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From The Editor

ON THE CARDS I love it that we have definite seasons in the UK, they define our year, both personally and businesswise and give us something to look forward to. I’ve just finished reading Spring, a wonderful book by Michael Murpogo which is an uplifting memoir of the season unfolding in the pocket of rural Devon that has been the author’s home for over 40 years. The effects of climate change cannot be ignored but we can and should enjoy the seasons, and the Mother Nature’s Spring delights have certainly provided something of a salve for ongoing unnerving uncertainties. Witnessing the trees coming into leaf, birds frantically taking food back to their nests, tadpoles wriggling in our ponds and us gorging on the sweet spears of British Asparagus rank for me as some of the best gifts of life. But my literary flourish over (Warren asked whether I was trying to achieve a Booker prize nomination?!), there is a lot to be joyful about this late Spring. After all the negative publicity of the Royal Mail and the increase in National Insurance employers’ contribution, there are some bright sunny times ahead for our great industry, although no doubt there will be a few rain clouds along the way. As I write this, our largest specialist greeting card chain,

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Above: (Right-left) Angela Anderson (Danilo), Eleanor Bowmer (Eleanor Bowmer), Jakki Brown (PG), Karen Wilson (Paper Salad), Mark Callaby (Ohh Deer), Edd Hamp at the recent Brand & Lifestyle Licensing Awards. Left: PG’s Jakki Brown’s fave Easter card by Western Sketch. Below: PG’s Warren Lomax and Jakki Brown with all the packets and parcels full of PG Live exhibitors’ cards that are being transformed into dresses for the show’s meeters and greeters.

Cardfactory reported pre-tax profits of over £60 million and a 6% increase year on year in sales. Not bad at all, given the difficulties the retail sector has faced and solid proof that greeting cards are still a key part of British culture. And in an extension of my Spring metaphor, Spring Seasons were Cardfactory’s star performers. And next month on June 3 and 4, we stage our 16th PG Live, and we are so proud to reveal with 217 confirmed exhibitors it is one of our largest yet. Just think of all that new product that will be on show to refresh your card racks. If you have not registered yet, why not give yourself a Spring treat and book your ticket now? And finally, we announce in this issue, all the finalists of this years, Retas awards. And what a line-up it is, of indies, specialists and multiples? Proof if any were needed of the resilience and endurance of the thousands of bricks and mortar retailers, that sell the millions of greeting cards that we Brits ‘harvest’ every year. I will now await my Spring invite to address the Hay on Wye literary festival!

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ry Katrantzou is a Greek fashion designer living working in London. Dubbed “The Queen of Print” ress, Katrantzou’s work has changed the face of st Century fashion, inspiring high fashion and high street designers alike.

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Mary Katrantzou is a Greek fashion designer living and working in London. Dubbed “The Queen of Print” by press, Katrantzou’s work has changed the face of 21st Century fashion, inspiring high fashion and high street designers alike. Brand new Greetings Cards and Gift Wrap now available to order. Please visit our website or contact your agent for more info.

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CONTENTS 29

9-21 News All the latest happenings and developments in the trade.

22-23 The Retas 2025 Finalists Rollcall of the greeting card retailers who have made it into the finals of The Retas 2025 greeting card retail awards.

24-25 Over The Counter A Pebble In My Shoe The phrase ‘It’s not the boulder in your path, but the pebble in your shoe,’ resonated with David Robertson, co-owner of JP Pozzi as he confronts the recent challenges in his business.

What’s Inside?

41-43 PG Live Newbies Everyone Has A Story… PG shares chapter and verse about some PG Live newbies and their respective journeys into this wonderful industry.

44-45 Retailer Profile More Than Most Sophie Edwards, co-owner of More Than Just a Gift in Narborough Hall shares why she has had a bonanza April and the launch of a Smart Shopkeepers’ Club.

47-49 Focus on…Diversity & Inclusion Swim For It! PG delves into some of the progress and developments on diversity and inclusion cards.

26-27 Cardsharp Alas Smith and Jones As WHSmith high street shops’ change of ownership beckons a change to the TG Jones trading name, Cardsharp was reminded of the Alas Smith and Jones comedy series.

29-35 Viewpoints Tariff Turmoil

51 Art Source Creative Lee-way He’s renowned for his greeting card cartoons, but Lee Fearnley is also building a reputation for his fine art oil paintings too. PG caught up with this legendary artist.

52-53 What’s Hot?

Publishers and US distributors vent their spleens on the ramifications of the tariffs for exports from the UK and China into the States.

A trio of retailers reveal their bestselling ranges.

54-63 Sources of Supply 37-39 Innovations

THE 2025 FOCUS ON HUMOUR CARDS PUBLICATION ALSO ACCOMPANIES THIS EDITION OF PG.

Publishers’ new ranges and designs. Subscribe to Progressive Greetings from £60 (UK) to £90 (International). You can organise this quickly and easily online at our secure site: www.max-subscriptions.net For assistance, please email subscriptions@max-publishing.co.uk

Jakki Brown

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Copyright© 2025. While every effort has been made to ensure the information in this magazine was correct at the time of publication, the publishers cannot accept legal liability for any errors or omissions, nor can they accept responsibility for the standing of advertisers nor any organisation mentioned in the text. Views of contributors do not necessarily reflect those of the publishers.

Ian Hyder

PG is the official magazine for the Greeting Card Association GCA: Amanda Fergusson 020 7619 9266 Email: hello@gca.cards www.greetingcardassociation.org.uk

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NEWS TOP STORY

Clintons Returns To Profit The new look store unveil is days away As PG went to press, the unveiling of the new blueprint for Clintons’ retail stores was days away, with the final touches being put to the store concept that will be christened in Gateshead’s Metrocentre, which if successful will then be replicated throughout the estate. More good news is confirmation that Clintons returned to profit since being taken little over a year ago by the Taylor family through their Pillarbox Designs business. In the year to 29 June 2024, which includes four months under Pillarbox directors Paul Taylor and his son James heading it up, the retail business swung to a pre-tax profit of £8.1million from a £5.4m loss in the previous 12 months. According to the annual report and consolidated financial statements filed at Companies House under the name Esquire Retail, and signed by Paul on 27 March, the good news came despite a 14% drop in sales from £96.5m to £82.6m, as 15 stores were closed, leaving the estate trading from around 170 stores nationwide. The £3,930k borrowed before Pillarbox took over was repaid in full early in 2024 and no new finance was required for the remainder of the year. James told PG of plans for a new store concept set

Above: The last store Clintons makeover was back in 2012. Below: Paul (left) and James Taylor have been guiding Clintons for a year.

to be unveiled this month, but added that trading conditions for some Cardzone and Clintons store locations in Q1 this year had been “tough” although both Valentine’s Day and Mother’s Day sales had been positive. “We are under no illusion that Q2 and the remainder of this year is going to be very tough,” said James. The annual report echoed this in the resume of the year’s trading: “The High Street continues to be unpredictable and the company is seeing reduced footfall in the stores year on year.” The recent report referenced the extra staffing costs which have just been imposed on businesses: “Like many other retailers, the company continues to face significant cost pressure on wages given the increases in the national minimum wage.”

The Art File barks in Selfridges’ windows

Above: Jo Scott in front of the Selfridges window and some of her Hounds paintings.

To check out one of The Art File’s new ranges before its PG Live launch, then just take a wander past Selfridges’ windows in London’s Oxford Street. Dogs are part of the iconic department store retailer’s Obsessions theme for

spring and summer, and paintings have been used to decorate the window – with two of the six on show from artist and former greeting card publisher Jo Scott. And her artworks are also part of The Art File’s upcoming Hounds By Jo Scott collection which will launch at PG Live on 3-4 June, slap bang in the middle of the four-month display at Selfridges, which runs through to July. Ged Mace, md of The Art File, said: “We’ve always loved Jo's work and are thrilled to announce Hounds By Jo Scott, all square format cards and we’re also producing a Hounds calendar for 2027.”

Easter Trading Hopped Up It was a case of bouncing bunnies over the Easter period with indie retailers reporting strong sales across the board as the sunshine and warmer weather kicked in. It was a cracking Easter at Highworth Emporium, where co-owner Aga Marsden said: “Our Easter trade overall was up 9% compared to last year so we were chuffed. Easter Saturday saw a real spike in Easter card sales – well beyond expectations. Our Easter cards sales were up 2% in volume” with individual cards outselling packs this year. Card sales held up well too for Hugs & Kisses’ owner Caroline Ranwell. “Easter does seem to get better every year with customers wanting titles as well as open Easter in singles and in packs. Our customers ask for Easter cards pretty early,” Caroline explained. At No14 Ampthill, owner Jo Barber said: “We had a really great Easter, much better than 2024, the warm weather certainly helped, as did the early start to the school holidays - and we had very little left over!” At Bailey’s three stores in Ainsdale, Crosby, and Maghull, owner Penny Bailey said her Easter card sales ended on a par with last year. Kaye Thurgood, who has two Sincerely Yours stores in Shenfield and Hornchurch, and said: “Both shops were extremely busy, we were up on trade the whole two weeks before Good Friday, and Saturday was really strong. Sales of Easter packs slow – possibly due to the price of stamps – but single Easter card sales were good.”

Above: It was choc-ablock at Highworth Emporium. Right: Ling’s pretty cards did well for Hugs & Kisses.

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NEWS TOP STORY

PG Live Excitement Soars Almost 220 exhibitors, over 25% new to the show It is now only a few weeks to wait until the doors open on the annual greeting card extravaganza that is Progressive Greetings Live – and the excitement is truly building for the 217 exhibitors, 62 of whom are brand new to the two-day show, that takes place Tuesday 3 June and Wednesday 4 June at London’s Business Design Centre. “PG Live 2025 is all set to be very special indeed. Not only do we have an incredible line-up of almost 220 exhibitors, but over a quarter of these are brand new to the show, meaning that our wonderful visitors consisting of retail buyers and overseas distributors are in for a real feast for the eyes,” commented Warren Lomax, co-owner of Max Exhibitions, which organises and owns PG Live.

Among some of the recent additions joining the stellar cast of exhibitors that range from well-loved brands to newbie start-ups are Belly Button

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Tuesday 3 June and esday 4 June 2025 s Business Design Centre

Above: Special Delivery’s Mark Jamieson with the T-Rex card that helped sell his company and a new bird design that was suggested by Otter House.

Otter House x Special Delivery to debut at PG Live THE GREAT TEST COLLECTIO ON OF GREETING G CARDS IN THE WORLD

Above: The PG Live Preview is now being sent out to all who register for the show. Below: A very happy House of Cards’ Miles Robinson (centre) with The Art File’s Ged Mace (left) and James Mace at last year’s PG Live.

Designs, Two Bad Mice, The Happy Fruit & Veg Co, Yams Cards, Eliot Siegel, Compton and Clarke, Urban Steppin and Catherine Rayner. The retailer registrations for the show already reads like a ‘who’s who’ of greeting card stockists, with buyers from the likes of Waterstones, Oliver Bonas, Cardzone, Blue Diamond, Tesco, Fortnum & Mason, House of Cards, Squire’s, National Trust, Cardfactory, Temptation Gifts, Asda, Postmark, TK Maxx, Longacres, Home Bargains, UOE and Barkers already preparing to attend, alongside many leading indies and overseas distributors. All retailers and distributors who register will receive a full colour PG Live Preview publication crammed with enticing images of products and ranges that give a taster of some of the delights and offers that will be launched at the show.

Postcards and free money galore The Imaging Centre’s presses have been rolling, producing almost 10,000 personalised postcards free of charge for PG Live exhibitors (on board donated by GF Smith) for them to send out to their retail contacts, sharing what delights they will have on offer on their stands. Likewise, retailers who are feted in The Retas 2024 and 2025 retail awards are now receiving their special Gold, Silver and Sunshine Tickets offering them £150 or Above: The Imaging Centre team have £75 off an order placed at the show, again printed by The been busy printing Gold, Silver and Imaging Centre on Sunshine Tickets. Right: The Kent-based printer has had the GF Smith board. presses rolling on promotional postcards Meanwhile, all The for PG Live exhibitors. Greats gift retailer finalists and winners from the 2024 and 2025 awards have also received a £50 voucher to spend and all Cardgains members have also received a £50 voucher in readiness for the big industry spending spree.

There’s a special delivery set for PG Live as it will mark the official launch of Otter House’s latest brand addition – Special Delivery’s 3D cards. And the deal is all thanks to a small boy’s love of dinosaurs as Kirsty Guy, managing director at Exeterbased Otter House bought one of Special Delivery’s T-Rex designs for her grandson, which he absolutely loved and put the company on her radar. Fast forward a few months, and Otter House has now bought the Special Delivery business from Mark Jamieson, who founded and ran the business with wife Susan in Brighton. It was “when speaking to a distributor in the US,” that alerted Otter House sales director Graham Goodhead to Special Delivery’s potential “However, we didn’t know a lot about the company at that time and it went no further,” Graham added. “Kirsty then purchased a T-Rex card for her grandson and he was over the moon with it as he’s mad about dinosaurs. In the meantime, we’d heard Mark was looking for a possible buyer for the Special Delivery brand and so our conversations started. “Having spoken in-depth to Mark, he was passionate about keeping involved in the brand and especially the construction element of the cards going forward,” said Graham who added that “Mark will continue to have an involvement on the brand, make-up and construction of the cards and the hope is we can challenge him over the coming years to help us develop the range past its current constraints.”

