PG April 2026

ON THE CARDS

While I fully accept that sometimes you have to take yourself out of your comfort zone to progress, at other times you need to snuggle right down and immerse yourself in a warm cuddle of nostalgia. It was in pursuit of the latter that Jim and I were the only child-free couple at the first day screening of The Magic Faraway Tree, a modern take on on the Enid Blyton books that was a favourite childhood read for so many of us.

I have always loved the whole concept that different wonderful worlds exist at the top of a tree, that you could visit and enjoy before they moved on to be replaced by the next world, with only one – The Land of Dame Snap – being of a negative nature.

Although I was lost in my reverie, I was delighted that the new film included a Land of Birthdays, seeing it as a great subliminal reminder for the cinema goers to pop into a card shop on their way home to pick up a needed birthday card or two!

While life as a retailer is sadly not always a magical fairytale, with the tardiness of business rate reform, the escalating serious concerns of shoplifting (for financial, safety and moral reasons) and footfall among the many current challenges, there are also the ‘top of the tree’ moments.

I love the comment shared by Susie Thomas, owner of Rocket and Bird in

Taunton after her “Wowzers!” of a Mother’s Day trade. “Mother’s Day Saturday is quite possibly my favourite day as a gift shop owner, not just because it’s super busy and good for business but because I absolutely love the amount of kids who come in buying their mums cards and gifts. The youth get a lot of bad press on social media, but I want to give a huge shout out to the well-mannered, polite, kind children, teenagers and young adults who shop with me – your parents can be very proud. Some of you I’ve watched grow up over the years of running the shop, and I’m even prouder.” (See news page 8 for more Mother’s Day reports from retailers)

It is great how through the GCA’s Card Club initiative, spearheaded by Rebecca Green of Raspberry Blossom, that the joy of buying and sending of greeting cards is being perpetuated through schools and Brownie groups using the toolkit and publishers lending a hand. (See pages 31-33 for more on Next Generations).

And with more retailers being eager to support the upcoming National Stationery Week (May 11-17), the activities of which are being superbly co-ordinated by the wonderful Sarah Laker of Stationery Suppliers, the consumer awareness and joy of the all embracing stationery fest is set to sky rocket.

I’ll race you to the top of the tree to the Land of Stationery and Greeting Cards… just watch out for Dame Washalot’s dirty laundry water!

CONTENTS

16 25 31

8-15 News

All the latest happenings and developments in the trade.

16-17 Talking Shop Regaining Focus

Instead of asking yourself: “What if this goes wrong?” start asking: “What if this works?”. This is the mindset flip indie David Robertson suggests for those who have given in to Doomsday Thinking.

18-19 Cardsharp

The Bottom Feeders

Cardsharp muses on Modella Capital’s decision to bring in restructuring experts for TGJones.

21-23 Viewpoints

Fired Up

Retailers’ views from the GCA’s Dragons Speed Dating event, revealing which card publishers had slayed them.

25-29 Focus on… Stationery Avid Analogue

In the run up to London Stationery Show (May 1213) and National Stationery Week (11-17 May), PG’s highlighter comes to the fore to track recent developments in the stationery sector.

31-33 The Next Generations Future Investments

PG joined classrooms, lecture theatres and Brownies’ meetings to learn about some of the recent lesson plans to further engage the next generation with greeting cards.

34-35 PG Live Newbies Tales To Be Told…

The back stories of a handful of publishers who will be making their PG Live debuts at the upcoming show (June 2-3 at London’s Business Design Centre).

37-41 Innovations

Publishers’ new ranges and designs.

42-43 In Conversation With… Studio Boketto Studio-us Intentations

PG caught up with Studio Boketto’s co-owners Micky Calf and Olivia Penny.

45 Art Source What Kate Did Next Artist Kate Merritt shares her creative journey.

46-47 What’s Hot?

A trio of retailers reveal their bestselling ranges.

48-55 Sources of Supply

Jakki

Brown Editor/Joint Owner jakkib@max-publishing.co.uk

Mum’s The Word

The largest Spring Seasons event didn’t disappoint

Mum was definitely the word in greeting card shops across the country as the biggest card-sending event outside of Christmas did the business.

“I’m happy to say we had a great Mother's Day,” revealed Mark Janson-Smith, md of Postmark, which has 16 stores in London and Glasgow. “We felt the publishers’ offering was really strong this year. Our Mother's Day card sales were up 11% and the business up 6.7% for the three weeks to Mother's Day.”

“Wowzers! That was another whopper!” exclaimed Susie Thomas of Rocket And Bird in Taunton, saying that the Saturday before the event was one of her busiest days ever, “with a couple of hundred people through the door throughout the day.

“Mother’s Day Saturday is quite possibly my favourite day as a gift shop owner, not just because it’s super busy and good for business but because I absolutely love the amount of kids who come in buying their mums cards and gifts.”

Anne Barber, In Heaven At Home, Market Harborough also the final run up. “On the Saturday before Mother’s Day this year sales were up 31% on the comparable Saturday last year and it was so busy it felt like Christmas!”

While admitting that Valentine’s “isn’t as good as it used to be trade wise”, Stuart Delahoy, owner of Set, Leicester described Mother’s Day as “off the scale

to the point we’d sold so much of our stock I was trawling through to find anything I could use with mum on!”

Paul Cheshire, co-owner of &Quirky, Berkhamsted was more than happy with “an impressive 7%” increase in the store’s Mother's Day card sales. “There was a noticeable last-minute rush in the final week, right up to Mothering Sunday itself, with plenty of customers popping in as soon as we opened to grab those allimportant cards,” said Paul.

In South Molton, Emma Paisey, owner of Daisy Park revealed that her Mother’s Day sales were “up 17% this year for us with customers shopping earlier and slightly higher spends than last year which was a lovely surprise.”

In Welshpool, Rachel Bates, owner of Celtic Company was “really pleased” with her Mother’s Day trade, “with lots of customers buying well in advance we seemed to have been selling Mother’s Day gifts and cards for the past few weeks, but this didn't affect the last-minute surge of customers making the Saturday before the busiest apart from Christmas trade for us.”

Judy Evans, owner of Williams Of Audlem, Audlem was another retailer who had “a marvellous Mother’s Day” with a steady stream of customers throughout the week, “culminating in an exceptionally busy Saturday.

Cardfactory was not at a loss of what to do

Cardfactory took on board comments from Facebook group The Motherless Mothers to work together to “better the selection and do more for women living without their mums, by circumstance and choice, on Mother’s Day” as well as for birthdays.

As a result there were two special designs in the retailer’s Mother’s Day range that were written by the group’s co-founder, Louise Kirby-Jones.

In the running

Abacus has recently released its latest festive offerings with MD Nick Carey commenting: “Since 2015, through the sales of our dedicated charity packs we’ve managed to contribute a remarkable total of £425,903 to worthy charitable causes.

“This year, for each pack purchased, a donation will be made to our four charity partners Parkinsons UK, British Heart Foundation, Sue Ryder and MIND to help fund work by these amazing charities.”

And Nick’s also putting himself in the firing line by running his first-ever marathon on 26 April for Parkinsons UK, hoping to complete the 26.2mile course in London in under five hours.

Ling and

GBCC Christmas cards contribute almost £120k to charities

The importance of Christmas cards to the charity sector has been proved yet again. With one of the largest festive collections launched each year, Ling and GBCC ceo David Byk is “thrilled” to reveal that just shy of £120,000 has been donated to 24 good causes from the sale of publisher’s 2025 charity Christmas boxes and packs.

Even on the day itself our Mother’s Day gift and cards sales continued past lunchtime which was a nice surprise!”

GBCC’s charity Christmas card sales raised over £70,000 for Samaritans, Oxfam, Stroke Association, Parkinson’s UK, NSPCC, British Heart Foundation (BHF), Alzheimer’s Society, Shelter, Multiple Sclerosis Trust, Marie Curie, Age UK, Young Lives vs Cancer, Mencap, Motor Neurone Disease Association (MNDA) and Crisis. Meanwhile, Shelter, NSPCC, Mencap, British Heart Foundation, Young Lives Vs Cancer, MNDA, Samaritans, Marie Curie and Alzheimer’s Society were the recipients of near £45,000 from Ling’s sales.

David Byk said: “We take great pride in our charitable contributions throughout the year as a business, but no time more so than Christmas –where we all know charitable giving is front-ofmind for many shoppers, hence the reason we have further expanded our charity ranges for 2026.”

In a post Cardfactory said: “Mother’s Day can be incredibly hard for anyone living without a mother figure, through bereavement or estrangement. That’s why we’re so proud to have worked with The Motherless Mothers on two special cards for our 2026 range.”

TOP STORY

The Excitement Builds

Less than two months until PG Live

It’s now less than two months until the global greeting card community will be gathered together at Progressive Greetings Live 2026, which takes place Tuesday 2 June and Wednesday 3 June at London’s Business Design Centre.

“The official Show Preview publication will soon be hot off the press ready to be sent to retailers who have registered, detailing just some of the amazing new launches planned for the show from the 190+ publishers who will be exhibiting,” stated Warren Lomax, co-show owner.

Earlybird Designs x Rude Studios

In addition, a host of alluring postcards will also be winging their way to retailers, kindly printed by The Imaging Centre for exhibitors, showcasing just some of the many showonly offers.

Wendy Jones-Blackett hits the big 3-0, while it’s 20 years for M!nt Publishing, Megan Claire and Martha

While PG Live itself will be marking its 18th birthday, there will also be plenty of other milestones warranting cake and bubbles on exhibitors’ stands, with Jackson’s CRS celebrating 50 years of wholesaling, Abacus Cards is 35,

When two married couples get together there could be something rude going on – and that’s exactly what’s happened with Earlybird Designs’ new collaboration, which will be on display at PG Live!

It’s actually a creative tie-up between Dom and Heidi Early and the Rude Studios pair of Abi and Rupert Meats.

Abi and Heidi got to know each other as neighbouring Stoke Newington retailers at Earlybird and Everyday Sunshine, and even earlier in London’s Old Spitalfields Market.

Heidi explained: “As chair of the local business association in Stoke Newington I loved working with Abi on projects that brought our community together – Rude was behind the See You In Stokey branding for the association.”

This inaugural card collection comprises 16 designs that cover everyday and occasions is all set to be launched at PG Live.

Abi added: “This collaboration brings together bestselling designs from our shop Everyday Sunshine with the positive and bold Rude style into a new collection for Earlybird – a true meeting of minds.”

And Hepsie will both be 15 while it’s double figures at 10 years for Stephanie Davies and Popsy & Plum

The thousands of new launches are not the only treats lined up for the show. The Windles-sponsored drinks trollies will be proffering free tea and coffee, a delicious free meal will be served each day in the Bubblegum decorated lunchroom, where the opening night drinks party will also be held (sponsored by Loxleys). Bubblegum will be gracing the keepsake tote bag of goodies while celebrated saxophonist Graeme Airth (sponsored by Skylight Media) will be providing a melodious welcome.

www.progressivegreetingslive.com

WJB’s touch of glass!

Wendy Jones-Blackett recently took a trip down memory lane for a new range. Wendy took inspiration from a framed picture she has at home of a church’s Alice In Wonderland-themed stained-glass window.

Wendy had been planning a handmade range, but when printer Windles Group offered an alternative finish, it changed her creative thinking.

“I’d already been developing the artwork to launch as a whimsical handmade range with the glass images printed onto a shiny surface, but when I saw Windles’ new printing technique which produces an amazing glass-like finish over cold foil it was a match made in heaven!” Wendy told PG.

To celebrate the collaboration, Earlybird Designs will be giving away signed copies of Rude’s fantastic book How To Be Creative to the first five customers who order the collection at PG Live, plus all customers who order at the show will receive a free Rude tote bag with goodies.

“Although I’m not a huge Alice in Wonderland fan, the church where the window is situated is where I was christened, which is why I have the framed section on my wall.”

Wendy and her mum Val Codling recently took a trip to All Saints in Daresbury, the village where Lewis Carroll was born, and where the window was installed in 1935 to mark the centenary of his birth.

