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July 2026

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From The Editor

ON THE CARDS “If there is an opportunity you absolutely have to go for it. If you have the passion, are prepared to work your socks off, accept that it won’t be easy, and then go for it. It has worked for us so far!” This was the response Jennie Procter, co-founder of Scribbler’s gave when I asked her recently, on the 45th anniversary since she and husband John opened their first Scribbler store. Four and half decades later Scribbler continues to punch above its weight, the Procters’ gumption in securing highly visible sites in London and major conurbations and then filling them with their own blend of largely irreverent cards, plus quirky gifts has stood them in good stead. Creating your own ‘blend’ is something which is crucial to any business in our sector, whether you are a retailer, publisher or trade supplier. David Robertson echoes this in his column in this edition, ‘drinking in’ the learnings from a master malt whisky distiller! (see pages 26-27). Master blenders were most definitely at work at our recent PG Live exhibition. We had 200 exhibitors, the majority of them proffering greeting cards, but each and every one had their own flavour. If they hadn’t they would have gone home disappointed as retail buyers see through ‘me-toos’ ever more readily. Likewise, the recent Retas awards (which will be covered in greater depth in next month’s edition) saw the best UK greeting card retailers being duly feted. Yes, they are all selling greeting cards, but that is where the similarity ends as each has curated their own mix and retailing environment to appeal to their respective customer base. Just wonderful. However, arguably even more wonderful in our sector is when

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Above: John and Jennie Procter, co-founders of Scribbler on the 45th anniversary since opening their first card shop. Left: Miles of Smiles at the CardGains’ charity walk meet up which also saw md Penny Shaw being given a good send off for her retirement.

we put our individual business focus to one side and all pile in for the greater good. The last few weeks has been something of a jamboree of this bundling-in. PG Live was most definitely all the better for being a shared experience, the CardGains’ meet-up for the ‘heat-cancelled’ charity walk as well as 50 members of the greeting card community striding out in the Pride Parade ditto. But the crowning glory has to go to the final award winner of The Retas – for the Cards Make People Happy paper bag initiative. It was an idea sparked by one indie (Sally Matson of Red Card), grasped by another (Kaye Thurgood of Sincerely Yours) who then persuaded several publishers to get on board (notably UKG as well as Ling Design, Paper Salad, Abacus and Ohh Deer)… and 2.5 million paper bags later, that card-positive message is out there in the wide world. Here’s to more blending, mixing and matching!

Right: PG’s Jakki Brown (left) with the Cards Make People Happy paper bag instigators, Sincerely Yours’ Kaye Thurgood (centre) and Red Cards’ Sally Matson at The Retas.

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CONTENTS 28

11-23 News All the latest happenings and developments in the trade.

26-27 Over The Counter Blended Reality The unveiling of a very special bottle of blended malt whisky prompts David Robertson, co-owner of JP Pozzi to consider the importance of retailers having a blended mix.

28-29 Cardsharp Don’t Believe A Word!

What’s Inside?

47-49 Take Two Trends Taking Flight PG swoops in on the trends of pigeons & seagulls and shops & houses.

50-51 Industry Issue Enveloping Collaboration The GCA walked the talk about collaborating with Royal Mail on marketing initiatives to promote card sending.

53-59 Innovations

Cardsharp doesn’t hold back on his view of ‘vulture capitalists’ Modella, plus muses on the changes of ownership of Carte Blanche Greetings, Paper Rose and Nigel Quiney Publications.

31-39 Viewpoints PG Live Life & Loves Retailers happily share what marvellous products caught their eye at the recent PG Live show.

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

61 Art Source The Dawning of Creativity Artist Dawn Quigg shares her journey from creative tot through her time with Watermark Publishing to working freelance, represented by Creative Sparrow.

62-63 40-43 PG Live in Pics Good Vibes

What’s Hot?

PG shares a flavour of Progressive Greetings Live 2026 in pictures.

A trio of retailers reveal their bestselling ranges.

44-45 In Conversation With…Scribbler An Unacceptable 45 Years

64-71 Sources of Supply

John and Jennie Procter, co-founders of Scribbler reflect on the retailer group’s sapphire anniversary.

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Copyright© 2026. While every effort has been made to ensure the information in this magazine was correct at the time of publication, the publishers cannot accept legal liability for any errors or omissions, nor can they accept responsibility for the standing of advertisers nor any organisation mentioned in the text. Views of contributors do not necessarily reflect those of the publishers.

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NEWS TOP STORY

Susan O’Hanlon stepped up

Abracadabra… The Winners Of The Retas 2026 Are Crowned The UK’s card retailing ‘wizards’ celebrated

Above: All The Retas 2026 winners on the stage.

“We know it’s tough out there. You need more than a swift wave of a magic wand to overcome the increase in the minimum wage, National Insurance employer’s increase, erratic footfall, a not-fit-for-purpose Business Rates system and the shoplifting epidemic to name just a few current bugbears. But with tenacity, passion, determination, curation and investment, and maybe the odd sprinkling of fairy dust here and there to add the extra sparkle, hey presto you have today’s Retas finalists and winners,” said PG’s Jakki Brown in her welcome speech at the recent Retas awards event, which took place recently at London’s Grosvenor House Hotel. The sell-out event, which this year took on a Magical Mystical theme, was hosted by comedian, impressionist and performer, Luke Kempner and was attended by 400 greeting card retailers, publishers and suppliers. The regional independent winners were Medici Gallery (South Kensington), George's, (Whitstable), Upstairs Downstairs (Cromer), Sky (Clifton), Set (Leicester), Lollypop (Holcombe Brook), Design@Six (Wetherby) and Bearing Gifts (Troon). Other winners included Moments (Gillingham), The Hedgehog Bookshop (Penrith), A Stone's Throw (Sherwood), Sewsilver (Worthing), Expressions, Polka Dot, Cat's Whiskers, The Card Shop (SW), Fortnum & Mason, M&S, UOE/Stamp,

Cards Direct, Perrywood Garden Centres, Blue Diamond and Jackson’s CRS. The crescendo was the Overall Retailer of the Year award, which was presented by Ged Mace, md of category sponsor, The Art File. “This year we wave the wand and break the mould – the industry is blessed with innovators and doers, people who make things happen for the greater good. Having a great idea is one thing, bringing it to life is quite another,” Ged said before announcing that the prestigious trophy went to for the Cards Make People Happy paper bag initiative “a truly collaborative effort spearheaded by a group of indies and supported by publishers to get the positive greeting card message out into the wider world.” The idea, sparked by Sally Matson of Red Card and Little Red at a GCA/PG Retailer Forum and brought to life by Kaye Thurgood of

Putting her best foot forward, Susan O’Hanlon, owner of the eponymous publishing business, clocked up 53 miles in a day in aid of charity, participating in the Island Walk on the island of Jersey. Susan (left) The gruelling annual walk in Above: did the first half of aid of a trio of charities, the walk with warehouse manager definitely isn’t for the faintSue Redpath. hearted as it has to be completed within 21 hours – and the sweltering heat made it even harder! Susan was one of the 700 out of the 1,000 starters who made it to the finish line, even though she hadn’t done any special training but her seven-mile runs four times a week mean she’s in pretty good shape. “My finish at 11.30pm certainly didn’t win any awards,” Susan told PG. “I definitely underestimated the steep, difficult, cliff climbs. But it’s not just about physical fitness, it’s about mental resilience.” Susan and her fellow walkers gathered on the island at 2am for a 3am start, and had to complete the route by midnight, with the weekend’s 31degree heat making it even harder than usual. Susan’s final tally was 115,000 steps totting up 53 miles in total, using 3,600 calories, 1,000 more than for a 26mile marathon.

Indie puts art on the streets

Sincerely Yours, with the support of several publishers, has seen over 2.5million paper bags with the cardpositive message go out into the world. The August edition of PG will feature The Retas 2026 winners in all their glory. Above: Lucy Eason of George’s came galloping onto the stage on her unicorn to collect the trophy from Hallmark’s Chris Thiede. Left: The Cards Make People Happy paper bags initiative won the Best Retailer Initiative and Best Overall trophy.

Nottinghamshire based A Stone’s Throw, which has won The Retas 2026 Best Independent Greeting Card Retailer in The Midlands - has been lending its support to Sherwood Art Week. The town in the heart of Robin Hood country throws the annual event each June, with the indie co-owners Rob and Pete Sampson among more than 50 retailers that got involved by displaying well over 100 artworks between them in a massive open-air gallery, along with pieces by community groups. This year Pete and Rob had works by John Twinning in its shop window, displaying examples of the Above: Just some of the works from this year’s Art Week. artist’s portrait Below: Pete and Rob Sampson commissions, with their Retas 2026 trophy. prints and originals. As Pete explained: “The artists, community groups and local venues come together to help make Sherwood a vibrant open-air gallery, it’s fabulous.”

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When The Heat Is On Smiles galore at CardGains’ Charity Challenge While the heat caused the recent big CardGains Charity Challenge to officially be cancelled, a dozen hardy folk strode out anyway, while all the walkers have pledged to complete their 20 miles by September to safeguard their fundraising. As the thermometer hit the UK’s highest recorded temperature of 36C, the scheduled Many Miles Many Smiles For Meningitis trek around Cheshire was called off at the last minute for safety reasons. But some tenacious souls decided to head out anyway from Shrigley Hall Hotel & Spa in Cheshire. A Paper Salad/Glick contingent (made up of Paper Salad’s Karen Wilson, Jack Wilson, Ellie Woodcock, Debbie Redmond, Rachel Hughes and Glick’s Chris Bryant) set off at

5am to complete a 10 mile walk, and the Fellowship Of The Walk group (aka PG’s Warren Lomax, Greetings Lab’s Adriana Lovesy, Words ‘n’ Wishes Tony Cotterill, Chaye McQuaid of Doodlepress and Set in Hand’s John Davies) getting into their stride an hour later taking on the full route. Commenting on the experience, Ellie said: “We wanted to make sure we did our sponsors justice. And we were rewarded by some wonderful scenery, a beautiful sunrise on the hill tops, herds of deer, lambs frolicking and even a sighting of our own Mr Darcy by the Lyme Park Lake, where the legendary scene from Pride & Prejudice was filmed.” At lunchtime, many of the other walkers and support team

Above: The gathering of walkers and supporters of the CardGains’ Many Miles Many Smiles for Meningitis. Left: Setting off at 5am, the Paper Salad team and Glick’s Chris Bryant (far left) completed their target of walking 10 miles.. Below left: The Fellowship of the Walk gang completed the entire route.

mates formed a welcome party for the Fellowship Of The Walk. “It was tough,” commented PG’s Warren Lomax of the 20 mile route that was planned meticulously by Sarah Halsall of Hand-picked by Henrietta, “almost as tough as coping with West Ham’s relegation!” As to what prompted her to instigate the Fellowship Of The Walk, Greetings Lab’s Adriana Lovesy said: “As I am a mum of four, getting time off away from them is tricky, so I didn’t want to waste this opportunity and also ensure that we raised a lot of money for the charity.”

A Shaw good way to retire Going ahead as planned the evening event following CardGains’ Many Miles Many Smiles ‘was also a fitting way to bid Penny Shaw, md well as she embraces her retirement, having given CardGains her all for the last 28 years. Penny kicked off her speech by acknowledging the “crazy fools” who had yomped out in the heat and thanked Sarah Halsall for all her time in pre-planning the route, as well as everyone who has donated so far. Trying valiantly to keep her emotions in check, Penny’s swansong speech saw her acknowledge the strong friendships she has built up in the industry during her long tenure with CardGains. “I’ve made friends, had many experiences, challenges, adventures and a lot of fun as well as getting the job done. No matter how long we have known each other, I feel privileged to be part of our industry, and I love you all.” She went on to wish Helen McManus, who has now stepped into the role as md and Darren Ingram, who recently joined as business development manager, “continued success. I know they have many exciting plans, and I’ll be keeping an eye on you to look after my shares!” Miles Robinson, co-founder of House of Cards and chairman of CardGains then paid tribute to Penny for her long service to the company, acknowledging her “steadfast enthusiasm, loyalty and eagerness to take on the md role for the last three years. I was delighted to offer her the first female board position in the company for 50 years and to see how she has grown and stepped up to the challenges. I am sure I Above: Penny Shaw was speak for everyone here in wishing the best presented with a retirement gift from for your retirement.” House of Cards’ Miles He then presented Penny with a Tiffany Robinson, who is chairman of CardGains. gift as a mark of appreciation.

Thinking underway for Thinking Of You Week With this year’s Spring Seasons having now sprung, retailers thoughts can now turn to future card sending events, including Thinking Of You Week, which this year falls 21-27 September. With a tweak to the branding which includes elevating the ‘send a card, deliver a smile’ message, hundreds of posters for the GCA-instigated event have been printed by Windles and will be distributed to retailers from several publishers with general orders. One retailer who is doubling its efforts to get behind Thinking Of You Week this year is Highworth Emporium, which coincides perfectly with the town’s Volunteers’ Week. Having worked with local schools, customers and the Scouts to write and distribute more than 1,000 cards to care homes, support groups, hospice patients, elderly residents, and many others for last year’s TOYW, shop owner Aga Marsden, who is also a CardGains’ board member, is determined to make the initiative bigger and better this year. Last year’s impressive campaign by Highworth Emporium was featured on the BBC and was also feted in The Retas 2026 Best Retailer Initiative category. This year Aga is calling on publishers’ help to get promises of at least 2,000 greeting cards before the school term ends for the summer holidays. “Last year's success showed us just how much a simple card can mean,” Aga said, “with the generous publishers’ support, we can make an even bigger splash this year and continue building something truly special.” Aga is already well on the way with pledges from Abacus Cards, Emotional Rescue, Ling Design, Paper Salad, Paperlink, Rush Design, Scentiment, UK Greetings and Wendy Jones-Blackett, so just needs a few more card publisher donations to reach her target. Left: Double the number of schools are to be involved with Highworth Emporium’s TOYW initiative this year.