Let’s dance! Alana Otter has been dancing like everyone’s watching because a whole ITV News audience was as the Paper Rose production manager was taking Above: Alana (right) was part in a 30-hour caught in many of the TV coverage shots. danceathon. Tapping into the vibe where greeting cards reach out to all, Alana is also a director of Inclusive Movement, Participatory Arts & Community Dance (IMPACD CIC) which is dedicated to making creative arts accessible to everyone. “I pledged to dance non-stop for the final 10 hours of the danceathon,” Alana said, “that’s around 30 virtual miles. I also volunteered for eight hours the day before, manning the greeting card stand generously donated by Paper Rose and posting social media updates so people could follow along with the fun.

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NEWS TOP STORY

The Retas 2025 Finalists Revealed Greeting card retailers earn their spurs as this year’s nominees Giddyup! The round-up is about to begin as 148 retailers start preparing for the rootin’ tootin’ hoedown as finalists in The Retas Awards 2025. Across 22 categories covering from regional independents and newbies, through small chains and bookshops, garden centres, supermarkets, and up to the largest multiples, all manner of stores stocking greeting cards are included in these prestigious annual awards that celebrate the best in greeting card retailing. The full list of finalists is featured on pages 22-23. The finalists were arrived at as a result of widely canvassing publishers, reps and agents for their retailer nominations and encouraged shops themselves to enter The Retas with seven finalists in most categories. The outright winners will be revealed at a wonderful afternoon event on Thursday 3

July, held in the ballroom of the Grosvenor House Hotel in London, which this year will take on a country and western theme. “Yee-haw!” exclaimed Jakki Brown, managing director and co-owner of Max Publishing, which owns and organises The Retas. “Every single one is a worthy finalist, proving what a brilliant community of greeting card retailers we have. They really have been pulling out all the stops over the past year, making great product selections, updating their stores and providing a great environment, and engaging with customers and the community. There’s now the wait to see who will be lassoing those trophies at the awards event.” The Retas 2025 is supported by a strong roster of committed sponsors which includes Abacus, The Art File, Belly Button Designs, Carte Blanche Greetings, Cath Tate Cards, Danilo,

Above: This year’s Retas awards event will take on a country and western theme.

GBCC, Hallmark, IC&G, Ohh Deer, Ling Design, Museums & Galleries, Paper Salad, Paperlink, Pigment, Progressive Greetings Live, Rosie Made A Thing, Sensations, Spring Fair, UK Greetings, Wendy Jones-Blackett, W Select and Woodmansterne. The afternoon celebration on 3 July includes a networking cocktail reception, sumptuous lunch and The Retas awards ceremony. Single tickets are £230+VAT, with tables available, and for enquiries and bookings, contact The Retas ticket office Createvents, on 0118 334 0085 or clare@createvents.co.uk or you can book via www.max-tickets.net. Left: The supportive sponsors will make The Retas go with a rootin’ tootin’ bang.

Great invitation to boot

Indies embraced #MyShopLife25

The Art File team rose to the challenge to create a stunning keepsake invitation for The Retas 2025. The publisher’s super talented in-house designer Beth Kemo came up with the design concept, with Loxleys taking on the printing, using board donated by GF Smith Above: The Art File’s Beth Kemo and envelopes from designed this year’s ticket. Enveco. Beth shares her inspiration for the ticket: “To begin the design, I started by looking at various shapes and designs of cowboy boots and sketching out how I might be able to fit text and imagery onto these shapes in order to create a fun western-themed invitation. I wanted people to leave people in any doubt about the theme so really wanted the cowboy boot to star! I then looked into ways I could incorporate two boots together, settling on the idea of a metal rivet to give the boots some movement and to add a fun feature! I added a gold stitching effect and used a font which was inspired by old western posters to tie the whole design together.”

The brainchild of Pencil Me In’s Sarah Holmes, the #MyShopLife25 social media challenge reached new heights in terms of widespread engagement from indie stores up and down the country who joined in, collectively banging the drum for independent retailing. Kicking off on April 21, the Day 1 Shopfront prompt saw numerous indie retailers take to Instagram and Facebook to shout about their wonderful stores. The challenge ran all week, with How To Shop,Throwback Thursday, Bestsellers, Saturday Shelfie and Being A Shopkeeper all featuring as prompts, the aim being to give owners a platform to celebrate their wonderful and varied stores. Sarah’s inventiveness is recognised by Pencil Me In featuring in the finalists line-up of The Retas in the Best Retailer Initiative this year.

Top: Sarah Holmes (centre) and colleagues in Pencil Me. Above: Sarah came up with prompts and ideas for the seven day campaign.

Vote for Sandra Jervis! Well known for her championing of indie retailers, Creative Cove’s Sandra Jervis has not only reached the finals of The Retas 2025, but has also been announced as the next candidate for the Welsh Liberal Democrats in the Ceredigion Benfro constituency. Following a ballot of party members in the constituency which covers Ceredigion and Pembrokeshire, including her home town of Lampeter, Sandra will be standing in the 2026 Senedd elections to join the Welsh devolved parliament. Above: Sandra Jervis “As a small business owner myself, I understand the challenges is hoping to be elected to the Senedd. facing high streets and the wider Welsh economy, and am proud that the Liberal Democrats are putting economic growth and reform at the centre of our Senedd election campaign,” the greeting card, stationery and gift shop owner said.

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NEWS TOP STORY

Tariff Havoc New American import duties impact on publishers and distributors Left: Donald Trump’s tariffs are Trump’s 10% tariff on all UK-manufactured goods being exported to the US as well as the crippling 145% tariffs on packaged cards, giftbags and stationery produced in China, is causing havoc for greeting card companies as well as US distributors of UK publishers. Having spent 45 years distributing cards and paper products from the UK, Notes & Queries founder and president Alan Harnik, who runs the business with MD daughter Vanessa, is convinced the company will survive the new challenges but said: “The tariffs will have a profound impact on UK publishers – I liken these new current events to the era of Covid when no one knew what was going to happen and who would or would not survive. Chaos in any form is never good for any economy or business.” While Notes & Queries has been working with its publishing partners to explore ways of mitigating the situation, the hefty tariffs on products produced in China now preclude these being viable for the company. Dalton Laluces, owner of Calypso and Nelson Line which both distribute UK publishers’ products in the States has taken a financial hit in the short term on products that were in transit, with prices agreed

causing havoc to business. Below: Dean Morris’ sales of these card have increased.

before the change. “Going forward, though, we’ll likely have to reassess our pricing. As much as we’d prefer to avoid increases, we also need to maintain a sustainable margin,” said Dalton. Hannah Dale, founder and co-owner of Wrendale which has spent 10 years building the brand over the Pond, employing its own sales team and developing relationships with stockists across every state described the tariffs’ imposition as “pretty devastating” being likely to “deeply impact us – many products may no longer be viable to sell to our US customers,” Hannah predicts. As Andy Meehan, US GCA president and consultant to Designer Greetings summed up: “For businesses across our sector, the immediate impact has been twofold: spiralling costs and squeezed margins, leaving publishers and makers alike feeling like they’re trying to ice a cake in a heatwave.” (See Viewpoints pages 29-33)

Above: The IG board, including chair Stewart Gilliand (centre back) and CEO Paul Bal (front right), are considering a sale.

IG considers sale of its US business Trump’s US import tariffs have led IG Design Group to consider selling off its whole American business after revenue fell by 9% year-on-year, according to the company’s latest trading update. The recent update claimed the revenue decline “reflected continued challenges across key markets, the US in particular” where DG Americas suffered a 12% drop and was loss making. IG Design Group chair Stuart Gilliand said the businesses of the Newport Pagnellheadquartered group beyond the US “remain robust, and we are committed to growing them through our established customer relationships and through exploring other investment opportunities to accelerate growth”. The group closed the year with a net cash balance of £63.35m ($84m), down from £71.53 ($95m) with the drop primarily due to working capital outflows, notably within DG International, where “shipments delayed due to supply chain issues at a major retailer” hampered H2 sales and increased inventory levels. The report revealed around 60% of the group’s revenue is derived from the US market, with over half of purchases made by DG Americas being sourced from China with the tariffs causing issues. “The group is beginning to see reductions in customer commitments, and a general reluctance by retailers to accept in full the additional tariff costs. The nature and extent of the impact of tariffs therefore remains difficult to predict,” said Stuart Gilliand. As a result, the management is “considering an exit of the division.” On the DG International side, which includes the UK, Europe, the Far East and Australia, recent short-term challenges are now “largely resolved” and, although there was a higher than expected 3% fall in sales, it is still expected to deliver profits in line with expectations, and the outlook is “positive”.

Sainsbury’s card team move to Argos Right: “It’s a wrap’ posted Bethany Preistley, Sainsbury’s assistant

Following some restructuring, the Sainsbury’s card & wrap team are all card buyer on LinkedIn, including a photo of (right-left) herself, Sanjit, Shar and Abi at The Retas 2024 with their trophy. moving to new teams at Argos. The changes involve Abi Wilson, Sanjit Dool, Shar Grothier and Bethany Preistley. Commenting, Abi Wilson, moving on from her role as head of buying and design – celebration said: “It’s been wonderful to be a part of this industry, reflect on some huge changes we've delivered for customers, and feel very privileged to have been a part of it all. We go out on a high, and hand over to the new team knowing they will be in good hands.” Commenting, Abi Wilson, moving on from her role as head of buying and design – celebration said: “It’s been wonderful to be a part of this industry, reflect on some huge changes we've delivered for customers, and feel very privileged to have been a part of it all. We go out on a high, and hand over to the new team knowing they will be in good hands.” Sainsbury’s new head of buying will be Emma O'Toole. Abi’s new role is head of buying for seasonals at Argos (which covers everything from outdoor decorative to lawnmovers, fitness, leisure, pet, gift, jewellery etc). Shar Grothier is now buyer of gifting at Argos, which will include cards and wrap.

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13-14 MAY 2025 BUSINESS DESIGN CENTRE ISLINGTON, LONDON

The Progressive Greetings Annual Retail Barometer (February 2025) confirms stationery as the number one priority for in-store diversification. Its timeless appeal and lifestyle presence drive high street success, with the London International Stationery Show offering retailers a hands-on opportunity to tap into this thriving sector.

www.stationeryshowlondon.co.uk

Last stands remaining, please contact Chantelle White: chantellew@max-publishing.co.uk

Max Exhibitions, United House, North Road, London, N7 9DP

18_PG May 2025.indd 1

05/05/2025 15:51

9_11_13_17_19_21_News Pages.qxp_9/11/13/15/19/23/25 07/05/2025 12:39 Page 19

NEWS TOP STORY

Royal Mail £5bn Takeover Green Lit GCA voices concern about Czech billionaire’s RM ownership Shareholders have cleared the way for Czech billionaire Daniel Křetínský’s total £5billion takeover of Royal Mail, allowing the business to fall into foreign hands for the first time in 509 years. According to the BBC, just over 80% of shareholders at RM’s parent company International Distribution Services voted in favour of the deal with the EP Group owned by the man dubbed the Czech Sphinx for his inscrutable demeanour. The GCA has been vocal in its concerns, with CEO Amanda Fergusson telling the media: “Mr Křetínský will own a British institution that’s been precious to the fabric of the nation for over 500 years and, while we acknowledge and welcome his investment plans and public promise to uphold Royal Mail’s obligations under the universal service obligation, our members remain deeply concerned about current plans to weaken Royal Mail’s commitment to customers. “If proposed changes to the USO are implemented later this year, the small businesses we represent will be left increasingly reliant on an uncapped, unregulated first-class postal service that will put significant pressure on them, and the consumers they serve. “Even the regulator Ofcom acknowledges that its proposals are likely to push first-class stamp prices even higher, with its own data showing 62% are sending fewer letters precisely because of rising prices.”

When making his bid, made up Above: The GCA’s Amanda of £3.5bn in Fergusson (right) has raised concerns at the Daniel Křetínský’s cash plus (left) acquisition of Royal Mail. assumed Below: Sending greeting cards remains a key use of Royal Mail. debts totalling £5bn, Daniel Křetínský said he will put “employees and customers at the heart of everything IDS does”, while also committing to maintaining the one-price-goesanywhere USO, where Royal Mail has to deliver letters six days per week, Monday to Saturday, and parcels Monday to Friday, to every address in the UK – last year the Czech told the BBC he would honour the service - in whatever form it takes “for as long as I am alive”. IDS chair Keith Williams said Daniel Kretinksy's commitments in the deal “provide our customers, colleagues, and broader stakeholders with safeguards for the provision of the USO”. Industry regulator Ofcom closed its public consultation on the review of the USO in early April having agreed with Royal Mail’s suggestion of slashing second-class deliveries to every other day, two days one week and three the next with none on Saturdays, claiming that keeping first-class mail to a six-day service will meet the legally-binding obligations – RM claims it would save up to £300million a year and give the business “a fighting chance”. Ofcom has already approved RM’s trial cuts to second-class deliveries.

Noel Tatt x Earlybird Designs’ licensing partnership Earlybird Designs has forged a licensing partnership with Noel Tatt for a Above: Noel Tatt’s Jarle Tatt and Earlybird’s Dom Early range of greeting with a handful of the new cards based on its cards that are being Fab Neons brand. published under licence by Noel Tatt. “We are thrilled to have this new working collaboration with Noel Tatt, one of the industry's most respected and beloved publishers,” said Dominic Early, co-owner of Earlybird. “Our differences in design style and customer base means this is a perfect fit for both sides - it puts Earlybird in front of a much wider audience and brings a fresh new look to Noel Tatt's offering. Jarle and his team have been an absolute pleasure to work with, bringing deep industry expertise to the table.” The relationship came about following several of Noel Tatt’s retail customers requesting for Earlybird Designs’ cards to be included in their display. “As Dom lives close to where we are based, he came in for a chat to see how best to move forward, and licensing seemed the ideal option for both companies,” explained Jarle Tatt, managing director of Noel Tatt. “We were looking to bolster our contemporary selection and Dom’s Earlybird designs do just that,” added Jarle. The inaugural Earlybird collection spans 18 everyday designs, half of which are 5” square. The backs of the cards feature both the Earlybird and Noel Tatt logos. This plan is to extend into relations and occasions cards in due course.

