OUR CHRISTMAS 2025 COLLECTION IS AVAILABLE TO PRE-ORDER NOW
OUR CHRISTMAS 2025 COLLECTION IS AVAILABLE TO PRE-ORDER NOW
TO GUARANTEE YOUR CHOSEN DESIGNS, 26TH MARCH order by
order by
TO GUARANTEE YOUR CHOSEN DESIGNS, 26TH
OVER 400 LINES FOR AHEAD
ON THE CARDS
No doubt like many of you: “As long as you do your best, that’s all we expect,” was the emotionally laden plea from my lovely parents in the run up to what seemed crucial exams, tests and the multifarious (invariably ill-fated) school competitions I threw myself into.
I try to forget me cocking up our team’s chances in the under10s Country Dancing finals by fainting during the Gay Gordons (good for D&I focus though!) or collapsing with heat stroke when I was in with a slim chance of clinching an outsiders’ medal in the 1,500 metre School Sports Day 1979 at John of Gaunt Comprehensive in Hungerford.
The reason I am being somewhat indulgent in my trip back to my inglorious physical achievements past is because I do think we, as an industry, whatever happens should feel proud of the fight, we have, and are currently engaged in with some mighty beasts -
Royal Mail and Temu to name but two. And have already been so, so much more successful than my singular childhood efforts!
It is incredible that millions and millions of people have seen, heard and hopefully processed the GCA’s message about safeguarding a reliable and affordable service from Royal Mail over the last few months as a result of the all-encompassing PR campaign.
The greeting card ‘family’ really has come together in this, the GCA’s enormous drive to ensure that anyone and everyone, from those in the echelons of power in Whitehall to the millions of Daily Mail readers realise that once the Royal Mail service that has been part of our lives is gone, it’s gone. Never has signing a petition seemed so important.
The ‘emergency button’ has been pressed, and we all need to all
Likewise, being in the front row of the recent Temu presentation which they gave at Spring Fair, hoping to persuade companies to sign up to the platform. Blood pressures rose in that part of Hall 3 for good reason!
Rather than sit back with a ‘what’s
GCA has since joined forces with Thortful, galvanising those from the Government’s Intellectual Property Office to instigate a meeting with Temu to pursue putting a stop to the widespread blatant copying of greeting card designs on the Chinese online marketplace. Our wondrous industry has emotion at its heart, and it feels good to feel it beating, even in the face of adversity. Any one fancy entering the veterans Country Dancing Championships? I’m pretty good at a Dashing White Sargeant or Stripping the Willow!
Above: The day before the PG Pub opened at Spring Fair. PG’s Jakki Brown with Kerry Tyers of N Smith which made the entire stand out of cardboard.
Left: GCA ceo Amanda Fergusson urging everyone who attended the recent Dragons Speed Dating to sign the petition.
Bottom left: Some passionate publishers ready to go into the Den at the Speed Dating event. (See pages 3235)
CONTENTS
9-19 News
All the latest happenings and developments in the trade.
20-21 Over The Counter Back To The Future
David Robertson, co-owner of JP Pozzi ponders on how nostalgia is a strong driver, which bodes well for independent retailers.
22-23 Cardsharp
Decline and Fall
Cardsharp’s musings on WHSmith of yore and what putting its high street division up for sale means for the greeting card sector.
25-29 Viewpoints
The AI Hot Potato
The threats and advantages AI offers the greeting card sector.
30-31 In Conversation With… Tesco Joining The Club
Tesco’s buying and merchandising manager
Ross Lasseter and Tish Bas, lead buying manager for Paperchase and fashion stationery share the grocer’s developments.
32-35 Dragons’ Feedback Fiery Thoughts
Retailer ‘dragons’ reveal their views on the GCA’s Dragons Speed Dating event and which publishers had slayed them.
36-43 Focus On… Giftwrappings In The Mood
PG embraces the giftwrappings scene in all its wonderful glory.
45-47 Innovations
Publishers’ new ranges and designs.
48-51 Designs On… The Bookish Trend Just Book It
PG turns the pages on the book-related design trend in greeting cards.
52-53 What’s Hot?
A trio of retailers share their best selling ranges.
55 Art Source Grande In The Hand
Swedish illustrator Maja Lindberg shares her creative claims to fame.
56-63 Sources of Supply
TOP STORY
A Big Hearted Valentine’s
Love was in the air for greeting card retailers
Across the UK, love proved a winner yet again as most cardies reported growth or steady Valentine’s sales, with the larger Wife designs selling out, while indies braved the airways to spread the love. Stoke Newington-based Earlybird’s co-owner Heidi Early was on BBC Radio 5 Live’s Nicky Campbell show, hosted by Gordon Smart, on the morning on Friday, 14 February, while Norfolk-based Cards ’N’ Things’ Helen Southgate spoke to the station’s Stephen Nolan on the day too.
Having linked into Earlybird’s social media posts about the history of Valentine figures from Roman times and learned that love messages have been a thing since medieval times at least – definitely not an invention of the greeting card industry! – host Gordon also looked at flowers before hearing from a caller who admitted his wife had been sending him the same
Valentine card for 12 years, but he’d never noticed.
That made Heidi laugh, and she pointed out: “People do love sending Valentine’s cards, and it’s about what people can afford. Greeting cards are still really affordable, which is why it's obviously good for my business as a greetings card publisher and retailer.
“At an average price of £2.99 for a card, it’s cheaper than a coffee, so everyone can afford to be a bit romantic.”
Later, Helen went on the radio to share that Cards N Things had a “brilliant” Valentine’s Day sales wise. She said it’s the guys who buy more Valentine’s than the girls –and that size does matter! –Helen shocked DJ Stephen with the news that her most expensive product is an £11 design in a box, while adding that cards start at 99p so there’s something for everyone.
Views on the news
Fellow indies share snippets on their Valentine’s Day sales…
• Shannon Fisher, buyer of Postmark: “We were pleased with our Valentine's sales, being up 8% like-for-like on revenue, with 26% of the sales coming on the 13th.”
• Aga Marsden, Highworth Emporium: “Trade was much better than last year. Overall our sales were 10% up on cards – and embarrassingly, we ran out of Wife cards!”
• Penny Bailey, Bailey’s, Ainsdale, Crosby and Maghull: “Our card sales were
on a par with 2024, but overall sales were up by almost 23%, which I suspect is partly due to the Jellycat effect. As usual, we did really well with captions for Wife and Husband, but I've noticed a strong demand for Someone Special, or cards appropriate to give to sons and daughters.”
• Nigel Williamson, co-owner of House of Cards: “We were very happy with a 14% increase in total sales with our Valentine cards sales up 6% overall. The trend of buying a captioned card for your Wife or Husband has
PG Live 2025’s almost a full house!
Two Bad Mice, Kenji, Santoro, Otter House, Oi Oi Savaloy, LoveLossDiscoballs and Fedrigoni are among the 25 companies who have joined the already strong line-up of exhibitors for PG Live 2025 in the last |few weeks.
“Having not exhibited at any trade show for years and years, we are delighted that Two Bad Mice is bringing its charming art designs to PG Live this year, further strengthening an incredible line-up of exhibitors – it is going to be better than Glastonbury!” enthused Warren Lomax, joint show owner of PG Live. “We have masses of well-loved names, as well as waiting to be discovered newbies!”
Now over 200 publishers, artists, illustrators and suppliers are well underway to get their products and promotions ready for the special show, which takes place, at London’s Business Design Centre on Tuesday and Wednesday, 3-4 June
As ever, as well as the wealth of newness, visitors will be treated to free tea and coffee, delicious lunch on both days, and an opening night drinks party.
To register head to www.progressivegreetingslive.com
Which publishers will clinch the retailers’ tickets at this year’s show?
continued and now accounts for nearly 40% of all our Valentine’s card sales. Other captions like From The Dog and Cat have become more popular.”
• Carl Dunne, Cards & Gifts, Dronfield: “We sold more A4 boxed Wife cards especially Me to You designs from Carte Blanche. These were very strong and we sold out two days too soon.
We noticed a big demand this year for Daughter on Valentine’s.”
Above left: Tettenhall’s Hugs & Kisses Valentine’s cards sales were up this year.
Above right: Over a quarter of Postmark’s Valentine’s sales were on the 13th Feb.
Below left: Some Jellycat love from Aga and the Highworth Emporium team.
Above: The BDC will be full of the greeting card community June 3 and 5 at PG Live.
Above:
TOP STORY
Crunch Time On Royal Mail
Urgency heightened to sign GCA petition
The clock is ticking and time is of the essence if there is any chance of safeguarding the reliability and affordability of a postal service from Royal Mai
As soon as Ofcom announced its postal reform proposals at the end of January, GCA ceo Amanda Fergusson and council members
David Falkner of Cardology and David Byk from Ling Design and GBCC, have led the charge to prompt the Government to not allow a change to the Universal Service Obligation (USO), by urging anyone and everyone to sign a petition.
“The proposals will reduce second-class deliveries to every other working day,” Amanda said, “leaving businesses and consumers reliant on an unregulated first-class stamp for letters and cards that need to arrive Saturday and next day.
“This will affect businesses and consumers and we want MPs to review this before irrevocable changes are made to the UK postal service.”
In the last few weeks later the petition has amassed over 7,000 signatories, but it needs to reach 10,000 to force the government to consider it for debate by MPs.
Royal Mail has begun trials to end Saturday second class delivery in a number of areas and is all set to extend these pilots to more locations.
Even though Ofcom has not agreed to any changes to Royal Mail’s legal obligations under the USO, these trials will also reduce second class delivery to every other weekday, Monday to Friday.
The GCA’s PR maestros Arena has continued to clinch more media space putting the industry’s concerns front and centre while the recent ‘missing letters’ social media campaign, instigated by Ohh Deer is amassing ‘likes’ and gaining traction.
National Stationery Week hots up
Things are hotting up for National Stationery Week as more sponsors for the annual event have been announced and the revamped website is now fully live with downloadable resources. And there’s also an interactive map so consumers can find their nearest stationery store. This gives retailers and stationery lovers the chance to show how they’re joining in with NSW, which this year runs over Monday to Sunday, 12-18 May. This dateline means it encompasses the London Stationery Show on the Tuesday and Wednesday, Sarah Laker, owner of indie retailing business Stationery Supplies in Marple and Wilmslow, is the event ambassador, heading up the seven-week countdown as well as the daily activities during the week itself – and she’s also organised a free Get It Write webinar to help retailers make the most of marketing their involvement.
Exaclair has recently come on board as sponsor of the main headline day on Saturday, 17 May, for the first time along with weeks two and four of the countdown through its brands Clairefontaine and Exacompta, and Mitsubishi Pencil Company with its Posca brand, Eco-eco Stationery, Pilot Pen and Manuscript Brands have also joined as sponsors, alongside The Art File, 3M, Maped Helix, Pentel, Snopake, Staedtler and Zebra Pen. And 3M has stepped up to sponsor the new website. Another resource for retailers is the 45-minute webinar which is set to take place on Wednesday, April 9, at 7.30pm, led by Karen Webber from Goodness Marketing, who advocates “simple stress-free marketing.”
Happy 95th to Noel Tatt Noel
Tatt Group at Spring Fair as the founder and namesake had just celebrated his 95th birthday – and the next generation in the shape of fivemonth-old Klara Tatt was on stealing the show duty.
And greeting cards were at the centre of the celebrations with great-grandad Noel’s special cake featuring iced copies of some of the publisher’s current designs.
Klara enjoyed a cuddle with Noel at the family party just before Spring Fair, then she was whisked up to Birmingham’s NEC by mum and dad Chloe and Andreas Tatt for her trade show baptism.
“Chloe is export manager and customer services manager so had appointments with customers,” explained Andreas, whose dad is Noel’s son and current md Jarle, and mum Diane is still design director although retired now, but keeping her creative hand in by embroidering the company logo on Klara’s outfit. Noel started the company in 1953 after a chance meeting with an artist specialising in local scenes, investing in a small printing press which was housed in a rented attic space in Folkestone, and the business is still Kent-based.
Above: Jarle with his dad Noel open his 95th birthday cards.
Below: Klara starred at her first Spring Fair in her special outfit, with parents Chloe and Andreas.
Above: Don’t wave goodbye to a reliable and affordable Royal Mail postal service.
Below: Former Dragon and Ryman owner, Theo Paphitis has got behind the GCA’s petition for a parliamentary review of proposed changes to the postal service.
Bottom left: One of the posts as part of the Missing Letters social media campaign.
Emily Burningham is a London-based design studio set up in Hampstead in 2007. Emily’s sophisticated designs explore the relationship between distinct eras of art and design and draw influence from traditional wood-block printing techniques. Her designs have a graphic quality that is unmistakably her own. Please visit our website or contact your agent for more information.
UK Greetings’ New Owner
Waterstones’ investor takes majority interest in American Greetings
Elliott Investment Management has taken a majority stake in American Greetings, the parent company of UK Greetings.
The company was previously owned by private investment company Clayton Dubilier & Rice and the Weiss family, (descendants of Jacob Sapirstein who founded the company in 1906), who are still maintaining a significant minority interest.
benefit all our stakeholders, including our consumers, customers, and associates around the world.”
Origamo x Second Nature distribution deal
Italian brand Origamo has landed a UK distribution deal with fellow pop-up card publisher specialists Second Nature for its 3D cards and new bookmarks.
This move expands Elliott’s connections to the greeting card industry as it already owns bookstores Waterstones in the UK and USbased Barnes & Noble, both of which have significant card and stationery sections.
Joe Arcuri, who is continuing as ceo of American Greetings, said, “This is an exciting time for American Greetings.
Elliott shares our vision for growth and innovation, and together, we will leverage our combined strengths to create greater opportunities to drive growth that will
Paul Best, senior managing director and head of European private equity at Elliott, is assuming the role of chairman at AG, which is headquartered in Cleveland, Ohio.
He said: “We are looking forward to partnering with the American Greetings leadership team, CD&R and the Weiss family, and using our sector and international experience to support the next phase of the company’s growth.”
The news comes at a time when Dewsbury-based publisher, UKG, headed up by ceo Ceri Stirland has been investing heavily in new operations and manufacturing machinery as well as its buildings.
Blue Diamond buys Yarnton
There’s been a lot going in the garden centre world. For starters, Yarnton Home & Garden and its impressive Ohh Deer-created greeting card area has been acquired by the Blue Diamond Group
The Oxfordshire site won the Best Garden Centre Retailer of Greeting Cards Independent at The Retas 2024 Awards.
Alan Roper, ceo of The Blue Diamond Group, a frequent finalist in the Best Garden Centre Retailer Of Greeting Cards Multiple category, commented: “Yarnton Home & Garden is a business that’s much loved by its customers. The team there has worked incredibly hard to transform the centre into what it is today, and I look forward to driving the business on into the future and welcoming it into our portfolio.”
The acquisition continues the 48-strong group’s ongoing strategy to expand its portfolio of high-quality garden centres.
Meanwhile Dobbies has had its Restructuring Plan approved by the Court of Session in Scotland, which sees the company exit the leases on 10 loss-making sites.
British Garden Centres, the UK’s largest family-run group in the category, has announced it has
Origamo owner Furio Ceciliato is looking forward to exhibiting at PG Live this summer with an “even more impactful and organised” display with Second Nature providing additional support.
“Origamo brings with it a staggering level of intricacy which adds another dimension to Second Nature’s already outstanding world of innovation,” said head of Second Nature Group Nicole Schragger. “This reinforces Second Nature’s standing as leaders in handmade and innovative 3D paper engineering.
“This collaboration begins with a launch of outstanding Kirigami pop ups and beautifully-designed 3D bookmarks, which makes Second Nature the go-to market leaders providing the independent market with striking quality works of art that add theatre to stores and a point of difference from other greeting card products.”