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Dads’ Delight Father’s Day trading sees retailers scoring good results It was a dads’ delight as Father’s Day trading kept the chaps top of the pops with many, but not all, greeting card retailers scoring some good results. “We had robust Father's Day sales with volume holding up the same as last year and sales a smidge up at 1%,” said Mark Janson-Smith of Postmark’s 16 stores in London and Glasgow. “Customers were picking cards for themselves and either their children or partners as we saw an average 1.29 Father's Day cards bought per customer.” Mark highlighted how a later date Father's Day this year “definitely helped sales, seeing the first three weeks of June ending 7% up, despite the bursts of heat which always slows things down a bit!” Down in Devon, indie Sally Wilde, owner of Planet Sal in Honiton was very happy with the turnover on the dad front: “I

always have a good Father’s Day. The children tend to make less cards themselves for their dads than they do for Mother’s Day, and often pick a funny one for him, too. “I concentrated more on humour this year, even for the hobby cards. Of Life & Lemons really smashed it here, especially with its Happy Father’s Day To A Wicket Dad card. I had to reorder a lot of them. They also covered football and golf categories. Left: Mugs and socks were great Dad gifts at Planet Sal. Below: Father’s Day delivered for Cards & Gifts Dronfield.

Judge approves TGJones’ restructuring plan A judge has approved TGJones’ claiming it would have run out of cash in restructuring plan which will see up to April had it not been for a £10m loan 150 of the retailer’s 451 High Street from Modella and a deferral in liabilities stores shuttered, along with steep rent including a large tax bill from HMRC. cuts on most of the remaining sites. Modella had said some of the Despite objections from some, around problems were due to serious 120 landlords are now being forced to underinvestment in stores by the receive no rent convenience, stationery payments for up to Below: TGJones is to close circa 150 stores. and greeting card three years, and the chain's previous owners. rent will be cut on but it also blamed its hundreds of other current poor trading stores by between figures on “challenging 15% and 75%. retail conditions” and the The High Court loss of the 234-year-old heard at the end of WHSmith brand name. June that the There had been renamed retail considerable opposition chain bought from WHSmith by private with property owner British Land equity investor Modella Capital last describing the plans as “fundamentally spring was on the brink of insolvency, unfair” before several concessions by facing a cash shortfall of nearly £8million Modella convinced the landlord to drop by today, 3 July, unless the rescue deal its opposition. was approved. But there was nothing for supplier The BBC reported that Tom Smith KC creditors, including several greeting card for TGJones, told the hearing the publishers, who are still expected to take business, which currently employs 4,700 the hit and not be paid for product people, is "highly distressed" and already supplied. "running on fumes at the moment", (See Cardsharp pages 28-29)

Above: Postmark’s Father’s Day sales were up a smidge year on year.

“My other great sellers were from Huxters, with its Dadflicks and Dad’s Streaming cards, but I didn’t really see an uplift in footie designs especially, despite a good England win a few days earlier.” Carl Dunne, of Cards & Gifts in Dronfield had “a fantastic Father’s Day this year, trading around £600 up on the previous year, which is always good news. As usual, there was strong demand for funny and rude Father’s Day cards. I noticed again this year a huge increase in customers buying cards for grandad.” While Carl said Father’s Day gifts are always a bit of a challenge, he sold out of the Galaxy bars of chocolate with the Dad caption and sold out twice of Solomon’s Guinness chocolates.

Little Roglets’ store beds down in Devon Getting to grips with her new life as a shop owner has taken Lexy Rogy six months, but the publisher is now happy to reveal her Little Roglets’ greeting card and gift shopin Dartmouth to the wider world. Three days a week Lexy now runs the shop in the Old Market Square and mixes that with her creative work Above: Lexy worked hard to get her in her home studio, and a new licensing store open. collab with Widdop And Co means she has ceramics, wooden toys, and clocks to offer in store, with more products in the pipeline. She added: “It’s taken some time to suss out my new rhythm with Little Roglets. I’ve designed new collections, there have been dogs galore, customers of all ages, music festivals, sheep and Below: Customers cows outside the shop, every appreciating the Little Roglets experience. single possible type of weather and a collapsed road. But, most importantly, it’s given me a chance to connect with customers in person. People really do love cards and the biggest joy has been watching people react to my designs in person, share their stories, often with tears, and I’m so here for it.”

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A Joyful PG Live 2026 Two days of greeting card brilliance “The best ever!” was how Jenny Cummins, md of McMillan Cards & Paper summed up PG Live 2026. Having travelled to London’s Business Design Centre from Sydney, Australia, Jenny said it was “worth every air mile. I have done good business people I knew as well as people I didn’t know until now. PG Live truly is an event that brings the global greeting card world together.” Her thoughts were echoed by fellow antipodean, John Simson of Simson Cards who also distributes a lot of UK greeting cards in Australia. “Like the greeting card industry itself, PG Live is all about relationships, and you should never take those for granted, as well as of course great products.” As well as overseas distributors from all over the globe, there was an incredible roster of retailers who attended to check out all the fabulous product from the 200 exhibitors, including Oliver Bonas, National Trust, Postmark, Waterstones, Marks & Spencer, Selfridges, TJX Europe, Scribbler, Elphicks, Sainsbury’s, Jumping Bean, Lark, Utility, Moonpig, Blue Diamond, Cardfactory, Thortful, Fortnum & Mason, Jarrolds, Cardland, Fenwick, Longacres, Notcutts, Ryman, V&A, Cardzone, Temptation Gifts, Tesco, Liberty, Barkers, Cards

Above: (left-right) Monica, Vanessa, Miles, Alan, PG’s Jakki Brown, Mark, Sarah and Sean discussing Fresh Ink’s judging criteria.

Notes & Queries’ Ink Fresh meet-up Above: A group of PG Live exhibitors brandishing their Golden, Silver and Sunshine and Greats Tickets that retailers spent with them at the show by placing orders.

Galore, UOE/Stamp and Paper Tiger as well as a host of indies from all over the UK. Straight off the blocks was Andrea Pinder, owner of Presentation in Barrowford who spent her Sunshine ticket with Rush Design within a few minutes of the show opening, with a Silver ticket being produced minutes later by Jane Armour of Taunton’s Jane Armour Trading on Heyyy Cards’ stand. “Wow, what a show,” exclaimed Andrea. “I always save my ordering for PG Live as you can see everything in the flesh – so you can get so much work done under one roof as well as having a great time. Above: (above) Andrea Pinder Just brilliant!” (left) with Lorraine Bradley at Rush Design, and (left) Jane The dates Armour with Heyyy Cards’ Yvette for PG Live Clarkson. Left: The PG Live teamsters 2027 are reminding people that next year’s Tuesday 25 show will be a week earlier. May and Wednesday 26 May, earlier in order to avoid half term and the bank holiday week. (See Viewpoints pages 31-39 for retailers’ comments on their show highlights)

Checking out new publishers is a major part of PG Live so it was the perfect place for the retail judges to get together for the first discussions about Notes & Queries’ Fresh Ink greeting card competition. With Postmark’s Mark Janson-Smith, Stationery Supplies’ Sarah Laker, Sean Austin from Austin & Co, and House of Cards/Cardzone’s Miles Robinson all in the same place as Monica Sawchuk, the card buyer for US retail chain Barnes & Noble and Paper Source, it was an ideal opportunity for the initial chat about the judging criteria for the new prize on offer from the major US distributor of UK publishers. All artists, designers and publishers who have been in business for under five years are eligible to enter the contest being run by Notes & Queries with a £5,000 cash prize on offer for the winner, who will have been chosen by a jury of eight American retailers and the four Brits. The judges will consider creative excellence and originality, product quality and presentation, range development and brand cohesion, market appeal and retail readiness, business vision and growth potential, and the impact of the award. “We’re so pleased to announce the Fresh Ink prize,” said Vanessa Harnik, who is MD of the business set up by her dad Alan 46 years ago who is still very involved as president. “It’s to be an annual celebration of emerging talent in our industry and our way of supporting the greeting card industry in the UK who have been so supportive of us and without whom we would cease to exist!” The deadline for entering is 1 February 2027. Contact vanessa@nandq.com.

Perlina to grow Glick’s global presence There’s a new face at Glick but it’s someone definitely not new to the greeting card world as Perlina Pierre-Davis has now added the giftwrap and packaging specialist publisher to her export portfolio. “We are delighted to welcome Perlina to the Glick export team,” said MD Becky Dobson of the deal that was sealed at PG Live last Above: Perlina (left) and Michelle Airth on Glick’s month. “She brings a huge amount of stand at PG Live. experience, industry knowledge and strong relationships from across the greeting card industry, making her a fantastic addition to our business.” Perlina will be working alongside existing export agent Paul Fields and head of export sales Michelle Airth. As Becky added: “Her appointment

gives us even greater support as we continue to grow our international business. Both Perlina and Paul bring different strengths and valuable experience, which will help us develop existing accounts, explore new opportunities and strengthen our presence in export markets around the world.” Under her Pierre-Davis Consultancy, Perlina is international sales and export manager at Paper Rose and Nigel Quiney Publications, both of which were recently sold to Words ‘n’ Wishes’ co-owners Carl Salt and Rod Brown. She said: “Export has been at the heart of my career for many years and, when the opportunity arose to work with Glick, it felt like a natural fit. Alongside my existing work with Paper Rose and Nigel Quiney, Glick brings another highly-regarded product offering with exciting opportunities for growth in international markets.”

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Carte Blanche Group’s Change Of Ownership

Taking cardie Pride in sharing its D&I

Tom Morris, founder of Home Bargains, has bought 80% of the group Tatty Teddy has a new daddy as Tom Morris, Morris retains a the billionaire founder and owner of Home very low public Bargains has acquired 80% of the shares in profile, founding the Carte Blanche Group. Tom has Home Bargains bought the shares from the CBG’s founder in 1976, which Steven Haines and long-term investor now trades from Duncan Spence. almost 600 The remaining 20% of the business remains stores and in the hands of Alister Marchant, ceo of Carte employs over Blanche Greetings, who has a 16% 34,000, its low Above: Tatty Teddy has to adapt to a new daddy! shareholding and Rob Edgerton, the price, high company’s finance director, who has a 4% volume model chiming with the British public. shareholding. Alister and Rob will continue to However, while Carte Blanche has been a continue to oversee all strategic, commercial, supplier to Home Bargains for over a and operational activity of the business. decade, Tom will not be involved in any As Alister explained to PG: “It is no secret operational role or day to day running of the that Steve has not been involved in the day to card and gift business. day running of the business for some time As Alister sees it: “While this is big news, and that he and Duncan wanted to release and we are hugely excited by the future their equity in the business. opportunities, on a day-toIt was very important that day basis nothing is we found the right investor changing for our team and and with Tom we have a our customers.” He shared vision that we will added: “on a personal work to make reality which note, I am also chuffed secures the business, our that Steve and Duncan are people and our brands happy with the deal as it is Above: Steven Haines, founder of Carte strongly for the future.” what they wanted.” Blanche Greetings at last year’s Henries awards. For all his incredible (See Cardsharp pages Above right: Duncan Spence has been a longtime investor in CBG. financial success, Tom 28-29)

Moonpig’s new CEO praises ‘good growth’ Moonpig’s shares jumped over 10% recently on the day the company’s final FY26 results showed a 13.5% increase in profit of £76.5million. The “year of strong financial and operational progress” for the 12 months to April 30 are the parting gift of exiting CEO Nickyl Raithatha, who left in December, with the recent announcement being overseen by his replacement Catherine Faiers, who joined the online greeting card and gift platform in March. “These results demonstrate the strength of Moonpig Group's brands, customer proposition and business model,” Catherine said. “The group delivered good growth in revenue, profitability and cash generation while continuing to invest in the capabilities to support our future ambition. “This performance reflects the hard work, commitment and execution of our

outstanding teams across the business.” Overall, there was revenue growth of 6.5% at £373.0m against the previous year’s £350.1m, with the Moonpig brand hitting 8.6% and the Netherlands-based arm Greetz delivering constant currency revenue growth at 1.5% across the year. From the gross profit of £218m the reported profit before taxation was £68.9m, and adjusted profit before taxation reached £76.5m against last year’s £67.5m, with adjusted earnings per share up 19.5% at 18p, rising from 15p. Key highlights for the year include 2.1% growth in orders growth from 12.3m active customers helped by card size format upsell and UK delivery innovation with the migration to tracked services. The average order value has also risen 5.7%, reflecting trading up to higher-priced gifts, including new ranges from Next and Boots, and there has been continued progress in strengthening the Experiences product range. Left: New CEO Catherine Faiers is excited to work at Moonpig.

Above: Some 50 members of the greeting card community participated in Pride.

The greeting card sector really did itself proud at the recent London Pride parade, not just through the engagement from the cardie community, but how those in the crowds responded so positively to the 25,000 free LGBTQorientated cards that were handed out and gleefully received. “It was the GCA’s 5th Pride and the weather was glorious. Plus, for the first time we didn’t run out of cards before the end - we’ve finally cracked it!” said Mark Callaby, co-founder of Ohh Deer and GCA vice president who has spearheaded the Pride activity. “We’ve now handed out over 150k cards across all the events which is pretty special,” he acknowledged.

