awards as well as the 2025 Sunshine Ticket at the show. Being no stranger to greeting cards - Aoife and her 14-year-old brother Dannan already help out in the Postmark warehouse - she took her Golden and Sunshine Ticket spending seriously.

Aoife, whose PG Live badge included her Postmark job title of ‘chief

product tester’ said she really “enjoyed going round the stands and meeting everyone, I liked all of them!”

When push came to shove though, she spent the Golden Ticket with RossJDesigns and the Sunshine Ticket with Studio Boketta

(far left) and McMillan Cards and Paper’s Jenny Cummins (second right) with PG’s Ian Hyder and Jakki Brown at the PG Live overseas visitors’ reception.

Above: Postmark’s Aoife Janson-Smith spent her Golden Ticket with Ross Jardine (left) of RossJDesigns, joined by proud her dad Mark.

Above: (left-right) Chelsea Epenesa of Inkwell Home Store, N&Q’s sales rep

Stephanie Perry with md Vanessa Harnik at the PG Live overseas drinks reception.

Below right: (left-right) Katie Tinkler’s wares caught Chelsea’s attention.

CELEBRATING THE TEACHERS, PUPILS AND STUDENTS WITH OUR ‘CONGRATULATIONS’ AND ‘THANK YOU’ RANGE OF CARDS!

Award Winning Greeting Card Supplier to Businesses in the UK & Internationally

NEWINSIMONELVIN MID-SEASON RANGE

COMMERCIAL MANAGER

HYBRID ROLE - REDRUTH, CORNWALL

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We’re looking for a Commercial Manager to help guide Whistlefish through its next phase of development. You’ll work closely with our Managing Director and Financial Controller to shape clear and achievable growth — identifying opportunities, setting targets, tracking performance, and leading impactful change. You’ll be a strategic thinker with a strong commercial background, but with a real understanding of creativity and the retail industry — someone who can recognise good ideas and knows how to turn them into meaningful, lasting growth. With years of experience and a practical, grounded approach, you’ll help us grow into our next chapter.

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In, Maybe And Out

Jellycat’s letters ignite response from retailers and consumers

Jellycat has caused a furore with its new indie stockists strategy which has seen it granting official stockist status to some, telling others they’re still in the club but need to up their game –and delisted 8% of its former independent stockists.

While many of ‘the chosen ones’ have taken to social media to shout about their Official Stockist window sticker, understandably indies that have been dumped have also been vocal about their treatment, with members of the public echoing their negative views, their protestations causing Jellycat to close its Trustpilot site.

more like 15 years – and we are the only one in our particular area that a lot of our customers know us for!

“After what they’ve put us through over the last couple of years of the worst customer service I’ve ever known and not ever knowing what the hell is going on with stock, etc, they then send this letter.

Cardology on TV News to highlight RM deficiencies

To highlight Royal Mail’s continuing delivery deficiencies, ITV News London featured greeting card publisher Cardology as an example of businesses affected by delays in the postal service.

In a one-star review on Trustpilot Katie M wrote: “Absolutely appalled by Jellycat’s treatment of independent stockists. The small independent stockists are the ones who built up your brand and got you where you are today. You have betrayed them and dumped them in favour of big companies like Selfridges.”

Despite having been a loyal Jellycat stockist for many years, Hayleigh Nolan, who runs Maddy Moos and Brightside Balloons in West Totton, was among the indies to be told they can no longer order any stock.

Letting rip on her LinkedIn page, Hayleigh said: “I’m absolutely disgusted at the way Jellycat run their company. They’ve become too big for their boots and don’t care about us with smaller shops – we’ve been a constant loyal stockist for well over a decade (probably

“I’ve never known a company to be so flaky, uncommunicative and give so much false information and hope - to then turn around and tell us we can’t be stockists anymore,” Hayleigh added.

“Sorry for the rant. I know it’s not the most professional. But now they’ve ditched us, I no longer need to be polite. Jellycat you have truly shown how not to run a business. The craze will end one day and you’ll just be another company that once was.”

Explaining the company’s rationale, Arnaud Meysselle, ceo of Jellycat, told PG: “As the demand for Jellycat grows and grows, we’re focusing our support on 1,200 independent stores across the UK who we believe offer the best shopping experience for customers. We’ve upgraded our systems and services, increased supply and recruited a new in-house regional support team to help them provide an ever-better Jellycat experience in their stores.

“At the same time, we’ve had to make some tough decisions and reassess our relationship with some stores, as we can't support every business which wants to stock Jellycat. We're very grateful for their historic support and wish them all the best for the future.”

(see Cardsharp pages 24-25)

Woody’s past, present and future

Past, present and future came together at Magna Park site in Milton Keynes when the son, grandson, and great-grandson of the family business’ founder Graham unveiled the company’s

MD Seth Woodmansterne admitted the names Baby and Pressy McPressface were considered for the machine and its press room before he and chairman dad Paul unveiled The Croxley Press name plaque – with a little assistance from Seth’s son, 13-month-old Peregrine.

The name commemorates the Croxley Green site of the

The near three-minute segment on the TV news, Antoine Allen reported that in some parts of the capital under 70% of first-class mail is being delivered within one day – Royal Mail has a legallybinding target of 93% under the universal service obligation.

Filmed at Cardology’s Wallington base, the publisher’s 3D pop-up designs were shown to illustrate the reporter’s comment: “To mark our biggest milestones, we often turn to commemorative cards. These special dates need a fast and reliable postage system, but Royal Mail is under fire for delays in delivery.”

The publisher’s co-owner and director David Falkner, who also heads up the GCA’s Royal Mail sub-committee rammed home the message that this has to change.

The TV coverage came just after the news broke that Royal Mail CEO Emma Gilthorpe had surprised the business world by quitting as the 509-year-old delivery service fell into foreign ownership for the first time – and just a couple of weeks after receiving a stinging slapdown from industry watchdog Ofcom for announcing a change to second class deliveries when the matter is still under consultation.

Watford headquarters where Woodmansterne has been based since Graham founded the business in 1953, where the Croxley papermill used to stand, and both Croxley Script Paper, gummed envelopes and corrugated board were invented by John Dickinson in the early 1800s.

Left: The Jellycat news has not been all good of late. Below left: Maddy Moos Jellycat post just before it was informed that it is losing its stockist status.

Above: Seth in front of the new press giving thanks to the team effort over the years.

Above: Cardology’s David Falkner on ITV News.

Right: (left-right) Paul, Peregrine and Seth unveil The Croxley Press name plate.

TOP STORY

Daddy Cool!

Sunny weather sees good sales as retailers give their Father’s Day verdicts

The weather was hot but the daddies were definitely cool at the weekend as Father’s Day served up some pretty good sales across both indies and the larger retailers.

“We had a great Father’s Day from the outset and sales finished up double digits on last year!” explained Waterstones’ Hazel Walker, “overall it’s been a great year for Spring Seasons with strong growth on all –and Father’s Day saw the largest percentage increase.

“Mother’s Day is still our biggest season followed closely by Valentine’s, but Father’s Day is closing the gap with the split between Mother’s and Father’s Day now around 60-40.”

Fellow Retas 2025 award winner Carl Dunne was very happy with an 18% increase on last year’s sales at Cards & Gifts in Dronfield, even though it took until the Wednesday immediately before the event for things to kick in.

“Father’s Day is always left to the last minute,” Carl explained. “We’ve found this year people have gone for more cute than the sports designs.

At Reflections in Nantwich, co-owner Philip Nield saw 80% of sales occurring in the last week, and reports a slight increase on last year.

Putting the Father’s Day cards out straight after Easter worked for Andrea Pinder, at Presentation Cards & Gifts in

Left: Earlybird’s own Top of the Pops DJing cat design was its store’s best seller.

Above: Sophie Edwards of Narborough’s More Than Just A Card’s Father’s Day sales were up 25% on 2024.

UKG’s in-house production pays dividends

Below: Mantons Cards in Port Erin had an “excellent” Father’s Day.

Barrowford: “This was to keep awareness that it’s just as important as Mother’s Day and, surprisingly, the cards were picked up. On the run up we sold contemporary, sport and humour cards, and Friday and Saturday were the busiest days with sales on a par with 2024.”

Sonya Haandrikman-Sibbald, md of Retas winner Celebrations in Carlisle saw a slight increase in sales having put them out when the Easter cards came off in April.

Sonya explained: “We found people were picking them up 'while they were here' so it was a good long run up, rather than a last-minute panic! We extended the offering as the time drew closer to 20ft of cards and 14ft of gifts.”

A very pleased Rob Sampson, from A Stone’s Throw in Sherwood revealed his Father's Day sales grew “25% year on year, continuing the spring seasons uplift that we've seen for the other occasions, which is great.”

Modella Capital shaves £12m off WHS deal

The deal to sell off WHSmith’s High Street arm has been completed, but buyer Modella Capital is understood to have shaved £12m off the agreed sum to complete deal for 480 High Street stores £76million.

A deterioration in trading over the few weeks since the sale was agreed on 28 March saw Modella revise the terms to pay WHS gross cash proceeds up to £40m

Three years and a £10million investment has seen UK Greetings reshore 75% of its everyday greeting card production, and the hard work has paid off with industry recognition for distribution and manufacturing director Steven Nagy.

Steven has recently been named the Inspiring Leader in the prestigious Manufacturer Top 100 Awards, part of Smart Manufacturing & Engineering Week.

The awards organiser said the accolade was presented to a figure head who has “created wealth and stable employment at a UK-based manufacturer, while remaining committed to developing the value of their manufacturing business through people, processes and technology” and comes off the back of the changes at UKG’s Dewsbury HQ, bringing both greeting card and gift wrap production back in house.

Responding, Steven said: “I see this award not as a recognition of my involvement in our world class manufacturing facility but an actual recognition of all the team that supported the return to UK manufacturing.”

Just three years after the company started planning to reshore much of its greeting card production back to Dewsbury with its Cannon Way manufacturing hub abuzz with activity.

A new 5-colour Kimori press is working its magic, much to the delight of the manufacturing team headed up by operations director Julie Huntington-Davies.

“We’ll print 160million cards this year, up to 900,000 a day. And we’ll produce 15m metres of roll wrap,” said a very proud UK manufacturing manager Tim Nixon.

instead of the expected £52m, which has been rebranded as TGJones as the name was not part of the deal.

The 233-year-old retailer said the original agreement was “no longer deliverable”, adding that “the future of the High Street business under a change of ownership has led to a more cautious outlook among stakeholders”.

The news came as the first marketing emails landed and new TGJones social media pages were set up on Instagram and Facebook.

Left: The TGJones name is appearing on the High Street Right: Stationery and greeting cards will remain part of the remit.

Above: Steven Nagy collects his Inspiring Leader award.

Pebble Glass

Highland Charm Blossoms Bookmarks

Wendy Jones-Blackett Collection

card family for 28 years, and very sadly died in September after a very short battle with pancreatic cancer.

The Art File goes back to university

By order of the Peaky Blinders – 27 miles were walked, over £50,000 raised so far for Pancreatic Cancer UK, and many a celebratory glass were raised in memory of Emo’s Toni Cresswell.

There was sun, showers, blisters, aching limbs and the kindness of stranger for the 55 publishers, retailers and trade suppliers who trekked around Birmingham’s canals, rivers, parks and roads, the home of TV’s Peaky Blinders, for this year’s Charity Challenge.

Starting and finishing at the Plough & Harrow in Edgbaston, the Trek was in memory of Toni Cresswell, who was

“A huge well done to everybody for completing the Cardgains Charity Challenge 2025, Toni's Trek. This year has been the largest group of people ever to have taken part in this event,” said Cardgains’ MD Penny Shaw welcoming the weary walkers to the celebratory meal and Emo’s co-owner David Greaves beat his blisters to give his own emotional thanks for all

Toni’s husband Ian, who did the walk with his daughter Bryher and son-inlaw George commented: “It has been a wonderful day. I believe Toni would have been looking down on us all and laughing, while supping a large glass of chilled Pinot Grigio.”

