‘Fairy’ good luck to all The Retas finalists
After All The Magic Of PG Live 2026... See you at PG Live 2027 next May!
Open Sesame - and a magical welcome to The Retas 2026
This year’s magical mystical theme is just perfect for The Retas, as excellence in retailing is all about somehow creating that magic potion of just the right product selection, an alluring retailing environment and intuitive customer service that sees consumers willingly fall under their spell.
The challenges of being a successful retailer in today’s market requires more than merely a swift wave of a magic wand. It requires tenacity, passion, determination, curation, communication, engagement and investment, but the odd sprinkling of fairy dust certainly adds the extra sparkle!
We also pay tribute to the many imps and white witches who have helped make today possible, our fantastic sponsors, many of them talented greeting card publishers whose enchanting products add their own touches of magic to our Retas finalists’ wondrous emporiums.
So, this afternoon it’s time for us all to come out from under the toadstools, leave our cauldrons on the simmer, suspend belief and have a wizard time with fellow members of the cardie wonderland.
Magic Touches
In addition to The Retas category sponsors, we give a big thank you to all those who have waved their magic wands to create the finishing touches. These include The Art File for allowing us to use its Storybook imagery and designing the delightful invitation; Fedrigoni for the board; Windles for printing them and Enveco for making the envelopes; Alljoy Design for the wonderful placecards; Ohh Deer for the gorgeous menu and notebook; Stormy Knight for the Higher or Lower fun; N Smith for the cardboard creations and the one and only Rosie Trow for the raffle wizard hats.
The Retas are annual awards for UK greeting card retailers. They were introduced and wholly owned by Max Publishing, publisher of Progressive Greetings Worldwide, PG Buzz.net, The Henries greeting card awards, Progressive Gifts and Home, The Greats gift retailer awards, Stationery Matters, Licensing Source Book, LicensingSource.net, The Licensing Awards, The Brand and Lifestyle Licensing Awards, Progressive Housewares, Excellence in Housewares Awards, Progressive Preschool, Progressive Preschool Awards and Progressive Party.
Above: At The C&W themed Retas last year. (Left-right) Max Publishing’s Tracey Bearton, Jakki Brown, Jim Bullough, Ian Hyder, Rob Willis, Nicola Webster and Warren Lomax.
WITCH ONE WOULD YOU CHOOSE?
Every single penny from today’s raffle will go to The Light Fund, our industrywide registered charity. Set up in 2004, since its inception, The Light Fund has now raised over £2.5 million and funded well over 200 charity projects helping men, women and children less fortunate than ourselves, all over the world. The Retas 2026 Raffle
6 for £20
Magic of the Faraway Tree
Kindly donated by Hallmark
You can get away from it all high in the sky with a stay in the Treetops Treehouse or hunker down in the Magic Mushroom cabin with its wonky, grass-covered roof or plan your £500 escape to any of the magical places to stay in Alistair Sawday’s Canopy & Stars collection.
Potions And Lotions
Kindly donated by Alljoy Design
3 for £10
Venture among the vegetable patch to pick from Jo Malone’s inseason limited-edition scents including Velvety Butternut, Scarlet Beetroot, Carrot Blossom and Green Tomato Vine, or select any of the brand’s deliciously fragrant lotions and potions with a £250 gift voucher.
The one and only Rosie Trow has sponsored the magical hats for the Raffle Wizard on each table!
How To Train Your Dragon?
Kindly donated by
The Art File
Just say “abracadabra” and you could find yourself transported to the heart of Paris, Amsterdam, Lille or Brussels, not by dragon, but by a super sleek Eurostar train with a £300 voucher to use as you desire.
A Magical Mystery Tour
Kindly donated by Paper Salad Publishing
The Beatles knew a thing or two about Magical Mystery Tours and here’s your chance to enjoy the landmarks of Liverpool, including all the places associated with John, Paul, George, and Ringo, and with this £250 ‘your wish is our command’ prize, why not book a night at the Hard Day’s Night hotel in the heart of the city.