The first 12 open birthday titles in the A Touch Of Glass greeting card range have now been released, but Wendy is now working on more designs that will be launched at PG Live

Clever

Clever

Clever

The global greeting card gathering of publishers, retailers, overseas distributors and suppliers

JUMP FOR JOY - Progressive Greetings Live 2026… is soon!

Over 190 fabulous companies have already booked their stands for Progressive Greetings Live 2026…

PG Live 2026 is not to be missed!

PG Live is an incredible two day international celebration of greeting card publishers, retailers, overseas distributors and suppliers, where business meets pleasure. Get excited, be a part of it… don’t miss out!

1973

ABACUS

ABBOT PRINT

AFFIRMATIONS PUBLISHING HOUSE

THE ART FILE

ALLJOY

ALPHA COLOUR PRINTERS

ANOTHER USE

APPLE & CLOVER

ARRTHI

ART PRESS

AVANTI

BELLY BUTTON DESIGNS

BEWILDERBEEST

BEXY BOO

BIRD & CO STUDIO

BIZZIE LIZZIE

BLUE IRIS DESIGNS

BOLD & BRIGHT

BRAINBOX CANDY

CANDLELIGHT

CARDGAINS

CARDOLOGY

CAROUSEL WORLDWIDE

CARTE BLANCHE GREETINGS

CATH TATE

CATHERINE RAYNER

CINNAMON AITCH

CITRUS BUNN

COACH HOUSE PARTNERS

CRAFTY CARDS

CREATIVE SPARROW

CUMMINS & PAPYRUS

THE CURIOUS PANCAKE

DANDELION GREETING CARDS CO

DANDELION STATIONERY

DANIELLE EAST ART

DANILO

DEAN MORRIS CARDS

DESIGNER GREETINGS

DEVA DESIGNS

DOTTS YARD

DYSON DESIGN

EARLYBIRD DESIGNS

EAST END PRINTS

ELEOS HOUSE

ELIOT SIEGEL

EMELINE WATCHORN

EMOTIONAL RESCUE

ENVECO

FEATHER & HARE

FEDRIGONI

FI MOSZORO DESIGN & ILLUSTRATION

GET CARTER CARDS

GINGER BETTY

GLICK

GLITTERSHED

GRACE JACKSON DESIGN

GREAT BRITISH CARD COMPANY (GBCC)

HAHUG DESIGN

HALFPENNY POSTAGE

HALLMARK CARDS

HAPPY STREET

HEATHER TREFUSIS ART

HEYYY CARDS

HOLLIE STARTUP

HYPE ASSOCIATES

THE IMAGING CENTRE

IMPACT SOS

IN REAL LIFE

JACKSONS

JESSIE MAEVE STUDIO

JOANNE DEPACE

JUGZ STUDIO

KALI STILEMAN PUBLISHING

KDEE DESIGNS

KENJI

KINGFISHER CARDS

LA LA LU DESIGNS

LAURA DARRINGTON DESIGN

LIBS CARDS

LIL WABBIT

LILIAN G

LING DESIGN

LITTLE LONDON CARDS

LITTLE PAPER SOUL

LITTLE POTATO STUDIO

LITTLE ROGLETS

THE LONDON STUDIO

LORENZO ZANGHERI

LOUISE TILER

LOVELOSSDISCOBALLS

LOVELY PAPER STUFF

LOWLANDS STUDIO

LUCILLA LAVENDER

LUCKY GOODS

LUCKY INK

LUCY MAGGIE DESIGNS

LYDIA.LONDON

MAIREAD HALDORSSON ART

MARINA B

MARTHA & HEPSIE

MEG HAWKINS ART

MEGAN CLAIRE

MERAKI

MIFKINS

MINT PUBLISHING

MISS YOU MAIL

MUSEUMS & GALLERIES

N SMITH PACKAGING AND DISPLAY

NATALIA SANTACREU

NIQUEA.D

NOEL TATT

NOT AT ALL JACK NOT TODAY TUESDAY

OBJECTABLES

OH SQUIRREL

OHH DEER

OLIVE AND CLIVE

ORIGAMO

ORNAMENT ART

OTTER HOUSE

PAINTED PARASOL

PANGO PRODUCTIONS

PAPER BIRD PUBLISHING

PAPER MIRCHI

PAPER ROSE

PAPER SALAD

PAPER SHED DESIGNS

THE PAPER STUDIO

PAPERLINK

PARTISAN PRODUCTS

PEAR TREE PRESS

PENGUIN INK

PENNY KENNEDY

PICKLED PRINTS

PIGMENT

PIKKI

PINK & MINT

PINK TIGRA

PLEWSY

POET & PAINTER

POPSY & PLUM

THE PORCH FAIRIES

PORTFOLIO

PUNK CARDS

PUNTASTIC

RAINEE COLLECTIONS

RASPBERRY BLOSSOM

REDBACK CARDS

REMAIL LIMITED

RICICLE

ROSANNA ROSSI

ROSIE MADE A THING

ROSS J DESIGNS

RUNNING WITH SCISSORS

RUSH DESIGN

SABIVO DESIGN

SAKINA SAIDI

SANDERS DE ROEPER

SARA WILLIA LANDSCAPES

SARAH KELLEHER

SEEKPRINT

SPRINKLED WITH MAGIC STAFFORDSHIRE CAT

STEPHANIE DAVIES

STOATS & WEASELS

STORMY KNIGHT

STRIPEY CATS

STUDIO ANAIA

STUDIO BOKETTO STUDIO FREWB

SUNSHINE LANE

SUSAN O’HANLON

SWEARY CARD LADY TALLON

TOASTED CRUMPET

TOP STORY

Pen Poised

Upcoming London Stationery Show and National Stationery Week

The annual stationery fest is on the horizon as plans ramp up for London Stationery Show (which takes place 12-13 May at London’s Business Design Centre) and retailers pledge their official support for National Stationery Week which wraps around the show.

With stationery coming top in the recent PG Retailer Barometer as the product area see as being ripe for further expansion, visitors to the largest ever London Stationery Show, owned by Max Publishing, are in for a treat.

“In addition to hundreds of leading and emerging stationery brands, we have put together a whole programme of talks and workshops for visitors to further enhance their trip to the show,” commented Chantelle White, event manager of London Stationery Show.

Meanwhile, consumer awareness of National Stationery Week 2026 set to soar with Ryman and London Graphic Centre on board as joint official supporters of the weeklong stationery celebration, which runs over 11-17 May.

MPs quiz Royal Mail owner

For the fourth year running, Sarah Laker, owner of Stationery Supplies in Marple and Wilmslow is heading up the organisation of the National Stationery Week activities, including the securing of sponsors and official supporters.

“We believe stationery has the power to inspire ideas, fuel creativity and help people grow their businesses,” enthused Michael Errington, chief operating officer of Ryman and its sister business, London Graphic Centre. “We’re incredibly proud to be a joint headline supporter of National Stationery Week 2026 and to celebrate the independent brands, entrepreneurs and small businesses that make the stationery world so vibrant.”

The CardGains buying group has also come out in support of the campaign, sending out the NSW poster with its April newsletter to all 600+ independent retailer members to display in store, which includes the chance for customers to win a stationery bundle worth £100, thanks to supplier member M!nt Publishing

Ryman writes profits

The NSW 2026 sponsors include Eco-Eco Stationery, Pilot Pen, Stabilo, Manuscript, Exacompta, The Art File, Pentel and Zebra Pen. (See Focus on Stationery pages 25-29)

New formats at Ryman have seen the stationery and greeting card retailer help boost entrepreneur Theo Paphitis’ Retail Group profits despite a “difficult” consumer environment.

The latest results show that Ryman returned to positive earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation in the year ending March 2025, rising by 20.5% to £1.94million.

With the retailer forecasting £3m EBITDA in the year ending this month, the good news has been driven by margin growth in its own-brand arts and crafts ranges and added services in store and online, including the personalised greeting card app where customers can order online and collect within an hour from their nearest High Street Ryman outlet for just £2.99.

As the industry braces itself for another rise in stamp prices, a “chaotic” Royal Mail with parcels prioritised over letters was union bosses’ description of the UK’s postal service to MPs recently. New owner and chairman Daniel Kretinsky has not accepted that is the case.

The Czech billionaire was quizzed by MPs, having followed the Communication Workers’ Union address to Business & Trade Committee select committee a few weeks ago. Daniel Kretinsky said he was “deeply sorry for any letter that arrives late” and admitted the postal service is “not where we want it to be”.

With the difficulties at Royal Mail affecting the greeting card industry in particular, the GCA’s CEO Amanda Fergusson has appeared on various BBC Radio sessions recently expounding the industry’s concerns.

Following the 2½hour parliamentary hearing, Amanda told PG: “The GCA is very pleased the DBT select committee is highlighting the ongoing issues affecting our industry and others. It was good to hear the CWU, Royal Mail and Ofcom respond to MPs’ questions. We hope to see the Royal Mail improvement plan soon.” As Amanda stressed: “Reliability is crucial for our many members who use the letters service to send out customer orders as well as, of course, the consumers our industry serve – with 42% of the public only using letters post to send greeting cards, according to Ofcom, which is why it's important our voice is heard.”

The chain, founded over 130 years ago, is also investing in new formats, including joint stores with Robert Dyas, Post Office partnerships and the Ryman Design concept.

“We are in a time where other heritage brands, such as WHSmith, have disappeared from the High Street,” Theo said. “A stark reminder to High Street retailers to remember their purpose and reason to exist and evolve accordingly, especially in a time when the customer is more promiscuous than they have ever been due to online choice.”

Theo highlighted how he views Ryman Design as “a proven concept” with five stores in the UK, with an eye on more in the right locations.

TOP STORY

Shutting Up Shop

Doors close on Maybugs, Maythers, Geek Bothy, BlackHouse and Our Slice Of Country Life

Amid the recent good news about greeting card retailer openings, with Lark, UOE/Stamp Cards Direct, Postmark Waterstones and among those expanding, there have also been some sobering tales of closures. Perhaps the most unexpected is the four-store Maybugs small group owned and run by Greg Rose and John Dale since 2018, with insolvency and restructuring firm Crowe UK appointed.

Newbury, Henley, Marlow,

Marlborough and Wokingham.

The greeting card and gift shops in Bexhill, Eastbourne, Hailsham and Tunbridge Wells, employing 17 staff, have all shut with the transactional website also now offline.

The greeting card publishing business, now known as GlitterShed, is unaffected and continues to trade.

Meanwhile, as PG went to press, Maythers, one of the sector’s longstanding greeting card retailers was in the final throes of closing all of its stores. Founded by industry stalwart, Trevor Gibbons, over the years Maythers has had stores in London, Bath, Cheltenham,

Up in Scotland, both Geek Bothy in Kemnay, which featured works from over 70 local makers, and Gullane’s BlackHouse have held closing down sales.

“Unfortunately, the ever-rising business costs have made the shop no longer viable,” Emma Black, owner of Geek Bothy stated.

In Diss, Our Slice Of Country Life will be closing in June, with owner Helen Beeching explaining: “I’m closing for a few reasons, 40% personal reasons including wanting Saturdays off and to go part time, 60% due to falling footfall. The shop provides a decent income, but the town is getting so empty, it’s a concern to be locked in for three more years.”

Cards battle toxic masculinity

As The Manosphere and toxic masculinity are hitting the headlines, card publisher LoveLossDiscoballs has a timely new greeting card collection, having joined forces with a leading force battling the subject.

The card collaboration with Andrew Bernard, the nationally-recognised speaker, author, and educator known as Bernie, is designed to counter the influence of the manosphere on young men, with messages such as “Boys will be… anything they want to be”, “Strong men admit their failures and vulnerabilities”, and “Real men can show kindness without being weak”.

“They’re bold in design and unambiguous in intent,” said Rachel

Hart-Phillips who runs LoveLossDiscoballs with husband Warren Hart. “The range arrives at a moment when conversations about masculinity, coercive control, and online radicalisation have never felt more urgent – amplified in part by the cultural impact of Netflix drama Adolescence last year and Louis Theroux’s recent documentary, Inside The Manosphere,” states Rachel. “We’ve been working with Bernie, one of the leading voices on this, creating cards that try to push back on exactly this kind of narrative – because we genuinely believe that when words get into the hands of the right person at the right time it can make a difference.”