Harrogate Home & Gift on the horizon

The trip to the lawns of Harrogate is coming up in and greeting card, wrap and stationery exhibitors have their sights set on the summer delights of the 65th Home & Gift show which runs over Sunday to Wednesday 20-23 July.

Birthday celebrations are also in order for exhibitors

Roger La Borde and Molly Mae at the show.

Kicking off Molly Mae’s birthday celebrations on stand DP1-D80 will be Jude Kenney, founder of the publisher, who told PG: “We’ll be turning Sweet 16 at Home & Gift and, to celebrate, we’re giving away a sweet treat to everyone who stops by to say hello!”

And marking an even bigger birthday at the show organised by Clarion Events will be Roger La Borde (DP1-D07), set up by sisters Alison Solnick and Jenni Barnett in 1985, it’s the big 4-0 for the publisher.

“We have stayed in the game so long because doing what we love has kept it fun. There is still joy in coming to work every day!” Alison said.

The Art File has gone back to the classroom to work with students at Nottingham Trent University to highlight the potential of the greeting card industry. Igniting an interest in the greeting card sector, over 80 final year illustration and graphic design students were given a brief by the Nottingham-based greeting card publisher to design a card collection with a male, humour or art-based focus.

The winner of the project was Cate Nicol, with her collection called Bird Tone. Cate has won a £500 cash prize and four weeks’ paid internship with The Art File design studio, and in second place was Rania Jamous’ Cat Salad collection with Mia Richardson taking the third spot for Sonder, both receiving a £250 cash prize and two weeks’ paid internship.

Commenting on the students’ creativity, The Art File’s MD Ged Mace said: “We were so impressed with the positive approach to the project demonstrated by every student who participated.” He added that it’s a key principle of the company “to support our local community but what this also shows is that greeting cards and greeting card design are valued entities across all age groups. Some of these students may well become the future trailblazers of our industry.”

Among the other names who’ll be exhibiting are Alljoy Design, The Art File, Bird & Co Studio Cath Tate Cards, Citrus Bunn Coulson Macleod, Ginger Betty Grace Jackson Design, Jane Buurman Handmade Wabbit, Lola Design, Meg Hawkins, Natural Partners Deer, Paper Rose, Pink Pig Robert James Hull, Rosie Made A Thing, Sarah Kelleher, Toasted Crumpet, and Wrendale Designs

This year’s show sees 500 home and gift exhibitors spanning seven halls and Design Points, more than 30% of which are brand new to the event.

the show.

Above: Home & Gift has a very popular social side.

Above: Ged Mace with (from left) lecturer Kathryn Coates, students Mia and Cate, The Art File lead designer Lucie Cox, student Rania, and The Art File design and project coordinator Naomi Young.

Below: (left-right) Rush’s Lorraine Bradley, Hugs & Kisses’ Caroline and Jon Ranwell, Presentation’s Andrea Pinder and Highworth Emporium’s Ele Spreckley.

BY DAVID ROBERTSON OF JP POZZI, ELGIN AND BUCKIE

Shark Tale

‘Duunnn dunnn… duuuunnnn duun… duuunnnnnnnn dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dunnnnnnnnnnn dunnnn..’. Those of you who are film fans will no doubt have guessed the intro right away. It is of course the classic two note score from the maestro John Williams that is integral to the first ever summer blockbuster, Jaws, which unbelievably is celebrating its 50th anniversary! It was and still is one of my favourite films. I can remember watching it around the age of 10 and being genuinely scared.

There have been lots of new documentaries, plays and even toys being released to celebrate Jaws’ golden birthday, but what I have been interested in is the amount of coverage about what are described as shark habits.

Jaws was groundbreaking in its special effects with the mechanical shark (affectionately named Bruce) causing delays and frustrations during filming.

It set Steven Spielberg on the path to being the biggest director of all time and Jaws was the highest grossing film in history until Star Wars was released in 1977.

The film, which was based on real shark killings from 1916 has had a long-term cultural impact on how we view sharks, both as creatures as well as euphemisms for business.

Sharks and business have a long history. Good/ruthless business people are often described as sharks but why is this the case?

Shark investors are viewed as opportunistic and competitive, much like the predatory nature of real sharks in the ocean. They engage in high-risk strategies which

are dangerous for them but may result in great rewards.

Sometimes it can almost be viewed in the UK as a bad thing as we are a little more understated than our American cousins around wealth success and how we talk about it.

Shark Tank for example is the name of the American version of Dragons’ Den and the sharks in it love to fight each other for the deals in a far more aggressive and dominating manner than our UK dragons do!

Americans also tend to be more optimistic and vocal about their future and that is why guys such as Walter Bond, an ex pro American Football player, and Dan John, an Olympic discus thrower both speak passionately about shark habits.

To my mind, a shark acts, it doesn’t think (or overthink). How many times have you

Inset: Bull sharks are super adaptable, they can thrive in both salt and fresh water.

Above: The US version of Dragons’ Den is called Shark Tank.

Below: This year is the 50th anniversary of the Jaws film.

missed out on tickets, or an appointment, or an opportunity because you stopped to consider if you could or should. Simply by saying “yes” first and then figuring out if you can, is a shark habit. Bite and see what happens.

Another great example is if you open an email. Answer it. if you start something try to finish it. If you promise to do something, then do it.

If I see an email that I know I have to answer, but can’t get to it I add the reply to my drafts and I make sure that I empty them every day.

Sounds simple, but acting asap helps your clarity. Sometimes we use the excuse of being busy to allow ourselves a reason to not do what is right. With shark habits you at least have moved the decision forward and if it is wrong you can look to rectify it later!

Sharks (most if not all!) must move. If they don’t keep moving, they will die. This is to do with their breathing system.

So, this is another shark habit. You need to keep moving. You need to keep looking. You need to be aware and grasp opportunities that come your way.

Sharks never retreat, physically they can’t, but what they do is pivot and this they can do quickly and easily with their body movement. If things are not working in your business look for a change. If your gym training is not working, then shift up your routine. If things are not right with relationships, do something different or change your expectations.

Pivot, but don’t stop moving and don’t give up.

Sharks conserve energy and glide. Their elegant silent movement is what makes them so majestic. They act differently and think differently and are at the top of the food chain because of this.

They don’t splash about creating lots of attention, they sneak up and surprise you. I am still learning this, how it is better to say less and do more. One of my worst habits is that I tell people too much along the way rather than just getting the work done and letting them just seeing it.

Sharks also fight differently. They don’t

stop even when hurt! Think of Jaws, he kept coming and coming until eventually they had to blow him up to stop him!

The will to push through is a dying art. Resilience is something that is just not taught or discussed in the same way these days, but in business it is perhaps the most needed skill. Setbacks occur at every level, so a drive has to be ever present. Sharks also can only look up, so the safest place to hide from a shark is beneath them. Think about that. If you let haters or folk that are trying to stop your vision/goals affect you then you are looking down. You are lowering your expectations to what they want. Keep looking up.

The real truth about haters is that they don’t have the ambition to do it themselves. That is why they want you to look down to pull you down with them.

Of course as with many things in life, there is not only one kind of shark. So, what kind of shark are you?

Are you a lemon shark? They are good at operating in small spaces. They function well

anyone even if they don’t like them and they will keep going even if they can’t see what is ahead!

Are you a great white They like the deep vast oceans and have the widest horizons. They want to conquer it all and be the true apex predator, but they understand it’s not just about them. To really dominate in a big way, it is about teamwork. How many people can you take with you and make successful?

Being a shark sounds very grand, it sounds like you’re trying to be something that you are not, but let me break it down like this. Your retail space/your publishing company/your sales territory is your ocean.

This is where you operate on a daily basis, and I don’t know anyone who still has their pride and ambition that does not want to be the absolute best in their ocean.

Shark habits again sound like some great big complicated convoluted thing, but in reality, it is just turning up, making quick and good decisions and sticking with them.

Simplifying your life and cutting back on the number of decisions you make in a day can also help you find a path to success that you were not aware of.

For example, I lay out my clothes the night before so that is a decision I don’t need to make at 5.30am-6am. I pack my bag and have my list of tasks written down starting with the most important at the top.

I now over communicate so that people are clear in what I am doing yet I am still late regularly simply because I try to put too much into my day.

Right: Thinking like a shark can help you in business to avoid being overwhelmed or trapped.

Below right: David’s son Hudson is showing his penchant for sharks!

Right: Rise high like a great white shark.

cardsharp

Nailing Jelly To A Wall

Is there a company more universally disliked and loved in the gift and card retailing community right now than Jellycat?

Independent retailers have conflicting views about the company as the sales generated by these plush items have been a lifeline to many in the last couple of economically challenging times. But quite honestly Cardsharp cringes at some of Jellycat’s recent actions and behaviour.

Coupled with the most incredible sales, Jellycat has acquired a reputation for arrogance, poor communication and deplorable service, and the company’s recent actions have hit new heights or new lows whichever way you look at it.

Over the last few weeeks Jellycat has sent three different undated letters to its independent stockists, outlining the new distribution policy. Some retailers have been

granted official stockist status, some have been told they are still in the club but need to up their game and then there is the one, sent to 8% of their stockists, informing them that they are to be delisted.

While it is great for those graciously granted the official status, it must be galling for those told in effect, they must try harder, and infuriating for those who have supported Jellycat all these years to find they have been duly dumped.

Many of the ‘dumpees’ have let rip, complaining about the worst customer service, not knowing when stock was coming with the company being uncommunicative at best. No reasons were given for being delisted, but conversations with reps reveal a number of nefarious reasons some of which are almost laughable.

One beautiful card and gift shop was told that stocking balloons in the shop was not deemed in keeping with the Jellycat brand while another was dissed for having the audacity of displaying some products in tubs. Only last year Jellycat dispensed with their long serving sales agents, many of whom had taken the brunt of the company’s poor service, to move to a new employed rep force. This seems a little at odds with the statement made by its co-founder, William Gatacre: “We recognise employees are fundamental in our continued and future success”

Another of the company’s recent actions that Cardsharp finds morally reprehensible is its recent attitude to trade shows. Every business has the right to decide whether to exhibit or not at a trade show. But if you take the decision not to exhibit, in Cardsharp’s view, there is nothing worse than setting up shop at a venue nearby and nabbing buyers from the show to see your offering. You are in effect stealing from the show organisers, who spent a fortune on the venue and the marketing. Moreover, some of the indie stockists (who have since been dumped) are understandably maddened by having been forced to visit the Jellycat ‘showroom’ in

Above: Jellycat has had a bit of a wobble on the PR front of late.

Below left: This post on Jellycat’s Instagram resulted in some negative reactions from consumers who had heard of 8% of its indie stockists being delisted.

central Birmingham or risk losing supply. They of course wish they had spent the day at the Spring Fair, actually sourcing alternative gifts.

Cardsharp does not expect all businesses

to be paragons of virtue anymore, but it is far too easy to contrast the actions of Jellycat with the likes of long established gift suppliers like Joe Davies, Widdop & Co, Lesser and Pavey and Candlelight, who respect their customers, reward loyalty and support rather than leech trade shows.

Fly me to the moon

Cardsharp was intrigued to read that Nickyl Raithatha, ceo of online card retailer Moonpig, announced his decision to step down after seven years in the job. The announcement coincided with the release of its end of year figures. Cardsharp delves a bit deeper.

Cardsharp has followed the fortunes of Moonpig since 2000, when it was founded by Nick Jenkinson who named the company after his childhood nickname. Like a lot of its dot com contemporaries, it struggled to make money initially, but with financial backing from greeting card industry angel, Duncan Spence, and creative input from greeting card publisher Paperlink, Moonpig made its first profit in 2005. Nick later sold the company and went on to become, and to be brutally honest not a particularly memorable, one of the BBC’s Dragons. Moonpig reckons it has sold half a billion cards in those 25 years.

Cardsharp remembers the experience of Ty Beanie Babies, a similar phenomenon 20 years ago. While sales were absolutely soaring, Ty displayed the same breed of arrogance. When the craze ended, retailers remembered how they had been treated, and it was a very short step after that the UK company faced failure and went into administration.

Remember the saying the larger they come the bigger they fall! In the mean time, please pass Cardsharp the sick bag?