Above: Ohh Deer’s Mark Callaby (right), Jamie Mitchell (left), their dog Ralph and Ricicle’s David Nichols-Rice.

Joining the array of publishers, retailers and trade suppliers from the greeting card community in the parade was Sally Matson, owner of Red Card and Little Red in Petworth, who participated along with her daughter Adie. “It was so great to see such a hugely positive response to the greeting cards from everyone who was there to see Pride - people just loved the cards, there were outstretched hands everywhere!! Inclusivity is so important by participating we are letting everyone know that greeting cards offer something for everyone.”

Above: Sally Matson (second left), her daughter Adie (far left), (centre and second right) Stationery Supplies’ Sarah and Matthew Laker and Ricicle’s David Nichols-Rice.

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The Cabinet of curiosities This new range brings together a vibrant mix of print, pattern and colour from across the V&A’s rich collections. All feature detailed embossing and offer a mix of birthday and blank designs to suit a variety of everyday sends.

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NEWS TOP STORY

Feeling lucky?

Heralding Harrogate Home & Gift

After a successful debut at the show last year, Cath Tate is returning to Harrogate Home & Gift, showcasing over 50 new greeting cards and gifts on Stand C36 in DP1. In addition to new Above: Cath Tate cards, notebooks and Cards will be coasters, the publisher running a Lucky Envelope promo at is running an exclusive the show. show promotion, where customers can pick a lucky envelope containing prizes such as 5%–15% off orders or free cards with any orders placed at the show.

Fingers crossed for sunny weather Adopting a Scrapbook Summer theme, Harrogate Home & Gift Buyers’ Festival will be returning to the Harrogate Convention Centre and grounds of the DoubleTree by Hilton Majestic Hotel on 19-22 July. The show will bring together some 500 brands and over 20,000 products across gift, home, fashion, jewellery & accessories, greetings & stationery, food & drink and wellbeing. Among the greeting card exhibitors are Alljoy Design, The Art File, Berni Parker Designs, Bird & Co, Caroline Gardner, Cath Tate Cards, Citrus Bunn, Ginger Betty and Museums & Galleries among others. Above: The Art File will be showing new cards and wrappings at the show.

Over 25% of exhibitors are new to the show and highlights this year include a Above: Have you new IND!E registered to attend Pavillion and Pitch Harrogate Home & Gift? Live by IND!E. Mixing business with pleasure, the Sunday Sundowners networking party will take place at the end of the first day of the show, (Sunday July 19) while on Monday evening (Monday July 20), there will be Drinks on the Lawn. Throughout the four days of the show, VIP visitors will also have access to the Indigo Lounge in Hall C. For the full A-Z of exhibitors, and to register, visit www.homeandgift.co.uk.

Back Sue Morrish up on reducing waste Finding sustainability solutions has been a major focus in the greeting card industry but working out how to deal with one thing can lead to other issues which then need resolving. And that’s just what’s happened with the move away from individually wrapped cards to sticky labels and card clasps – what do you do with all the waste backing paper? Known as release liner, how to recycle it is a particular bugbear for The Eco-friendly Card Company’s co-founder Sue Morrish – and having joined the GCA’s Sustainability Committee the committed recycler and environmentalist is even more determined that the industry can work together to come up with a solution. “Where there’s a label, there’s a release liner left behind and this is a notoriously difficult to recycle,” Sue told PG. “Release liners end up with general waste and, even in zero-to-landfill schemes, this normally means they are incinerated. And it’s not just the labels we use on cards that generate this waste, there are also labels we use on inner and outer packaging courier address labels and even the stamps from Royal Mail now come on release liner, since they abandoned lick-and-stick.” Some release liners are made from polyethylene terephthalate (PET) which can be recycled, but the most common is silicone-coated glassine, made from a cellulose super-calendared

paper with a silicone coating so the labels easily peel off the liner, but it’s tricky to recycle because it repels water so contaminates standard recycling streams. The specialised processing facilities required do exist where release liners can be made into home insulation, pet bedding, or tissue, but these specialist schemes, such as Cycle4Green, Soprema and Rafcycle, are not accessible to most publishers, with minimum requirements for collections starting at 15 pallets! Sue added: “I’ve been trying to find a route for our release liner waste for several years, with little success – but now the GCA’s Sustainability Committee is trying find out if there are any recycling solutions already being used by other publishers that we could share with our members. “Whether it’s recycling your release liner via your label supplier, or whether you’ve found a recycling company that will take – and actually recycle! – this waste we’d love to hear from you. We can then collate this information with the hope of sharing solutions we can access across our industry.” The Eco-friendly Card Company is exhibiting at Harrogate Home & Gift on Stand A18 in DP4.

Left: Cath Tate’s (left) Rosie Tate and Amy Woodrow Arai on the publisher’s stand at last year’s show.

Get social at GCA Local in Harrogate All GCA members are invited to a GCA Local event in Harrogate during the show. Taking place on Monday 20 July, some designated space has been booked for a catch at Divino between 6pm-7pm. This follows an Above: Members of the Loxleys ‘inside the factory’ team with publishers Altered Chic, GCA Local which Running With Scissors and Heyyy was hosted by Cards and retailers Shop Indie and Stationery Supplies, plus agent Loxleys and Sarah Reynolds. Heyyy Cards in the former’s printworks in Sheffield. It included a behind-the-scenes tour showing greeting production processes from start to finish, including a look at Loxleys’ recently-installed litho press and the chance to ask questions on how designs are taken from artwork to retail-ready product. As sales agent Sarah Reynolds, of the Sarah Jane Agency, said: “It felt like an episode of Inside The Factory and was absolutely fascinating to see all the work that goes into producing the wonderful cards we see on the shelves.”

Right: Sue is hoping the greeting card industry can find a way to recycle the label waste.

FOR THE LATEST NEWS VISIT PGBUZZ.net PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE 23

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OVER THE

COUNTER

BY DAVID ROBERTSON OF JP POZZI, ELGIN AND BUCKIE.

Blended Reality I recently attended the 25th anniversary event that marked the founding of our local Chamber of Commerce of which I am director. The setting was simply breathtaking, in a marquee on the private fishing boat of the Macallan distillery. One of the highlights was the unveiling of a very special bottle of whisky - a blended malt. But what stayed with me wasn't the whisky itself, (although I am not a connoisseur!), it was the conversation around the blending and what difference that made. All this which got me thinking about the importance of blending in a retail business today. What was very unusual about the special bottle of whisky unveiled at the Chamber of Commerce event was that a number of the very famous local whisky distilleries had come together to create it – and we are sworn to secrecy as to which ones!! The master blender spoke passionately about bringing together whiskies from

different casks, different ages and different characteristics. Some provided depth, some sweetness, some complexity and some balance. Individually they all had value. Together they created something far greater than the sum of their parts. As I listened intently to the process, I couldn't help thinking how similar it is to running a retail or indeed any business in

Left: A Thank You Teacher cards FSDU in M&S. Above: Just as whisky gains character as it matures so retail businesses evolve over the years, if they get a chance.

26 PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE

Above: The special blended whisky that was created to mark the 25th anniversary of David’s local Chamber of Commerce. Inset: David at the event at the Macallan distillery.

2026. Whether we're talking about products, people or even customers, successful retailing is increasingly becoming an art of blending. There was a time when many retailers could build an entire business around a single category. Newsagents sold newspapers, card shops sold cards, gift shops sold gifts and so on. Those days have largely disappeared as we are now all multifunctional and quite simply we have to be in order to survive. Today's successful independent retailers understand that relying too heavily on any one category or indeed brand is dangerous. Markets change. Consumer habits evolve. Costs rise. Entire industries can contract. The retailers that continue to thrive are often those who have carefully blended their offer. All of us as card shops used to benefit from the fact that the supermarkets always featured heavily on the big seasons, but largely ignored other events, such as Thank you Teacher. Now however that is not the case. They, along with their buyers, have realised that they can/need to offer everything that we do and you will find FSDUs and gondola ends targeting those markets that used to be solely ours. Only today I saw Teacher Thanks cards in

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OVER THE COUNTER M&S and Tesco. Tesco also had a specialised high age section which had champagne, chocolates and bottle bags among other gift ideas right next to the cards. They are attacking our core market and we need to be better/different/innovative to survive. In our own business, greeting cards remain the foundation. They are of course a great provider of profit and are often the catalyst to bring customers through the door and create regular footfall, but stocking cards alone would not generate the same excitement or commercial opportunity that they once did. How many pure card-only shops do you see now? Alongside cards in Pozzis and Bijou we have gifts, fashion accessories, balloons, coffee, food, hot trending products (from squish to plush) and then we also have seasonal opportunities that emerge throughout the year. Each product category performs a different role for us and some perform more than one.

Above: David’s son Hudson, who recently celebrated his 4th birthday is a wonderful blend of himself, his wife Nicola and his own characteristics.

From frequency to margin, from impulse sales to destination purchases, as well as creating an online or in store buzz, every single part is important. Just like the individual casks in a blended whisky, every category contributes something different for your customer base. Something else that struck me during my recent distillery visit was the importance of time. I attended the first meeting of the new Moray Chamber of Commerce as a young 26 year old business person. The ensuing 25 years have passed in a flash, while in whisky terms 25 years is a great and golden age! Patience in important with whisky as it allows things to happen naturally over time

with some of the finest whiskies having spent decades maturing. Experience matters. Yet many small indie businesses simply don’t get the chance to mature. The latest long-term government business demography data suggests:

Business age

Still trading

Closed

After 1 year

Around

92%

After 3 years

Around

60%

40%

After 5 years

Around

39–40%

60–61%

After 10 years

Around

25–30%

70–75%

If you compare this with a whisky, 10 years is a highly significant number as it is the age that many believe a whisky really starts to show its character. Yet take that analogy into retail, and very few businesses reach the 10-year mark. To reach that crucial point you need to blend your own team to make it a success. Long-serving members of staff will possess incredible knowledge. They know the customers, the products, they understand the rhythm of the business. They will have lived through recessions, lockdowns, technology changes and countless shifts in consumer behaviour alongside you and will act as a valuable sounding board. As I have found in the last three difficult months (as I have been back and forth to the hospital visiting my Mum) that having an experienced team is priceless. At the same time, younger employees bring something equally valuable. Fresh thinking, digital awareness, different perspectives and new ideas. No one person or age is better than the other and the magic often happens when they work together to blend into a winning team. A retail team made up entirely of one generation risks becoming unbalanced. Too much experience can sometimes lead to a resistance to change while equally too much youthful enthusiasm can sometimes overlook hard-earned lessons. The strongest teams blend and value both. The retail landscape, or more specifically the customer, has changed dramatically over the last decade.

Customer habits are no longer predictable and you can no longer pigeonhole things in quite the way you maybe once did. The same customer who now purchases a luxury gift may also hunt for an eBay bargain. The customer who buys premium coffee might still compare prices on everyday essentials. The old retail stereotypes are becoming less useful. Meanwhile, the most difficult blend for us indies is between the physical and digital worlds. Few subjects generate more debate in retail than the relationship between physical shops and online selling. Customers simply want convenience, inspiration, service and, most importantly, choice. Whether that comes through a website, social media post or a physical store is often secondary. The most successful independents are blending physical and digital experiences. Social media drives awareness. Physical stores create engagement. Websites provide convenience. Email marketing builds loyalty. No single channel does everything. This is what the buzzword ‘omni-channel’ means, The big question is, can we deliver that as an indie?? Together, all of the aforementioned create a stronger proposition, yet we shouldn’t allow ourselves to become consumed by negativity if we can’t meet these lofty expectations. If we spend all our time focusing on what is going wrong, we risk missing opportunities that are right in front of us. As retailers we need to become master blenders. We need to acknowledge reality, retain optimism, recognise challenges and continue investing. It is all about finding that special mix. When all the right ingredients come together retail can still be a special place. And like whisky the results are in the actual taste of drinking it all in. l To contact David email: jppozzi@btconnect.com Below: Life and business is all about creating the right blend!

PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE 27

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cardsharp Regular readers will know that Cardsharp is a great aficionado of Classic Rock. Thinking about the latest debacle at the laughably named TGJones (formerly WHSmith) he found himself humming the epic Thin Lizzy hit, ‘Don’t Believe a Word’.

DON’T BELiEVE A WORD! There has been a lot of noise coming from the Modella-owned chain that was formerly WHSmith, more specifically from the new CEO, Alex Willson, who comes fresh from his role in turning around the fortune of Hobbycraft (not!). It seems that, although the judge courts have waved through the restructuring plan, many landlords have been refusing to play ball with Modella this time, refusing to accept TGJones’ request for rent amnesties, which includes demands for no rent to be paid for three years. Many landlords are even sending in the bailiffs. Below: The courts have given the go-ahead to the TGJones cram down restructure which will see shops shutting and creditors suffering.

28 PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE

In response Mr Willson issued an eightpoint plan for the future of the company, some of which would be comical, if the consequences were not so serious. These include “cutting prices” and “buying products that the customers want to buy", which might prove quite difficult when most of the producers of these products are now, quite rightly, refusing to supply the chain. There is also talk of refining, repairs, improving the lighting, making cosmetic improvements, and reintroducing store managers. “We want TGJones to be genuinely exciting”. Cardsharp will believe it when he sees it! And almost in the same breath he warns, “We don’t have the cash to continue”. Cardsharp hopes that the high court hearing didn’t get passed were not realised. His view is that this zombie business needs to be put out of its misery before it inflicts more pain on landlords and suppliers gullible enough to give it credit. And before it distorts the retail market still further.