Rachel explained that Bernie brings an acutely personal motivation to this work having lost his sister to a partner who displayed the worst traits of coercive control and violence, and is serving a

Moonpig forecasts profit growth

New Moonpig CEO Catherine Faiers has been buoyed by the strength of the group’s brands as she reflected on her first weeks in charge, with the business forecasting profit growth for its full financial year.

The recent trading update showed the online greetings specialist expects to deliver its FY26 guidance of mid-single digit percentage growth in group adjusted EBITDA. And it has unveiled a new £65million share buyback, being on course to complete the £60m FY26 scheme by the financial year end on 30 April.

The company, which will announce its full-year results on 25 June, also forecasts that the Moonpig brand will achieve high single digit percentage revenue growth in the year, while its Netherlandsbased Greetz offering has maintained low single-digit revenue growth. Its Experiences division of Buy-A-Gift and Red Letter Days has traded slightly ahead of expectations and is now forecast to deliver a mid-single-digit percentage revenue decrease for the period.

After her first couple of weeks in the job Catherine said: “Moonpig benefits from a compelling customer proposition and leading market positions in online greeting cards and gifting. Looking ahead, I see a clear opportunity to build on our proprietary data and strong customer relationships to become even more relevant to customers and inspire even greater creativity in how people celebrate and connect.”

life sentence for her murder.

Rather than turn away from that grief, Bernie turned towards it – speaking to thousands of young people in schools across the UK about toxic masculinity, healthy relationships, and what it really means to be a man.

Bernie said: “Amid the sea of greeting cards for men and boys featuring cars, pints and sports, there's a gap. Cards that say meaningful things in ways that men will actually relate to –impactful, strong, positive words with a real and open heart. I hope our proud collaboration fills that void with humour and emotional connection.”

BY DAVID ROBERTSON OF JP POZZI, ELGIN AND BUCKIE.

Sometimes when you have the most to do you can struggle to get anything done. I think that every retailer would recognise this feeling. You let yourself get distracted and pulled away from what your focus should really be on.

This happened to me this week, but thankfully a country song has got me back in tune.

Regaining FOCUS

genuine crisis. Strange as it sounds, these big challenges are often the easiest to deal with. They demand action. They force clarity.

Invariably it’s not when something goes seriously wrong that there is a major problem, it’s when nothing major is actually wrong, but your mind tells you it might be.

A case in point for me was that we were interviewing for a key position in the team recently and saw a really good candidate, but we also had someone else to see, but that got delayed. I then missed an email and then the lady we had liked had moved on to another opportunity.

It doesn’t even have to be as dramatic as this to set us off course. It might be a slightly slower week, that one of your new Spring Fair

finds doesn’t quite sell through as you expected or those items that you are waiting to arrive are delayed again.

Two things can happen here. Firstly, you miss some bigger things because you are sweating the small stuff or you drift into what business analysts call Doomsday Thinking.

Now this has nothing to do with the new Marvel film, but it is all about you projecting your thinking forward. You start to question straightforward decisions. You start imagining problems that have not even happened and perhaps never will.

The pressure of getting it right, whether it be with displays, ranges, team interactions, hiring or even a social media post can all be over analysed. Why is this? Well simply it is

because your business is so personal to you. You care. It matters to you. Every inch of it. If you feel like you’ve got it wrong, it really hurts. And that’s where Doomsday Thinking finds its way in.

It’s rarely the big issues that knock you off course, it’s the small things. And in cards and gifts, those small things are everywhere. It could be a delivery arriving a day late; a display not quite looking the way you imagined; a quiet morning that turns into a quiet day; a product that sells slower than expected in its first week; a comment, a look or a passing remark from a customer; a run of cards that is missing a few pockets or a gift range that you like but is proving too expensive for customers.

Individually, none of these really matter, but together, alongside all the other pressures of serving, answering messages, paying bills, ordering stock and changing displays, you can start to overthink.

Instead of moving forward and building momentum, you start hesitating. Real issues and problems get missed and left to another day.

Great indie stores, in my opinion, work with momentum. They need the core building to be right and then it is about energy in the store, freshness of display, belief and understanding of your buying and then being able to do that season in season out, month in and month out. But distraction breaks that.

And if your focus isn’t on the right place, you miss opportunities, not because you don’t have the ability, but because your attention is elsewhere.

It may be that range you nearly backed, but didn’t; the supplier you wanted to work with, but didn’t contact or the idea you had but didn’t act on.

And when you look back, those are the things that stay with you. It’s not the mistakes or the genuine problems, but the missed chances. They gnaw at you and make you feel flat.

I love my football and they always say that the best strikers/goalscorers are those who can miss five chances then score the one that really matters.

Now I was never much of a footballer, but I thought I was that person in business. My resilience is usually rock solid. I would usually believe that a better opportunity will come along but for some reason in the last few weeks the cumulative effect of so many challenges has caused a feeling of weight on my shoulders and pulled me off course.

Alongside football the other thing I love is music. On a random YouTube mix the song Backup Plan by Bailey Zimmerman came oncountry is definitely the new rock!! Now I had never heard this song before, but its message really hit home. It is about how you don’t build your life or your business on a fear of what might go wrong, you build it on belief in what might go right.

The lyrics, ‘Keep your head down, keep on the blinders

Tune out the doubters and all the closed minders’ cut through so much of the noise we create in our own heads.

And the hook is perhaps the most powerful of all: ‘Gettin' back up, that's the only backup plan you need!’

Most of what we worry about in business, especially in retail, isn’t final. If a range doesn’t sell, you move it on. If a display doesn’t work, you change it. If you have a quiet week sales wise, the next one probably won’t be.

because every decision is perfect. We have not lasted 38 years because everything we do is right first time, it is because we have kept moving, changing, refreshing, trying to understand our customer and if something didn’t go exactly plan, we kept going. In fact, we trusted our instinct more than we doubted it!

You just can’t let Doomsday Thinking creep into your business brain.

Over time, I’ve realised that the key isn’t eliminating doubt as that’s impossible, it’s managing focus.

When things feel slightly off, the answer isn’t to overthink it, it’s to do something. Make sure your card racks are full, make sure the gifts get moved around the store, do a different social media post, back the things you know work.

belief and in business terms, that doesn’t mean being reckless, it means trusting that your experience will carry you through any problems. It is understanding that setbacks are not final.

So, my mistake in missing the email and not offering the job to that candidate quickly, is it fatal? No? It means us looking at the other candidates again and maybe considering two part-timers rather than a full-time person. Making a decision is never a mistake, it is usually the hesitations that hurt more.

That is why this Sunday night I am refocusing with a clear plan for Monday. That is why I believe we will find someone even better to represent our stores. I can’t let the small stuff detract from the bigger picture.

The reason we question and hurt when we maybe don’t get it all right is because we care and on a really positive note, I wasn’t sure what to write about this month until this happened and then you know what nearly 2,000 words came flooding out quite easily. For me that is a definite result!!

The danger is not in the mistake or hesitation itself, it is in how much time and energy we give to those moments while we’re in them.

There’s an unspoken pressure in retail to feel like you need to get everything right to be a success, but just as every footballer misses a goal and every song a singer writes doesn’t go to number one, it is a myth that everything has to be perfect.

In reality, in stores like ours, success is built on a volume of good decisions, not perfection or getting everything right.

Pozzi/Bijou hasn’t traded successfully

Do a mindset flip. Instead of asking yourself: “What if this goes wrong?” start asking: “What if this works?” That one shift changes everything. It changes how you buy, display, decide, commit, speak, even sleep!

Because, instead of protecting yourself from failure, you start positioning yourself for opportunity.

The irony of the song Backup Plan is that the message isn’t really about having a safety net, it’s about not living like you need one. It is back to self-

l To contact David email: jppozzi@btconnect.com

cardsharp

Modella Capital, led by the supposed ‘retail specialist’ Steve Curtis has long been a persistent bottom feeder, preying on beleaguered retail chains and asset stripping them dry. Just think… Paperchase, The Original Factory Shop, Claire’s Accessories, Hobbycraft have all been acquired by Modella and it has not been a prince charming fairytale.

Modella completed the acquisition of the WHSmith high street chain for around

£40million last June, after negotiating an extra £12million discount after trading at the chain deteriorated, as the purchase was being negotiated.

Last month Modella started talking about bringing in the ‘restructuring expert’ Teneo to assess its options. It is already flagging up closing 80 of its 480 stores, blaming the health of the high street, rising energy costs, the increase in employer’s National Insurance and the increase in the National Minimum Wage. This comes shortly after TG Jones allegedly changed payment terms to suppliers from 60 to 90 days.

When the news of the acquisition was announced a year ago, Cardsharp smelt a dirty fat rat. WHSmith High Street had been starved of investment for years, as its holding company WH Smith plc had concentrated on its more profitable travel site retail business. The fact that as part of the deal the Plc insisted that Modella could not use the WHSmith name indicated to Cardsharp that the seller did not want its name or reputation tarnished by what would happen subsequent to the disposal.

And then there was the rebrand with a weak TGJones moniker replacing WHSmith, which Cardsharp reckons took no longer than two minutes to think up. And what a cheap looking logo! If ever a logo said: "We don’t

give a damn long term”, it is this abomination. Don’t tell me that WHSmith plc didn’t have a strong hunch what Modella’s plans were for the group? It in effect wanted Modella to do the plc’s dirty work so its reputation and share price were not tarnished. Now Modella has the cheek to claim that it ‘underestimated’ the impact of losing the WHSmith brand name. Well, that worked out well didn’t it reflected Cardsharp?! It only turned out that WHSmith’s financial misdemeanours in overstating its US profits, has led to an accounting scandal and an investigation by the financial conduct authority. And now a rock bottom share price. So, in hindsight it shouldn’t have really bothered.

But Cardsharp feels we should not be surprised. Just look at Modella and its head Steve Curtis’ record and you can see he is an expert at managing retail implosions for his company’s gain.

One of Curtis’ most egregious examples was Paperchase. The company that he headed up, Permira, bought Paperchase, which had previously suffered a pre-pack administration in August 2022. Permira then filed Paperchase for bankruptcy just five months later in January 2023, having benefitted from all that golden quarter’s sales, on products most of which were never paid for. This, some would say cynical action, caused untold pain to many suppliers, destroying some of them for good. No wonder Curtis is described by one commentator as a “robust

the high street, if it just extends the existence of ‘zombie’ retailers that have been given an extended life by not paying their supplier and landlord and tax bills in full?

operator”. Some say Modella’s record is abysmal and serious questions have to be asked. Many landlords are apparently fed up dealing with a tenant that has gone bust already.

As Andy Prendergast, head honcho of the GMB union, which represents many shop workers said: “The last thing the UK needs is a band of asset strippers, leaving a catalogue of failed workers in their wake”.

Modella sees it differently when it comes to the TGJones’ situation. It claims, “TG Jones management and Modella Capital are committed to building a sustainable future for this important UK business".

It also states it is: “Committed to acquiring and turning around businesses with the aim of returning them to growth and preserving jobs… despite a highly challenging macro environment.” Fine words that don’t necessarily seem to translate into actions.

Cardsharp thinks the whole situation with these retail restructuring companies stinks. Do they really preserve jobs if they lead to multiple casualties down the supply chain?

Do they preserve the robust nature of

Do they actually act as unfair competition to reputable retailers that pay their landlords and suppliers on time?

And do they put up a barrier to entrepreneurial independents who might like to take on some of these prime sites that have been preserved in aspic for these zombie retailers who have already experienced some level of business failure?

And TG Jones did not exactly endear itself to the larger greeting card industry by doing a special half price greeting card offer during the run up to Mother’s Day.

You could argue that Modella is just taking advantage of successive government’s policies that have made ‘prepack’ administrations so easily and readily available as a morally dubious but legal ‘business tool’.

And Cardsharp thinks local councils must take share of the blame as well, by making conditions in the high street so difficult with parking charges and allowing the unchecked growth of out-of-town developments.