The recent bullish statement relayed that its Father’s Day sales were the highest in the company’s history. And adjusted profit rose 16% to £67 million from £58 million. Nickyl Raithatha lauds its “loyal and growing customer base, driven by our innovations in technology, data and AI”

But if you look below the fluff a different story emerges. The reported profit before taxation was slashed from £46million to just £3million, making it barely in the black. A lot of this was those dreaded EBITIDA earnings, where so much that many would see as losses are not deducted. Admittedly a lot of this was down to the disappointing performance of Experience, its problematic acquisition. And revenue for 2025 increased only 2.6% to £350 million, less than the rate of inflation.

Interestingly, the business media was split between those that slavishly just followed Moonpig’s bullish financial announcement and those that have expressed their disappointment.

Russ Mould, an investment director at AJ

Bell commented: “Convenience is the main selling point for Moonpig, but given that cards are sold in most supermarkets, for many people grabbing the card they need might be a hard habit to break”.

And that to Cardsharp is the heart of the matter. Greeting cards, in all their shapes and forms are available in thousands of retailers around the UK, and is there a limit to how far the market share of online greeting card retailers can go? Moonpig’s expansion into party, gifts and ‘Experiences’ might be a recognition of that fact. Furthermore, although all of the greeting card industry is rightly concerned about changes to the Royal Mail’s universal daily delivery service, Moonpig must be even more concerned. It is estimated that between 50% and 70% of all cards are given by hand, whereas Moonpig is totally reliant on the Royal Mail.

The share price dropped by 10pence to 220pence in the wake of the announcements and although this is well below the floatation price of 320pence, it is still over twice the price of Cardfactory, our largest bricks and mortar retailer.

But reflects Cardsharp, just compare and contrast these figures? Moonpig’s profit after tax is £3 million, down from £46 million the previous year. Cardfactory’s profit after tax is £48 million. Does something seem odd there? Some of the discrepancy is down to bricks and mortar being viewed as in decline and Moonpig being seen as a tech company, but even then, it does seem extreme.

While seven years is a long time as a ceo of a plc, perhaps Nickyl (who is staying on to oversee a new appointment) recognises this is as good as it gets, and now is the time for him to move on with his CV in good shape?

Top: A ‘seven year itch’ for

Moonpig’s Nickyl Raithatha?

Far left: It was a record Father’s Day for Moonpig. Left: All sorts of lotions and potions have joined the Moonpig offering.

Left: There is a feeling that indies are losing out on the supply front in favour of the installations in the likes of Selfridges. Right: Bit of a tummy ache moment for Jellycat.

Peter Rabbit Flopsy

Call 01329 227300 or v i si t w w w rainbowdesigns.co.

email sales@ ra i n b owdesigns co uk inspiring kids’ imaginations for over 50 years

The vibrant atmosphere at Progressive Greetings Live was more than matched by the abundance of new ranges and products launched at the show that were lapped up by retailers and overseas distributors from all over the globe.

PG caught up with a selection of retailers who revealed some of their top picks from the show.

Mark Janson-Smith, managing director of Postmark, 14 stores in London

“What a fantastic show! We loved every minute of it. PG Live gets better and better with every year that passes. The show itself is so well organised and the treats for buyers are unrivalled to help make the day that bit easier as all the walking and talking is exhausting. The quality of new exhibitors continues to exceed expectations, and established suppliers continue to amaze with their fresh new collections that many now seem to save for PG Live to launch.”

Your top picks: “Our standout publisher ‘award’ has to go to RossJDesigns whose beautifully illustrated cards caught the eye of my daughter Aoife, but was also on my radar so I was delighted she picked them to spend her first ever Golden Ticket. The card designs are a perfect mixture of charm and wit, we just love these and can't wait for them to hit our shelves.

The standard was so high this year, I could make a list as long as an Adrien Brody acceptance speech, but a special newness shout must go out to: LoveLossDiscoBalls, Studio Boketto, Twaat Cards, Lottie Billson Designs and Little Paper Soul.” Did you place any orders? ‘We didn't place any at the show as we need to get things set

on our system but have done since with lots more to follow.’

Heidi Early, co-owner of Earlybird, Stoke Newington, London

“What a brilliant show! The buzz was electric for the entire two days. The goodie bag was, as always, a lovely bonus - I particularly liked the ‘to do list’ pad from Enveco.

The quality overall of new products, especially from established brands, was exceptional this year. I can't wait to see what 2026 has in store!”

What were your top picks? “We saw so many new companies we liked: Lucky Ink, Little Paper Soul and others in Springboard that we'll keep an eye on - if only we had an unlimited budget!”

Did you place any orders? “We placed orders with existing suppliers Penguin Ink, Dean Morris and Objectables and also newbie LoveLossDiscoballs, we absolutely love their sentiment cards and what a lovely couple Rach and Woz are. We also ordered from Kenji, a Japanese-style gift company that has really fun pick-up lines that will be perfect for our tweenage market!”

up

Above: Some retail buddies at PG Live give a toast to the exhibitors. (Left-right) Cardies’ Jo Sorrell; Presentation’s Andrea Pinder; Hugs & Kisses’ Caroline Ranwell; Expressions’ Tracey Bryant; Highworth Emporium’s Aga Marsden and Southbourne Cards’ Deborah Tingay.

Above: Postmark’s Mark JansonSmith (centre) with LoveLossDiscoballs’ Rachel and Warren Hart-Phillips.

Right: A RossJDesigns’ card.

Top: LoveLossDiscoballs was a big hit at the show.

Left: (right-left) Earlybird’s Hannah Sharman and Heidi Early with Objectables’ Tim and Annie Gould and Joy Thomas.

VIEWPOINTS

Lucy Cornwall, junior buyer of Oliver Bonas

“PG Live was a great show again this year, with lots of inspiring newness and innovation. It was great to catch up with current suppliers and meet new designers. It is invaluable seeing new ranges all in one place and identifying the trends coming through.”

What were your top picks? “Some particular brands I really liked included…

• Ornament Art – Unique concept and fun designs.

• East End Prints – Fun new designs from artists we already stock.

• Sanders De Roeper – A bright, bold and distinctive style, which are sure to stand out on the shelves.”

Did you place any orders?

“Yes. We have placed orders as a result of visiting the show, with more to come.”

Priya AuroraCrowe,

co-owner of Lark

“The show was great, had both great new brands along with showcasing all the newness the industry has to offer. I came away buzzing with new inspiration of what I should be offering to my customers.”

Sonya Haandrikman-Sibbald,

managing director of Celebrations, Carlisle

“The best thing about PG Live for me is catching up with friends in the industry. We all lead such busy and hectic lives, so isn't it wonderful to take a pause on that to appreciate and pay tribute to what brought us all together in the first placegreeting cards! Second to that is seeing all the new designs. I just love the Springboard section and listening to all the back stories from artists and illustrators - where else would you get the opportunity to do that?!”

What were your top picks? “OMG! There are just too many to mention!

We LOVED the products on The Great British Card Company's stand as well as the cheerful banter!

Paper Salad certainly did not disappoint with its brilliantly bright, bold and beautiful stand!

It was great to see the new designs on Lucilla Lavender which we will order from our fabulous agent Nigel Wilcock when we see him next.

We had previously spotted Apple and Clover’s Broderie Collection in Progressive Greetings magazine, so it was great to see those in the flesh and meet the lovely Jo Hawkins.

Rush Design had some lovely new product, I particularly liked the large square Grandson/Granddaughter cards in the young ages which I know will go well for us.

As well as catching up with all our regular suppliers it was lovely to meet some of the up and coming designers and smaller publishers and artists in the Springboard section. We absolutely fell in love with the magical, mystical and fairytale illustrations of Rachel Blackwell of Ethereal Earth. The colours that she uses, the quality of the cards, and the beautiful illustrations are superb! We really look forward to working with Rachel in the future... beautiful soul... beautiful cards!”

Did you place any orders? “Yes, several. We placed a decent order for The Great British Card Company's fab stationery range which is new for us. The publisher’s Wildflower range has been going really well for us, so we did a top up on that as well.

We ordered from Rush Design and also did some everyday and Christmas orders with Lola Design

To be honest, we were actually having too much fun and ran out of time, otherwise we would have ordered more!”

Carl Dunne, owner of Cards & Gifts, Dronfield

What were your top picks? “Mifkins, Ohh Deer and Ricicle, they have all really pushed themselves to create new fantastic designs which are inspiring for the industry.”

Did you place any orders? “Sooo many and they are coming into store thick and fast!”

“PG Live blew itself out of the water this year – it was amazing! It felt busier, buzzier, had more publishers and so many new ones - and the food was yummy.”

What were your top picks? “Kenji and am about to place my first order with them as I see this is a growing brand. Sarah Kelleher also caught my eye. These I felt had such a bold impact and stood out from all the rest. I also loved the look of the Peppa Pig range on the Tache stand.”

Did you place any orders? Yes I did. I ordered the new plush from Carte Blanche as well as the new party range from UKG. I thought was ingenious to divert into another field within the sector.”

Above: Oliver Bonas’ Lucy Cornwall (right) and Nicola Connelly (left) with Rosie Tate of Cath Tate Cards at PG Live.

Right: An Ornament Art design.

Top: Celebrations’ Sonya Haandrikman-Sibbald (centre) and Heather Hodgson with David Byk, ceo of GBCC and Ling Design.

Above: An Ethereal Earth design.

Above: Lark’s Priya Aurora-Crowe with Ohh Deer’s Mark Callaby. Below: A slice of Mifkins!

Top: Carl Dunne with UKG’s Tracey McMinn. Above: Bold artistry from Sarah Kelleher.

Gary

Williamson,

vice president of pop culture at HMV Canada

What did you like about PG Live? “PG Live is a unique show that I will always visit from now on. There was a vibrancy and eagerness to get projects going as well as a great mix of old and new suppliers on which to feast your eyes. The show provides both the ‘traditional’ product you would expect to see as well as a whole host of newness, both in terms of products and suppliers.

I liked the fact it's not too big, so you are not walking miles between lots of different halls. Every supplier has a similar sized stand so it’s a condensed offer which is far easy to view as a retailer than trying to work through everything a supplier has in their ranges, making decision making so much easier. A massive thanks to all the suppliers who support this show.”

What were your top picks? “Key highlights for me were...

• Danilo - One of my long-term ‘go to’ suppliers who never fail to deliver a very impressive stand. The product portfolio is very wide and covers all the major licences you would want. It was also great to see the company’s MD Daniel [Prince] and various other directors on the stand, which is a great show of support for the show. I have nothing, but total respect for the Danilo team and all they do and support.

• Bubblegum Stuff – Again, an amazing looking stand and great to see the company’s MD Courtney [Wood] leading the charge on the stand. In its Brittany Paige collaboration, Bubblegum has a truly pop culture range of cards

Penny Bailey,

co-owner of Bailey’s, Ainsdale, Crosby and Maghull

which will be very engaging at retail level for sure. I loved the company’s recent re-brand, which looks wow and very engaging!!!

• Ohh Deer – I am a big, big fan; love this brand; its cards and often buy them myself. The publisher has an unique look and a different approach - and they have Steven Rhodes cards as well which is a particular favourite of mine. Again, good to see MD Mark [Callaby] and the directors on the stand showing their support for the show.

• Hype - I love and have enjoyed what Paula and Richard [Ford] do with their brand that they progress every time I see them and they did that again at PG Live. In particular I loved their Mini card range, and their Peanuts range has the wow factor for sure.

• Kenji - There is no secret in my admiration for this brand both Derek {Yong} and Eddie [Shepherd] at director level always lead the charge in anything they do and with their new greeting card range again they have hit the pop culture target.

I must just have also shoutouts to Jack Wilson from Paper Salad great product! and finally, to Cindy and David from Pango Productions who I met for the first time - what a great range they have.”

Did you place any orders? “Yes, orders were placed and ranges are being decided on as we speak.”

Hazel Walker, senior buyer of Waterstones

“Genuinely, PG Live put me on a little high for a few days! All the build up to it on the exhibitors' socials was fab and got us excited for what was to come. And it didn't disappoint. As always, I was so impressed by the creative talent. How one industry can have so much variety is astounding.

