Greetings Today

published by

www danilo om

February 2015 Issue 5 Volume 16

The impartial voice of the greetings card industry

Independently audited,ABC circulation of 6,089

“As ever, far and away the best show for sourcing new publishers!”

www.progressivegreetingslive.com01635 297070 @PGLiveLondon

THE LARGEST COLLECTION OFGREETING CARD PUBLISHERS IN THE WORLD

John Procter, M

D of Scribbler

Advertisement EnquiriesMark [email protected] 289930

Managing DirectorMalcolm Naish [email protected]

Circulation ManagerRobert Thomas [email protected]

Production DirectorPaul Naish [email protected]

PublisherMark [email protected]

Group Advertisement ManagerRyan [email protected]

Group EditorMirella [email protected]

EditorTracey [email protected]

contents

A member of the Audit Bureau of Circulation

the team

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FEATURESP U B L I S H I N G

ONLINEGo to our website - www.greetingstoday.co.uk - for our online coverage where you can look back at our archive of previous features and issues.

Lema Publishing Ltd1 Church Gates, Wilderness, Berkhamsted, Herts HP4 2UBTelephone: 01442 289930www.greetingstoday.co.uk

Greetings Today is independently audited with an ABC circulation of 6,089 (July 1, 2013 to June 30, 2014)

Subscription per annum:UK £60 (free for people in the greetings industry), Europe £80, ROTW £100

At the heart of retail

www.greetingstoday.co.uk 5

14 Talking Shop The Entertainer’s Stuart Grant tells all about

the success of their partnership with

licensed product experts Gemma.

20 Cover Story The Minions are coming! Danilo have the

licence for the Despicable Me stars who

have their own movie due this summer.

22 Spring Fair Preview The big daddy of the trade show season, we

look at what can be expected at the NEC.

60 Top Drawer Review The light-filled space at London’s Olympia

saw a great start to the 2015 season.

70 Flip Cover Story Nostalgia is the in thing as RetroCo – born

from the success of the CD Card Company

– show with their fantastic prodcts.

07 Leader

08 News Exhibition – including the Paperworld

Preview – People, Supplier, Licensing and

General, it’s all here and there’s more on

www.greetingstoday.co.uk

12 Meet The Newbies Windles-sponsored focus on industry

newcomers

16 It’s All About Sales Agents Alina Clark and Neil Anthony speak

from the stores.

18 John Ryan There will be shoppers and they will be

shopping, John Ryan lists the reasons to be

cheerful.

56 Retail Advice Independent retail advisor Henri Davis is

upbeat about 2015 but concerned at the

pressure from value chains.

55 Frankly Speaking Pick ’n’ mix retailers don’t get the best from

their buying choices, says Sarah Porter.

58 Talk Of The Town The voice of the people who matter,

greetings retailers tell it like it is at the new

Hallmark Roadshow.

62 Licensing Opinion Occasional columnist Kelvyn Gardner looks

forward to the inspiration of Spring Fair.

64 Spotlight & Gifts Spotlight A selection of this month’s latest releases.

Keep in touch - follow us:

@greetingstoday

https://www.facebook.com/greetingstodaymag

Selina is well known for her pretty use of colour, mixing old & new and forecasting the next big style trends for our home, whether this be via magazine features or in her bestselling books, which are published in a variety of languages and are sold around the world. Now her stylish work can be seen on greeting cards.

Stylishly good cardsIntroducing

a brand new

photographic range by

renowned interior

stylist and author,

Selina Lake.

These beautiful cards convey Selina’s classic trade mark styling and sense of colour. Printed in a 160mm square format, the cards are left blank for the sender’s own message and

are finished with UV varnish. The cards are presented cello wrapped, and labelled with a “Selina Lake” brand label.

Alternatively for more information on these stylishly good cards please contact your local TSM

or call our sales office on 01638 569050.

Come and see this brand new range, plus over 300 other new Abacus designs,

on stand H29 in Hall 4 at Spring Fair 2015; and s

the care finwrapp

A

2015; where we will be giving away a

Kindle Fire HD 6 tablet on all everyday orders

to the value of £500 or more.

The Studio, Oaks Drive, Newmarket, Suffolk, CB8 7SX | Tel: 01638 569050 Web: www.abacuscards.co.uk | Email: [email protected]

by

HERE’S been a sunny start to the 2015 trade show season with Top Drawer Spring and Giving & Living opening their doors to bright weather that seems to

have matched the optimistic mood in the halls.After recent years of recession and uncertain

trading conditions, it was nice to hear the enthusiasm and renewed zest for the industry among the greetings and gifts exhibitors and retailers we spoke to.

And that was despite the transport difficulties that are completely out of Top Drawer organisers Clarion Events’ control.

What with bus strikes, cancellation of some of the few direct trains to Kensington Olympia and the Tube link from Earls Court only working for part of the time Clarion could be forgiven for thinking Transport For London and the rail companies are conspiring against them.

I don’t really know why I’m surprised because I’ve commuted to London before, and friends and colleagues currently using the trains and Tube regularly are always complaining about the cancellations, delays, and packed carriages.

It’s not as if shows like Top Drawer are unusual as, with the closure of Earls Court, Olympia is pretty booked up and their publicity even encourages visitors that public transport is the best way to reach the Kensington venue – it’s such a shame the people who run the public transport can’t be bothered to prove that and, a lot of the time, seem completely oblivious

as to how they adversely affect the nation’s prosperity.

Rant over! Plenty of buyers and exhibitors survived the trip to the triple show of Top Drawer, Home and Craft, and we have our signature photographic show review on page 60.

There also seem to have been good numbers down in Exeter at Giving & Living although that was still underway as this issue went to press so we’ll have the review in the March issue along with those for Scotland’s Trade Fair Spring and the Wales Spring Fair because they haven’t even started yet!

Hopefully that all bodes well for the next item on the agenda, Spring Fair, for which we have a comprehensive preview starting on page 22 with a full list of greetings and stationery exhibitors to date, plus a show map and plenty of exhibitor information.

The rest of the magazine contains plenty of insight into the minds and thoughts of our columnists on the

subject of Spring Fair, trade shows in general, and what they expect to happen this year – and there’s some interesting viewpoints from retailers too.

With the weather having closed in a few times around the NEC over the years, and the forecast is cold and snow for the next few days, it’s the perfect time to grab that cup of coffee and take a few minutes to enjoy this latest issue of Greetings Today – while being able to claim that you’re still working as you’re planning your trip to Spring Fair!

TleaderEditor Tracey Bearton

Want to appear in?

Send your views and submissions for the magazine to:

[email protected]: 01442 289930


WITH inspiration very much the theme of this issue, Roobarb are particularly apt retailers to feature here as owners Kevin Bellwood and Marcia Dale run a daily board of wisdom to amuse and inspire their customers, passers-by and Facebook fans.

The shop in Waterloo Terrace, Bridgnorth, Shropshire, has a small but carefully-selected range of cards from Angela Hewitt ,Juniper Tree, Louise And Lygo, Daniel Mackie, Tillovision, Claire Louise, Imogen Owen and Second Nature.

As well as the daily chalkboard musings, they’re renowned in the town for their window displays, all of which star a life-size zebra and are regularly changed to refl ect the seasons and occasions – currently they have an Alice In Wonderland theme.

Kevin said: “We do a sign every day and it’s different every day. We always have a zebra in the window, she’s called Roobarb, of course, and I went all over the world – on the internet – to fi nd her!”

If you’re proud of your shop displays and window features and would like to share them, email tracey@

lemapublishing.co.uk and you could be the star of next month’s feature.

T: 01746 761061www.LoveRoobarb.co.uk

MARCH FEATURES:Calendars, Posters & Prints

Male & Father’s Day CardsWedding & Anniversary Cards

MARCH COPY DATE FEBRUARY 6

APRIL FEATURES:British Craft Trade Fair Preview

London Stationery Show PreviewGift Wrap, Bags,

Accessories & StationeryRetro, Vintage & Nostalgia

CardsAPRIL COPY DATE MARCH 13

The bright weather seems to have matched the

optimistic mood inside the halls

TTTTTTTTTTTT‘ssssssss ’

WINDOW ON THE WORLD

8 www.greetingstoday.co.uk

in the news

news in briefAmazing young UpStArts CHARLOTTE Hendry has been announced as the winner of the fi rst-ever UpStArt competition sponsored by UK Greetings to give a platform to amazing young artists. Open to London-based fi nal year A Level students, aged 17-19, UpStArt was launched in July 2014 as a project by the Anne Frank Trust, which attracts high-level support to recognise and celebrate fresh young talent and identify the ones to watch. Charlotte’s piece, entitled Mournful Man, was the judges’ favourite and overall winner and, as part of the prize, UK Greetings have invited the Raynes Park Sixth Form pupil to join them for a week’s work experience at their Watermark studio and gifted her £50 worth of art supplies.

Chocolate changesCHOCOLATE fi rm Thorntons warned their investors that annual profi ts will fall this fi nancial year because of poor performance of their products in some supermarket chains although elsewhere sales have been growing. The fi rm’s shares slumped by 25 per cent following the warning when the London stock market opened on December 23, dropping by 30p to 86p, but had rallied to 89.5 on January 5. Thortons made £7.5m in pre-tax profi ts in the year to June 28, 2014, and in their annual report released in September told investors they expected to make annual profi ts of nearly £10m for the year 2014-15.

Meant to helpPUBLISHER Sabina Kovacheva is determined to help young entrepreneurs so has joined The Prince’s Trust as a mentor for a new business. Sabina runs Sabivo Design in Leicester and has now been mentoring Pod Hektor for almost two months, who has just set up his own personal training business in Glenfi eld, Leics, thanks to the Prince’s Trust Enterprise programme.

Meet the superheroesA MAGICAL morning was had by all as Color Blind Cards visited Paradise Park PRU School in Islington where they worked with the boys to create their own greetings cards. Founder Jessica Huie said: “We’d been invited to the Pupil Referral Unit to talk about how and why Color Blind Cards began as a business before we worked with the boys to create their own I’m A Superhero cards based on a popular design in our range.”

Special offersSPRING Fair sees special offers and deals available from Giftware Association suppliers to retail members and subscribers. Discounts of up to 10 per cent, no minimum orders and free deliveries are just some of the deals available under the GA’s voucher scheme. Among those taking part are greetings card publishers Blue Eyed Sun (stand 4L66) and Peartree Heybridge (stand 4L106). Retailers can receive their voucher sheet for free by visiting the GA’s 7F22-G23 main stand or their secondary Gift Of The Year display stand 6N49.

Smiles for grandadA GRANDSON’S appeal for 100 birthday cards to be sent for his grandad’s centenary has touched hearts across the world, with more than 1,500 arriving through the post. Mark Appleby posted on his Facebook page for people to write to 100-year-old Donald Appleby “to put a smile on his face” and people from the Falkland Islands to Vietnam responded by sending birthday greetings.

Communing with natureROSE Hill has been approached by the World Wildlife Fund for a collaboration designing mugs with them, which will be launched at Spring Fair. Rose’s cards and notebooks are also going to be sold in France, Henry Bengal and Happy Birthday among them.

SEE MORE NEWS ONwww.greetingstoday.co.uk

Security fears see apps suspendedMOONPIG have suspended their mobile apps after it was claimed a security bug had exposed the personal details of their three million customers.

Developer Paul Price claimed on his blog that a fl aw in the greetings card website’s security settings means other users could gain access to credit card details and personal information as well as place orders from other people’s accounts.

The apps were taken out of commission on January 5 and were still down over a week later but Paul claims to have discovered the problem almost 18 months ago and that the company promised to “get right on it”.

In a statement Moonpig said: “We can assure our customers that all password and payment information is and has always been safe. We are investigating the detail behind today's report as a priority.

“As a precaution, our apps will be unavailable for a time while we conduct these investigations and we will work to resume a normal service as soon as possible.

“The desktop and mobile websites are unaffected.”www.moonpig.com

Meet more buyersTHE Giftware Association have announced four more Meet The Buyer days following their successful events with Utility and the John Lewis Partnership in 2014.

Two will be with John Lewis, the fi rst is on Friday, March 20, while dates for two more – with Achica and a key garden centre group – to be fi nalised.

GA chief executive Isabel Martinson said: “We thought members might want to ponder over the holiday break which events they would like to attend. We’ll be inviting them to apply in the new year.”

GA supplier members wishing to Meet The Buyer will be asked to produce a one-page brief about their company and products, with images, which will be

forwarded to the retailers to consider and select the suppliers they want to be invited along.

“What it does mean,” Isabel added, “is that all suppliers who apply will have their company profi les seen by the retailers in which they are interested.”

Priority for the John Lewis dates will be given to those who applied for the fi rst event but missed out because it was heavily over-subscribed, while those who attended in 2014 can’t apply for this round of events – only fully paid-up GA members can participate.

T: 0121 236 2657www.ga-uk.org

Golden bubblesCHAMPAGNE will be the order of the day for Nigel Quiney Publications at Spring Fair when they start the celebrations for their 50th year in business.

MD Alison Butterworth and her staff will be holding a small drinks party on their stand – 4F04-H03 – and giving away 50 bottles of bubbly to the fi rst 50 independent customers who place an everyday order at the show.

As a thank you to all the customers who have helped Saffron Walden-based NQP stay in business since 1965, more celebratory information and freebie offers will be announced through the year.

T: 01799 520200www.nigelquiney.com

You wansum do ya!A FOOTBALL fan who’s become an internet sensation has commissioned Chaz & Dave to produce his own greetings card.

The Wealdstone Raider – aka Gordon Hill – is a fan of Wealdstone FC and the YouTube video of him heckling the opposition Whitehawk FC crowd with chants including “You wansum do ya” and “I’ll give it ya” went viral – The Wealdstone Raider was declared the top meme in December by BBC News.

Cartoonist Chaz Muircroft came up with this image for Gordon to use on his own greetings cards.

T: 01234 352096www.chazanddave.co.uk

Mary slams GovernmentOUTSPOKEN retail specialist Mary Portas has accused the Government of making “token gestures” in response to the 2011 High Street review she carried out for them.

After she was parachuted in by the Government to save the High Street, 27 areas received funding to build more diverse town centres with mixed results.

The website www.retailmonitor.co.uk reported TV star Mary has called for faster action on “crippling” business rates and for local councils to be given the power to take control of empty shops following Chancellor George Osborne’s Autumn Statement where he only paid lip service to the retail sector, promising a “structural review” of the rates system in England with the results due to be published in 2016.

The Portas Review recommended improved management of High Streets with new town teams, affordable town centre car parking, town centre fi rst approach in planning, disincentives for landlords who leave shops empty and greater inclusion of the High Street in neighbourhood planning.

The website reported that Mary said: “Three years on there is still a big job to be done. The Government has made token gestures in response to my review, but much more needs to happen, and fast.

“Why are there still so many empty shops left deteriorating on our High Streets? Local authorities should be granted the power to take control of these premises and use them creatively or commercially for the benefi t of the community.

“Why are we still imposing crippling business rates which were established in Elizabethan times? The current system is out of date and favours online and big business. The Autumn Statement introduced some more rate relief measures but these are just tinkering around the edges.”

Communities Minister Penny Mordaunt countered: “We’ve brought in a simpler planning process, with less red tape and tackled over-zealous parking to help town centres thrive. And our business rate relief for many small shops has provided £1bn worth of support.”

people news



Silver surpriseSTEVE Blakemore remembers the start of the world wide web very clearly because it was the same year he began work at Carte Blanche as a sales executive where he was one of the fi rst to sell Me To You cards.

Fast forward 25 years and Steve is celebrating his silver anniversary with the publishers having become Operations Director responsible for leading all product

development and creative operations across the group.Carte Blanche Group Founder and Chairman Stephen

Haines said: “It’s been a great pleasure and tremendous fun working with Steve over the past 25 years and I, for one, am looking forward to more exciting times working alongside him at Carte Blanche.

“Twenty fi ve years at one company is certainly a milestone to be celebrated and I thank Steve for his many years of hard work and dedication, constantly pushing Carte Blanche to the forefront of the industry.”

Steve was promoted in 1998 to National Sales Manager where he kept a close eye on the Clintons account, then joined the board in 1999 as Sales Director,

later becoming Customer Service and Greeting Cards Category Director, and last year he took up the role of Operations Director.

Steve is pictured leading Carte Blanche CEO Alister Marchant into his surprise party in Arundel near the company HQ.

T: 01243 792600www.cbg.co.uk

Farewell Lyn and award for AnneANNE Allen was named area sales manager of the year at the Ling Design and Talking Pictures December sales conference.

MD Ian Bant is pictured presenting the award to Anne at the event held at Marriott Tudor Park, Bearstead, Kent, which also marked the retirement of the publishers’ National Field Sales Manager Lyn Benfi eld.

Lyn has been with the business for 14 years, originally as an Area Sales Manager before being promoted to Senior Area Sales Manager and fi nally taking the post of National Field Sales Manager, a position she held for several years.

The whole sales team attended a dinner the night before the conference where her colleagues from Bath and Paddock Wood gave their gifts to Lyn, pictured.

T: 01892 838574 www.lingdesign.co.ukT: 0845 450 1815 www.talking-pictures.co.uk

Bubbly at BelfryBUBBLY was the order of the day at The Belfry when Alan McKay received the Sales Person Of The Year Award from Words ’n’ Wishes.

The West Midlands golf resort was the venue for the Henries-nominated publishers’ third annual sales conference recently during which MD Rod Brown presented Alan with the award, plus a cheque and bottle of champagne.

T: 01942 233201www.words-n-wishes.co.uk

Camilla & Rose have new palTHERE’S an exciting time ahead at Peartree Heybridge as the Harrogate-based card and gift company have appointed Christina Barratt as their new Area Sales Manager for the north-west of England.

Peartree Heybridge MD Mike Partridge said: “Christina is joining us at an exciting time with lots of new product launches planned for 2015 to build on the success of our existing fl agship brands Spring Chicken and Camilla & Rose.

“She has considerable experience in our industry and will help us maintain our commitment to fi rst class customer service.”

T: 01423 876311 www.peartreeheybridge.co.uk

(e) [email protected] (t) 0116 230 4197 (f) 01536 401 031

Mint Publishing presents...