Inkwell Home Store wins Notes & Queries’ London trip to PG Live A lucky US indie retailer has just won a greetings trip of a lifetime to Progressive Greetings Live. Above: N&Q’s Alan and Vanessa making the draw. In a competition organised by American distributor Notes & Queries for its retail Left: Inkwell’s Chelsea Epenesa will be making the customers, md Vanessa Harnik and her dad and company founder Alan offered up trip to London. the prize of flights to London and accommodation for the retailer and their N&Q sales rep to attend PG Live Tuesday and Wednesday, 3-4 June as well as other treats in the UK capital. All N&Q customers who placed an order of $500 (£375) or more between September and 15 April were entered into the draw. The winner is Inkwell Home Store in Corvallis, Oregon, with card buyer Chelsea Epenesa making her first trip outside the US, along with N&Q rep Stephanie Perry. “We’re thrilled to announce Inkwell as our winner,” said Vanessa. As well as spending a lot of time at PG Live the six-day trip will also include a tour of some of London’s leading greeting card and stationery retailers so Chelsea and Stephanie can see how shops do things this side of the Pond.

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05/05/2025 15:52

9_11_13_17_19_21_News Pages.qxp_9/11/13/15/19/23/25 07/05/2025 12:39 Page 21

NEWS WHS’ new owner stopped from mass closures

TOP STORY

Daylight Robbery Shoplifting continues to increase for indies Retail crime is now at alarming levels for independent shops, but more stores aren’t bothering to report thefts to police because of the lack of response, and BIRA said it’s “deeply troubling” news. The shocking details came through in the latest in the twiceyearly surveys from the British Independent Retailers’ Association, based on responses from indies across various sectors including greeting cards and gifts. The figures show that 80.26% of retailers who responded to the poll had experienced theft in the past 12 months – up from 73.34% in the October 2024 survey – and 90.16% of incidents were shoplifters targeting stores during opening hours. Michael Apter, who owns four Paper Tiger greeting card and gift stores across Edinburgh, raised the issue in his recent Daylight Robbery blog and newsletter following on from the British Retail Consortium’s survey which showed nearly one in four Britons have witnessed shoplifting. Michael wrote: “This statistic is a stark reminder of the challenges faced by businesses like mine. Over the past two years, the impact of shoplifting and criminal damage has been significant, tens of thousands of £pounds in my business, an extremely costly experience in terms of stock loss and additional security costs.

Left: Edinburgh-based Michael Apter, owner of Paper Tiger has blogged about his Daylight Robbery thoughts. Below: Elaine Moodie of The Gorge and World Of Bears resorted to humour with posts about Timmy Turtle and his new friends.

“Shoplifting is, in my view, an entry level crime borne out of social and economic issues, that then leads to repeated and escalating offences. The cycle of crime needs to be stopped at source. We need stronger measures to deter these crimes, create additional protection for retail workers, and ensure the safety and vitality of our local businesses and communities.” And who would have thought that plush would become a top target for thieves. The BBC and a host of other media channels shared the recent shocking news story of a £20,000 ramraid at The Gorge Bear Company and a shoplifting spree at a trio of nearby independent stores, all out to nab Jellycat and Charlie Bear products. CCTV captured footage of two individuals scoping out The Gorge Bear Company in Cheddar in the early hours, followed by them smashing open the door using a wooden post on the front of a car enabling the thief to get inside the shop to steal over 300 Jellycat products as well as 10 Charlie Bear products. Elaine Moodie, who runs The Gorge and World Of Bears in Taunton, told PG: “We are being strong, for the bears, staff and customers. We’re overwhelmed by the support, and being supported by both Jellycat and Charlie Bears, and picking up the pieces – this stock cannot be replaced as we are allocated stock. I do think the thirdparty platforms need to do more, as there are too many private sellers with some having 3,000+ listings.”

WHSmith High Street’s new owner Modella Capital has been barred from making widespread store closures at the 233-year-old chain for at least 12 months. The £76million Above: Modella is to rebrand transitional services WHSmith High Street to TG agreement that splits Jones stores. the High Street arm of 480 stores across the UK from the more profitable worldwide Travel side contains terms that prohibit the private equity firm from initiating a company voluntary arrangement (CVA) or closing a significant number of outlets within the first year of ownership, according to media sources. A name change is also necessary as WHS is keeping the brand for its continuing activities so Modella plans to rebrand the stores it is acquiring as TGJones. It will be able to use the former owner’s systems during the transitional period for the shops where greeting cards and gift wrap make up a significant chunk of sales along with stationery, books and convenience items. However, despite WHS group interim results for the half-year to 28 February revealing the High Street division’s profits had fallen to £15m from £22m 12 months prior with like-for-like revenue down 3%, the agreement effectively bars Modella from any immediate restructuring plans – unlike at The Original Factory Shop which it bought in February or Hobbycraft, taken over in the autumn. There’s an impending CVA at The Original Factory Shop with Sky News citing industry rumours that the plans, which require court approval, feature significant closures among the 150 stores and job losses for at least some of the 1,800-strong workforce, plus demands for landlords to agree to rent-free periods at some outlets And Sky has also mooted Modella has a CVA in the works at Hobbycraft under which nine stores will be axed along with 100 jobs while 18 others will stay open if negotiations with landlords regarding rent cuts are successful. (See Cardsharp pages 26-27)

Greeting cards are the top performer for 79% of indie gifties Greeting cards are the star performer for gift retailers, with an amazing 79% saying their card sales had grown over the past year. None of the independent retailers polled in the annual Retail Barometer for PG’s sister magazine Progressive Gifts & Home said their greeting card sales had declined over the last year, with the remaining 21% of respondent being happy that levels had remained stable. After greeting cards plush, fashion accessories and giftwrap also scored highly. Right: Greeting cards are stars for indie gift retailers.

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22-23_Retas Finalists 2025.qxp_Layout 1 05/05/2025 12:56 Page 1

Yee-haw… The Retas 2025 Finalists www.theretasawards.co.uk

After a rigorous canvassing of publishers, reps and agents for their retailer nominations and a thorough cajoling and encouraging greeting card retailers to enter The Retas, the finalists of this year’s 2025 greeting card retailers of the year can be revealed! The winners of these dedicated awards will be announced at a country and western-themed afternoon extravaganza on Thursday 3 July at the Grosvenor House Hotel, that will be attended by over 400 members of the greeting card community.

THE RETAS 2025 FINALISTS Best Independent Greeting Card Retailer – London (inside the M25) Calladoodles, Carsharlton Earlybird Designs, Stoke Newington Flaxten Cards, Hornchurch and Upminster Medici Gallery, Kensington Moments, Wanstead Nor, Beckenham Place Park and West Norwood Pretty Shiny Shop, Finsbury Park and Oval Best Independent Greeting Card Retailer – Home Counties & South East Clock Cards, Ware Inklings, Hungerford No 14, Ampthill Panda Cards, St Albans Red Card and Little Red, Petworth Southbourne Cards, Bournemouth Threads, Harpenden

Jane Armour Trading, Taunton Kingfisher Cards, Sidmouth Occasional Cards & Gifts, Kingsbridge Paper Gangsta, Bristol

Design@six, Wetherby Flippin’Eck, Guiseley Love & Best Wishes, Sheffield Send It With Love, Harrogate

Best Independent Greeting Card Retailer – Wales Cardiau Môn Cards, Amlwch Casa Green, Cardiff Creative Cove, Lampeter Daisy Daisy, Llanishen Paperweight, Cardiff Polka Dot Door, Penarth Serenade, Rhiwbina Village and Whitchurch

Best Independent Greeting Card Retailer – Scotland The Bay Tree, Edinburgh Bijou and JP Pozzi, Buckie and Elgin Cards and Gift Wrap, Bayble The Little Gift Shop, Beith Maia Gifts, Glasgow Papyrus, Glasgow Penny Black, Glasgow

Best Independent Greeting Card Retailer – The Midlands Austin & Co, Malvern Hugs & Kisses, Tettenhall In Heaven at Home, Market Harborough Lily Blue Gifts & Home, Hagley Set, Leicester Tokenhouse, Nottingham Wishes and Kisses, Sutton Coldfield

Best Independent Greeting Card Retailer – East Anglia Abigail’s and Just Cards, Dereham and Norwich The Card Centre, Felixstowe Chapmans, Southwold Creativity, Sheringham Dzodzo, Woodbridge Loveone, Ipswich Sincerely Yours, Hornchurch and Shenfield

Best Independent Greeting Card Retailer – North West England Bailey’s, Ainsdale, Crosby and Maghull Celebration Cards & Gifts, Lytham Celebrations, Carlisle Presentation Cards & Gifts, Barrowford Raffia, Clitheroe Reflections, Nantwich and Rugeley

Best Independent Greeting Card Retailer – South West Just Cards, Honiton Cards & Moor, Yelverton Highworth Emporium, Highworth

Best Independent Greeting Card Retailer – North East England Cards & Gifts, Dronfield Castle Cards, Barnard Castle Daisy Taylors, York

22 PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE

Best Greeting Card Retailer Newcomer (opened since Jan 2022 or are under new ownership) Branthwaites, Appleby Grace & Purpose, Hexham Helen’s Wishes, Dursley The Letter Arty, Manchester The Little Shop of Happiness, Kings Langley Nice Thoughts, Coleshill Popsicle, St Leonards Best Independent Bookstore Retailer Of Greeting Cards Carnforth Bookshop, Carnforth Chiltern Bookshops, Chorleywood and Gerrards Cross The Guisborough Bookshop, Guisborough The Hedgehog Bookshop, Penrith Petworth Books, Petworth Regency Bookshop, Surbiton Spencer Thorn, Bude

22-23_Retas Finalists 2025.qxp_Layout 1 05/05/2025 12:56 Page 2

Best Non-Specialist Independent Retailer Of Greeting Cards – North Book, Bean & Ice Cream, Kirkham Denby Pottery Village, Denby The Hollies, Little Budworth and Lower Stretton The Kitchen Range Cookshop and Polka Dot, Market Harborough Ludlow Farmshop, Bromfield Nile Street Post Office, North Shields O’Brien’s Pharmacy and Newsagents, Magherfelt Best Non-Specialist Independent Retailer Of Greeting Cards – South Cilla & Camilla, Beaminster and Bridport Dart’s Farm, Topsham George’s, Whitstable Maybugs, Bexhill, Eastbourne, Hailsham and Tunbridge Wells Milford Gifts, Milford on Sea Stationery House, Clevedon, Somerton and Winscombe UOE, nine stores in the south Best Greeting Card Small Multiple (4-20 stores) Between the Lines, 19 stores in the south The Card Shop, Expressions, Polkadot, Cats Whiskers, Portishead, Swindon, Keynsham and Bishops Cleeve House of Cards, seven stores in the Home Counties Paper Tiger, four stores in Edinburgh Postmark, 14 stores in London and Glasgow Smart Ideas, seven stores in the Midlands Utility, Chester, Liverpool, Manchester Best Department Store Retailer Of Greeting Cards Barkers, Northallerton Bradbeers, New Milton, Romsey and Salisbury Daniels, Windsor Jarrolds, Norwich John Lewis & Partners Morleys Group Selfridges, Birmingham, London and Manchester Best Supermarket Retailer Of Greeting Cards Asda Booths Co-Op Morrisons Sainsbury’s Tesco Waitrose & Partners Best Non-Specialist Multiple Retailer Of Greeting Cards Lark Lorimers Marks & Spencer

National Trust Oliver Bonas Ryman/Ryman Design TK Maxx Waterstones Best Specialist Multiple Retailer Of Greeting Cards (15+ stores) Cardfactory Cards Direct Cards Galore Cardzone/Clintons Scribbler

Archway Cards, Norwich Crosswear Trading, Enfield Greetings House, Walsall Jackson’s CRS, Sheffield Merseyside Greetings Tiger Feet, eight branches nationwide Greeting Card Retailer of the Year All winners of The Retas 2025 categories are contenders for this award, so, as such no finalists are revealed until the awards event on July 3.

Best Garden Centre Retailer Of Greeting Cards – Independent Archfields Walled Garden, Dirleton Garsons, Esher and Titchfield Mains of Drum, Banchory Newbank, Dobcross, Halifax, Newtonle-Willows, Radcliffe, Rayton Okells Garden Centre, Tarporley Scotsdale, Cambridge Stewarts, Broomfield, Christchurch, Titchfield Best Garden Centre Retailer Of Greeting Cards – Multiple Or Group (5 or more centres) Blue Diamond, 45 centres nationwide British Garden Centres, 70+ centres nationwide Longacres, six centres in the south Notcutts, 19 centres across the UK Otter Garden Centres, seven centres in the south west RHS, five centres across the UK Squire’s Garden Centres, 17 centres Best Independent Greeting Card Retailer Initiative (for a specific project or initiative undertaken by a retailer since 15 April, 2024) Co-Op for its Ben Pulletz x RSPB Greeting Card Project Earlybird, Stoke Newington, for its Happy Card Competition House of Cards, Home Counties, for its Thinking of You Week Activity The Letter Arty, Manchester, for its Choose Cards campaign More Than Just A Gift, Narborough, for its Spring Campaign Pencil Me In, Elgin, for #MyShopLife Stationery Supplies, Marple and Wilmslow, for its Thinking of You Week Activity Best Greeting Card Wholesaler PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE 23

24-25_David Robertson.qxp_Grid 05/05/2025 12:57 Page 1

OVER THE

COUNTER

BY DAVID ROBERTSON OF JP POZZI, ELGIN AND BUCKIE.