PG Live is a great place to focus solely on cards, and give careful thought to what works for us and what we could refresh.

It gives a boost to my enthusiasm and enables me to look a little more objectively at what we offer. It's also the best place to bump into all our fellow cardies and make new friends along the way. Roll on PG Live 2026!”

Did you place any orders? “I spent my Sunshine Ticket with Lucilla Lavender on its new Baby Bird range... so cute!

My Silver Ticket went to Bold & Bright on something a bit cheeky. We spent our Cardgains voucher to reintroduce Lola Design and were lucky enough to get the first piece of their 10th birthday cake!

Since returning home I've decided to bring in the very funny Versed Aid and Lucy Maggie; and have ordered new ranges that we spotted from Hallmark I also loved the new stuff from Dandelion, Ohh Deer, Louise Mulgrew and so many more.”

“We had a great time at PG Live this year! We say it every year, but it really is the best show with so much great product – we ended up coming back for a second day as we couldn’t cover it all in one!”

What were your top picks? “The Simon Drew range from Cath Tate looks like it would be a hit with our customers and we’ll definitely be adding it to our offer. There was some great new talent up in the Springboard section and we’ll be following up with Design Smith Studio in particular.”

Above: HMV’s Gary Williamson at PG Live. Below left: Bubblegum Stuff showcased its Brittany Paige collaboration at the show.

Above: (centre) Penny and Simon Bailey of Bailey’s with Bold & Bright’s Thea Musselwhite. Right: Two designs from Lucy Maggie.

Above: Waterstones’ Hazel Walker (right) and Megan Douglas.

Left: A Simon Drew card which is now being distributed by Cath Tate Cards

VIEWPOINTS

“Having become buying manager on June 1, PG Live was perfectly timed as my introduction and so good to be in such a warm environment. I loved meeting all the suppliers for the first time at the show. The whole atmosphere of the two days was incredible!

extremely well-run and professional, but with a very laid back and friendly vibe.”

Your top picks: “I loved the creativity of the new publishers and really enjoyed how passionate everyone was!! Old and new!

I really liked Bold & Bright, I thought the cards were really interesting and I loved Thea [Musselwhite, founder], she was so passionate about her brand!”

Pete

and Jelena

Whiteman, co-owners of Dzodzo, Woodbridge

“PG Live is the best show to see so much talent in the greeting card industry, all under one roof.

Every year I always find new suppliers, catch up with old friends and look to see up and coming trends. This year was no exception. A veritable array of

What were your top picks? “A couple of new companies that caught our eye and orders were placed, were Not At All Jack, an amusing range that made us chuckle (and since the cards have arrived have made both the team and customers laugh).

Secondly, Penguin Ink. These are beautifully drawn images of animals and wildlife. Another shout out would go to Faye Bridgwater, beautiful floral designs with colour that pops out.”

Did you place any orders? “Before and after a wonderful lunch, around 12 orders were placed. A very worthwhile visit! The show dates are definitely booked in the diary for next year.”

Jo Marwaha, director of Penny Black, Glasgow

“Oh I had a great time! PG Live is always a treat of a show because it's got a great balance and variety of brands exhibiting - big, small and everything inbetween! The size of the show is always manageable in a day too so as a buyer you're not stretched too thin; you get to catch up with current suppliers, but also really get to dive into newness.”

What were your top picks?

“• Lucky Ink - incredibly eye-catching with original captions.

• Two For Joy - unique and beautiful designs with some fun bonus creative features.

• The Curious Pancake - original and hilarious designs.

• Bird & Co - soothing colourways and nature-inspired designs; perfect for outdoorsy customers.

• Flight & Fancy - delightfully detailed and original designs with a unique take.

• Raspberry Blossom - the Little Joys range is quintessentially Raspberry Blossom; super colourful and original designs but in a smaller cute size! What's not to love?

• Ohh Deer - simply, all of it. 10/10!

• Penguin Ink - the new neon nature cards are impossible to miss or leave without.

• Eat the Moon - silly, surreal and super fun, we can't get enough.

• Brainbox Candy - loving the new Majasbok range plus more otherwhats - a runaway bestseller for us!”

Did you place any orders?

“I did place some orders! I had the thrill of using my Silver Ticket from being nominated in last year's Retas plus a Sunshine Ticket for this year's! We used our tickets to buy from two of the many standout brands - Running With Scissors and Jessie Maeve Studio. We're really excited to also be stocking brands we've been following for a while and took the plunge at the show, namely, LoveLossDiscoballs and Studio Boketto.”

Michael Apter, managing director of Paper Tiger, four stores in Edinburgh

“There was a really positive atmosphere at PG Live, with some real optimism among the people I spoke to over the two days. I'm still concerned about the long-term issues with the Royal Mail, so it was good to see the GCA at the show.”

What were your top picks? “I am intrigued by The Fold from Museums & Galleries. We placed a small order and will watch with interest. There are a few artists, illustrators and publishers who are working on really distinctive ranges and interesting products that are widening the idea of what a 'card' can be.”

Did you place any orders? “We got into double figures for orders placed, and we have twice as much additional work today back home in Edinburgh!”

Above: WHSmith’s Sharon Fox (right) with Claire Castle at the Danilo/Emo/Paper Salad drinks party at PG Live.

Right: Bold & Bright’s designs caught Sharon’s eye.

Top: Penny Black’s Jo Marwaha with Stephen McFee of Running With Scissors.

Above: Some bold graphics from Lucky Ink.

Above: Dzodzo’s Jelena and (right) Pete Whiteman enjoyed spending their Golden Ticket with Cambridge Confectionery Company.

Right: Bright florals from Faye Bridgwater.

Above right: The Fold was a big launch for M&G.

Below: Paper Tiger’s Michael Apter with Little Paper Soul’s Elizabeth Forbes.

Ross Lasseter, buying and merchandising manager of Tesco

“PG Live provides a great opportunity for us to catch up with all our fantastic suppliers in one place as well as looking for new suppliers and design inspiration.”

What were your top picks?

“Among our top picks were…

• Danilo which had developed some new and exciting updates of their key licences (Only Fools and Horses, Wallace & Gromit and Minecraft).

• Emotional Rescue for bringing

their brands to life and always making us smile!

Paperlink’s milestone ages and anniversary cards brought something new to that category.

Mint and Museums & Galleries with The Fold. New and exciting designs brought together in a cohesive range.”

Did you place any orders? “No specific orders, as that’s not how we operate, but it gave us plenty of inspiration to add to our range changes as we progress through the year.”

Smith, Lauren Thomas, Ross Lasseter, Nicola RobertsEagles and Jane Mullens at PG Live.

Tim Reynolds and Charlie Wheatley, manager and assistant manager of Medici Gallery, Kensington

“We thought it was the best PG Live show we’ve ever been to! The choice and quality of products on offer were outstanding, with a huge variety of approaches.”

What were your top picks?

Jane Armour, owner of Jane Armour Trading, Taunton

“It was fabulous. PG Live is my favourite show. Its compact size means you can see everything and speak to all those on your list without a stupid amount of rushing. It’s also refreshing having a show dedicated to one area instead of absolutely everything in the gift trade!

I got round everybody during the first day, made a list of stands to go back to for placing orders and hit the ground running on the second day. I knew I was going to be hard pushed to get through my ‘to do’ list but managed it thanks to the roving coffee and tea trolleys and the lunch! I cannot emphasise strongly enough the difference these make to my visit. No time is lost queueing at a slow moving coffee bar, or sandwich counter and keeping hydrated and fed meant my energy levels didn’t dwindle. So, a big thank you for providing all of that!”

What were your top picks? “My particular mentions go to…

• Paper Mirchi – I love their product as do my customers.

• Little Roglets – Beautiful cards, I saw at Harrogate last year but didn’t get around to ordering, I was delighted to see them at PG Live and hopefully will have some stock from them soon

• Catherine Rayner – the most delightful illustrations on cards and baby clothes.

Other companies that stood out to me at the show include The Art File, Bewilderbeest, Cath Tate, Cinnamon Aitch (with whom I spent my fabulous Retas Sunshine Ticket), Objectables, Ohh Deer and Ricicle.” Did you place any orders? “Oh yes…I placed lots of orders!”

“The hand-crafted exquisite 3D cards from Origami and the extraordinary AI extravaganzas from Elliot Siegel

We would also like to mention Paper Mirchi as it had the most beautiful range of Indian hand-crafted stationery. We plan to stock this asap.”

Did you place any orders?

“We spent our Silver ticket with Kerrie McNeill from Northen Ireland. Our Sunshine ticket went to Catherine Rayner and we also ordered from Charlotte at Studio Frewb. She was great fun and had lots of patience with us. All of these were in the Upper Village, which is a great area to find newness.”

Miles Robinson, co-owner of House of Cards, a group of seven stores based in the Home Counties

“PG Live is not only the best show for seeing the greeting card industry in full bloom but the buzz and positivity really shows through. We are so well looked after as buyers, the Gold/Silver tickets are brilliant marketing and the drinks reception is a great chance to catch up and download.”

What were your top picks? “We noticed Catherine Rayner with her cute animal designs with a name/story behind each one which makes for a great combo with her books.

We loved Paper Salad’s new confirmation/communion cards, something really different in these often overlooked captions. Five Dollar Shake’s new A4 captioned cards were great with a £16+ RRP - we won’t sell many but it is great to push the envelope.

Did you place any orders? “Yes, and at least three new publishers will be taken on from the show.”

Above left: Tesco’s team (left-right) Gemma

Right: A Model Family design

Sarah Fitzgerald.

Below right: Cuteness galore from Little Roglets.

Above: (left-right) House of Cards’ Miles Robinson, Nigel Williamson and Lisa Gilbert.

Below middle: Some delights from Catherine Rayner. Bottom: Some high class loveliness from Five Dollar Shake.

Top: Kerrie McNeil (centre) of Kerrie Illustrates was delighted that Medici’s Tim Reynolds (right) and Charlie Wheatley chose to spend their Silver Ticket on her cards.

Above: Two Studio Frewb cards.

SHARING THE VIBE

The newness, the togetherness, the upbeat vibe, the “oohs” and the “aahs”, the business that was done, the friendships that were strengthened, the memories that were made, PG Live packed a lot into the two day show. PG shares some photographic evidence from the

Above: Some visitors and exhibitors jump for joy.

Left: Stationery Supplies’ Sarah Laker and Dean Morris’ PG Live stunt photo.

Right: Sydney-based McMillan’s Jenny Cummins placed an order with Five Dollar’s Matt Genower (left) and John Stevens within minutes of the show opening.

Below: The show in full flow.

Below right: Mummy Pig, Peppa and baby Evie were invited to the show by Danilo’s Daniel Prince (left) and Dan Grant.

Left:

Highworth Emporium’s Aga Marsden, Presentation’s Andrea Pinder, Hugs & Kisses’ Caroline Ranwell and Expressions’ Tracey Bryant at The Retas Wall of Fame.

Right: Two of the meeters and greeters wearing dresses made from exhibitors’ cards.

Below left: Retailers (second and third left) Sincerely Yours’ Kaye Thurgood and Paper Tiger’s Michael Apter with Graphite’s Dave Parry (far left) with members of the GCA and GCA Council promoting the 2025 Cardmitment campaign.

and below:

Lindsay

Richards and Holly

with Ohh Deer’s Mark Callaby in the entrance to the Gallery Hall where the free lunch was served to all. It was sponsored and dressed beautifully by Laura Ashley to fanfare the launch of licensed range with Ohh Deer.

Above right: There was a buzzy atmosphere in the aisles and on the stands.

Right: Rosie Made a Thing’s founder Rosie Harrison with the limited edition keepsake tote bag all visitors were each given that was sponsored by the publisher to mark its 10th anniversary.

(left-right)

Left

The Laura Ashley’s (bottom to top)

Pearl, Stacie

Sommerville

Below

Below

Left: Liz Harry (right) and her uplifting designs ‘stepped up’ for Hallmark. Seen here with the publisher’s Jess Lovelace on the sponsored main stairway.

Above: Tatty Teddy caught up with his PG reading at the show.