Above: Phil Lynott, the late frontman of Thin Lizzie prophesised about TGJones with his lyrics “Don’t believe a word”.

High Street competitors of and alternatives to TGJones, like UOE, The Works, Ryman, Cardzone and Waterstones continue to pay landlords and suppliers. Why should TGJones gain such an unfair advantage, selling products that they have not paid for, from locations where landlords are not getting paid? Meanwhile, thousands of independents are running their honest businesses, while struggling to keep staff employed faced with the increases in National Insurance and the National Minimum Wage as well as other increased costs. Modella, adroitly renamed a ‘vulture’ capitalist business by The Cardmitments What’s App group of leading indies, has the bare-faced cheek to say it is looking to save 5,000 jobs. The crocodile tears are flowing. For how long? In less than a year it is likely that all those 'team members’ will

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Left: Rather than ‘venture capitalists’, Modella has been rechristened a ‘vulture capitalist’ operator by many.

be out on their ear as Modella will no doubt announce that it has no choice but to regrettably liquidate the company. Cardsharp hopes the landlords hold firm and that suppliers ‘lucky enough’ to still be part of the chosen few, who might eventually get paid a fraction of what they are owed or nothing at all, refuse to supply TGJones. In Cardsharp’s view, the sooner that Modella’s 'business model’ is exposed for the big con that it is, the better.

Forget the eight-point plan, in Cardsharp’s view, Modella has a one-point plan for TGJones and that is liquidation before extracting every bit of value out of this once great retail institution that goes back 234 years. Take it away the late great Phil Lynott, “Don’t believe me if I tell you, not a word of this is true".

Plus ça change Three historic (or should we say heritage?) greeting card publishing names have had a change of ownership recently, observed Cardsharp. Namely Carte Blanche Greetings, Nigel Quiney Publications and Paper Rose. Younger readers may not be so familiar with these companies, but all three have had a big impact on Above: Tatty Teddy now has a new owner in Home Bargains’ Tommy the history of the modern Morris. greeting card industry. All three have seen more successful days, but Cardsharp is happy to see these brands preserved and under new ownership. Firstly Carte Blanche, the publisher synonymous with the famous ‘grey bear’, Tatty Teddy, has seen its founder Stephen Haines and silent investor Duncan Spence sell their shares to Tommy Morris and his Home Bargains chain. Although the current management will keep their shares, the exit of the two main shareholders represents a clear break with the past. Even though it is many years since the duo have been actively involved in the business, Stephen Haines and Duncan Spence will both be remembered as industry legends, who each played a part in its evolution. It is incredible to think that back in the late 1990s, when the Clintons retail business was at its height and had over 800 stores, the grey bear plush and Me to You greeting cards were responsible for a massive 11% of the chain’s turnover. And to this day it is still a strong licence that appears on all manner of merchandise from cakes to nightwear. Carte Blanche already occupies a strong representation in Home Bargains’ sizeable greeting card offering. Cardsharp is sure the new ownership will result in it securing an even stronger position. Nigel Quiney and Paper Rose are both historic brands that date back to the 1980s. Paper Rose saw its apogee in the late 1990s under the ownership of its founder, Alan Hawkes, when its Diving for Pearls range was hugely successful. Paper Rose was later sold to Simon Elvin before it was acquired by Paul Taylor’s family trust. Paul, Right: Words ‘n’ Wishes’ co-owner Rod Brown (second left) on the Paper Rose stand at the recent PG Live with (left-right) the publisher’s Perlina Pierre-Davies, Steve Duncombe, Sarah Tanser-Frain and Alison Traynor (Words ‘n’ Wishes).

who also owns Cardzone, Clintons and now House of Cards then sold Paper Rose and Quiney to the management who could not make it work and hence Paul regained ownership. Are you still with Cardsharp or totally confused?! Anyway, last month Paul sold Paper Rose to Words ‘n’ Wishes (along with Nigel Quiney Publications more of which later). This is a decent addition for Word ‘n’ Wishes who as its name suggests are strong in the more traditional card sector but not so much in blanks, where Paper Rose’s market has traditionally been. Quiney has also undergone a similar journey to that of Paper Rose and is now owned by Words ’n’ Wishes too. Quiney has

Above: Home Bargains, the brainchild of Tommy Morris, is a retailing success story. Above right: Carte Blanche’s founder, Steve Haines (right) with the continuing ceo and shareholder, Alister Marchant back in 2012.

traditionally been a solid independent supplier well known for its service. While it has always had a sizeable portfolio, its Pizazz range, a perennially popular decorative floral range in its heyday was a ‘must have’ for indies. Cardsharp learned an interesting quirky fact about Quiney. Its eponymous founder, Nigel Quiney was a very close friend and confidant of Queen’s front man, Freddie Mercury. So, is this a 'Bohemian Rhapsody' perhaps for new owner, Words ’n’ Wishes, Cardsharp wonders?! WnW’s co-owners Rod Brown and Carl Salt are experienced and shrewd operators and have the wherewithal to make these brands work, in addition to its own ranges, plus the distribution agreements with Emotional Rescue and Danilo for the indie sector. These three publishers have a combined history of well over a century and so Cardsharp has both words and wishes that their legacies continue.

PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE 29

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RETAILER COMMENTS PG LIVE 2026

PG Live Life & Loves It was buzzy, upbeat and the abundance of newness at PG Live 2026 was lapped up by retailers and overseas distributors who came from all over the world. PG caught up with a selection of retailers who revealed just some of their top picks from the show.

Mark Janson-Smith, managing director of Postmark, 17 stores in London and Glasgow “PG never fails to deliver as one of our favourite shows of the year. It is great to see so many cards under one roof, finding new suppliers and catching up with old ones.” Top Picks: “We followed up with Oh Squirrel who we first reconnected with at GCA Speed-dating with Dragons’ event and will soon be in store. My Left: Mark Janson-Smith (second right) with (left-right) Waterstones’ Megan Roberts and Hazel Walker with PG’s Jakki Brown. Right: Mark’s daughter Aoife spending her Sunshine Ticket with Marina B.

daughter loved the new Marina B range so this will be trialled too. We absolutely loved Halfpenny Postage and look forward to working with them in due course. In the Springboard area we liked Hollie Startup and Not Today Tuesday. They aren't quite right for our stores just yet, but I am sure we will work with both in the future. While we don't really place orders at trade shows we will range build with selected samples back in the office and then will send out purchase orders.”

Hazel Walker, buying manager and Megan Douglas, cards and gifts buyer of Waterstones “It was a great show as always! Great atmosphere and it’s always along with its new RA Summer Exhibition lines. And we really brilliant to see all of the creative greeting card minds together in enjoyed seeing Earlybird’s bright and one place! colourful designs, that work well across We’ve started coming back for a second day both greeting cards and gift wrap. as there is just too much to see in one day. As We also always love seeing what well as catching up with current suppliers it was new ranges Tim and Joy have so good to see some of the newer ones from concocted at Objectables, sadly the the last show and how much they’d grown their ranges have been a bit too rude for our ranges since then.” customers in the past, but we are very Top Picks: “It is hard to pick specific companies excited that we are finally planning to and ranges as we saw so many great designs bring some of their new, more suitable and there is always so much talent on display at ranges into selected shops! PG Live, but to name a few; the new ArtPress Above: One of the Alison Friend designs from While we didn’t place any orders at the ArtPress. Publishing selection of quirky animal portraits show, we will be over the next few Above right: Just one of Earlybird’s bright and sunshiny designs. from Alison Friend was one of our favourites months as a result of being there!”

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EVERYDAY DROP 2

SUMMER COLLECTION Available Mid July in store & online

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RETAILER COMMENTS PG LIVE 2026

Sally Matson, owner of Red Card and Little Red, Petworth “We love PG Live because we get to see all our cardie friends - and the circle gets bigger every year, which is very special! We enjoyed or ‘half time’ glasses of bubbles to celebrate being shortlisted for The Retas and The Greats - and as usual the Above: Sarah Kelleher (centre) with Red Card’s free lunch was greatly Sally Matson (right) and Karen West. Right: Eliot Siegel on his stand at PG Live. appreciated!” Top Picks: “As always, we placed loads of orders at the show. This year they were with Raspberry Blossom, Kali Stileman, Rosie Made A Thing, Dandelion Stationery, Susan O’Hanlon, Penguin Ink, Wendy Jones-Blackett, LoveLoss Discoballs, Eliot Siegel, Clanna Cards, Sarah Kelleher, Paper Salad, In Real Life, and Bexy Boo!

We also had Silver and Sunshine Tickets which we spent with Rosie Made A Thing and Sarah Kelleher. Sarah’s cards are a favourite of ours as the colour and foiling are so beautiful on the dark backgrounds and they really stand out in our displays. Sarah’s dog and bird ranges are also very popular with our customers. Rosie’s cards are our biggest sellers in the shop so we are always topping up - Rosie's mugs were our most popular Father’s Day gift too. Something else we loved at the show were Eliot Siegel’s cards. I first met Eliot at the GCA Dragons’ event and was really impressed with his photographic cards. At PG Live we bought a huge range of his classic cars and also his Love to Dance range which will be popular with our ‘Strictly’ fans.”

Frances Stone, retail buyer stationery, food and souvenirs of National Trust

Louise Cambridge, card buyer of

“PG Live continues to strike the perfect balance between business focus and creative inspiration. The size of the show makes it manageable - you can comfortably see everyone without feeling overwhelmed! It’s a brilliant opportunity to catch up with our existing suppliers and explore new ranges. Top Picks: “Ginger Betty – The new Above: Ginger Betty’s Sundae die-cut range, Sundae Breeze, was a Breeze caught Frances’ eye. delight, especially the scone card – Right: A striking Pat Albeck design from Woodmansterne. although we would say that, we are a little scone obsessed here at the Trust! Woodmansterne – The new Pat Albeck range was lovely. Pat has a very special place in our heart, especially after working with her directly on her iconic National Trust tea towel designs! While we don’t place orders at the show, it gave us lots of ideas for our Spring Summer 27 ranges.”

“We had a fantastic day at PG Live. It had a great vibe, very personable, cards galore with added bonus of drinks from a trolley and lunch included - just brill! We were able to catch up with loads of our existing suppliers and more recent new suppliers that have joined us. It was great to see Christmas newness and we came away with a good clear idea of the ranges we Above: UOE/Stamp’s card wanted to buyer Louise Cambridge (right) include and Emma Watlington, head of buying. for Christmas.” Right: Museums & Galleries debuted its licensed Faye Top Picks: Bridgwater range at PG Live. “There was so much to choose from, we were truly spoilt, but among our favourites were Museums & Galleries (we loved The Fold), Mint, Ohh Deer, Apple & Clover, Grace Jackson Design, Deva Designs and Earlybird Designs.”

UOE/Stamp, 40+ stores

Ross Lasseter, buying and merchandising manager of Tesco “It’s always great to have so many card companies in one place. PG Live is so easy to get around, speak to everyone and see all the fantastic new designs. Everyone there is so passionate about Above: Ross Lasseter product and design and it’s so was at PG Live with Tesco infectious.” colleagues. Top Picks: “We liked the nostalgia of Bubblegum from UK Greetings which took us back to our youth. Danilo provided some fun trying to find Wally and

hanging out with the Angry Birds. We also saw some new and exciting designs from Raspberry Blossom, Dyson Design and White Cotton Cards. We identified some new ranges that we’ll be introducing and discovered some new potential partners.”

Above: There was much Bubblegum fun to be had at PG Live, on the UKG stand and in the sponsored lunchroom. Left: Some Summer Newness from Raspberry Blossom that was launched at PG Live.

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RETAILER COMMENTS PG LIVE 2026

Gabbie Peters, buyer of Marks & Spencer “As always PG Live provided a lovely opportunity to catch up with old colleagues and friends.” Top Picks: “I really liked the Lucy Claire range on Danilo stand and Pigment as ever had lots going on, including some artwork for a Above: Lovely illustrations in Danilo’s M&S trial that we are looking at. Lucy Claire collection. While it’s not for us at M&S, I was really happy to see a fresh spin on Bubblegum from UKG.”

John Procter, Tori Heath-Smith and Laura Clarke, founder, buying manager and card buyer of Scribbler “PG Live attracts a great mix of established publishers and smaller, more independent publishers, so it didn’t feel repetitive. The overall atmosphere was friendly and relaxed, which made it easy to have proper conversations rather than rushing around. We really enjoyed the chance to catch up with our suppliers and designers, as well as meeting new faces.” Top Picks: “Several of the more design-led and contemporary ranges stood out, especially those with a strong point of view or slightly different humour/style from what’s already Top: Scribbler’s Tori widely available. To name just a few from an Heath-Smith (second left) and amazing show, we loved Brainbox’s and Laura Clarke with Brainbox Candy’s Objectables’ new humour ranges. We were Mark Williams (left) and Ben Hickman. also drawn to new ranges that felt distinctive Above: Poet & (again, to name just a few of many) from Poet & Painter’s founder Lucy Creed putting Painter, Raspberry Blossom, Lil Wabbit, her head above the parapet on her East End Prints, Pigment, Megan Claire and stand at the show! Bold & Bright. We feel their newness would work well in-store while offering something a bit fresh for customers. It was also great to see some newer publishers bringing interesting concepts and formats in the Springboard area. We are having follow up conversations at the moment re: postshow orders.”