But aggressive competitors out there, like book retailer Waterstones, the private equity backed UEO and Theo Paphitis’ Ryman group looking to snap up a chunk of their business, things are going to only get tougher for TG Jones. Cardsharp remembers how 30 years ago, WHSmith was the market leader in everyday cards in the UK. How the mighty have fallen!

‘Mystic' Cardsharp makes another prediction. This proposed ‘restructuring' at TG Jones will not be the last. Another year and you can guess what next!

And predictably greeting card publishers, stationery suppliers and landlords will take the pain, concludes Cardsharp depressingly.

VIEWPOINTS

Fired Up

Celia Leeson-Cox, head of creative at Yarnton Home & Garden and manager of Blue Diamond Home & Garden Centre Group

“Wow! The greeting card industry was on fire at the Dragons event! What an awesome and memorable day. The creative spirit is most definitely thriving in the greeting card community, along with the important commercial understanding, which makes it all happen.”

Den Delights: “Among my many standouts were…

• Running with Scissors: Great humour and men’s cards.

• The Painted Parasol: A broad range of charming illustrations and colour palette with great sentiments.

• Penguin Ink: Flora and Fauna are stunning. I love the sustainability of the clever little notecards packs that are made from left over card stock.

• KDee Designs: Fabulous handcrafted cards with thoughtful wooden icons.

• Susie Hamilton Art: The exquisitely illustrated florals in ceramic containers are bang on trend.

Jessie Maeve Studio: Instantly recognisable, delightful and commercial!

• Lil Wabbit: Super illustrations on gingham and striped backgrounds. The quality of illustration of the animals really stands out.”

Louise Cambridge, buyer for UOE/Stamp, 41 stores in the UK

“What I really liked about being a Dragon was the opportunity of so many publishers being all in one place - all that talent and passion was just brilliant.”

Den Delights: “Joanne de Pace Design Studio, Grace Jackson Design and Apple & Clover really caught my eye for their contemporary, bold designs and gold foiling.

I do envisage getting in touch with some publishers who participated which will hopefully result in my placing orders as a result of the event.”

VIEWPOINTS

Mark Janson-Smith, managing director of Postmark, 16 stores in London and Glasgow

“Dragons is a great reminder of just what a wealth of talent there is out there, some yet to be discovered. It is also a wonderful example of how the greeting card community pulls together to make it even better.”

Den Delights: “A real stand out for me was meeting 15-

Sharon Fox, buyer of TGJones

“With this being my first time as a Dragon, I didn’t know what to expect but I thought the day was really well organised and I loved the buzz. Being in a room full of creative people is always a pleasure and always makes me feel inspired and motivated.”

Den Delights: “I really loved chatting and hearing about all the businesses that I spoke to - the passion and enthusiasm from each and every one was so inspiring. I really loved Lil Wabbit, Rosie Webb and A Daily Cloud as I felt they were a good fit for our brand as offering something new and exciting.

Part of the strategy for us for 2027 is inspiring new talent so I will definitely be putting some of the publishers forward as think they will fit perfectly.”

year-old Beau Bohlke-Reading of Zimbloo at the start of his journey as a greeting card publisher. What an inspiring young man.

I am sure we will be placing some orders at some point as a result of the Dragons event, especially after I have a really good look through the bag of samples”

Miles Robinson, co-founder of House of Cards and now also part of the Cardzone team

“What a great day that was at the DSD, I enjoyed it muchly and thought the standard had improved yet again. It is good fun to be a dragon… while it is a lot of work, it is a great way to see potential new publishers, meet tomorrow’s suppliers and refresh on those I knew already.”

Den Delights: “Of those I saw on the day the following caught my eye:

• Dandelion Stationery: brilliant as ever, but really, really improving away from Words of Wisdom

• Five Dollar Shake: The best Christmas boxed cards, bar none!

• Sarah Epsom: Seriously good for a newish publisher.

• Stripey Cats: Just brilliant and fun.

• Up In The Attik: Great humour and one to watch, for sure.”

Lucy Cornwall, junior buyer – home & gift of Oliver Bonas

“This is such a friendly industry, full of talented publishers and engaging retailers, so as well as exploring new product and partnerships, Dragons provides a great opportunity to catch up with everyone. As a Dragon, to meet so many publishers in a short space of time and to see their passion for what they do is inspiring. They are raising the bar and keeping the industry evolving, so to be able to offer feedback and advice on what us buyers are looking for, is beneficial to us all.”

Den Delights: “So many brands caught my eye for different reasons. Some shoutouts from my meetings in the Den were Dotty Black, for its contemporary graphic designs with meaningful and empowering messaging and Objectables, for its funny and eyecatching designs.

From the samples in my Goody Bag, I really liked RossJDesigns for its playful hand-painted images and captions.

I will certainly be following up with various publishers which could very well lead to some orders.”

Malcolm Adams, owner of Stationery House & Gifts, Somerton and Clevedon

“I really enjoyed my role as a Dragon and the interaction with the various representatives of the card companies. It gave me a real buzz to appreciate all the talent there is in this industry. The brilliant inspirational youngsters give us such hope for the future.”

Den Delights: “The publishers who caught my eye were RossJDesigns, Megan Claire, Felicity Designs and The Paintbox. Their designs were all a bit different, but all of a very high quality and each fitted with my customer profile. I will certainly be doing business with some of these.

I was also overwhelmed by Holly Fox Illustrates who did an exquisite painting of my shop which she used to front her sample pack.”

Caroline Ranwell, owner of Hugs & Kisses, Tettenhall

“I had an amazing day being a Dragon. It’s so nice to meet so many lovely people from our wonderful industry and great to see so many new designers with brilliant new ranges - they are a breath of fresh air!”

Den Delights: “I was lucky to meet some really great publishers for the first time –notably Emily Nash Illustration, English Graphics, Joanne de Pace, Painted Parasol, Sanders de Roeper, Two for Joy Illustrations – who all had some really beautiful designs. It was also great to reconnect with Jo Hawkins from Apple & Clover and Michelle Hindle from Raspberry Blossom

While I am still wading through my huge bag of samples and enjoying all sorts of treats that were kindly popped inside, among the most amazing was from Holly Fox Illustrates… on the front of the envelope of her lovely sample pack was a stunning handpainted pic of my shop! OMG what a wonderful thing to do!!! I love it and am going to have it framed!

I will definitely be placing a few orders as a result of the event, probably from at least four publishers and maybe even more later in the year!”

Cathy Frost, owner of LoveOne, Ipswich

“What a lovely day! I haven’t had a chance to have a proper look at the goody bag yet, but wow there are so many wonderful publishers to consider.

It was a lovely way to network, felt very purposeful and a great way to meet new suppliers. It was good to meet so many inspiring publishers and to be a positive dragon, offering feedback and advice to new publishers as well as share stories with the more seasoned ones. It was so interesting to meet the people behind the brands and hear about their inspiration.”

Den Delights: “So many publishers caught my eye. A few stand outs were Ink and Ivy for their innovative ideas, Oh Squirrel for its fun and nostalgic designs, Penguin Ink for its beautiful letterpress cards and Objectables for its off the wall humour!

I will definitely be placing orders once I have processed everything!” too.”

VIEWPOINTS

Tim and Annie Gould, owners of Objectables, Folkestone

“It obviously it goes without saying that any event where you get to meet other card people, whether new or old friends, is great fun. Card people are the best.

I think one of the best things about this event is that you end up having talks with people that you wouldn’t normally engage with at a trade show.

This can be good and bad, but there were at least two publishers we talked to that we had discounted as not being the right fit which we actually want to see more from.

I do hope that even when we met with people that we didn’t match with that we were helpful in some way as we have experience in both retail and publishing.”

Den Delights: “We did our research and had researched the publishers beforehand, so we had our eye on a few we wanted to talk to.

We absolutely loved Mortlake Papers. We had seen Dotty Black at a show previously and had liked the designs but we weren’t convinced they were for us, so it was really great to meet owner Ebony and have a proper look at her brand, which has made us more open to ordering in the future.

We already stock The Completist, but it was a brilliant accident picking Jana and finding out she had launched a new brand. We also loved Good Thanks Paper Co and Bird & Co Studio too. Woody’s Card Design and Lovely Paper Stuff have both found a place on our radar now too so we will be keeping an eye out for them too in the future.

It was also great to reconnect with Zoe Spry who we haven’t ordered from for a while, who we met up with during the break.

We will definitely be placing an order with Mortlake Papers and Good Thanks Paper Co and will be keeping plenty of others in mind.”

AVIDLY ANALOGUE

Stationery lovers unite! The digital detox is underway as avid devotees of a good notebook and pen are ensuring more folk are joining this analogue love affair, as underlined by stationery coming top in the recent PG Retail Barometer as the product area indies see as ripe for further expansion this year. In the run up to next month’s London Stationery Show and National Stationery Week, PG shares some handwritten scribbles on why stationery is most definitely on the move.

In this digital world, the love of a good notebook, pen, pencil, highlighter may seem something of an anachronism, but it’s definitely not. There’s something inherently human about reading and writing, and the movement is growing, among consumers, retailers and suppliers.

“Stationery has really started to resonate more with people for a few reasons,” suggests Brainbox Candy’s co-founder Ben Hickman. “People are tired of staring at glass, trading our hi-tech addictions for some analogue detox is wildly freeing. With our lives so deeply engrained in the Cloud or via some form of digital messaging, stationery is profoundly grounding and a tactile thrill. A notebook doesn’t send you notifications or ask you to accept cookies and it doesn’t need its face cleaned every few hours. Scribbling down ideas makes you feel off grid, even if just for a bit, one smudge at a time.”

As Ben highlights there are some beautiful products out there, both in terms of design, licences and print processes which just add

RETAILER NOTETAKERS

Sharing his perspective as a retailer with a strength in stationery as well as greeting cards, Mark Janson-Smith, md of the Postmark purports: “Living in such a fastpaced, digital world, stationery gives us a welcome reminder of calmer, simpler days,” commented. “It’s also a way to express personality – it’s as much a fashion accessory as it is a functional item.”

Mark’s views are echoed by fellow retailer and self-confessed stationery geek and Stationery Supplies owner Sarah Laker, who reckons: “People are rediscovering the joy of putting pen to paper. In such a fastpaced digital world, stationery offers something slower, more thoughtful and personal. Writing a card, journalling, or even making a simple to-do list by hand feels grounding in a way screens just can't replicate.”

Sarah also believes “There's also a growing appreciation for design, craftsmanship and beautiful products. Stationery isn't just functional anymore; it’s

to the desirability of holding and using such an object.

“The irony is that in the near future we will be using a £1,000 smartphone to take a high-definition photo of a £10 notebook to

something people enjoy choosing and using. Especially if you're working from home, you want stationery that's practical but also looks good, something that makes your day a bit brighter.

“From a retail perspective, I try to create an environment where people can really experience stationery. In my shop, customers are encouraged to try pens, feel the paper, and take their time choosing.”

so digitaland which is part of a bigger trend moving towards more analogue ways of living”.

And she added: “Stationery is more tangible and enables you to slow down and be more creative, whether it's creating beautifully thought-out journal pages or just doodling a list quickly on a sticky note.”

Vent For Change’s Evan Lewis agrees: “Stationery is seeing a real comeback as people look to slow down, disconnect from digital overload, and engage in more mindful, creative activities like journaling and letter writing. There’s a growing appreciation for tactile, meaningful products that help capture everyday moments.”

tell the world how much we love being offline!” Ben adds sagely.

For Fawn & Thistle founder Kirsten McNee the stationery embrace is about “a push back to everything in our lives being

LOVE OF A GOOD (NOTE)BOOK

PG was pen poised to jot down the fave notebooks of those in the stationery community.

Ben Hickman, co-founder, buffoon and head of crayons, Brainbox Candy

“Well, I’m going to be biased here, but I do absolutely love our A6 notebooks. They’re the perfect size to pop in a bag or pocket easily. I’ve a few favourite designs, but my current notebook is the one we produce in collaboration with the wonderful David Shrigley. Once this one is full, I’m looking forward to filling the new notebook we’ve produced with one of our new licences, the fabulous Magda Archer.”