Pleased to have found an official distributor that’s “reliable and professional” Furio said his company, which supports The Christina Noble Foundation helping underprivileged children in Vietnam where many of the products are handmade, will still deal direct with prestigious clients such as Fortnum & Mason and Harrods
Second Nature and Origamo boast an eco-friendly agenda, with plastic-free packaging and FSC-certified boards from Italy.
acquired three Dobbies’ sites, taking its portfolio to 68 stores.
The Reading centre will take the name Shinfield, to better reflect the area and local community, and the company is also taking over the Gloucester and Gosforth sites, taking its reach from Camarthen to Ramsgate and Wimborne to East Durham.
Owned and operated by the Stubbs family since 1987, co-founder Charles Stubbs said: “This marks a significant milestone for the group, as the acquisition of these former Dobbies stores cements us as the largest garden centre group in the UK by stores. We have a clear vision for the growth of these centres and are excited to integrate with the local communities while building on the strong foundations that are already in place.”
Above: AG’s Ohio HQ and UKG’s Dewsbury base. Below: Ceri Stirland, ceo of UK Greetings.
Above: Origamo owner Furio Ceciliato celebrating a shared birthday with PG’s Tracey’s Bearton at last year’s PG Live.
Above: Yarntons’ (left-right) Celia Leeson, Glen Sheldrake and Jennifer Brampton in its Ohh Deerdesigned card area.
Left: Lots of change at Dobbies, but its Antrim centre is staying open.
The hit card range just got even bigger (and funnier) with an epic NEW release of NEON Giftware. Sunglasses recommended; may cause laughter. www.mint-publishing.co.uk
TOP STORY
Cardies’ Frustrations
Vented
At Temu
Publishers and designers make their feelings known
Rather at odds with an altogether upbeat Spring Fair, feelings of frustration, anger and injustice were very much in evidence from the audience at a presentation given by Temu during the show.
The vast majority of those at the presentation were publishers and artists whose designs are still being plagiarised by sellers on the Chinese online marketplace.
E-commerce leader Thomas Wintle’s 15-minute talk was entitled Empowering Independent Retailers: The Future Of E-Commerce And Consumer Experience.
Thomas explained he is part of the new UK Temu team – although it’s based in Dublin – and pushed the idea of British sellers joining the platform, but all the questions and audience feedback were about the widespread copyright issues, treatment of workers, and sustainability concerns.
GCA ceo Amanda Fergusson was first to take the microphone as soon as the official presentation finished, stridently stating the failings of Temu. “The problem is the plagiarism that's happening, it's like whack a mole”, highlighting how countless GCA member publishers are spending considerable amount of their time in the relentless battle to inform the platform of their designs which had been blatantly copied and put up for sale on Temu only for
them to pop up again.
Solidarity of trade associations on this damaging issue, Andy Meehan, US GCA president, told Thomas: “You're a very brave man to come here, and I salute you for that but, when you're paying your mortgage, realise that you're paying your mortgage with the fruits of the labour of everybody sitting in this audience.”
of the US GCA, are among those who had their say at the Temu talk.
A clearly-angry Emma Ball, of Emma Ball Ltd, called Temu “time thieves” expecting small businesses to trawl through the site finding and reporting copies, PG’s Warren Lomax got no answer to his questions about the Chinese factories linked to the site which use forced labour from the Uyghur ethnic minority or how much tax the company pays in the UK.
Amanda Fergusson sought out the most senior member of the Temu team at the end of the presentation, pushing for immediate action. “Take all greeting cards off the Temu platform, and have a reset. This is a major issue for our creative industry,” she urged.
A meeting has since taken place with the GCA, Thortful’s md Pip Heywood, Emotional Rescue’s director Brett Smith and representatives from the Govt IP office to discuss ways of improving this issue, with a follow up planned.
Exuding his inimitable flamboyance, designer and TV personality Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen officially opened the Spring Fair, then followed up with the first of the presentations, which formed part of the show’s 75th celebrations.
Unleashing Creativity: Laurence LlewelynBowen On Licensing, Art, & Designing for Retail Success attracted a good audience for insights into the art of merging creativity with commerce and revealing how he built a career turning bold artistic ideas into products, including a greeting card collection with GBCC
Championing the individuality and choice of the British High Street, he said, “I feel very strongly that we’re on a pivot point where independent retail has the opportunity to do something really different and powerfully positive.
“In this country the leverage, the real power, the real difference happens through independent retail. It happens through the fact that you make your own decisions, because you know who you’re selling to, because you don’t patronise your customers.”
The Bear necessities
Marking a significant product diversification The Art File’s cute Bear character has taken a leap from The Henries award-winning greeting card range to debut on 3D plush.
This marks the latest new product extensions for the Nottingham-based publisher, with the Bear plush joining calendars, playing cards, an extended stationery collection and a wealth of new greeting card and wrappings in a new line-up that officially launched at the recent Spring Fair.
All the Bears are made from 100% post-consumer waste recycled plastic bottles, and there’s a little extra weight in the bum so the cute characters sit up easily plus there’s the added assurance of the UKCA and CE certification. While the bears are being manufactured abroad, they’re being trucked overland into the UK rather than brought in container ships as a more sustainable transport process.
The Art File MD Ged Mace said: “I’m so excited about the launch of our new plush Bear because it’s a product we’ve been planning for several years. The whole process of creating a 3D product from a 2D image has been fascinating.”
Above right: The Temu team are being forced to listen to the industry’s real concerns.
Below: Heyyy Cards’ Yvette Clarkson, Ling Design’s David Byk, Warren Lomax of PG, ACID’s Laura Newbold Breen and Andy Meehan,
Spring Fair open, flanked by the show’s event director Soraya Gadelrab and portfolio director Jackson Szabo.
Above: The two sizes of plush expand the Bear product range, based on artwork of illustrator Robert Reader.
TOP STORY
Cardgains’ Miles Of Smiles
Toni’s Trek is the buying group’s 2025 challenge
Miles of smiles paid off as Cardgains shared the happy news that a total of £31,732.64 was raised for the mental charity Mind as a result of its 2024 fundraising.
A giant cheque presented on the Cardgains Village stand at the recent Spring Fair show, blasted out just how well the efforts of 41 card publishers, retailers and industry pals had done in the 2024 17½-mile trek.
“It’s always incredible to raise such a huge amount of money with our friends and colleagues in the industry,” said Cardgains md Penny Shaw as the big cheque was revealed. “It’s always great to see how many people have joined in the Charity Challenge and enjoyed the great camaraderie.”
For the 2025 challenge, there’s a particularly poignant link with the greetings industry as the beneficiary will be Pancreatic Cancer UK following the untimely death of supplier member Emotional Rescue’s longstanding and well-loved product manager Toni Cresswell in September after a short battle with the disease.
Penny added: “Toni was a dedicated, passionate and brilliant part of the industry for over 28 years, so we’ve called the 2026 challenge Toni’s Trek and have set a £30,000 target – as it’s in Birmingham, you must be involved by order of the Peaky Blinders!”
The date is Thursday, 26 June, and everyone from the greetings industry is welcome to take part, you don’t have to be a Cardgains retail or supplier member.
The 20 to 25-mile route is being worked out with the help of Ian Bradley, from Rush Design, and will take in streets, parks and canals around Britain’s second city, although it can’t all be along the waterways as there are over 35 miles in total, even more than in Venice!
Emo’s directors David Greaves, Brett Smith and Jennie Rutter were among the first to sign up to take part and are already planning to close the company for the day so as many colleagues as possible can walk out in memory of Toni, and help the charity which offers specialist support to help people with the disease and their families, as well as fund research and raise awareness.
Coinciding with The Brit Awards and the Oscars, UKG joined in the filmic fun with a social media campaign picking out 10 stand-out looks from the red carpet and pairing them with matching greeting card designs from the publisher’s vast collection and, this time around, had the chance to feature five men alongside the gorgeous frocks of the ladies. Os-cards winners
Raj Arora closes down Davora
Multi-cultural greeting card company, Davora has launched a closing down sale as owner Raj Arora has decided to step away from greeting card publishing to concentrate on his other interests.
“After two decades of crafting heartfelt and culturally-rich greeting cards for ethnic and minor season festivals, it’s bittersweet news that our journey is coming to an end – it’s been an incredible 20 years filled with creativity, joy, and meaningful connections.”
From Diwali to Eid, Chinese New Year to Hanukkah, and every special occasion in between, these have been the core of the Davora offer celebrating “the diverse tapestry of cultures and traditions that make our world so vibrant”, sending out an annual calendar showing the numerous festivals.
He set up the business in 2004 after buying Diwali cards to send home while working away but not being impressed with the flimsy paper, poor print quality and even a lack of gum on the envelope. He then expanded the portfolio to include Jewish cards as well as the Welsh brand Pili Pala
In a letter sent to stockists, Raj told retailers: “Your enthusiasm and appreciation for our cards have been the driving force behind our passion and dedication. It has been an honour to have been given space on your racks for our cards and be a part of your cultural offering.”
Raj has been running his Nettl franchise in Stockport alongside Davora for the past couple of years having moved from being a customer of the marketing, web design, and print business to becoming a partner.
As a longstanding supporter of the greeting card community, Raj was a GCA Council member for many years while Davora was a sponsor of The Henries 2016 and was instrumental in landing the Bollywood theme with aplomb, while the company made some big noise at PG Live 2015 to mark Davora’s 10th anniversary, organising Punjabi drummers to open the show.
Raj recently completed the rebuilding of the GCA website, and gave a presentation at the 2024 annual conference on the changes. He remains involved with the GCA.
Above: 2024 Challengers and Cardgains’ Penny Shaw (far right) and Helen McManus (far left) cheer the cheque total.
Below: The sad loss of Toni Cresswell has inspired the 2025 Cardgains challenge.
Above: Raj and his wife Shruti (second right) in front of the tuk-tuk photobooth (which Davora provided as entertainment sponsor) at The Henries 2016.
Above: Raj has rebuilt the GCA website, and explained all about it at the annual conference.
Far left: Timothée Chalamet, who played Bob Dylan in A Complete Unknown, wore a custom canary yellow Givenchy ensemble with a cropped jacket Middle: Bows were big as seen on A Complete Unknown’s Elle Fanning’s white custom Givenchy gown with a black ribbon belt.
Right: Christian Siriano was the designer of choice for Whoopi Goldberg, known for Star Trek, Sister Act, and Ghost.
The Bids Are In For WHSmith
Retailer brand looks set to disappear from the High Street
As PG went to press, bids were being put in to buy WHSmith’s 500-plus High Street stores. But it looks certain that the sale means the established name will disappear from UK towns after 233 years.
The retailer has been in talks for some time to sell its High Street arm and concentrate on its more lucrative worldwide Travel side of stores in airports, railways stations and hospitals.
The company was founded by Henry Walton Smith in 1792, with his youngest son William Henry taking over and the firm became WH Smith & Son in 1846 when his own son with the same name became a partner – and they opened the first railway station news store two years later.
The WHS high street division reported a £32million profit in the trading year to August 2024 on sales of £452m.
WHS has already begun a restructuring strategy, closing 19 stores by May as it looks to streamline operations and shift its footprint to more profitable locations. There are currently over 500 High Street outlets, of which more than 200 house a Post Office, and there are now dozens of Toys R Us in-store concessions too.
Most of the stores are on an average two-year lease so there are questions over whether a new owner will quickly shut those not meeting targets, particularly with the upcoming increases to minimum wage and employers’ national insurance, expected to add around £20m to the annual bill for the 5,000 staff.
Among those mooted to be interested are private equity giant Modella Capital (which bought The Original Factory Shop and in the autumn took on Hobbycraft), Alteri Investors, backed by American private equity giant Apollo , Canadian billionaire Doug Putman, who rescued HMV out of administration in 2019 and private equity firm Hilco, known for investing in distressed retail, which placed Homebase into administration late last year, and has been involved with Superdry, French Connection and Wilko, as well as Paperchase, Debenhams, HMV and Cath Kidston (See Cardsharp pages 22-23).
Smiths News partners with Hallmark
Hallmark and Smiths News have got together to provide a new greeting card offer for the newspaper and magazine wholesaler’s retail customers.
Originally part of the WHSmith group, Smiths News demerged in 2006 to create a new logistics and distribution company which now has a 55% share of the newspaper and magazine wholesale market, distributing to 22,400 customers.
“Greeting cards are an integral part of UK life and, taking away some of the complexity that surrounds stocking them, and giving our customers access to the best of the best
Five Dollar Shake x Artige
The magic of Progressive Greetings Live’s connections has struck again with Five Dollar Shake and Dutch distributor and publisher Artige annoouncing a licensing deal has been struck after discussions at last June’s greetig card trade show.
The collaboration sees the sparkling feminine fashion cards landing in The Netherlands and Belgium in a first for the publisher as the deal involves Artige licensing the designs for export distribution.
“PG Live strikes again!” laughed Five Dollar Shake md Matt Genower, “This collaboration is an important one for us. Ensuring Five Dollar’s unique handwriting and quality are withheld have been at the forefront of this deal and Artige really is the perfect partner in this respect.”
For the inaugural collection, Artige has created a range of 48 everyday designs based on Five Dollar Shake distinctive artwork.
Artige’s co-owner Ton Hollander explained: “This is such an exciting opportunity. We are a long-time admirer of Five Dollar Shake products and to be able to produce their first licensed range ever, here in The Netherlands is a great responsibility for us.”
Artige revealed its licensed collection at the recent Ambiente international gift fair in Frankfurt.
products that usually only the multiple grocers and convenience groups can access, absolutely supports our goal,” said Michael Williams, Smiths News’ head of proposition development, explaining the potential to its retail customers. “It is estimated that 8.2million consumers a year buy greeting cards within a convenience location, and we are keen to help our independent retailers take advantage of this growing market.”
As well as delivering the greeting card stock Smiths will also be providing ongoing sales and marketing support to retailers as well as ongoing sales support.
Above: Introducing dozens of Toys R Us concessions has not saved the fate of WHSmith’s high street shops.
Below left: The loss of WHSmith will not be good for the visibility of greeting cards on the high street as its larger stores offer a vast array of designs.
Below: Five Dollar Shake’s Matt Genower with Artige’s Ton Hollander at last year’s PG Live.
Above: Hallmark’s designs are now available to Smiths News retail customers.
BY DAVID ROBERTSON OF JP POZZI, ELGIN AND BUCKIE.
Ignoring the Covid period, this would have been our 37th Spring Fair and our visit confirmed that I still really enjoy a trade show.
With Spring Fair celebrating its 75th birthday, chatter naturally drifted back to previous shows, and how some things have changed. However, it also made me realise how nostalgia is such as strong driver, something which bodes well for independent retailers.
Back To The Future
halls. However at least the condensed show means the experience is manageable as it was not that long ago that we were trying to navigate 20 odd halls.
Packed stands, busy aisles, crazy car parking, late nights, terrible food, lots of people looking and having a day out. Those are among my early memories of Spring Fairs of yore.
Admittedly some things have changed. The footfall is now lower, but the buyers that did attend are good retailers and most of my agent pals
reported a strong show this year.
In those early years I would have gone wearing a suit or at least a blazer. I would have had my business cards and briefcase and looked the ‘professional’ part! Nowadays, in keeping with the rest of the show, I am a lot more relaxed in both my dress sense and approach.
Nostalgia is the place to be at the moment, with this being a trend reflected in toys, games, fashion and even in greeting cards.
The Covid-induced massive increase in puzzles and games has spurred a further increase in nostalgia-driven toys
Driven by the initial push of jigsaws, premium collectables such as LEGO, stress relief toys and craft kits have also seen a massive rise in popularity. Throw in games that encourage social interaction, such as board games and those with popular icons such as Marvel, Star Wars and of course the current all conquering Jellycat.
We are very happy with our suppliers and while open to more I now need to be blown away to add to what is a comprehensive and competitive mix.
These brands have built specific sub groups for adults. Literally thousands of YouTube content creators are creating videos of LEGO, Masters of the Universe and everything in between!
I have been sucked into this world with the added excuse of my two and bit year old son. I have found myself buying LEGO sets because they will be retired by the time he is old enough for them and I have bought GI Joe action figures because they bring back happy memories of times with my dad.