A Pebble In My Shoe

It’s been a funny month. Funny as in challenging not funny as in ha ha. April 1 was no fool’s day this year for many small businesses as they were hit with a raft of challenges, not least the increases in Minimum Wage, NIC and business rates. Helping me to digest this latest round of increases have been two phrases, ‘adversity is a privilege’ and ‘It’s not the boulder in your path, but the pebble in your shoe…” with a ticket to see Bryan Adams play his appropriately entitled Bare Bones show adding some nostalgic calm and resolve as a new look card display beds into one of our stores. NIC has risen by 1.2% to 15% and the double whammy is that the limit from which it is charged has dropped to £5k, bringing so many more people into its grasp. The NIC cost for our team has doubled to around £3k a month, which causes a worry knowing we have to find that extra money. Many of us were already struggling to cope with the annual jump in minimum wage but with the NI added to it many businesses are figuring out how to accommodate these cost increases. All businesses I know want to try and reward staff to keep and incentivise them, but over the last five years we have seen minimum wage increase from £8.72 to £12.21, which is a 40% increase in five years. I really wonder where politicians think that we can find this extra money from. Retail and hospitality have little room for manoeuvre. There has been talk about business rates being reformed 24 PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE

Above: If you have just one pebble in your shoe, you know about it! Below: David Robertson’s hard work (including on the fitness front) has seen him shed three stones in the last seven months… bit more than a pebble! Bottom left: Rock legend Bryan Adams on stage at the intimate Inverness Bare Bones concert. Bottom right: A JP Pozzi VE Day window.

since Adam was a boy, but this never seems to happen either and Scotland has been in a worse situation than England as we didn’t ever receive the reductions that have now ended down south. So just how do we cope with this? What are the majority of businesses doing to manage these increases? I was interested to read the findings of a survey of over 250 separate companies across many sectors that was carried out recently by The Fraser of Allander Institute (FAI) which is based at Stirling University. ■ 92% expected their costs to increase ■ 47% had reduced hiring or planned to trim their workforce ■ 27% planned to reduce staff benefits ■ 49% had increased prices to cover it ■ 12% looked to find savings through automation or tech. And this is all against a back drop of uncertainty around trade, tariffs and goodness knows what else. Whether a new or old business every day brings a fresh set of problems, meaning fresh solutions need to be sought and put in place.

24-25_David Robertson.qxp_Grid 05/05/2025 12:57 Page 2

OVER THE COUNTER Something I heard on a business podcast recently was “adversity is a privilege”. Let that sink in… In these last five years we have dealt with a pandemic, the massive acceleration of online, the constant death of the high street comments, increased interest rates and I am pretty sure we will get through these latest bunch of challenges, learning as we go. The purpose of This brings me to another phrase that Bare Bones is resonated with me this month: “It’s not the exactly that. To strip boulder in your path, but the pebble in your the songs back to shoe…” just Bryan Adams’ The bigger issues can usually be voice and his guitar confronted head on, but it is the little things with a very that constantly wear you down. That niggle occasional bit of piano and the backstories. that annoys and hurts you and will eventually This gets to the very core and beauty of cripple you. each song and what is absolutely needed to My solution when with faced with convey the right feeling. challenges is to try and give myself some Driving home it got me thinking about my thinking time. I immerse myself in a lot of pop business and how in effect Bare Bones is culture and find solace in music, books, film what we have done and will need to continue and recently things that brought me happiness to do. in my childhood. This safe place of good When things are easy, when the money memories helps me dissect the challenges in comes in and costs are manageable then you front of me and drive me forward. can afford to be a bit more relaxed, but in Last Friday I did exactly that, heading to today’s climate every decision needs to be see Bryan Adams (of “Anything I do I do it for right. Every cost needs to be questioned and you” fame) in a tiny 870 seat theatre in each decision needs to deliver best value. Inverness. Many of his songs evoke You just have to keep that as your mindset. memories from my youth…of nightclubs, first To give an example of this in our business, dates and cassette tapes in my first car, so I we decided recently to change one of our always like to revisit his music. card controls from UKG to ICG. For some reason he had decided to play I have been accused in the past of being a his acoustic Bare Bones set at Eden Court poster boy for UKG and in truth that is and it was literally the biggest thing to hit probably fair! Inverness since the monster! This recent decision is not because of The first show sold out in minutes, but anything UKG has done wrong. We have a I was lucky enough to get tickets for unique situation where we have the two the matinee. stores directly across the road from one There was a real buzz in the audience that another. For a long time we were able to such a big star was there in Inverness keep both controls Below left and right: Confront boulders and he didn’t disappoint. I had seen him and deal with the pebbles! looking very different back in 2012 at The Royal Albert but as the UKG Hall but in this tiny theatre it felt more model line changed intimate and even more special. we found it difficult to not have some cross over. UKG will continue to manage the controls in both Pozzis main store and Bijou Elgin, but after 38 years we felt that a change may

Left: Above: The work in progress and the finished result! Below: David has recently overhauled the card control in the JP Pozzi card shop in Buckie.

be refreshing for our third shop. With this such a big decision, my focus was on finding a company that would deliver the same great service and product quality we have had for many years from UKG. There were several possible contenders, but I decided to go ICG. As well as being renowned for the service they give, it is a family-owned business with strong core values. Plus, I knew the owners, the sales directors and the agents. They constantly bring out new products and offer an excellent turnaround, sometimes as quick as next day for delivery. Once the difficult decision had been made to go with ICG I was very impressed with the care that was taken with the plan and there was a lot of communication back and forth was ensure things were right. The primary focus was to be different in look, selection and price. The other partner companies on the control being Words ‘n’ Wishes, Jonny Javelin, Pigment, Danilo, UKG’s Hanson White and Second Nature Champagne also works very well, ensuring that the display feels and looks very different from the one in our store opposite. It was and still is quite a traditional control with Pigment’s designs providing a touch of contemporary, but it is also one that delivers value to the customers with the vast majority of the cards retailing between £1-£3. Changing a stock control is a big decision, but it feels right and the feedback from customers suggests that this was the correct decision. We wanted to be different to the supermarkets with a product that appeals, is affordable and also fulfils the very specific card captions that we get asked for, such as Mum on her 40th and Husband golden wedding anniversary. All of this can be fulfilled with this new display. Greeting cards are the foundations of our business; they are what everything else is built upon. So, my message this month is simple, don’t be too hard on yourself. And if you have a stone in your shoe, just stop and take it out! l To contact David email: jppozzi@btconnect.com PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE 25

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cardsharp

Alas Smith and Jones Boomers might distantly recall a popular Western telly series of the 1970s, entitled Alias Smith and Jones, which was a kind of parody of the 1960s cinema blockbuster, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. It centred on two notorious, but lovable outlaw cousins, attempting to go straight and so take on new personas, adopting the names, Smith and Jones to replace their more memorable monikers of Hannibal Hayes and Kid Curry. Cardsharp was reminded on his erstwhile TV watching when considering the ‘wild west’ situation with one of our longstanding high street names. Gen Xers might recall comedians Griff Rhys Jones and the now deceased Mel Smith, who out-parodied the Alias Smith and Jones parody with their late Eighties comedy series, adroitly titled Alas Smith and Jones, arguably best remembered for Griff and Mel’s head-tohead comic dialogues. What has all this got to do with greeting cards you may well ask? Well Cardsharp was reminded of his past televisual viewing, with the news that the new owner of WHSmith retail, Modella Capital is re-naming the

26 PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE

chain, TJ Jones. This a decision made as a result of the brand name of WHSmith not being included in the purchase of the chain. TJ Jones does not seem the most original of monikers, but one presumably Modella thought was as near to WHSmith as possible with Smith and Jones still being the two most common surnames in the UK. But Cardsharp hopes it is not going to be a case of Alas Smith and Jones. As Cardsharp predicted a couple of months ago, it was always likely that the high street chain would fall into the hands of the likes of Modella, whose frequent playbook is to bring in restructuring

Above: Telly watchers in the early 70s lapped up the antics of Alias Smith and Jones. Below: Comedians Mel Smith (left) and Griff Rhys Jones created comedy gold in Alas Smith and Jones, parodying the cowboy duo TV series.

‘experts’ to examine company voluntary arrangements to quit underperforming stores and reduce rents on the other stores. It is seemingly doing this at the moment for two of its recent acquisitions, Hobbycraft and The Original Factory Shop. Modella describes itself as a ‘specialist retail and consumer investment boutique’, boasting ‘many decades of experience working in the retail sector, as entrepreneurs, owners, operators and investors’. Very grand words, but to Cardsharp’s mind it would be more appropriate to be describe Modella as a cost-cutting and restructuring retail predator. And given that WHS has already cut its high street operation to the bone, ‘restructuring’ will no doubt figure strongly in the business plan. And as landlords and suppliers of The Original Factory Shop and Hobbycraft are finding out, this generally means, they will take the financial pain of it. And it is revealing indeed, that WH Smith made it abundantly clear from the outset of the sales process, that the most valuable asset, ie the WH Smith brand, was a nonnegotiable ‘no, no’ for any potential buyer. Why so adamant? Especially as it would have surely meant it could have commanded a higher price for the chain. It does intend to continue to trade from its profitable travel and international sides using

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the WHSmith brand, but it could have licensed the brand to the new owner of the high street side too. Cardsharp wonders whether the decision was more to do with WH Smith plc being fearful that any purchaser would tarnish the brand’s image by any subsequent ‘restructuring’? So, was its aim to distance itself from any subsequent action by the purchaser? And as WHSmith waves goodbye to its historic high street chain, its chief executive Carl Cowling has stated that the high street chain, “still has a future”. He highlights the success of the Toys R Us concessions within many of the branches as an “innovation” and has also stated that the 200 WHS stores with Post Office counters within them have also been performing really well and could provide a good future strategy for Modella Capital if it chooses to roll out more. If that was really what he thought Cardsharp

Above: In addition to WHS Modella Capital’s other retail business interests that are undergoing a ‘restructuring’ strategy include Hobbycraft and The Original Factory Shop. Below: There was a lot riding on WHS’ introduction of Toys R Us concessions into many of its high street stores. It apparently worked well, but not enough to save the sell off.

wonders why they decided to sell? Seller’s remorse perhaps? He thinks not. Cardsharp will tell you why. A recent WHS

trading statement released after the announcement of the Modella’s purchase showed a dramatically deteriorating trading performance for WHS. For the six months until February 28 profits were £15million down from £22million for the corresponding period 12 months previously. A drop of over 30% with sales down 7%. And as Cardsharp commented a couple of months ago, although WHSmith High Street, is not the force in greeting cards that it once was, one of the plus sides of being a supplier, was that you knew any debt was safe and payment terms would be honoured. So, Cardsharp is sure that all this talk of Modella being restructuring experts, will send a shiver down the spine of many suppliers. Especially as the chairman of Modella, is a certain Steve Curtis, who was previously chairman of Paperchase in its very final days. Cardsharp really hopes it is not going to be a case of ‘Alas Smith and Jones’.

Our Trump Card Cardsharp recognises that there has already been so much written and talked about Trump’s tariff war, and there is only so much you can add. Especially when by the time you read this, the portly, orange skinned, narcissist ignoramus, who is President of the world’s largest economy, may have wreaked even more havoc on the global economy. So, Cardsharp can point to all the obvious ramifications. Those publishers that export to the US via China and the Far East are and will obviously face challenges. For those UK publishers and manufacturers who source their products from the Far East, costs might come down as Chinese factories seek to replace their loss of US business with UK business. And indeed, it may of course lead to the volatile container costs coming down on goods imported to the UK. Having said that, all of our quality UK manufacturers of greeting cards, who have long been supportive of our greeting card industry, will not be enamoured of any steering away from onshoring. And publishers and retailers alike have already seen the detrimental effect of the likes of Temu dumping fake illicit crap on our shores. So, Cardsharp would like to give a big call out to a concept that is currently not very fashionable, but in essence has made our UK greeting card industry so successful. The UK success as a global economy, from the days of the British Empire to the present

day, has always been about the free movement between nations of goods and services. Admittedly at times it has gone too far. You could compare our trade in opium in exchange for tea with China in the nineteenth century as a step too far. A bit like Mexico’s trade with the US with the deadly Fentanyl drug. So, Cardsharp would like to just point to the enormous benefits our open trading history has contributed not just to the UK, but to the world. Our strength is no longer in manufacturing, where we used to lead the world, but in soft power. And this is one of the reasons the UK leads the world when it comes to UK greeting card design and the major reason why so many distributors around the world will be visiting PG Live next month. Cardsharp has unfortunately already seen the damage to our greeting card industry caused by the restrictions to free trade with our closest neighbours by Brexit. Cardsharp hopes, that for the UK and more specifically our greeting card industry, as a nation we eschew the move towards trade protectionism and instead state boldly that the UK and in particular our greeting card industry is open for business. Above: Brexit was terrible for UK trade, the tariffs are another unwelcome addition to hamper the export of UK greeting cards. Left: The new US tariffs are creating a barrier to free trade.