Right: As ever the Windlessponsored tea trolleys which served up free tea and coffee were very popular.

Left: Paper Salad’s Jack Wilson (right) realised his childhood ambition to be an ice cream van man.

Helped by colleague and sister-in-law Ellie Wilson, Mr Whippy ice cream was given out from a cardboard ice cream van, made by N Smith.

right: N Smith’s Kerry Tyers and Steve Wilkinson with some more of their cardboard masterful creations.

left: (right-left) Forget jaw dropping, PG Live was trouser dropping for Brainbox Candy’s Ben Hickman on the stairs with Rosie Made A Thing’s Rosie Harrison, Bexy Boo’s Bex Hassett and Earlybird’s Dom Early.

Below

as well as playing through lunch, sponsored by

Below: The first day of the show was ‘Choose Day’ as visitors and exhibitors donned their Choose Cards t shirts, an initiative by The Letter Arty’s Matt Simpson (centre front).

After a decade of not exhibiting at trade shows,

Left: PG’s Warren Lomax and West Ham fan (centre) celebrated his football bet with Danilo’s Daniel Prince (right) and Frankie Moseley of Think Global Sports.

Right: Celebrated saxophonist Graeme Airth welcomed visitors to the show

Skylight Media.

left:

Two Bad Mice’s Julian Williams and (right) Mami Usami-Williams with Sara Kagan, owner of Australian distributor Scarpa Imports.

Above: The seagull and chips sculpture on Pickled Prints stand certainly attracted the attention. (Left-right) Cards ‘n’ Things Paul and Helen Southgate were delighted to spend their Silver Ticket with the publisher.

Left: (right-left) Enveco’s Dhruman Shah, Lucy Glower and Thomas Jones welcoming everyone to the Village Green area, that was sponsored by the company.

Below: Publishers line up to cash in their Gold, Silver and Sunshine Tickets.

Right: Thortful’s md Pip Heywood was full of bounce at the show.

ABOVE

Contemporary creatives are being championed in Museum & Galleries’ fresh sub-brand The Fold, which in conjunction with launches from sister company M!nt Publishing, dazzled buyers at the PG Live launch in June, while the group’s expanded home and giftware collections caught the eye at the recent Exclusively Housewares show.

above the fold – and that’s just where Museums & Galleries’ latest sub-brand The Fold sits!

The publisher hit PG Live 2025 with a bang unveiling what group creative director Ben Dorney described as a “three-course meal” of significant launches across both M&G and M!nt Publishing.

The publisher’s team of agents had an early start at PG Live’s opening day in June, as the family-run company had kept the new developments under wraps during set-up, before revealing the complete set just before the show officially opened.

The ‘main course’ was the unveiling of The Fold, a fresh sub-brand spanning two art collections which takes the publisher deep into contemporary design, totalling over 80 cards.

“The Fold’s launch at PG Live surpassed our wildest expectations,” explained M&G’s licensing manager Eddie Clarke. “So much positive reaction and so many kind comments! Orders have been flooding in, and the

creative team returned to our Frome home fizzing with excitement and inspiration.

“Plans are already underway for further developments with The Fold brand, watch this space!”

Eddie explained that the aim of The Fold is to “bring joy, colour, and a carnival of contemporary artists and illustrators to the world of greeting cards” with the launch L Series and B Series ranges each having more than 40 cards, offering a vibrant and diverse collection of on-trend artwork, quirky humour and bold typographic designs.

He added: “The Fold is passionate about authentic creativity, artistic expression, and

the joy of connecting through carefully considered products. The mission is to champion talented contemporary creatives and emerging designers in the UK and beyond.”

The L Series has smaller cards, while B Series is the classic 5x7 size, between them featuring artists including Daria Solak, Kristian Gallagher, Sarah Wilson, Max Machen, Maja Andersen, The Native State, Amy Godkin, Rhi James, and Laura Clare, using textured board, foiling and kraft envelopes.

And creative director Ben explained: “The Fold was a long-term plan to develop a fresh space for artists and creative work under the M&G umbrella.

“As the pace of development and activity has vastly increased in the modern world, the art teams at M&G and M!NT constantly come across amazing work which we

Above: The Fold had its own dedicated section on M&G’s stand at PG Live.

Right: M&G’s sales agents were all at PG Live before the show opened for The Fold to be unveiled. (Left-right) licensing manager Eddie Clarke, co-owner Debbie Williams, agent Rosie Trow, co-owner Alan Williams, agent Beth Robson, agent Dave Langdon, head of design Stu Harris, group creative director Ben Dorney, and agent Howard Tomlinson.

Below: A trio of cards from The Fold.

IN CONVERSATION WITH… MUSEUMS & GALLERIES

were unable to find a home for in the two established brands – The Fold is now that home.”

The ‘starter course’ of the launches were served up first on the M!nt stand, including a new humour range from prolific creative and Insta sensation Katie Abey and Lost The Plot by veteran illustrator Louise Nisbet, featuring quirky and gently amusing humour based on fruits and vegetables.

The ‘dessert’, which Ben explained had been “over two years in the making”, was a collection of M&G’s boxed bone china mugs as well as additions to the company’s homewares selection.

Exclusively previewed

M&G followed up all the PG Live excitement with a preview of new home and giftware products at the Exclusively Housewares show in London just a few days later.

Long a significant licensing partnership, the company is thrilled to launch star UK designer Matthew Williamson’s work on bottles, PLA and bone china mugs, as well as kitchen textiles.

“The luxuriant and striking colour-work of the designer’s Peacock Ikat drew much admiration from visitors to the show,” licensing manager Eddie Clarke said of the design that features on a collection of coordinating products including an insulated bottle, PLA mug, apron, oven glove, tea towel set and cotton napkin set.

Launched only in January this year, London designer Emily Burningham’s Saxifrage design has been such a hit with buyers M&G has released it as a bottle, PLA and china mugs, coordinating kitchen textiles, and a coaster set.

The resurgent Brambly Hedge character licence is a huge fan favourite and now also comes as an insulated bottle, PLA mug, apron, oven glove, and tea towel coordinating set.

M&G’s coaster sets have been flying off the shelves since the launch in January this year, and the company is launching five more designs from Angela Harding, Vincent Van Gogh, Henri Matisse in collaboration with the Tate, Walter Crane from the V&A, and Helen Ahpornsiri for Wild Press.

After the respected art and licensed card, stationery, and gift publisher, and sister business M!nt, missed last year’s PG Live due to the wedding of owners Debbie and Alan Williams’ son Tom to the company’s administration and relationship manager Sophie Bylina, the launch marked the return to the coveted spot near the organisers’ office.

What’s in the box?

Eighteen months of research and development has led to the latest expansion of Museums & Galleries home and giftware collections, bringing bone china mugs to the table.

Chinaware is a completely new medium for the company, however, over the last few years M&G has successfully broken out of the paper-based greeting cards, stationery and gift packaging arena, first with textiles – tote bags, pouches and kitchen textiles – and then with metallics for the insulated drinkware.

M&G creative director Ben Dorney explained these moves had given M&G valuable experience in the issues – not least of which is achieving a close colour match across the different substrates to ensure optimum coordination across ranges of different products to create the most effective in-store displays.

Ben added that the company drew on the expertise of many stakeholders and experts, including from its many prestigious museum licensors, such as the V&A and Tate Galleries which have huge in-house experience creating, retailing and licensing bone china products.

“We wanted the overall profile of the mug to

And there was even an extra treat with

be timeless and classic, but also uniquely ours,” Ben said. “We adapted and refined the mug’s profile, subtly elongating the can and contouring the base, and the loop of the handle was also reconfigured.”

For general manager Tom Williams the packaging was an essential component of the product, as he believes it elevates the 380ml mugs, which are dishwasher and microwave safe, as a gift or self-purchase for either home or office, with the pre-orders due for delivery in September.

the appearance of Tom and Sophie’s adorable five-month-old son Ted who charmed everyone with his on-stand cuddles, smiles and beautiful big eyes – but they admitted this addition to the Williams’ ‘fold’ wasn’t quite such a cutie overnight!

Presented in keepsake gift boxes, also with a ribbon tag for out-of-box display, the packaging is printed in full colour to match the contents, with all the technical details printed on a belly band, and it’s sturdy enough to function as a keepsake gift box after the mug takes pride of place in the kitchen cupboard.

The collection includes William Morris’ iconic Strawberry Thief and the popular Leicester Wallpaper from the V&A collections, Walter Crane’s Cockatoo And Pomegranate, Frog Tile by William De Morgan, plus the bold modern pieces of the Henri Matisse Dancer paper cut out and detail from Alvaro Barrington recent Grace installation at Tate Britain, Accompanying these are designs by Romantic movement geniuses JMW Turner and John Constable, the subjects of a joint exhibition at Tate Britain in the autumn, along with striking works from designers Matthew Williamson, Mary Katrantzou, and Emily Burningham, and popular M&G artists Angela Harding, Catherine Rowe and Helen Ahpornsiri for Wild Press, plus Van Gogh’s Almond Blossom.

Above: The new boxed mugs shown off by Tom Williams, Ben Dorney, Beth Robson, Sophie BylinaWilliams, Alan Williams and Rosie Trow.

Above: Matthew Williamson’s designs caught the eye. Above right: The keepsake boxes match the mugs.

Above: Young Ted and proud dad Tom.

Already very well respected for its greeting card selection, department store Barkers’ investment in a brand new gift department clinched the Northallerton store a winning trophy in the recent Greats retail awards.

PG caught up with Barkers’ Sarah Lishman, who has built on her greeting card knowledge by taking on the gift buying for the awardwinning department store.

For most shoppers, the first reaction to the new Gift Department at Barkers in Northallerton is ‘wow!”. A second ‘wow’ could be discovering that buyer/gift and card manager, Sarah Lishman, had just seven months to go from zero to hero.

“Before we opened The Gift Department we didn’t have a standalone gift department as such. Gifts were linked to specific instore departments with each one responsible for buying their own giftware,” explains Sarah, who joined Barkers 28 years ago as a Saturday girl, coming back full time via a degree course in textiles and surface pattern.

BARKERS’ BiTE

“It was actually the store’s director, Guy Barker, the fourth generation of the Barker family, who decided that the 143 year old department store, a landmark on Northallerton High Street, should have a dedicated gift department to complement its stronghold in greeting cards.

The decision resulted in a major investment for the store with Sarah, who has been its card buyer for the last 15 years – tasked with becoming the sole gift buyer too, a huge responsibility by anyone’s standards.

The success and importance of Barkers’ greeting card department is reflected in its

and with sales up 5% year on year, Sarah’s keen eye and customer knowledge continues to reap rewards.

Sarah freely admits she is “a passionate cardie”, but also relished the opportunity to expand her buying touch to gifts.

With purchasing decisions completely down to her – other than a request from Guy to source LEGO – for the new department she referenced the Best Sellers articles in PG’s

and then headed to London’s Top Drawer. “It started me off and helped me when I went to Spring Fair the following month for two days. The show seemed overwhelming at first –plus, there was so much to cram into 48 hours, to include travelling - but it turned out to be a great success, with the majority of brands I placed orders with companies who are completely new to Barkers. My remit was to buy books, stationery, homewares, men’s shop, games and pet accessories, children’s toys and baby, so I practically shopped the show, keeping our customer profile in mind at all times, and aiming for retail prices of between £5-£50.”

As Barkers’ long standing card buyer, Sarah had often looked longingly at the increasing amount of giftware that card companies such as Museums & Galleries, Caroline Gardner, Toasted Crumpet and Artebene were bringing out. “Now as the gift buyer too, I can also bring some of those excellent products into the new department,” she points outs.

She admits that the first seven months were a steep learning curve. “In essence, I was bringing in gift, home and children’s products for the busiest and most important gifting period of the year, Christmas, so my biggest concern was how the products

Below left: (right-left) Barkers’ Sarah Lishman and Sharon Wake were presented with The Greats Best Department Store of Gifts Award 2025 by Alister Marchant, ceo of Carte Blanche, category sponsor, joined by compere George Zacharopoulos.

Below: Some homewares from Caroline Gardner feature in The Gift Department in Barkers.

hand side as shoppers enter the Northallerton High Street store.