Adults buy toys for all kinds of reasons including enjoyment, socialisation, collecting and that warm fuzzy feeling that is a bit like eating your favourite comfort food. These products and emotions take you back to simpler times, back to when your parents/friends were there and your life quite possibly didn’t have the pressures and stresses of running a small
While accepting that increased costs are on the horizon, I have spoken to a lot of stores and everyone seems to have had a decent trading time. So why is
Well for me the two Js have helped enormously - Joma and
Jellycat has driven a whole new footfall into indie card and gift
Above: Hudson Robertson proudly clutching some of his birthday cards.
Right: David at Spring Fair on the Joe Davies’ stand.
Above: David senses a Back to the Future nostalgic pull.
shops across the country. We have been stockists for nearly 20 years, but right now this is its time!
I know the stock level situation is frustrating, but Jellycat is a throwback to when customers of all ages were compelled to come into a store.
They want to look at your selection. They want to learn about the new launches. They want to see and touch a physical product that puts a smile on their face and takes them back to their childhood.
For me the Amuseables plush cassette tape last year did all that and more. It reminded me of buying the Bruce Springsteen Columbia Records Born in the USA cassette tape and listening to it constantly in my bedroom and while driving back and forth to uni.
Jellycat products appeal to everyone from little kids to adults. The products are exceptionally designed, marketed and simply put a smile on so many customers’ and retailers’ faces.
Are there challenges with it? Of course. Any product which experiences this type of rise is always going to have issues, but we just have to buckle up, work with them and find a way through. I have never spoken about a brand so much, ever. I have never worked harder on one company, but believe it is worth it. It is bringing new people into our stores and when they come through the door then buy other things. They experience our customer service and see our shops. It is a great thing for cards and gifts in general and long may that continue. It has taken us back in time to when the public couldn’t simply type something into a search engine and get it delivered the next day. The scarcity effect of certain pieces adds to the fun of hunting down a retired character or snagging the latest one has given so many indie card and gift stores fresh hope.
meaning and continuity. Also people are more likely to spend to try and bring them back to that feeling. In music this year is also about all the bands reforming and touring - Oasis being the biggest example.
The interesting contrast to nostalgia is of course what are the future trends in retail. These were also discussed in various seminars at Spring Fair and while everyone feels safe in the past they also want to predict the future. Some of the key topics I have picked up on include...
1. Hybrid shopping
2. Frictionless delivery
3. AI and personalisation
4. Retail media
5. Inspiration-led purchase journeys
6. Social commerce
7. Athleisure
8. In-store efficiency
9. Sustainable shopping
10. Second-hand luxury and dupes
So Jellycat is part nostalgia, part collectable and part comfort blanket. When people are having a tough time small things can lift the mood and Jellies certainly do that.
Nostalgia brings you back to simpler times and to shared experiences and today we are simply putting our own spin on it. At a gut level nostalgia gives a feeling of
They also don’t want to wait. In other words, they want it all!
Younger generations like curated shopping, suggested lists, in fact anything that makes it easier.
Also, in general the customer wants to have things suggested and shown to them. Think of all the retail ads we see now for products such as vitamins, car cleaners etc. In the past we would probably have dismissed them but with videos and story-led marketing we get sucked in.
Some of these are pretty self explanatory, but some of the figures behind it are really interesting.
Globally 59% of people are all about online shopping, but 41% still prefer physical stores.
What is interesting though is the businesses that are performing best are those that offer a joined-up experience. In other words, you can order online, pick up in store or go in and browse and have a physical experience.
It was also found that shoppers like to be able to browse and look uninterrupted, but when they are ready for help they want the
Social commerce and the power of a ‘like’ or positive comment cannot be overestimated - so garner, share and promote. Self-praise used to be no honour, but now it is expected.
Instore efficiency covers everything from cleanliness, to well stocked products and this is where the indie sector can excel.
Is it nostalgia or the future? The answer is both.
Whether in store or online, everyone wants frictionless retail. They want it to be easy enjoyable and they want the feeling to be one of happiness and contentment.
Most indie retailers have dipped their toe into online, myself included, but it is difficult to get real traction.
What is clear is that nostalgia for shopping IS real and a physical experience IS valued and we know 100% that this is what we indies do best.
As Star Wars has told us time and time again over the years, hope is everything. Keeping her morale up among the rebel fighters, Leia Organa said: “Hope is like the sun. If you only believe in it when you can see it, you’ll never make it through the night.” And when one hope is lost, as Yoda says, there is another.
l To contact David email: jppozzi@btconnect.com
Above left: David has fond memories of playing Bruce’s Born in the USA cassette on repeat. Above: LEGO and the hopeful wisdom of Yoda endures.
Right: The Jellycat Amuseables cassette tapes are now commanding £50+ on eBay.
Decline and Fall
The recent news of WHSmith putting its high street division up for sale sent Cardsharp’s brain into overdrive. Firstly, what does that mean for bricks and mortar retailing, and more specifically our greeting card sector? And secondly it made him reflect how the mighty has fallen.
WHSmith has a long and distinguished tradition. Founded in 1792 it is one of, if not, our oldest retail chain. Cardsharp reminisces that for many Boomers and Gen Xers, WHSmith was a huge part of their teenage years. It is where we all bought our music cassettes, our pop posters, our magazines and our fun stationery for school or college.
It was an integral part of our lives.
Cardsharp reflects that it is also easy to forget, that it was also absolutely massive in greeting cards. When PG first started publishing in the early 1990s, WHSmith and Woolworths were the two market leaders in greeting cards, the former on everyday while Woolies clinched it on Christmas cards. They comfortably sold more cards than all of the supermarkets combined back then.
WHSmith was also lauded as the ‘mother’ of ‘small house card publishing’ as it was referred to then, most notably it was where the retail christening of Andrew Brownsword’s Forever Friends happened, heralding what was to become one of the industry’s most successful greeting card ranges of all time.
is even a social media feed, @WHS_Carpet on which members of the public post photos of the tatty and fraying carpets, buckets for leaky roofs and appallingly unkempt shelves in its stores.
WHSmith even owned the Paperchase chain before selling it onto its management (headed up by Timothy Melgund), and a decade ago, tried and failed to launch a standalone budget greeting card specialist chain called Cardmarket in an abortive attempt to take on Card Factory.
But since the heydays of the late 80s/early 90s, there has been a long slow steady decline at WHS, characterised by falling sales, and lack of investment. In the last ten years, sales have dropped from £684million to £452million, while trading profits have halved to £32million. And having once been well-loved by the consumer, it regularly appears near the bottom of any league table on retail customer satisfaction. It amuses Cardsharp that there
Cardsharp has lived in a small to mediumsized affluent market town for many years and WHSmith’s store there has never been one of its flagships. In fact, quite the opposite! The window displays are awful, the lights are always switched off to save money and the shop inside an absolute mess. Ironically the only neat instore displays are the greeting card racks, presumably because, with an excellent independent card and gift retailer called Temptations virtually next door, very few people buy their cards there!
It is rarely busy and normally the staffing consists of one student or late school age assistant, who rather than being at the tills is physically stocking the shelves. This means every customer whether they like it or not has to resort to self-serving. What is even more irritating is that you can’t get to the pay stage without having to go through the motions of rejecting the request for you to buy a bag, then some water and then a bar of chocolate.
concessions into WHSmith stores would have helped to boost sales and footfall.
Inset: The long established WH Smith name looks likely to disappear from our high streets.
And with no one on the till, it must be a shoplifter’s paradise. No wonder that recently, Smiths tried to introduce a shoplifting surcharge to all suppliers to supposedly cover some of these losses.
Starved of investment, this is typical of many of the WHSmith stores in smaller population centres. But as long as the high street portfolio was making a bit of money, it was worth keeping it going, to help finance the expansion of its travel division. Now the travel division has become so successful in its own right and the international expansion has become so crucial, WHSmith’s high street side either needs huge investment or its decline will only accelerate to the point where it becomes a drag on the whole Plc. So, the decision to put it up for sale should not have been the shock it has been. In fact, in hindsight, it is perhaps surprising it has not happened sooner.
Cardsharp thinks a catalyst for this decision is the increase in employer’s National Insurance contributions and the lowering of the threshold for paying it. WHSmith employs a huge number of part time staff, so this would mean paying a massive 13% of their salaries to the tax man for the first time. Is it no wonder that WHSmith is trying to dodge this bullet, reflects Cardsharp.
However, given that share prices for major retail chains are already depressed, Cardsharp thinks WHSmith will struggle to find a buyer prepared to put in the huge investment needed to bring the chain up to speed. Cynics would argue that given the problematic state of the high street why would they want to? WHS’ mainstay of newspapers and magazines has been devastated by the digital revolution, while when it comes to books, Waterstones trumps it on the multiple front while independent bookshops are really scoring too. Plus, there are so many good outlets selling quality stationery these days with infinitely more variety. And as for greeting cards, while still seen as a major stockist, publishers struggle to make money from supplying them, while the high RRPs means they are an expensive place for the public to buy a card.
Cardsharp fears the worst. It looks like WHSmith is trying to offload its problem to someone else and not be held responsible for the chain’s failure. Even private equity companies seem none too keen. That leaves the field open for one of those ‘bottom feeding’ retail reconstruction companies to
acquire it, or some other chancer as a ‘distress’ purchase. Watch Cardsharp’s words, this will inevitably mean, ‘financial restructuring’, where the business will go down and remerge with the same owners, minus half the stores and a big chunk of its debt written off. No doubt landlords and suppliers will be the victims. Even before the announcement of the high street chain being put up for sale, it had announced it was closing 17 stores.
And even if Cardsharp’s prediction of a financial restructuring doesn’t materialise, its average unit is on a lease of less than two years, so no doubt the shutters will be going up on many of these regardless, of what happens.
Adding a further dark cloud, the most recent announcement is that when and if it does sell the high street chain, the WHSmith name will not be a longterm part of the deal with a time limit expected to be imposed for the name to be used. That to Cardsharp is
avoid the fall out from any failure. Surely to any prospective buyer, the WHSmith brand would be a huge part of the attraction in any purchase, without that, what is anyone buying?
Greeting card publishers have long complained to Cardsharp that it is virtually impossible to make a profit from supplying WHSmith. And every year, it was a toss-up to know whether to continue to trade or not. Usually the decision to stay in was decided on the basis that to pull out would be too costly in terms of returns and credits. That choice may not be available in the future. Do you stay in under a new owner, not knowing whether your money is safe? At least, despite the punitive terms and conditions, you knew WHSmith Plc was a reliable payer.
Cardsharp is not sure how this will affect greeting card sales generally? WHS’ market share has been declining for many years and the pocket turn has slowed to a glacial pace for many. So, will its share of the card market just be taken up by the supermarkets and the specialists?
Sadly, reflects Cardsharp, WHS’ disappearance from the nation’s high streets would not only leave hundreds of empty units, but also reduce the visibility and availability of greeting cards.
Over 200 of WHS shops are in partnership with the Post Office, offering unique services that draw footfall. It would seem that even the Post Office and the government were blind sided by the announcement. With high streets already full of empty units, or dubious ‘Turkish’ barbers and nail salons, the 500 WHSmith shops are pretty crucial. Add the
revealing in itself. It implies that in the event of any subsequent business failure or ‘restructuring’, WHSmith Plc will have tried to distance itself as much as possible from any fall out. It has echoes of when Phillip Green tried to offload Debenhams in an effort to
homewares chain, Lakeland, is looking to sell out and cut its losses, the future of traditional bricks and mortar retailing is rather worrying. How the mighty have fallen concludes Cardsharp.
Below: William Henry Smith opened his first station bookstall at Euston station in 1848, heralding what was to become one of the most enduring retail brands… until now.
Below right: Having started as a shop at a railway station, WHS’ travel stores are still performing well.
Above: Having been known as a destination to buy their music back in the day, WHSmith recently reintroduced vinyl records back into some stores. Right: Over 200 of WHSmith stores include a Post Office.
From traditional tiered units to celled displays, we have the solution for every greeting card requirement.
•
Are you ready to take on the fast-approaching winter season? CALL US: 0121 557 1891 or EMAIL: nsmith@nsmithbox.co.uk
Henry’s 2024 Greetings Cards Awards Progressive Greetings Live 2024
The AI Hot Potato
It was a rare sight to see all our national newspapers as well as many regional ones dedicate
and those elements new world.” enhance the joke.
VIEWPOINTS
Jennie Rutter, creative director of Emotional Rescue
AI’s impact on our sector: “I do think AI is a threat to artists’ livelihoods/credibility in our industry, but probably not as much today as it will be tomorrow. It has the potential to be a big threat to both writers and artists in time. I think today, the capability is still limited (compared to the real thing) and while it can help with some of the smaller stuff, using it on a large scale or for final artwork/imagery still looks ‘obviously AI’ and, in some cases, a little clumsy.”
The upsides of AI: “To save time. To push the boundaries. To inspire or aid in creativity.
illustrate the jokes they send to us… it’s very helpful for those that can’t draw! We have never briefed our writers or artists for anything that requires the use of AI, but it doesn’t mean they don’t use it of course!
We at Emotional Rescue use AI to alter our existing images, adding in elements, etc. Plus, I know some of our writers use AI to help
Jamie
Mitchell,
co-owner and creative director of Ohh Deer
AI’s impact on our sector: “It's a big worry for the industry and individual artists. It's not something any of us really expected... The 'threat' of AI was always about processing power and cognition... whether it would become sentient and take over the world. I don't think I ever considered that it would be able to be visually creative. It threatens
Here’s an example of how we use AI. We needed to create a larger, but slimmer version of a card (pictured below left) but the image finished at the seated man’s elbow. So, we used AI (Generative Expand) to create the rest of the man to fill the size of the card (pictured below right). This is where we see the greatest value in AI in our business today. Ie. massive time saving!”
Safeguarding measures: “As an industry, we can all do better. AI pulls on seemingly limitless images, photographs, text, poems, etc online to create its output. So, if by using AI, your image/range clearly imitates other publishers’ material, just don’t do it!”
Sarah
artists’ livelihoods massively, not only because it uses them as reference points to create very quick imitations of their work but from a financial perspective the implications are huge. Big corporations who just need to fire out visuals and don't really want to pay
for them will whatever is quickest and
The upsides “There
time savers within creative programmes like Adobe, expanding backgrounds or retouching work has become a lot easier, generative recolour in Illustrator means you can have lots of colour options generated very quickly too.
We use AI within the Adobe suite, to process data, elements of web design and thank God Google now has Gemini! It means Edd can send coherent emails! We haven't issued any strict guidelines about AI, but we'd much rather work with a craftsperson to make something beautiful than the alternative.”
Safeguarding measures: “Individual artists should not be used to reference against, the idea that you can type in a command: 'create a piece in the style of x' is awful. There should be restrictions to stop this from happening immediately.”
Jackson, founder of Stormy Knight AI’s impact on our sector: “The potential threat of AI to the creative industries is huge, however I think that there is an awareness and pushback by many people who value creativity and will always pay for it. But it could be damaging on many levels - even just the gathering of information that fuels the growth of AI (which is worth £billions), is
Jamie Mitchell (second right) sees the merit of using AI within the Adobe suite, but is determined to support real people… and plants! Pictured here with partner Mark Callaby (right), colleague Harry Ferrin (second left) and agent Reg Shaw.
Above: Jennie Rutter with Emotional Rescue co-director, Brett Smith at The Henries 2024 at which the publisher won the Best Traditional Words & Sentiments award with its Scene It collection.
Below: The advantages on AI on an Emotional Rescue card design.
Below: Could AI become sentient and take over the world?!
Above: Sarah Jackson was banging the ‘gong’ at the recent Dragons to champion creativity, but accepts that AI has its place.
Below: At The Brit Awards, BRIT School students came together to send a message about AI to the UK Government by wearing Make It Fair t-shirts.
using artists' work without paying them for it.
I've noticed more AI-generated content on image resource websites recently tooyou tend to notice that something isn't quite right - like a hand might be slightly out of proportion, but at first glance, they are misleading!”