Come & see Buddi & many more new collections at the Spring Fair

Stand H50, Hall 4


exhibition news


ABC - Karten, A. Boss + Co – Hall 5 Level 1 Stand B30

AEC Offshore Trading – 10/0/C05Albert Horn Söhne – 3/1/B80Amazing Ideas – 6/1/A44Anhui Tianhui –10/2/C28Artebene – 6/1/D75 & D71Art House Design – 4/0/A78Avancarte – 5/1/D98Ava&Yves – 6/1/D50MBacktobasix – 5/1/B15Bekking & Blitz Uitgevers – 5/1/B12Biembi Spa – 3/0/E59Bildreich Martina Issler – 5/1/C84Bohemia Paper – 6/1/D31Braun + Co Papierwaren – 4/0/B30Bsb-Obpacher Gmbh – 5/1/D50Busquets Gruart – 5/1/B81Butt Papierkram – 6/1/D50lCartuna Greetings – 5/1/A60Chiangmai Ploylin – 10/2/E30Chic.Mic– 6/1/D65Clairefontaine Rhodia– 3/1/C61Conzept APS – 5/1/C64CQS International – 10/2/B10Crist 1 – 5/1/A70Dandeliontree – 6/1/C45Debatte Editore – 5/1/C26Depesche Vertrieb – 5/1/D72Dessin & Cie – 4/0/A74Diese Klappkarten, Armbrust Ising

– 5/1/D21Dongguan Hongtu Seal Material

– 10/2/E61Edicromo – 5/1/C56Edition.End – 6/1/D50NEdition Gollong – 5/1/C77Eigenart – 5/1/B61Enveloprint – 3/0/B50Euneun Corp – 10/2/D61HEureka Enterprise – 10/1/B31dExacompta-Clairefontaine – 3/1/C61Formes Berlin – 6/1/D18Foto4u - Marek Podwysocki – 5/1/D19Fridolin – 5/1/B22Gartenbijoux – 5/1/B57Geoman Bulgaria – 5/1/C21Gerd Koch Konzept + Handels – 5/1/C74Gespänsterwald – 5/1/D17Giftsland Enterprises – 10/2/A64Gmund, Büttenpapierfabrik – 6/1/B26Gollnow Paper Creations – 5/1/B78Goyal Crafts – 10/0/A23Grätz– 5/1/B88Grafi che Tassotti, Stamperia In Bas-sano – 6/1/D61Grafi k Werkstatt Das Original – 5/1/C90Grand Intelligent – 10/1/D40cGroupe Editor – 5/1/B71Guangdong Shenglu-Pacifi c Station-ery – 10/1/E61BGuangzhou Red Leaves Stationery

– 10/2/C38Güney Lastik Feza Ciltbezi Sanayi - Fikret Guney – 3/0/E15Gutrath – 5/1/B76Gutsch – 5/1/B79Haferkorn & Sauerbrey – 6/1/C35Haisheng Paper – 10/1/F80BHallmark Cards – 5/1/D86Hamilton Writing Instruments

– 10/2/B64Handmade Paper & Board Industries

– 10/2/C64Hankyong National University

– 10/0/B24Hanra - Klaus Hanfstingl – 5/1/B80Harbin Xinglong Pencil – 10/2/E35Hartung – 5/1/D53Hautai – 10/1/E21cHeritage Paper – 10/2/A19Hong Jie Paper – 10/1/C10bHouse Of Home – 5/1/C75Huizhou Gshun Technology – 10/2/C39Image Bank – 4/2/A24Imagicom – 5/1/D27Inspire Art Licensing – 4/0/A91Jerome Thilly Dessins – 4/0/A71Jiangsu Dehuang Stationery – 10/2/C28Jiangyin Unitec – 10/2/C28Jinhua Guanghua Printing Garment

– 10/1/F21bJinhua Xincan Electronis – 10/1/F10CJ. Nielsen – 5/1/A03Komma³ Thissen & Weise – 5/1/B74Kubila International – 10/2/B02Kunst Und Bild – 5/1/D40Kurt Eulzer Druck – 5/1/A21L'Antica Cartiera Amalfi tana – 6/1/D49La Vida – 5/1/D77Lazzaro Art – 5/1/D61Lediberg – 3/0/C80Letterfi rst – 6/1/D50v

L.M. Kartenvertrieb & Verlags – 5/1/C50London Portfolio – 4/0/A70Luka Basic Edition – 5/1/A87Maestro Cards – 5/1/C60Man Sang Envelope– 10/1/B30bMehra Holdings (Papillon Papier)

– 10/2/A55MFP Paper – 5/1/A12Michel – 5/1/B37Mireco – 10/2/D43Yiwu Molly Greeting Card– 10/0/A90Moon Rack – 5/1/D18Muresco – 4/0/D77Navbharat Electronics – 10/2/A65Nelly Castro – 6/1/D50SNew Edition – 6/1/A74Ningbo Hobon Printing – 10/1/E40CNit And Pin – 10/2/B24Omega Industry– 10/0/D49dPanda Yazi Gerecleri San Ve Dis Tic

– 4/2/A02Papeteria – 6/1/B40Papierfabriek Schut – 3/1/C61Papierpiraten Karolin Kornelsen

– 6/1/D50DPaula Skene Designs – 6/1/D69Penonly Enterprise – 10/2/B10Perleberg Creative – 5/1/D20Pictura – 5/1/B31Pleased To Meet – 6/1/C61Pop N Play – 4/0/C70Portico Designs – 5/1/C20Pretty Greetings – 10/2/C40Prokritee – 10/2/E28Promaxx Innovative PC Print Media

– 3/0/B09PT Cermai Makmur Abadi – 10/2/A28PT Solo Murni – 10/2/A25Quanzhou Huayu Bag & Cases

– 10/2/E31R&D – 6/1/C42Realkonsum Großhandelsgesellschaft

– 6/1/C21Rifl etto – 5/1/B20aRössler Papier – 6/1/D30Rossi 1931 – 6/1/B29Roth – 5/1/A77Royal Maye Chie – 10/1/E21ESagen Vintage Design – 4/0/C16Salon Elfi – 6/1/B03Sandbox Industrial – 10/1/D30ESander, Wieler & Co – 4/0/C60Schütt-Nikolai-Design – 4/0/A75Sedef Davetiye San Ve Tic – 5/1/B72Sef Société D'enduction Et De Flock-age Sas – 3/0/B54Richard Sellmer – 5/1/C81Shanghai Everich Import And Export

– 10/1/G50dShanghai Tianpeng Paper – 10/0/C86Sharp-N India – 10/0/A51Sheepworld – 5/1/A76Shuangxin Greeting Cards – 10/0/B58Siamphomprathan – 4/0/A19Slater Harrison – 3/0/A17Sophie Plus – 6/1/D50OStudio Roof – 5/1/C24Super Multicolor Printers – 10/2/A89Susi Winter Cards – 6/1/C75Sweet Tao Paperies – 10/2/D40Tatzino Vertriebs – 5/1/D46Taunus-Grusskarten – 5/1/A83Taurus-Kunstkarten – 5/1/B73Thegva – 5/1/A78TMP Design & Manufacturing

– 10/2/A23T.M.S. Tailor-Made Studios – 5/1/A71Top Credit Corporation – 10/2/A10Triggered Emotions – 5/1/C83Turnowsky – 5/1/D41Ulrich Rojek Projekte – 6/1/D50RUmixx – 6/1/D50iUnicart Eood – 5/1/A20Veb – 10/1/D30fVerbeekdesigns – 4/0/A73Verte – 5/1/B55Vivid Visual Art Technology – 10/1/B40DVollherzig Inhabername: Frau Ilknur Özen – 6/1/D50AW&O Products – 4/2/B55Xiamen Courage Imp & Exp – 10/1/F10BXiamen Blue City Print – 10/2/D11AX-Tema – 5/1/A22Yegong – 10/2/E33Yesbox – 5/1/C46Yiwu Fengchi Paper Articles – 10/1/C80AYou-You Paper Products – 10/2/C29Zhejiang Fangzhou Printing – 10/1/F71BZettler Kalender – 3/0/A70Zhejiang Huaxu – 10/1/C60CZhejiang Kaidi Packing Material

– 10/2/B52Zintenz VOF – 5/1/B20D

GREETINGS & CALENDARS EXHIBITORS’ LIST

International future in two new areasPAPERWORLD 2015 will be distinguished by two new areas where visitors can discover international start-ups and their products and also look at how the real and digital worlds are merging in a 400 sq m imitation of a shopping arcade.

In the Get Started area at the Messe Frankfurt show, which runs from January 31 to February 3, recently-founded companies from all over the world have the chance to show their products at particularly favourable terms and conditions, which includes a fully-furnished and equipped exhibition stand.

From pop-up greetings cards by Rifl etto to voodoo dolls and mini gifts by I Love Gifts, everything at Get Started revolves around new products and clever ideas.

Paperworld director Michael Reichhold said: “The Get Started area is aimed especially at companies from outside Germany, which have never exhibited at a trade fair and want to make important business contacts here.

“We are delighted at the interest being shown by manufacturers and will begin with a small number of stands in the fi rst year and expand Get Started over the coming years.”

As well as aiming specifi cally at international start-ups for the fi rst time, Messe Frankfurt are also intending Get Started to be a transitional stage for companies that can no longer take part in the area sponsored by the Federal Ministry of Economics and Energy where participation is limited to two years.

The whole Paperworld show is the world’s leading trade fair for the paper, offi ce supplies and stationery sector with greetings cards and calendars exhibitors concentrated in Hall 5, but also scattered throughout the event at the Messe Frankfurt showgrounds alongside Creativeworld and Christmasworld, which opens a day earlier.

In a new special section called Future Shopping, Paperworld, in collaboration with Schneider Schreibgeräte GmbH and 1eEurope, is demonstrating how High Street shops can coexist with digital technology.

Trade visitors will be able to experience new dimensions in the ways they approach customers, extended business opportunities and the future of shopping.

Michael added: “The real world is merging more and more with the digital one. That’s not something that will pass the retail trade by without making its mark.

“As the world’s most important platform in its fi eld for information and communication, Paperworld needs to deal directly with this shift and provide information well in advance about the latest trends that the market has to offer.

“In Future Shopping we shall be demonstrating – in a 400-square-metre imitation of a shopping arcade – how end consumers can be approached in even more targeted ways. This process involves, for instance, the retail trade entering into direct contact with the customer through the use of so-called beacons.”

Beacons are tiny Bluetooth transmitters which emit signals that modern smartphones can pick up within a 30-metre radius. Appropriately-programmed apps decode the unique encryption and display relevant push news on the user’s smartphone, such as, for instance, further information about products or promotional offers.

The shopping arcade set up, including a fountain and all the shops, will allow visitors can get a real feel for how the technology works in practice.

In addition Arona Khan, internationally-renowned expert in gift wrapping and gift-wrapping trends, will give people the opportunity to watch, as she gift-wraps items in a live demonstration.

www.paperworld.messefrankfurt.com

paperworldpaperworldpreview

Promotion for VickyBULLDOG Licensing have announced that Vicky Hill has been promoted to the role of Licensing Manager a year after joining the agency as Licensing Executive.

Vicky has managed two categories, including publishing – where she has been responsible for signifi cant overall growth and her promotion comes as recognition of her ability to grow the commercial opportunity and develop brands along a clear strategic path.

“Although Vicky hasn’t been with us long she has made a signifi cant impact in that time,” said Bulldog Group MD Rob Corney,

“She really understands the licensing business and is always looking to gain more knowledge and insight

into the industry. She was our fi rst choice when the role of Licensing Manager became available and we are

delighted she took the job, as she will be an integral part of our ongoing growth, direction and development.”

Vicky added: “I’m delighted to be taking on this exciting and challenging role. Bulldog have enjoyed a period of sustained growth over the last few years and I’m looking forward to the challenge of taking things even further and driving our ability to develop

the biggest and best brands on the market.”T: 020 8325 5455

www.bulldog-licensing.com

supplier news

www.greetingstoday.co.uk 11SEE MORE NEWS ONwww.greetingstoday.co.uk

New foil has it coveredTWO years of research and development have resulted in a new, more versatile, general purpose matt pigment hot-stamping foil from API Foils.

It offers both fi ne detail and broad area coverage across a wider range of applications than any other pigment foil previously available from API.

The PG Grade combines the best qualities of the company’s legacy pigment foils UA and 432, delivering a number of improved product features.

Andy Kerr, International Technical Support, said: “This new range has been developed to make product selection far easier for our customers. We have developed just one grade for most general-purpose applications, which is available in 12 well-defi ned colours

Working in collaboration with Newfoil, based in Bolton, API are launching the PG grade to platen press stamping label manufacturers in the UK.

01909 770551www.apigroup.com

Spy deals not a secretTHE greatest secret agent in the world is about to hit the shops as a string of new licensing deals has been announced across a range of categories for Classic Danger Mouse, based on the original animated series.

Hype Associates already hold the licence for greetings cards and FreemantleMedia Kids & Family Entertainment have announced the new deals for the original, effortlessly cool British secret agent and his sidekick Penfold include Wow! Stuff as the Master Gift licensees, TVMFashion Lab for apparel, underwear and nightwear, Misirli UK for socks, Casa Chicos for a retro babywear range and Paul Lamond for puzzle and card games.

FMKFE own the global TV and

licensing rights to Danger Mouse and their licensing division is currently securing two further licensees for the Classic Danger Mouse range aimed at adults who

remember the original series, while the brand-new series, which they are partnering with the BBC to produce, is due to air on CBBC later this year

and will be targeted at children.“The announcement of the new series

has reignited a passion for Classic Danger Mouse and we are thrilled to announce these new deals for our dashing spy hero,”

said Pindy O’ Brien, FMKFE VP Brand Licensing and Retail UK.

T: 020 7691 6000www.fremantlemedia.com

licensing news

colour that is us.

Whether you are an individualstarting out, or an establishedpublisher, we have the all-in-one solution for printing your greeting cards. You can chooseto print in black and white or in a world of colour; whateveryour choice, we will work to enrich your creations. Andshould you want that extra bit of magic, we have it all for youfrom foiling and die-cutting tovarnishing and flittering.

Contact us:telephone 01892 825 [email protected]

Follow us:www.theimagingcentre.co.uktwitter.com/ImagingCentrefacebook/The Imaging Centre

meet the newbies


NEW MEMBERS

Happy 1st Birthday Flexisheet – Windles Group Flexisheets continue to provide solutions for publishers to litho print as few as one or two designs on a print sheet. The idea is to help when there is no time to wait for a complete print sheet to be made up or if you might usually print digitally but have a design that outsells all the rest, so naturally want to move on to reaping the benefi ts of printing it on a litho sheet. Trying out some new creative cold foil designs to pre-measure their receptiveness to buyers is also made possible by using the Cold Foil Flexisheet.

We’d be delighted to hear from you if you would like to know more or have any questions. Please email fl [email protected] or call us today on 01844 201 683..

THE latest publishers to join the Greeting Card Association include:

YVORRA DESIGNSAlain & Josephine [email protected] 617652

WRAPTIOUSManchester, M14 6NBSimon [email protected] 976410

ELOISE HALL7 Second Avenue, London, W3 7RXEloise [email protected] 041675

OBJECTABLESTim [email protected] 112076

INSPIRED GOODBYESUnit 336, Stockport Business Innovation Centre, Broadstone Mill, Broadstone Road, Stockport, SK5 7DLHelen [email protected] 667 5760 or 07949 866433

WHAT’S NEW AT WINDLES?

Wrapping up support for artistsFOUNDED by Simon Wadsworth in October 2013, Wraptious started with a few doodles on giftwrap and led to the realisation that there’s little in the UK supporting emerging artists.

Simon explained: “What we wanted to do was create a platform that allows both artists to showcase their talent and customers to enjoy it. There's a lot more talent than opportunity in this world and we want to help."

So, taking a bold leap of faith, Simon quit his career as a business analyst for Waitrose, and moved to Manchester to launch Wraptious.

Cool design is everywhere in Manchester and it wasn't long before artists were sharing their work and the Wraptious

community was born, showcasing more than 150 exclusive vibrant designs on greetings cards, prints, stationery and homewares – with all product made in the UK from sustainable sources.

"We now represent over 35 artists from across the globe,” Simon

added, “and trade strongly online, at markets, print fairs and with retailers across the north-west. We'll also be attending our fi rst Spring Fair (stand 4J25) which we're very excited about!

“Wraptious is not about me, but about the 35 artists we have in the community so far, so it’s really all about them.

“Although we're new, we've come a long way in a short space of time – it's a fun journey and we can't wait to see what 2015 has in store."

T: 0161 738 1440www.wraptious.com

Getting cute with colourANNA Rumsby has always dreamed of starting her own greetings card business and got involved when she worked in London where she helped out at the Greeting Card Association.

“I worked as an executive assistant for 10 years in London,” Anna said,”before deciding to follow my dream, moving back to Suffolk to start the business – while I was working in London I spent a few months assisting Sharon Little at the GCA, I was her fi rst intern!”

Anna fi nally launched Colourcutie in 2014, designing greeting cards and fi ne art prints from her own illustrations, and

her fi rst show was at Top Drawer Spring last month, where she was in the Spotted section for newcomers.

She graduated with a BA in fashion design and later earned an MA in children’s

book illustration from the Cambridge School of Art.

Infl uenced by her childhood in Kenya designs focus on celebrating colour, the fi rst Colourcutie range has been created using hand-carved stamps and gouache paint.

The cards are printed in the UK on high-quality

textured board designs and paired with colourful envelopes for extra impact.

T: 07714 269149www.colourcutie.com

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business ew


Pretty brutalUGLYNOTES were born in Los Angeles on a bright sunny Tuesday morning as founders Shloime Fellig and Menachem Krinsky were tired of receiving yet another greetings card with “Congratulations!!!” or “Happy B-Day” written in a comically-overused font.

They wanted something fresh, new and brutally honest – thus the concept of UglyNotes was hatched.

The publishers are a ragtag group of designers and pessimists from across America, Canada and Australia, creating a collection of greetings cards that express what

people really think.“Because if most people are

anything like us,” Menachem said, “they're horrible people but they're the kind of horrible people who appreciate honesty, which is what we have to offer.

“Our community of horrible people send us their most clever and witty lines, and our incredible group of hand-selected letterers and designers craft unique, beautiful card designs – isn’t it about time you join the horrible revolution?”

www.UglyNotes.com

Making good from sadTIFF Nelhams started as a bespoke artist for those who have lost loved ones and her business has evolved as clients requested personalised artwork to put on to greetings cards.

She has since opened a shop on her website as well as selling direct to customers on her Facebook page and, after visiting PG Live this year will exhibit at the 2015 show where she’ll be helped by mum Kim, who also does her accounts.

But it hasn’t always been such a happy story for her, as Tiff explained: “Having lived with depression for many years, I went back to my fi rst love, drawing. This was an outlet that enabled me to start connecting with others via social media.

“Talking to many others who were struggling with depression I realised I wasn’t the only one and started, slowly, to show my drawings to the public – I was surprised at the reaction.

“After drawing an angel for a friend’s calming therapy room, I thought it would look good smaller on a picture I was doing for my sister Kelly who had sadly lost her baby daughter at just 22 months old, but she

was managing to keep going for her other children. “I wanted to give her a memento of her Angel with

the family, refl ecting her staying close to them all and, from this fi rst picture, I started to get requests from others who had lost little ones.

“Working closely with the bereaved is sad but very satisfying when they are so happy to receive their pictures.

“This has led me to design logos for charities including Surrey Sands Stillbirth Association, Parents Supporting Parents and Friends of Early Bird Hillingdon.

“People started to ask for personalised cards, as they could not fi nd cards for baby loss and I found the cost of the cards made the drawings more accessible.

“I started to experiment with different designs and taught myself how to use Photoshop, which has increased the designs I can now offer.

“My cards are now more generic and aimed at specifi c occasions, although I still take orders for bespoke work when requested.”

T: 07961 774752www.tiffsart.co.uk

meet the newbiesTHE BOSS OF EMBOSSING

LUXE handbags with crocodile patterns, plaits for special occasion hair-dos, pastry shapes added to fi nest pies, steel-plate bathroom tiles, raised spots and patterns on tights, bows on fabrics, fl ocked wallpaper – adding texture and making things 3D are known ways of turning product into something special.

This notion carries through to greetings cards where giving the card and paper surfaces texture to break up the smoothness adds interest, perceived high quality and elegance to differentiate the product.

The texture and raised surface created by the embossing process is often the magical element that sways choice – people love to get all touchy-feely in the nicest possible way.