Penny Bailey, co-owner of Baileys, Ainsdale, Crosby and Maghull “PG Live is a show I always enjoy and it didn't disappoint this year. There was definitely something for everyone. From UKG bringing Above: (left-right) Baileys’ Simon and back Bubblegum from the 90s to Penny Bailey with Studio Boketto’s Micky Calf and Olivia Penny. Phoebe at Little Potato Studio Below: PG Live saw Hallmark unveiling obsessing over spuds! its licensed Paddington collection. I particularly loved all the chat, bumping into industry friends, meeting new people, the lunch and the beer!” Top Picks: “There was so much to admire, and it's tricky leaving anyone out but the ranges that caught my eye, that will suit our customers, came from: Heyyy, what a great job Yvette and Dan are doing; Paperlink's captions; Hallmark's Peter Rabbit and Paddington collections; Poet & Painter in general; Emotional Rescue's new ranges; Ricicle's Cerealousy Good range and Marina B's foiled range, while Bizzie Lizzie in Springboard deserves a mention too! I spent our Sunshine Ticket with Studio Boketto. They have been on my radar for a little while, so decided it's time to give them a whirl, and how lovely to find they are based up in the North West near us. I'm sure they will bring some smiles to our spinners! Our Silver Ticket went to Ginger Betty. We are already a stockist but had to add the gorgeous shaped notebooks and cutest wooden pens to our greeting card collection. Tracey and Pete deserve every success. We also ordered from Rush Design for the first time. Its new birthday and wedding collection will be snapped up by our customers I'm sure. I really like the new size/shape that will get noticed in our racks. I also ordered from Coach House Partners who offers great gifting, particularly for hard to buy for chaps. I'd already taken a punt on Bubblegum from UKG, just before PG Live, and we've had some positive sales there already. Oh, and I'll be ordering from Design By Violet shortly. Their gift bags are impressive quality for the price. So, all in all a great success, thank you to everyone at PG Live. See you next year!”

Daniel Lee, o-owner of The Card Gallery and Present Company, Wimborne Minster

Above: The Card Gallery’s Daniel Lee was happy to spend his Sunshine Ticket with Museums & Galleries with SW agent Rosie Trow.

“What we loved about PG Live was the atmosphere of creativity and the chance to see such a wide variety of suppliers in one place. It was genuinely inspiring to explore new trends, meet designers face to face and get a sense of what is coming through for future seasons. It was also great to catch up with people in the industry, including other retailers, as it is not often you get the chance to speak to them in person during the year.”

Top Picks: “We really liked some range extensions from Museums & Galleries especially V&A and Matthew Williamson ranges. One company we don't yet deal with but that caught our eye was Kenji. The stand looked very different to how it did at last year’s trade shows and they really seem to be all over current trends, notably Capybara, squashies and mini brick gifts. We placed orders with Museum & Galleries and Mint and we made sure to use our Sunshine Ticket in the process!”

Above: Some cute Ponpon items from Kenji.

PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE 35

Your summer buying trip. Sorted. Four days of sourcing, networking and inspiration with products for every budget and every retail space.

20,000 + Produc ts

EW N % 0 3 s Brand

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RETAILER COMMENTS PG LIVE 2026

Monica Sawchuk, buyer of Barnes & Noble and Paper Source “There were so many incredibly talented card publishers at, some of which I work with already (and had the opportunity to meet in person for the first time), and many that were new to me. I felt that there was an impressive amount of diversity across the show – I continuously found unique concepts and ranges that surprised me as I walked from one stand to the next. The atmosphere was friendly and inviting – an ode to the industry but also no doubt that the show fostered those types of familial relationships. I really appreciated how all visitors and attendees were treated, from the welcoming staff working the reception, to the free lunches and coffee/tea. All around, I had a very positive experience.” Top Picks: “This is a tough question to answer! There are a few exhibitors that stood out to me though: Floh – I love the use of pattern with text overlay, along with special details such as the scalloped edges. I appreciated the clear and cohesive ranges in which Jo displayed her card offering. LoveLossDiscoballs – This collection felt very unique. I really liked the use of bold colour and graphic text. The stand itself was fairly simple, but the cards themselves were strong enough to draw me in.

Georgina Black, owner of Pretty Shiny Shop, Finsbury Park “PG Live is my favourite show to go to. Firstly, because I love greeting cards, so a show dedicated to them is truly a pleasure to wander around. I like the timing of it because at this time of the year I am looking for inspiration and I like being able to see the cards in person that I have been seeing in the PG magazine and on social media. I like catching up with the publishers I buy from already and seeing what’s new. This year I was having such a good time I completely forgot about the lunchtime champagne reception in the gallery! PG Live is a really positive show to attend – with the complimentary lunch, endless tea and drinks on the first evening – it kind of feels like a party!” Above: Georgina Black was very Top Picks: “I’ve recently brought in impressed with the quality from Niquea.d. Stoats and Weasels so it was good to Below: Pretty Shiny Shop’s Georgina see the full range on display. Pickled Black (centre), spent her Sunshine Ticket with Cinnamon Aitch’s Sarah Prints is a publisher that I have looked at Fitzgerald (left) and Sara Burford. before but this time I found its Kindness range, which I hadn’t seen before, and I want to find some room on the shelves for a few of those. Upstairs I found Sara Willia Landscapes – beautiful moody designs that I will bring in this Autumn/Winter, but I may look at bringing in prints earlier. Niquea.D had cards that were next level quality and I will be making further enquiries there too. I spent my Sunshine Ticket with Cinnamon Aitch and my Silver Ticket with Earlybird Designs – and did my first Christmas card order with them as well as grabbing some of the new designs. I ordered with Ohh Deer too and a couple more!”

Mifkins – I have just recently started working with her, but I found so many more great cards on her stand. I really appreciate her attention to detail in the artwork. Poet & Painter – I really loved some of the new formats, such as the cards with the window die-cuts, the crown shaped milestone birthday cards, and the detailed diecut cards. To me, the artwork feels Left: (centre) Monica Sawchuk from Barnes & Noble/Paper Source flew personal and I really value the handover from the States for the show as did (right) Vanessa Harnik, md of Notes illustrated nature of her art. & Queries. Seen here with Sophie I didn’t place any orders at the Bylina of Museums & Galleries. Above: Floh, Toasted Crumpet’s sibling show, but I don’t ever place orders at brand caught Monica’s eye. shows – we have a fairly stringent buying process that includes collaboration across internal teams (primarily our inventory management team). However, I most definitely plan to place orders with some of the exhibitors I met at the show for our next card assortment refresh. I made note of particular exhibitors and their specific cards/ranges that I am interested in placing in our stores in the future.”

Steph Lloyd, senior retail buyer of Utility, six stores in Altrincham, Liverpool and Manchester “I always enjoy visiting PG Live. The show is well sized, easy to navigate, and provides a great opportunity to catch up with suppliers and discover new ranges/brands.” Top Picks: “Halfpenny Postage – This extensive range was a real highlight for me. The cards are beautiful and many have a sentimental feel that I think will really resonate with our customers. Toasted Crumpet – The Christmas minis looked especially strong, and the everyday Floh ranges have already performed well in stores this year. Above left: Utility’s Steph Lloyd (right) spent her Golden Ticket with Stormy Ohh Deer – The new Loud and Knight’s Sarah Jackson. Clear range stood out immediately, Above: Halfpenny Postage’s collection was a highlight for Utility’s Steph. and it was great to see an extension Below: Hollie Startup was discovered by many retailers at PG Live. of the Silly Bean keyrings. We placed an order for Stormy Knight’s fun Pressed and Posted letterpress cards after the Mother’s Day designs performed well for us. We also ordered from Hollie Startup after discovering the beautiful designs in the Upper Village. I’m really excited to see both ranges in store.” PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE 37

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RETAILER COMMENTS PG LIVE 2026

Aga Marsden, owner

Lucy Cornwall,

of The Highworth Emporium, Highworth “It was wonderful to see such a range of suppliers from small to large, surrounded by colourful designs and friendly faces – it was a great way to see what’s new on offer and be reminded of the classics too! But we also love the show because of its unusual very Above: Highworth Emporium’s Aga casual and sociable atmosphere, lovely lunch Marsden (centre) and Ele Spreckly spending their Sunshine Ticket with and the whole colourful set up.” The Art File’s sales and marketing director, James Mace. Top Picks: “We especially loved two of The Below: One of the designs in Two for Art File’s new ranges and are so happy to Joy’s new Book Stacks range that was launched at PG Live. have had them arrive in our shop today. People have been asking for small cards and Lousie Mulgrew’s mini cards fill that gap beautifully. The Fox Under the Moon range is so precious and we are sure it will brighten so many people’s days. Another stand out for us was Two for Joy, the cards are so bright and bubbly. They are the perfect colours and designs for all ages and we love the Book Stacks collection – they are the perfect balance of humorous fun! And Bold & Bright’s designs always put a smile on our face. Of course we placed orders! We are so excited to share new ranges with our customers as well as new designs from some of their favourite suppliers and we cannot wait to make a social media post sharing all of the goodness, when all deliveries arrive.”

junior buyer of Oliver Bonas

Above: PG Live newness is making its way into Oliver Bonas stores. Below: Pigment’s Kitchen range was a standout for OB’s Lucy Cornwall.

“What a great show, filled with energy and creativity. All of the publishers make such an amazing effort with their stands to showcase their designs in such a creative and engaging way. As always, it’s a valuable chance to catch up with existing and new suppliers to discover fresh ideas and ranges.” Top Picks: “A few brands that

stood out to me were: Remail Cards – A great concept as we are always looking for ways to improve sustainability across the business. Pigment – The new Kitchen range, with its bright and trend-led designs, really stood out. Objectables – What funny, unique designs. We have followed up with several publishers since to continue discussions on working together.”

Marion and Mark Flaherty, co-owners of Best Wishes, Garstang “We really enjoyed the show, especially as unfortunately we haven’t been able to attend for a few years, but it was as vibrant and friendly as we remembered. It’s such a treat to have so many dedicated card companies under one roof, especially to see new fledgling designers keen to promote their talents and also to see the new ideas from Above: Best Wishes’ Marion and established companies. Mark Flaherty on the Paper Salad We enjoyed chatting to fellow visitors stand. Below: Up in the Springboard and catching up with old friends at area, Bizzie Lizzie’s cards were popular with retailers. lunch and at the after show drinks event. We love how friendly this industry is and how everyone is happy to share their knowledge.” Top Picks: “We initially made our way to the Upper Village where chatted to Danielle Rogers from Popsy and Plum. Having met her at Spring Fair we already knew we would be ordering her bright, fresh designs. We were amazed at the photographic skills of Gnome Girl and quirky humour from Bizzie Lizzie in the Springboard area. We have stocked Alljoy’s 3D and laser cut cards for a number of years and are always delighted to see the new designs that Ling has created.

We stopped to look at the new square open cards for male and female from Kingfisher which we be ordering at our next appointment. Lucilla Lavender’s new Embellish and Wearables ranges caught our eye, for birthday and occasion, as did Rush Design’s beautiful detailed cards. We were also pleased to see the stunning Wendy JonesBlackett gift bags on the Hallmark stand as well as the Paddington and Peter Rabbit licensed ranges. Coach House’s cards and gifts have been on our radar for a while but seeing the products in the flesh gave us the push we needed, they have arrived in the shop and were displayed in our Father’s Day window, a great male gift range with a good price point. We have also received our order from Bizzie Lizzie that we placed at the show and they are already making customers laugh. We spent our CardGains voucher with Deva Designs, on beautiful wrapping paper and its innovative double-sided tape dispenser. We await our order from Popsy and Plum and look forward to filling our racks with her colour palette. White Cotton Cards and RossJDesign cards will also soon be making an appearance in Garstang. Finally, Dyson Design was an unexpected find, with reasonably priced cards for everyone, including retro, animals, scenic and fragranced David Austin rose cards, which should make the shop sweet smelling.”

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PG LIVE 2026 IN PICTURES

GOOD VIBES They came, they saw, they marvelled, they ordered, they chatted and enjoyed being part of something special. PG shares a flavour of Progressive Greetings Live 2026 in pictures. Above: Retailers, overseas distributors and exhibitors joined with the Max Exhibitions team to officially declare PG Live 2026 open for business. Left: The Business Design Centre welcomed cardies for the two day show. Right: Dean Morris and Stationery Supplies’ Sarah Laker took a festive tack for their Insta shot at this year’s PGL. Below left: Paper Salad’s Karen Wilson, as ever, had popping colours ‘in the bag’. Below right: An Aussie contingent (Affirmations, Simson Cards and McMillan Cards & Paper) with PG’s Warren Lomax at the Overseas Drinks Reception on the eve of the show.

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PG LIVE 2026 IN PICTURES

Top left: Jane Armour of Jane Armour Trading hooked a duck and a discount from David Nichols-Rice of Ricicle. Top middle: For Someone Special’s Karen Ebers (centre) and First Class Greetings’ Jerry and Debbie Brown it was their last PG Live before they retired as indie shop owners. Above: As ever, the meeters and greeters were dressed in exhibitors’ cards. Left: (far left) Helen Dyson of Dyson Design, (third right) Joanne de Pace of Joanne de Pace Studio and Meg Hawkins (second right) were the trio of prize draw winners of Enveco’s competition, securing each £250 of envelopes or bespoke stationery.

Above: Tatty Teddy was far from the only one who appreciated the free cups of tea and coffee from the tea trollies and coffee points, that were sponsored by Windles. Right: PG’s Jakki Brown and Warren Lomax addressing the crowd at the opening night party in the Gallery Hall, that was sponsored by Loxleys. Below: In keeping with tradition, PG’s Warren Lomax (right) had to settle a footballing bet with Danilo’s Daniel Prince, as the latter’s Tottenham Hotspur team fared better than Warren’s West Ham mob.