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VIEWPOINTS

Tariff Turmoil

Donald Trump called it “Liberation Day” but millions of people and businesses affected directly or indirectly by the recent imposition of new tariffs on goods, including greeting cards, coming into the US take a somewhat different view. Publishers and US distributors vent their spleens on the ramifications of the tariffs for exports from the UK and China into the States and what they would say to the US President if they had the opportunity.

Furio Ceciliato, owner of Origamo

Above: Furio Immediate effects: with some of “These new tariffs Origamo’s imposed by the Trump Vietnamese quillers. Right: Origamo administration, along will be with the current climate launching its 3D handmade of uncertainty, have bookmarks at severely impacted our PG Live in June. business with the United States. At the moment, we have halted all shipments of our products to our US warehouse and suspended any further investments in that market. Since all of our Origamo products are manufactured in Vietnam, a country that has become a key target in the administration’s tariff policy, we believe it is necessary to pause and closely monitor how the situation evolves in order to make wellinformed decisions without rushing.”

Mitigating action: “The US market only represents a small proportion of our overall revenue. Therefore, at this time, I don’t believe any specific actions are necessary. The situation is very unclear, but I’m confident that in the coming weeks things will become more defined, making it easier to take any necessary countermeasures.” Wider ramifications: “Unfortunately, this climate of uncertainty affects many aspects, even those not directly related to the US market. One way or another, I hope the situation will soon become clearer, so that both investments and actions by Below: Furio would like to relay the lyrics of John Lennon’s ‘Imagine’ to Donald Trump. the various stakeholders can be taken in the right direction and in the interest of all parties involved.” Three minutes with Trump: “I would tell him what a young guy from Liverpool sung to us some years ago… "Imagine all the people Sharing all the world… You may say I'm a dreamer But I'm not the only one I hope someday you'll join us And the world will live as one.” PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE 29

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VIEWPOINTS Alan Harnik, founder and president of Notes & Queries Immediate effects: “Throughout our 45 years in the business, we lowers their production have faced several of these significant challenges, such as the Banana costs as well. Some of Wars and of course the Covid shutdown in February to June 2020. For our trading partners me my first response is always worst-case scenario. Will we be able to are further along in Above left: Alan and his daughter and survive? This is quickly replaced by how will we survive? In the Covid sourcing new manufacturing partners business partner, Vanessa Harnik. Above right: With N&Q having traded for case, we lost 90% of our revenue through to June 2020 but at the outside of China.” 45 years, Alan Harnik has confronted many challenges in the path of business, year end we were down 23% and still profitable. No easy task, but we Wider ramifications: “The shortbut this one is a biggie. did it. term implications are loss of revenue Below left: One of the images Vanessa on one of her many inspiring and Now the tariffs, there are really two considerations. Product which is for both Notes & Queries, our trading posted candid video messages to customers and partners, which cover all manner of produced in the UK is only subject to 10% tariff where there was none partners and our retailers who are subjects, including the tariffs. before (ie on greeting cards and gift wrap) or an additional 10% on top unable to get merchandise of tariffs already in place for some books and for their stores. These stationery. The second part is that several of our same retailers are seeing a decline in store sales as companies produce cards, books, stationery, boxed consumers’ fears of a recession are increasing daily with Christmas, gift wrap and bags in China which incur a people afraid and spending less. And the fear right now in the 145% tariff. We are now unable to take these products retail marketplace is what will they will be able to sell for in and its effect on Notes & Queries is that we might lose Halloween and Christmas. Having said that, we also see as much as 30% of our revenue this year. We have opportunities to capture new customers and add additional already had to cancel a boxed Christmas, gift wrap and Notes & Queries greeting cards into stores that have current bag program with a major key account and hence with vendors that produce their greeting cards in China. We are the UK supplier.” a global economy and these tariffs affect us all. The strength is Mitigating action: “We are very fortunate to be able that we are not in this alone.” to work with the best of the best design companies in Three minutes with Trump: “If I had three minutes the UK. Our response to the new tariffs was to first to chat with the President, I would state: “Please contact all of our trading partners and look at ways we rethink your tariff policy. It’s affecting all of us in the can work together during this period. This included a States. It puts small companies like Notes & Queries careful review on our part of what products we can at risk. We employ some 20 full-time staff, sell to raise prices on, discuss temporary price concessions thousands of shops that rely on us for product, from some of our trading partners, either in actual employ 100+ sales agents that sell our product and Above: Alan wishes he could impress on purchase price or providing us with additional stock at Donald Trump the real cost of the tariffs there are tens of thousands of people on the receiving imposed on China. no cost, and looking at, if tariffs continue, having our end who love receiving our product. With a decline in trading partners produce the cards in the US for us or Notes & Queries profits our donations to local charities that also rely on us will be put on looking at a licensing model. Our strength has been as a pure hold or at best cut back significantly.” I would also thank him for his distributor which assists our trading partner with their print runs and time and reconsideration!”

Perlina Pierre-Davies, international sales and licensing director of Paper Rose Immediate effects: “The new US tariffs are an unwelcome development for UK publishers, especially those of us who’ve spent years building meaningful partnerships overseas. They add pressure on pricing and margins at a time when the entire supply chain is already under strain.” Mitigating action: “We’re approaching the situation constructively. We’re in active and positive dialogue with our US partners about how best to manage the changes together. Whether it’s through price adjustments or strategic planning, we’re focusing on staying very

30 PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE

flexible and keeping the communication open. The majority of our card production remains UK-based, which currently limits our overall exposure.” Wider ramifications: “In terms of wider industry implications, these tariffs could push publishers and suppliers to rethink their international strategies; whether that’s reshoring production or exploring alternative manufacturing routes. There's also the broader risk of disrupting the collaborative spirit that has long defined our

Left: Perlina (second left) with Notes & Queries (right-left) Vanessa Harnik, Alan Harnik and Francis Macca at last year’s PG Live. Left: As Perlina quite rightly points out, imposing a tariff on greetings cards which spread joy, such as these Spirit designs from Paper Rose, is just wrong.

industry’s global relationships.” Three minutes with Trump: “I’d ask whether the US is truly ready to stop importing from China. Is the infrastructure in place to produce everything domestically? Tariffs may appear to protect local industry, but when they distort market dynamics and reduce flexibility, who really wins in the long run? I’d stress that the UK greeting card industry has always been about spreading joy and connection. It feels wrong to put a tariff on something so human.”

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VIEWPOINTS David Byk, ceo of Ling Design, GBCC and Penny Kennedy Immediate effects: “My view is that anything that creates uncertainty is We anticipated the bad for business and bad for everyone. Initially it was announced that tariffs for some time President Trump was working on repatriating jobs back into the USA. I and have explored know that to buy a gift wrap printer takes the best part of 18 months options to move some from specifying, negotiating, building, commissioning and running it let of our China alone breaking ground on a new factory and training up staff. For an manufacturing to American company to do this they need certainty and you don’t get that other countries where from an administration that changes its policy daily and won’t even be in needed. However, the power when the new factory is up and running. capacity is small in Even in the time I’ve been in China at the recent Canton Fair we have places like Thailand seen comments and counter comments about tariffs, but one thing you where they have can rely on is that the Chinese take a long term view as they are not limited factory subject to elections which create political decision making. workforce, logistics If a Chinese maker or an international distributor was to import the are challenging in product into the USA they do not have 100%+ margins to play with and Vietnam and there are would have to pass the cost of the tariff on or not ship. All of this will always challenges to lead to inflation spiralling, plus a recession in the USA leads to recession get the quality around the world which is bad for all of us.” standards of China which Above: David Byk on a stand at the recent Canton Fair. Mitigating action: “Lots of the factories are taking about their are required through Malaysian and Vietnam manufacturing facilities. However, unless they customer audit etc started that journey many years ago the factories For Ling and GBCC we make single cards in the UK for will not be up to the Chinese standard. our American customers, but this is just not possible for Not only that, but these countries are about Christmas boxed cards, stationery and especially 15% more expensive than China and tariffs Christmas crackers.” are being switched on and off in these Wider ramifications: “For those of us who are countries too. predominately producing single greeting cards in the UK That said we do have some great factories in we are currently looking at a tariff of 10% to export into Asia, outside China and can offer this to our the US which I’m sure we can all find a way to customers, but their available capacity has been accommodate through some compromise from everyone. decimated in the last few weeks as the large I do worry about companies involved in other product American multiples have moved their business areas produced by factories Asia that rely on the American there to avoid the China tariffs. market. We have already had one great factory decide to The large multiples have moved production shut up shop after many years because of the tariff out of China where they can (on rollwrap for situation in America. instance) but more complicated products One thing I’ve not seen is Chinese companies dropping (stationery and Christmas crackers being prime their prices to fight for business nor dumping stock. examples) are not so easy to move. There was a rush to get everything shipped before tariffs We are working with our American customers were expected to come into force so there aren’t shortages to try to change specs, review costs and on US shelves yet, but I imagine there will be. Prices for manage capacity so we can react quickly as imports in the States will go up which will reduce consumer we all anticipate that Trump can’t tell ‘Brad spending, reduce disposable income and lead to a US Junior’ that Christmas is cancelled and will have recession as economic commentators are forecasting.” to review his position. This is certainly what Three minutes with Trump: “First off, I would be sure to Chinese factories are thinking /hoping for. wear black like Volodymyr Zelenskyy and I think I would The result of this is that if and when the tariff take a pack of cards with me too in order to say I hold the position changes and there is some perceived cards he doesn’t. Then I would look to try to understand stability all factories will be under pressure to the economic arguments that he is making and try to set turnaround American orders which will suck out out why I don’t think repatriation of jobs is going to capacity and potentially push up container prices happen in this way and ask when he will accept this isn’t as we know that the shipping companies love working. I think I will try to buy his ‘Art of the Deal’ book any excuse to do that! One thing we have done from the £1 section of my local book shop and ask him to anticipate this is making sure all our Christmas Top: A sign David saw at the recent Canton Fair. to point out where in this tome he has said giving Above: Not the grandest of motorcade’s, but a orders are in production, whether that be for everything up, flip flopping around and creating uncertainty way of David getting around the Canton Fair! boxed cards, bags, calendars or Christmas is good for business and is a central part of deal making? crackers and the first containers are already on the water making sure I Imagine after two minutes the meeting will be ended and my we have our capacity sorted. motorcade will be called to take me out of The White House.” PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE 31

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VIEWPOINTS David Falkner, director and co-owner of Cardology Immediate effects: “I really feel for our US buyers right now - how do you plan Christmas when tariffs change on a whim? Shelves need stocking, orders need locking in, but the goalposts move weekly. In just two weeks, our backup supply countries have changed three times. It’s like trying to build on quicksand. Confidence is the first casualty and that’s bad for everyone.” Mitigating action: “The US makes up around 21% of the UK’s total exports, so it’s important, but not all-consuming. That perspective helps us stay focused. We’re responding with agility; talking constantly with our suppliers to ensure the overall business we offer them is both competitive and sustainable, exploring local licensing deals to sidestep tariff risks, and doubling down on developing other export markets. It’s

also opened up a big (possibly short term) opportunity for UK printers to pitch for US work from buyers who want creativity with less chaos, but move quickly as realistically, I wouldn’t bet my mortgage the same will be true next year.” Wider ramifications: “In addition to the current US export opportunities, there’s a risk that the UK could face a wave of excess stock that’s no longer heading to the US, especially from countries targeted by US tariffs. That raises the prospect of anti-dumping duties being introduced here in response. But let’s be clear: while that might sound protective, it could actually hurt our own industry. Larger businesses with Far

Left: We could do with some Original Stormtroopers (licensed by Cardology) to sort Trump out. Below: David Falkner likes a challenge… he even carried a heavy post box the long the way from his home to Westminster as part of the GCA’s Royal Mail campaign.

Eastern sourcing partners would be hit hard, but so would any publisher who offers more than just a plain folded card. Value-added formats could all become significantly more expensive. Even small publishers with more complex lines, or licensing deals on other products, could get caught out. Before anyone backs that route, they should ask: are we protecting UK creativity or making it more expensive to deliver?” Three minutes with Trump: “Honestly, I wouldn’t take the meeting, my time is valuable and I'd far rather spend it speaking to customers (including US customers) excited about where our world-leading creative industry is heading.”

