30-31_Tesco.qxp_Grid 06/03/2025 15:18 Page 1
In Conversation With… TESCO
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 delivering in store. 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.
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.
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. “We are having a fantastic year on greeting cards, with positive like-for-like sales across all
30 PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE
areas, with particularly strong sales on Valentine’s and Thank You Teacher cards,” Ross told PG, while Christmas cards delivered too with “solid year on year growth in both volume and value on single cards,” revealed Ross. Having been involved with the merchandising aspect for a couple of years prior to taking on the buying side when Tesco’s greeting card team was restructured last year, Ross is relishing “overseeing the end-to-end process.”
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.