Left: Stormy Knight’s Sarah Jackson cutting an impressive looking cake to mark the publisher’s 10th anniversary. Right: Woodmansterne’s md Seth Woodmansterne ‘on safari’ at PG Live with a new member of the team who was difficult to miss on its stand.

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PG LIVE 2026 IN PICTURES

Right: The Brainbox boys Ben Hickman (left) and Mark Williams showing off their new pens. Left: The lounge setting of Emmeline Watchorn’s stand being appreciated by Fiona Burge (right) and Emmeline. Right: Almost a full house of the GCA Council and ceo Amanda Fergusson (centre). Below left: A bunch of lovely indies at The Retas/Greats Drinks Reception. (Left-right) Emma Thurgood (Sincerely Yours), Andrea Pinder (Presentation), Kaye Thurgood (Sincerely Yours), Jon and Caroline Ranwell (Hugs & Kisses), Samantha and Gary Whittington (Sewsilver), Chris and Tracey Bryant (Expressions) with Helen and Paul Southgate (Cards ‘n’ Things). Below centre: Retailers relished the newness on the stands. Below right: UKG did a fab job of transforming the lunchroom to give Bubblegum a great relaunch.

Above left and above: The Retas/Greats drinks reception was sponsored by Pembe the Pink Cat. Above right: Baileys’ Penny Bailey (right) and UKG’s Tracey McMinn with Cards & Gifts’ Carl Dunne (left) and Andrew Holdsworth at the Opening Night party. Left: Hallmark sponsored the front windows and central stairway of the BDC to mark Beatrix Potter’s 160th anniversary. (Left-right) Hallmarkers Simon Duggan-Hill, Victoria Davis, Chris Thiede, Fiona Pitt, Chelsie Setterington and James Mallinson. Right: The camaraderie was as strong as ever at PG Live. The effervescent Lucy Eason of George’s with Mike Gray of MEG (centre) and Miles Robinson of House of Cards/Cardzone/CardGains.

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Left: Graphite Creative sponsored the Village Green at the show this year. Right: Going into the Bubblegumsponsored lunchroom. Below left: Angry Birds’ Red and Chuck who had been invited to the show by the Danilo team. Below right: Catching up at the Opening Night Party after the first day of the show.

Above far left: Daisy Daisy’s Rebekah and Andy Mudie find their shop’s name on The Retas’ Wall of Fame. Above left: House of Cards’ Mile Robinson (left) and Nigel Williamson (second right) with Postmark’s Mark JansonSmith and Paper Salad’s Karen Wilson. Above: As usual N Smith’s Nigel Reynolds and Kerry Tyers (centre) worked their cardboard magic on its stand. Left: Gould’s Nick Henry and Fedrigoni’s Ambra Fridegotto with Gould Paper’s World Cup planner. Below left: Scottish chums (right-left) Little Paper Soul’s Elizabeth Forbes and Daniel McNamara, Catherine Rayner and Paper Tiger’s Michael Apter with London-based Sharon King-Chai at the Opening Night Party. Below: (second left) American Greetings’ ceo Joe Arcuri flew over from the States to be part of the Bubblegum relaunch and see his UKG colleagues (left-right) UKG’s Sandi Parisi, Ceri Stirland, Darren Cave, Rachel Wood, Ben Whittington and Gabriella Peace. Right: Thanks to sponsorship from Skylight Media, Saxophonist Graeme Airth added his melodious magic to the entranceway and lunchroom.

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IN CONVERSATION WITH… SCRIBBLER

Had it not been for the death of Jimi Hendrix, the UK buying public may well have missed out on the gladly “unacceptable” retail chain of Scribbler coming to the fore. As the award-winning specialist multiple celebrates its 45th anniversary, PG caught up with the business’ dynamic co-founders, John and Jennie Procter.

UNACCEPTABLE FOR 45 YEARS ‘Unacceptable since the 80s, we rebel against the ordinary, and cards for the bold, the brazen and the brilliant’, are taglines that sum up Scribbler’s self-imposed aim to be ‘at the forefront of edgy humour and great design’. It is a vision that has certainly stood it in good stead since the first Scribbler store in London’s fashionable hub of King’s Road, and now features on the shopfronts of its 38 stores, as well as on its website and kiosks. Card retailing history may have swerved Scribbler had it not been for John Procter, who at that time was working for a wholesale fashion business, feeling bereft on learning the news on the radio that musical legend Jimi Hendrix had died, leapt out his car and into the office to share his grief. Unfortunately he left his car unlocked and when he came out, all the fashion samples had been pinched, heralding a change in his career path! While he thought of the name of Scribbler on the spot, needing it to register to attend the New York Stationery Show, it has gone on to become less of a scribble and more of an indelible presence in greeting card retailing. And four and a half decades after setting up the business, John and

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Above: Scribbler continues to secure high profile sites in major conurbations. Right: John and Jennie Procter a few years ago! Below: The first Scribbler store that opened in London’s Kings Road in June 1981.

Jennie are still in charge although the youthful looking septuagenarians admit they are taking a few more holidays these days. They have, in addition to other members of the management team, been joined by son Tom as business development manager who heads up the company’s innovative kiosk collab with Fujifilm while daughter Bea was involved in the gift buying and her husband Tom is currently beefing up the ecommerce side. When asked how they feel to be marking the sapphire milestone for their business, John quipped: “old!” before summing up the last four and a half decades. “Arriving on the Great British High Street in 1981 – yes, we’re old, get over it – we decided the UK (no, the world!) deserved better greeting cards,” laughed John. “Not just

better – bolder, brasher, and unapologetically hilarious. Thus, Scribbler was born, on a mission to rebel against boring cards and get people to instead send something with a buttload more personality and humour!” As he added: “It’s been a rollercoaster ride, going from famine to feast for so many years. In fact, it has been during the tough and recessionary times that Scribbler has thrived, enabling us to expand while retailers in other sectors became more cautious. Greeting cards especially have always proved recession-proof I believe because they are the one product that, for a small amount of money you can make people feel better about themselves and their lives.” Working together as husband and wife for so long cannot have been easy. “Oh it’s bliss!” states John with a twinkle. Jennie believes it has worked as “we both take on different things within the business. John has always done all the negotiations, while I love

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IN CONVERSATION WITH… SCRIBBLER knowing how trading has gone in each store every day. I can’t wait until the figures come across from the stores. We invariably do talk a lot about the business at home when we should be relaxing, until one of us says something like: “let’s talk about the garden”, which distracts us for a few minutes!” The couple are still passionate about retailing though they don’t hide their frustrations, including about the current Chancellor. “Costs are rising for retailers, the business rates system is archaic and needs tearing up and Chancellor Rachel Reeves has just got to stop taxing us retailers to the level she is or it will kill off an important source of revenue and employment,” urges John. Both John and Jennie would love to see going into retail being elevated as a chosen career path for younger generations. “AI won’t take away jobs in physical retailing the way it is for those looking to go into accounting or computer programming. True retailing is fantastic and cannot be automated, and long

may it continue,” says Jennie. While they both agree that 40 stores is probably the right number for the Scribbler format, with a replacement store soon to open in London’s High Street Kensington as well as one in the Elephant & Castle redevelopment, the irreverent Scribbler charge continues. Above: The Scribbler website amplifies the instore selection of trend-led, often edgy cards and gifts. Left: John and Jennie celebrating Scribbler’s 45th with some industry pals, including Miles Robinson and Nigel Williamson from House of Cards, Paper Salad’s Karen Wilson, Wendy Jones-Blackett, Jenny Cummins of Australia’s McMillan Cards & Gifts, sales agent Rosie Trow, Mike Gray from MEG Cards, and Progressive Greetings’ Jakki Brown, Warren Lomax and Ian Hyder.

When put on the spot as to what advice they would give to someone starting out in business today, Jennie said, it is the same

NEXT GEN SCRiBBLES Tom Procter, the son of John and Jennie came into the business a few years ago to head up the business development, notably of the kiosk collaboration with Fujifilm which offers thousands of different card designs to be printed on demand. With Scribbler kiosks now in 60 locations, a roll out across the estate and a new look kiosk soon to be launched, Tom brings PG up to date. When put on the spot as to how it feels to be the ‘son of Scribbler’, Tom, who has worked in various FMCG markets before turning his brain in the cardie direction, says it has not been an alien move. “Growing up around the business means greeting cards have always been part of my family life, though it’s certainly a little surreal now I’m helping shape the next chapter alongside Mum, Dad, my sister and brother-in-law!” he admits. Tom reveals how the kiosk project, the first iteration of which launched five years ago, has gathered considerable momentum over the past 12 months. “Working closely with our partners at Fujifilm, we now have over 60 live kiosk locations across the UK and Ireland, with a rollout underway across the full Scribbler estate over the coming months – at a rate of one every 10 days,” confirms Tom. He stresses that the proposition continues to prove itself within the specialist greeting card and gift environment. “As we roll out

message we give to our grandchildren: “If there is an opportunity you absolutely have to go for it. If you have the passion, are prepared to work your socks off, accept that it won’t be easy, and then go for it. It has worked for us so far!” As John added: “We’ve lived through 10 World Cups counting the current one, a Queen – RIP your Maj – a global pandemic, a few Royal Mail strikes and Boris Johnson’s idiocy, and we’re still kicking. Somehow!”

Right: Tom Procter with his Dad John. Below left: An AI render of the soon to be released new look Scribbler kiosk.

across our estate, we’re seeing the kiosk complement rather than replace traditional card ranges. Every retailer knows the challenge: customers increasingly expect a card for every relationship, every occasion and every niche interest, but few stores have the space to stock them all. That’s where the kiosk comes into its own. Instead of losing the sale, retailers can offer access to more than 6,000 personalised designs instantly. Whether it’s a godparent, stepdad, in-law, work colleague or highly specific interest, our store teams are increasingly able to say “yes” rather than “sorry, no”! The kiosk has become both a customer service tool and a genuine sales driver,” says Tom. At the same time, working with Fujifilm, Scribbler has developed a new generation of kiosk with an updated look and feel that lends itself for independent retail environments, with improved lighting and animation to create a much stronger in-store presence while also reducing the overall cost of deployment. Alongside this, a ‘Lite’ version has also been introduced across parts of the Scribbler estate, where the touchscreen is integrated into existing shelving and the printer sits beneath the till. Another encouraging development has been success of a standalone proposition in shopping centres, most notably at Rushmere in Ireland. While photo-upload continues to be one of the kiosk’s strongest attractions, Tom reveals that the search data is providing invaluable insights into just how specific customers’ card requirements are. Looking ahead, Tom says website click-and-collect through the kiosk network is also “opening up some exciting opportunities for the future”. Who knows what will come from the third generation Scribblerites! PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE 45

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TAKiNG FLiGHT

PG Live is the perfect environment for spotting the latest trends in greeting cards and two really made their mark at this year’s show were pigeons & seagulls and shops & houses. PG swooped in for a bit of window shopping. Left: A giant 3D card on Alljoy’s stand cemented the seagulls theme. Below: Stoats & Weasels’ Lisa Bamford and a Chip Chip Hooray design.

Folk have really been getting in a flap MsGonzalez artist and over card designs featuring seagulls and director has always had a pigeons flying off the shelves! soft spot for underdogs, Bang on trend is Fawn & Thistle’s Party with rat designs among her Pigeon range which came about because bestsellers too. founder Kirsten McNee got the phrase stuck She explained: “Queen in her head and just couldn't stop thinking Of The Streets was my little homage to the about it. true queen of the urban “As soon as I drew landscape – the humble pigeon. her, I knew she had to Our lives have been intertwined become a card,” with theirs for centuries, so it's Kirsten said of her quite endearing that they still partying feathered choose to live among us. friend. “It's been one of “I create artworks first and my most popular recent then turn them into cards. In this designs, especially case, I wasn't sure it would work at London Stationery as a greeting card because it's Show where not tied to a clear occasion but people also loved the it's gone on to become one of big cut-out Party my bestselling designs and Pigeon I brought with : Pigeons and gulls feature in several of Not at all Jack’s me on the train – although her foot fell Above humour portfolio. off on the way back so I couldn’t bring Below: Party Pigeon is Fawn & Thistle’s favourite. her to PG Live! “I think pigeons are having a bit of a moment because they're funny, familiar and full of character. They're a very British sight and people seem to enjoy seeing everyday animals celebrated rather than the usual cute or glamorous ones.” Kirsten already has a second Pigin N Tonic card, and is aiming to expand the range with plans for some gull-themed designs too. The pigeon’s reputation drew Paula Gonzalez to the subject as the

seems to be everyone's favourite. A clear sign that pigeons are finally having their welldeserved moment! “I think people are drawn to subjects that celebrate everyday life, finding beauty, humour and personality in things that are often overlooked. I'm currently working on a pigeon collection, so watch this space!” At Earlybird Cards, Dom Early has pigeons on cards and wrap: “The wrap is a majorly good seller. It’s quirky and I think they can be both kitsch and funny – a lot of people hate pigeons but if you foil block the design people think they’re cute and funny!” Seagulls are a no go design for Lil Wabbit’s Georgi Doig as she explained: “I live in Worthing and people don’t like them but they and pigeons are both definitely happening as a trend. “The Christmas pigeon is very popular, and there’s a birthday pigeon too. The birthday pigeon is probably my bestselling card in Scribbler.” However, for Stoats & Weasels’ Lisa Bamford, living by the seaside has been the very reason she introduced her gull-centric Chip Chip Hooray range of 26 humour cards. “The inspiration is really just from Brighton life,” she said. “I’ve lived here for PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE 47

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FOCUS ON… TWO TRENDS

Above: Dom Early goes kitsch. Above second right: Lil Wabbit’s popular pigeons. Above third right: Dandelion’s coastal connections. Above far right: A new Kali Stileman design.

over 25 years and seagulls are part of the daily scenery. The range also heavily features fish and chips, which is such a British seaside staple, and there are loads of puns to play with both. It also helps that gulls and chips are pretty easy to draw! “I’m not sure why they’re trending, but most people do have some sort of seaside gull story, usually involving chips, ice cream or other food theft. They have a lot of personality before you’ve even added the joke. “They’ve gone down especially well with coastal shops, but they seem to work more widely too because the humour is so immediately understood. I don’t have any pigeon designs, although I can see why they’re also having a moment – they’re basically the dirty, city version of gulls!” That coastal connection is how the gulls designs found their way into Dandelion Stationery’s portfolio as Jo Wilson explained: “We’d never featured them then one of our customers on the coast asked for designs with gulls on. It sold so well we had to add more – at The Card Centre in Felixstowe they now sell so many they order them all the time. And we’ve added it to our badge range too.”