Hubble Bubble, No Toil Or Trouble
Kindly donated by Danilo Promotions
Surrender yourself to a spell of total relaxation and pampering with a spa break worth £250 at a choice of over 500 spa destinations.
A Wicked Idea
Kindly donated by Woodmansterne
Take your seat and be bewitched by the wonders of the Wicked musical or you can take your pick of any of the top theatrical shows, music concerts or sporting events with £250 of vouchers from the Ticketmaster ‘sorting hat’.
Cauldron Calling
Kindly donated by UK Greetings
At the wave of a magic wand aka £250 of National Garden Centre gift vouchers, you can create your very own glorious grotto for fancy fairies and all the finest garden gnomes.
Pick Your Poison
cocktail or indulge in the finest smoky whisky and fine wines, plus take your pick of the vessels to drink them from with £250 of Master of Malt vouchers for your delectation.
There are plenty of delicious dishes bubbling away and delightful drinks fizzing and popping at The Ivy Group of restaurants. With a £250 voucher, you can wine and dine at any of the 50 top eateries in the collection.
(Harry) Pottering About
Kindly donated by Paperlink
Kindly donated by Rosie Made A Thing
You can stock up on Welsh Witch Gin, amass the ingredients to mix up a Maleficent's Spell or Goblet of Fire
Bedknobs & Broomsticks
Kindly donated by The Great British Card Company
Add some magic touches to your home, transform your wardrobe or add some sparkle to your beauty collection with £250 John Lewis vouchers to spend as you wish.
LONDON (INSIDE THE M25)
FINALISTS
HOME COUNTIES & SOUTH EAST
wishing all the finalists a little magic and a lot of luck
EAST ANGLIA
G o o d L u c k a l l
o u s m a s h i n g f i n a l i s t s !
from the whole gang at
SOUTH WEST
CRITERIA:
THE 2026 FINALISTS
‘Fairy’ good luck to all The Retas finalists
After All The Magic Of PG Live 2026... See you at PG Live 2027 next May!
BEST INDEPENDENT GREETING CARD RETAILER
WALES
CRITERIA:
THE 2026 FINALISTS
Creative
SPONSORED
THE MIDLANDS
NORTH WEST ENGLAND
THE 2026 FINALISTS
NORTH EAST ENGLAND
CRITERIA:
Artichoke
Design@Six
THE 2026 FINALISTS
SCOTLAND
CRITERIA:
THE 2026 FINALISTS
Rosie Trow’s magic mantra for her retail customers is…
“If you ain’t got it, you can’t sell it!”
Rosie Trow, SW agent for Anna Wright, Bewilderbeest, Belly Button Designs, Brainbox Candy, Candlelight, Five Dollar Shake, FYG, Glick, Meg Hawkins, Museums & Galleries, Paper Salad, Oli Olsen, Park Lane, Redback and Wendy Jones-Blackett.
Above: Rosie Trow with Retas’ finalists (centre) Chris Bryant of Expressions and Malcolm Adams of Stationery House, at PG Live.
BEST GREETING CARD RETAILER NEWCOMER
BEST BOOKSTOREINDEPENDENTRETAILER OF GREETING CARDS
CRITERIA:
BEST INDEPENDENTNON-SPECIALIST RETAILER OF GREETING CARDS – NORTH
BEST INDEPENDENTNON-SPECIALIST RETAILER OF GREETING CARDS – SOUTH
&Quirky
Berkhamsted
THE 2026 FINALISTS
Shaftesbury and
Topsham
BEST GREETING CARD SMALL MULTIPLE (4-20
stores)
CRITERIA: Greeting card retailers with four or more stores, excluding department stores, which have shown a commitment to the sector over the last year including greeting card selection, product knowledge, customer service, retail environment and marketing.