Embossing has been developed into a real craft at Windles Group where it is no longer considered just another fi nish. Sculpting the board to add dimension and texture on greetings cards and wrap lifts products into the realms of the extraordinary, creating a big impression and giving added value.

It’s important to us at Windles that we give designers the tools to utilise patterns and textures to spice up designs. Whether it’s a huge background pattern or just some subtle texture, we recognise the end requirement to add depth and interest to make designs more striking.

Windles Group have brought the craft of embossing and debossing right up to date. Now the processes are fresh and versatile allowing numerous awesome special effects to be achieved.

The clever adoption of stamping into card and paper gives the potential to achieve so many different looks by applying out-of-the-box thinking – cosmic effects, magical fantasy imagery, old paper effects, vintage looks, photo montage, leather look, crocodile patterns, wrinkled, faded and nostalgic themes are just some.

Faced with a large display of greetings cards it’s natural for the potential buyer to pick up their intended purchase to touch and feel it, so Windles Group ensure that embossing is carried out with the deserved precision and will go the extra mile working closely with designers to ensure their vision is met.

Embossing and the Creative Cold Foil process marry together beautifully. The combination of processes creates dazzling effects through the shadows and light refl ections from raised areas of metallic colours, and allows the creation of water splash, rain and shattering effects among many others.

Using shadows to simulate emboss and Liquid Proofi ng to test new cold foiled and embossed designs now makes it a less scary thing to adopt. Designers can be confi dent in how their designs will look like as the liquid proofi ng provides a platform to test designs, test colours and even present them to buyers as fi nished-look greetings cards.

And to make it even more tempting to adopt the process, the Windles Group Cold Foil Flexisheet paves the way for a publisher to test out and produce one or two designs rather than a complete litho sheet.

On the creative front, Windles’ Muchmore

studio create designs from scratch upon receipt of a brief or can simply support you while putting new artwork fi les together. With Creative Director Ian Kear-Bertie on hand, rest assured you’ll be getting the most from any technique we can offer.

It’s a real shame to see cards in the marketplace where embossing has been attempted with disappointing results. This doesn’t happen at Windles. We are renowned for supplying a top-quality embossing service delivering precision, depth and sharpness without disappointment.

We advise, help and support our clients fully – we don’t just slam in some emboss unless we can see it will truly work with the imagery.

The years of experience amongst the Windles team mean we know how to work with the right type of die to optimise clarity and pressure on a substrate, so with our expert operators and the best machinery accurate registration is achieved.

Make your mark, make your designs cutting edge and tactile utilising the craft of embossing at Windles Group who care as much about your fi nished products and results as you do.

LINKING up toys, licensing, greetings cards and gift wrap has helped The Entertainer grow to become one of the

independent success stories of recent years, with plans to expand their current 98 stores to 200.

And, while the cards and wrap supplied by Gemma may be a small part of their overall turnover, The Entertainer’s buying director Stuart Grant admitted: “This is a core part of the business which is so profi table, it’s very much part of how we speak to customers at the tills.

“We couldn’t live without it now, it’s defi nitely been baked into our business model, with every store there’s an incentive for the add-on sales of batteries, giftwrap, cards, confectionery and drinks.

“Cards and giftwrap are a large slug of our business and it’s incremental, people are defi nitely not putting a toy back to buy a greetings card, they buy it as well.

“From a pound note front sales are about 50-50 wrap to cards, but in terms of units we sell more wrap – that could be because you need four sheets to wrap a big box but only one card!”

The Entertainer started back in 1981 when Gary and Catherine Grant opened a toy shop in their home town of Amersham in Bucks and

the fi rm is still family owned and based there today.

With more than 1,200 staff across the 98 stores, they have a philosophy that includes tithing 10 per cent of their profi ts through their charity wing, The Grant Foundation, to several children’s charities, and never opening on Sundays to

allow all staff a day of rest.Now the UK’s biggest independent toy

retailer, they are growing the fi rm at an average of one new store per month having expanded rapidly since the demise of Woolworths in December 2008.

Stuart, Gary and Catherine’s son, explained: “We had about 35 stores at the time and they were located next to Woolies in most areas.

“But as soon as we opened on January 1, 2009, there was no Woolies to buy toys in the town centres, customers had to come to us

and we had huge like-for-like sales increases the next year which enabled us to have the confi dence and the money to invest in the growth of the business.

“We’ve opened between 12 and 15 stores every year since – our aspirations are to open another 15 in 2015 and we have the shopfi tters scheduled to fi t out some of the stores already, although that’s not been announced yet!

“And we’re aiming for continuing further growth in the UK.”

The biggest story on both the toy and licensed greetings front in 2014 was Disney’s

Frozen which picked up two Oscars and became the highest-grossing animated fi lm of all time followed by toy sales exceeding £31million in the UK.

Stuart added: “Frozen has been brilliant – the only products that we sell on the wrap front are roll wrap and the two sheet two tag packs and Frozen has been over half of our wrap sales this

year. It’s just been incredible.“What people are doing with it all I don’t

know but we’ve been selling it in bucketloads – it’s probably good for posters and possibly covering schoolbooks too.

“Frozen is the fi rst time that we’ve seen an increase in card and wrap sales due to a licence. For everyone to consider buying a card out of sequence, just because their child likes Frozen, is something I never thought I’d see.

“Our greetings sales have been complemented by these cards, we’ve not lost sales of another licence for them, I’ve just sold more cards but I don’t know if I’ve stolen market share in a small way.”

“We’ve seen great success on Frozen,” said

LinkedLinked iinnTALKINGSHOP


Joined-up thinking has worked brilliantly for The Entertainer since the UK’s biggest independent toy retailer added greetings cards and giftwrap to their range 20 years ago in partnership with licensed product specialists Gemma so customers can pick up everything they need for a youngster’s present in-store.

TALKINGSHOP

Gemma’s Caroline Weaver, “The Entertainer have seen the most success as they recognised early on the franchise was going to be huge – the grocers weren’t able to react as quickly.

“Retailers who have also been able to switch things on immediately have reaped the benefi ts when performance has exceeded expectations and we have been able to move stock to them quickly. Independents in particular are seeing strong sales.”

Stuart has grown up with the family fi rm, but offi cially started work there over 11 years ago and has moved through various roles to his current post as buying director and they’ve been selling cards and wrap for about 20 years.

“It was down to Gemma,” Stuart said, “who are one of the top licensees for cards and giftwrap. They really saw the incredible possibility in the toy trade because no one was really servicing the toy trade from the greetings perspective, they were all covering the supermarkets, grocers and independent retailers.

“Gemma saw this opportunity of all these brands and licences, people were buying their toys from the toy shop and then going down the road to buy their card and giftwrap.

“They approached us and said they would manage the process and the racks in store and that’s how it all began.

“We stock pretty much the same across all the stores, there are exceptions occasionally such as not having England cards in Glasgow during the World Cup, but otherwise it’s pretty standard.

“Gemma manage the racks for us, we’re not exclusively Gemma though, from time to time they broker in product – for instance with Frozen, Gemma have the wrap licence but the cards are from UK Greetings so they’ve brought them in.

“It’s not all licensed, we do some of Gemma’s own brand Gem Fairies cards and wrap, and the new-born cards from their Noah’s Ark range, and they do very well for us.

“It’s funny because the logic tells us that if you buy a Star Wars fi gure, you’d buy a Star Wars card but that isn’t what happens. It’s down to what the child chooses.”

With just two people on the buying team on a day to day basis, dealing with 5,000 SKUs, Stuart is very busy travelling around the world to source new stock such as at the Hong Kong Toys & Games Fair in January.

He added: “For me the most exciting part is seeing the fruits of your labour, fi nding that the products you’ve bought are on the shelves in November and December.

“You spend 10 months focusing on Christmas, working out the schedules, budgets, staffi ng, shipping – the whole business basically spends 10 months preparing for two months and the most exciting part is watching all the products sell and it’s all come to fruition.

“I also love the licensing interests. We’re driven by the brands, TV programmes. new movies etc. So the great thing is it’s always

changing and moving.“What was big in one year

won’t be the next year with others coming in to play – The Avengers, Minions, Marvel – there’s always something new

and fresh. With Frozen it wasn’t expected to be so big, there wasn’t a lot of product around at fi rst, then it exploded.

“Because we’re relatively small we’re really nimble and that gives us the chance to move quickly and take on new products and licences. We do generally get the right ones.

“Kids are relatively unpredictable, you never know what’s going to capture their imagination – like Frozen, and because we’re able to move quickly, we do generally get it right.

“On the all-rounders front, it follows through to what’s happening in the wider marketplace. In this coming year we have Minions and The Avengers so will also have Spiderman, Ironman and a little Captain America from that. You get the same licences performing on cards that will also perform on toys.

“We are very involved with Gemma and do two range changes a year, and we’re involved in the selection of licences and tweaking the range throughout the year as needed.

“Usually Gemma ask us about the brands because it’s very hard unless you have the experience of the shop to know what ranges are going to be big.

“Because we have the shop and we work with both the toys and everything else, we see what’s coming through. We talk to the mums and dads in store and know what children are into.

“For us it’s about that link, that’s what makes us successful. What you tend to fi nd with the bigger fi rms is that the greetings card team are working in their own little silo and the toy team don’t talk to them so they don’t know what’s going on.

“We believe we can always be one step ahead of them because we’re nimble.”

The Entertainer’s stock differs from greetings stores as they only stock Christmas and birthday cards because all the different occasions and seasons are relevant to their customers, as Stuart explained: “We just have two seasons, Christmas and the rest of the year when there are always birthdays.

“We don’t get spikes in sales. If we take out the festive cards and wrap and the little boxed cards we do for children to send to their classmates at Christmas, it’s pretty balanced across the rest of the year.

“We need to encourage a Children’s Day like in South America, that would be a spike of sales of a toy, wrap and card for every child!”

www.TheToyShop.com


This is a corepart of the part of the

business whichis so profi tableis so profi table

TTTTTTTTTTTTTTT‘ ’

Smile to mask intentionsWHEN I fi rst started going to

trade shows there was a real buzz about them and you could spend all day just writing orders.

They’ve defi nitely quietened down a lot recently both in terms of footfall and the volume of orders written at the shows.

A lot of my retail customers say that either they don’t go to trade shows any more as they have a handful of good agents they already see, or they fi nd there’s too much to get round and it feels a bit pressured when they walk on a stand.

I can see both sides here as, from a principal’s point of view, the show costs a lot to have a stand so obviously they’re keen to maximise sales to get a return on that investment.

Then I also appreciate that, to a buyer or retailer, it must be really tiresome when a salesperson pounces as soon as you walk on a stand – sometimes mugging you multiple times before you’ve even had chance to look round.

Jumping on a potential buyer as soon as they come on to the stand doesn’t make them more inclined to place an order, in fact, a lot of customers say it makes them walk off.

When I’m helping man a stand, I tend to go for the masked man approach – like a highwayman I keep my powder dry by just saying hello to let them know I’m there if they need me, but not ambushing them with sales talk immediately.

I think you can pick up from people’s body language if they’re looking for someone to give

them prices or if they’re just taking in the designs. From an agent’s point of view, show time can

be diffi cult as, prior to the fair when we try for appointments with retailers, we get the standard “I’ll see you at the show”.

Then when we do see customers there, they’re stressed out and tired so say “come and see me after the show”.

So during the fair itself, we can’t be out on the road earning commission, but at the event we might not be busy writing orders!

However, I do think trade shows are still important as you never know if you’re going to bump into a retailer from your area that you haven’t had the chance to meet yet.

This can prove invaluable as just managing to put a face to that one big buyer from a garden centre is, in itself, worth going to the shows for.

Personally, if I was a retailer I’d be more inclined to place my orders at the shows as you can usually see all the product nicely displayed, which lets you imagine how it will look back at your shop.

It also means the principals see the benefi t from exhibiting and will be more inclined to do return for future fairs as well as getting repeat orders over the year. Without that support trade shows as we know them may become a thing of the past.

I have fond memories of my fi rst shows though, as it was there I stumbled on the Mask-arade party masks which have proved a big hit at my DJ gigs! :-)

IT’SIT’SALLALL

ABOUTABOUTSALESSALES


I CAN’T believe we’ve already rolled round into another year and, with Spring Fair this month, the

new year is well into full swing.It won’t be long until the clocks go

forward, Easter will be in full bloom and another wedding season is on the horizon!

I also can’t believe I’ve been married a whole eight months when it feels like our wedding was just fi ve minutes ago.

One thing I remember most fondly from June was that, each morning on the run up to the big day, we received a lovely pile of cards in the post.

Now, I’m not boasting here, but my husband and I were so touched at the sheer number of well wishes we had that I kept our front room fi lled with the

wedding cards for months as they were all too lovely to put away.

I know this experience isn’t unique to me because if I get a sniff of anyone getting married I get all excited for them and promptly send a card.

In our industry I think wedding cards are one of our best sellers because, not only is it such a big event in a person’s life anyway, but it’s almost like the last big family celebration.

After 18th and 21st age cards it’s almost the last glitzy, big bling event in a person’s life which everyone wants to join in and celebrate.

I know there can be many other very special times like a new baby, christening or other milestone birthdays, but they don’t seem as big or full-on

glamorous as a wedding somehow. There seems no limit of what’s spent

on a wedding card either. Often the more expensive the better or the bigger the size the more appealing.

There really seems no other event in your life quite like it, no other time both you and the other half are the centre of attention, being photographed all day or whizzing off in a fancy car with everyone you know waving you off.

So a wedding card needs to encapsulate all of those feelings and memories and that’s certainly what the greetings publishers do very well.

Now I can’t wait for our fi rst anniversary – paper for anyone who wants to know – to see which cards we get!

Too lovely to put away

Neil Anthony (Neil Anthony (Reil Agencies, T: 07766 736254) Reil Agencies, T: 07766 736254) and Alina Clark and Alina Clark (T: 07906 792420) (T: 07906 792420) are experienced independent greetings industry are experienced independent greetings industry sales agents in the North West and North East of England respectively. Each month they share their experiences of life on the road.sales agents in the North West and North East of England respectively. Each month they share their experiences of life on the road.

Reasons to be cheerfulWE’VE seen it all in 2014. Discount

card shops proliferating, the mid-market suffering and indies going to the wall.

As one door shuts another one closes, so what could possibly happen that might heap misery upon misery as 2015 gets underway?

Well actually, not a lot. The general mood seems to be one of cautious

optimism as the gateway to the new year yawns wide, and there’s every reason to think this cheerful approach may not be misplaced.

Consider the facts – there’s going to be a General Election so we have no idea what the shape of the Government presiding over us later in the year will be or what effect it will have on the economy.

And the news is in that a turnover shortfall in John Lewis stores over the Christmas period was compensated for by a massive growth online and in click-and-collect activity.

Physical retailers more or less held their own, but those with a true omni-channel approach did rather better – so that must be all right then, mustn’t it?

Then there’s the matter of retail rents. Will they go up this year or will things be pegged to the current zero infl ation – of course shoppers will be expecting the value of what they see when they head down to the shops to be sharper than ever.

Exchange rates also merit consideration. We’re not actually linked to the euro, but this doesn’t mean the British pound is home and dry.

Currency uncertainty is likely to mean rising

import prices and you’ll probably fi nd yourself wandering around a trade fair thinking some of the price tickets look a little steep.

So where’s the good news? Well there is some.

Quite a lot of e-tailers are jumping the digital ditch at the moment and setting up shop(s)

on the High Street for very straightforward reasons – they’ve realised there’s still life in stores that consist of ranges contained within four or more walls.

Hope may spring eternal but this must surely be an indication that, just when you thought it time to venture online in a more meaningful way, there are others who are coming at the problem from a different direction.

Practically, this means 2015 is likely to see a fair few new arrivals on the High Street taking the place of some of the more traditional operators,

and I expect these will be both big and small. One of the effects of the store closures that have

characterised large parts of UK retail over the last few years is that there’s plenty of property out there and some of it might even be what you’re looking for and, more importantly, actually affordable.

Rents will certainly follow an upward path, but this will not be universal. There will also be shoppers and they will be shopping.

One of the points about online retail is choice – lots and lots of it. Too much choice, however, can equate to overload and, ultimately, minor paralysis with selection proving altogether too troublesome.

The task facing the card retailer in 2015 therefore is the same as always – be different, make the matter of selection more straightforward by curating your offer to eliminate the dross and remember that price really isn’t everything, even in the age of the discounter.

There are as many reasons to be cheerful as fearful this new year and, whatever the bigger picture nationally, one of the best things about operating a greetings card emporium is that almost everything on offer is affordable as far as impulse purchase behaviour is concerned.

To paraphrase that great philosopher Del Boy, this time next year we may not all be millionaires, but we will have kept our heads above water.

JOHNRYANRETAILENVIRONMENT


Moving on from the difficulties that card retailers saw in 2014, John Ryan believes there’s a mood of cautious optimism about the new year that’s not misplaced.

John Ryan is Stores Editor at Retail Week where he’s worked for more than a decade covering store design, visual merchandising and what makes things sell in-store. In a previous life he was a retail buyer. T: 07710 429926twitter: @newstores

There will be shoppers and

they will be shopping

TTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT‘ ’

Fashion meets Function

You always find something new at the London Stationery Show.

See thousands of stationery and writing products from over twohundred different suppliers from around the world, all in one place.

To find out who’s exhibiting and register for free entry, go towww.stationeryshow.co.uk

Join the conversations

@StationeryBytes StationeryShow@NatStatWeek NationalStationeryWeek

Stationery Event of the Year

EEVERYONE loves the cute and cuddly Minions and their antics – but fans of these stars of the blockbuster new animation due

out this summer are in for a surprise.For in Universal Pictures and

Illumination Entertainment’s latest offering, the Minions are still yellow, but they’re defi nitely not mellow as the storyline goes back into the history of the little creatures.

Starting out as single-cell yellow organisms, Minions evolve through the ages, perpetually serving the most despicable of masters – from T Rex to Napoleon – but they’re continuously unsuccessful at keeping their bosses.

Finding themselves without someone to serve, they all fall into a deep depression until Minion Kevin comes up with a plan and ventures out into the world with his sidekicks, teenage rebel Stuart and loveable little Bob to fi nd a new evil boss for his brethren to follow.

The trio embark on a thrilling journey that eventually leads them to their next potential master Scarlet Overkill – played by Academy Award winner Sandra Bullock – the world’s fi rst-ever female super-villain.

They travel from frigid Antarctica to 1960s New York City and end up in mod London, where they face their biggest challenge to date – saving all of Minionkind from annihilation.

Featuring a soundtrack of hit music from the 60s that still permeates today’s culture, Minions is produced by Illumination’s Chris Meledandri and Janet Healy, and directed by Pierre Coffi n and Kyle Balda while Brian Lynch has written the screenplay for the 3D-CG

comedy adventure, and Chris Renaud serves as executive producer.

The Minions have become a powerhouse

brand, with 500-plus licensees including Danilo Promotions who will be publishing more than 30 items including calendars, diaries, greetings cards, giftwrap, gift bags and

seasonal cards.“The Minions from the

movie will be giggling into wall calendars, slim calendars, family organisers and diaries,” said Danilo Licensing Director Trevor Jones.

“The greetings range is designed to appeal to fans of all ages with a variety of formats and price points as well as

age and family relation captions for boys and girls of all ages.