The upsides of AI: “It’s a big old Pandora’s Box isn’t it? I have recently played around with Chat GPT to tidy up my grammar and restructure sentences in some of my copywriting. I don't know if this makes me a hypocrite or not though... I guess it depends on where you draw the line on making a stand against AI. I guess the reality is that it's impossible to completely boycott it, and that it is being used for some amazing technologies that are helping with scientific breakthroughs. But that feels like a different debate to me - crunching data is black and white, whereas creating an expressive illustration that has character and evokes an emotional response doesn't seem to be AI's forte at the moment, so I'm not quaking in my boots just yet.”
Safeguarding measures: “I think we all need to get behind the 'Make it Fair' campaign which is lobbying the government to stop allowing the tech giants to use artist' work without their permission.”
Fiona Pitt,
head of commercial at Hallmark UK and Ireland
AI’s impact on our sector: hard to escape the impact of AI right now and the recent proposal that tech firms will be allowed to use copyrighted works to train AI software without permission has rightfully caused concern for creative industries. It's important to remember though
“Greeting
including the greetings industry. However, the proposal as is, includes an opt out for creative companies to reserve their rights from having their work exploited.”
The upsides of AI: “While the recent copyright discussion is obviously top of mind, from a more positive-AI perspective, AI does have the potential to be a tool to help everyone explore new ways of working. At Hallmark we’re starting to investigate ways in
across the business.
creating meaningful products.”
Safeguarding measures: “While we do recognise that AI could be a great resource, we are extremely mindful of privacy and ownership. More importantly, we believe our consumers expect the hand-crafted touch of artist and designer-created products and won’t waiver in this position, even as we invest and explore new technologies. We have strict policies and guidelines in place and we always take our intellectual property very seriously - so AI is no exception.”
platforms like Temu posing a major challenge - not to mention the threats from postal service changes and economic instability. The last thing we need is yet another fight, this time against AI, which is using (or rather, stealing) our hand-crafted artwork and making it freely available to anyone.
At Ricicle, every card design begins with hand-drawn sketches, followed by colour exploration leading to the final artwork. Many of our artworks are even painted by hand! This talent and creativity deserve to be celebrated and protected. The line between real and AI-generated images is already blurred, and without proper regulation, that distinction will only become even narrower.”
The upsides of AI: “AI, when used appropriately, is very powerful - I often use it to spark inspiration for copywriting (although this piece has been entirely written by me, I assure you!).”
Safeguarding measures: “The government must make it easier for creatives to safeguard their work from being used in AI without consent. However, without safeguards, it risks becoming yet another tool that exploits rather than empowers artists.”
Pitt welcoming everyone
card publishers, creatives,
Above: Ricicle Cards’ David Nichols-Rice assures that all his designs start with a hand drawing.
Jehane Boden-Spiers,
founder of Jehane, which represents many artists for licensing and commissions
AI’s impact on our sector: “The ability to be creative has traditionally been put down to divine intervention or ‘genius’. Is it really magic or is there more logic and structure behind our creative decisions than we might think? I’m interested in how AI supports us to consider the value of what we create and how we are creative in the first place. The answers are purposive.
From a philosophical perspective, the use of AI as a model of the creative mind supports us to understand our own thought processes better. The advent of 20th Century philosophical research into creativity and Artificial Intelligence has been fundamental to our increased understanding and awareness ie. How do we creatively explore, combine, and ultimately achieve transformational results as artists, musicians, writers, scientists?
I admire the work of many artists engaged with this most difficult of questions. Harold Cohen (1 May 1928-27 April 2016), was a British-born artist known as the pioneer of computer art. As a highly successful painter he was also the creator of Aaron, a computer program designed to produce artwork independently, which set it apart from previous programs. Cohen’s code enabled Aaron to autonomously create pieces based on Cohen’s visual criteria as an artist. Aaron generated striking artworks in both black and white and in full colour. These works are highly revered, exhibited in Mayfair, and in the private collections of the V&A.
As an artist and founder of an Illustration agency myself, I would never sanction the use of design scraping which uses existing copyrighted artworks to create new imagery without permission. This is a hot topic for Intellectual Property lawyers and creative minds alike.
VIEWPOINTS
with ‘real’ artists brings multiple benefits.
We work on a significant amount of commissioned artwork and it’s a highly layered process. For clients who are wanting to commission a whole book or a large range of new work - this is complex to brief, discuss, develop, and feedback on. Working with humans enables nuance and the detailed conversations which are necessary in order to get something ‘just right’.
In my view, design scraping and AI generative applications will create increased competition for the mass market where there has always been a higher turnover of imagery at lower prices. I remain positive that it will not significantly compete with qualitative artwork being created at the higher end of the market which is based on a value proposition. While enabling a new avenue of imagery; the use of AI design scraping creates a challenge for clients commissioning or licensing artwork. From my experience our clients at Jehane Ltd are seeking artwork which is unique and makes their brand stand out. Complications due to multiple authorship or/and copyright infringement isn’t attractive and working directly with artists and agencies builds reassurance and trust. Working
Jehane Ltd does not work with artists who are creating artwork using AI. We are increasingly seeing clauses in contracts stating that the artwork created must not have been generated with the use of AI programmes.
As an agency, we are advising our artists to take preventative measures including the use of ‘glaze’ software on any files which will potentially be shared online; in newsletters or on websites/social media. Adobe is talking about releasing new software in beta mode which applies tags to imagery created which will effectively prevent design-scraping.
For every new intervention there will come a counterattack. While there will be inevitable benefits for certain applications, AI design scraping is, for many, an example of a powerful tool being used in a detrimental way.
It’s a fast-changing landscape. I had previously thought that the law isn’t going to be able to catch up quickly enough. Earlier this week, I stepped into my local supermarket to see an unprecedented common ground with all of the UK broadsheets displaying the same front cover in protest with the headline Make it FAIr. A unified protest against the current threat of the British Government changing the law to allow big tech companies to use all online content for AI programmes without permission or payment. The concerns of these developments are understandably high and the outcome remains to be seen.
In short, what we are seeing with AI design scraping is only part of the picture. It’s creating a cursory and generic perception that AI is always a detrimental aspect when related to artwork. I personally don’t believe this to be true. Artificial Intelligence is an opportunity to learn more about who we are, how we think, and to embrace the value of human creativity.”
Above: Real humans!! A group shot of Jehane Boden-Spiers (centre) with some of the artists the company represents which encapsulates the importance of the ‘human’ touch.
Above: The front cover of a book featuring Cohen’s artwork published by W.H. Freaman & Co.
Above: The Make It Fair campaign message certainly has made the headlines in protest of the potential change of British law.
JOINING THE CLUB
As the UK’s largest retailer, and with over 23 million households being active Clubcard users, the Tesco greeting card buying team knows a thing or two about consumer buying habits, as well as the importance of remaining in step with the public’s expectations, on products, pricing and
With the grocer’s greeting card and stationery sales on an upward trajectory and plans to further leverage the Paperchase brand, PG caught up with Ross Lasseter, buying and merchandising manager and Tish Bas, lead buying manager for Paperchase and fashion stationery to find out more.
When Ross Lasseter was a small boy, he had aspirations to follow in his father’s RAF footsteps and become a pilot, well that or a professional footballer.
Fast forward several decades and having been appointed to a newly created position of buying and merchandising manager for Paperchase greeting cards at Tesco last year, he is delighted to be focused on ‘scoring goals’ on the card racks, with the grocer’s greeting card sales ‘flying high’ in everyday, Christmas singles and special occasions.
merchandising aspect for a couple of years prior to taking on the buying side when Tesco’s greeting card team was restructured
Making up the cards team is Gemma Smith, the buyer for everyday and Paperchase, supported by Lauren Thomas. Then, a couple of months ago Tish Bas joined the team as lead buying manager for Paperchase and fashion stationery, with Roya Dorothy moving across from Seasons buying to support Tish.
While new to Tesco, Tish is certainly no stranger to Paperchase, having spent 12 years on the buying and product development side at the specialist retailer previously.
Having taken some time out, after Paperchase going into administration, to work with her husband who designs luxury yachts, involved in their interior styling, Tish said the approach to join the Tesco team came at the right time. “I love my husband, but realised I couldn’t work with him. Having the opportunity to be involved once again in bringing what was so great about Paperchase to the Tesco customer was too good an opportunity to miss out on,” said Tish.
“Paperchase was a destination retailer for design-led cards and stationery but had nothing like the potential footfall that we have in Tesco, with its millions of customers every single week. Our job now is to offer products under the Paperchase brand that appeal to the many former Paperchase fans as well as building a brand following from many more Tesco customers. And a plan is already underway!” teased Tish.
It is now just over a year since the Paperchase brand debuted in 120 Tesco stores on a range of greeting card and stationery products and the team are focussed on the continuous innovation and development of across all product areas to surprise and delight customers shopping the Paperchase range.
Above: Ross Lasseter and Tish Bas in Tesco’s Cheshunt store which has a sizeable Paperchase presence.
Below right: Tesco continues to make strides on sustainability, an example of which is the popular Paperchase Pom Pom cards, which now have pom poms made from paper.
Below: Around 40% of Tesco customers buy greeting cards from the grocer.
“Tesco has become something of a home for big brands, evidenced by the presence of The Entertainer, Greggs and Yo Sushi. Paperchase fits into this,” explains Ross. “We can never lose sight of the need to cater for all our customers’ needs and so offer a fantastic value range with cards retailing under £1, but we have also seen customers wanting more premium products, potentially as a replacement for a gift. The Paperchase brand is ideal for answering that need for a premium tier, also offering sustainable innovation,” elaborated Ross, citing the new Paperchase Pom Pom cards, which now feature paper pom poms, replacing the former nylon ones as a case in point.
“It is all about offering the best selection we can for our customers,” believes Ross.
Up Close and Personal
PG put Ross and Tish in the hot seat, persuading them to reveal more about themselves…
As a child, what did you want to grow up to be?
Ross: “A professional footballer and a pilot.”
Tish: “To drive an ice cream van, and I don’t even like ice cream!”
What lesson in business has stood you in good stead?
Ross: “When I was working in a branch of Next and got stressed, my manager pointed out: “Relax, it is not your responsibility to save lives, all we are doing here is selling dresses”. Having a perspective is important.”
Tish: “Always look to create a point of difference with a product. No point in doing the same as is already out there, deliver that delight.”
What do you like best about the greeting card industry?
Ross: “How it is one big family. It is so lovely going to The Retas and The Henries and seeing everyone genuinely enjoying being around each other.”
Tish: “The people and the products. It is great going to PG Live where everyone knows everyone and seeing such amazing new products.”
What is your guilty pleasure?
Ross: “Watching documentaries about different subjects. One of the most recent, was about goldminers.”
“We have a great partnership with UK Greetings and also with the 20 publishers who account for over a third of our displays. We also are enjoying working with some publishers exclusively for Paperchase, such as Paper Mirchi, Caroline Gardner, Stormy Knight and Brainbox Candy. We really do appreciate all the support and incredible product we receive from publishers. They enable us to have a point of difference,” adds Ross.
With around 40% of all Tesco customers already buying greeting cards from the grocer, the plans in place for the coming year look set to build on this. Certainly, Ross feels buoyant about the role of greeting cards and their continued relevance in our daily lives.
“We totally concur with the Cardmitment campaign to promote cards as everyone feels better when they receive a card. The cost-ofliving continues to rise, but cards remain an inexpensive way to connect with people and share the love. They acknowledge that someone cares enough to brighten up your special day or to give you a ‘pick me up’ just when you need it – and we are determined to be there offering them the right selection of cards to do just that.”
Tish: “Reading the A Court of Thorns and Roses books by Sarah J. Maas.”
What wish do you have to further improve the greeting card industry?
Ross: “To ensure that the habit of card sending continues by getting schools more involved in card related projects to encourage the next generation to see the joy and importance of card sending.”
Tish: “For even more people to see merit in a digital detox and cherish the delight of paper-based products even more. That, and reducing stamp prices.”
Who would be your ideal dinner party guests?
Ross: “Stephen Gerard (I am a big Liverpool fan), Sarah Millican (she would make everyone laugh) and Princess Kate (she would have good stories to share)”
Tish: “Mo Gilligan (for fun), Anna Wintour (for style tips) and Henry Cavill (just to look at).”
A magic carpet awaits, where do you want to go?
Ross: “Mauritius - somewhere warm, quiet and calm.”
Tish: “I’d revisit Japan and then go on to Australia.”
Left: Hearing about the GCA’s Cardmitment campaign during the opening speech at The Henries resulted in bespoke POS being developed for Tesco’s Christmas card displays, including within The Grinch feature area.
Above: Page turner guilty pleasures for Tish.
Right: Plastic-free roll wrap displayed under some of the partyware.
Below: Tish with one of the fun children’s collections from the Paperchase brand.
VIEWPOINTS DRAGONS’ FEEDBACK
Mark Janson-Smith, managing director of Postmark
Dragon flying: “What an exhausting, but amazing event, the best one by far! And the quality of the products I've seen so far is exceptional.
I've been to quite a few Dragons events and they just get better and better. The early ones were largely about giving advice and feedback to new publishers, but the standard now is so high, there is very little feedback to give on the actual product and it comes down to whether the cards are the right fit for your stores or not. Yes, it was exhausting but so incredibly rewarding and catching up for a social afterwards was a brilliant way to end the day.”
Den Delights: “I've yet to go through my wonderful bag of samples but from my face to face meetings, I really liked Lovely Paper Stuff and Lucky Ink. Hood Greetings was also really interesting and I look forward to exploring this brand a bit more. In Real Life was great too. We already stock the stationery, but I can definitely see us stocking their cards soon too.
I will 100% be placing orders as a result of the event – I have come away with at least three new suppliers just from my meetings and who knows how many more after I go through my bag of samples.”
Jo McBeath, owner of Chirpy, Chapel Alerton
Dragon flying: “I had a brilliant time and found it was very worthwhile. I will definitely be placing some orders, a few immediately and then some later in the year. I was blown away by the generosity of the card samples included in my goodie bag. Such care and thought had been put into them.”
Den Delights: “From the meetings I had I was very impressed with…
• Emily Nash Illustration – I loved her cheery, colourful designs for all occasions.
• Happy Street – I loved their range of gorgeous colourful cards, great prices, short lead times and no MOQ! Will definitely be buying their cards for Chirpy.
• Ivy & Ink – I loved their Wallypops pop-up cards, a great idea for something a little bit different than just sending a card.
• Jessie Maeve Studio - beautifully designed cards which will soon have a place in Chirpy.
• Pear Tree Press – she had her cards really well displayed on boards which made it very easy to see her ranges.
• The Silent Card Co - for their amazing idea of sharing how important British Sign Language (BSL) is, their innovative card idea and their infectious enthusiasm. We carried on our chat in the bar afterwards and I could have chatted to them all night!
• Twenty Birds - I loved her beautiful presentation box for showing her cards to me. Her cards will be perfect for Chirpy and even better, she’s from Yorkshire!”
Above: The Dragons of 2025. (Left-right): Caroline Ranwell (Hugs and Kissed), Andrea Pinder (Presentation), Megan Douglas (Waterstones), Chris and Debbie Beards (Mantons), Chloe Sargent (Moonpig), Gemma Soames (Moonpig), Mark Janson-Smith (Postmark), Francesca Theobald (John Lewis), Lucy Cornwall (Oliver Bonas), Hazel Walker (Waterstones), Jess Dransfield (Cardfactory), Sam Bradley (Cardfactory), Miles Robinson (House of Cards), Lisa Gilbert (House of Cards), Sally Matson (Red Card), Sandra O’Connell (Mooch), Karen Edwards (Red Card), Ellie Klienlercher (Between the Lines), Jo McBeath (Chirpy), Aga Marsden (Highworth Emporium), Niloufar Noorbakhsh (Jumping Bean) Priya Crowe (Lark) and Lucy Eason (George’s).