Sarah Laker, owner, Stationery Supplies, Marple and Wilmslow

“I always have a notebook, or three, on the go. My current favourite is from The Art File. I'm a bit biased as I helped them with the concept for this range of notebooks. They're stylish and have all the features I love most in a notebook – good quality paper, a pen loop, ribbon markers and an elastic closure. I use notebooks for everything from shop notes, lists and ideas to planning for National Stationery Week There's something very satisfying about

seeing the pages fill up with thoughts and plans. And I do love ticking things off a to-do list!”

Annie Couldrey, George Thompson and Bex Newell, owners Rebel Stationery

“Even between the three of us we really struggle to pick a favourite because each of our colourways are designed with such care and consideration. Our totally adorable A6 notebooks have very quickly become a favourite with both us and our customers. Here’s George with our second Seasonal Collection’s Plum. The contrast of tones is so deeply satisfying that we’re not embarrassed to admit we squealed when we saw our first samples of this one!”

Kirsten McNee, founder, Fawn & Thistle

“My favourite notebook is one of my newest designs, The Cat’s Pantry Daily Planner. My work is inspired by vintage matchboxes and Japanese risograph printing, and as my cat greeting cards are my bestsellers, I created a small range of cat and seafood-themed notebooks to build on that, as seafood motifs are also really on trend at the moment. It's a bright, undated planner that comes with a cut-out sardine bookmark to mark the page you're up to. It's really cute and playful.”

For Storigraphic’s co-founder and creative director Roz Nazerian it’s that “people are craving something tangible” in a world where so much plays out on screens, and she added: “There's a quiet but growing desire to slow down, to write by hand. Stationery sits right at the heart of that shift – it's functional, but it's also personal.”

Julian Massie, head of Gifted Stationery Company agrees: “Despite the digital world we live in, there’s something more meaningful about putting pen to paper and our notebooks and gift pens continually see great sales

Michele Ferron, founder, Good Tuesday

performance. We know that once you find your favourite design or format you come back and buy it again and again, which is great for us and our retail partners.”

Taking time away from devices and finding new ways to connect is how Willsow’s head of growing Grace Pointon sees it: “No one can deny that a birthday message on WhatsApp is never as nice as a handwritten card!”

And the Willsow ethos of making all products with seeds embedded in the paper means they can be planted instead of thrown away, bringing new life as opposed to waste.

At Rebel Stationery, creative director Annie Couldrey reckons folk are suffering from screen fatigue as they’re conscious that screen-time is going up while productivity is decreasing, and the company is on a mission to save people through stationery.

As Annie said: “We want to engage with our customers IRL. This means we go out into the community, attend workshops, host our own

Liv Curran, marketing manager, Ohh Deer

“Choosing a favourite notebook feels a bit like choosing a favourite child! But, if pressed, I’d go for the Water Lillies design from our new V&A Eastern Elegance collection. It’s elegant, calming, and makes veven the most chaotic to-do list feel vaguely sophisticated and do-able!”

“My current favourite is our guided journals, particularly the ones designed around specific themes like reading, recipes, or travel. I love that they strike a balance between structure and creativity. They give you a starting point, but still leave plenty of room to make them your own.”

Paper Mirchi

Rani Moochhala, founder, Paper Mirchi

“My favourite is our ditsy floral blush notebook, a new design for this year, but one that we are translating across stationery, gifting, home, cards, and gift wrap.”

events, connect with other creators, stationery or otherwise, to really support our philosophy of getting people to come together, away from their screens.

As Annie points out, many schools who over the past decade have been supplying

Annabel Easton, marketing manager, The Art

File

“I have a few favourites! The current favourite is one of our new A5 notebooks, which features a minimalistic swirl pattern paired with blue accents. I think it’s very different to our current designs – making it a great addition to our collection.”

Rachel Hare, founder, Belly Button Designs

“I love our spiral bound chunky notebook – it’s a flip style and great to have on my desk for quick notes. I'm not a neat writer and usually use a full page for one note!”

Lizzie Parker, founder, Penguin Ink

“My favourite of our notebooks is the woodland design – although I probably should say the penguins one!”

their students with tablets for learning in place of face-to-face classroom time with teachers, are reverting back to pen and paper as they acknowledge the undeniable connection between brain and hand when it comes to cognitive development and pupils retaining information.

“Encouraging coordination through writing, sketching, note-taking, even just doodling, is a powerful thing. But it’s also not just as serious as all that – loving something just because it is genuinely beautiful and gives you a positive feeling is as good an excuse as any to get excited about it,” believes Annie. “As creators and small businesses become more visible to, and valued by the wider consumer, customers are choosing to support them, as they demonstrate an understanding for products made with love not just en masse, and stationery is an industry richly ripe for this new appreciation of craft and conscience.”

This digital detox is exactly how Coffeenotes sees the stationery renaissance, with founder Sarah Downey citing the rise of

the www.theoffline-club.com in cities across Europe as well as London and Bristol, and the growth of trends such as analogue bags, filled with activities like crosswords, knitting, novels and journals, which have become the unexpected accessory of the season.

“These demonstrate that people are seeing the reduction in screen time driving improvements in wellbeing and

Mark Janson-Smith, MD of Postmark retail group

“Starting a new notebook feels a bit like the 1st of January, full of good intentions and the promise of a fresh start. I tend to bounce between my coloured Leuchtturm1917, with a matching pen loop, a Moleskine, or one of our own Postmark-branded notebooks from Ciak. These are a few of the ones I’ve currently got on the go, but I must add some colour to my life!”

Hannah Dale, founder and coowner, Wrendale Designs

“At the moment I’m obsessed with our new list pads – they’re beautifully presented, printed in colour on each page and so handy to keep in the kitchen for shopping lists or quick reminders.”

Evan Lewis, founder, Vent For Change

“My favourite is our Sucseed lavender notebook. The covers are made using reclaimed lavender flowers mixed with recycled paper, giving it a really unique texture and story, while still being practical for everyday use. Inside, it includes a mix of lined, plain and numbered pages, so it works just as well for journaling as it does for sketching

creativity,” Sarah said. “The benefits of putting pen and paper are part of this trend with numerous studies proving that writing things down has a positive effect on your mental wellbeing and memory retention.

“We’ve seen a rise in the purchasing of notebooks for journaling and sketchbooks for creative projects and we regularly blog and share on socials with our community who tag us into their creative projects and artistic endeavours – it feels great that stationery is having this positive influence.”

or note-taking. I also love that it pairs with a matching notecard set and pen pack, making it a thoughtful, cohesive gift. It perfectly reflects what we’re about – combining innovative materials, minimalist design and a strong social purpose.”

Sarah Downey, founder, Coffeenotes

“My current favourite is our layflat notebook in apricot from our Mother Earth Collection. This is made from our signature recycled coffee cup writing paper and the covers are made from fast-growing plant fibres, and natural colouring to create an intense and tactile surface. It features a genuine layflat binding with an exposed thread sewn spine. It's the ultimate sustainable notebook and I’m never without one through my working day.”

Sue Morrish, co-owner The Eco-friendly Card Company

“I have hundreds of notebooks which causes issues sometimes as I’m never sure which one I’ve written something in! My current favourite is a notebook we published for Highgrove a few years ago as a bespoke product, with bright oranges and purples featuring Tara, the Highgrove elephant.”

Grace Pointon, head of growing, Willsow

“We don’t have a favourite notebook, but we do have a favourite calendar! Our plantable desk calendar is loved by thousands, including David Beckham – pictured with our founder Tom Willday.”

IT’S ALL SET TO BE A RECORD BREAKER!

The countdown is on to this year’s London International Stationery Show which is all set to beat even last year’s memorable record-breaking event.

“This year will be our largest show yet,” enthused event manager Chantelle White about the show at London’s Business Design Centre on Tuesday and Wednesday, 12-13 May. “We’ve had so much interest from exhibitors that we’ve had to expand up into the galleries.

“It’s shaping up to be an unmissable event, packed with creativity, innovation and exciting new brands. For retailers and industry professionals, it’s a fantastic opportunity to discover new products, meet suppliers and place orders.”

The 2025 outing was a record-breaker, with the most visitors through the door on day one in the show’s history, and it was crammed full of newness, chat, fun, gossip, creativity, deals, and competitions – as well as lots of business being done over the two days.

And it’s all about to happen again with stationery and gift buyers from worldleading department stores and supermarkets to independent retailers already registering to attend, including Cardzone, Cass Art, Cult Pens, Dobbies, Flying Tiger, Fortnum & Mason, Harrods, Jarrolds, John Lewis, London Graphic Centre, M&S, Morrisons, Hobbycraft, Liberty London, National Trust, Next, Papier, Pen Heaven, Postmark, Ryman, Sainsbury’s, Science

Museum, Scribbler, Selfridges, Tesco, TGJones, The Works and Waterstones, along with a veritable who’s who of leading indies.

The show exhibitors include the biggest UK and international brands, as well as exciting new designers and innovative start-ups, giving visitors the chance to explore an exciting edit of new products and names alongside recognised bestsellers.

Stabilo, Staedtler, West Design Products, and Zebra Pen

Among the brands showing off their stationery wares will include Blueprint Collections, Brainbox Candy, Carousel Worldwide, Charfleet Book Bindery, Designworks Inc, Eco-Eco, Exacompta Clairefontaine, IG Design Group UK, Jacksons, Leuchtturm1917, Manuscript, Maped Helix, Pentel, Pilot Pen, Portico Designs, Pyramid International, Rhodia,

Above: (right-left) Stationery Supplies’ Sarah Laker with fellow indies Red Card’s Sally Matson, Pencil Me In’s Sarah Holmes and Creative Cove’s Sandra Jervis who made up the indie panellists at last year’s LSS talk.

Left: Good Tuesday will be at LSS again this year with its contemporary stationery collection.

Below: The countdown is on for NSW.

One of the highlights for many visitors is the Boutique Collection area of quirky, independent suppliers which has been expanded this year to include Aim Studio Co, Amy Britton, Andhand, Batik Ying, By Anika, Coffeenotes, Crafty Kit Company, De Kempen, Dodolulu , Emily May, Fab Dab Do, Fawn & Thistle, Gilded Words, Good Tuesday, House Of Tula, Impact Stationery Inc, Intelligent Change, Les Pensionnaires, Lione & Sheikh, Little Green Paper Shop, Raspberry Blossom, Rebel Stationery, RebelJones, Roamie, Roomytown, Scriveiner, Storigraphic, Tom's Studio, Vent For Change and Wild Hart Rituals.

There is also a whole programme of workshops and talks which run during the show.

It all takes place during National Stationery Week, which runs over Monday to Sunday, 11-17 May, and is being coordinated for the fourth year running by Sarah Laker, owner of Stationery Supplies in Marple and Wilmslow.

The six-week countdown to NSW began on 30 March, and each week’s sponsor –starting with Eco-Eco Stationery, followed by Pilot Pen, Stabilo, Manuscript, Exacompta, and then The Art File in the one-week to go slot – helping remind people just how much they love stationery.

And the week itself has daily sponsors each with a social media hashtag – Monday is Staedtler and #PickUpAPencil, Tuesday has #80YearsOfPentel from Pentel, it’s #StationeryHighlights from MapedHelix on Wednesday, #BetterOnPaper is Thursday’s offer from Rhodia, and Friday sees Zebra with #ItFeelsGood.

Sarah said: “At its heart, the NSW campaign is about inspiring people to pick up a pen, use a notebook and reconnect with stationery in a meaningful way, and it's exciting to see so many brands united behind that goal.”

FUTURE INVESTMENTS

RICICLE HELPS KINDNESS BADGE MISSION

Ricicle’s owner David Nichols-Rice has lived up to the Brownies’ ‘lend a hand’ motto by doing just that with his local group.

David brought the GCA’s Card Club concept to his local Clevedon Brownies pack of 24 seven to 10-year-olds –and helped them earn their Brownie Kindness badge in the process.

“The evening began by asking each Brownie how they might show kindness to someone,” David explained, “and luckily, one of the girls mentioned that it might be nice to send a card to someone who wasn’t feeling very well.”