“Square, 9x5, 9x6 and large cards with die cuts, and special fi nishes will enhance the look with added value features and even sound cards!

“It will, without doubt, be one of the biggest movie merchandise events of the summer if not the year, and is greatly anticipated by the millions of Minion fans who have seen them in the fi rst two Despicable Me movies.”

Yellow, but not mellowYellow, but COVERSTORY


From single-cell yellow organisms to travelling the world looking for a new master, the Minions are a powerhouse brand that’s all set to get bigger with the release of their eponymous movie this coming summer – and Danilo are on board.

The Minions area powerhouse brand with 500 plus licensees

including Danilo

TTT‘t ’

www.minionsmovie.comSpring Fair stand 4E08

T: 01992 702900www.danilo.com

Yellow, but not mellow not mellowCOVERSTORY


Universal’s own statistics show that having grossed £960million ($1.5billion) globally, Despicable Me is bigger than every other animated franchise over their fi rst two fi lms.

Despicable Me 2 is the fourth highest-grossing animated fi lm in history and was the number one home entertainment release of 2013.

The soundtrack includes Happy by Pharrell Williams which has had more than 700milion views online, and there have been 400m downloads of Despicable Me: Minion Rush.

With more than £640m ($1bn) taken in retail sales to date, the multi-million global marketing campaign for Minions kicked off on November 3 with a worldwide teaser trailer generating

50m views in the fi rst 24 hours.And the partnerships with some of the

largest global and regional brands across the world are delivering double the number of partners that Despicable Me 2 had, including a cross-category licensing programme with Thinkaway Toys, Hasbro and Mega Bloks.

Already the top attractions in Orlando and Hollywood with planned expansion at Universal Parks worldwide, the release of Despicable Me 3 is slated for 2017 – the Minions are defi nitely colouring the world yellow!

MIKE PARTRIDGE, PEARTREE HEYBRIDGEWhat can visitors to your stand expect this year?

The same as always – a warm welcome from hunky dudes and fair maidens and plenty of reasons to smile, plus lots of funny cards and gifts to boost sales and profi ts!How many new product launches will be displayed on your stand?

Four great new card ranges: Clemency – photos of elegant ladies expressing humorous and pithy comments about men, food, drink and how to enjoy themselves; Tim Bulmer – featuring boys’ interests of cars, booze and sport; Gardeners Weakly – more guffaws in the garden, and When Animals Turn Bad – photos of animals behaving like people . What would you say are the key benefi ts of attending Spring Fair – as an exhibitor and visitor?

For exhibitors it’s a chance to meet all those lovely people who buy our cards and all those lovely people who don’t…yet. And a chance to meet all those lovely competitor people who sell cards to those lovely people who don’t buy from us…yet. Seriously, it’s the best way of feeling the pulse of the industry and getting a handle on where it’s heading. Visitors have the best opportunity to meet all those lovely people who supply cards and to keep up to date with trends and product developments. For both it’s a great way of getting out of the offi ce or shop and seeing the wood for the trees!

Stand 4L106 – T: 01423 876311 www.peartreeheybridge.co.uk

More power to Spring Fair as strong growth, Gift Of The Year Awards, Buyers Power List Awards, seminars, and the largest presentation of greetings, stationery and giftwrap under one roof make the NEC the place to be.


SPRINGSPRINGFAIRFAIRPREVIEWPREVIEW

Spring Spring forwardforward

SSTRONG growth at Spring Fair bodes well for British retail as the greetings and

gift industry springs forward into 2015 with a six per cent increase in this sector.

Around 70 new publishers and those returning after some years’ absence have signed up for Hall 4, the home of Greetings & Gift. and there’s a 50 per cent rise in the numbers of international card companies joining the show as buyers from around the globe set to converge on the NEC at Birmingham for the UK’s premier retail trade exhibition.

Organisers i2i Events report a 10 per cent year-on-year growth in overall exhibitor numbers for the show, from Sunday to Thursday, February 1-5, with the Volume Halls opening a day earlier.

An i2i statement said: “Such clear growth at the UK’s most important retail exhibition is a positive indicator for the trading year ahead, which also looks set to benefi t from strong High Street sales over the Christmas period.”

Spring Fair will present the hottest new lines from 3,000 British and international suppliers, 400 new to the show, which has 14 different sectors: Gift; Contemporary Gift; Greetings & Gift; Children’s Gift, Toys & Gadgets; Christmas Gift, Floral & Seasonal Decoration; Gift, Home & Volume; Home; Table & Kitchen; Fashion Jewellery, Accessories & Luggage; Body & Bath; The Summerhouse; The Party Show; Retail Shop and Jewellery & Watch Birmingham.

Terry Harvey, MD of M&P Cards, said: “Spring Fair is the most prominent trade fair on our calendar, and we usually spend three to four days on site.

“It’s an ideal opportunity to meet with suppliers and discuss trading opportunities

in depth. In my opinion, Spring Fair is vital for any serious card and gift retailer.”

New for 2015 will be the Retail Shop brand, which has evolved from the hugely successful e-commerce zones at both Spring and Autumn Fair.

Retail Shop will provide a full-spectrum offering dedicated to cutting-edge technology and retail sector solutions, aimed at ensuring customers retain their competitive edge in a rapidly-evolving global marketplace.

The e-Commerce Theatre can be found inside Retail Shop, where it will provide a series of seminars and presentations on some of the most challenging areas in online retail, given by best-in-class online retailers and other experts in the fi eld of e-commerce.

Among the speakers is Blue Eyed Sun founder and MD Jeremy Corner with two presentations. On the opening Sunday his

half-hour talk starts at noon in the e-Commerce Theatre on “The digital revolution: Innovative new

ways to market your retail business online”.

Jeremy said: “It’s imperative that your business makes the most of social media and other digital marketing tools, but it can be hard to

know how to start.”He will also be speaking in the UKTI

Export Industry on the Tuesday at 2pm on the subject “Discover how exports have helped a UK SME generate 20 per cent of their total revenue”.

The UKTI (UK Trade & Investment) stand and seminar theatre are also in Hall 4 where they will explain how they help to develop successful export strategies, with advice, market knowledge and fi nancial support.

At the rebranded Trends Theatre located within Hall 6, the World Global Style Network (WGSN) will provide crucial insight into key seasonal trends, while other industry leaders will present their

OPENING TIMESVolume onlySat Jan 31 10.00 – 17.00 All HallsSun-Wed, Feb 1-4, 9.00 –18.00Thur, Feb 31, 9.00–16.00

T: 020 3033 [email protected]

www.springfair.com

BEV CUNNINGHAM, ABACUS CARDSWhat can visitors to your stand expect this year?

We last exhibited at Spring Fair in 2009, so we’re marking our return with the launch of two new exciting ranges and a bumper crop of new designs, plus we have a fantastic giveaway show offer and the promise of some important visitors to our stand!How many new product launches will be displayed on your stand?

In total we have just under 300 new designs on display, 173 of which are everyday cards including two brand-new ranges. One is a charity range in support of the Royal Hospital Chelsea, and the second is an exclusive photographic range featuring the work of stylist and author Selina Lake. The remainder are additions to our most popular ranges plus a selection of extra-large cards – still not quite sure how we will fi t it all on to our stand yet! What would you say are the key benefi ts of attending Spring Fair – as an exhibitor and visitor?

Having not exhibited at Spring Fair for a number of years we’re not sure what to expect but are, of course, hoping the exhibition will introduce us to plenty of new customers. It’s also an opportunity for offi ce staff to meet our existing customers and for retailers and overseas distributors to see the ranges displayed in all their glory, rather than out of a sample case or viewed on a website. From a visitor’s perspective it gives a retailer the chance to source new suppliers, identify trends and catch up with existing publishers.Are you running any specifi c show-only offers?

We most certainly are, in fact it’s our best show offer yet! For the duration of the Spring Fair we will be giving away a Kindle Fire HD6 Tablet to every customer who places an everyday order for £500 or over.

Stand 4H29 – T: 01638 569050www.abacuscards.co.uk

DAVID WORTHINGTON, AVANTI PRESSWhat can visitors to your stand expect this year?

The Avanti stand will look totally different to any previous year at the NEC. The look will ensure focus is on the many new lines, styles and collections we’ll be presenting and launching for the fi rst time in the UK. This will include a range of larger format, 11x6in cards – something our

customers have requested.How many new product launches will be displayed on your stand?

We’ll be showing strong collections of newness.What would you say are the key benefi ts of attending Spring Fair – as an exhibitor and visitor?

As an exhibitor it’s a great showcase for our collections to new and existing customers, as well as an opportunity

to meet our global distributors and new potential partners. For visitors, it gives them a chance to see a full collection of cards, merchandised in a professional way in order for them to visualise what Avanti could look like in-store.Are you running any specifi c show-only offers?

TBA – we usually offer a show discount to any customers ordering at the fair – discount level still to be confi rmed.

Stand 4K20 – T: 01243 784640www.avantipress.com/uk

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Over 250 new designs across, wrapping and stationery.

www.thear tf i le .com T. 0115 8507490 F. 0115 9413411 E. sales@thear tf i le .com

P A R T O F O U R S T U N N I N G N E W C O L L E C T I O N

rock

on!

new

S P R I N G F A I R B I R M I N G H A M 1 S T - 5 T H F E B H A L L 4 S T A N D J 10 0 / K 101

KATIE MEEKE, HOLY MACKERELWhat can visitors to your stand expect this year?

New designs, new products, and everything with that Holy Mackerel twist. Oh and, of course, we’re hoping our lovely assistant Helmut can join us for the show again – he was such a great hit at Autumn Fair last year!How many new product launches will be displayed on your stand?

Lots! We’ve got three brand-new card ranges, starting with a fabulous glittery trophy range from Erica Sturla, including Mum In A Million; a brand

new Fred range by Rupert Fawcett called True Love With Fred; cute and contemporary long, skinny cards by Amanda Seymour, featuring her quirky birds, and a fab range of Christmas designs. There are fantastic new coastal-themed tea-towels by Erica Sturla, and we’re really excited to be launching bespoke versions of those too. And new One Lump Or Two and Wry Smile card designs will keep everyone smiling. Did we mention magnetic bookmarks and

iPhone cases? Actually, we might need a bigger van to bring it all!What would you say are the key benefi ts of attending Spring Fair ?

For everyone it’s a great chance to see what’s new, and for us a superb way to be able to give our new ranges a great start in life. The last couple of years in particular the show seems to have had a renewed buzz about it. Lots of people, lots of creativity, lots of business. Apart from all that it’s just great to be able to meet up with so many friends, whether customers, suppliers, agents, other card companies or just lovely people we’ve met through the industry – we love it!

Stand 4K54 – T: 01297 33899www.holy-mackerel.co.uk



ideas on some of the best opportunities in retail, from effective branding and merchandising techniques to boosting sales through specialised marketing techniques.

Also in Hall 6 will be the Designgap presentation of British artisans and designer makers, and the Design Lab area, which comprises a carefully-edited launch platform for 16 new and original contemporary gift designers.

Within The Party Show in Hall 3 The Stage will showcase the best new fancy dress costumes and character-licensed apparel from exhibitors.

Three catwalk shows a day will be interspersed with expert balloon-crafting demonstrations from industry giants Amscan and Pioneer/Qualatex.

Further new product inspiration will come from the Giftware Association’s prestigious Gift Of The Year Awards, which will be announced at the Trends Theatre on the opening evening.

There’s also the debut of the Buyers Power List Awards designed to recognise infl uential buying teams and individuals via three different categories, Power 30, Best Independent Retail Buyer Or Team, and Best Multiple Retailer Or Department Store Team.

The winners will be announced at the ceremony on Monday, from the Buyers Power List shortlist compiled and reviewed by an advisory panel of key industry infl uencers inckuding The GA, BIRA, BIRA Direct and BHETA.

Commenting on being shortlisted Temptation Gifts MD Mike Adams said: “We’re honoured and fl attered to have been nominated. Temptation Gifts was established in 1983, so have over 30 years’ buying experience.

“We now buy for our seven town centre stores and our two multi-award-winning websites, and the range of products we carry is both wide-ranging and increasingly diverse.

“Our four-strong buying team spend four full days at Spring Fair each year – we consider the show to be the premier buying experience in the gift calendar.”

Fellow nominee Jane Hudson, of Qwerkity, added: “What a nice surprise to be shortlisted – I’ve been to every Spring and Autumn Fair for over 25 years, and for the last few years have done six days on

the trot so it’s great to think there might be some recognition!”

Along with the Spring Fair New Product locator, visitors can also look out for signs for Creative Britain, highlighting the best of British designed products. The Licensed Product locator will point buyers to the hottest new licensed ranges, while the Ethical Product sign will help them to discover wonderful new eco-friendly and fairtrade items.

At the heart of Greetings & Gift at Spring Fair are some of the biggest and most interesting names in the UK’s world-leading greetings, gift and related industries, including: Abacus, Clare Maddicott, Really Good, Soul, The Great British Card Company, Nigel Quiney Publications, Museums & Galleries, Woodmansterne, Paper Rose, Danilo Promotions, Caroline Gardner, Mint Publishing, Jonny Javelin, The Art File, Dean Morris Cards and Second Nature.

Together they help make it the largest presentation of greetings, stationery and giftwrap you can see under one roof anywhere in the world.

David Hicks, owner of Really Good and Soul, said: “I can’t wait for Spring Fair – seriously! I can’t wait to see old friends from England and abroad, and I can’t wait to present everything that we’ve worked so hard to put together.”

Wrendale Designs founder Hannah Dale added: “Spring Fair is by far the most important trade show of the year for us. The vast majority of our customers visit the show, and it is a great opportunity to catch up with them as well as meet new customers.

“We fi nd the footfall to be the highest of all the shows, and we always meet a diverse range of buyers, from independents to multiples as well as overseas distributors.

“We always plan our major product launches to coincide with the show, and this year is no exception – we’re launching new greetings cards, tinware and a range of stationery products including some beautiful gift pens.”

The show also sees the trade launch of RetroCo, born out of the hugely successful CD Card Company, that promises a wealth of exciting new product launches – for full details turn to pages 70-71.

SIOBHAN HARRISON, APRIL ROSEAs a new exhibitor, what can visitors to your stand expect this year?

I’m looking forward to exhibiting for the fi rst time at the Spring Fair. I’ll be showing new artwork ready for licence and an own-brand greetings cards and notebook range available for retail. I’m looking forward to meeting new stockists as well as exhibiting gift and craft products produced by major companies that I’ve partnered with.How many new product launches will be displayed on your stand?

I’ll have new ranges of greetings cards – a female, fl oral vintage-feel send, a character range for children and a general send with a nostalgic retro feel. I’ll also have a range of A5 lined notebooks with printed casement bands

suitable for Valentine’s/female gift, fl oral everyday and a new vintage male-look gift send. I’ll also be displaying samples of paper crafting ranges I’ve illustrated with a leading craft company I’ve partnered with.What would you say are the key benefi ts of attending Spring Fair – as an exhibitor and visitor?

I’ve always attended Spring Fair as a visitor to chat with publishers that I’m currently working for. It’s a

great place to visit to get an overall view of current trends and looks. As a graduate I visited the fair and gained commissions for ranges of greetings cards from publishers. As an exhibitor I’m looking forward to making new contacts for stockists and shops for my own-brand ranges. I’m also looking forward to speaking to current partners who are launching products at the fair using Illustrations I’ve licensed to them. Are you running any specifi c show-only offers?

April Rose cotton tote bags will be given to new clients making a licence deal on the stand or new stockists placing an order – limited amount available.

Stand 4E107 – T: 07957 738711 www.aprilroseillustration.com

TREVOR JONES, DANILO PROMOTIONSWhat can visitors to your stand expect this year?

Even more new licences, new ranges, new designs – lots of NEW!How many new product launches will be displayed on your stand?

Danilo’s stand will feature the hottest new brands for 2015. We’ll be sharing info on new products including the Minions’ Movie, Star Wars, Jurassic World, Marvel’s new Avengers fi lm, Pixar fi lm Inside Out, Marvel TV shows, Disney’s Frozen, Warner Bros/DC Comics, Thunderbirds, Dreamworks movies and TV shows, Shaun The Sheep’s fi lm release and Sponge Bob’s new movie plus updates to our One Direction, 5 Seconds Of Summer and Vamps products. Existing best-selling brands such as Mrs Brown’s Boys, Only Fools And Horses and Keith Lemon will also have updates – that’s just a small selection!What would you say are the key benefi ts of attending Spring Fair?

As an exhibitor it’s a great time of year to review the best-sellers from last year and work on detailed plans for 2015 with our customers. It’s also great to catch up with friends in the industry! As a visitor, Spring Fair is still the leading trade show with the biggest selection of product under one massive roof.

Stand 4E08 – T: 01992 702900www.danilo.com

Presented in the 160mm square format, these 14 new “Bell Jar” designs cover all the major occasion titles. Created using a mix of photographic and illustrative imagery, the cards are printed

on art board and embellished with intricate multi-coloured foiled details. In addition, the cards also feature emboss finishing and are bordered by a rather pretty die-cut scalloped edge.

These gorgeous cards really need to be seen in the flesh to be truly appreciated so why not come and see this range in all its glory on the Clare Maddicott stand at this year’s Spring Fair? You can find us in Hall 4, on stand H27, where, not only will these new “Bell Jar” designs and over 140 other new products be on display, but spend £500 or more on everyday product and you will walk away with a free Kindle Fire HD 6 tablet.

Introducing stunning Bell Jar occasions cards from Clare Maddicott Publications

www.maddicott.com 01638 569050 https://www.facebook.com/ClareMaddicottPublications

For more information on “Bell Jar” or any of our other new products, please arrange an appointment with your local territory sales manager by calling our sales office on 01638 569050 or visit our website www.maddicott.com

SP

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NICK MORLEY, CIDWhat can visitors to your stand expect this year?

CID will have an emphasis on both the apparel lines as well as the best NECA accessories. The range of licences on T-shirts, baseball shirts, hoodies and sweatshirts are unrivalled as the collection features the best brands in music – AC/DC, Pink Floyd, Metallica, Led Zep – and character – Batman, Superman, Breaking Bad, The Hobbit. We’ve also developed our display systems so stores with limited space that couldn’t normally sell T-shirts now can. The NECA-produced accessories have been hugely

successful and both Harry Potter and Hunger Games have been some of the best-selling items in the past few months so these will have a prominent place on the stand also.How many new product launches will be displayed on your stand?

There will be a number of new licences featured including new designs from Marvel and Star Wars across the clothing range – both brands that will be huge this year. There are also a number of brand-new products from NECA, their diverse range including Harry Potter, Guardians Of The

Galaxy, Gremlins, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Pink Floyd and Iron Maiden.What would you say are the key benefi ts of attending Spring Fair?

Exhibiting at Spring Fair is essential in our opinion – there’s no other show that attracts the volume of visitors from not only the UK but from all corners of the planet. While our website is updated on a regular basis you still can’t beat face-to-face interaction and many of our products are touchy-feely. It helps enormously to meet customers in person to get a real understanding of what their business is about and how we can work effi ciently to fulfi l the potential sales growth.Are you running any specifi c show-only offers?

We’re offering 10 per cent discount on full trade prices for orders placed at the show.

Stand 4A21 – T: 0116 278 7273 www.cidmerch.com

KATIE FINEGAN, CAROLINE GARDNERWhat can visitors to your stand expect this year?