Above: Chirpy’s Jo McBeath (left) with Emily Nash of Emily Nash Illustration. Below left: Debra Cartlidge, ceo of Deaf Village North West shared The Silent Card Co’s innovative card concept, which brings greeting cards to the hard of hearing.
Above: Mark Janson-Smith with Emily Nash of Emily Nash Illustration. Below: Lovely Paper Stuff’s David and Jo Denning ready to slay the Dragons.
DRAGONS’ FEEDBACK
Sam
Bradley,
buying manager of Cardfactory
Dragon flying: “It was a fantastic day with such a wide variety of styles from some very talented publishers. There was a good balance across all genres and some lovely finishes coming through.
Having the opportunity to be a dragon is great as you are able to meet so many publishers in one afternoon.
Having not participated for a couple of years I certainly saw a difference as the event has grown significantly and there was such a buzz in the room.”
Den Delights: “I really liked the meaningful messages from LoveLossDiscoballs. I also particularly liked the illustrations from both Sharon King-Chai and the repeat print patterns from Pear
Miles Robinson, co-owner of House of Cards
Dragon flying: “It was a super day. The buzz of the event is marvellous.
The standards just get better each year and this one was no exception.
It was great to see so many new and emerging as well as more established publishers taking part, with some really professional presentations. And I’m looking at the mammoth pile of samples on my desk!”
Den Delights: “Of those I saw on the day, the following caught my eye… Apple & Clover, Heather Trefusis Art, Ink and Ivy Group, KDee Designs and Paper Mirchi
I would imagine we will certainly be trying some of our finds (subject to terms of course!) and have high hopes for some.”
Megan Douglas, buyer of cards and gift wrap, Waterstones
Dragon flying: “I had a great time at the Dragons’ event, which had such a lovely atmosphere. It was so good to catch up with everyone as well as meet some great publishers and talk one-on-one about their work. The calibre of products was very impressive.”
Aga Marsden, owner of Highworth Emporium, Highworth Dragon flying: “It was my first Dragons event, but I was overwhelmed by the choice and creativity.
There was a diversity of publishers, from those literally just starting out who were there for advice (what a responsibility!), to larger established companies.
I loved being part of what is a really lovely industry. It was also great to catch up with old friends and meet new people. This event is so worthwhile just from the networking point of view; exchanging our knowledge and experience. It was really intense but also a very productive afternoon, and the drink afterwards was very much needed and enjoyed!”
Den Delights: “I wasted no time and placed my first order the day after the event, with Paper Mirchi. I am really looking forward to receiving these beautiful cards. They are so different and the cotton paper makes them look upmarket, yet they really are affordable! I also loved the children’s range from Little Green Vibes and Lucky Ink’s simple but classy, cards (especially the ones with badges on). Grace Jackson
Den Delights: many wonderful publishers… Two For Joy and Catherine Rayner both stood out for their beautiful illustration styles that I think our customers would love.”
Grace Jackson Design also stands out, not only because she is a lovely lady, but she creates gorgeous cards. I could go on and on… if only I had a bigger shop.
Some suppliers went above and beyond in making their sample packs really special. There were personal notes, lovely comments about our shop, chocolates and sweets, etc. The loveliest surprise came from Imogen Partridge, who made a beautiful illustration of our shop, I was really touched”
Above: Highworth Emporium’s Aga Marsden (right) with Lucky Ink’s Holly Hall whose badge cards Aga especially liked.
Above: (left-right) Cardfactory’s Sam Bradley and Jess Dransfield with Peartree Press’ Emma Randall.
Above: A new take on support cards from Love Loss Discoballs.
Above: Waterstones’ Megan Douglas with Eliot Siegel of Eliot Siegel Photography. Left: A card design by Catherine Rayner.
Above: Imogen Partridge shared her artistry in the goodie bags.
Below: Little Green Vibes’ children’s cards with sticker sheets stood out for Aga.
Above: House of Cards’ Miles Robinson and Lisa Gilbert (centre) enjoying the pitch from Apple and Clover’s Jo Hawkins.
Right: Miles and Lisa were blown away by the quality of Heather Trefusis’ artwork.
VIEWPOINTS
DRAGONS’ FEEDBACK
Jess Dransfield, assistant buyer of new formats, Cardfactory
“It was my first time being a Dragon and I was so excited to experience it all. It was a brilliant day with a great range of talented publishers. It's really refreshing to be introduced to a wide variety of publisher styles all in one place. It was a great space to network and connect before and after the event.
Having the opportunity to be a dragon was great as it meant I was able to meet so many publishers in one afternoon and for me to gain more knowledge!”
Den Delights: “I liked the meaningful messages coming through from LoveLossDiscoballs
The illustration style of Sharon King-Chai and the pop-up innovation from Ink & Ivy with their Wallypops designs also stood out.”
Lucy Eason, owner of George’s, Whitstable Dragon flying:
fabulous, fun and thrilling day!
I had the pleasure of spending, a strict, 10 mins with six chosen card publishers…a whole hour of supercharged greeting card stimulation!!!
The samples that were overflowing from my goody bag were so carefully and creatively wrapped by each publisher, which speaks volumes about the love they have for their products and importance this opportunity means to them.”
Hazel Walker, senior buyer of cards, stationery, gift wrap, arts & crafts, calendars and diaries, Waterstones
Dragon flying: “It’s such a great way to discover new publishers and we really enjoyed meeting everyone we spoke to. Hearing everyone’s stories of how they started out was really inspiring and it’s so encouraging to see so much new talent in the industry. We saw a huge variety of designs – it was actually quite
overwhelming, but a lot of fun too!”
Den Delights: “One of my favourites was Imogen Partridge who has some lovely illustrations that I can see being popular with our customers. I’m still working through all the samples but will definitely be following up with some of the publishers.”
Andrea Pinder, owner of Presentation Cards & Gifts, Barrowford
“Being chosen as a Dragon is such a great feeling of privilege and honour. Knowing what a difference you can make to a publisher’s future is incredibly important and satisfying, especially as you see them grow within this fairytale industry of
Having emptied out my goody bag of samples my kitchen is now full of cards, envelopes, boxes, wrapping, tissue, tags and ribbons!”
“Publishers that caught my eye on the day, include…
• KDeeDesigns – the lovely Summer Blossom range with beautiful little icons.
• Santoro - Pop & Build cards with fantastic illustrations that are cards to keep and enjoy.
Den Delights: “Heading over to our first group of publishers I chose David Denning from Lovely Paper Stuff, what way to kick off! I loved the bold and bright cards with catchy quotes and beautifully drawn animals.
I met Jessie in her gorgeous checked cardigan from Jessie Maeve Studio, and will definitely be buying her range of on trend Gluggle jugs designs.
Artthi and her Cheeky Legends cards were a highlight, a complete collection of parping fun greetings. Radiating the most infectious energy was Kirsty Todd, yoga teacher and now card publisher, with unique, thoughtful quotes matched with sketched people in snap shots of time.
Something ‘Stoatally’ different but ‘Weasely’ recognisable was Lisa Bamford’s designs from Stoats & Weasels. Her genius Arrivals and Menu cards will be ordered and work has now started on a bespoke design for our home town of Whitstable!
Sharon King-Chai, who I met in the bar afterwards, her designs also captured my interest.”
• Lovely Paper Stuff - colourful and bright humour cards.
• The Curious Pancake – The Retail Shopping collection with great illustrations will appeal to everyone.
• Versed Aid - Its Tarp as a Shack and Nobody’s Perfect ranges were bold in design and colour.
• Paperlink – The Fifty Shades of Green collection will really appeal to customers.”
Chris and Debbie Beards, co-owners of Mantons, Port Erin, Isle of Man
Dragon flying: “We really enjoyed meeting so many talented people and also being able to help some of the newer companies who asked for advice.
Den Delights: “There were a few that stood out for us, including The Bounce Back Club, Puntastic & Ho, Sanders de Roeper and Zoe Spry
We will definitely be placing some orders with some people we met at the event. Plus, hopefully, we will also be ordering from some of the publishers whose card samples have caught our eye in the goodie bags. We just need to chat about margins and exclusivity before doing so.”
Above: Andrea Pinder (right) with Marina B’s Marina Brooks (left) and Suzi Simpkin.
Below left: A scene from Andrea’s kitchen!
Top: Little Roglets’ Lex Rogy (left) pitching to Mantons’ Deb and Chris Beards.
Above: A design by The Bounce Back Club.
Above: Lucy Eason (left) with Jessie Maeve of Jessie Maeve Studios. Below left: A design from Stoats & Weasels Arrivals collection.
Above: Hazel Walker (right) with Georgi Doig of Lil Wabbit.
Above: Sharon King-Chai (right) with a fellow book illustrator superstar turned greeting card publisher, Catherine Rayner of Catherine Rayner Trading.
Caroline Ranwell, owner of Hugs & Kisses, Tettenhall
Dragon flying: “I had a wonderful afternoon, I absolutely loved it. I will definitely be placing four or five orders as a result of the event. It was great to see such a wide mix of publishers/designers, some were really established and then others were only just starting out. I gained a lot from the experience of being a Dragon and I hope I gave some useful advice to the new designers that I met. And, as always it was great to catch up with lots of industry friends.”
Den Delights: “Quite a few publishers that caught my eye, including…
• KDee Designs, lovely quirky designs, hand-finished with cute little wooden embellishments.
• Cath Tate had several great humour ranges that I loved, particularly the female humour, which is brilliant.
• PrettyLittleScribbles’ range was absolutely gorgeous, beautiful designs printed from original watercolour illustrations, I particularly liked their Christmas Robins, which are so cute.
• Lola Design I have bought from previously, but they had lots of beautiful new designs that I thought were really lovely and refreshingly different.
• Apple & Clover, how could you not fall in love with these super cute animal designs finished off with a pretty fabric bow tie?! A really lovely range.”
DRAGONS’ FEEDBACK
Lucy Cornwall, senior assistant buyer for home and gift, Oliver Bonas
Dragon flying: “It was great to meet and talk to so many publishers and put some on my radar that may not have otherwise been. I enjoyed being able to give insight on what I am looking for as a buyer and what our customers react well to and also offer constructive advice on maximising commercial appeal.
It was also a great opportunity to catch up with publishers we already buy from and put faces to others I have already been in talks with.”
Den Delights: “The publishers that most caught my eye from the meetings and going through my bag of samples are:
• LoveLossDiscoballs – Vibrant cards, that will really stand out on the shelves. Great supportive messages.
• Sharon King-Chai – Some unique and interesting designs with a great use of colour and foil.
• In Real Life – Fun, contemporary, eye-catching designs that will have wide customer appeal.
• Grace Jackson Design – Lovely illustrations with a luxury feel.
I definitely will be following up with several suppliers, which should lead to us placing some orders.”
Sally Matson, owner of Red Card and Little Red, Petworth
Dragon flying: “We had a ball at the Dragons event.Our overwhelming takeaway from the day was the passion with which each publisher presented their ranges. The care and investment and attention to detail was so fantastic that it reminded us again why we love this industry so much and why it's not just about the cards - it’s about the stories and the people.”
Den Delights: “From our meetings with publishers there were two stand out companies for us. Firstly, Warren from LoveLossDiscoballs showed us cards that were unique with an amazing use of design and colour and a really special story. Imogen from Imogen Partridge showed us cards of really beautiful quality with illustrations that were so delicate and with such detail that we definitely couldn't resist them. We will definitely be ordering from both of these companies.
Once we sat down and went through the sample packs from all the
publishers, there were a number of other companies that we will contact and follow up with. We adored Catherine Rayner’s cards, the illustrations are gorgeous! We loved the colours and design from Lovely Paper Stuff and the beautiful colour and foiling on the cards from Lucky Ink. The unique style of the bookmark cards from Yoojoo were great. The dog illustrations on cards from Robert James Hull were lovelyespecially as Petworth is dog central! We liked the originality of the sentiments and the simple illustration on the cards from RossJ Designs and also the design and colour on the die-cut cards from Mifkins We were stunned to be told that Santoro’s 3D Pirouettes cards are printed in the UK - we were sure they would be from China. It was also lovely to catch up with Suzanne from Pink and Mint Design and see how she has developed her rangeswe particularly loved her postcards.
Roni (Veronika Pock) from Roni-part.com’s ‘I love you so much I want to show you my sexy bits’ card really made us laugh! - she was great fun to chat with!”
Above: (left-right) Red Cards’ Sally Matson and Karen West with LoveLossDiscoballs’ Warren Hart-Phillips.
Right: This design by Veronika Pock made Sally and Karen laugh.
Above: Ebony Newton of Dotty Black (front left) pitching to Oliver Bonas’ Lucy Cornwall. Below left: A greeting card design from In Real Life.
Above: Hugs & Kisses’ Caroline Ranwell (right) enjoyed her ‘date’ with Cath Tate Cards’ Amy Woodrow. Below: A KDee Designs card.
In the mood
there’s wrap, gift bags and boxes to meet every mood –luxury, sustainability, fun, florals, brights and sophistication plus all the tissues, tags, bows and ribbon accessories galore.
With giftwrappings sales on the up for retailers, PG embraces the wrap scene in all its glory.
Capturing the mood is the important thing with trends and, for gift wrap, these are currently as diverse as the gifts they contain, with cottagecore one aesthetic highlighted, neons another, text designs, nested gift boxes mentioned, printed catalogues, and a new shaped gift bag.
Anchored by the multi-award winning Paper Salad licence, bold colours are massive at
Glick, where the company uses the successes of previous years to drive forward the new trends across the seasons.
“There’s no shortage of choice for every event and every celebration,” commented MD Becky Dobson. “From the eye-catching
M!nt: Known for its humour cards, M!nt has moved into gift packaging products and other stationery and gifts. The new products are grounded in the humour of its To Be Frank! range, which features a mix of witty one-liners and deadpan delivery, in a palette of secretly-blended neon colours with embossed type.
Storigraphic: Re-Editions Collection is the ongoing series from Storigraphic, with Volume 1 (pictured) launched for 2025, and the publisher is busy working on two more design collections aiming to launch before May. Delving into its growing design archives, reimagining patterns and prints with new colourways and design focal points, the inaugural fresh spring/summerhued palette was developed with new focal points for product application.
wider Paper Salad range, the burst of Colour Hub, the timeless classic watercolours of Stephanie Dyment, the nature-inspired designs from Stephanie Davies, the adorable characters of Kate McFarlane, there’s something for everyone.
NEW LAUNCHES – GIFTWRAP SUPPLIERS SHARE THEIR ‘WRAP AND ROLL’ NEWNESS.
Unique Paper Co: For Christmas Unique has taken a bestselling biodegradable glitter range and launched the Luxe Berry wrap in rich and opulent berry colours with coordinating gift bags. Also new for this year is Christmas Chic (pictured) – on-trend, fashionable, and perfect for adding a touch of glamour to gifting.
Above: M!nt’s one-liners on neon.
Left: Deva’s denim difference.
“We’re constantly moving with the times and remain in tune with what customers want to see. Our Colour Hub range is a great example – it worked, so we do it bigger and better than before!”
Deva Designs has gone a little retro on the business front, as sales director Jenny Williams has taken customer insights to return to printed catalogues: “It’s been a real hit with our customers, allowing them to engage with our offerings in a tangible way, and it’s been incredibly rewarding to see this move pay off.”
But there’s also a modern look as neon is everywhere at Deva, with its new Neon Birthday range utilising water-based fluorescent inks, as well as the Neon Tropical look of lush hand-rendered jungle foliage against a pink backdrop.
And senior designer Reuben Duffy has also been having fun developing some different pieces: “Our new Denim gift bag is a playful nod to the fashion world, complete with a charming handkerchief-style gift tag that cleverly tucks into a pocket, adding that extra touch of style.”