After that lucky start, David, Brown Owl Helen, and the other pack leaders sat down with the young ladies to talk about what a greeting card is and the reasons why they might send one beyond just a birthday, then they all got to work with colouring pens, stickers, gems, and other colourful materials to decorate their cards and envelopes.

David added: “I made use of the great Card Club slides that the GCA has put together, showing examples of what you could write inside the card. There was so much creativity in the room and it felt so good to see a new generation getting excited about greeting card sending.”

Greeting cards are very much part of the British psyche and have been since the 19th century. However, recognising the need to not take this as a given for future generations, publishers and retailers have been forging links with the card buyers and creators of tomorrow.

PG joined classrooms, lecture theatres and Brownies’ meetings to learn more about some of the recent lesson plans.

FEELING EXTRA CHIRPY

Indie retailer Jo McBeath thoroughly enjoyed going back to school, as the owner of Chapel Allerton’s Chirpy store was able to pass on her passion for greeting cards to the youngsters.

Immediately seeing the merits of the GCA’s Card Club initiative to get school children involved in sending and receiving greeting cards, Jo joined up with St Matthew’s Church of England Primary School, located near her shop, for a wellbeing assembly and card making activity afterwards.

The school tied it in with Children’s Mental Health Week, organised by the Place2Be charity thereby combining a focus on mental health with the “simple but powerful act of sending postcards within our local community”, Jo explained, with the pupils exploring how cards can be used to spread kindness, encouragement and positive messages.

Commenting on the assembly and creative lesson that followed, the school’s Georgia Stansfield said: “It was a heart-warming project that brought together wellbeing, creativity, and community connection.”

Drawing inspiration from greeting cards which Jo provided, including those donated by several card publishers, the children studied different styles, colours, and messages before creating their own postcard designs. The pupils were also encouraged to think about how their artwork and words could make others feel valued and connected.

Brown Owl Helen said: “It was so much fun having David with us – he really brought the art of card making to life. It made the Brownies realise that cards aren’t just for birthdays and Christmas!”

“The project not only encouraged artistic expression but also helped children reflect on empathy, communication and the importance of reaching out to others,” said Georgia. “By sharing their handmade postcards within the community, pupils experienced firsthand how small gestures can have a meaningful impact on wellbeing.”

And Jo said the initiative has shown how creative projects involving cards can play a vital role in supporting children’s mental health while strengthening ties within the wider community, with the whole school getting involved throughout the week.

“I loved every minute,” said Jo. “I had a wonderful morning and it was great to see the children so excited about making their postcards.”

WOODMANSTERNE PROJECT SUPPORTS UNI STUDENTS

Design students have been receiving real-world experience thanks to Woodmansterne’s live industry project, The Big Christmas Brief.

In a continuing collaboration with Norwich University Of The Arts, the publisher recently welcomed a group of year three students to its Milton Keynes production hub, giving them the opportunity to experience the realities of the industry beyond a studio environment, understanding not just the creative process, but how ideas evolve within a commercial setting.

“These students represent the next generation of emerging designers at a pivotal point in their career journey,” explained Woodmansterne’s art director Ian Blake. “Seeing their enthusiasm, originality and openness to learning was genuinely inspiring, and we’re proud to play a small part in their experience as they take their next steps into the industry. It’s exciting to witness that level of talent and curiosity so early on, and to know that some of these designers will go on to shape the future of our industry.”

The project is structured across four distinct phases – Launching The Brief, Design Submission & Review, Industry Immersion at Magna Park, and Selection & Final Presentation.

The initiative begins with the Woodmansterne team visiting the uni to brief the project, sharing examples from the current card and gift packaging collections to illustrate market positioning, design considerations and what already exists within the festive marketplace, while setting clear expectations around creativity, commerciality and the design process.

The students designs are then submitted to the Woody’s studio team to assess creative originality, technical execution and suitability for retail publication. Constructive feedback is collated, so every student gains insight into how their work translates within a commercial context.

A highlight of the programme is the students’ visit to Woody’s Magna Park distribution centre where they experience first-hand how design transitions into finished product. The visit also includes one-to-one feedback sessions with the studio team.

“Seeing the end result of published designs helps bridge the gap between academic study and industry reality,” Ian added.

And the icing on the cake is that selected designs are chosen to be published by Woodmansterne, with designs from Elise Griffiths, Cecillia Chard and Lucie Canham from last year’s project now in the publisher’s portfolio. Ian explained: “The opportunity to see their work move from brief to finished product provides a significant portfolio milestone and a powerful stepping stone into the industry.”

NO RAINEE DAY IF MEERA’S THERE!

Rainee Collections’ founder Meera Pandya turned teacher for the day recently at her children’s primary school, bringing the GCA’s Card Club initiative to life.

As a parent-governor of Whitchurch Primary in London, Meera had shared the details about the GCA’s Card Club initiative highlighting the free downloadable toolkit that’s available, which led to the school deciding to incorporate card making as an activity for the pupils during Children’s Mental Health Week, with the focus on This Is My Place.

“The kids crafted cards using the resources provided and it was a great success. The children were engaged and

From the latest cohort, student Dex Legon said: “I gained significant insight into the timescale and process of this industry, putting me in a really good place to continue working on a proposal collection for the company as part of my Illustration BA studies.”

happy, they were able to express where they belonged and made a huge array of cards that they shared with loved ones,” said Meera.

IC&G NURTURES YOUNG TALENT

Creative undergraduates have been given an extra steer from International Cards & Gifts recently as the Ferndown-based publisher has teamed up with the Arts University Bournemouth.

With the uni based only a few miles from IC&G’s HQ, Kathryn Coyle, a member of the publisher’s design team recently gave some of the students the experience of a live brief project with the chance of having their work published as greeting card designs.

“We’re passionate about supporting local creative talent,” Kathryn said. “Live briefs are such an important part of creative education. They give students real insight into time management, responding to a commercial brief, understanding market positioning, and producing technically accurate, printready artwork. Designing something beautiful is one thing –designing something that works commercially on a retail display rack is another!”

Kathryn went to the uni to meet up with the students and give an insight into how the greeting card industry provides creatives with an opportunity to use their artistic skills in a real-life setting.

She presented the publisher’s current catalogue, shared an overview of how the company works, and explained how artists are briefed. Kathryn also talked through IC&G’s customer base, seasonal trends, and drilled down into the finer details, such as how caption placement impacts visibility when cards are displayed in store.

The students were then briefed to design a mini Spring Seasons collection for 2027, choosing from Valentine’s, Mother’s Day, Easter or Father’s Day themes.

Kathryn added: “We were absolutely delighted with the response – 18 students submitted designs, and the standard was incredibly high. We’re now down to a small group of finalists, whose work we’re hoping to include in our spring 2027 collection.

“We’re excited to be launching this range under the name Spotlight Collection, celebrating emerging creative talent and shining a light on the next generation of illustrators and designers.

“It’s been a truly valuable project, and we look forward to building an ongoing relationship with future cohorts of talented creatives.”

MUM’S THE WORD

Stepping out of the studio recently saw Grace Jackson, namesake of Grace Jackson Design, launch straight into a whirlwind of design and colour as the indie publisher helped 21 Brownies show love through cards.

The special Mother’s Day card-making workshop with the 1st Orton Wistow Pack, which includes Grace’s goddaughter Poppy, saw the youngsters taking home an individual card or two ready to give to their mum, gran or someone special.

“It was an evening that proved both creatively inspiring and reaffirming for the industry,” Grace said. While Mother’s Day was the focus, many chose to extend their card making to include grandmothers and other family members, resulting in a thoughtful collection of truly personal designs.

“I wanted them to think about who they were making the cards for. That connection between sender and recipient is at the heart of what we all do – and it was amazing to see how naturally they embraced that idea,” added Grace.

It was something of an indie publisher collaboration with Kali Stileman Publishing, Studio Boketto, Jessie Maeve Studios, Linsey Kelly, Joanne De Pace Designs, Pink & Mint, Imogen Partridge, Meg Niven Stationery, Felicity Designs and Happy Street Cards providing a selection of Mother’s Day cards for Grace to take alongside her own ones to inspire the youngsters. Suppliers GF Smith and PDA Card & Craft also contributed materials.

With table festooned with wallpaper samples, colourful cardstock, sequins, gems and pre-cut paper shapes, Grace said the Brownies fully embraced creative experimentation, “producing designs that ranged from delicately layered compositions to playful, interactive cards complete with cut-out windows and decorated interiors”.

Brown Owl was really pleased with the level of engagement, laughing that the group became so absorbed in the activity that they “completely forgot about snack time”!

For Grace, the evening was a reminder of the enduring relevance of the greeting card: “There’s so much conversation around digital communication but seeing how much care and thought went into each card really reinforces why physical cards continue to matter.

“The workshop not only celebrated creativity at a grassroots level, but also highlighted the role the industry can play in nurturing the next generation of card senders – and makers.”

Joanne

de Pace, founder of Joanne de Pace Design Studio

Once upon a time: “Not long after the birth of my third daughter, I realised I was on the wrong path. I’d spent 16 years as a librarian, a job I loved, but deep down I knew I was meant to be drawing. It took a 4am chat with a famous musician, a behind the scenes tour of Liberty in London and a trip to Poland to make me realise that if I wanted my daughters to grow up embracing what they loved, I needed to be brave and lead by example.

I left my job and spent the next couple of years teaching myself surface pattern design, building a successful homewares business along the way. But I still wasn’t quite where I wanted to be. I unwittingly had limited myself creatively, mostly illustrating food, and knew there was more to explore. So, in 2022, I took myself off to Suffolk for a week and drew 152 greeting card designs. A few months later, I launched my first ranges at Top Drawer and I haven’t looked back since.”

PG Live Main Plot: “I’m so excited to have finally found the confidence to exhibit at PG Live for the first time, it feels like a real milestone moment and I’m looking forward to showing my work to new and existing stockists, in all its bright, colourful glory; including a new children’s range, and my first foiled designs.”

Happy Ever After: “The greeting card community, along with all my wonderful stockists, have made me feel like I’ve truly found a home for my creativity. The dream is to keep that momentum going, keep growing as an illustrator and keep connecting with retailers who love colourful greeting cards as much as I do!”

• PG Live Upper Village Stand 610 www.joannedepace.com

The upcoming Progressive Greetings Live (June 2-3) at London’s Business Design Centre) will see an inspiring array of publishers making their respective debuts at the exhibition, notably in the Upper Village and Springboard areas.

PG shares the back stories of just a handful of these PG Live newbies as well as their ‘happy ever after’ dreams for the show.

Danielle East, founder of Danielle East Art

Once upon a time: ““My cards are created from original cyanotypes, a simple photographic process using sunlight to create a distinctive cyan blue and white image. My inspiration comes from the Norfolk countryside and coastline as well as the flowers I grow in my garden.

I have always been drawn to creating art in some form and after studying Fine Art I fell into experimenting with photographic processes. During lockdown I started to work more with the process of cyanotype, combining my hobby of gardening to make art was a win-win, and I haven’t really stopped.

Returning to makers markets after this time it was lovely to see people liking what I had created.

One thing I have found since using flowers to make art is that people have so many memories relating to different stems and I’ve loved hearing them. Making the originals into miniature artworks for people to pass on, use for any occasion or just keep has been the first step into the world of greeting cards.”

PG Live Main Plot: “I’ll be showing my full range that include umbellifers, alliums, spring flowers, Christmas designs and more, including some new mini cards of the smaller stems and not so floral creatures.”

“Living in Norfolk I’m lucky enough to have some of my cards in the beautiful independents locally but would love for bits of blue to pop up in others further afield and possibly in larger household retailers.” • PG Live Upper Village Stand 720 www.danielleeast.com

Karin Hobbs, founder of Miss You Mail

Once upon a time: “My lovely mum was Swedish and I had a wonderful childhood growing up with my three siblings. We lived in the Midlands, but every summer took the ferry to Holland and drove up through Germany and Denmark to Sweden for the six week holiday. When I was 16 mum encouraged me to volunteer at a charity centre for people with disabilities. It started a 20-year career for me working in charity fundraising and PR. I’ve organised a Downing Street reception, a ball at the V&A and driven a double decker bus across England.