PG Live top notes

Sarah Lishman, card and gift buyer of Barkers, Northallerton shares her views on the recent PG Live show…

“The show was great as always; it had a real buzz. I really enjoyed it. I’m looking forward to next year’s already.”

What were your top picks?

“There was some lovely new companies. I opened an account with La La Lu, Jess is brand new to the industry, we met at lunch (lunch was lovely!). I placed an order with her and used my Sunshine Ticket. Her cards are beautiful quality and have such lovely illustrations. I’m really looking forward to them arriving.

I also picked up Little Roglets, which is new for us. I love the neutral colour palette they use and the Christmas designs are beautiful.”

Did you place any orders?

“Yes, in addition to the aforementioned I also placed quite a few orders with existing companies, including Woodmansterne, The Art File and Ohh Deer (I loved the new Laura Ashley range).”

would be received by the customers.”

She needn’t have worried. “I would go straight into the department on Monday morning and be amazed at how much the staff had sold over the weekend. It was an incredible feeling to see how much had flown off the shelves. The key lesson I learned was to place much larger orders with suppliers for the last three months of the year, something I kept in mind when placing my Christmas orders at the Spring shows this year. I’ve also bought more pick up gifts, selling for £10 or under, such as little jigsaws from Bookspeed,

toys from Juratoys, and small stationery items from Caroline Gardner and The Art File.”

Aside from sourcing at the major trade shows, including PG Live (for greeting cards), Sarah discovers new products on Instagram, also singing the praises of the reps and agents with whom she works.

Of course, merchandising is all important, with Sarah crediting her colleague, Jill Hancock, for pulling everything together and elevating the displays to create the ‘wow’ factor instore.

“When you’re buying so many products, it’s very difficult to envisage how they are going to look grouped with other complementary products on a wall, a shelf or a display table,” she continues. “It’s so crucial to get it right. With Autumn on its way, I’m now looking forward to the changing season and a new merchandising vibe. It’s an opportunity to

introduce Autumnal colours into the department, and to put in Christmas from the third week of September. As with last year, we’ll be creating a Christmas department.”

If there’s currently a downside, it’s the ever present threat of shoplifters. “It’s got much worse this year, so much so that we have tagged our Jellycat products and increased the store’s security team.”

An historical perspective

• Barkers is an independent family department store that dates back to 1882.

• At 14, William Barker became apprenticed to John Oxendale, the owner of a drapery store, becoming a senior partner in 1907, with the store subsequently renamed Oxendale & Barkers.

• William eventually bought out the remaining Oxendale family in 1918, renaming the store Barkers, and going on to open Barkers Home – a furniture, linens, cook & wine store – that celebrated its 30th anniversary last year.

If greeting cards remain very much Sarah’s right hand responsibility, gifts now fill her other hand. She says that the crossover between cards and gifts means “They both help to tell a brand ‘story’ and means that customers can find a gift in The Gift Department, such as a hand cream or soap, then go down to the card department and discover a same-brand card, gift bag or wrap to go with it.”

It definitely sounds like this North Yorkshire department store is ‘Bark-ering’ up the right tree!

Above left: Sarah carefully curates the greeting card selection in Barkers.

Above: The Art File’s Bear plush, stationery and gift packaging make a statement in Barkers.

Left: Rosie Made A Thing gifts and stationery have a strong presence in Barkers.

Below left: Like Barkers, Museums & Galleries has expanded on stationery, gifts and homewares which is reflected in the department store.

Below: The Gift Department complements Barkers’ greeting card department.

Some wonderful new products that will be on show at Harrogate Home & Gift (20-23 July).

Absurd Mastery

Having debuted at PG Live, this month sees the new distribution agreement between Cath Tate and Simon Drew heading to the Harrogate show. The 80 designs in this inaugural range champions Simon’s unique artistic style and a sharp eye for the absurd, always masterfully blending the everyday with the unexpected - anchored by a pun, play on words or clever visual twist.

Cath Tate  0208 671 2166 trade.cathtatecards.com

Home & Gift Stand C36

Nurturing Nature

Agnes is a new whimsical collection of art cards from The Art File that is both beautiful and thoughtful. Created by talented artist Ally Gore, each card features a heartfelt botanical nature scene. Printed on a textured board, the cards are finished with a multi-level emboss and each comes with an ivory envelope. envelope.

The Art File 0115 648 3240 www.theartfiletrade.com

Home & Gift Stand DP1-D10

Sense Of Adventure

Adventure Kit is a colourful, retrostyle birthday range from Bird & Co Studio that captures all the essentials for popular outdoor activities and sports, including camping, cycling and wild swimming. To add interest each card also has a little annotated kit list on the back.  The cards are printed on 100% recycled FSC paper in the UK and come with a recycled kraft envelope. They are supplied naked with an option to add bio cello. Bird & Co 07962421805 www.birdandcostudio.com

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Summer Freshness

Roger La Borde's sizzling Summer Petite Collection abounds with juicy fun and fruit. The range comprises 12 foiled 150x 105mm cards featuring witty words and cute illustrations covering birthdays and important occasions, including weddings, thank you and congratulations. There is also matching stationery and giftbags.

Roger la Borde 0207 328 0491

www.rogerlaborde.com

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Woofs And Wings

Sense Of Occasion

Wrendale Designs is adding 12 new designs into its popular occasion card collection. All featuring beautiful artwork by artist Hannah Dale, the latest additions cover a variety of occasions. All the cards are made in the UK and printed on 350gsm sustainably sourced textured board from responsibly managed forests. They are supplied unwrapped with a recycled kraft envelope.

Wrendale Designs 01652 680253

www.wrendaledesign.co.uk

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Natural Partners is debuting a range of greeting cards featuring the illustrations of Maggie Mumford. The 29 designs are a mix of humour, sentiment and occasions, with the majority featuring Maggie's exquisite pictures of dogs, although a few feathers are thrown in for good measure. All 150mm square, they are printed on a lightly textured board and supplied with a white envelope.

Natural Partners 07714 768956

www.naturalpartnersart.co.uk Home & Gift Stand DP4-D18

Some

Boxing Clever

University Games and Lagoon will have its extensive product line up on display, including Lagoon’s new Birthday in a Box range. Covering 18 to 60, you can make every milestone birthday unforgettable with the Birthday in a Box all-in-one Celebration Kit. A birthday trivia card game, booklet of birthday fun facts, happy birthday badge and a cake topper are just some of the goodies included.

University Games and Lagoon 020 7254 0100

www.university-games.co.uk

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Floral Tribute

Spot On

The animal print trend which is gracing the catwalks and interiors is being fully embraced in Molly Mae’s extended Hip Hip Hooray range. The 32 new designs cover female birthdays and ages all the way up to 100. Bright, fun designs are blinged up with gold foil and come with a luxury pearlescent envelope.

Molly Mae 01455 551115

www.mollymae.co.uk

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Imperial Flowers is a vibrant new range from that Grace Jackson Design that blends contemporary colour with heritage-inspired design. Featuring a rainbow palette of richly toned backgrounds and intricate peony motifs outlined in navy, finished with luxurious gold hot foil, each card offers a striking, modern take on traditional floral themes. The 12 peony designs are based on handcut tissue paper art discovered in the sewing kit of Grace’s best friend’s grandmother.

Grace Jackson Design 07902 875014

gjdesignwholesale.co.uk

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Forest Finds

Woodland Treasures is a new collection of mushroom-themed cards and gifts from Toasted Crumpet. With mushrooms continuing to be a key design trend, this whimsical range brings together delicate toadstools, foraged herbs, and charming woodland flowers. At the heart of the collection are 24 beautifully illustrated mini cards, each with elegant scalloped edging. All 90x120mm in size, they are printed on a luxury card stock and eco-clasped. Toasted Crumpet 01372 383436

www.toastedcrumpet.co.uk

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Birds Of A Feather

Citrus Bunn is carrying forward the British wildlife trend with its new Feathered Friends ages collection. Being a self-confessed ‘bird nerd’ herself, the publisher’s founder Clemency Bunn had no trouble creating watercolour images of British birds and combining them with some of its trademark pun fun on this new collection of age cards.

Citrus Bunn

07746324124

www.citrusbunn.com

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Lovely Guessing

Rainbow has extended its popular collection of adorable Guess How Much I Love You soft toys and gifts with the addition of a heartshaped comforter, Nutbrown Hare soft toy with silicone teether and a fun-packed activity cube. These join a soft and cute Nutbrown Hare soft toy and milestone cards and soft toy and muslin gift sets.

Rainbow Designs 01329 227300

www.rainbowdesigns.co.uk

Not exhibiting at Home & Gift

A round-up of some of the latest fabulous product launches to pep up retailers’ selections.

Pen Poised

Providing an ideal companion to its notebooks, Flame Tree Publishing has launched a range of boxed ballpoint pens. Each pen features a wraparound artwork design with metallic trim and clip, presented in an eco-friendly gift box. Designs range from Van Gogh and Klimt to modern artists such as Jade Mosinski and Georgia Breeze, plus a Moomin edition in celebration of the brand’s 80th anniversary.

Flame Tree Publishing 020 7751 9650 www.flametreepublishing.com

Wise Words

Dinosaurs Doing Stuff has been doing some wordy stuff. As the range name suggests, the designs in the Typography Words collection are font-based, but strategically placed dinosaur silhouettes create the holes in letters and add extra fun to this dozen of birthday and occasion cards.

Dinosaurs Doing Stuff 07460228609 www.dinosaursdoingstuff.com

Eye Eye

The new ranges from Hotchpotch are coming out thick and fast. Among the newness is Mochi, a cute collection with little faces lighting up each card. Aimed at foodies, coffee-lovers, aleenthusiasts or those who just love birthdays these ‘pho-nominally’ fun cards are die-cut, foiled and printed with either neon pink ink or a red pantone. Each card is paired with a luxury white envelope.  Hotchpotch 01243 792600 www.hotchpotchlondon.com

Small Is Beautiful

Couples Choice

Jen & Eric is a new extensive everyday range from Objectables, which is at a lower price point than its usual cards. The collection spans around 90 designs, printed on a different card stock and in a smaller size, making them even more affordable.

Objectables 01303 767240 wwww.objectablestrade.co.uk

Springing Up

Penguin Ink’s Celebrations range has been swelled with a host of Spring Seasons designs. New Easter cards and Valentine’s kisses join the lineup. As ever, the cards are beautifully printed using a letterpress technique with the debossing adding extra texture to the cards.

Penguin Ink 07525497122 www.penguinink.co.uk

Meet the Mini Icons, the big personality, tiny format pocket-sized powerhouses from You’ve Got Pen On Your Face. The witty, hand-drawn designs with bold, feelgood energy are perfect for perching on shop counters. Printed on FSCcertified stock, each card is paired with a recycled kraft envelope. You’ve Got Pen On Your Face 07958555900 www.youvegotpenonyourface.com

A round-up of some of the latest fabulous product launches to pep up retailers’ selections.

Shine On

The Paper Salad crew have been even more creative with the cold foil technique to come up with its shiniest milestone ages designs to date to join its Hunky Dory range. Covering both male and female ages 18 to 80, the colourful foil and bright neon patterns create an eye-catching collection. All 165mmx192mm, each comes with a bright patterned envelope.

Paper Salad 0161 427 0001 www.papersalad.com

Check It Out

Pink Pig’s dazzling new Chekkers range is an explosion of colour and pattern with bold checks, wild animal prints, and playful stripes, all with extra super shiny foil. There are 48 cards in the range, covering birthdays, occasions and relations. The 127mmx177mm cards come with a recycled eco kraft envelope, available naked or eco-clasped. Pink Pig 0779 557 4548 www.pinkpigcards.co.uk

Friendship Bonds

An offshoot of Berni Parker Designs’ Ladies Who Love Life collection, the 12 designs in the Mable and Maude range are largely based around Berni’s own memories with her best friend. Launched to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Berni publishing her first greeting cards, the range is aimed at ladies who have had a special friend for many years and have shared many of life’s experiences together.