Among all the patterns and pictures on gift bags, M!int’s new To Be Frank! Range of one-liners on block colours proves that simple isn’t necessarily simplistic, as the design is elevated by the palette of secretly-blended neon colours married with embossed type,
Woodmansterne: In 2025, Woodmansterne is expanding its collection with new designs from British favourites such as Emma Bridgewater and Sanderson (pictured), as well as introducing a diverse mix of styles from the bright geometric patterns of Kali Stileman to the sophistication of Elaine Field, and the bold floral Eden prints, created by in-house designer Paula Reece. Additionally, the Woody team has extended the Christmas collection with Plum Pudding and Star Anise, to capture the magic and spirit of the season.
and covers stationery and cards too.
Ben Dorney, creative director of M!nt, said: “It’s really hit the mark with its distinctive combination of bold neons, design-led styling and deadpan humour. The reaction to the stand at Spring Fair was great – people are drawn by the brilliant colours, but then stay for the laughs. It’s a bold new frontier for M!nt.”
Colour is key at Storigraphic where they keep an eye on trends then develop it “to share a story drawing upon our own design perspective” explained creative director Roz Nazerian, who’s in the middle of developing the Storikids dedicated children’s range, along with a wider Christmas selection, following feedback over the past year’s sales.
At Kali Stileman, it’s all about colour too, with director of operations Jemima Stileman commenting: “For adults, we love our cool and colourful squares design and our spring wrapping paper – a remake of our favourite floral wrap. This gorgeous design features an explosion of flowers on a soft duck egg blue background.”
Kids and text are the next big things for Ohh Deer where, as well as featuring a mix of trend-led patters and designs from some of the publisher’s artists to build existing card ranges across wrap, MD Mark Callaby said: “We’ve created a fun in-house range
with playful slogans like ‘Yes, I purchased what you asked for’ and ‘This might be booze’, perfect for grown-ups who appreciate a bit of humour.
“But we haven’t forgotten about the little ones! We’ve expanded our range to include more kid-friendly options, like the playful gift bags by Suzy Ultman.”
The new strong florals are proving popular for The Gifted Stationery Company’s older customer demographic while mixing colour and text is working for kids as director Nigel Parr explained: “Designs such as Positive Power, which is centred around good vibes, positive words and embracing individuality, are resonating strongly for the children’s range. These trends have helped shape our latest packaging collections, ensuring they align with customer preferences and remain on-trend.”
The nested gift boxes are another bestseller, each coming with 10 boxes, which
UK
Greetings: The UKG Disney Winnie The Pooh range covers birthdays of all ages, in a variety of gift bag sizes with paper handles plus tear-strip rollwrap, And there’s also three further ranges, as Stop The Clock (pictured) adds another vibrant style to the catalogue, plus the softer, prettier option of Butterfly Kisses and pops of colour in various sizes and wraps with Essentials Rainbow Stripes.
Abacus Cards: All Abacus’ wrap packs come with two sheets and two gift tags, and it has recently introduced newness to its giftwrap hangers, now offering 26 designs curated to cover the majority of situations.
Right: Gifted’s Positive Power. Below: Fun from Ohh Deer.
Right: A cottagecore trend from The Art File.
Far right: Woodmansterne’s new Sarah Gordon range.
Above: Kids are trending for Storigraphic.
fit neatly inside one another, and can be sold as a set or individually.
Having always offered a strong children’s selection, The Art File has expanded with a brand-new Bear range, as well as building on the popular stars theme with the new Cosmos look featuring space, planets and astrology in vivid detail and colours.
And the rustic cottagecore style has also taken off, as sales and marketing manager James Mace commented: “It’s a huge trending style which we’ve met with the Tale & Ivy gift bags and matching wrap. Nature designs perform well every year along with loveable animal characters.”
Woodmansterne is also tapping into nature with its latest Sarah Gordon collection featuring a vibrant botanical design with striking foil details.
Head of marketing Louisa Guelce added: “For children, we continue to champion iconic British designs, such as Quentin Blake. We’re also adding a touch of nostalgic charm with Miffy, a new gift wrap range which perfectly pairs with our range of cards and patterned envelopes.”
It’s back to simplicity at Unique where design manager Di Frost takes inspiration from a wide range of trends but gears up for the company’s own production process: “So
our designs tend to reflect more simplicity and minimalism with an emphasis on colour and glitter.
“We’re continuing to see strong sales in our biodegradable glitter finishes, particularly in rolls, so this is an area we’re continuing to develop and are introducing more glitter ranges across everyday as well as Christmas.”
At Hallmark, personalisation is in, with head of creative Laura Clayton explaining how consumers are seeking unique wrapping solutions that reflect the styles and personalities of both gift giver and recipient.
She added: “With people increasingly choosing unique gifts – including the home-made, the pre-loved or the maker-made and one-off – they look for simple and often creative ways to show the recipient the thought that’s gone into finding the perfect present. Social media is having a huge impact here with some #wraphack videos on TikTok having over four million views! People want inspiration for simple and effective ways to make something look stunning.”
There is also a demand for more premium designs to enhance the giving experience, such as the publisher’s luxury hotel-inspired Hall & Co collection which includes innovative new product formats, and Laura said: “These are real talking points and provide a huge Instagrammable opportunity, tapping into how people share their experiences and celebrations online.”
Deva Designs: The Meg Hawkins partnership went down a storm at Spring Fair for Deva Designs, with the doublesided flat-wrap Highland Cow stealing the show. The new Neon Birthday collection (pictured) of bags, rollwrap and tissue utilises water-based fluorescent inks for powerful colours, and the solid Neon Tissue adds an electrifying zing.
Known for its many and varied licences,
The Art File: A new comprehensive collection of gift wrap, bags, tissue and tags for 2025 has launched from The Art File with 72 designs across everyday and Christmas. The bags have a matching inside colour (pictured) adding a flourish of design, and all the new bag collections have woven paper handles, making them fully recyclable, plus there are more matching designs than ever across bags, tissue, wrap and tags.
Museums & Galleries continues to innovate while keeping with tradition as its new plant bag has a wide-topped tapered format, with reinforced base to cope with heavy plant pot, and extended ribbon handles to avoid crushing the leaves or flowers, and the launch collection features four of its floral bestsellers from the V&A, Matthew Williamson, Vincent Van Gogh and Josephine Simon.
Meanwhile, over at Penny Kennedy, there’s a different trend too, as business manager Emma Puzey revealed: “We’ve launched our new range of 100% organic cotton reusable present bags, which certainly gained great interest at Spring Fair.
“We see this as still within the gift packaging sector, but an exciting development which is based around sustainability. We like to innovate in both design and product in a constantly-evolving sector.”
The Gifted Stationery Company:
One of the more unique provisions at Gifted is its gift wrap collection books (pictured). Each comes with 10 varied sheets of wrap and 22 matching gift tags. The sheets are folded inside and tear away easily with the perforated line as the book keeps the wrap neat and flat. And Gifted has also launched a wrap and tag set.
Below: Hallmark’s Hall & Co luxe range. Right: Penny Kennedy’s reusable innovation.
Top: Plants on plant bags by M&G.
Above: A cottagecore trend from The Art File.
Right: Glittery rolls from Unique.
The new normaL
Sustainability is the new norm in the world of giftwrap as the industry has embraced getting rid of plastics across the board, in flitter, packaging and production.
Giftwrap specialist Glick has continued to make huge strides to ensure its quality bags, tissue, flatwrap and rollwrap meet customers’ expectations, with everything printed using eco-friendly, water-based inks on FSC papers, including the packaging.
“We’re so passionate about the planet and work tirelessly towards our commitment for sustainability,” said MD Becky Dobson. “Some of our bags are fully recyclable as the handles are made from woven paper and all our other bags are recyclable when their ribbons are removed. Tissue papers, gift tags and gift dressings are housed in recyclable FSC packaging and, only where necessary, surrounded by polybags made from 100% recycled plastic.
“Roll wraps are packaged in recycled plastic shrink-wrap and our units are packaged in polybags made with a minimum of recycled plastic. We only use recycled polybags where necessary to do so to protect the product and reduce collateral waste.”
Deva Designs is another of the big boys which has taken the time to find the best solutions for customers and MD Andrew Maddock commented: “Which way to go? On rollwrap you can go belly bands, tear-down
Grace Jackson Design: The new Woven range comprises 12 designs, six featuring bold, bright stripes and lines (pictured), while the others showcase an intertwined gingham style, all in complementary hues to the greeting card
strips, biodegradable shrink-wrap or recyclable plastic, and core or no core –there are so many options.
“We’ve gone down the biodegradable shrink-wrap route which can be put in the compost and will breakdown and disappear –in our experience and feedback from stores it’s preferred because it protects the giftwrap in store. Each time a customer lifts a roll out of a display box, the stores’ owners tell us they hold their breath because of the damage if it’s not replaced carefully.
“Another option we produce for some
of its licensed products portfolio, the publisher has been working hard on the sustainability front in all aspects of its business, continuing to innovate at the same time.
Licensing director Dan Grant explained: “One of our key focuses has been reducing plastic usage, and we’re pleased the majority of our sheet and tag wrap packs are now cello-free. For roll wraps, we’ve introduced tear strips, eliminating the need for unnecessary plastic while maintaining ease of use. Where cello-wrap is still in place, this is only at the request of specific retailers.
retailers is a shrink-wrap that has over 30% recycled plastic which avoids the environmental plastic tax.”
Taking it even further, Deva has reintroduced its Raffier paper cops collection with a refreshed palette of vibrant colours and Andrew added:
“Sustainability and consumer convenience remain key drivers for us and expanding our cello-free options and offering multi-pack formats has been a natural next step in response to evolving consumer expectations.”
And Woodmansterne, one of the newer players on the giftwrap scene having only launched its collection last year, made sure from the start that every item is made entirely from paper.
“It’s marking a triumphant comeback after more than a decade, more sustainable than ever. Welcome back, paper raffia – bigger, bolder, and better for the planet!”
At Danilo with gift packaging a sizable part
Kali Stileman: exciting new additions to the Kali Stileman children’s collection. These designs feature party-ready cats and dogs (pictured) in ontrend colours and there are lots of mini cards to match!
“Since we launched, we’re pleased to see more publishers integrating eco-friendly features, such as tear-down strips, paper handles, and fullyrecyclable packaging, ensuring that both retailers and consumers have greener choices,” explained head of marketing Louisa Guelce.
While the Abacus offer is limited to twowrap-two-tag sets, MD Nick Carey is proud
Museums & Galleries: M&G has extended its sheet wrap range with 12 new designs, including from the V&A, Matthew Williamson, Mary Katrantzou, Emma Frances Grant, Sarah Campbell and Brambly Hedge. Plus, there are three new wraps in M&G’s new designer licence, Emily Burningham, with the Saxifrage design (pictured) also available in gift bags and tissue.
Above: Deva’s Raffier returns. Right: No plastic on Danilo’s tags.
to declare: “We moved away from plastic many years ago, and all our gift wrap is UK made, packed and shipped from Suffolk and Essex – all is 100% recyclable with low diesel miles!”
For The Art File, all its gift wrap and bags are printed on sustainably-sourced paper and are recyclable, while rollwrap designs come wrapped in recycled shrinkwrap and are available to display in a branded cardboard box, plus its nine new gift bag looks for 2025 all come with paper woven handles.
Relative newbie Grace Jackson Design is also embracing the sustainability ethos with the lady herself putting it at the forefront of her design choices and her sheet wrap offer is fully recyclable.
Grace said: “The paper has a lovely, substantial thickness meaning that, if you wrap without tape, it can easily be reused –a little touch of sustainability that gift recipients will appreciate!”
Kali Stileman also prints on paper made with FSC accreditation, which promotes sustainable forestry, and LydiaMae’s Lydia Johnson ensures her printers are FSC certified, using uncoated good quality paper that’s fully recyclable, while all giftwrap from The Porch Fairies is also sustainable with FSC credentials and responsible detailing.
With BCorp accreditation, Ohh Deer is most definitely big on the eco thang as MD Mark Callaby commented: “It’s at the heart of everything we do, we’ve always been very conscious of keeping our impact on the environment to a minimum.
“All our paper-based products are sourced locally from sustainable, wellmaintained forests, or recycled materials. We also offer plastic-free roll wrap. All you have to do is pull the tab – the outer layer is
The Porch Fairies: Traditional, wellloved, nostalgic and heritage vibes, bringing in cosy Christmas designs in the Foxwood Tales range licensed from Brian Paterson, including Santa’s Toys (pictured) from The Porch Fairies. Available in packs of 25, the design shows an enchanting workshop filled with mouse fairies checking off lists, traditional toys, the Foxwood friends, and Christmas magic in every corner.
excess and then the full 3M is accessible to start wrapping!”
All Hallmark wrap is now recyclable, and the rollwrap uses paper labels that replace the plastic wrapping, plus there’s a tear-down strip designed for simplicity and less waste.
And head of creative Laura Clayton added: “In terms of gift bags, we know consumers like to re-use them – this is reflected in the popularity of generic designs that can be used for more than one occasion.”
Storigraphic has always focused on producing its papers sustainably in the UK since starting in 2020, and cofounder and creative director Roz Nazerian commented:
The Art File’s recycled shrink-wrap and recyclable wrap. Below: All UKG’s gift dressing products are
Christmas cracker contents – and its latest Spring Fair launch of 100% organic cotton reusable gift bags.
They’re big on looking after the planet at
“Changes have been happening relatively fast in the past two to three years, mostly everyone has moved away from plastics, glitters, foils and other non-recyclable materials.
“Something that we’re seeing regularly is thicker papers like ours being re-used for secondary applications such as craft-based activities. It's great to see products finding new life beyond their initial use.”
With 30 years’ experience, the Penny Kennedy brand is well known in giftwrap circles and business manager Emma Puzey explained how the company is “dedicated to minimising our environmental impact”.
All its products are FSC-certified, with unwrapped roll wraps, paper handles on selected gift bags, and plastic-free
Ohh Deer: The Ohh Deer giftbag range has been expanded with mini collections, giving each style a variety of sizes while handles have been upgraded to grosgrain ribbon with added touches of neon and foil to make the designs shine. The collection includes designs from Ohh Deer’s collaboration with the V&A, Elizabeth Olwen, and Suzy Ultman (pictured) as well as its own Marble Kingdom.
UK Greetings where operations director Julie Huntington-Dale, and the team are committed to looking for new opportunities and innovative ways to make products sustainable, with all new gift dressing products 100% recyclable, FSC C007625 certified, and plastic-free, and gift bags featuring recyclable paper handles,
They’re all very excited about the introduction of the new tear-strip on-roll wrap, made available this year and on all Christmas 2025 designs, with the new roll wrap being 100% recyclable, replacing traditional plastic shrink wrap and maintaining ease of use for consumers.
To bring this innovation to market, UKG has made a substantial investment in cutting-edge manufacturing equipment and Julie commented: “This investment underscores our dedication to sustainability. It allows us to pioneer eco-friendly solutions while maintaining the high quality our customers expect.”
Kennedy:
Penny
In-house ranges, such as Barbican Waves (pictured) join collections from licensors such as Sara Miller, Rasperry Blossom, Morris,Toasted Crumpet and Cath
Right:
recyclable.
MULTI AWARD-WINNING COLLECTION OF HANDCRAFTED ARTISAN-MADE GREETING CARDS AND GIFT WRAP, MADE USING 100% RECYCLED COTTON RAG PAPER.
Have you cottoned on yet?
Scan the QR code to purchase our products on Faire and use promo code PGBUZZ10 to receive 10% off your order (valid until 31st March 2025)
Sticking with it
Sticky tape may be the simplest accessory when wrapping a gift, but there’s plenty more available so people can go all out to make a gift look extra special.
Hallmark offers accessories ranging from traditional stick-on bows to more unique formats such as accessory kits, with head of creative Laura Clayton explaining: “These are incredibly popular especially at Christmas – and can include cops of fabric ribbons, paper or twine and decorative gift tags.
“And there’s also our recent innovation in gift trims of large shaped tags you can fold over the edge of a wrapped gift, or the fun, decorative tags you simply hang over the neck of a wine bottle – no need for wrap!”