Dalton Laluces, owner of Calypso Cards and Nelson Line Immediate effects: “The most immediate impact of the tariffs has been publishers bring a unique voice and financial. Nelson Line and Calypso Cards have several shipments en premium production quality that’s route from the UK that were ordered before the tariffs announcement. hard to replicate. Our partnerships These products were purchased and, in many cases, already sold to are rooted in creative alignment, not retailers based on pre-tariff pricing. That leaves us with no room to adjust just supply chain convenience.” Above: Dalton is consolidating shipments of both Nelson Line and pricing retroactively, so we’re absorbing the added costs. Wider ramifications: “This is Calypso products over to the States. Operationally, it’s also slowed our ability to forecast and make strategic going to strain the entire purchasing decisions.” greeting card ecosystem. It’s not just a margin issue; it disrupts the Mitigating action: “We’ve already started reviewing where pricing creative flow and cross-border collaboration that our industry thrives on. adjustments may be necessary - particularly for high-volume items and For UK publishers, the added costs could price them out of the US titles that are frequently replenished. While we’re committed to market if they don’t have strong distribution partners here. That hurts minimising the impact on our retail partners, we also need to ensure our creativity, competition, and customer choice. margins remain sustainable so we can continue to serve the market For retailers, particularly independents, it means tighter margins and reliably and at scale. harder buying decisions. Below: Dalton Laluces. Bottom: A recent Insta post On the logistics side, we’re consolidating shipments For US distributors like Nelson Line and Calypso Cards, it’s from Calypso Cards featuring a Curly Girl design. more strategically across both the Nelson Line and a triple hit: higher costs, tighter margins, and increased Calypso Cards portfolios. This helps reduce freight costs customer education. per unit and improves customs processing. Fortunately, In the long run, it may push parts of the industry to explore because the majority of our UK publishing partners more domestic sourcing or licensing arrangements, but that will manufacture locally, we avoid compounded tariffs that take time. In the meantime, the burden lands squarely on the can arise when goods originate in third countries. shoulders of small and mid-sized businesses.” For our in-house published gift items, many of which Three minutes with Trump: “I’d tell him that these tariffs are currently produced in China under the Nelson Line aren’t just about penalising foreign manufacturers, they’re brand, we’re actively working to diversify our impacting US businesses like ours. We work with UK publishers manufacturing base. whose products our customers love. These aren’t commodities, Licensing has been part of our model for years. We they’re curated, creative works that carry emotional value. regularly licence artwork from UK- and EU-based If the goal is to boost domestic production, then invest in designers and integrate their work into our product lines helping us build that capacity. Fund print infrastructure. Train where there is a natural fit. For our UK-published greeting workers. Offer incentives. But don’t apply sudden cost increases card lines, however, we’re not pursuing alternative without warning and expect that to lead to innovation. It only manufacturing sources. That’s a deliberate choice. These leads to instability.” PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE 33

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VIEWPOINTS Andy Meehan, US GCA president and consultant to Designer Greetings Immediate effects: “For businesses across our sector, the immediate impact has been twofold: spiralling costs and squeezed margins, leaving publishers and makers alike Above: Andy Meehan on the PG/N Smith Pub stand at Spring feeling like they’re Fair with Sarah Laker of trying to ice a cake Stationery Supplies. Below right: Tariffs have thrown a spanner in the works. Andy would in a heatwave. like Donald Trump to instigate Every publisher’s more useful tools to strengthen American businesses, not giving situation will be them a hammering. slightly different, but there are a few key strategies to consider: • Re-evaluating supply chains: Some are investigating nearshoring production to countries like Mexico or Eastern Europe, where costs can be more predictable - and perhaps less politically volatile. • Doubling down on US-based manufacturing: Where possible, brands are exploring opportunities to bring production closer to home, even if it means rethinking materials, formats, or pricing structures. • Exploring licensing and collaboration models: Licensing designs to partners in other regions or collaborating with manufacturers who already have established infrastructure could offer breathing room.

• Diversifying international markets: Rather than relying solely on US demand, some are ramping up efforts in non-US export markets to balance risk and tap into new growth pockets.” Mitigating action: “Above all, the focus must remain on quality and creativity. Consumers will forgive a slightly higher price for a product that feels special, but they won’t forgive a drop in craftsmanship. The world is bigger than one policy or one president. Those who stay nimble, stay creative, and keep their quality high will weather this latest squal.” Wider ramifications: “This isn’t just about taking a knock on margins, it’s about losing momentum. Our industry thrives on rhythm: seasonal launches, retail cycles, creative waves. Tariffs throw a massive spanner in the works. For publishers, it forces hard choices: smaller print runs, fewer formats, more risk-averse design. For independent retailers, it could mean steeper prices and less variety, making every shelf a little less exciting. And for suppliers? Well, they’re caught in a dance where someone keeps moving the floor. Ironically, tariffs meant to ‘protect’ often end up punishing the very

Mark Callaby, managing director of Ohh Deer Immediate effects: “At the moment we're shipping all UK made products as normal and have a temporary hold on anything else. If the customer really needs it then we'll ship but explain that they would need to pay the additional tariff. At the moment we're reviewing this against any changes and working with our US rep groups where required. We haven't got any alternative plans in motion as it almost feels like it could be a waste of our time at the moment.” Wider ramifications: “There are going to be lots - increased production costs which will lead to higher prices (we've previously looked at manufacturing in the US and we found it expensive and the quality wasn't anywhere near what

could be achieved elsewhere). So potentially the industry could see a drop in quality as companies look to cut costs by changing the board they're using for example. For retailers we could see shrinking margins which leads to wider implications of reduced profits and inevitably shop closures. The US might see a shift in consumer behaviour potentially with consumers looking to buy multipacks in order to save money for example.” Mitigating action: “There are lots of US card publishers who will be making their product in the US so there's a real opportunity here for these

entrepreneurial creativity they claim to champion. And when you're busy dodging duties and managing chaos, there's precious little time or cash left for innovation. However, it’s worth saying that amid all the tariff gloom, there’s actually a bright spot. There is an enduring American appetite for British art, wit, and craftsmanship — and the fact that US retail prices for cards are already significantly higher than what customers expect to pay in the UK and you have a real window of opportunity. It’s not just about weathering the storm, for British brands, it’s about setting sail while the winds are favourable.” Three minutes with Trump: “Mr. Trump, I appreciate the intent to protect American jobs, but tariffs are a bit like using a cricket bat to swat a housefly. Big swing, bigger mess. Rather than hammering the businesses that are already trying to build, create, and employ, why not help us get stronger at home? Grants for domestic manufacturing, investment in sustainable paper production, support for small business innovation — these are the tools that would actually create the jobs and resilience America deserves. And if I may: in business, as in life, a wellwritten thank-you card often achieves more than a shouting match ever will. Perhaps it’s time to swap the tariff sheets for a box of greeting cards and a bit of proper dialogue.” Left: Mark Callaby (left) with business and life partner, Jamie Mitchell. Below left: A currently discontinued Ohh Deer card design, which Mark is considering reinstating!

brands to gain more space - however many of them will be using imported materials which will be impacting their own margins even more. Greeting cards in the US are already expensive (in comparison to the UK).” Three minutes with Trump: “It would probably involve many swear words which I'm not sure you'd really want to publish! However, I would definitely want to point out how his tariffs will make small businesses suffer around the world as well as within the US. But I'd also want to challenge him on his other political views, in particular his stance on human rights and how leadership should be about lifting people up and not stoking fear or division.”

PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE 35

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A selection of wonderful new ranges, the majority of which are being launched at PG Live (June 3-4 at London’s Business Design Centre).

Christmas Cosiness From a snowman wrapped in an enormous scarf, to a fox and duck rushing home with a Christmas tree strapped precariously to the roof of their car, ArtPress has launched a whole new range of festive designs embracing the cosiness of Christmas. Its popular Royal Academy wallet collection welcomes additions by artists such as Eric Ravilious, Claude Monet, Mary Fedden RA and Charles Tunnicliffe RA. ArtPress Publishing 020 7231 2923 www.art-press.co.uk Exhibiting at PG Live

Merci Beaucoup Earlybird is keeping the sunshine flowing with the launch of a new clutch of its fan-favourite small thank you card packs. Exuding colourful ontrend vibes, the packs feature bold fruit designs covering juicy strawberries, shiny cherries, zesty oranges and zingy lemons. They come packaged in recycled craft board boxes with craft fleck envelopes. Earlybird Designs 01227 765372 www.earlybirddesigns.co.uk Exhibiting at PG Live

Feathers To Petals Known for its bird designs, Twenty Birds has flapped its wings into florals. The Flower Card Collection is inspired by designer owner Monica Gabb’s own gardening experiences, based on the flowers she grows, which bring more birds into her garden. All 125mm square, the cards are blank inside and come with a vibrant yellow envelope. They are available individually or boxed in sets of six. Twenty Birds gabbmonica@gmail.com www.twentybirds.co.uk Exhibiting at PG Live

Joining The Dots

Feline Groovy

Dottie Garden is a charming new collection from Paper Rose created by talented illustrator and surface pattern designer Georgia Breeze. Featuring delicate hand-drawn florals, painterly textures, silver foil touches and a calming palette in cornflower blue and mint, the designs are uplifting and timeless. All 5”x7”, the 14 designs come with a fuchsia pink envelope. Paper Rose 0115 9860115 www.paperrose.co.uk Exhibiting at PG Live

Stormy Knight’s latest collection, Catnip is a cheery nod to the eccentricities of being a cat. Featuring the art of Monica Kamakura, all 12 designs (including four Christmas ones) are finished with spot UV and paired with a fleck card envelope. Stormy Knight 0117 9098684 www.stormyknight.orderspace.com Exhibiting at PG Live

Silver Linings For Every Cloud collection from BadgerBee Design encompasses a mix of fun, quirky, thinking of you and supportive cards. Created to bring a smile to the recipient, when times are tough, the 150mm square cards come naked with a recycled kraft envelope. BadgerBee Design 07545 548243 www.badgerbeedesign.co.uk Exhibiting at PG Live PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE 37

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A selection of wonderful new ranges, the majority of which are being launched at PG Live (June 3-4 at London’s Business Design Centre).

Sharp Wit Versed Aid’s latest humour range, Tarp as a Shack, comprises 16 designs covering various occasions with oddball characters who, while not the sharpest of tacks, nonetheless have a dry and quirky outlook on life! Measuring 120mmx170mm, the cards are printed on FSC-certified 300gsm matt board and come with a recyclable eco-Kraft envelope. They are available naked/nested or cello wrapped. Versed Aid 07932 759 357 www.versed-aid.co.uk Exhibiting at PG Live

Well Scripted Bexy Boo’s new Christmas Inky Scripts is a contemporary collection of 34 designs, all 150mm square, with bold graphic writing brimming with little festive inked illustrations. Hand-finished with a wooden letter tile, they come with a poppy red envelope and bio cello wrapped as standard. Bexy Boo enquiries@bexyboo.co.uk www.bexyboo.co.uk Exhibiting at PG Live

A Cut Above Apple & Clover’s brand new Broderie Collection encompasses 30 pretty designs, with each featuring a die-cut broderie style border with gold foiling. Covering everyday sends and occasions, the 114mmx162mm cards are supplied naked, paired with a gold foil star printed kraft envelope. Apple & Clover 07790 900976 www.appleandclover.com Exhibiting at PG Live

Cherries On Top Sea-ing Is Believing

Inspired by the sweetness of Summer and Autumn fruits, the Mon Chéri collection is a charming new range of cards and gifts from Toasted Crumpet. Reminiscent of vintage ice cream parlours, the 20 watercolour illustrated cards feature soft pink or blue striped backgrounds with a delicate scalloped edge to add a feminine touch. All 108mmx140mm in size and blank inside, they come with a kraft envelope and an eco-clasp sticker. Toasted Crumpet 01372 383436 www.toastedcrumpet.co.uk

Kali Stileman Publishing has welcomed some new additions into its portfolio, not least a marvellous mermaid design which graces several products. This gorgeous design, depicting a myriad of mermaids against a sea green background, features on wrapping paper, a matching birthday card and a mini card. Kali Stileman Publishing 01305 848899 www.kalistileman.co.uk Exhibiting at PG Live

The Great Outdoors Off Grid is a brand new collection of 13 hand-painted designs from IC&G. The collection is all about celebrating the great outdoors, be it glamping in a campervan, pottering about in the garden or wildlife spotting in the British countryside. Each design is beautifully embossed and enhanced by delicate foil details. International Cards and Gifts 01202 897494 www.icgcards.com PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE 39

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PG LIVE NEWBIES

Everyone Has A Story… Next month’s Progressive Greetings Live (June 3-4) at London’s Business Design Centre) will see an inspiring array of publishers making their respective debuts at the exhibition, most notably in the Upper Village and Springboard areas. PG shares the back stories of just some of these PG Live newbies as well as their ‘happy ever after’ dreams for the show.

Rachel Hart-Phillips, co-owns and runs LoveLossDiscoballs with her husband Warren Once upon a time: “We are a husband-and-wife duo with a shared passion for making life's hardest moments feel a little brighter. LoveLossDiscoballs was born from our personal journeys through grief and healing. I tragically lost my first husband to suicide while pregnant with my son, and both of my parents young to cancer. I have found solace in sharing stories, creating, and connecting with others who have faced similar heartbreaks. Before setting up the business I had years of experience in account management and customer success. Warren is a graphic designer with a passion for typography, colour and simple design and has worked in many areas, including within the greeting card industry. He also deeply understands the nuances of grief after losing his best friend, his mum. He pours his heart and soul into crafting meaningful and beautiful pieces that we hope can touch people’s lives. Together we realised that our talents - Warren’s design expertise and my way with words - were perfectly aligned to create something unique. LoveLossDiscoballs reflects our belief that difficult times don’t have to be done in the dark. With our vibrant, modern support and sympathy cards, we’re here to bring light to life’s toughest times. And yes, we love disco balls because we know that no matter how broken you may feel, you still have the power to emit magical sparks of light… and we are quite partial to having a dance under them too.” PG Live main plot: “Although our first range at launch focused exclusively on support and

Above left: Rachel and Warren Hartsympathy, our strapline says it Phillips, co-founders of LoveLossDiscoballs. all: Because life is colourful. So, Above right: LoveLossDiscoballs we’re bringing some new approaches the design of sympathy and support card through a colourful lens. surprises to PG Live, with fresh Below: A contemporary graphical designs in some other categories approach combines with a conversational touch on LoveLossDiscoballs’ designs. - including a special collaboration with an Ibiza-based business who helped make our ‘big day’ extra special last year. And there are plenty more disco balls in store!” Happy ever after: “Our biggest hope for PG Live is to connect with like-minded retailers and buyers who share our belief that support and sympathy cards can be bright, bold and full of heart. We’d love to find new stockists who feel inspired by our mission to bring light to life’s hardest moments and to build relationships that grow beyond the show. We’re also really looking forward to soaking up the atmosphere, learning from others in the industry, and celebrating how far we’ve come. Being at PG Live is a real milestone for our little business, and we're feeling ready to shine - disco balls and all!” • LoveLossDiscoballs will be on Stand 805.