Lots of lovely new products and some very friendly faces as we have our whole sales team on hand to help. Spring Fair 2015 will be our biggest launch to date so our stand is going to be packed with all our new gifts and card ranges, including a gardening range.How many new product launches will be displayed on your stand?

We have over 100 new products across our wonderful gifts and greetings cards. Included are lots of new accessories and gifts for the home as well as two new gift patterns. The new

collection of stationery and homeware uses contrasting matt and gloss fi nishes, perfectly-placed text, bright neons and colour blocking to create a fresh and exciting new look. We also have three new card ranges and lots of additions across our current bestsellers in cards, wrap, bags and gifts.What would you say are the key benefi ts of attending Spring Fair?

Spring Fair is a great show, it gives us an opportunity to showcase the biggest release of the year to all our retailers and to meet new customers too. We love the opportunity to speak to retailers face to face.

Are you running any specifi c show-only offers?We’re offering a free unit of our Say So sticky notes to every customer who orders

one or more of our Gift Collections at the show. We have a really special range of Gift Collections. Each contains new and best-selling products, with many lines supplied in half units allowing customers to get a greater range of products for the same investment!

Stand 4L71 – T: 020 8288 9696www.carolinegardner.com

ALISON BUTTERWORTH, NIGEL QUINEYWhat can visitors to your stand expect this year?

Visitors can expect an exciting new Christmas range, fabulous new stationery gifts and a brand new release of Pizazz.How many new product launches will be displayed on your stand?

Almost too many to count – full Christmas range including boxes, new everyday captions, new Baby Boutique and new Pizazz.What would you say are the key benefi ts of attending Spring Fair?

A great venue to present new product to existing customers, to meet new customers and to cement relationships with colleagues in the trade. Great product sourcing – all under one roof!Are you running any specifi c show-only offers?

Yes, the fi rst 50 customers to place an order over £200 will qualify for a bottle of bubbly – it ties into our 50th anniversary celebrations.

Stand 4F04-H03 – T: 01799 514122www.nigelquiney.com



1973 – Stand 4E12828 Celsius – 4J50Abacus Cards – 4H29ACID – 4B16Advent Gift Boxes – 4E110Advocate Art – 4E104Alchemy Coatings – 4B29Alex Clark Art – 4L25Alex Underdown Art – 4K17Alison Gardiner Designs – 4L02Allan & Bertram – 4C20Alljoy Design – 4J29The Alternative Image Co – 4J54Alula’s Garden – 4J24Ambiente Europe – 4D02Amscan – 4E20-F21 Amy Beth Designs – 4D88April Rose Illustration – 4E107Artebene – 4K38The Art File – 4J100-K101Artige – 4K26Artists On Cards – 4D99The Art Of Dance – 4F91Artoz – 4D19Artpress Publishing – 4K10Assaf Frank Photography – 4H94Auxence – 4A26Avanti Blue – 4C12Avanti Press – 4K20Avonside Publishing – 4H02The Bees Knees – 4H82 Belly Button Designs – 4K70Berni Parker Designs – 4K21Bexy Boo Designs – 4E109BGC Studios – 4E12Biff And Co – 4B08Big Pink Bubble – 4H08Big Thought – 4A24Bird – 4J40Blake Envelopes – 4F85Blooming Simple – 4J88Blue Eyed Sun – 4L66Bluebell 33 – 4L99Blueprint Collections – 4L07Blue Rose Publishing – 4F93Brainbox Candy – 4F88-H85Bright Art Licensing – 4H107Browntrout Publishers – 4C18Buddy Fernandez – 4J38Bug Art – 4J75C Pahl Licensing – 4F120Caltime – 4F16Card Essentials – 4H20Cardgains – 4E20-F21Cardmix – 4L08Caroline Gardner – 4L71Carousel Calendars – 4E51Celebration Crackers – 4D03Cherry Orchard – 4F06Cherry Picked For You – 4J11CID – 4A21Claire Giles Design – 4E124Clare Maddicott – 4H27 Claire Louise – 4H108Claire Tarling – 4F87Clanna Cards – 4J15Club Green – 4C27CMC Europe – 4F09Coastal Harbour – 4H92Colcards – 4K51The Colour Is Green – 4F128Country Cards – 4K93Courgette Cards – 4D108Courtier Fine Art – 4J03Creation Express – 4L01Creature Corner – 4J53Dandylion Jack – 4H83Danilo Promotions – 4E08Davis & Brown – 4K47Davora – 4J30Dean Morris Cards – 4J80Debbi Moore Design House – 4E83Deluxebase – L28Demurez Artwork – 4D107Deva Designs – 4H17 & 4E20-F21The DM Collection – 4J28Dodo Pad – 4L30Doricmor – 4E120Dress My Cupcake – 4B06Dry Red Press – 4K05Dyson Design – 4K41Easypack – 4A25Elecosy Bvba – 4D21Emma Ball – 4L70Enveco – 4E74Envelopes UK – 4A01Esposti – 4A04Espree – 4E20-F21Eurowrap – 4D10-E11 & 4D15Express Yourself – 4E20-F21eZen – 4F74Fay’s Studio – 4J27Five Dollar Shake – 4K110Flame Tree Publishing – 4D29Forever Hand-Made – 4H04Frillybee – 4F110Furzedown Gallery – 4H36GB Eye – 4D20-E21Genertec – 4D28 & D26Gifted Stationery – 4E40-F41Ginger Ray – 4B02Glasgow Packaging – 4A29

Glebe Cottage – 4K27Glick – 4F04-H03Go Stationery – 4D04Grace Hill – 4H121Grass Roots International – 4F20-H21Great British Card Co – 4F40-H41 & 4E20-F21Greeting Cards From Lowlands Studios – 4E94Halligan Raby – 4L12Hammond Gower – 4L46Handcrafted Card Co – 4J74Hartdeco – 4J17Hearts Designs – 4J99Hole In My Pocket – 4F123Holy Mackerel – 4K54House Of Sarunds – 4E20-F21Hype Associates – 4J45Image Plus – 4K39Image Source – 4F96Inspired Goodbyes – 4H32Intelligent Retail – 4H25IC&G – 4E25 & 4E20-F21Is It Art – 4F30 & 4E20-F21Italian Options – 4B04Jacksons – 4E20-F21J Salmon – 4k02Jane Means – 4B10Janie Wilson – 4J79Jasmine Burgess – 4F103Jean Barrington – 4K16Jessica Hogarth – 4H115Jo Stockdale’s Country Images – 4H38Jodds – 4H01John Austin Postcards – 4K35John Palmer Fine Art – 4E113Johnsons Of Nantwich – 4E119Jonathan Glick Designs – 4K37Jonesy Charismatic Stationery – 4K07Jonny Javelin Card Co – 4F07Judy Lumley – 4E117Juicy Lucy Designs – 4K90Julia Hook Designs – 4H86K-Paper – 4F100Kenro – 4B03Kerry Lyons – 4E105Klet & Ko – 4E89Koko Designs – 4J98Kunming Goodluck – 4C22La Pashe – 4H24Laura Darrington Design – 4K61Laura Sherratt Designs – 4F132Laura Truby Designs – 4D82Lauren’s Cows – 4J39Leonard Smith – 4J70Leuchtturm1917 – 4C21Lime Cards – 4H111Linda Wood – 4K55Ling Design – 4E50-F51 & 4E20-F21The Little Dog Laughed – 4K34 Little Fingy – 4J20Little Snoring Cards – 4J81Livelink – 4F24The London Studio – 4H74Louise & Lygo – 4F97Louise Tiler Designs – 4F101Lucy Monkman – 4J07Lux-Wrap – 4H28The Lynn Tait Gallery – 4H60 Madame Treacle – 4J55Made In Pixieland – 4D105Mapcards.net – 4D100Marble By Design – 4M58Mayfi eld Books & Gifts – 4M74Megan Claire – 4K45Mic – 4K84-L85Midwest Ribbons – 4C02Milkwood Publishing – 4L60Mint Publishing – 4H50Misumaru Giftmate – 4C19Molly Mae – 4J60Monty Richa – 4J09Moongazer Cards – 4H109Morrigan – 4L80Mr George – 4K09Museums & Galleries – 4H71My World – 4H06Natural Partners – 4J21Neale Dataday – 4B20Netherton’s – 4H10Nigel Quiney – 4F04-H03Nobhilldesigners – 4H40Noble Fine Art – 4H137Noel Tatt Group – 4D30-E31Noi Publishing – 4J72Ocean Publishing – 4K69Octavius Hunt – 4B26Odey Designs – 4K89Ohh Deer – 4K32Olivia Goddard Designs – 4J35Otter House – 4E51Pango Productions – 4F135Paper Island – 5F90-G91Paper Rose – 4K04 & 4E20-F21Paper Salad – 4J107Peartree Heybridge – 4L106Peel Cards – 4L76Penfold Card & Gift – 4H76Penny Kennedy – 4L55Periodic Society – 4D112Perkins & Morley – 4H100Piano – 4L22

Piet Publishing – 4H78Pigment Productions – 4E80-E76Pink Pig – 4H117Pink Pineapple – 4H70Pocket Typewriter – 4K73Pomegranate – 4F61Popshots Studios – 4J82Portfolio – 4L100Portfolio Select – 4F112Portico Designs – 4E84 & 4E90Pouchcards – 4F108Pukka Pads – 4F81Pulp Cards – 4L50Pyramid International – 4E70-F71Quire Publishing – 4F80Quitting Hollywood – 4E20-F21Quotable Cards – 4F70Rachel Ellen Designs – 4L91Real & Exciting Designs – 4H75Really Good – 4K100-L101Really Wild Cards – 4J12Red Berry Hill – 4J23Redback Cards – 4J46Regent Envelopes – 4J87Retroco – 4M32Ribbon Print – 4A14The Ribbon Printing Co – 4B19 Richard Sellmer Verlag – 4K24Robert Frederick – 4C10-D11Rock Off – 4D24-E23Rocket Press – 4H105Roger La Borde – 4K50-L51Rosanna Rossi – 4J90Rose Hill Designs – 4J94Rosie Made A Thing – 4D110Rothbury Publishing – 4E85RSW International – 4E03Rush Designs – 4H96Ruth Jackson – 4K13S E Simons/May Arts Ribbon – 4B07Sabivo Design – 4J05Saffron Cards & Gifts – 4L32Sandscript Cards – 4H88Santex – 4A10Santoro – 4K78-L77 & 4K80-L81The Sardine’s Whiskers – 4J32Scissor Monkeys – 4F86Scott And Robson – 4F124Second Nature – 4E60 & 4E20-F21Select Cards – 4K77Selwyn’s By Jack Sayers – 4E100Sensations International – 4K03Sheetal Mercantile – 4A23Shindo Textile – 4A20-B21Simon Elvin – 4L05Slice Of Pie Designs – 4D103Sniffski – 4H22Sole Favors – 4A15Special Editions – 4E20-F21 Special Impression – 4L44Star Editions – 4D40-E41Susan Entwistle – 4H90Seaman Paper Co – 4C09SWA Holland – 4C04Tache Crafts – 4D116Talking Pictures – 4E42-F43 & 4E20-F21Talking Tables – 4A03Tango Books/2 To Tango – 4K36Think Of Me – 4J71Thorntons – 4F02Tillovision – 4H119Tizaro – 4J22Tom Dickins – 4J04Tomcat Cards – 4J16Tracks Publishing – 4H31Trinityxtras – 4A18Tulip Studio – 4H12Tweet-Art – 4F133Twizler – 4J08Two Little Monkeys – 4J51Two’s Company By Mulhouse – 4J101Twose Company – 4E87UK Envelope Centre – 4H103UK Greetings – 4E20-F21The Unique Paper Co – 4K16 Urban Graphic – 4F84Vanessa Bee Designs – 4M14Veb Company – 4B23Vicky Crowder Designs – 4K16Victoria’s Journals – 4A22Waggydogz – 4F116Wendy Jones-Blackett – 4F77Wenzhou Xinchao Stationery – 4F104Wet Yeti – 4F134We’ve-A-Gift – 4E20-F21Whale & Bird – 4D101White Cotton Cards – 4K91Willow & Co – 4L47Wiscombe Art – 4J06The Wooden Postcard Co – 4F72 Woodmansterne – 4E04-F03Words ’n’ Wishes – 4F15WPL – 4E20-F21 Wraptious – 4J25Wrendale Designs – 4L20Xpressions 4U – 4E20-F21YCUK – 4K81Yorkshire Envelopes – 4F81Yours Truly – 4F75Zizi – 4F36

GREETINGS & STATIONERY EXHIBITORS’ LISTSIMON ELVIN, SIMON ELVIN LTDWhat would you say are the key benefi ts of attending Spring Fair as an exhibitor and visitor?

The benefi ts of Spring Fair as an exhibitor are the opportunity to meet with our customers face-to-face in a short time, and to get their direct feedback on what retailers require. As a visitor, the biggest opportunity must be to see the latest products from a host of different publishers on display beautifully in one convenient setting.

Stand 4L05 –T: 01628 526711www.simonelvin.com



New titles are by requestJONNY Javelin have brought out a whole new batch of Velvet cards with Fiancé/Fiancée Birthday and Partner Birthday among the 27 new titles produced following many customer requests.

Pitched in the code 75 bracket which retail at £1.99, Jonny and the team think they may well need to increase the number of larger ones too, which sell at £3.49.

Stand 4F07 – T: 01423 563740www.jonnyjavelin.co.uk

Making a big impressionWITH Spring Fair being the largest show of the year, The Art File are setting out to make an equally large impression with their new product being launched for the event.

The publishers’ design team, along with a hand-picked selection of freelance artists and designers, have been incredibly hard at work in the run-up to Spring Fair creating some breath-taking new product for all to see.

One of the most exciting of these launches has to be a new Ink Press look and Managing Director Ged Mace is confi dent of its success: “Over recent years, Ink Press has established itself as a must-have collection with many of our customers.

“Working with its designer Robert Reader, we have created an exciting new look which still holds the recognisable characteristics of the phenomenal range.”

The Art File also plan to launch their new Christmas 2015 collection and Art Director Karen Mace is very excited: “I think our brand-new Christmas 2015 collection will excite our customers with its fresh and bold approach to portraying the festive season.”

The Art File will be in their usual place this year, but with a great new-look stand, so make sure to put them down on your who-to-visit list at this year’s Spring Fair.

Stand 4J100-K101 – T: 0115 850 7490www.theartfi le.com

we’ve got giftware all wrapped up

Join Us at the International Spring Fair 1st–5th February 2015At the NEC, Birmingham, Hall 5, Stands: E04/F03 and F04/G03

© 2015 Enesco, LLC. © Bea’s Wees designed by Natalie Kibbe.

New intros for 2015!



Synonymous with qualityCAROLINE Gardner is a brand synonymous with quality and innovation, providing simple yet beautiful product, that sees more than 100 new items for spring/summer 2015.

A big hitter in the greetings card world, the eponymous Caroline has also stamped her quirky contemporary mark on the gift industry too with a growing range of lifestyle accessories, gifts for the home, stationery and, most recently, a fabulous new gardening gift collection.

So what’s the secret of her success? Caroline’s inspiration, coupled with her drive and enthusiasm,

means there is a constant stream of new innovative designs. To kick off 2015 there are three brand-new card ranges, Ooh La La, where fl uorescent tones blend with a pastel palette to crease an impactful elegant look, jolly polka dot cards with metallic foil fi nishes in Kaleidoscope, and Mr & Mrs Brown, a fun character range inspired by 1950s illustration.

These join other recent releases, including the already-popular Chroma range of cards which has now lent its quirky sense of placement and bold colour combinations to a striking range of stationery and home gifts.

Card lovers out there will love the snail mail boxed writing set and Chroma notecard and tin set, both containing a collection of writing papers and patterns envelopes – a great product for card shops looking to move into gift.

There are more than 20 items in the whole range and a handy gift collection which includes the full range of stationery and is a great way to create a fresh story in stores for spring 2015.

Sales director Amanda Fergusson said: “Caroline Gardner is enjoying exciting growth. Our brand recognition is growing and our gift expansion into accessories and home is helping to fuel the double digit growth we are selling in our greetings card sales.

“The recent GCA market survey shows that the greetings card market is continuing to grow at a rate of around 5.6 per cent per year, which isgreat news for us all as we move into 2015.”

Stand HL71 – T: 020 8288 9696www.carolinegardner.com

Ballooning collectionsSIMON Elvin will be showing an exciting collection of product at Spring Fair with their entirely new 2015 Christmas range that now includes Maxi cards and an expanded range of acetate boxes.

The Spring Everyday range will also be launched featuring more than 100 new designs.

The Simon Elvin party range has been expanded and includes several new balloon releases, including – for the fi rst time – shaped helium balloons.

Simon Elvin collections continue to focus on offering great quality at great value.

Stand 4L05 – T: 01628 526711www.simonelvin.com

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Creating a portfolio of wonderful new artworkAT PORTFOLIO Select their artists have been hard at work creating some wonderful new artwork in styles for every product and occasion – and just in time for Spring Fair.Show-stopping designs from Ella Rose and Pippa Ellison are leading the way for all that is best in art deco and contemporary all-occasion lettering styles.

Karen Tye Bentley's everyday ranges are pretty and perfect for all occasions and her Christmas art styles are always in high demand.

Portfolio Select’s contemporary range features Enrico McGarrigle, whose digital art is popular with corporate clients, and whose subjects include striking snowfl ake patterns, bold colourful baubles, and modern religious scenes.

Jill Riley's festive artwork is eye-catching and elegant, for

sophisticated products perfect for embellishment while Sam Rudd offers bright, everyday and Christmas graphic design, including fl orals, juvenile and religious art, great in particular for bags and giftwrap.

For traditional Christmas imagery, Toben Robbins has a selection of beautiful painterly outdoor scenes, of snowy fi elds, farm animals, snowmen and realistic Santas.

Michael Donnelly has plenty of jolly Santas delivering presents, and Steve Bridger's beautiful painted countrysides are evocative of crisp, sunny winter days.

Their ever-popular religious artists also include Alison McGarrigle and Sue Waddicor, both of whom have easily recognisable and sought-after styles.

Alison's intricately-patterned paintings include stained glass Bethlehem scenes, while Sue's decoupage designs are luxurious and sophisticated, and perfect for foil, and for folk, craft, and wrap art, Julie Oldham's characters are cute and fun.

Portfolio Select pride themselves on friendly customer service, and many of their artists are available for commissions, so they can assist with new or on-going projects.

Stand 4F112 – T: 01442 833458www.portfolioselect.co.uk

This offer is on fire!ABACUS are celebrating the company’s return to exhibiting at Spring Fair with a fabulous giveaway – customers will walk away with a Kindle Fire HD 6 tablet for any everyday order that comes to £500 or more!

And they believe it will be easy enough to spend that amount on the Abacus stand this year, as the publishers are showcasing more than 300 new designs which includes additions to all their major core ranges plus the introduction of two fantastic brand-new ranges.

As well as a stunning new photographic range by the renowned stylist Selina Lake, Abacus are also unveiling a charity range in support of The Royal Hospital Chelsea, home of the famous Chelsea Pensioners.

The Christmas 2015 Collection will also be on display, as will a range of 16 extra-large cards suitable for group sending or perfect for showing someone special how much you care.

So make sure the Abacus stand is your fi rst stop in Hall 4 at Spring Fair this year to secure your Kindle Fire tablet before they run out.