Berni Parker Designs 01384 210599 www.berniparkerdesigns.com

Hobby Horse

The girls at Kali Stileman Publishing are very happy with their latest birthday set for boys! This new Male Hobby Collection features cool and colourful golfers, gardeners, cyclists and skiers to name a few. The cards come with a crisp white envelope and are printed on a lovely linen weave textured board. Kali Stileman Publishing 01305 848899 www.kalistileman.co.uk

Bunching Up

The designs in White Cotton Cards’ Pink Diamond Bouquets collection feature summer bouquets with sparkling shimmer and diamantes. The collection covers everyday designs, relations as well as ages, anniversary, engagements and other occasions. The cards are all square with a handscripted type font.

White Cotton Cards 01932 589989 www.whitecottoncards.co.uk

Bake Off

The designs in Two For Joy Illustration’s Cake Cards collection look good enough to eat. All die-cut (but do stand up) and based on fave cakes, UV spot gloss and foil enhancements add to their delicious appeal.

Two For Joy Illustration 07710707592 www.faire.com/direct/twoforjoyillustration

A round-up of some of the latest fabulous product launches to pep up retailers’ selections.

Bar Flies

Ricicle has launched a new range of Cocktail Recipe cards. Each of the eight new birthday cards features an illustration of a cocktail, complete with the recipe. Each is printed with a hot foil colour to match its real-life drink, such as a shimmering red for the strawberry daiquiri design. A6 in size, each comes with a white envelope.

Ricicle Cards 07850757676 www.riciclecards.com

Festive Frolics

Shortlisted for a Henries award in 2023, Lottie Murphy's Merry & Bright Christmas range has welcomed 10 new additions. Inspired by magical winter scenes, each one features Lottie’s hand-drawn illustrations capturing everything from woodland animals and donkeys to charming dogs in the snow. Each 125mm square card is printed on luxury FSC-certified board and comes with a recycled kraft envelope in a compostable bag.

Lottie Murphy 07716 304741 www.lottie-murphy.com

In Real Life has unveiled its latest greeting card collaboration with Newton Davey (aka David Newton). Known for his bold, vibrant prints that celebrate colour and form in their most dynamic states, David embraces the joyful chaos of screen printing where clashing colours, happy accidents and unexpected textures come together to create something unique. In Real Life clare@inreallifestore.com

Tick Tock

Revved Up

Great Britain has produced some of the most desirable cars in the world, including the E Type Jaguar, James Bond's Aston Martin DB5, the Bentley 4.5 Litre Blower that won Le Mans five times and last, but by no means least, the iconic Mini Cooper. All of these are included in Clanna Cards’ new Great British Cars range based on illustrations by Tom Crowe. All cards are 7”x5" and come cellowrapped with a coloured envelope. Clanna Cards & Visoni.com 01242 575574 www.clannacardsandvisoni.com

Dino Might

The new Joyrassic Spark range from Brilliantly Brave helps people connect through laughter, kindness, and the odd rogue biscuit. This feelgood range brings together everything we love about greeting cards - joy, warmth, humourand wraps it in a cast of gloriously daft dinosaurs who turn out to be far more emotionally intelligent than they first appear.

Brilliantly Brave stuart@ilikebirds.co.uk www.brilliantlybrave.co.uk

Timeless is a brand-new masculine collection from Rush Design. Bringing together elements of retro cool and timeless classics in a rich colour palatte, the 24 designs cover birthdays, ages 18-90 and relations. Printed on 300gsm FSC- certified textured board with embossed detailing and finished with foil, the cards come with a bold grey envelope. Rush Design 01788 521745 www.rushdesign.co.uk

SPRING IN THEIR STEP

As a favourite time of year for many, with the weather gradually improving and the promise of the hazy days of summer to come, spring is also tops for the greeting card industry.

Featuring four of the main five cardsending occasions in the year, the Spring Seasons of Mother’s Day, Valentine’s Day, Father’s Day and Easter are pretty well the biggest events after Christmas – although thank you teacher sends is right up there too.

marketing manager Emily Snelson. “We’ve dabbled in mugs and coasters for Mother’s Day and Father’s Day, but we’re not

planning to branch out into other seasonal occasions product for now.

“We like to have a balance of funnies and sentiment – Valentine’s Day works best for us when we lean into cheeky humour. Annoy You was our bestseller to indies this year – nothing says love like being mildly irritating forever!

“Mother’s Day humour is a bit more subtle, our Mum Of The Year card was our top performer. And for Father’s Day, the Tech Support design led the way – no surprises there! This year, we added a dogthemed card into Valentine’s, inspired by our sales of pet-related products across other categories. People love dogs.

“We stick to the big three when it comes to Spring Seasons, that’s where we can bring the most LOLs for our customers,” explained Rosie Made A Thing’s

Right: The Rosie team have fun designing for Spring Seasons.

Left: Louise Tiler keeps captions open. Below: Ling covers all four seasons.

“We have a lot of fun designing for spring every year and they are such important celebrations for the industry!”

It’s the same at Louise Tiler Designs where only the three big events are covered, as creative artworker Jade Challies commented: “Spring is the season of sentiment, with Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day and Father’s Day giving us the perfect excuse to send a little extra love.

“We design most of our captions to be as open and versatile as possible, meaning our cards aren’t just limited to one occasion. A Mother’s Day card can just as easily be a thoughtful birthday card for a mum, a Father’s Day card makes for a special ‘just because’ send and our Valentine’s designs work wonderfully for anniversaries or any day you want to send a little romance.

“By keeping things flexible, we help our customers get more from their cards –because love, appreciation, and heartfelt moments aren’t just for one day of the year!”

For while the publisher has also been increasing the number of occasions with “strong and consistent support for events like World Book Day”, according to range and merchandise manager Emma Cove, along with rising retailer interest for added-value products such as coasters, badges, and small keepsake

Mind the gap!

Kids love their parents and both mums and dads have incredibly important roles to play in family life – but that’s not what the figures would have us believe if the gap between the £1.7billion overall spend on Mother’s Day in 2024 compared to £700million on Father’s Day cards, gifts, treats and general expenditure is anything to go by.

“I’m not sure this gap will ever close!” said Abacus MD Nick Carey. “It is a striking difference. My views are that women live longer than men thus there are a good few more mothers out there every year, and we all know what would happen if we forgot to send the mum of the family a card, flowers, and add a special lunch!

“I also think men might be a little more relaxed about Father’s Day, not expecting much pomp, perhaps content to relax and enjoy time. However, it is a surprise that, when it’s a market where 75%-plus of all cards bought are by women, why more are not sent to fathers?”.

Danilo’s range and merchandise manager Emma Cove thinks the UK market reflects long-standing consumer behaviour where Mother’s Day is often seen as a larger gifting occasion, with a stronger focus on flowers, dining out, pampering and experiences.

Emma commented: “Father’s Day traditionally leans more towards cards, smaller gifts and experiences that don’t tend to command the same spend levels. That said, within Danilo the trend is quite different!

“Father’s Day is actually a larger sales event for us, largely due to the strength of our licensed portfolio, which has strong appeal across male-skewed brands such as football, gaming, music, and entertainment.”

At The Art File, sales and marketing manager James Mace said they’ve seen “small gains” from Father’s Day, but Valentine’s Day and Mother’s Day will always be the strongest of the seasons.

“I feel the reasoning for Father’s Day having a discrepancy is due to its timing in the year, a lot of people are away on holiday, etc, which could be a contributing factor.”

Ling and GBCC CEO David Byk added: “I’m always surprised as to the completely different desired make-up of the Father’s Day range versus Mother’s Day.

“Humour and lower price points are the order of the day and we fulfil both of those and have seen our sales grow for this event in volume terms if not in turnover.

“It is definitely the case that you spend less money on a Father’s Day card than a Mother’s Day one – as a father of two I find that very disappointing but entirely true!”

gifts incorporated into card designs, helping to elevate the gifting element of the card. Emma added: “The 2025 Spring Seasons have performed well for us overall, with solid sellthrough across Valentine’s, Mother’s Day and Easter, and Father’s Day early indicators suggest another strong year, with good retailer support

Right: Dads are loved –but less money is spent on them.

Above and left: Emma Cove has overseen new trends at Danilo.

Below left and middle: Galentine’s is for girl pals like Bex Hassett and twin sister.

Below right: There’s a lot on offer at GBCC.

and strong selections, particularly driven by licensed brands. The four key spring occasions remain an important part of our seasonal programme, with each bringing something slightly different to the portfolio.

“Although not traditionally viewed as a seasonal event, World Book Day has become a regular part of our spring schedule with major retailer support.”

On the trends front, Emma said Danilo is seeing “growing demand for more creative and personalised captions” particularly around pet sends where designs such as Love From Your Furbaby or Dog Mum are increasingly popular, along with a “noticeable rise” in regional caption requests such as Mammy and Mommy alongside Mummy designs to better reflect local language preferences.

“Traditionally, we’d launch our Spring Seasons offer to the independents after Father’s Day,” said David Byk, CEO of Ling Design and The Great British Card Company, “but the anticipation seems to have been growing in recent years and, now, we launch it at the end of May and start getting orders straightaway, which is fantastic.

role as a full-service specialist publisher, and take our learnings built up over the years, not only from spring seasons but Christmas and everyday too, to build the range – who’d have known a few years ago that From The Dog, for instance, would be such a strong seller!

“Equally, we deliver Valentine’s Day before Christmas when requested so customers can make sure they can put it out when Christmas is taken down, and we’ve found this works well for retailers as there’s demand in early January too. Obviously, some people are so in love they want the best choice of cards and buy early!

“We run all four seasons as part of our

range launched after Christmas to be delivered in January, and is forecasting a small amount of growth for each of the seasons thanks to new accounts being opened.

“We’ve seen a move to larger and more expensive cards for Valentine’s Day and Mother’s Day so have adjusted our offer to that and, for Easter, we have a great range of packs too plus an emphasis on religious cards through our Medici-branded cards.”

Having seen a move away from square cards to the traditional 5x7 and 9x6, Abacus’ MD Nick Carey said the publisher is already securing 2026 sales for the

“We’re only covering the main four events this year,” he explained. “We have tried in past years to cover St Patrick’s, St George’s and even Galentine’s Day! We’ve never tried Burns Night or St. David’s. However, our customer base proved that for us these events did not work. We did sell plenty of cards but not enough for litho print runs in truth –and then some of our willing retailers did not see the sell through they expected.

“We have enjoyed a good season and reports from the field team are strong. We’ve worked very hard on these seasons over the years to have a very good balance offering for all buying situations – juvenile, young adult and adult across all captions –which seems to be helping our sales. We also offer a FOC cardboard FSDU to position spring cards front and centre which really helps sales.”

Bex Hassett gave herself a year off after designing three new Bexy Boo ranges for spring last year, and is coming back fresh: “I’m now designing for 2026, and doing things a little differently. I’ve noticed puns are still trending, so will continue with this approach. However, I believe sentimental cards are just as important – cards that say something lovely and personal are some of the best to receive, especially for the spring occasions.

“I’m also aiming to expand these for those who may not have a significant other on Valentine's or those who don't have a parent on Father’s Day or Mother’s Day.

“Galentine’s is hugely popular as women

Right: Tache’s bold Groovy Greetings.

Below: A trio of designs from Abacus.

Above: Pun fun from The Art File.

are taking Valentine's as an opportunity for girl power, embracing female friendships and ensuring their single friends aren’t left out.

Mother’s and Father’s Day can also be tough, so I’d like to include those with step-parents, godparents or parent-like figures that have been there for them.

“Making days like these special for everyone makes it more inclusive and also expands the demographic!”

Galentine’s is big at Tache too, where coowner Pennie Bryant commented: “It’s becoming more popular – we love the message behind this. It’s clear that we are embracing newer relationships and friendships and we’re excited to explore this further in 2026.

“Spring is one of our favourite seasons, it’s a time to celebrate love, family and connection. We launched a brand-new collection in February, Spring In Bloom, that’s a softer and more romantic look, full of florals, delicate motifs, and tactile boards.