Having seen so many pigeons flying about, Kali Stileman’s Jemma Stileman said: “The pigeon design is brand new and people are loving it. We’ve done a whole new range of mini cards and pigeons seem to be really in so I said to Mum, do a pigeon card, people will like it – and they do.” A pigeon on a scooter put Seekprint’s Liina Lember on trend, and she has gulls in her range too, while Studio Boketto’s Mickey Calf and Olivia Penny also have some Right: Plenty of pigeons at Studio Boketto. Below: MsGonzalez loves her queen. Below middle: Seekprint’s pigeon on a scooter. Below right: Paper Bird’s Silver Surfers.

Stop the pigeon! Flying rats or incredibly intelligent and emotional creatures? That’s the dilemma with pigeons – and the world’s oldest domesticated bird really does suffer from a bad press. Having lived alongside humans for thousands of years – they were a common means of communication from 3,000BC right up to World War One – pigeons like people and even consider those they spend time with to be part of their family. Above: Homing pigeons in a row. There are two species, the wood pigeon, which is the larger one found all over the UK, and the feral pigeon, the domesticated descendants of the wild rock dove which are common in UK towns and cities. They have the five standard senses, which are much sharper and far more refined than humans, and it’s believed they can sense a storm soon than other creatures while their mysterious sixth sense allows them to sense magnetic fields, using it like a compass to direct them home.

48 PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE

pigeons among their new designs: “We do have pigeons and they’re very on trend – we don ‘t know why, but they are!” At the other end of the longevity scale, The Makeover Pigeon has been in the Paper Bird range “forever”, laughed business manager Anna Clancey, and the publisher’s artist and owner Una Joy has recently introduced the Silver Surfer gull along with a number of pigeon humour designs. Anne added: “We have gulls in the seaside pics too. Gulls are popular, they seem to be really in at the moment, I shall have to get Joy to draw more!” And bringing a touch of extra fun to the subject, Laura Darrington Design director Ross Harrison reminisced: “I’m a big Torquay Utd fan and their nickname is The Gulls. My dad Derek used to play for them in the 70s – he was the captain – so that counts for joining in the gulls trend!”

Loyal loving creatures, pigeons need routines and relationships to thrive, they mate for life and are known to love, grieve and suffer from loneliness as they prefer to live in flocks with isolated birds such as those kept as pets on their own more likely to experience depression. Pigeons have gained an unfortunate reputation over the years, despite being incredibly curious, clever and complex creatures. They’re able to recognise human faces, showing affection to their preferred people, and can also interpret different human behaviours, such as kindness from a threat. If you’ve ever taken the time to stop and feed the pigeons, the chances are they’ll remember you, and be incredibly grateful that you did. As Lil Wabbit’s Georgi Doig empathised: “I love pigeons and I think they’re very misunderstood, we don’t treat them very well but it was humans who domesticated them then chucked them out and now treat them as vermin.”

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PLAYiNG HOUSE Left: Two years in the making, PG Live saw the debut of Two for Joy Illustration’s Paper Village, an innovative 3D card concept collection, in which a flat card is transformed into a shop or building with a few folds and creases.

With houses and shops being such a huge part of everyday life, it’s amazing the trend hasn’t come to the fore before. Stoats & Weasels’ founder Lisa Bamford has noticed a plethora of stores appearing on cards since launching her Hi Street shopfront range last spring, allowing her to reuse well-worn captions in a new way.

Above: Hi Street puns by Stoats & Weasels.

“They're a homage to the great British High Street,” she explained, “and I found I could fit a lot more puns into the – as it was then – unusual shop window design. I added the door to the reverse of the cards to stuff even more puns in!” Creating her own little world for the jokes to live in, her bestselling designs are Bank Of Dad Father’s Day card, Love Birds wedding shop, Clever Sausage well done shop, and seaside You Rock shop “After I launched mine, I started seeing a lot more shopfront-style ranges

around, which is I suppose is just one of those card-world things – although I also later realised The Printed Peanut had done some before me.” The trend has also found its way on to gift bags as Michelle Airth, Glick’s head of export sales, showed at PG Live: “Stephanie Davies’ street scene is one of our bestsellers, and the Mother’s Day Home Is Where Mum Is bag is a new one from her.” For Not Today Tuesday’s Holly Hudson-Smith the trend has proved a winner both in cards and licensing: “My cake shop card is very popular. It’s been in the range for about six months. I do a lot of Right: Some names licensing for French big from Little company Kiub, and it London. was the one they asked for – I met them at PG Live last year; it’s a good show for licensing as you get a lot more international buyers here.” Shops are a bit of a speciality for Little London Cards where creative and owner Lisa Holdcraft has illustrated well-known stores including Harrods, Liberty, and Selfridges, with her whole range launched to wholesale at PG Live. Lisa said: “The shop cards have all got the story of the shop on the back too. I’ve been selling through Etsy, and I’m looking at

doing other shopping areas like Portobello Road, Camden Market and Spitalfields.” Working captions and occasions in to her shop fronts kept Pear Tree Press’ Emma Randall busy in the lead up to the show, and she said: “I really want to draw more shops because it’s a new range but I have to see if they’re popular so I can do more!” For Laura Darrington it’s about the feeling: “We do have lots of houses, especially for Christmas because they’re Below left: Glick’s top sellers. Below right: Not Today Tuesday’s cake shop.

homely and are a nice keepsake, plus our new range is cottage core-inspired so leans to that vibe.” Houses and shops may be a current trend but the last word goes to Kali Stileman Publishing where director of operations Jemima Stileman pointed to its classic house designs: “We have probably 1,800 designs and we sell all of them which is why they’re still there, each has earned its place and that’s true of the house ones.” Far left: Some of Pear Tree’s new collection. Middle left: Homely houses at Laura Darrington. Left: Designs earn their place at Kali Stileman.

PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE 49

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INDUSTRY ISSUE

ENVELOPiNG

COLLABORATiON

“Highly encouraging” was how Pip Heywood, managing director of Thortful summed up a recent GCA meeting with Royal Mail’s senior marketing and letters business execs that was convened to discuss far reaching marketing initiatives the postal operator could put in place to help boost greeting card sending. After so much negativity surrounding Royal Mail, PG was all ears to hear more positive news. There is no denying that the GCA has tenaciously been applying the pressure over Royal Mail’s and to some extent Ofcom’s, shortcomings, ramming home the message to MPs, the media and other interested parties as to the importance of safeguarding an affordable and reliable postal service. Yes, of course having a Royal Mail service we can trust is very important to the greeting card sector, after all 48% of consumers say this is the only reason they use the postal service now, but it is more than that, it is a vital communication route for the general public at large, for social reasons or otherwise. So, when it was mentioned that a group of Royal Mail senior management was up for having a meeting of minds with the GCA to discuss marketing initiatives that would benefit 50 PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE

the greeting card industry, the opportunity was well and truly grasped. So a few weeks ago, Amanda Fergusson, ceo of the GCA together with Council members Pip Heywood, md of Thortful; Seth Woodmansterne, md of Woodmansterne; Ashton Duckitt, strategic account director of UK Greetings and Wendy JonesBlackett, as well as Cardfactory’s executive director of digital, Samantha Hornsby convened at Royal Mail’s London HQ to meet its md of letters, Matt Parkes; Heidi Kieron, marketing director; Dave Gillespie, head of products and channels and consumer network manager, Janette Clark.

Above: The Royal Mail’s Janette Clark (far left), Dave Gillespie (second left) and Matt Parkes (fourth right) joined the GCA cardies (right-left) Pip Heywood (Thortful), Sam Hornsby (Cardfactory), Amanda Fergusson, Ashton Duckitt (UKG), Seth Woodmansterne (Woodmansterne Publications) and Wendy JonesBlackett (Wendy Jones-Blackett) at the recent marketing meeting. Below right: Initiatives including the GCA’s Festive Friday and encouraging people to send cards formed part of the discussions. Below left: Royal Mail promoted Father’s Day this year.

“We recognised that this could be a really productive meeting with tangible benefits and so didn’t want to waste it, so we ensured we arrived well-armed, though we knew they would have plenty of ideas too!” admitted Amanda Fergusson. “It is great to see how

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INDUSTRY ISSUE

Above: A Royal Mail leaflet to explain all about the changes to Second Class post delivery. Above right: The GCA cardies all agree the meeting with RM was very productive.

Royal Mail is already broadening its marketing to engage with the public, such as encouraging schoolchildren to write to their favourite football players to tie in with the World Cup as well as topical Instagram posts, such as using Kier Starmer’s resignation as Prime Minister to post about redirecting mail.” The GCA team stressed how affordability, engagement, and availability were cited as the main issues to be confronted to ensure the public will want to continue using the 510year-old delivery service. The GCA’s findings from a recent research project encapsulating views from consumers and the wider greeting card industry about Royal Mail were put to good use. In the presentation, the findings made a compelling case for the sector and posted cards specifically. GCA council members Ashton Duckitt, from UK Greetings, and Thortful MD Pip Heywood co-presented the research findings while Wendy Jones-Blackett gave an industry overview of how the GCA raises awareness and engagement in the category, including via its trade marketing initiatives, such as Festive Friday, Thinking of You Week and the tent cards that detail the last posting dates for Christmas. The findings of the consumer research, instigated by the GCA, which was conducted in June 2026 with 500 consumer respondents were shared openly with the Royal Mail team alongside responses from a member survey of GCA businesses which rated 19 potential initiatives. The insights pointed to three interconnected themes of affordability, engagement, and availability. “Affordability emerged as the standout barrier,” relayed Pip. “Stamp cost was cited by 57% of consumers as the single biggest obstacle to sending more cards and, crucially, the research showed lower postage prices tested as the strongest lever for encouraging

greater card-sending,” she added. Significantly, “preference for digital communication” ranked second to last, reinforcing the argument that consumers haven't abandoned cards, they're just being priced out of posting them. Engagement was the second theme, covering “both consumer habits and the wider cultural question of how to keep card-sending alive across generations,” explained Pip. “The research pointed to an appetite for bundled card and stamp purchases, easier access to stamps at point of sale, and date reminders as practical enablers.” There was also strong consumer support for teaching children and young people to write, address and send cards, “which the GCA sees as a longer-term investment in the category,” assures Pip. Availability rounded out the picture, with the evidence pointing to the importance of stamp accessibility at card retail, ensuring the opportunity to post is present at the moment of purchase. Pip described the meeting as “highly

encouraging” and added: "It was a genuinely collaborative conversation. Royal Mail were open and engaged with both our findings and our ideas. “I'm pleased that we landed two key points – firstly that cards are still robust but that customers are finding ways beyond Royal Mail to deliver them so there is revenue on the table for Royal Mail if we get this right together. “Secondly, that social mail is the only avenue Royal Mail has for volume recovery in Letters. People aren't going to send more business or legal mail, for example.” Summing up the benefits of working with the GCA and its members, Pip stressed: “Royal Mail has a unique opportunity to work with an enthusiastic, creative and resilient sector to get more volume and efficiency back into their wonderful machine – something we all want and certainly something the GCA can enable.” GCA CEO Amanda Fergusson said: “It was great to be back at Royal Mail, this time discussing ways of working together to increase the number of greeting cards posted. The GCA team fully represented the whole UK card industry, and it was great to have the opportunity to discuss marketing initiatives and share GCA member feedback with the Royal Mail marketing and stamp team. “The meeting was productive and collaborative, and we are meeting again in July to discuss in more detail potential activity for Christmas 2026. We hope to be able to share more at the GCA's Retail Forum on 29 July.”

MARKETiNG MATCH FiT Royal Mail has not been shying away from engaging with the public on the marketing front, but the more the merrier. Confronting consumer confusion over the rollout to changing Second Class letters delivery to every other day, it has instigated widespread letterbox leafleting and social media campaign. Continuing its support for established card sending events, Royal Mail recently instigated a campaign to promote Father’s Day. This included touching footage of a postie’s son giving his Dad a Father’s Day card. Meanwhile, to coincide in with the World Cup, in an effort to inspire the younger generation to put pen to paper, Royal Mail launched an initiative for 4-17 year olds which encourages them write to their football heroes, offering freepost as well as a chance to win £1,500 in sports equipment for their school. Above: A topical post by Royal Mail to coincide with Keir Starmer resigning as PM. Left: Royal Mail’s Cheer On Your Football Heroes initiative has gained media coverage as well as consumer engagement.

PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE 51

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A selection of new designs and ranges that will be on show at Harrogate Home and Gift, July 19-22.