After my mum died, I felt great loss, particularly on Mother’s Day. What I wanted was to opt in, honour and celebrate her like everyone else, by sending a card. I’ve launched Miss You Mail so I can.

We are a brand new type of card for people who are bereaved to send to those they have lost. Uniquely, our cards come with a dedicated, real postal address, so you can write a message from your heart and actually post the card. The address is available all year, so you can send a card on any day that is meaningful to you. Posted cards are carefully gathered together and an art tribute created from them, honouring those we’ve lost.

Miss You Mail is about continuing connections. Even when they’re gone, they matter.”

PG Live Main Plot: “We will be launching our Christmas cards and very first card to remember pets. Our cards honour the ones you’ve loved and lost. We will be inviting visitors to choose a free card at our Stand 730 and to post it with a message in our special exhibition post box.”

• PG Live Upper Village Stand 730

www.missyoumail.co.uk

Sara Willia, co-founder of Sara Willia Landscapes

Once upon a time: “I am an American-born illustrator who now calls Scotland home.

Together with my husband, Sonny, we have been growing a business illustrating bothies

and cabins in Northern Europe and the beautiful landscapes that surround them.

I have been illustrating all my life, but before setting up the business I worked in radio as a presenter and producer in Huntsville, Alabama. Sonny was a data analyst, but now he handles the operations, sales and marketing side of the business.

We've been selling giclee prints and postcards for a few years now, and kept getting requests to sell greeting cards. We were a little daunted by a whole new industry, but after joining the GCA and meeting retailers at trade fairs we've genuinely enjoyed the relationship building and getting to chat to people. The greeting card industry has turned out to be one of the friendliest we've encountered. We're really looking forward to our PG Live debut!”

PG Live Main Plot: “We’ll be launching our full Scottish landscape range, bothies, cottages, lochs, coastal scenes, alongside winter variations on our landscapes that make great alternatives to traditional Christmas cards.”

Happy Ever After: “We’re hoping to meet the right people at PG Live. We're not trying to be everywhere, we'd rather be in fewer shops where the cards actually sell and the buyers understand what we're doing. A handful of good relationships that turn into long-term accounts would make for a successful show.”

• PG Live Upper Village Stand 768 www.sarawillialandscapes.com

A selection of lovely new products that have recently launched.

Daily Males

Abacus Cards has expanded its Graphite male photographic card range. The additions include a spectacular shot of a Hawker Hurricane in flight over fields as well as others covering padel, darts, cricket, football and rugby. All are printed on textured art board and feature gold foil birthday captions.

Abacus Cards

01638 569050 www.abacuscards.co.uk

Strip Off

Tearable is a new interactive card range from Brainbox Candy. Lamp post and message board flyers have been reinterpreted to create this new humorous card range. The 12 everyday designs, covering lost parrots to Turkey Teeth, feature perforated and die-cut tear off strips for added fun. Each is accompanied with a vivid lime green envelope.

Brainbox Candy 01702 716643 www.brainboxcandytrade.com

Magical Touches

Among the wealth of newness from Ohh Deer is a new Cecile Metzger collection. The designs are all wonderfully whimsical, depicting magical scenes with lush wildlife. All the cards are finished with fine gold foiling and vibrant flashes of neon pink, giving the range an enchanting and playful appeal.

Ohh Deer  01509 812075 www.ohhdeerwholesale.com

Bright and Breezy

TV Times

Popular culture has woven its way into Dandelion’s Words of Wisdom range. To tie in with Series 4 airing, there are some Bridgerton-inspired designs while series 20 of The Apprentice has prompted a direct messaged birthday design and there is also a ’stylish’ design to coincide with Harry Styles’ new music and a tour. All are 114mmx162mm, hand-finished with flitter and come supplied with a recycled brown kraft envelope.

Dandelion Stationery 01332 504940 www.dandelionstationery.co.uk

Wee Wishes has launched Brights, a range of block colour cards, each showcasing one of its signature Scottish illustrations and super shiny silver foil text. This capsule range is aimed at trend-led outlets with a focus on fashion and style.

Wee Wishes 01337 830959 www.weewishes.co.uk

Fluttering By

Fresh from a Theo Paphitis SBS endorsement, Jo Couch’s Birds greeting card range has taken flight. The collection comprises 12 designs covering everyday and occasions, all enhanced with a subtle gold foil finish. Also new is a new Christmas collection, all based on Jo’s distinctive artwork. Jo Couch enquiries@jocouch.com  www.jocouch.com

Join the cosy club with our fun new range of socks

A selection of lovely new products that have recently launched.

Right Laugh

New from Stoats & Weasels is Chuckles, a bold new humour range full of playful puns and characterful charm. Aimed at those who love bright, modern humour with a slightly cheeky twist, Chuckles combines bold typography, a vibrant colour palette and hand-drawn illustrations. The inaugural collection spans 12 designs, with more set to launch at PG Live. Each card is printed on high-quality recycled stock and paired with a signature yellow envelope. Stoats & Weasels lisa@stoatsandweasels.com stoatsandweasels.shop

Memory Making

Lining Up

Piccadilly is a new everyday range from Megan Claire. With 58 contemporary cards finished in debossed gold foil, this on-trend striped collection consists of occasions, birthday and ages designs for both him and her. Each card is matched with a contrasting envelope.

Megan Claire 01536560345 www.meganclairetrade.co.uk

Jen Winnett Art has unveiled Mini Memories, a card collection that combines the timeless charm of handwritten notes with the magic of digital connection. These beautifully illustrated A7-sized cards feature Jen’s popular animal artwork as well as an addSQUIRREL QR code, allowing the sender to easily add a personal video, photo or voice note.

Jen Winnett Art 07788 290610 www.jenwinnettart.co.uk

In The Frame

Caught On Camera

Holy Mackerel has expanded its Alternative Image rectangular card range with additional retro black and white designs that blend timeless photography with a contemporary edge. Showcasing carefully curated vintage monochrome imagery, from Hollywood glamour and elegant portraiture to humorous candid moments, the collection spans birthdays, weddings, sport, knitting and dance.

Holy Mackerel 01395 578571 www.holy-mackerel.co.uk

Female Empowerment

New from Jessie Maeve Studio is the Wild Women range of contemporary designs that celebrate nature, adventure and a diverse collection of women, with illustrated scenes of friendship, positivity and the great outdoors. The sentiments cover celebrations as well as life’s difficult moments, with captions such as ‘always by your side’ and ‘more years, more stories’.

Jessie Maeve Studio 07941 393861 hello@jessiemaeve.com www.jessiemaeve.com

The Inklings is a fresh contemporary range from Bexy Boo. Each design features a lasercut wooden tile framed in a vintage-style border, set against bold, colourful backgrounds of stripes, gingham and spots. There are 20 designs, all 177mmx127mm, which come with with a kraft envelope, wrapped in eco-friendly bio-cello.

Bexy Boo 07810 448080 www.bexyboo.co.uk

A selection of lovely new products that have recently launched.

Mini Wonders

Rosanna Rossi’s Small Wonders is an eclectic collection of 50 miniature greeting cards. The range encompasses a mixture of styles, from fun, lighthearted motifs to delicate landscapes and thoughtful gold foil illustrations. Each 90mm×122mm mini card comes paired with an eco-kraft envelope.

Rosanna Rossi 07900 698522 www.rosanna-rossi.co.uk

Tree-mendous Festivities

Inspired by the charm of traditional winter scenes, KDee Designs’ new Evergreen Christmas collection features wreath-adorned doors, cosy storefronts and illustrated details. Each of the 22 designs incorporates a signature wooden icon addition and comes paired with a recycled kraft envelope.  KDee Designs 07814776756 www.kdeedesignstrade.co.uk

Leaf It Out

Lucilla Lavender’s new Leaf and Bloom range includes everyday and occasions designs. The beautiful, embossed flowers in the 11 designs extend playfully beyond their frames, creating the illusion of movement and life. The designs are further enhanced by the use of gold type, adding to their premium feel.

Lucilla Lavender 02034051410 www.lucillalavender.com

Animal Instincts

Pink Pig’s latest card range, Scaly Tales is bursting with characters, from adorable dragons and cheeky bats to funny frogs. The quirky artwork in the inaugural 18 designs sit alongside punfilled titles. The cards are 150mm square and blank inside. They come paired with a recycled eco kraft envelope. Pink Pig Cards 07795574548 www.pinkpigcards.co.uk

Well Brushed Up

Brush & Whisker is a cute new greeting card range from IC&G. The contemporary designs combine soft watercolour illustrations on a sophisticated colour palette with luxurious foil and embossed details. Hand-scripted messages add to the appeal.

IC&G 01202 897 494

Roll Up, Roll Up

The Stripey Cats’ Circus is in town! This new joyful children’s range of eight designs feature charming animal performers. From a juggling monkey to a penny-farthing riding crocodile, each 125mm x 175 mm card is printed on premium 100% recycled board and finished with embossing and spot UV.

Stripey Cats www.stripeycats.co.uk 07866713826

STUDIO-US INTENTIONS

After years of providing the wherewithal to dress trendy men and tend the sick, Micky Calf and Olivia Penny redirected their respective menswear designer and NHS nursing skills into greeting card publisher, Studio Boketto.

PG joined them on a virtual ‘happy place’ walk to the top of a hill in the Lake District to talk about their company’s journey, including their imminent ‘Scarry’ trajectory!

When asked what trait they least like in people, Studio Boketto’s co-founders, Micky Calf and Olivia Penny are quick to highlight their shared dislike of “flashy showoffishness”. At the opposite end of modesty. You have to prise out of them what they did before setting up Studio Boketto, which has gone on to become one of the leading greeting card design-led companies in the UK.

While former menswear designer for Bench, Joe Bloggs and others, Micky’s CV reads like a Manchester fashion powerhouse tick list, he is matched by his life partner Olivia Penny’s seven years as a

committed NHS nurse.

Their greeting card journey started quietly when Micky created a few Christmas cards that he uploaded on Etsy which upsurprisingly, sold very well, leading them to become a voice in the cardie community.

By the couple’s own admission, while Micky is a creative talent of the duo, Olivia is the business driver.

“I said to Micky: “when you hit £20,000, you need to

make this your job,” and he did,” recalls Olivia, thinking back to 2016.

What followed was a continuing flurry of orders, with the card publishing side of their life taking over the couple’s Manchester flat, with Olivia’s dressing table becoming the centre of operations.

“When we received our first big order from Urban Outfitters, it was all hands on deck,” remembers Olivia. “Micky’s mum and sister even came to stay to help us pick and pack.”

This frantic start is somewhat at odds with the origins of the company’s chosen name.

“We love all things Japanese and I was watching a TV programme about words that don’t directly translate. In Japanese ‘boketto’ means ‘gazing vacantly into space’, so we picked that for our business,” revealed Micky.

Olivia’s decision to join the business full time is an emotional one, prompted by a mental breakdown and coming to terms with having OCD.

“I knew I had to leave working for the NHS, but it is another reason that Studio Boketto means so much to me as it kept me going during those difficult times,” admits Olivia.

Having moved to a village in the Ribble Valley, the couple were running the business from their garden office, but stock started overflowing into their home.

“Our home was so full with Studio Boketto,” relayed Olivia. “Every room, including the attic was being used.”

The perfect solution has been to take a unit in Ribchester, the village where the couple live, as an office/warehouse. While concerns of increasing the business’ overheads are deeply felt, the support from

Right: Being in the outdoors is Olivia’s and Micky’s happy place. Below: Even though he is a good cook, Micky’s guilty pleasure is a Pot Noodle.

pack and is happy to be paid in Tunnock’s!” admits Micky. “It is wonderful that the people in our village just want us to do well.”

As Olivia summed up, while the increased costs of taking on the warehouse is a bit scary, she recognises that they “have built a brand that people love, we have to go for it!”

its team as well as those in the local community has warmed Micky’s and Olivia’s hearts beyond measure.

“We have made space available for people to come in and hot desk in our – while 83-year-old Claire, who bellrings with Olivia comes in to help up

While 60% of the publisher’s designs are created by Micky, by bringing in other talented artists it has broadened the company’s portfolio, including working with artists such as Isa Pirracas, Molly Bland and Steve Gavan.