Stand 4H29 – T: 01638 569050www.abacuscards.co.uk



Winning Ways!

Following the win of Le Petite Bear at ‘The Henries’, we’ve added our cute little character to Gift Bags, Foil Balloons, Wall Banners and Social Stationery and much more.

Not only Le Petite Bear, but other matching collections including – jazzy Juveniles, classic Contemporaries, fabulous Florals and magical Male designs.

Party Range – increased foils and wall banner captions

NEW solid colour foil balloons – heart, star and round shapes

NEW 10” latex balloon range – smaller retail pack to fit all displays

NEW extended glass giftware ranges – Milestone ages and Open captions

Social Stationery Range – brand leader in the sector

Order eye-catching displays for your store, ONLY from your local specialist wholesaler...



Enjoy a visit to the VillageEVERONE’S welcome on The Cardgains Village at Spring Fair 2015 where already-confi rmed exhibitors include: Talking Pictures, Ling Designs, The Great British Card Company, Amscan, IC&G, Jacksons, Second Nature, Express Yourself, is It Art, WPL, Quitting Hollywood, Espree, Special Editions, Paper Rose, Grass Roots, Xpressions 4U, UK Greetings, House Of Sarunds and – new suppliers to the buying group this year – Deva Debut and We've-A-Gift.

More than ever this year, this is the destination for independent retailers with a great product mix including greetings cards, jewellery, gifts, chocolates, stationery and Christmas.

There’s also some with some huge licensed product including the phenomenon that is Frozen, so there’s something for everyone in all sectors, be they card shops, gift shops, garden centres, post offi ces, stationers or fl orists.

The Cardgains team will be on hand to welcome everyone and offer a particularly warm welcome to all independent retailers wanting to know more about the scheme and who wish to join.

Car-gains PresentationThe highlight of the show for Cardgains will take place

on the opening day, Sunday, February 1, when one lucky member will receive the keys to a brand-new Nissan Juke as the fi nale of the 2014 Car-gains car giveaway.

As part of last year’s Cardgains 25th anniversary celebrations, members could earn a number of entries over the year into the draw as they met suppliers’ criteria, in total there were 18,997 entries.

The draw will take place at 2pm where the 10 fi nalists – Paul Winder from Hythe; Henry Ruddock, Lincoln; Minal Patel, Frinton; David Jones, Bristol; Jeff Wright, North Walsham; Keith Gosney, Southampton; Minaxi Patel, Pinner; Carl Smith, Bournemouth; Lindsay Neild-Siddall, Bury; Tracy Ball, Portishead – will be gathered in eager anticipation for the draw. The nine runners-up will each be presented with a commemorative watch.

Charity Cheque

On Monday, February 2, at 1pm Cardgains will present their 2014

challenge cheque to representatives from Peach, the charity for children with autism. The £25,000 target was reached due to the hard work of the walkers and cyclists

who made it round the Three Dams back in June, and the generosity of friends, family, members and acquaintances.

Cardgains Web ShopThroughout the week there will be ongoing live demonstrations

of the Cardgains Web Shop. There are now twenty-three brands available through the web shop, giving members the opportunity to order a mixed box of products across a selection of suppliers, with a minimum order of only £100. Members will be able to register and even order live at the show!

Stand 4E20-F21 – T: 0845 166 2054www.cardgains.co.uk

Creating a HullabalooAFTER a number of years’ absence, Clare Maddicott Publications are delighted to be making a return to the Spring Fair and will certainly be attracting some attention.

Not only will there be more than 140 new designs on display but the company are also planning on giving away Kindle Fire HD 6 tablets.

Spend £500 or more on everyday product and you will walk away, there and then, with a Kindle Fire HD 6 tablet.

As well as additions to the award-winning Harold’s Planet range, the publisher will also be showcasing their Christmas 2015 Collection plus additions to some of their most-popular ranges – not to mention the introduction of two new ones.

The fi rst is Wishing On A Star, a beautiful photographic range of children by the photographer Julie Mosley, featuring uplifting and inspiring quotes.

Meanwhile, Hullabaloo is a brand new children’s range that covers boys’ and girls’ ages one to six and features die-cut and fl itter fi nishing.

See all these new ranges and more on the Clare Maddicott stand – and don’t forget to claim your free Kindle Fire HD 6 tablet, when you spend £500 or more on everyday product.

Stand 4H27 – T: 01638 569050www.maddicott.com



Grab the catalogueTHE Alternative Image Company’s 2015 catalogue not only introduces a brilliant collection of 60 brand new black and white and colour cards but for the fi rst time includes a stunning range of products.

The 12 fi ne bone china mugs and beautiful cotton tea towels featuring a great mix of retro good humour and vintage photography are the perfect gifts to accompany their bestselling card ranges.

Please visit the stand or call for a copy of the catalogue and details of their UK agents and international distributors.

Stand 4J54 – T: 020 3478 4804 www.altimageco.com

Wonderland of workREAL & Exciting Designs are set to have a great start to 2015 with a gorgeous collection of designs to showcase at Spring Fair.

Woodland Wonderland was the fi rst new range to be developed after the change in ownership and is a stunning collection of contemporary illustrations with a delicate, woodland theme.

Designs feature fl oral line-work, textured backgrounds and beautifully-detailed feature images, including owls, teacups, butterfl ies and fl owers.

Each card is printed on a unique corrugated board with a glittering golden fl itter fi nish and come wrapped with a gold pearlescent envelope.

Real & Exciting’s existing ranges will also be on display including the stunning Papier D’or, retro Recollection and various incarnations of Inspirational available to view and order.

New design work has also been undertaken, with artist Sarah Curedale developing a gorgeous new collection of beautiful designs with an exclusive sneak peak at the show.

Stand 4H75 – T: 01223 207080www.realandexcitingdesigns.co.uk

Traditional treasuresSPRING Fair will see Words ’n’ Wishes showing the new additions to their already-successful range Treasured Moments.

This is an ever-growing collection of beautiful traditional designs with a deep luxury embossed fi nish and lovely verses.

Stand 4F15 – T: 01942 233201www.words-n-wishes.co.uk

Spring Fair 1st - 5th February stand 4L71 join us at...

products

over 100



Passion and excitementIT’S SET to be another exciting year of product development for Mint Publishing as their passion for design and quality, coupled with heavy investment, is evident in their new ranges for 2015.

Developed from the popular Knit & Purl range, Buddi Bunni is a new cute, character-led range featuring adorable illustrations combined with real wool textures, these 12 sweet designs come in two sizes, fi nished with sparkling fl itter and embossing.

Kaleidoscope is a brand-new contemporary range of 14 gorgeous Aztec, tattoo and geometric-style designs featuring a stunning cold foil fi nish, each card dazzles in brilliant colours, enhanced with multi-level embossing, also available in two sizes.

#NotAnotherNewRange! #Hashgags is a hilarious new humour range, featuring Twitter-inspired gags with fun vintage

photography. Each design features a spot UV fi nish to enhance the photographic images.

Foto Fun features a range of cute, funny and contemporary animal images with blank, birthday, occasion and relation captions

available – there’s something for everyone in this fun range which is

fi nished with a glossy UV varnish. Mint have also invested in improving

their selection of milestone ages, with 25 new designs across a selection of four ranges.

Jackpot is a new collection of six masculine ages in a fantastic monochrome style, embellished with gold foil, embossing

and UV varnish while Sweet Tweets now

includes six feminine, fl oral designs in a new size, with fl itter highlights and embossing.

For the juvenile market, Knit & Purl Kids feature adorable new knitted characters, in ages one to four for both girls and boys, and the ever-popular Cool Britannia range also features a selection of refreshed designs.

In addition to all these new products, Mint’s existing ranges have not been forgotten with new designs added to Mice Moments, Needles & Pins, Sweet Tweets, Knit & Purl, 3D Collection, Cool Britannia and Prestige.

Also new for 2015, Mint have a refreshed offering for Christmas, with three new ranges to chose from.

With the popularity of their 3D Collection, 12 new designs include cute pugs and festive sheep. Mice Moments Christmas is an adorable collection of cards featuring charming mice in festive settings, fi nished with gold foil and UV varnish.

Christmas KnitWits are a new addition too, taking over Christmas with their quirky take on the season.

Stand 4H50 – T: 0116 230 4197www.mint-publishing.co.uk

Eye eye, it’s exciting!AFTER a phenomenal 2014, the new year of 2015 looks to be even more exciting for GB Eye as their range of posters, wall art and merchandise goes from strength to strength with the successful launch of mugs, foil posters and hey rings – and their newly-improved 30 x 40cm Collector Print range has taken the market by storm.

Spurred on by the success of their award-winning Foil Posters, the drive to innovate their core product has led to the development of Micro Poster and Photo Packs, MirriBoard Posters and Blueprints which have been added to some of their leading poster ranges.

These new products have delighted customers and opened new doors for GB Eye. GB Eye have a philosophy to make sure their range appeals to all demographics. From the very young to the very alternative to the mass-market hits, they hold licences to suit all retailers everywhere.

Their gaming and football ranges are one of the strongest in the UK and their open-minded approach to all new IP means they are often ahead of the trend and ready to fulfi l all their customers’ needs.

The new year will see continued growth of their core Poster Range, with great new licences on board and the continuation of other best sellers.

Their merchandise range is growing by the day and the wall art business is bigger than ever with their fi rst-ever dedicated GB Art catalogue launching later this month.

Stand 4D20-E21 – T: 0114 276 7454www.gbeye.com

Fretwork Heart Frames

Crystal Cluster Silver

Leonardo Bronzed Horses

mudpie® Dog Frames

Leonardo Wedding Mugs

Pretty Reflections Plaques

Equilibrium Two Tone Sparkle

Equilibrium Wedding Cufflinks

Over 2000 brand new gifts7500+ lines to choose fromOnly £100 minimum order

‘Little & Often’ ordering systemFREE next day deliveryAward winning customer service

1-5 FEBRUARY 2015Hall 5, Stand C30/D31

Headlines Bottle Openers

Great Service • Great Products • Great Prices

Joe Davies (Manchester) Limited149 Broadstone Road, Reddish

Stockport SK5 7GATel: 0161 975 6300Fax: 0161 975 6301

Email: [email protected]

Best Service to the Independent Retailer

Progressive Gifts Greats Awards 2014

12TimesWinners



Enchanting developmentBLUE Eyed Sun are launching a new range of 48 stitched everyday Enchantment cards at Spring Fair, the designs of which are based on original, free-hand, machine-stitched embroideries by artist Jo Corner.

This range has been developed from their best-selling Mother’s Day range and is printed in Blue Eyed Sun’s distinctive, bright and colourful style with all cards hand fi nished with jewels.

The new 160x160mm designs include 12 new open birthdays, weddings and other key occasions and relations. Retailing at £2.99, trade £1.25 each, they are printed on beautiful quality FSC board, sold in sixes and come cello-wrapped with a matching coloured envelope.

Blue Eyed Sun’s cards are available to order through their trade only website, their 2015 brochure and they also have a team of sales agents across the country.

Stand 4L66 – T; 01273 823003www.blueeyedsun.co.uk

First out of the boxTHE Museums & Galleries stand at Spring Fair will be bigger and better than ever before this year – the creative team have been incredibly busy and have outdone themselves with a host of new product formats and great new designs for 2015.

First out of the box – literally – Museums & Galleries have taken their gifting offer to a new level.

Building on the hugely successful poster wraps of 2014, this spring sees the launch of a suite of magnifi cent gifting options featuring classic designs from the V&A – four designs in total each presented

in a set of four nested gift boxes, three gift bags, coordinating tissue packs and, of course, the stunning gift wraps themselves.

For Christmas 2015, MGL have developed two stylish new box formats: Theme Packs, containing fi ve each of four designs on a theme, and Slipcase Packs containing fi ve each of two designs.

Each range has charity options and non-charity options to select from, and features a broad selection of imagery from the traditional religious to contemporary and stylish.

Capping off Christmas, MGL is launching a set of four beautiful advent calendars featuring designs from the V&A, British Library, Walker Books and popular contemporary illustrator

Louise Cunningham.

Stand 4H71 – T: 0116 230 4197www.museumsgalleries.co.uk

posters. merchandise. wall art.huge range of products for the biggest brands!

KEYRINGS. MUGS. Badge Packs. single Badges. Card Holders. Stickers. Sticker Packs. Tattoo packs. POSTERS. METALLIC FOILposters.

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Choose your chocolateTHORTONS remain focused on working with great card and gift retailers who are looking to sell quality confectionery – and they have 10 reasons why:1 Thorntons over your door will increase customer numbers.2 With that Thorntons will increase sales.3 Thorntons are British.4 They offer incentives for the set up.5 Thorntons fi xtures and fi ttings will fi t your store environment!6 Everybody loves chocolate!7 Thorntons give you the best return per sq ft.8 The business format they operate will suit you.9 Everyone knows Thorntons.10 Thorntons in your store will be a success, ask your peers who have gone before you.

Pop along to the Thorntons stand at Spring Fair for a chat and a chocolate.

Stand 4F02 – T: 0345 121 1911www.thorntons.co.uk

Along nice Arty Krafty linesARTY-Krafty is a new range of 30 handmade greeting cards from Laura Sherratt Designs with bright, line-drawn images including occasions, birthdays and special relative cards.

All are printed on to a brown kraft background and embellished with a variety of items including their new wooden buttons of various shapes.

The 150x150mm cards are £1.35 each trade and come complete with a colour coordinated envelope and cello-bag wrapper and, as with all Laura Sherratt’s work, these designs are embellished by hand in the UK.

Stand 4F132 – T: 01538 384566www.laurasherrattdesigns.co.uk

Plenty to seeSAFFRON Cards and Gifts are excited to be bringing lots of lovely new products to Spring Fair 2015 with 10 new ranges to show.

Starting with their exquisite luxury handmade cards through to exciting, contemporary black and white designs, there is plenty to see.

They will also be showing a fabulous new male range and a beautifully-designed and captioned female birthday and occasions range.

If you can’t wait until the show, they have also launched their new website where all the lovely new designs can be found.

Stand 4L32 – T: 01932 888338www.saffroncards.co.uk



2,000 new products in treasure troveINNOVATION and creativity are the most important ingredients to the success of the gift and greetings card industries – and, with more than 2,000 brand-new products being introduced at Spring Fair from the Shudehill and Leonardo Collections, Joe Davies understand this more than most.

The lare Joe Davies stand is many retailers’ fi rst stop at Spring Fair and a real treasure trove with a huge collection that really does have something for every type of retailer.

As part of the company’s commitment to bringing the best of the American market to the UK they are delighted to announce that they will be the exclusive UK table-top and home decor distributor of the Mud Pie collection.

Design-led and a proven US best-seller, this iconic and unique collection of Circa-style ceramics,

frames and other exciting items will be launched at Spring Fair.

Jewellery remains a key part of the Joe Davies range and the company’s

Equilibrium collection of sentiment jewellery, fashion

jewellery, scarves, bags and accessories is enhanced by the launch of more than 400 brand-new, on-trend pieces.

Beautifully boxed and presented, sales have been phenomenal and the

company provide a number of retail solutions too.

Frames are also a key feature of the company’s

range and they are again proud to introduce many new designs to their

selection. With probably the largest frame choice

in the UK market covering all tastes and occasions there really is something for anyone.

Candles are a growing part of the Joe Davies collection. Following earlier successes

the introduction of the Gorgeous Glow range of exquisitely boxed and presented candles that meet the key price points should prove a winner.

Mother’s Day is fast approaching and Joe Davies have a huge selection of gifts for Mums, Grandmas, and Nans.

The sweet sentimental messages that adorn the new Mum’s Floral style collection of frames, message plaques and blocks with button detail is something a little different for that big day.

With Joe Davies, it’s easy to stock a wide variety of products without blowing your budget. All items are available in the company’s famous Little & Often quantities with nationwide carriage paid orders of just £100.

There will be more than 7,000 items on display on their spacious stand and Joe Davies’ award-winning customer service team will be there to help you make your selection.

Stand 5C30/D31 – T: 0161 975 6300 www.joedavies.co.uk



New ways to love lifeBERNI Parker Designs have a new website where all their existing greetings designs, stationery, gifts and prints can now be seen along with the facility to place orders online.

New for 2015 are 12 new Ladies Who Love Life everyday, a Men Who Love Life Sporting collection of 12 designs, a new collection of nine Little Whispers Baby cards and six new Whispers On Wings Fairy occasions.

There are also gorgeous new collections of gift bags, gift wrap and A6 Notebooks for both Ladies Who Love Life and Whispers On Wings and a 2016 slim calendar for Ladies Who Love Life.

Stand 4K21 – T: 01299 406098www.berniparkerdesigns.com

Soak up the laughsDEAN Morris will be waving his independent fl ag at the corporate behemoth that is the Spring Fair with all the usual colourful goodies that you’ve come to expect from the old soak.

Launching at the show will be his new occasions range, entitled Allsorts, along with lots of other new humour in the popular Shout!, Bubbles and Fabulous ranges.

Alongside all the wonderful cards will be the usual collection of complementary gifts, including new iPhone cases that were launched in the autumn and lots of new coasters. Dean loves the Spring Fair and hopes he can see you there – pop by for a jolly good laugh!

Stand 4J80 T: 01902 560247

www.deanmorriscards.co.uk

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Toys, mugs and giftsENESCO have a good selection of new product available at Spring Fair, including new Gund soft plush toy collections, Valentine’s gifts, Hearts Of Love, mugs and Suzy Toronto giftware.

Gund’s Peter Rabbit Plush Collection sees Squirrel Nutkin joining the characters launched last year along with a 90cm Jumbo Peter Rabbit and the interactive Peter Rabbit Peek-A-Boo.

Gund also have two new handmade Grumpy Cat soft toys, and Boo – dubbed the World’s Cutest Dog on social media– has new additions to the Itty Bitty Boo soft toy collection featuring the precious Pomeranian.

Valentine’s gifts are made easy with Enesco’s new romantic collection from Bea’s Wees, designed by self-taught artist and

crafter Natalie Kibbe, which come in a craft bag with a tie string.

With their sweet and direct messages, the trio of Bea’s Wees – It’s All Yours, Sweetheart and Be mine? – may be tiny in scale but their big personalities are sure to make an impact.

Famed for its witty and colourful ceramics and glassware, this season’s launches from Our Name Is Mud introduce a series of hilarious birthday mugs, including “Still a teen @ 18! Never mind tea, where’s the pub?”, “I’m fl ipping 30! Women lie about their age, men lie about their income”, “I’m hot for 50! It just comes in fl ashes now” and ‘Crikey I’m 80! I am 18, with 62 years’ experience!”

Following on from its successful 2014 launch, the Art Hearts collection sees eight beautiful new designs of heart sculptures

that are being introduced from Demdaco.Each heart shape features a contemporary

and imaginative design from a popular artist in the gift industry, and expresses sentiments of love, friendship, celebration or thoughtfulness.

Suzy Toronto’s bright and breezy giftware features her inspiring philosophy of living life to the full and loving every minute of it, and her colourful and wacky artwork is now available from Enesco.

Her giftware includes ceramic mugs and wall plaques, magnets, shopper bags and a stationery collection comprising journals and memo cubes.

Stand 5F04-G03 – T: 01228 404022www.enesco.co.uk

More in the collectionALONG with a sprinkling of new occasions-based cards, Courgette Cards will be adding some musical instrument-themed designs to the evergreen Collections Of Collections range.