Follow The Herdy As well as abundant Autumn/Winter 2026 and Spring Seasons 2027 collections, The Art File has clinched a licensing partnership with the popular Herdy brand. Herdy and sheepdog Sheppy are the stars of this inaugural collection of birthday cards which feature spot UV, embossing. Each comes with a green envelope. The Art File 0115 648 3240 www.theartfiletrade.com Stand DP1-D10

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At Home & Gift for the first time in a decade, The Eco-friendly Card Co is launching a new collection of 24 greeting cards in support of The Wildlife Trusts. Printed on a 100% recycled textured board, every card includes fascinating information on the reverse about the species of British wildlife depicted on the front. The Eco-friendly Card Company 01626 369269 www.ecofriendly.cards Stand DP4-A18

Berni Parker Designs’ signature Ladies Who Love Life collection is being joined by some Before and After designs showing the ladies at the start and finish of some of their adventures. There are also some fresh new relations cards, additions to the Mabel & Maude range, plus new milestone ages and relations designs in the Men Who Love Life collection. Berni Parker Designs 01384 210599 www.berniparkerdesigns.com Stand DP1-D110

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The Plot Thickens Cath Tate will be showcasing over 50 new greeting cards and gifts across its Twisted Lyrics, Life is Rosie, Photocaptions and Lost Plots ranges, including new embossed age cards. There are also new Simon Drew and Lost Plots notebooks, plus humour-led coasters. A show promotion offers the chance to win 5-15% off or free cards with any order placed at the show. Cath Tate Cards 0208 671 2166 www.trade.cathtatecards.com Stand DP1-C36

Bringing joy to life in paper, Little Moments is a new collection of 12 pop-up cards from Alljoy Design featuring bright illustrations and 3D surprises. Designed for birthdays and everyday celebrations, the range combines contemporary artwork with intricate paper engineering to create memorable keepsakes. Alljoy Design 00353 (0)16301213 www.alljoydesign.com Stand DP1-C57

All Fluffed Up Tiny Fluffs is a charming collection of 20 greeting cards based on handcrafted needle-felted characters that were created by artist and co-owner of the business, Lola Mountain. From cakes to stars to hearts, each little character bursts with charm, personality and handmade magic. Lola Design 01904 900141 www.loladesignltd.com Stand DP1-D60

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A selection of new designs and ranges, the majority of which will be on show at Harrogate Home and Gift, July 19-22.

Circular Motion Spheres of Change, a new range from Grace Jackson Design, reflects the growing demand for greeting cards that offer comfort, connection and emotional sensitivity through contemporary design. Created for today's more design-conscious consumer, the range reimagines sympathy, support and encouragement cards using fluid marbled textures, layered typography and elegant satin gold foil accents. Grace Jackson Design 07902 875014 www.gjdesignwholesale.co.uk Stand DP1-A19

To The Maxxx In addition to making its giftwrap debut, Ornament Art will be showing over 80 new card designs. Among these is The Exhibitionists, a capsule collection of premium hand-finished photo art plate cards with maximalist vibes. These colourful designs blur the lines between retro and contemporary. Ornament Art 07971704650 www.ornament.art Stand DP4-C20

Artistic Impressions ArtPress has christened a licensing partnership with the University of Cambridge Museums & Botani Garden, with a range of everyday cards and wallets. The collection combines artistic heritage with natural beauty in a curated range of 24 single cards and seven wallet designs. ArtPress Publishing 020 7231 2923 www.art-press.co.uk Not exhibiting

Climbing The Wall Bare Cards has introduced The Josephine Wall Collection, a new range of 24 trifold, self-sealing greeting cards featuring artwork by British fantasy artist Josephine Wall. Produced in the UK using 300gsm sustainable board, each design folds to 13 x 19cm, but opens out to 39 x 19cm. The collection features Bare Cards’ patented selfsealing format, eliminating the need for a separate envelope. Bare Cards 07842197276 www.bare-cards.co.uk Not exhibiting

A Fox Trot Moongazer Cards continues to capture the magic of childhood with its designs. Its popular Spellbound collection of wildlife cards has been expanded with six brand new designs. All 150mm square, they come with a white envelope, either naked or wrapped. Moongazer Cards 077454 81411 www.moongazercards.com Stand DP4-D06

Handy Messages Jolly Awesome has welcomed 13 fun new additions to its popular Pick n Mix bracelet cards. Each card comes with a detachable, wearable keepsake elasticated friendship bracelet with the message Lucky, Happy, Bestie, Love or Sweet, that forms part of the card design. Jolly Awesome sales@jollyawesome.com www.jollyawesome.com Not exhibiting PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE

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53_55_57_59_Innovations.qxp_38-39/40-41 06/07/2026 11:32 Page 3

A selection of wonderful new ranges and designs to pep up displays.

Golden Moments Inspired by the natural world, Bug Art has welcomed 10 new art cards into its Paper & Foil range. Embossed with gold foil and blank inside, the cards are suited for birthdays, celebrations, or simply keeping in touch. Measuring 167mm x 118mm, each card is paired with a white textured envelope and is available either naked or packaged in an eco-friendly, biodegradable bag. Bug Art 0115 929 4776 www.bugart.co.uk

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Summer Loving Raspberry Blossom’s new Scoops & Stripes collection debuted at PG Live last month as part of its Summer newness. Inspired by a family holiday on the Cornish coast, the joyful contemporary designs are further enhanced by embossing and a spot UV finish. Raspberry Blossom 01926 257757 www.raspberryblossom.com

Paper Shed Design has added some fun new additions to its Wonderfully Wild range, with capybaras, sloths and tortoises making their debut into the much-expanded everyday catalogue. All the new designs are available blank in birthday or relations captions. Paper Shed 0118 9744283 www.papersheddesign.com

12 Carrot Plated Lots Of Chutzpah Popsy & Plum’s new collection of Jewishinspired greeting cards blends playful modern design with meaningful cultural touches, celebrating Jewish life, humour and heritage in a way that feels both stylish and heartfelt. The designs honour tradition, while keeping things light, colourful and contemporary. The cards are 150mm square, blank inside and are printed on sustainably sourced FSCcertified board. Popsy & Plum 07769 212269 www.popsyandplum.com

Bewilderbeest has launched a playful new licensed range with award-winning ceramic artist and character designer James Ward, the creator of Jimbobart. The humorous upbeat captions, cute characters, and bright colours on the range of 12 birthday cards echo the Jimbobart plates for which James is so well known. Bewilderbeest 07586 481 578 www.bewilderbeest.co.uk

Celestial Beings Little Stars is a new bold range of statement cards from Lucy Maggie Designs. The 12 designs pair playful, hand-lettered typography with twinkling star details, punchy colour palettes and hot foil details. With cheeky, no-nonsense humour and a slightly irreverent edge, these cards celebrate the chaos of everyday life, chronic lateness, and all the wonderfully relatable quirks that make us human. Lucy Maggie Designs lucy@lucymaggiedesigns.co.uk www.lucymaggiedesigns.co.uk PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE 57

Introducing The Herdy® Card Collection A brand-new collection of cards created for card senders ever ywhere Discover over 140 brand-new designs

See over 140 new designs in our Autumn/Winter 2026 Collection at Har rogate Home & Gift, DPI Stand C5 0115 850 7490 | sales@theartfile.com | theartfiletrade.com

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A selection of wonderful new ranges and designs to pep up displays.

All That Flutters… New additions to Tipsy Vanilla’s Flutters range means the collection now spans 14 occasions and everyday designs. Inspired by things that flutter and float in the breeze, the cards’ bold colours pop on a textured vanilla background. All 120mm x 170mm, the range includes designs covering Happy New Home, Get Well Soon, Thank You, Mr & Mrs, Good Luck and Congrats. Tipsy Vanilla 07527 580333 www.tipsyvanilla.co.uk

Small But Mighty Festive Chirpings Lottie Murphy’s Merry & Bright Christmas collection has welcomed ten new designs. Inspired by magical winter scenes, each card features Lottie’s hand-drawn illustrations which include playful dogs and cats as well as cows and French hens in the snow. Each 125mm square card is printed on luxury FSC-certified board and comes paired with a kraft envelope and compostable bag. Lottie Murphy 07716 304741 www.lottie-murphy.com

Leaning into her love for all things cute, Ellie Norbert-Munns, the founder of Painted Parasol, has launched a new range of 34 mini cards. With intense pastel tones and sweet characters, the 90mm x 118mm cards cover key children’s birthdays, new babies, and thank yous, alongside designs suitable for those of all ages to send support in tricky times. Painted Parasol 07848 044134 www.paintedparasolstudio.co.uk

Leaf It Out

Finders Keepers

Tony Fernandes Design has just launched 24 new designs into its Gardeners' World series. The cards feature great garden heroes depicted in Tony's original quirky handdrawn, pen, ink and watercolour artwork. The 5” x 7" blank cards come with a white envelope, either naked or cellowrapped. Tony Fernandes Design 01142 620899 www.tonyfernandesdesign.com

Designed to bridge the gap between a traditional greeting and a thoughtful gift, each of the 26 designs in Sunshine Lane’s new Keepsake Collection features a hand-finished wooden token. Covering major milestones to ‘just because’ moments, each card is printed on 300gsm linen-textured board and comes with a silver envelope. Sunshine Lane 07985310456 www.sunshinelane.co.uk

Well Blessed IC&G’s Communion and Confirmation card collection has been expanded significantly to now include over 50 designs across a wide variety of styles and sentiments. A key feature of the range is the caption offering, with cards including titles such as Granddaughter, Godson, Niece, and many more. International Cards & Gifts 01202 897494 www.icgcards.com

PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE

ART SOURCE

Let's talk envelopes... Please contact us to discuss your requirements further.

T: 01274 581327 E: sales@ukenvelopecentre.co.uk W: www.ukenvelopecentre.co.uk

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Background picture: A lovely surface pattern design by Dawn.

Art Source

The Dawning of Creativity It was pretty much a given that Dawn Quigg was destined to follow a creative pathway, having been fascinated with drawing and painting since she was a tot. Having started her career creating greeting card designs for Watermark Publishing, a decade ago she branched out to work freelance. PG shares a glimpse into her artistic life and loves. “As far as I can remember I have always had a fascination with all things creative, especially Above: Dawn Quigg. drawing and painting. As a child I loved to emulate different artist’s styles to see if I could find out how they produced their artwork. I was lucky enough to grow up in a small village in Derbyshire surrounded by fields and so was inspired by my surroundings as well as intrigued by plants and wildlife around me. Having a big love for children’s books helped me realise I wanted to be a children's book illustrator or something to do with art. My parents weren't shocked as my whole family is creative and my sister is also a successful freelance illustrator. After learning what illustration was and how many avenues it can take you down, I thought that’s what I want to do and be so I completed a HND in illustration at Hertford College of Art and Design. It was a beautiful place to study with its impressive cathedral, old buildings and so much history. I then worked in-house at Watermark Publishing, where I had some of my biggest achievements, including a character range for Clintons. Unofficially we called them Borris and Doris and they were inky linework fun characters. I love character work, coming up with a back story and scenarios for them. Just over 10 years ago while at Watermark Publishing, I was diagnosed with MS and since Fibromyalgia, it was a big shock, but I've learnt to live with it as best I can. Being able to be creative every day really helps as does my family, our son makes me giggle and keeps me upbeat. You got to keep smiling and laughing, it's the best medicine. I can pretty much turn my hand to any subject and style, feeling blessed to have those skills. I don't think I will ever just settle on one style, I love Below: A love of flora and fauna shines through in Dawn’s artwork. experimenting Right: Dawn can turn her hand to a variety of styles from traditional to contemporary. with different techniques, media and subject matter. For some designs I now also use Clip Studio which gives me even more freedom as I like to play with layers, the positions

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Far left: A zesty approach from Dawn. Left: A loose festive look and feel. Below: A London-centric Valentine’s design.

of things and experimenting with colour. I also love to work on canvas, and I've just entered the Corby Rooftop Gallery Open Exhibition for the second year running using an acrylic palette knife technique. Working in watercolours is another medium I really enjoy, I undertake pet and people portrait commissions which in turn inspires my licensing work and keeps my hand in on a more traditional style. I am a proud member of the Colour Co-op, a fantastic group of creative women on Instagram, which gives monthly prompts and colour palettes to inspire. It has helped me so much as being freelance you can get tunnel vision and feel a bit lonely, especially in the quieter times. It’s the one thing I loved about working in a studio, the feedback, chatter and lots of creative thoughts, so with this group, my agent, my supportive family and friends, I still feel part of a wonderful creative world. Since leaving Watermark I have been represented by Creative Sparrow. I love working with my wonderful agent, Hannah Curtis. I've learnt so much and have so many more licences with companies who I didn't get to show my work off to when I first started out as a Above: A different look again from freelancer. Dawn. I really enjoy the diversity and excitement of working on greeting cards, wrap, bags, in fact anything which lends itself to having an illustration on. A personal highlight has been seeing my greeting card illustrations in Waterstones on Christmas cards multiple times. I just love the thought that someone is sending an illustration of mine to someone they care about somewhere in the world.” Dawn Quigg is represented by Creative Sparrow for •licensing. (www.creativesparrow.co.uk)

If you are an artist, photographer or verse writer and would like to be considered to appear in Art Source, please contact PG’s Jakki Brown on jakkib@max-publishing.co.uk. This is an editorial feature and as such is free of charge. PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE 61

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PG ASKED A TRIO OF RETAILERS FOR THEIR BEST SELLERS Nina Sexton, owner of Miss Madeleine’s Giftware Emporium, Sheringham Miss Madeleine’s Giftware Emporium has a name almost as long as its history, having been in Sheringham for 32 years, where Nina Sexton has run it for eight years having taken it over from her mum.