THE 2026 FINALISTS
Between The Lines
20 stores
Expressions, Polka Dot, Cat's Whiskers, The Card Shop
4 stores in south-west Henry & Co
4 stores in London Paper Tiger
4 stores in Edinburgh
7 stores in the Midlands Mooch
Jumping Bean
5 stores in London
7 stores in The Midlands
Utility
6 stores in Altrincham, Liverpool and Manchester
Europe’s biggest buying moment
6-9 SEPTEMBER 2026
NEC BIRMINGHAM
8-10 SEPTEMBER 2026
Two leading retail shows, one buying trip
For the very first time, Autumn Fair and Glee run side by side on 8th and 9th September at the NEC Birmingham. Your free ticket gets you into both shows. Discover new products, new suppliers, and new ideas for your business.
NEC BIRMINGHAM Scan for your free ticket
BESTSTOREDEPARTMENT RETAILER OF GREETING CARDS
GOOD LUCK FROM
MULTIPLENON-SPECIALIST RETAILER OF GREETING CARDS
THE 2026 FINALISTS
INDEPENDENT
BEST GARDEN CENTRE RETAILER OF GREETING CARDS
CRITERIA:
Bernaville Nurseries
Henry Street
Garden Centre
Reading
THE 2026 FINALISTS
Exeter Burford Garden Centre Burford Fron Goch
Monkton Elm Taunton
Garden Centre
Caernarfon
Perrywood Garden Centres
Buckhatch, Sudbury and Tiptree
SPONSORED
Garsons
Esher and Titchfield
Scotsdales
Great Shelford, Fordham and Horningsea
BEST GARDEN CENTRE RETAILER OF GREETING CARDS – MULTIPLE OR GROUP
(5 or more centres)
THE 2026 FINALISTS
BEST INDEPENDENT GREETING CARD RETAILER INITIATIVE
(for a specific project or initiative undertaken by a retailer since 15 April 2025.) CRITERIA:
THE 2026 FINALISTS
Earlybird Cards & Gifts Stoke Newington, for its Happy Cards Competition
More Than Just A Gift, Narborough, for its Smart Shopkeepers’ Club
Fenwick
Newcastle, for its NCUK/Jungle Studio Initiative
Highworth Emporium
Highworth, for its Thinking of You Week/Volunteers’ Week Campaign
Sincerely Yours Shenfield and Hornchurch and the Cardmitments group for the Cards Make People Happy Paper Bags Initiative
The Letter Arty
Manchester, for its Choose Cards Christmas Jumper Campaign
Stow News and Post Office
Stow-on-the-Wold, for its Thank You Postcards Initiative
BEST GREETING CARD WHOLESALER
THE 2026 FINALISTS
CRITERIA: Open to all wholesalers with any number of branches for whom greeting cards are a significant part of their offer. Retailers and wholesale publishers were asked to nominate which wholesalers they felt had excelled on the service level, breadth of product offered and the marketing over the last year. Archway Cards
Good luck to this year’s Retas finalists from your friends at The Art File.
Proud sponsors of the Retas Awards
0115 850 7490 | sales@theartfile.com |
GREETING CARD RETAILER OF THE YEAR
2025 – Waterstones
2024 – Postmark
2023 – Postmark
2017 – Postmark, London
2010 – Penmark
2022 – House of Cards
2021 – Cardzone
2019 – Blue Diamond
2018 – Paperchase
2016 – Waterstones
2015 – 3 Wishes
2014 – M&P Cards
2013 – Paperchase
2012 – Mayther
2011 – Bijou, Buckie
2009 – Celebrations, Carlisle
2008 – Scribbler
2007 – House of Cards
2006 – Papyrus, Glasgow
2005 – Celebrations, Carlisle
SPONSORED
BY
A doubly happy Hazel Walker (left) and Megan Douglas after winning the Best Non-Specialist Multiple award in The Retas 2025, the retailer was crowned Greeting Card Retailer of the Year with (right) Ged Mace, md of The Art File presenting the trophy, joined by host Ignacio Lopez.
CRITERIA: All winners of The Retas 2026 categories are contenders for this award, so, as such no finalists are revealed until today’s awards event.