On the colour front, it’s all about respecting the rainbow at Glick, where MD Becky Dobson laughed: “We leave no colour to feel excluded in our huge range of ribbons and bows, which are a veritable feast for the eyes!”
And the company recently expanded its accessories, which include tissue papers to
complement new ranges such as Colour Hub with matching neons, while the classic velvet ribbons provide a soft and sensory finish across the new Christmas ranges.
As a newcomer to the wrap scene, Woodmansterne doesn’t yet offer ribbons or bows, but those all-important gift tags are a fixture, made from sturdy paper with 100% paper string, and there’s tissue paper too, sustainably packaged in recyclable kraft paper.
UK Greetings’ new gift tag packs also use recyclable materials with no plastic, offering six tags of simple and elegant designs to complement any wrap so work all year round, plus there are ribbon cops, bows and tissue paper.
Danilo: A one tag, one sheet, one card pack is Danilo’s latest format, offering a convenient complete gifting solution for children’s sends, along with new sets of five gift tags and five bags. And, on the adult side, the range continues to grow with bottle bags a strong staple, along with new seasonal designs including licensed properties such as Only Fools And Horses.
And both an accessory and wrap in one is the 3D luxury gift card holder, which creative manager Ben Whittington described as offering “an extra element of theatre to gifting money, a special experience or a gift card – they have a unique structure and foil finish, to give the smallest gift the powerful pizzaz they deserve”.
For The Art File’s sales and marketing manager James Mace a gift tag “is one of the most important accessories”, he added: “Gift tags complete the look and add space for a special message on gifts –whether it’s a die-cut tag matching the pattern or a larger tag with more space for text, every gift bag comes with a gift tag that’s specially
Glick: Added extras are new at Glick where the Juniors range for 2025 contains the Fairy Princess and Rocket Boy collections which are embellished with confetti shaker wand and rocket window. And, as listening to customers is key, the company has kept with the sustainable theme so both are removeable to enable the bag to be recycled.
chosen for that look.”
And the new Christmas collection includes a nine festive gift tags set finished with foil or die-cut to match an Art File look.
Tags are an optional extra at LydiaMae both to go with the matching wrap, or buy separately, and The Porch Fairies offers gift tags too, with co-owner Fiona Bishop adding: “The trend for us is that customers want gift tags to be ribboned. All our tags now have ribbons attached to make it easy to attach to gifts.”
On the licensed product side, Penny Kennedy’s business manager Emma Puzey said: “Our product range covers every aspect of gift packaging, from roll wraps and tissue paper to gift bags, boxes, tote bags and even Christmas crackers.
“We understand what works – and what doesn’t – and the diversity within each licensed collection ensures we cater to a wide variety of customer needs, offering something for
Knight: designs have been launched by Stormy Knight. Sunny faces, wriggly worms (pictured) and sublime spacescapes, cute kittens and pretty pastel ginghams all feature. All wrap is printed in the UK.
Stormy
Above left: Hallmark has bottled it with these new tags. Above: Glick has matching tissue papers. Left: LydiaMae offers tags separately.
Below: UKG’s 3D gift card holder. Below right: Tags and tissue are part of Woodmansterne’s offer.
Added Dimensions
Set to ‘build’ on Santoro’s Pirouette Countdowns, the collection has now expanded to become Pop & Build, a standalone range in its own right. Each Pop & Build features an assortment of fun, detailed objects and characters that are slotted into a 3D art structure with customers able to choose whether to build the scene all at once or over several days for a fun countdown activity.
Santoro 0208 7811104 www.santorotrade.com
Fertile Funnies
Colour Bursts
Holy Moly is Holy Mackerel’s latest vibrant range. Bursting with colour, humour and joy, this quirky card collection includes designs to cover all manner of occasions, from birthdays and anniversaries, to get well soon, and more. Printed in the UK on premium 300gsm board, they’re blank inside.
Holy Mackerel 01395 578571 sales@holy-mackerel.co.uk
Paperlink’s new range, Fifty Shades of Green, is perfect for anyone who finds seeds of joy in horticulture, garden centres, and the occasional alfresco cocktail. Blooming with humour, this collection celebrates the ups and downs of plant parenting, garden centre splurges and green-thumbed triumphs (and mishaps!). The range comprises 10 designs providing a fresh take on life’s lushest hobby.
Paperlink 0207 5828244 www.paperlink.co.uk
Pressing For Colour
Neon Press is a new contemporary typographical range from Clare Maddicott Publications. Created using a minimal palette of bold eye-catching colours teamed with vibrant neon inks and a striking shiny metallic gold finish making for an attention-grabbing collection. The cards come with a neon pink and orange striped envelope. Clare Maddicott/Abacus Cards 01638 569050 www.maddicott.com
Green And Pheasant Land
Lucilla Lavender has worked with renowned illustrator Liz Vanden Baviere to create Pheasantries, a range of 28 fun designs depicting animals doing things that you certainly wouldn’t expect. A guitar-playing lobster, an alligator enjoying a glass of red and a pheasant inside a present, for starters.
There are 28 designs in the range, which cover general birthdays, ages and a selection of occasions, all enhanced by foiling and embossing.
Lucilla Lavender +44 (0)203 4051 410 www.lucillalavender.com
Flowery Folk
Mary O’Malley is a new artist that has joined the ArtPress roster of talented designers for 2025. Her designs draw on the traditional look of Folk Art, but with a magic twist of using intense contemporary colour palette and pattern placement. All 170x120mm, they come with a recycled Kraft envelope.
ArtPress Publishing 020 7231 2923
www.art-press.co.uk
A selection of lovely new launches that are bursting onto the market.
Woofing Frankly
The Art File’s Call Me Frank greeting card collection is back, and with a brand-new look. This luxury collection, created by in-house designer, Lucie Cox features the beloved dachshund Frank on his many playful adventures. Every card in this collection is finished with blue and orange pantone, deboss and comes with a matching orange envelope. The Art File 0115 8507490 www.theartfiletrade.
Cowboy Time
Yeehaw is Pink Pig Cards’ latest range comprising 17 fun designs depicting quirky characters such as a disco cow, wine drinking doggy, cute kitties and other critters. All 127x77mm (5”x7”), the designs all feature either silver or gold super shiny foil details and are complemented with a recycled kraft envelope.
Pink Pig Cards 07795 574548 www.pinkpigcards.com
Bright And Beautiful
There is no missing Noel Tatt’s new Crescendo and Pom Pom ranges as they both blast out super bright neon inks as well as foil and embossed finishes. There are a total of 32 designs (125x169mm) across the two ranges, covering a mix of birthday, occasions and ages. They come with a luxury crisp white envelope.
Noel Tatt 01227 811600 www.noeltatt.co.uk
Animal Antics
Picking up on two of UK’s big loves, animals and humour, Nigel Quiney Publications has brought them together in the new Funkymals birthdays collection. The designs feature photographic animal images coupled with funny captions against a block colour background. All are accompanied with a bright coloured envelope.
Nigel Quiney Publications 01799 520200 www.nigelquiney.com
Golden Moments
Growing Shoots
Sprouts is the delightful name of James Ellis’ brand new children's range which includes general birthday designs, those covering ages 1-6, plus a new baby card. All 125x175mm, the cards have curved corners, embossed and foil details.
James Ellis 0117 9277667 www.jamesellis.com
As Good As Gold is among the newness from Lil Wabbit. On top of the 20 inaugural designs, each enhanced by gold foil detailing, another 45 will be debuting at PG Live in June.
As well as general birthday designs, occasions and some seasonal options have also been included, including some fun Easter ones, to encourage younger generations to get into the spirit of giving cards to celebrate the Easter period.
Lil Wabbit 07825 127775
www.lilwabbit.co.uk
JUST BOOK IT!
Anyone who’s ever had to cobble together a child’s dream outfit at the last minute for World Book Day on the first Thursday in March every year knows the importance of stories and reading so it’s not surprising books are an ongoing trend in greeting cards too. PG turns the pages on the book-related design trend.
Books are a great theme for card designs because they can be used to set the scene, fill in the background, or come to the fore as more people are realising how much they love a good book.
As licensing agent and trends forecaster Hannah Curtis, of Creative Sparrow, recently explained: “Reacting to the rise of AI we naturally feel the desire to learn, to read and be imparted with knowledge. The bookshelf depicts the need to appreciate the act of collecting things, of surrounding yourself with cherished possessions that nourish the soul. Piles of books with thoughtful titles, book cover-style designs and the act of reading all make lovely images for greeting cards.”
The Art File and Two For Joy Illustration are just two publishers who have done just that with their respective Storybook and
Chapter and Verse
The print book market has bounced back in recent years, especially after the reading surge that happened during the Covid lockdowns.
In 2023, the UK print book market was 10% higher than in 2019, while the e-book market faced challenges, with sales down by 2.9% over the same period. Overall, the UK book market was worth an impressive £6.3billion in 2023.
Bookish ranges, different takes on the theme of a card that looks like a book.
Embellished with gold foil and embossing, the die-cut designs of Storybook have been incredibly successful for The Art File, with
Independent bookshops have made a notable comeback from 868 in 2017, the numbers have increased to 1,052 in 2024, against the backdrop of challenges for UK High Streets.
(Source: Allsorted)
its festive range winning the Best Christmas Counter Range in The Henries 2024, and the main collection is a Cards, Wraps & Stationery finalist in Gift Of The Year 2025 awards, while the Chapter Around The Sun design has just made the Birthday General $5.50 & Below shortlist for the US GCA’s Louie Awards 2025.
Two For Joy’s founder Louise Richardson has spent two years developing her Bookish
Between The Covers… revelations of current page turners for publishers.
Mark Williams and Ben Hickman, Brainbox Candy co-owners
Currently reading: Mark: “I have about 20 books by my bed that I haven’t read yet. I haven’t read seriously for years.”
Ben: “Bob Mortimer’s latest book Hotel Avocado, it’s a crime novel and very good.”
Favourite book: Mark: “The Creative Act by Rick Rubin, it’s an amazing book. He used to be The Beastie Boys’ producer and it’s about creativity and where it comes from, and how to explain it.”
Ben: “There are too many
– I really loved Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka, it makes me sing! It’s one of those high-brow books that I had to read in uni but I genuinely loved it. Another book that’s great is Dear Boy: The Life Of Keith Moon by Tony Fletcher. It’s hysterical because of all the things he gets up to, and sad, making you think, and is a real page turner.”
Yvonne Clarkson, Heyyy Cards coowner
Currently reading: “As if I have time to read! I do love crime though so have Lee Childs’ latest Jack Reacher on the go.”
Favourite book: “Winnie The Pooh. I’ve got the bound hardback version that was given to me as a
child, but I think it’s great because if you have a bad day Pooh always says something to Piglet and it’s always lovely. There’s so much in there.”
Liz and Andrew Marten, English Graphics’ co-owners
Currently reading: Andrew: “The Wager by David Grann, about shipwreck, mutiny and murder, it’s fantastic, and it’s from a true story – it’s brilliant.”
Liz: “I’m just about to start reading one of my book club books, The Wedding People, and another book club one is Tomorrow Tomorrow.”
Favourite book: Liz: “I’ve read so many books I can’t begin to think of them, but I have just read The Rose
Top: Books can take you out of this world. Above: The Art File’s Ged Mace and the Louiesnominated design.
Book Bound
Getting people through the door is always the deal with a bricks-and-mortar store, and bookshops are no exception, so offering extra chapters alongside all the printed pages is commonplace.
And the sheer number of bookshops that offer greeting cards alongside the books is continually growing – national chain Waterstones is a prime example, with publishers vying to get picked by their buyers.
Bookends in Christchurch is just one of the indies that loves cards too, being a Retas finalist in the Best Independent Bookstore Retailer Of Greeting Cards category for the past three years, among no less than 15 different stores over the same period, and there are many others up and down the country.
Carnforth Bookshop co-owner Sam Woodcock, “but we have a full-size card shop incorporated. We've got literally the same offer as an average card shop, it's not just a couple of spinners, we have full rows of cards, plus a number of spinners.”
“Obviously we're a book shop,” said
range, which she sells through her card business as well as via a licensing deal with Otter House and now has over 40 designs, with A Latte Love and Neat Birthday among the latest.
“I was inspired because I love the classic designs you see on oldfashioned books,” Louise said. “Perhaps it was my eight years behind the till at WHSmith scanning lots of beautiful but modern books which made me appreciate a cloth-bound book cover design even more – the italic texts, floral motifs,
Explaining that she and husband Neil stock a “huge mix” of greeting cards from Ginger Betty, Janie Wilson, Rachel Ellen, and smaller companies like Chris Ceaser, through to Woodmansterne, Pigment, Tracks, Jonny Javelin, and Second Nature, as well as local artists’ cards, Sam explained that when they took over 11 years ago the previous owners, who’d been in charge for 14 years, had just introduced cards to the store
Code which is about Bletchley Park and very good.”
Abi Righini-Brand, The Art File sales executive
Currently reading: “I’ve got back into reading and just finished The Storied Life Of AJ Fikary by Gabrielle Zevin, it’s about a bookshop owner and was really good.”
Favourite book: “I like anything from John Marr, my favourite is The One and I’ve just finished Passengers. There are always lots of twists and turns.”
Ged Mace, The Art File MD
Currently reading: “Odyssey by Stephen Fry. My sister bought me Troy when it came out and that was tough going but, at school, we did the Odyssey for Greek Literature O level and it’s a boys’ book so I loved it.”
deep moody colour palettes, border designs.”
And she’s now expanding the theme with a complementary new range of bookmark
Dean Morris, Dean Morris Cards owner
Currently reading: “I’m a really rubbish reader so nine times out of 10 it’s a travel book. I’m reading a Rough Guide To Sri Lanka – I’m not going there at the moment but will at some point.”
Favourite book: “The best book I’ve ever read is Journey From Lost To Found by Cheryl Strayed. That was an inspirational book, I couldn’t put it down. It was about hiking and travel, I love
that’s sold books since the
She added: “We've gone even further on cards, but it just fits well. It works really well in the shop.
We have some from Tracks of animals with books, and Woodmansterne have bookthemed cards.
“And we do well with Museums & Galleries such as Percy The Park Keeper, Alice In Wonderland, Guess How Much I Love You – I love the children’s books so it’s great to be able to have the cards as well. We probably do the younger age matching cards more, but books and cards just go so
cards, which have a removable bookmark so it’s a card and gift in one.
Bookmarks are the thing that puts Brainbox Candy on trend as co-owner Ben Hickman commented: “We don’t sell anything with books on – but do have bookmarks,” with the range of magnetic funny and rude designs matching both inhouse card ranges as well as licences including David Shrigley, Modern Toss and Bold & Bright.
Books and bookshops are a happy place for the Holy Mackerel team, inspiring a whole set of collections – Funny Olde World brings literary legends to life such as Beatrix Potter,
from being a kid, because he’s from Manchester and I am too, so I can relate. I’m also listening to a motivational book, McCaw and constantly nicking things out of
Allen Taylor, IC&G sales
Currently reading: “I do a lot of audio books, currently it’s Jason Manford’s autobiography Brung Up . It’s his experience
reading a Jack Reacher read about two pages a night and then fall asleep!”
Favourite book: “Probably Lord Of The Rings, years ago and loved it, it was great.”
Sarah Fitzgerald and Sara Burford, Cinnamon Aitch’s coowners
Currently reading: Sarah: “I’ve just finished Hello Beautiful by Ann Napolitano, I enjoyed it and cried at the end – I like a bit of a cry but it was ridiculous!”
Right and below right: The Carnforth Bookstore hides a full-sized card shop Below: Sam Woodcock (right) in bookseller mode with Dales Detective author Julia Chapman
Right from the Brainbox boys. Above: Mr Darcy inspiration from Holy Mackerel.
my to-do pile of a woman reading a book and it says ‘fuck off, I’m reading’.”