Augmenting the popular Drums and Acoustic Guitars are Electric Guitars, Keyboards, Trumpets & Saxophones and Fuzz Boxes. There’s also the Lucky Love theme with Horseshoes and Love Locks among a few of the new designs that will be on show at Spring Fair with a selection of new, coordinating giftwrap.

Stand 4D108 – T: 0117 909 1864www.courgettecards.com

Doing it differently"WE DO things differently at Wraptious,” said founder Simon Wadsworth, “we're a community of over 30 emerging, contemporary artists and illustrators, showcasing our work proudly on greetings cards, prints,

stationery and homewares – all made in the UK.

“Founded in 2013, we've grown rapidly in the north-west, reaching out through markets, retailers and online – and now Spring Fair!"

Stand 4J25 – T: 0161 738 1440www.wraptious.com

visit us at booth 3T12-U13

LETTERS, NUMBERS + SYMBOLS IN MULTIPLE COLORS and SIZES

INFLATE WITH AIR or HELIUM

EASY TO INFLATE • REFILLABLEvisit | northstarballoons.eu

ring | +44 (0)7835 104769

email | [email protected] CONTACT YOURBALLOON + PARTY WHOLESALER



Rawr! Dino fun will exciteNORTHSTAR Balloons are extremely excited for the launch of

their air-fi lled balloons at Spring Fair because they’re now packaged with a new cup and stick.

This brand-new system is expected to change the air-fi lled balloon market as they package fl at for sleek and clean merchandising then tilt to hold the balloon.

The new cup and stick also make it easy for consumers to infl ate and assemble at home, since their self-sealing valve requires no heat sealing – so easy, no fuss!

Northstar Balloons are launching a fun new range of realistic-looking dinosaurs, T-Rex, Triceratops, Apatosaurus, and Stegosaurus, which are sure to excite – Rawr!

In addition to their successful letters and numbers, they are also releasing the numbers in a soft, pretty, white and silver chevron pattern.

And last, but certainly not least, they will also be launching their new Trio Kits which include three coordinating balloons in various shapes and sizes,

that makes it very easy for a grab-n-go bouquet.

Stand 3T12-U13 T: 07860 633988 or 01538 382998

www.northstarballoons.eu

First timer looking forward to showAPRIL Rose Illustration will be exhibiting at Spring Fair for the fi rst time this year where

illustrator Siobhan Harrison is showing new Vintage Style artwork ready for licence and an own-brand greeting cards and notebook range available for retail.

Siobhan will be showcasing a variety of products from licensing deals with current partners with exciting new gift products and is looking forward to meeting new stockists for her cards and notebooks under the April Rose

brand when they pick up her catalogue.

Recently nominated for best newcomer in the stitching world Siobhan is pleased to be working in a variety of product areas.

Stand 4E107 T: 07957 738711

www.aprilroseillustration.com

Cheers to the 2015 World Cup!AS ONE of the second phase of products in Pyramid International’s Rugby World Cup Collection, the hip fl ask set is the ideal gift to toast your favourite team during the big games between Septeber 18 and October 18.

The stainless steel fl ask is passivated, therefore removing any metallic taste and potential for staining from oak aged spirits.

Pyramid International have a range of

offi cial licensed merchandise, which includes mugs, wall art posters, canvas and framed prints, key chains, wristbands and calendars.

The Rugby World Cup Collection, of which the fi rst mugs rolled out during late 2014, will be joined by a premium mug collection which will be present at the Spring Fair.

Stand 4E70-F71 – T: 0116 284 3645www.pyramidinternational.com

...in your store

Come and see us for a chat and a chocolate at the Spring Fair

Hall 4 stand F02 1st-5th February 2015



Three for the price of oneWITH Christmas 2014 barely over, Spring Fair is upon us again and Second Nature have started the New Year with a NEW, NEW, NEW policy! Having recently launched a large tranche of product, with not just a couple of refreshed designs but NEW ranges, NEW art styles and NEW deals.

In all Second Nature have produced more than 200 new designs already, with more to come at Spring Fair. With so much exciting product you’ll fi nd Second Nature on multiple stands, showcasing all of their brands at the following locations;

Stand E60 – For great new hand-crafted ranges and exciting new designs in Second Nature’s core card line.

Stand F75 – A combination of their fantastically successful Yours Truly value card and gift ranges with new cards, new pads and pens all being launched at the show.

Also on the same stand will be other Express Yourself craft and Make it Personal (MIP) products for one of the best personalisation products available to card buyers.

Stand H111 – This is an ideal opportunity to view Express Yourself Make It Personal product in more detail and to try making a card or two for yourselves. Second Nature Pop Ups will also be on display featuring all the latest designs.

And they’ve also promised there will be some great offers on their main stand E60 so do pop along.

Stand 4E60, 4F74 & H111 – T: 020 8960 0212www.secondnature.co.uk

52 www greetingstoday co uky

Stand 4E60, 4F74 & Hww

www.museumsgalleries.co.ukTel: 01373 462165 Email: [email protected]

The new V&A Gifting range:Timeless, Quality, Coordinated.

Gift Boxes: 4 Designs in 4 sizes

Gift Bags: 4 Designs in 3 sizesMatching Tissue Paper also available



Quirky yet sophisticatedTHIS will be Jessica Hogarth’s fi rst time exhibiting at Spring Fair with her quirky yet

sophisticated greetings cards, which are colourful and feature her distinctive illustrative style.

She covers a wide range of occasions as well as offering some caption-free art cards, including the popular coastal range.

Jessica is excited at the thought of meeting new UK

customers as well as expanding her presence in the overseas markets.

She has an extensive collection of artwork to licence and is enjoying working with UK company Deva Designs on giftwrap and bags, which are available to order now.

Stand 4H115 – T: 07786 906648www.jessicahogarth.com

Everybody loves their petsANIMALS are always on trend, particularly cats and dogs, and Pink Pig Cards have mixed fun graphic animal illustrations with contemporary fl orals into their eye popping Flowery Critters range.

Rory the golden retriever and Clio the cat are just some characters from the range of 20 by Mabel Forsyth who is the illustrator behind the range which is one of several new ones launched in January 2015 to celebrate Pink Pig's fi rst birthday.

Stand 4H117 – T: 07583 088596www.pinkpigcards.co.uk

Parisian pastelsMON Cherie is one of the two new ranges Sabivo Designs are launching at Spring Fair. It has 24 designs to cover everyday birthday and occasions.

This contemporary range has a soft pastel palette, graphic accents and overall Parisian fl air on the designs that are hand-fi nished with cup fl ower jewels, polka dot bows and spot glitter.

The 145x145mm cards are wrapped with coordinated envelopes to match each design and individually cello-packed.

Stand 4J05 – T: 0116 225 8255www.sabivo.co.uk

Grand Prix prize up for grabsTICKETS to the British Grand Prix are up for grabs after Star Editions signed an exclusive licensing deal with Silverstone to produce greetings cards and gifts.

To celebrate the launch of the new collection, customers have the chance to win a pair of weekend tickets to the Formula One event from July 3-5, 2015.

Anyone who places an order at Star Editions Spring Fair stand, including at least one item from the Silverstone Collection, will go in the draw for the prize – full terms and conditions available from the company.

www.StarEditions.com

More charismatic than everJONESY Charismatic Stationery are thrilled to bring new designs and products to Spring Fair 2015.

Adding more vibrant and contemporary paper products into the line makes Jonesy more charismatic than ever!

The American publishers are represented in the UK by White Pebble International, and are also featuring Toofi fteen, who organise your life in a beautiful way, on their Spring Fair stand with products designed by Jonesy’s Nina.

Stand 4K09 – T: 01243 780501www.jonesy.ca www.toofi fteen.com

Kaleidoscope of designsTWO Little Monkeys have just launched the brand-new Kaleidoscope range of birthday, age and occasion cards.

Tthere are 48 beautifully-designed cards, each printed on a luxurious textured board, and the collection includes birthday titles for mum, grandma and husband, and covers ages from 13 up to 90.

Each 155x155mm card is supplied cello-wrapped with a brown kraft envelope.

Stand 4J51 – T: 0191 488 3333www.twolittlemonkeysltd.co.uk

FRANKLY SPEAKINGWITH SARAH WITH SARAH PORTERPORTER


I T SEEMS like a while since I’ve said anything likely to alienate any substantial portion of the readership. Well, we can’t be having that, can we?

And, with Spring Fair looming – or, depending on when you’re reading this, possibly just gone – it seems only right to get something off my chest.

First, a disclaimer: I am not a buyer. I have never been a buyer. I would not presume to tell a buyer their trade; they’re the buyers! That’s their actual job title! My buying abilities just about stretch to getting toothpaste from Tesco, and even that I manage to balls up more often than you’d hope.

But, as in any fi eld of human experience, having absolutely no personal experience of it doesn’t stop me from forming strong opinions about how it should be done.

Also, as in any human experience, these opinions are based largely on how their methods affect me. I’m not talking about quantity or size of order though.

Of course it’s brilliant when you meet a customer who likes, and then buys, pretty much everything you’ve got. A massive order is lovely and can turn around a whole day, or even a whole show.

But I’m never going to sneer at a smaller or minimum order as people buy according to their shop, their budget, their personality and – let’s be honest – how much they like your designs.

It’s silly to expect every order to be dripping with decimal places – the point is that small order gets your foot in the door. From there, it’s up to your designs to sell themselves.

Or, at least, it’s MOSTLY down to your designs. This is the point at which things can go a bit

pear-shaped. Even the bestest design in the world needs some help from the retailer to realise its awesome potential.

If you display it inside a paper bag upside down under a bin, chances are you’re not going to fi nd yourself with a runaway bestseller.

It also works the other way. I’ve seen retailers

who, through their innovative display,

lighting, shop layout and the careful juxtaposition of products, have created a highly attractive range from stuff that, considered individually, probably isn’t all that special. These people are geniuses, and should be revered as such.

All this is why it makes me twitchy when I encounter the sort of person I’ve begun thinking of as a pick ’n’ mixer.

If you’re a publisher – particularly a small publisher – then you defi nitely know who I mean. This is the buyer who spends half an hour painstakingly picking out the most astonishingly random selection of cards imaginable. It couldn’t be more disjointed if they’d just closed their eyes, spun round and grabbed the nearest design.

One age card – maybe a 50th, say – one Valentine’s Day card, and one card from a totally different range that isn’t for Valentine’s but they’re

going to sell alongside it anyway. A single design each from several other completely different ranges. Two Christmas designs, both in different styles. Then a couple of purely arbitrary choices just to make it up to minimum order, and “we’ll see how they go to start with”.

Well, we don’t need to wait, I can tell you immediately – they’re going to go terribly. That is a blooming awful selection of cards.

Now, this honestly isn’t just me being a grouch, or at least I don’t think so. Cards at trade shows look good because they’re displayed as a collection. Each range has a look, a stylistic approach that’s really effective when you see all the cards together; isolate one and, although the design is still nice, it loses that immediate dramatic impact.

Put that single card into an entire display case full of other different designs and it can almost disappear. You need that collective effect for people to even notice the designs, let alone want to buy them.

I really do understand the thinking of the pick ’n’ mixer to just dip their toe, take a few

scattered designs that they think will blend in the best with their existing stock and see which proves popular, but there’s a point at which ‘blending in’ just becomes camoufl age.

Thankfully, most buyers aren’t pick ’n’ mixers. It’s always reassuring to hear customers saying things like “OK, well our shelves fi t six and I want a block of at least three shelves, so…” or placing an entire order just from one range, because I know the cards will be displayed in the best way possible.

Whether they sell or not then will be down to the design, but the retailer is at least giving them a fair chance.

My particular favourites are the ones who obsess over colour, taking cards down from the display and laying them out to make sure the palette matches.

I’d like to give honourable mention to The Polka Dot Door in Penarth, who tweeted me a picture of their display that – bearing in mind I’m a lady who arranges her bookshelves by colour – made me very happy indeed.

As ever, if I’m wrong about all this then I’d be delighted to hear about it @MyWorldCards or @GreetingsToday – and to the pick ’n’ mixers planning their strategy for Spring Fair, then I’m sorry in advance. Please don’t hate me. it’s all underpinned with love.

Mixing it upBuyers have a difficult job, and for small retailers it can be especially hard because they have neither the budget nor the shelf space to take whole collections but Sarah Porter has some thoughts on these pick ’n’ mix artists.

My World’s erudite PR, marketing and NPD manager, Sarah Porter has been elected to the GCA council. She’s known as Frankie outside work and blogs about the trials and tribulations of being a relative newcomer to the world of greetings card publishing at www.myworld.co.uk/blogs/news as well as compiling the regular My World newsletter.T: 0191 305 5165

● Colour connections – Polka Dot

Door’s display and Sarah’s bookshelves

Even the bestest design needs design needs help from the help from the

retailer to realise retailer to realise its potential

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RETAIL ADVICEWITH HENRI WITH HENRI DAVISDAVIS

NEW year’s resolutions rarely work for me, they seem like a good idea at the time but, when it comes to it, I’m not

suffi ciently committed to them to follow them through.

But 2015 needs to be different as I believe the market is about to enter a serious period of upheaval so my resolution is to review how it’s looking in June as we come out of Father’s Day to see how the industry is trading year on year.

My idea is to get a feel for how Christmas 2015 might perform, and plan accordingly – and here’s why.

We’re being told the economy is coming out of recession but, for the card market, I think 2015 is going to be a particularly hard year because of the number of shops that will be opening on our High Streets offering lower-priced card ranges.

For card retailers trading at the value end this means there’s going to be even more competition that’s being funded by some big companies who can afford to make some mistakes and incur losses while they fi nd their feet in the sector.

For those who want to sit squarely in the middle market they will need to be really careful in their range selection and pricing to ensure the cards they offer are clearly worth more than those in the value retailers.

I hadn’t been into Card Factory for a while but, when I went in recently, I was amazed – and shocked – at the high quality of print, specifi cation and fi nish available on some cards that were priced at well under £2.

They’re certainly giving everyone in the industry a run for our money and over the next year we’ll need to get the measure of both Simply

Clinton and WH Smith’s new Cardmarket to see what pressure they’re going to put both mid-market and existing value retailers under too.

I believe even those wanting to trade at the premium end of the market can’t feel completely immune from these pressures either.

Perceptions of price and quality will transfer up and down through the retail market, so those at the upper end must have an offer that’s obviously that much better again – customers have to be able to recognise these added qualities and values and then believe they’re worth paying for!

Inevitably, as retailers are feeling the pressures this will get passed on to

publishers who are going to have to be really aware of where their cards fi t in this new market structure, which stores they should be targeting and ensure their designs, specs and costs support it.

For new publishers wanting to enter the market in 2015 they’ll have to be even more switched on than previously, and sensitive to all this change to stand any chance of building a business.

We’ve all been concerned about Card Factory for a while, but these new retail imprints pose a challenge to everyone on a very different scale

because of the sheer volume of value cards that are going to be available in 2015.

Usually I enjoy going to the fi rst trade fairs of the year and for me it’s a really busy time as, at the very least, I visit Top Drawer, Paperworld in Frankfurt and Spring Fair.

I have a real sense of anticipation each January, wanting to be both excited and challenged by the creativity of the new designs on view and wondering if I’ll see something completely new that I feel is going to be my winner for the new season.

As a buyer you only need to fi nd one or two to-die-for ranges to make your show visit worthwhile – just one or two, it makes it sound so easy!

I’d like to think Simply Clinton and Cardmarket won’t affect the mid and premium sectors of the card market but I think that’s hoping against hope.

Just as Aldi and Lidl are now taking serious market share from the big four national grocers, these two new value chains on our High Streets will make lower-priced cards much more accessible and start to impress upon consumers that you don’t have to spend over £2 on a greetings card.

Many already ask why cards are so expensive and, while some will still buy a special design occasionally, I think more people will be tempted to spend less if a card at under £2 “will do”.

As buyers and publishers I believe we need to think carefully about our response to this signifi cant change in the market and, while some may believe we don’t need to do anything initially, it will be interesting to see how we feel after the new chains have bedded in this time next year.

A different feel


What will the new year bring is the question everyone asks and, with the economy coming out of recession plus the general optimism of a fresh start, Henri Davis wants to be upbeat – but she thinks the new value chains will be a challenge to all.

Henri Davis is an independent retail advisor to businesses in the cards, gifts, stationery and heritage industries, combining 30 years of retail experience with her knowledge of trends and consumer motivation to analyse markets and identify new opportunities. Having worked at Habitat, Next, WH Smith and the National Trust, she now works with many small and medium-sized businesses, including multi-site retailers, national and international manufacturers and suppliers. www.henridavis.co.uk

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Talk of the townTalk of tKaye ThurgoodSincerely Yours, Hutton Road, Shenfield, EssexTHE roadshow was time well spent for me.

For a retailer, the Christmas order is part-science and part-art. We analyse our sell through and use this as a basis to order for the following year, but, with a lot of new product, such as Hallmark's offer, inevitably you have to take a chance. It is much easier to focus when the whole selection is available to view in one place.

The Christmas 2015 collection is the best I’ve seen to date from Hallmark. I think they’ve listened to customer feedback and created a very exciting product offer.

I ordered the charity stand as it sold so well last year – it was all sold by Christmas Eve and I really like the luxury box and new style multi-packs.

There’s a good range of captioned single cards here, and I’m pleased to see plenty of

choice in the higher-end price codes too.I’ll be attending Spring Fair in order to

source new gift lines – I don't buy cards at that show as I prefer PG Live for card buying.

It’s fantastic to have the opportunity to view so many products at one time in one location at Spring Fair, and enables me to plan new product line deliveries into my buying schedule right at the start of the year. The show does take a

physical toll on retailers who are just recovering from the busiest trading season of the year, but it's worth it.

I like to buy from trade shows as it’s much easier to make decisions when

actually looking at the tangible product. However, it’s getting diffi cult to justify the benefi ts against the rising cost of attending such events – travel and accommodation.

Paul MordecaiHallmark Gold Crown, High Street, Leighton Buzzard, Beds, & Darkes Lane, Potters Bar, Herts

THIS was pretty local for me which is good because I can just jump on the train to London at Flitwick as I only live nearby so it’s quite simple.

I’m ordering because they’re offering an extra incentive on everyday so I just went for it! We’re quite low over Christmas because we keep all our relations cards on show so I thought it was a great opportunity to take advantage of the discount and restock. I came straight in and looked at the everyday so I’ll be off looking at the new Christmas product too.

Mostly all our suppliers are those we’ve known for quite a few years so if there’s anything new coming out they let us know, I’ll probably go to have a

look around at Spring Fair – from a personal point of view I don’t think it really affects my business one way or the other because I see it all

anyway from the suppliers. But I do like to look.

I’d rather concentrate on what we do well and stick to what we know – like Thorntons, we did a big promotion of three for two all the way through December, so we’re trying to do what we’ve always done but better really – it went very well.

Nirmal ShahPremier Collection, Streatham High Rd, LondonIT’S INDIVIDUAL here, and it’s easier to see. Some of the collections are unusual and they have some great licensed product.

I’ve ordered Christmas and have seen the everyday so will order that when the salesman comes in the shop.

I really like the Star Wars, Superman and Batman, because it goes with the juvenile sale, I think they’re introducing Ninja Turtles too, Juvenile is good for us and we do well with the

licensed product.I’m going to the NEC.