“It's been a standout for both Valentine’s Day and Mother’s Day, with striking scalloped edges, paired with our standout envelopes, and thoughtful captions. It adds a more sentimental option to sit alongside our bold Groovy Greetings range which brings retro lettering, pastel palettes and foil finishes to

mum, nan and dad cards, and offers retailers real depth across their spring offer.”

And themes being tracked at Tache include foil and textured finishes, retro-style typography with bold, playful messaging, and inclusive language reflecting non-traditional families and modern relationships.

“We’ve always seen a steady growth in both St Patrick’s Day and, more recently, Halloween,” explained The Art File senior designer Kerry Lister. “Halloween continues to become even more popular through social media, and from influence from America, we continue to get asked about producing cards for the event and the cards we produced sell very well indeed.”

design team member Kathryn Coyle said: “We remain committed to supporting Spring Seasons with a strong, diverse range. Our 2025 collection was one of our largest yet, and we plan to maintain that breadth for 2026.”

Pink And Mint’s Suzanne Tak is taking a different approach with her cards that are designed for both Mother’s Day and Father’s Day and beyond: “For inclusivity I’ve opted for To My Hero as the writing on the card, so they can be bought for uncles, step-dads, grandads or anyone who fits the mother and father category.

Spring Seasons is important for the publisher, as well as the industry, notching up 10-15% of The Art File’s total business for the three main events, with Valentine’s top, Mother’s Day second, followed by Father’s Day.

And the trends are bright for Kerry, who’s noticed: “Buttermilk yellow, which is a huge colour trend in fashion at the moment, is lending itself beautifully to spring designs. This, paired with mint green and bright fuchsia pinks, is giving spring a new fresh feel for 2026.”

There’s a commitment to all four main spring events at International Cards & Gifts where

“These events can be difficult for so many people, I felt it was more appropriate to keep things more inclusive. Also, the card can be bought all year round, which helps reduce single-use waste.”

Meanwhile, UK Greetings is already previewing its ranges for the upcoming year, with the stylish Camden line working in more sends that reflect the different relationships and language that are relevant for today’s Valentine’s – from situationships to celebrating Galentine’s Day, the publisher hopes the fresh and modern cards resonate with consumers.

And there’s a timely twist for Father’s Day, keeping with the tried and tested sports and hobbies theme and building on the excitement of the 2026 World Cup to take place in the US, Canada and Mexico.

A spokesman laughed: “This pitch-perfect collection of fun Father’s Day designs is ideal for footy-loving dads and father figures. Featuring the nostalgia angle of Baddiel & Skinner along with current England and international star players illustrated in a contemporary style, they’re sure to please whatever the score!”

Above: IC&G is committed to Spring Seasons.

Below: UKG reflects current happenings.

Above: Pink And Mint loves a hero.

Art Source

Creative Clare-ity

While creativity was al ways on the cards for Clare Lambert it was clinching a design competition while at Uni that opened up her eyes to the potential of the greeting card industry. PG finds out more about her career path to date.

girl was entering a school competition to design a book cover and winning it! I feel it was a combination of having a natural creative instinct along with positive experiences in art at school, that led me to pursue a career in design.

After completing art college I then continued onto university to study International Textiles and Surface Pattern. This is where I also found a love for interior design, fashion and fabrics which really opened up a variety of design skills and creativity I'd never experienced before. From repeat patterns to fabric prints I was really able to explore a diverse array of creative techniques and experiment with a multitude of mediums and textures. It gave me the time to push myself and try a variety of new ways of designing and working out what really sparked the inner creative in me, but it wasn't until I entered a card competition through University and won a week’s work experience at Tigerprint working on designs for Marks and Spencer, that brought me into the world of greeting card design. This had a huge impact on me and led me getting my first professional job working for wholesale publisher Kingsley Cards.

I feel one of the biggest and most impactful thing happened during my time there was when everything went digital. I never realised how much I would love creating new artworks this way and found a

WANT TO BE FEATURED?

passion for formatting new designs, and I have never looked back.

After leaving Kingsley Cards to become a freelance designer was when my career really started to flourish.

I was asked to design ideas and take part in promoting the card designs on TV on the Create and Craft channel. This was definitely outside my comfort zone, but was an amazing experience.

Over my 20+ year career I have been lucky enough to create greeting cards and gift wrap designs for many major companies including Simon Elvin, Nigel Quiney, Noel Tatt, Cardfactory, Grass Roots, Tesco and Out of the Blue (one of my designs reached The Henries) to name a few.

Having the passion for interior design and pattern has really influenced my design process in the greeting card world. I have such a love for colour, formatting and creating commercial designs. Meeting so many other passionate creatives over the years and working in such a professional friendly industry makes it feel very rewarding and long may it continue.

Knowing my designs have reached many consumers’ homes over the years is a lovely feeling. I am always looking out for inspiration from a number of sources. Being a farmer’s wife and living in the country I am fortunate to see the beauty of many things around me.

I love summertime when all the flowers are in full bloom, this really inspires me to get creative, but I also love the wintertime and the magical festive period.

Fast forward to today and I'm now being represented by the wonderful Creative Sparrow design agency by Hannah Curtis.

It would be amazing to see my designs licensed onto other products, as well as greeting cards. As I continue to build my portfolio, I feel privileged to have my designs added alongside the other amazing artists Hannah represents. Watch this space!” • Clare Lambert is represented by Creative Sparrow for licensing and commissions.

Above: Clare Lambert soaking up the outdoors.

Below: Sentiment and nature combine in this design. Right: Clare loves rejoicing in the seasons.

Far left: A contemporary colour palette adds an uplifting feel to a traditional scene. Left: Springtime celebrated.

Below: Above: Florals are always a fave with Clare.

From traditional tiered units to celled displays, we have the solution for every greeting card requirement. • Expert Craftsmanship

Are you ready to take on the fast-approaching winter season? CALL US: 0121 557 1891 or EMAIL: nsmith@nsmithbox.co.uk

Henry’s 2024 Greetings Cards Awards Progressive Greetings Live 2024

Category

Everyday

PG ASKED A TRIO OF RETAILERS FOR THEIR BEST SELLERS

Sarah Halsall, owner of Hand Picked By Henrietta in Poynton. Kindness is the key at this card and gift shop located in the foothills of the Peak District.

Name

Wendy Jones-Blackett Cinnamon Aitch

Relations & Occasions

Humour

Children’s

Adult Ages

Cute

Photographic

3D/Pop-Ups

Nigel Quiney Publications Paper Salad Hammond Gower

Rosie Made A Thing Emotional Rescue

Stripey Cats

Second Nature Cherry Orchard Bexy Boo Ginger Betty Abacus Cards

Second Nature

Product/Name

Quicksilver Alice’s Garden

Flower Press

Hunkydory

Fabulous Piano

Gin & Frolics Model Family

Fruit & Friends

Deco Patch

Down Memory Lane Inky Scripts

General

BBC Gardeners’ World

Pop-Up ages and Pop Up Chocolate Treat Trays

“These are always popular, lovely and bright with the foil.”

“We’ve just received these, they’re really pretty and people like them because they’re unusual and have a 3D cut-out design.”

“A little more traditional; they’re really pretty florals.”

“They're just so bright and a little bit bigger than most cards so they really stand out on the stands.”

“We've just had an order come in these two ranges have been really popular.”

“Of course! And they’ve just released a new relations collection.”

“Oh, my goodness, we've literally ordered these in huge numbers! They're just slightly different, and just really, really funny.”

“They’re blank so can be used for any occasion and the kids really like them.”

“The self-adhesive patch can be used on pencil cases etc, so it’s something a little bit extra.”

“These ‘year you were born’ cards are always popular.”

“Very popular. The script looks almost like it’s written in fountain pen and the little Scrabble tile adds something.”

“The cats, dogs and bees are so cute. They’re lovely watercolours in a soft gentle style.”

“Lovely images and a blank card that can be used for any occasion.”

“Just lovely cards, and we also do the chocolate treat tray ones, eight designs in a little CDU that sits on the desk, it’s a card and gift in one.”

Gift Wrappings

Gifts

Glick

Elite Tinware Legami

General

Emma Bridgewater glasses cases Eraseables

“We do try to match, coordinate with the cards so have Paper Salad as we sell the cards.”

“These come in filled with fudge, and they’ve been really popular.”

“These have just been great and we’re taking some of the plush that matches the pens.”

Right: Hammond Gower’s Piano.

Right: Googly eyes from Stripey Cats.

Right: Second Nature’s chocolate treats.

Charlotte Bricknell and Sophie Kirwan, co-owners of Bricknells, Wadebridge

A long-running family-run stationery and greeting card store which marks 50 years in its ‘new’ store.

Category Name of Publisher

The Heart Of A Garden Dolly Hotdogs

Ling Design Words ‘n’ Wishes Paper Salad, IC&G Nigel Quiney Redback

Rosie Made A Thing Not At All Jack Emotional Rescue x Paper Salad Woodmansterne Abacus

Children’s Adult

Photographic

3D/Pop-Ups

Charley Rabbit Studio Earlybird Designs Paper Bird Publishing IC&G

The Heart Of A Garden Silver Birch Ling Design Abacus

Peter John Fellows

Alljoy Design Deluxebase

Category

Everyday Relations & Occasions

Humour

Children’s

Adult Ages

Art

Photographic

Product/Name Range Comments

John Dyer

General

General

Cloud Nine

Holy Flaps

General

General

MishMash; Is It Friday Yet?

General humour

Harold’s Planet

General

General

Pippi & Me

Born In…

John Dyer

General

William Morris

BBC Wild Isles

BBC Countryfile

General

Message In A Bottle

General

“These are local Cornwall scenes.”

“We also do the stationery and tea towels.”

“We pick the designs we like rather than a whole range for the occasions and caption cards.”

“These have been really good.”

“Always a winner.”

“We do well with these.”

“They’re bright and funny; people really like them.”

“The humour always goes well!”

“We’ve got these in and they’ve been good.”

“We’re quite hit and miss with children’s cards, but all of these have sold well recently.”

“Ages 50, 60 and 70 sell especially well.”

“People like the local scenes.”

“We do really well with these.”

“We’ve just had this range back in and it’s good.”

“We’ve just ordered these and they’ve been really popular. Beautiful photographs.”

“A local Cornish-based artist that’s good.”

“These go really well as keepsakes, especially the coastal ones.”

“Dinosaurs went well. We've done ponies, unicorns, space, dolphins, whales etc.”

Fiona Haddrell, owner of Inklings, Hungerford

A long-established card and gift store in a small West Berkshire town.

Name

Five Dollar Shake

Lucilla Lavender The Art File

Caroline Gardner

Abacus Cards

Running With Scissors

Rosie Made A Thing

Lucilla Lavender

Rachel Ellen

Louise Mulgrew

Wendy Jones-Blackett

Art Angels

Museums & Galleries

Holy Mackerel Hippie

Shine Happy

Various Quicksilver

General Alternative Image

“They’re just beautiful cards.”

“They stand out on the shelf.”

“They’re beautiful and sell well.”

“They cover everything.”

“Simple, fun, I think everyone can relate to one of the designs.”

“A new range for us. They’re fun.”

“She just captures the mood.”

“Lovely cards.”

“Just perfect for kids.”

“Some lovely designs.”

“A good size and a really good price.”

“We do really well with these, right across the board - they’re superb.”

“We take nearly all of them and they’re really good.”

“Everyone over a certain age looks at the Morecambe & Wise one and knows exactly what it’s all about!”

Right: Holy Mackerel’s classic photos.

Right: Paper Bird’s Pippi & Me.

Right: Above: Dolly Hotdogs cards are British-made.

Right: John Dyer’s Cornish scenes.

Right: Humour from Running With Scissors.

Right: Lucilla Lavender’s Shine Happy.

PRODUCT DIRECTORY l PRODUCT DIRECTORY PRODUCT DIRECTORY

One

PRODUCT DIRECTORY l PRODUCT DIRECTORY l PRODUCT DIRECTORY

PRODUCT

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

for

Tel:01274531828

Email: info@herbertwalkers.co.uk www.herbertwalkers.co.uk

The Fold brings joy, colour and a carnival of contemporary artists and illustrators to the world of Greetings Cards. It’s a new and exciting venture, backed by a trusted name.