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PG LIVE NEWBIES

Sally Kelly, the designer and owner of Sally Kelly London Once upon a time: “Ever since I was card and stationery buyer at Liberty, many moons ago, I knew I wanted to create my own greeting card collection. I suppose it has just taken me on a long route to get there! I actually spent 20 years working at Liberty of London, including as a senior fabric designer and also the creator of multiple lifestyle collections, which enabled me to use my artistic skills as well as my commercial nous. Above: Sally Kelly at a recent exhibition. I then set up my Right: Sindys modelling the Periwinkle print from Sally Kelly’s Botanica fabric own studio in collection. London, building a Above right: Some designs from Sally Kelly London’s Fruits of the Earth card reputation for a collection. vibrant and distinctive style of surface pattern design, ranging from watercolour botanicals to fantastical landscapes, enlivened by my passion for colour and nature. I also create two own-label fabric collections every year which are sold internationally, and collaborate

with clients which include the Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew, Highgrove Estate and Lush Cosmetics. I also exhibit my paintings at solo and group shows in London, including a recent one at the LSE for which I created an 18’ mural and a series of eight paintings which are now on permanent display in the Law School.” PG Live main plot: “Drawing on my huge archive of work, I see the launch of my greeting card collection as testament to my lifelong love of cards and wrapping paper.” Happy ever after: “I am excited to make new connections at PG Live, get involved with interesting design projects, and explore new opportunities with brands, buyers, on the licensing front.” • Sally Kelly London will be on Stand 788.

David Stetson, founder of Stetson Cards Once upon a time: “The last four decades of my working life has centred around photography, working both as a creative director and professional photographer. Having had studios in London, New York and Tokyo my photographs have graced the pages of leading fashion magazines, featured in major advertising campaigns and been exhibited in many leading galleries globally. Over the years I have built Above: David Stetson in his Tokyo up an extensive archive of studio. photographs across many Right: David is keen that his cards reflect the photographic art source. fields, including fashion, beauty, Below right: Colour as well as black and white images feature in Stetson Cards’ nature, travel, landscape, inaugural card collection. lifestyle, celebrity portraiture, which prompted me to want to translate some of them onto greeting cards. My passion for photography has always been about more than just capturing an image; it’s been about creating dynamic compositions, and recognising modern trends, which are also relevant for greeting cards. Now based back in the UK, I will continue with my photography and exhibitions while growing my new greeting card brand with the same dedication to quality and creativity that has defined my 42 PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE

career in the fashion and editorial world.” PG Live main plot: “I am launching Stetson Cards at PG Live 2025, based on some of the best images from my archive. I’d like to think that the USP of the cards is the creativity and uniqueness of each image. From quirky colour to timeless black-and-white images, the cards are designed to evoke a sense of connection, celebration and joy, perfect for art lovers and those who seek unique, thought-provoking images. I wanted to create cards that you wouldn’t find anywhere else, but still hit the right aesthetic. The card collection reflects my signature style, each is signed and the image is centred within a white border to resemble a work of art in a gallery. They are printed on premium board, blank inside, but can be customised to accommodate any message or greeting. And if required, a retailer’s logo can be included in the details printed on the back of the card.” • Stetson Cards will be on Stand 727.

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Jessie Wood, founder of Jessie Maeve Studio

Above: Jessie in her London studio. Below: A trio of designs from Jessie Maeve Studio’s Harlequin range. Right: A zesty harvest from the Palermo Picnic.

Once upon a time: “I worked as a fashion and print designer for many years, designing sleepwear and swimwear for high street stores such as New Look and Debenhams. Then, after having children I went freelance, but my work took a big dip

during lockdown as retail struggled. I began to draw on the iPad and taught myself Procreate as a creative outlet and an escape from home schooling! This led to a range of cards which I hand delivered to friends and family while the shops were closed, and so my journey to become a greeting card publisher began. As a former textile print designer, I love weaving intricate patterns into my card designs, drawing inspiration from the latest fashion and interior design trends. I initially sold my cards online and in local markets, but am now proud to be supplying Oliver Bonas, Liberty and stylish independent stores. I love designing greeting cards and am thrilled to think of people choosing my artwork to send to their loved ones.” PG Live main plot: “I will be launching at PG Live with

brand new collections inspired by India, Italy and the timeless appeal of ceramics, fruit, and florals. I will also be showing my established ranges, such as my collaboration with The Original Gluggle Jug Factory, featuring the iconic fish jug.” Happy ever after: “I’ve wanted to be a part of PG Live since starting out in the greeting card industry, and I can’t wait to see the designs that I have been working on for the last four years on display. I would love to make connections with retailers who can see my cards fitting into their stores, and I am also looking forward to sharing tips and advice with fellow publisher friends.” • Jessie Maeve Studio will be on Stand 701.

Maxine Whittaker, founder of The World of Shivling Once upon a time: “Everyone has a story. This is mine…Have you ever wondered who pokes the butterflies in your stomach? Then, let me tell you about Shivlings… I have heard Shivlings ever since I can remember, they whisper through our feelings, reminding us to “Live the life you love” and to “Love Above: Maxine Whittaker believes the life you live”. They that everyone has Shivlings who whisper… “Follow the talk to them. Above right: The World of Shivling path of your heart”. So, I is launching 36 cards and 36 prints as well as jewellery. did and I do… I listened Right: Above: There will be some to my Shivlings and World of Shivling jewellery on the stand at PG Live too. became a dancer and later, a professional stunt woman. I have been performing stunts in film and TV for the past 23 years and during this time, I’ve written Shivlings stories in between fight scenes and sketched them while dressed as everything from Cat Woman to a superhero, witch and zombie. All my card designs (and my jewellery products) are from Shivlings’ whispers!” PG Live main plot: “Shivlings live among us like fairies, angels and invisible friends, and the cards I

draw and write are from their whispers. The Shivlings speak through our internal feelings, they know the pathway to all human hearts. Their story is about the perfume of who we truly are. Everyone has Shivlings. The cards I will be showing cover fun, anger management, love, transformation, courage and rebels. Intended to be given as a present, after all, what would be more powerful than the gift of love and kindness?” Happy ever after: “It is the wish of the Shivlings that their whispers are heard, that one day everyone shall see the beauty and begin to dance with life.” • The World of Shivling will be on Stand 9. Below: Maxine’s life has involved being a stuntwoman appearing on many top films.

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RETAILER PROFILE

MORE THAN MOST

With its Spring Campaign transforming More Than Just a Gift’s quietest month into the best April yet for the Narborough-based card and gift shop, owner Sophie Edwards is now looking to share her experiences and inspirations with other likeminded retailers through a newly launched Smart Shopkeepers’ Club website and community. PG caught up with Sophie in her Narborough Hall base to find out more.

“Historically April has always been our quietest month of the year,” said Sophie Edwards, who together with her husband Simon co-owns the More Than Just a Gift card and gift store (and sibling Petimo card publishing business) located within Narborough Hall in Leicestershire. “We’re not in a tourist area and most of our customers head off on holiday or visit family for Easter. After the buzz of Mother’s Day, we’ve always accepted April as a natural dip in the calendar. But this year, we saw a significant shift.” To quantify the size of that ‘shift’, Sophie revealed that the store’s April sales were up 75% year on year - and that excludes “the Jellycat craziness”. “For a mature and long-established business, this kind of growth is extraordinary,”

highlights Sophie, but she knows the reason for the surge. “There’s no doubt that our Spring Campaign is behind it – it shows that trading can be transformed with the right mix of creativity, storytelling, and intention.” This was the store’s 21st Spring Campaign, but this year’s activities had an extra flourish as Sophie coupled it with a special Female Founders Month focus which ran throughout March shining a spotlight on some of the women’s businesses connected to the store. All of the Mother’s Day cards Sophie stocked this year, for example hailed from female-founded firms, along with 99% of the store’s everyday cards. “Our Spring Celebration event created a genuine sense of occasion, and our Female

Above left: Sophie has 30 years’ experience in indie retail. Below: A strong greeting card selection, which includes Petimo’s own designs, adds to the mix of gifts and jewellery in More Than Just a Gift.

The Building Bricks When Sophie was just a year old, her parents bought Narborough Hall, a beautiful, but derelict old house in a Leicestershire village. Many years on they decided to turn the front rooms into a gallery/shop to help fund the restoration of the house. As a teenager Sophie threw herself into helping her dad build the displays, unpacking and pricing all the stock and chivvying them into finally setting an opening date! She served the customers and stocked the shelves. “Even when I left for university, I stayed involved. My very first letter home was basically a list of instructions for how they should run things without me! Every holiday, I returned to work long hours into the night helping the business,” recalled Sophie.

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Sophie met Simon on the first night of Freshers Week at the University of Sheffield – she studied archaeology and prehistory, Simon tackling a law degree. “Retail was nowhere on our radar! Life, though, has a funny way of leading you where you’re meant to be,” accepts Sophie. After graduating, Sophie recognised the shop needed more than love, it needed to turn a proper profit. “So, I gave it a year. Along with Simon, we cleared out slow-moving stock, repainted, redesigned, rebranded, and relaunched. And it worked. We hit break-even, then moved into profit and have kept building from there,” revealed Sophie about her ongoing retailing story. Above left: Narborough Hall is both Sophie’s childhood home, as well as her business home. Far left: A teenage Sophie showing her retailing colours. Left: Sophie, husband Simon and dog Nixie outside More Than Just a Gift.

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Founders’ Month campaign brought meaning and community to the retail experience in a way that really resonated. We dressed the whole shop in pink blossom and soft spring colours and created immersive displays that invited customers to explore and linger. People didn’t just come to shop, they came to take it all in and the results speak for themselves,” says Sophie. The 75% increase in takings in itself is astounding but what excites Sophie even more is that “customers clearly came for the experience. People reported that they’d been told by friends to come and see what we’re doing. It’s proof that visual storytelling and creative campaigns can drive real retail growth.” As Sophie stressed, the activity wasn’t down to having a big budget to play with. “Like most independent retailers, we’re facing rising costs from every direction. Our business also supports the upkeep of a 425-year-old building [Narborough Hall, owned by her parents], which adds extra financial responsibility and massive utility costs on top of rent, rates and normal business expenses. So, every display, every idea, every element of our campaign needs to work hard for us. It had to feel magical for customers but also make commercial sense.” One of the popular features was an in-store Gratitude Tree, to which customers wrote thank you notes to the women who had helped people grow. “There were heartfelt notes to mums, teachers, friends and mentors, each written on cherry blossom cards that hung on the tree for others to read,” relayed Sophie. “It was beautiful and emotional, and it connected people in a way that very few shop displays ever do. Customers took photos and filmed each other writing their notes. Reading what people had written was absolutely heart-melting, with so many incredibly touching messages and a few funny ones too,” shared Sophie. Another element of the activity involved highlighting the store’s femalefounded suppliers through a series of posters, to illustrate the impact of choosing to buy from indie businesses. Among the ‘poster stars’ were Rachel Hare of Belly Button Designs, Tracey Colliston of Ginger Betty, Laura Darrington of Laura Darrington Design, Rosie Harrison of Rosie Made A Thing and Judy Kenney of Molly Mae.

Sophie added: “Customers loved discovering the people behind the products they were buying. I was thrilled by how well they engaged. Almost every time I walked past, someone was reading the posters which, as shopkeepers know, is pretty rare. People usually just glance.” Sophie was so happy to see customers taking photos of the posters, “chatting about the brands, and really connecting. And we were lucky enough to snap our own pics with some founders in the flesh when Laura Darrington and Molly Mae’s Jude Kenney popped in to see us too,” she added. The success of this year’s Spring Campaign made Sophie want to share the positives it has brought to her business with the wider retail community. “So, I decided to launch a new project called Smart Shopkeepers Club,” Sophie explained: “It’s still early days, but the aim is to bring independent retailers together and share practical tools, creative ideas and mindset shifts that have helped us grow. “I’ll be offering plenty of free insights and resources from the start, with the possibility of developing some deeper-dive content later on. And I’m even contemplating writing a book!” The website (www.smartshopkeepersclub.com) is now up and running and is already offering some Smart Shopkeeper tips, bite-sized

Above: Molly Mae’s Jude Kenney writing her message to hang on the Gratitude Tree. Left: Laura Darrington (right) visited Sophie for Female Founders’ Month.

practical advice, strategies and resources, along with marketing packs to make it easy for indies to run events and experiential campaigns in-store. Sophie’s now also thinking about extending it into self-paced online courses “to help overcome the overwhelm and focus on joyful profit creation in your shop”. While it’s still early days, Sophie is really hoping it will become a place where indie retailers can come for community connection with plenty of free information and advice to help them thrive. “After 30 years in retail, I don’t believe in gatekeeping everything I’ve learned. So much of what works is simple, low-cost and achievable. I’m passionate about helping shopkeepers spot those quick wins that can have a big impact, the small routine habits that build a business over time,” says Sophie enthusiastically. “There’ll also be the behind-the-scenes intel on how we plan low-cost events, create immersive storytelling displays and build marketing momentum. I have a million more ideas bursting to get out and I believe that the more we share, the stronger our indie retail community becomes.” Looking ahead, Sophie believes this April has proved something vital: “Physical retail is evolving. Customers are craving genuine connection, story and purpose. If we can deliver that in-store, then even the quietest months can bloom into something extraordinary.” Above left: Smart Shopkeepers’ Club is Sophie’s latest venture. Left: A dedicated website is now live for the Smart Shopkeepers’ Club.