Paper Salad’s Jamboree academic range definitely fits the bill as it’s all about learning and books, while Cinnamon Aitch co-owner Sarah Fitzgerald said: “We have a few designs with books that are popular, such as our love story and everyone loves reading. They’re just nice
Jane Austen, Shakespeare, Dickens, and Burns, then there’s the character cards of Mr Darcy In A Wet Shirt, plus the black and white Alternative Image captions like Kitten With Books, and the Book Lover and Bookish Type witty ones in Vinegar & Brown Paper.
Beyond cards, the literary passion extends to bookmarks, making the perfect companion for any book lover with Jane Austen, Shakespeare, Sherlock Holmes, and Poldark all featuring.
Santoro has another angle on the theme with books featuring on its 3D pop-ups, particularly The Book Café Swing Card design which has also caught the attention of the Gift Of The Year 2025 judges as a Cards, Wraps & Stationery finalist, as well as across the Pond in the Louie Awards 2025 in the Paper Engineering & Innovation category.
Known for his naughty humour designs, Dean Morris admitted: “I’ve got a book-related design in
Heyyy Cards has taken to the trend with co-owner Yvette Clarkson saying they came up with the new design “because people love reading and a lot of our subjects are hobbies so it’s something a bit different – and we supply a lot of bookshops so they go hand in hand”, and it’s a similar story for Imogen Partridge, who also has a hobbies range.
Currently reading: Sara: “The only time I ever read is on holiday or when I’m ill – I just fall asleep!”
Favourite book: Sarah: “Lessons In Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus is one of the more recent ones that I’ve really enjoyed.”
Sara: “The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle. I loved it as a child, I was always fascinated by all the holes in the book, and it was different.”
Lydia Johnson, LydiaMae Design founder
Currently reading: who’s eight, mostly so it’s Dead Good Detectives by Jenny Mclachlan, ghostly adventures and I’m really enjoying it. He loves it too – I started a different book but he thought it was boring.”
Tache’s Elmer range, taken from the muchloved children’s illustrated collection featuring the patchwork elephant, with co-owners Frank Nicholls and Pennie Bryant just launching new designs including ages and Mother’s Day – just in time for their own first baby’s birth in March!
At ArtPress, there are a number of designs using artworks with books both for cards and notecards, while Happy Street’s Apple Tree Lane collection has coloured spines that look like books, and owner Natalie Gladstone said: “They do particularly well in bookshops. One of our bestsellers To My Favourite Bookworm is particularly popular with book lovers and celebrates the joy of reading.”
There are also many designs inspired by books, such as
Favourite book: “The Observer Books that I use for inspiration.”
Karen Wilson, Paper Salad owner
Currently reading: “I’ve just read Phil Lynott’s book My Boy by his mother Philomena Lynott, and that was fascinating.”
And master of the art of featuring proper books on cards is Museums & Galleries, with various Roald Dahl images, Brambly Hedge, Paddington, The Tiger Who Came To Tea, Percy The Park Keeper, Guess How Much I Love You, Alice In Wonderland and so many others in the publisher’s Classics. British Library, and The Illustrators collections.
So, whether you’re a bookshop, a literary enthusiast, or simply someone who appreciates a beautifully-crafted card, it’s time to explore – after all, nothing pairs better with a good book than a card that celebrates the joy of reading!
Louise Richardson, Two
Currently reading: “More
Sales Please by Sara Nasser Dalrymple. it’s taken me a little bit longer to get through it but it was recommended to me by one of my stockists, and is about marketing.”
Favourite book: “To Kill A Mockingbird. I love that book, I read it at school and re-read it recently, and it was just as good.”
Frank Nicholls, Tache coowner
Currently reading: “The audio book The Power Of Now by Eckhart Tolle, it’s really good –I’m on my second read through because it’s that good.”
Favourite book: “The Untethered Soul: The Journey Beyond Yourself by Michael Alan Singer, so interesting.”
Favourite book: “The original A Series Of Unfortunate Events, I was given it as a birthday present and it’s where my love of books came from. I re-read it every so often and love it still.”
Holy Mackerel team
Favourite books: “There’s no secret of the love for books from the Holy Mackerel team. Katie loves The Count Of Monte Cristo, Sarah adores The Short Stories Of
HG Wells, Emma treasures The Very Hungry Caterpillar, and Wyn finds solace in Birdsong.”
Above: Santoro’s Book Café card. Above right: Sara and Sarah have a few books cards at Cinnamon Aitch.
Right: Paper Salad has an academic range.
Left: Reading is a hobby for Heyyy Cards’ Yvette. Below: ArtPress has book artwork.
Above: Hobbies means books at Imogen Partridge. Below: Happy Street’s loveable bookworm.
Below: Tache’s Frank with Elmer. Below right: Debbie Williams with just some of M&G’s book designs.
Category
PG ASKED A TRIO OF RETAILERS FOR THEIR BEST SELLERS
Neil and Sam Woodcock, co-owners of Carnforth Bookshop, Carnforth. Greeting cards are a major part of this store in a Lancashire market town.
Name
Tracks
Janie Wilson
Jonny Javelin Woodmansterne Paper Salad
Woodmansterne Paperlink Pigment
Rachel Ellen Noel Tatt
Hype
Toasted Crumpet Anne Cotterill
Woodmansterne
Ginger Betty Museums & Galleries
Noel Tatt
Chris Ceasar
Second Nature
Noel Tatt
Ginger Betty; Molly Mae; Rachel Ellen; Museums & Galleries; Artebene; Caspari; Penny Kennedy
Jellycat Warmies
Alex Clark; Berni Parker; Museums & Galleries; Widdop; Wrendale That Company Called If; Sea Gems; Museums & Galleries; Wrendale
“Beautiful cards depicting flowers that are specific to that month,.”
“The little ones in the Ooh La La range are really lovely.”
“People love Jonny Javelin’s wordy cards.”
“Lovely, classy looking designs that hit the right spot.”
“Big, trendy, snazzy, cards.”
“We’ve not tried this range before, but they're selling really well.”
“Very funny animal-related, designs that sell really well.”
“I love listening to people laughing, choosing the cards.”
“Gorgeous, really nice cards.”
“New in this this week and we’ve sold a few already.”
“They’re going really well.”
“A lovely little dinky range.”
“A lovely selection of art cards.”
“Anne passed away and her daughter, Catherine does these floral cards now based on Anne's back catalogue.”
“So cute and so beautiful. We stock the little keepsake cards too.”
“These are lovely cards, especially the animal designs.”
“People like the images and that they support the charity.”
“Lovely photographic views of Yorkshire, Lancashire, the Peak District etc.”
“We have two spinners of these, covering occasions, ages as well as general designs.”
“The fold out format works well.”
“In flat wrap we do well with Ginger Betty, Molly Mae, Rachel Ellen, Museums & Galleries, Artebene and Caspari. On roll wrap, it’s Artebene and Penny Kennedy.”
“Of course!”
“The new designs have just arrived instore.
“We offer a large range of mugs.”
“People buy them to go with their books, or because they want something thin and light to post.”
Right: Tracks month cards are selling out.
Right: Jumbo cards from Paper Salad.
Right: Floral art by Anne Cotterill.
Right: Neil’s so happy with Jellycat.
The Card Centre in Felixstowe, co-owner John Barratt and manager Andrew Reid. After more than 75 years in business, this established card shop knows what they’re doing in this Suffolk coastal town.
Category Name of Publisher
Everyday Relations & Occasions
Humour
Children’s
Photographic
3D/Pop-Ups
Gift Wrappings Gifts
Nigel Quiney
Cardiau Nico The Art File
IC&G
Jonny Javelin Words ’N’ Wishes Paperlink
Louise Mulgrew UK Greetings
Louise Mulgrew
Museums & Galleries
Holy Mackerel
Art Angels Alljoy Design
Glick Repeat Repeat
Product/Name Range Comments
Pizazz
General Storybook
General
Bottom Line
General
Licensed ranges
Safari Party
General
Alternative Image
Die-Cut
Message In A Bottle
General Mugs
“Consistently refreshed. It appeals to so many different ages. People buy four or five at a time –and other day someone bought 25!”
“The whole collection is good.”
“People really relate to these cards.”
“These are all great ranges, customers like the captions, particularly IC&G with its more niche captions.”
“Very good price and value. It’s gentle humour always, with an edge of suggestion.”
“The cute ones tend to go very well for children.”
“Star Wars etc, something that both kids and adults know.”
“The colours are good, beautiful drawings, offering contemporary options for older ages.”
“The Art Of Print, the new everyday range, is fantastic.”
“People just love all the mad old photos, including some from film and cinema.”
“We’ve just had them in and they’ve gone very well.”
“They haven’t done a bad one yet. They sit on the shelf afterwards as a keepsake.”
“Great designs and great quality for the price, those things count.”
“The Happiness Is…Being By the Coast is great for Felixstowe.”
Chelle Thompson, owner of The Shop on the Island, South Molton.
A cute bow-fronted store that stocks a wide range of cards, gifts, toys games and balloons in a south Devon town. Everyday
The Eco-friendly Card Company IC&G
& Occasions
Great British Card Company/Paper House Emotional
“We can’t get enough of these cards. They are always adding new ones.”
“A nice wordy cool range.”
“GBCC really seems to have upped its game. These are sophisticated and lovely.”
“My top range, that’s a bit naughty. People love them and can’t get enough of them.”
“This range goes from 13 upwards with loads of information.”
Cute/art
3D/Pop-Ups Gift Wrappings
Noel Tatt
Noel Tatt UK Greetings
“We’re a rural community so people love the farming side of things.”
“For the price you do get a lot of card.”
“The rollwrap is good quality, look good and come in sixes, so you can offer a huge variety.”
“People really love the sponges that are pre-loaded with the soap, and their bath bombs. Great for kids and adults.”
“Nice silver jewellery, that's reasonably priced and well presented.”
“Plush made out of recycled bottles and other items. The elephants, the little octopus is very sweet, unicorns.
Right: Paperlink’s humour is a winner.
Right: Louise Mulgrew’s age cards don’t look old.
Right: A wizard seller from Holy Mackerel.
Right: GBCC’s Opia sells well.
Right: Noel Tatt’s Zigzag.
Right: IC&G makes age interesting.
Right: Model Family fun from Emotional Rescue.
Art Source
Grande In The Hand
Swedish illustrator Maja Lindberg is not short of claims to fame. She’s illustrated a book for Abba’s Björn Ulvaeus, one of her designs was the clutch bag of choice for Ariane Grande at the recent Wicked premiere, and her ethereal artwork graces the portfolios of Museums & Galleries, Flame Tree Publishing, Santoro among others.
PG joins Maja on her creative journey.
“I am a Swedish artist and illustrator.
I live and work as an illustrator in a seaside village called Lomma in the south of Sweden, together with my husband and teenage daughter (while my son lives and works in Helsinki, Finland).
Ever since I was a young girl I’ve been obsessed by craft. My mum was a preschool teacher and she used to try out different craft materials with me and my friends. I think there’s where my need for being creative started.
I’ve been working as an illustrator for over ten years now.
Earlier in my life I was a ceramic artist and a web assistant, but returning to Sweden after three years in China with my family, I found myself unemployed and so I started to draw. I bought a printer and set up a store at Etsy.com and from then on I was hooked for a life as an illustrator.
I am inspired by fairytales, dreams, and childhood memories. My work is colourful with a hint of dark in it, often a little melancholic with a dreamy touch. Most of my work is digital illustration using Procreate.
The first book that I illustrated, was The Little White Piano, a children’s book by Björn Ulvaeus (from ABBA). It was a huge honour just being asked and gave me a taste for working on more books! I have been fortunate to have had my work now published on eight children’s books.
However, I am also excited that my work has appeared on all manner of products, including greeting cards published by Museums & Galleries, Sellers Publishing, Santoro London and
Trader Joes. Meanwhile my Twelve Days of Christmas collection has been published by both Flame Tree Publishing and Nautilus Puzzles. I have also been commissioned to illustrate a whole circus-themed collection for a digital puzzle game Illustrated on Apple Arcade.
And I was delighted that Ariane Grande chose to take an Olympia Le Tan book clutch bag based on my Wizard of Oz artwork to the recent Wicked film premiere!
One question that I’m asked a lot is, where I get inspiration and ideas from for my illustrations. And the answer is, everywhere. I can watch a movie, think about a childhood memory, go to a museum, read a book etc. Mostly I start drawing one idea, but in the end it turns out to be something completely different from what I was planning. That is the beauty of life as an illustrator.”
• Maja Lindberg is represented for commissions and licensing by Jehane.
WANT TO BE FEATURED? If you are an artist, photographer or verse writer and would like to be considered
contact PG’s Jakki Brown on jakkib@max-publishing.co.uk. This is an
Above: Ariane Grande with an Olympia le Tan embroidered book clutch bag based on a design by Maja Lindberg. Left: A spring design by Maja.
Below left: There’s a touch of the fairytale about some of Maja’s deisgns. Below right: An advent calendar from Flame Tree based on Maja’s artwork.
Above: Rich characterisation by Maja. Below: Some quirky festive cuteness by Maja.
Above: Maja Lindberg.
PRODUCT DIRECTORY l PRODUCT DIRECTORY PRODUCT DIRECTORY
CHARITY GREETING CARDS
One of the UK’s leading publishers of Charity Greeting Cards. Impress offers a wide collection of images, including fine art, graphic, photographic and cute. We also offer a bespoke design service for bulk orders and/or mail order fulfilment.
PRODUCT DIRECTORY l PRODUCT DIRECTORY l PRODUCT DIRECTORY
PRODUCT
6 Heron Trading Estate Alliance Road, Park Royal, London W3 0RA T: 0208 385 4474 F: 0208 385 4471
E: info@Xpressyourselfcards.co.uk
WWW.XXPRESSYOURSELFCARDS.CO.UK
PRODUCTS: World’s leading publisher of high quality plastic greeting cards. Also an extensive range of quality greeting cards covering Everyday, Occasions, Christmas and Spring seasons.
BRANDS: Cherished Thoughts, Sweet Sentiments, Buddies Always, Symphony, Thinking of You, Style, Special Wishes, Special Times, Young Editions, Groove Sensations, Forever Blessed, Grey Skies, Classics.
METHOD OF SALE: SENSATIONS –Direct to retail
XPRESS YOURSELF –Now one of the leading wholesale publisher suppliers in the UK
for
Tel:01274531828
Email: info@herbertwalkers.co.uk
www.herbertwalkers.co.uk
Tuesday 3 June and Wednesday 4 June 2025
London’s Business Design Centre
An upbeat vibe, newness galore – and free refreshments, lunch and opening night party, PG Live 2025 is not to be missed! Over 180 fabulous companies have already booked their stands… and there are plenty more in the pipeline. PG Live has lots of great retailer fans…
“We spent a fantastic couple of days at PG Live. It was great, as always to catch up with our suppliers, see the new ranges, and meet new talented designers. The whole Scribbler team got involved in hosting the PG lunch, alongside our friends at Talking Tables, and got to play a small part in the event, which really added to our enjoyment.”
Tori Heath-Smith, buying manager of
“The show was great! Thoroughly enjoyable with some fantastic product and beautiful people to share it with. My colleague Heather (who has never been before) loved it, and her comment was: Why can’t all trade shows be like this?!”
Sonya Haandrikman -Sibbald, co-owner of Celebrations, Carlisle
Don’t Miss Out… Book Your Free Tickets
Registration is now live at: www.progressivegreetingslive.com
Register now and be a part of it!
Call us on: (0) 7734 111633 or email: jimb@max-publishing.co.uk Follow us @PGLiveLondon
#pglive2025
“PG Live is great – we’ll be planning to attend for both days in 2025 as there are so publishers to see. PG Live is always great for catching up with current publishers in person as well as discovering new ones and we of course love the lunch”
Hazel Walker, senior buyer of greeting cards, stationery and gift wrap for Waterstones
Want to know about exhibiting at PG Live 2025?
We have stand options available to suit all shapes and sizes.
Contact: Tracey Arnaud on 07957 212062
traceya@max-publishing.co.uk
Warren Lomax on 07977 572086
warrenl@max-publishing.co.uk www.progressivegreetingslive.com
Scribbler