“It was Olivia’s suggestion that we started working with other artists to broaden our portfolio. While I didn’t like the idea at first, as usual, she was absolutely right!” admitted Micky.

Taking this an extra big leap forward, appropriately as part of the publisher ‘going for it’ is a big Scarry step.

Debuting at the imminent Progressive Greetings Live show is Studio Boketto’s licensing collaboration to translate the world-renowned book illustrations of the late Richard Scarry onto greeting cards.

“This is our biggest collaboration to date and we can’t quite believe it is happening,” admitted Olivia. “We are big fans of the Richard Scarry books and seeing a trend in book-related licensing, not to mention 90s’ nostalgia we got in touch with Penguin

Up Close and Personal

Olivia and Micky share a few personal revelations…

What is your guilty pleasure? Micky: “A beef and tomato Pot Noodle… so easy and tasty!”

Olivia: “Watching reality TV, such as Love Is Blind or Married At First Sight, it’s such a great escape.”

Best lesson learned in business: “Stay in your own lane.”

Favourite trait in someone: “Kindness, it’s top of our priority list.”

Least favourite trait in someone: “Arrogance. We are not fans of flashy show offness!”

Where is your happy place? “We really like being outdoors and up a hill in the Lake District.”

Who would be your dream dinner party guests? “Louis Theroux, John Lennon and Miriam Margoyles.”

about the licensing rights. While there is a licensing agreement for cards in the US with Red Cap Cards, we were delighted to sign a licensing agreement for the UK and Europe.”

Now with just weeks to go until PG Live, Micky and Olivia are full on, putting the final touches to their inaugural Richard Scarry collection, other artist collabs as well as new formats, such as die-cut, minis and concertina cards.

While Micky is a firm believer in staying in “your own lane”, he also accepts that any business has to push themselves forward with convictions: “If you don’t believe in yourself, who will?” Now that is not a company that, unlike its Japanese meaning, is ‘staring vacantly into space’!

Art Source

What Kate Did Next…

Kate Merritt is a British designer living with her family just outside Paris, who is ‘made up’ about recent collaborations, which include working with Clinique as well as Ohh Deer and Funky Pigeon. PG leapt across the Channel to check in with this ever exuberant designer.

“I have always loved to draw, ever since I was a girl. Growing up, I sketched portraits of eighties pop stars and Blutacked them to my bedroom wall. Back then, I never imagined it could become a career, but my passion for creating never faded. My love of drawing naturally led me to pursue illustration at college and university, where I was able to explore a wide variety of styles and techniques.

Once I’d finished studying, I moved to London and started working in children’s publishing as an art editor, designing magazines while also illustrating children’s books. I developed a collage style that quickly became central to my work. Since then, I’ve had many books published and collaborated with publishers including Ladybird Books, Workman, and Hachette, on collections such as the hugely successful Indestructibles baby books range.

After many years in London, an exciting opportunity for a year-long sabbatical came up, and I jumped at it, deciding to move to Paris with nothing but my computer, a suitcase, and the address where I would be living. Once there, I immersed myself in Parisian life — joining life drawing classes, exploring galleries and museums, wandering the food markets, and photographing the amazing street art.

Living in Paris gave me the space and time to experiment with new ideas and expand my creative skills. It was through online art courses, such as Make Art That Sells and Make It in Design, that I first discovered the amazing world of surface pattern design. It quickly became my passion and continues to inspire everything I do. I now work from my home studio with a view of the river, surrounded by colours and textures that spark ideas. I am inspired by flowers, plants, and nature, as well as fashion, home décor, and my surroundings. I am constantly photographing and collecting ideas for motifs to develop into patterns.

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such as ELLE Decoration, HomeStyle Magazine, Dream Home Makeovers on Channel 5 and Living France Magazine.

I’ve recently collaborated with the beauty brand Clinique, creating bespoke patterns for its limited-edition Mother’s Day packaging, as well as ‘gift with purchase’ makeup and tote bags. As a mum myself, working on a Mother’s Day collection made this collaboration feel even more special, and partnering with such an iconic global brand has been a real highlight of my career.

I’ve recently discovered the joys of designing greeting cards, creating playful pop-up designs for Ohh Deer and developing new collections for Funky Pigeon. It’s incredibly satisfying to see my drawings transformed onto finished products and out in the world, and I’m excited to explore this creative path further and see where it takes me next.

My designs have so far been featured on wallpaper, murals, bedding, cushions, stationery, fabric, and much more, and have been showcased in publications

Every day, I feel very lucky to do work that allows me to combine my love of drawing, pattern, and colour. The real joy comes not just from the finished designs, but from the process of bringing ideas to life – creating work that can brighten a home, a space, or someone’s day. I am excited to explore new possibilities and future opportunities to collaborate.”

• Kate Merritt is open to licensing opportunities. (www.katemerritt.com)

PG ASKED A TRIO OF RETAILERS FOR THEIR BEST SELLERS

Sadie

Paul, Alice Selfe and Charlotte

Stubbs, store

team of

Creativity,

Sheringham Sadie and Alice are usually behind the counter at the family-run greeting card and gift store that’s been going since 2000, and where Sadie’s sister Charlotte is the manager.

Category

Relations & Occasions

Name

Alljoy Design

Brainbox Candy

Two For Joy

Stormy Knight

Alex Clark Art

Brainbox Candy Redback Cards

Alex Clark Art Sanders De Roeper

Adult Ages Art

3D/Pop-Ups

Gift Wrappings

Ohh Deer

Rachel Ellen

The Art File

Message In A Bottle

Nudinits

Forest Fr1ends

General

General Little Doodles

David Shrigley

Amii Illustrates

Little Doodles

General

Cath Kidston

Saffron

Hounds

Nature Trail

Stop The Clock

Sunshine Lane

Alljoy Design

Earlybird

General

“These are fabulous! Our bespoke Sheringham one is probably our bestseller, incorporating the town clock, the train and boats. It’s brilliant.”

“These are everyday sellers and quite rude, which is why people like them.”

“There are a lot of nice new cards for occasions, including retirement. The birthday ones with cakes on are really pretty. I love them.”

“There are some lovely anniversary ones which have sold well for us.”

“Really pretty, with the scalloped edges which people like as they’re a bit different.”

“These are funny – people really like the rude cards here!”

“These are quite rude – we sell quite a few!”

“These are good for children. They’re very popular.”

“The children’s age cards are colourful with a lot of positive sayings. They’re happy cards.”

“The designs are really lovely and very tasteful.”

“These are nice and have sold pretty well.”

“There’s hundreds of dogs in Sheringham so Hounds is definitely popular and the designs in Nature Trail show the Norfolk coast so sell really well for us.”

“They do lovely cat and dog cards which are very cute and meet that middle ground.”

POM (Peace Of Mind)

The Honourable Wickham Candle Co. Essence Of Norfolk

General

Jewellery boxes

General General

“A recent addition for us with really nice positive captions. The sheep and the little chick designs are especially cute.”

“All its other pop-up cards are popular, not just the Message in a Bottle ones. People like them as there’s so much extra going on.”

“We’ve just had another delivery – they’re really quirky, bright and a bit retro-y. The new ones have kittens and pigeons on and I know they’ll be really popular because people love pigeons at the moment, and the sea life ones always sell well.”

“With beaded embroidery at good price points (£16 for the little ones and £22 for the slightly bigger ones) with nice packaging.”

“Made in Mundesley and people love that local connection.”

“Made here in Sheringham with bespoke ones for us - Sheringham Delight and Twixtie - people love buying something they haven’t seen before or can’t get anywhere else.”

Michael Hammond, owner of At Home, Blackheath

After 46 years in the greeting card and gift business, Michael knows what his customers like and his business now has a popular café and hair salon alongside its greeting cards, gifts, and home décor side.

Category Name of Publisher Product/Name Range Comments

Everyday

Caroline Gardner

Five Dollar Shake

English Graphics

Five Dollar Shake

Relations & Occasions

Adult Ages

Art

Gift Wrappings

Gifts

Category

Everyday Relations & Occasions

Caroline Gardner

Five Dollar Shake

John Fisher

Pamela Price

Ita O’Reilly

Della Nolan

Dee Connolly

East Of India

Incandescent

General ages General ages

Botanical Watercolours

Room sprays, candles, diffusers

“We stock most of its ranges and sell them every day.”

“All year round sellers. These are the ultimate cards if you want something special.”

“A little cheaper than Five Dollar, and great for people who like sparkly cards.”

“Perfect for a special occasion. We stock the Mr & Mr, Mr & Mrs, Mum captions, and we also carry the baby cards.”

“I stock 18, 21, through to 60. Our customers like these for the milestones.”

Art

Hand-finished

Gifts

“We have about seven artists who produce cards from their art. John is a well-known artist and he’s still painting at 89, Pamela used to teach at the Royal Academy. They all sell well because they’re blank so people use them for all reasons.”

“This is my main wrap supplier.”

“The quality is superb and the price is good.”

Shelley Arapi, owner of Cards & Things, Shirebrook

Name of Publisher

Simon Elvin Prelude

Jonny Javelin

Carte Blanche Greetings

Simon Elvin

Prelude (Tiger Feet)

International Cards & Gifts

Cherry Orchard

Emotional Rescue

Simon Elvin

International Cards & Gifts

Jonny Javelin

International Cards & Gifts

Jonny Javelin

Cherry Orchard

Simon Elvin

Bexy Boo

Life Charms

Feather & Grace

Lesser & Pavey

Product/Name Range Comments

General General Velvet Blue Mountain Arts

General General Skylight Bright Stone Lovingly Picked For You

Model Family

Celebrate The Day

Giddy Up

Pavilion

Skylight Twinkles Poppets

Year You Were Born Velvet

Nature’s Diary

Wags & Wishes

Scrabbly

General Ornaments Hearts Designs

“Budget friendly with a wide range of designs.”

“Brilliant – the football fans ones are great.” “Customers come in specifically for these.”

“I sell a lot of Simon Elvin and Prelude cards, but IC&G designs also do really well, especially as they offer so many niche captions.”

“The have the sentiment that people want.”

“A little bit naughty!”

“Nice gentle humour.”

“People like the double captions, such as Granddaughter on your 10th birthday.”

“Great for grandson etc, from nought to 16.”

“We go up to age 100.”

“The relation ages designs are really great.”

“Wildlife and animals on blank cards.”

“These cats and dogs designs are so sweet.”

“Cards with that little bit extra.”

A traditional greeting card and gift shop in the centre of a Derbyshire mining town.

“People love them. These have such poignant words.”

“With sentiments such as ‘Sometimes you need your grandma’.”

“With the little bit of bling on, they have that bit extra.”

PRODUCT DIRECTORY l PRODUCT DIRECTORY l PRODUCT DIRECTORY

CHARITY GREETING CARDS

One of the UK’s leading publishers of Charity Greeting Cards. Impress offers a wide collection of images, including fine art, graphic, photographic and cute. We also offer a bespoke design service for bulk orders and/or mail order fulfilment.

Impress Publishing Appledown House

611 Fax: 01227 811 618 email: info@impresspublishing.co.uk

PRODUCT DIRECTORY l PRODUCT DIRECTORY l PRODUCT DIRECTORY

PRODUCT

6 Heron Trading Estate Alliance Road, Park Royal, London W3 0RA T: 0208 385 4474 F: 0208 385 4471

E: info@Xpressyourselfcards.co.uk

WWW.XXPRESSYOURSELFCARDS.CO.UK

PRODUCTS: World’s leading publisher of high quality plastic greeting cards. Also an extensive range of quality greeting cards covering Everyday, Occasions, Christmas and Spring seasons.

BRANDS: Cherished Thoughts, Sweet Sentiments, Buddies Always, Symphony, Thinking of You, Style, Special Wishes, Special Times, Young Editions, Groove Sensations, Forever Blessed, Grey Skies, Classics.

METHOD OF SALE: SENSATIONS –Direct to retail

XPRESS YOURSELF –Now one of the leading wholesale publisher suppliers in the UK

Keyrings & Magnets now in!

Order yours today!

(t) 0116 230 4197 (w) www.mint-publishing.co.uk (e) sales@mint-publishing.co.uk