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13-14 MAY 2025 BUSINESS DESIGN CENTRE ISLINGTON, LONDON

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Last stands remaining, please contact Chantelle White: chantellew@max-publishing.co.uk

Max Exhibitions, United House, North Road, London, N7 9DP

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SWIM FOR IT!

Making sure no one misses out is the premise behind the diversity and inclusion movement, and nowhere has it been more fully embraced than within the greeting card industry where publishers and illustrators are continually looking to find new ways to ensure there’s a card for everyone. Wild swimming may not immediately conjure up thoughts of diversity and inclusion, but small publisher Lydia Evans is determined to prove people wrong. Wanting to ensure her Lydia London products fully represent D&I in all its glory,

Above: The greeting card industry is seeking to ensure everyone is seen. Below: Lydia London’s Swim Wild & Free.

she’s determined that her Swim Wild & Free collection will go beyond the simple joy of a greeting card. As well as including various skintones, shapes and sizes in

Celebrating sisterhood A magical night saw Paper Rose’s You Go Girl lift the Best Diversity & Inclusion Range at The Henries awards, testament to how diverse D&I has become in our sector. Not just about ethnicity and sexuality, it’s about full inclusivity, as the winning cards are a celebration of sisterhood, sass and unstoppable vibes, with six new ones launched already this year to extend the collection. “Our initial thoughts were shock, quickly followed by joy,” enthused creative studio manager Sarah Tanser who collected the trophy on the night with international sales and licensing director Perlina Pierre-Davies and Alana Rourke, production and inventory manager. “We were honoured to be in a category with great talent such as Georgina Fihosy from AfroTouch Design, who is also a strong voice for industry-wide change. “It means a lot to us personally, You Go Girl started out as a passion project just before the pandemic, with a small number of designs and has grown to a fierce collection of empowerment, friendship, diversity and inclusivity, ultimately showing that no matter who or where you are…you can go girl!” And Perlina added: “This range champions diversity, friendship, and fierce empowerment; with each card bringing bold energy and feel-good sparkle. The new designs are already selling in brilliantly and have sparked even more interest across all sectors of our market. Bursting with personality, these designs are made to uplift, connect, and cheer on every kind of fabulous!” Right: Sarah, Alana and Perlina love the You Go Girl project.

her illustrations, Lydia has now linked sales to the www.levelwater.org charity, which provides free one-to-one swimming lessons to children with disabilities across the UK. “This makes this skill for life inclusive to all,” Lydia said. “As an outdoor cold-water swimmer myself this is the perfect swim charity to collaborate with. For every purchase made from our wild swimming range there will be an accumulated donation that’s paid to the charity quarterly. “I’ve been ensuring I’m representative of diversity and inclusion in my

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FOCUS ON…DIVERSITY & INCLUSION CARDS

Widening the choice Cardgains has been determined to bring modernity into the traditional buying group world and what better way than by ensuring the 1,000-plus retail rooftop members have the widest choice possible. AfroTouch Design is one of the newest supplier members with creative and founder Georgina Fihosy explaining the decision was to help with brand visibility: “We’ve always been on a mission to ensure culturally-inclusive cards are available on the High Street and being able to supply Cardgains members with our card designs is one step in meeting that aspiration. “The onboarding as a supplier has been really great and Cardgains’ md Penny Shaw and the team have been really supportive. I’m currently following up on a few leads so looking forward to seeing how those pull through.” As a pharmacist by trade, Georgina works full-time as a pharma professional but has been running her side hustle publishing African-inspired cards, stationery and gifts since 2015, originally under the name Special Touch Designs which she rebranded in 2019 to AfroTouch Design. She was a finalist in The Henries Awards 2024 Best Diversity & Inclusion Range and also has a licensed range available through UK Greetings – and in her day job was recently crowned with the Future Leaders title at the PF Awards 25 organised by PharmaFields, She explained: “I started while on maternity leave with my second

Above and right: UKG is working with Maryam Khalifah.

figurative designs. This came naturally within my Swim Wild & Free collection from the start with my original had darkskinned wild swimmers – it was actually an afterthought to do a second version with light skin! “Also, where I swim outdoors all year round at the Serpentine Swimming Club and 48 PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE

child – I now have three wonderful children – mainly out of frustration around the lack of representation in the greeting card industry. I wanted to find a card for a friend who’d just had a baby and couldn’t find one with a black baby or one that reflected her and her family and this beautiful occasion. “I wanted something fun and cultural so decided to make one myself – I’m self-taught Above: Georgina Fihosy is pushing for greater brand visibility. and learned how to make Below left: The GCA Dragons panel of (left-right) and design cards via Karen Wilson from Paper Salad, Raspberry Blossom’s Rebecca Green, Georgina Fihosy, and Google university!” PG’s Nicola Webster. Georgina also offers mentoring and business coaching and was one of the all-female panel at the GCA’s 2024 Dragons Speed Dating sessions, revealing how her business success has been based around having established multiple income streams including wholesale, consumer and trade websites, and bespoke corporate work, adding that she’d overcome a natural shyness and worked on improving her communication and public speaking skills. Of her recent Future Leaders’ title Georgina said: “As a mother, pharma professional, and business owner, harmonising these roles hasn’t been easy,” said Georgina. “ Juggling school runs with strategy meetings, navigating self-doubt – these moments are real. But this award proves that whatever age or circumstance, women don’t have to choose between ambition and personal commitments, we can excel in all.”

Hampstead Ponds [in London] we’re a diverse mix of body shapes and ages enjoying a cool dip in the water. My designs include slim, apple shaped, grey haired and redheads. Sorry guys, you’ll be added soon!” This expansion of what D&I encompasses has continued at UK Greetings where the publisher continues to explore ways to ensure its products reflect the diversity of modern society across their collections. A passion for representation is at the heart of Maryam Khalifah's collaboration with UKG which launched earlier this year with a new female and male range, with the designs reflecting the diverse communities they aim to reach. Maryam is an illustrator specialising in

children's picture books and, coming from a multiracial background, she is a huge proponent of seeing those from minority backgrounds represented in her art so enjoys illustrating diverse and multiracial characters. Throughout the creative process, UKG and Left and below: Vibrant in-law cards from Holy Mackerel.

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FOCUS ON…DIVERSITY & INCLUSION CARDS

Right: Kali Stileman goes multicultural.

Maryam committed to creating playful illustrations that felt inclusive and authentic, celebrating diversity and real-life identities, and giving customers an opportunity to connect with loved ones in a way that resonates personally. Holy Mackerel’s longrunning and ever-evolving One Lump Or Two range by Erica Sturla has expanded to feature vibrant in-law cards that celebrate every kind of family. From same-sex anniversary designs to thoughtful greetings for grandsons and granddaughters-in-law, these playful polymer clay creations ensure everyone feels seen – and celebrated. Meanwhile, well-known kids’ card publisher Kali Stileman has made sure she’s included inclusion with the latest birthday collection of multicultural designs. “This range features lots children of different ethnicities and hobbies against cool and colourful backgrounds,” explained director of operations Jemima Stileman. It is of course not just the design style, but the editorial

too which has a part to play on the D&I front. Hilda Richardson, owner of Cardigan Cards, for one, has broadened the publisher’s portfolio to include some D&I designs “which are specifically for parents and grandparents who would generally send a nice wordy card to their Daughter/Son, Granddaughter/Grandson, but have found it extremely difficult to find a versed card with suitable sentiment, that doesn't have the right title.” With the rainbow cake illustration, the designs work across many sends and Hilda has found they’re selling well when displayed in the relevant sections instore. And that’s all anyone can ask for when the D&I subject comes up, that publishers do what they can so their designs are as inclusive as possible. Below: Cardigan’s rainbow verses.

Cardies show Pride x3 Aaaaaand we’re off again with the greeting card community showing its D&I rainbow colours by supporting Pride In London for the third year running – or marching actually! The GCA has secured 50 walking places in the capital’s annual event, on Sunday 5 July this year, to join in with the 30,000-plus participants on the mile-long route through the capital, and enjoying engaging with the huge crowds lining the streets. “I’m really excited to be leading the GCA at Pride In London for a third year running,” said Mark Callaby, md of Ohh Deer and head of the GCA D&I subcommittee. “We have 50 places and they're likely to be snapped up quickly – so sign up sooner rather than later if you'd like to march with us and help us hand out thousands of greeting cards celebrating love and pride.” Places will be allocated on a first-come-first-served basis and you can sign up on www.gca.cards/join-us-at-pride-in-london2025 – the GCA group’s set-off time isn’t known yet so do keep the whole day clear for now, and remember you’ll have to cover your own travel and accommodation costs. Mark is also looking for help designing the 30,000 exclusive Pride greeting cards that will be given away to the thousands of people lining the route on the day so any LGBTQ+ designers are asked to submit their designs to mark@ohhdeer.com.

Above: The GCA crew at Pride In London 2024.

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Art Source

Creative Lee-way

Lee Fearnley’s figurative oil paintings hang in fine art collections around the world, but his cartoons have graced thousands of mantlepieces on humorous greeting cards from many publishers. PG caught up with this legendary artist who has greeting cards in his DNA.

“Looking back, being a greeting card artist had a certain inevitability about it. My father Alan was a Above: Lee Fearnley working on one highly regarded greeting card of his oil paintings. designer in the '60s and '70s working mainly on cutes, and before he made the leap into fine art oil painting in the early '80s it wasn’t unusual for me to find Keith Chapman, Terry Regan and Ron Locker, all big publishers in the greeting card world at the time, in our home talking to Dad. So, I doubt it was a great surprise when, having had the artistic gene passed on to me, I left Batley Art College to start my journey in greeting cards at publisher WN Sharpe in Bradford as a junior artist, the same company my father had worked for when he had started out. The art director, a lovely man called Roger Hutchings was a former colleague of my Dad, but it was Roger’s elder brother Latif, a contracted artist with Sharpe’s who was to have a huge influence on me in the art of card design. Latif was a tremendous artist, not just in the superb quality of his draughtsmanship, but in the way he used colour. I still admire the old samples I have in my filing cabinet for the way he could use purples, oranges and greens in a scene, be it in the sky or the snow on the ground, and it just looked right. The Sharpe’s studio was a great training ground, and while there I gradually became a humour artist, learning the skills of character design and line work from the cartoonist Ian Jackson, another contracted artist, and how to do my own handwritten editorial from a master calligrapher called Mike Burgin. In 1995, after seven years in the studio I took the plunge and went freelance, working mainly for UK Greetings (or Carlton as it was back then), Hallmark and Regent. In the subsequent 30 years I’ve worked for some great companies and some great art managers, sadly some of both groups are no longer with us. I made the transition from painting in gouache Above left: Humour invariably appears in Lee’s figurative fine art. Left: A design in GBCC’s Look At It This Way range.

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Left: A design for Country Cards. Middle left: Humanity on a bench. Bottom left: An Animalfunction design from GBCC.

(hoping my old aerograph airbrush wouldn't decide to splatter ink all over the lovely background vignette I’d just managed to achieve, after having spent ages masking out all the key components with film), to the digital age, where I can simply highlight an area and press a button for the same effect. I think it’s always been a big advantage that I’ve never tied myself down to just one style of cartoon or one style of humour. Having a variety of ‘looks’ has facilitated a broader client base and avoids my work competing against itself. I’ve worked on many long running, successful humour ranges, including for GBCC, Ling, Country Cards and Woodmansterne, as well as supplying several calendar and jigsaw companies with designs. Over the years creating humorous designs has become more challenging. Whether people’s tastes have become more sophisticated and ‘progressive’, or whether people are just more easily offended, there are many cartoons in my back catalogue that just wouldn’t see the light of day now as they would be considered too crude or would be likely to prompt a flurry of angry letters and emails. The humour in card designs is now ‘cleverer’, often quite subtle, poking fun at life rather than the flaws of the recipient. During the Covid lockdowns my wife Andrea, our dog Steve and I moved from West Yorkshire up to Barnard Castle in County Durham and I now split my time between the greeting card cartooning that I love and my passion for fine art oil painting. I’ve developed something of an obsession for figurative work. I love capturing fleeting moments in time and the subtle interactions between people; the friction, affection and occasional absurdity present in our everyday lives. There’s invariably a little bit of humour added in the scenario somewhere, which I suppose is a nod to my cartoonist background. Barnard Castle, where we live is a bustling market town which serves as an excellent platform for people watching, providing me with a wealth of inspiration for my next paintings. I still love coming up with humorous designs. It’s such a joyous feeling to know you’ve put a smile on someone’s face... the person buying the card and hopefully the person receiving it too.” Lee’s work can be viewed on his website, www.leefearnley.com

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If you are an artist, photographer or verse writer and would like to be considered to appear in Art Source, please contact PG’s Jakki Brown on jakkib@max-publishing.co.uk. This is an editorial feature and as such is free of charge. PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE 51

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PG ASKED A TRIO OF RETAILERS FOR THEIR BEST SELLERS Heather McCulloch and Nick Summers, co-owners and of The Pirate and Bluebelle, Gourock. Old school mates turned business partners run their shop in the ferry port town on the Clyde which has a distinctly Scots twist, incorporating work of around 50 artists.