We do look at the cards and I’m a member of Cardgains so I look at the ranges and suss out anything new, and I visit the gift halls, that’s mainly what I’m doing there, gift buying.

● ● On the road – Andy Watts, On the road – Andy Watts, Tamsyn Johnston-Hughes and Tamsyn Johnston-Hughes and Head of Product Lee MullaneyHead of Product Lee Mullaney

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‘‘

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‘‘

The voice of the people who matter, greetings retailers

tell it like it is.


TALKOFTHETOWN

TTTTTTTThe vvoice of theTalk of the townthe town

INDEPENDENT retailers can’t always make it to trade fairs so Hallmark have decided to take the exhibition to the shopkeepers by taking their own show on the road.

At 14 venues across the UK and Ireland, the publishers have spent much of January meeting many of their stockists and introduce their new ranges, including Handpicked which was created with their Gold Crown and independent retailers who were asked to choose their favourites.

At Bloomsbury House, London, PR and Social Media Manager Tamsyn Johnston-Hughes said: “We’re not at Spring Fair, we wanted to do something completely different so came up with the idea of the roadshow, going for the ‘be where people are’ approach.

“And we wanted it be somewhere where people can do something else, so we’ve made sure they have full and free access to all the venues – we appreciate that people are coming out to see us, making that effort.

“Choosing the venues was great fun, we had a big map and it was like choosing a holiday!

“Traditionally we’ve done the NEC and then did our Christmas roadshow as well, but this is a lot of Christmas and lots of new stuff – at the last count just before the festive break we were well into more than 600 new designs.”

Marketing Director Andy Watts added: “We’re committed to this industry and to helping it start growing again. This year we have 15 venues while last year it was only six for the Christmas roadshow – venues like this are just stunning.”

Moaaz & Nafish MemberHoxton Hallmark,Hoxton Street, LondonWE GOT on well at the show, and got everything I wanted to. It was nice and I ordered a 16-foot re-plan although I would have got that from the rep anyway. It was quite a big thing and must have cost Hallmark a lot to put on. It did give me a chance to see it in person, as the rep had told me they were doing something different. We had a good day out and some lunch, it was nice to get out.

I ordered my Christmas stock, which I normally get from the rep.

I’ve had the shop for four years and I haven’t been to any trade fairs yet but it’s something I do want to do so fi nd out what else is out there, I don’t really know that much about them but I’m looking at going to Top Drawer Spring now.

‘

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Lata PatelJeenals, Long Lane, Hillingdon, LondonI’VE HAD the shop for 15 years and cards are a fairly big part, about 40 per cent of our business. It’s the fi rst time I’ve come to one of these roadshows, I think it’s easy to see everything like this.

Generally our Hallmark agent Adam Freeman does bring in anything new but here we also get the chance to look at things for ourselves.

For Christmas usually Adam just fi lls what we tell him to, two foot or four foot. This year it’s good to see it beforehand. There’s quite a few things we like, and it’s good to see the new things for real – they always look different on the iPad especially the 3D stuff.

We’re just browsing because it’s January so we’re looking at what’s around. I’ve never been to a trade show – I always think I should go but something always comes up and I’ve never been, I’ve always had good service from my suppliers.

It’s great to come up here because we don’t often get the chance to come out during the day so we’re taking advantage and going shopping in London too!

Rak and Michelle Vasani, Hallmark & ThorntonsHigh Street, Hornchurch, EssexIT’S BEEN easy coming here and everything is very nice – for the last two or three years Hallmark have really been upping their game. They’ve been keeping up with the times and really come through with the product.

We have been Christmas ordering and will do the everyday as we go along through the year. It’s good to do because it’s all fresh in your mind and you know what’s there, it’s great as we’ve seen everything.

We’re going to Spring Fair although we tend to do more gifting there because I want to see what’s there and on the greetings side we have the regular visits from the reps.

From our point of view we don’t go to Spring Fair to look specifi cally at greetings cards, at the moment we deal with a dozen suppliers and if we get another one in we have to sell enough to go for a repeat order.

From a Hallmark point of view if they did this or Spring Fair with everything, something like this is much more intimate. We don’t order much at Spring Fair, we do a lot of fact-fi nding.

We do need different male ones, 85 per cent of all cards are aimed at women and we need more male designs that are different, we’re on the High Street so try to offer something different to people.

Cathy Haworth & Sarah Britton-DaviesLove From Lemonade“We’ve had lots of positive feedback on the new products – coasters, planners and giftwrap – and we’ve permanently lowered the prices of all our cards. We’ve had lots of interest, yesterday we had lots of existing customers come to see us as they wanted to see the new stuff and take a catalogue.”

Sarah Danby & Sara Burford, Cinnamon Aitch“It’s been great, it’s usually a good show for us although it was slow yesterday but today has been quite buoyant. It’s a big old show this year with some lovely things around. We always do this show because it’s a lovely show and seems to be much better for us. A lot of international buyers come here anyway, it’s always really open and light and being only three days is much better for your sanity!”

Matt Hulme & Sian WarnerSienna Flora, Chobham, Surrey“We usually go to Spring Fair but, because we’re based in Surrey, we thought we’d come here for a look around. We’re an independent garden centre that’s been going for 23 years and we’re looking at cards and gifts. We sell about 2,000 to 2,500 cards each, we do Caroline Gardner and a few others, and we’re looking at some different ones so we’ve ordered some of the Cath Ward Animals range, which are very nice.”

Dean Morris, Dean Morris Cards“It was better than a usual Sunday for me, and It’s always a pleasure to get a visit from Utility, they’ve been loyal customers in Liverpool for over 10 years! People are saying it’s a very large greetings and stationery here section this year. My new line is Allsorts and is a different style from my spring seasons so I’m extending it for the summer. I just want to make people smile – that sounds a bit cheesy but it’s what I went in to this business for!”

Susan Newman, Belle, Shrewsbury, Shropshire“I love the show and I’ve placed an order for cards with Studio Scrase who we saw on her stand up in Spotted. I only do a few cards so have kept with one supplier before, Sally Scaffardi, but decided I’d have a look for something else to go with her. On the wrapping paper side I’m looking to place an order with Fox & Lark.We looked at everything yesterday and today is about placing orders. I haven’t been to the show before and everyone told me it’s a nice one to come to – and they’re right.”

James Dart, Dart’s Farm, Topsham, Exeter, Devon, with Kali Stileman of The Square Card Company“We come every year and have done for years. It’s good, lots of new products and trends and new companies, I’ve only just looked at the cards so far, we’ve got a lot of existing companies so come to see their new ranges, and also looking for a few new different ones. I’ve seen Dandelion and Megan Claire who are both quite new and both do tailor-made designs so you can have your own words. I was also one of Kali’s fi rst customers at her fi rst-ever show.”

A bigger and better Top Drawer Spring started in glorious sunshine on January 11 - it may have rained before the three-day show was over but the general opinion across the greetings and stationery sector is that there was a light and bright mood among retailers and buyers to match the new permanent home at London’s Olympia.

Viv Barlow & Angela ShieldsSaffron Cards“Yesterday was fi ne and there is an immediate buzz, it’s nice. I love the set-up and the look, and hopefully we’ll do ok, hopefully we’ll write some more orders as we’re seeing a lot of people here.”

Lucy Newton & Gemma Calcao, The Bees Knees“Our new range is called Animal Magic and people have been interested in that, which is good, and our Living Dolls range which seems to be picking up as a throwback to the 80s. We’ve taken some orders and got quite a lot of contacts because people are coming for more than one day. More people have said they came last year for one day and it wasn’t enough so they’re coming this year for two days.”


TOPDRAWERREVIEW

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Lightening upLightening up

TOPDRAWERREVIEW


Dominic GreyerLesser Spotted Images“It’s been good, I got a Canadian distributor yesterday and I don’t do export really! It was a really nice start to the show. She went for a mix of the Belgian designer and the American designer we do – the Lesser Spotted Britain cards don’t really travel except to ex-pats.”

Rebecca Johnston & Ron James, Falmouth Bookseller“It’s our fi rst trip here and we were told that this was the better show to come to. We’ve travelled up from Falmouth for it but our Booksellers Association did plan their meeting for Tuesday deliberately so people could also come up for Top Drawer. We’re looking at the Fox & Lark giftwrap.”

Heather MartenEnglish Graphics“It was good yesterday. There were orders, and we made some new contacts for agents and distributors. This is my fi rst January show, I’ve done the previous two September ones and am booked for PG Live. Everyone kept saying to me that the January show is much better and, because we had a really good show in September, I thought let’s ratchet it up a gear and do a few more.”

Cath TateCath Tate Cards“It’s been ticking over quite nicely. It’s great that it’s in London and I fi nd right at the beginning of the year is good for a show. We’ve had orders of our new range, and we have some new cartoons too from a well-known cartoonist in Germany that we’ve brought over here.”

Amanda FergussonCaroline Gardner“It’s been really good, we’ve been run off our feet today! We’ve had lots of interest in our gardening gifts which is very exciting and our new Chroma range has gone down really well because it’s contemporary and complementary. Very good response to our gift stands that we launched last year, people are coming back after seeing them in the catalogue.”

Anna Rubsby, Colourcutie“This is my fi rst show, it’s been brilliant and I took seven orders yesterday (Sunday). Today has been mainly people like paper companies I’ve been talking to, and I’ve had lots of inspiration and feedback. I’m hoping to break even. A range I wasn’t sure about has been the bestseller which has been brilliant.”

Ilona BenjaminThe Alternative Image Company“I had a great fi rst day, saw a lot of existing customers and lots of new customers too. I got some orders too. One of my best fi rst days at a show! I’ve sold some mugs and tea-towels and got lots of interest so I’m very happy with the response to the products.”

Claire HillClaire Louise“I’ve got my red wellies on to go with my new All In Boots range. Yesterday was brilliant,

I had a really good day, good atmosphere and

buzzing. In the last six years I’ve never had a day

as busy as that, and across the hall people were buying which is encouraging.”

James MaceThe Art File“The show has been fantastic, the fi rst day was busy right from opening. Lots of new customers as well as existing ones. We’ve launched 250 cards and products across the board which everybody loves. They said a lot of positive things to us about it. I’m standing here very happy, we’ll see what the day brings. The footfall has been brilliant. The transition between Earls Court and here hasn’t made any difference to us.”

David Robertson, Bijou, Aberdeenshirepictured with Jeremy Corner, Blue Eyed Sun“I’ll be down and back in a day from Scotland because it’s a very interesting show to see the trends that are going to be set in everything from fashion and furniture to cards. I don’t come to do the huge volume of my buying but I come to look at the trends and fabrics because that then goes through to cards, for instance rose gold was very popular in jewellery and it’s now following through as a trend. I use this show very much as a precursor to Birmingham, to look at what I’ll need to stock over the next year.”

I’VE ALWAYS liked the sheer bloody optimism of the trade exhibition formally known as Spring Fair.

Consumers, retailers and suppliers alike are still struggling to come to terms with dark mornings – magical pre-Christmas but gloomy afterwards – snow and ice – atmospherically seasonal in December but nastily inconvenient in January – and long, grey afternoon-evenings – just the job for imbibing mulled wine in the festive season not so good on a mug of Tetley’s out of it.

Most trades have a fl at sales period in the fi rst two months of the year too then, plonked enthusiastically at the start of February, just about as far from spring in climate terms as it’s possible to get, we have this great and mighty beast of a trade

Fair-ing The weather always seems to defy the title of the impending behemoth of a trade show at the NEC, but Kelvyn Gardner believes the licensing opportunities mean Spring Fair will be genuinely inspiring.

● Images from www.starwars.com, www.danilo.com, www.universalpictures.com


If you are an artist/cartoonist/illustrator/verse writer or image library and would like to be part of this feature contact 01442 289930 for more details.

Artists’ directory

KELVYNGARDNERLICENSINGOPINION

well

Kelvyn Gardner is MD of the UK Licensing Industry Manufacturers’ Association (LIMA), the trade association for the licensing industry.T: 01908 802863www.licensing.org/united-kingdom/

show sticking it to us with a cheery name, beckoning us all forward to renewing seasonal events like Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day and Easter.

It still takes a bit of teeth-gritting to fi ght your way across windswept NEC car parks to the warmth and comfort of the halls and pavilions and it’s tough on the ever-dwindling band of smokers, too.

But here we are, actually inside Spring Fair, while the world outside is not yet quite free of the bleak midwinter. So, now we’re here, let’s do some business – what will we be seeing to inspire us for 2015?

Well, in licensing terms the year ahead looks full of golden opportunities, several of them from the fi lm world. This is unusual itself in that movies have taken a bit of a kicking in the last decade as a guaranteed source of licensed merchandise sales.

Immense competition has led to our summers being packed with competitive blockbusters but even biggest and boldest get scarcely 10 days to themselves before the next rival behemoth is released.

However, for 2015 we have a host of opportunities starting with Avengers: Age Of Ultron hitting UK cinemas in April.

Following along, Universal revive the successful dinosaur franchise with Jurassic World. The original Jurassic Park fi lm and its sequel were very serious earners indeed for the licensing business of the 1990s.

The fi rst movie claimed to be the fi rst one to use CGI animation of animals – dinosaurs mainly – to any major extent. It certainly looked very impressive then, and, having caught a re-run over the Christmas holiday, I still fi nd it fairly amazing now.

In fact, as later revealed by Universal,

there were only 16 minutes of computer-animated dinos in the two-hour movie.

What we’ll get this summer will be of an entirely different measure – if Universal are fi ring a big gun with Jurassic World, they have a veritable 25lb mortar as their other summer release.

Of course, I’m referring to Minions, the standalone spinoff from the fantastically-successful Despicable Me franchise, which is almost a microcosm of what’s been happening to movie licensing in recent years – with notable exceptions by DreamWorks and Disney.

First movie, no interest, zero products outside of the toy line. Second movie, some interest, only a handful of deals in place by time of release. Fast forward to the fi rst screenings and ecstatic audiences hell-bent on acquiring any merch they can get their hands on.

Argos took orders for one £30 retail line to the tune of more than 200,000 pieces in Despicable Me 2’s fi rst weekend of release. The worldwide public seem to fi nd the Minions irresistibly funny, so now they have their own picture.

This time, licensees like Danilo with their cards and calendars and most shops are ready, no need to play catch-up – retailers, make sure you get your share.

Lastly, although almost 12 months away, the other likely opportunity for 2015 is Star Wars Episode VII.

I can guarantee lots of related product will be on show at Spring Fair, and an abundance of comment about the movie’s prospects over the intervening months, I may even return to the subject myself.

Happy hunting at the NEC.

The world is not quite free of the bleak midwinter

TTTTTTTTTTT‘rrrrrr ’


PRODUCT & SERVICES DIRECTORY - GREETINGS CARD PUBLISHERS& PARTY PRODUCT SUPPLIERS

To advertise call Ian MacFarlaine on 01442 289940

T: 0844 357 6091


To advertise call 01442 289930

KELVYNGARDNERLICENSINGOPINION






Saffron Cards and Gifts

FIRST CLASS SALES AGENTS WANTEDLocations: South West

North East -East Anglia inc Essex -

Generous Commission - Paid Monthly + BonusesSaffron is a leading independent publisher designing & selling a wide range of top quality cards, including many beautiful & unique hand-made & hand-finished ranges.

Our market is mainly high end gift, card & stationery retailers, department stores & garden centres. We have a regular release programme throughout the year, including seasons & support you by exhibiting at several major trade fairs every year.

We are looking for four very special, experienced & well connected agents to carry our gorgeous ranges exclusively within their respective areas, starting in January 2015. Please send us details of your agency career to date as well as details of main agencies carried already. Successful applicants will be contacted for interview.

Closing Date: 15th January 2015

Contact: Viv Barlow Email: [email protected]

Scotland

Artists’ directory

spotlightA selection of this month’slatest releases






All our designs are tried and tested in an award winning storeRamblingmansion.co.uk

[email protected]

Designs that will get your customers

coming back for more!

Life quotes to make them laugh

out loud

● ARDEA’S images for cards have gone from strength to strength, reinforcing their continued emphasis on attention to detail, high standards of quality, as well as a wide breadth of choice.

With more than 40 years of experience in the picture library industry, Ardea strive to ensure their tailored images bring a smile

to both their customers as well as the fi nal recipient of the cards.

New collections are coming online featuring additional photography and illustrations, and their latest offering includes hand-picked and designed images,

such as the current spring collection featuring rabbits, chicks and other cute animals.

They also love designing images and have an in-house specialist team, dedicated to providing the most adorable and memorable images for a variety of occasions and enquiries are welcome for when you have specifi c needs.

T: 020 8318 1401www.ardea.com

● ABACUS Cards are unveiling an exclusive photographic range by renowned interior stylist and author Selina Lake at Spring Fair.Selina is well known for her pretty use of colour, mixing old and new and forecasting the next big style trends for homes.

This range of 14 greetings cards beautifully conveys Selina’s classic trademark styling and sense of colour in 160x160mm designs fi nished with UV varnish and clearly labelled as a licensed Selina Lake range.

Spring Fair stand 4H29 – T: 01638 569050www.abacuscards.co.uk




Saunders DisplaysPoint of sales display stands for

every retail environment.

Tel: 0208 594 7221

www.saundersdisplays.co.uk

gifts spotlightA selection of the latest gift releases and deals

spotlight A selection of this month’slatest releases

display services

● THERE’S a new range of cards from 4sided.co.uk called Cats! that will be keeping their eye on you.

Taking purrfect advantage of the 4sided card shape and size, there are eight cats making up the range all photographed by the team of Jo Drake and Chris Branfi eld.

All designs fi t 125x175mm envelopes and are packed in a cello bag with a sticker showing the card when assembled.

T: 07803 501983www.4sided.co.uk

● THE unique Wild Flower Alphabet is available from Sarah Sherrington with each 7in high letter hand-painted and packaged in a smart Perspex box to retail at £24.99.

There are also UK-made bins at £25 where the customer can choose the letter to be hand-painted, along with mounted and framed prints at £20 plus the whole alphabet available as a poster.

T: 01672 520340www.sarahsherrington.com

● THERE are fi ve new journals released by Paperblanks, with two designs in the Via Romana collection, Aubergine and Esmerelda colourways added to the Silver Filigree series, and the intricate beauty of goldwork on leather with Rosa as the fi rst in the Stitched Splendour collection.

The journals come in ultra, midi and mini, with retail prices starting at £11.99, and there are also Stitched Splendour accordion boxes at £34.99.

www.paperblanks.co.uk


PRODUCT & SERVICES DIRECTORY To advertise call 01442 289930

bags

spotlightA selection of this month’slatest releases

● LIFE is good on Harold’s Planet where Lisa Swerling & Ralph Lazar, creators of the award-winning greetings designs, have been hard at work putting together another batch of fabulous cards for Clare Maddicott Publications.

These latest releases consist of 30 designs, with 10 occasions titles and the rest covering birthdays and blanks, all of which are printed on art board and left blank inside for sender’s own message.

Printed in bold bright colours these funny, upbeat and life-affi rming cards cover all the usual subjects dear to Harold’s heart such as wine, chocolate and the art of being forever young!

Spring Fair stand 4H27 – T: 01638 569050www.maddicott.com

● THERE’S a new colourful kids’ range from I Drew This that was introduced in January – The Gang is starting with new baby for both boys and girls, plus ages one to 10.

The 120x170mm designs are bursting with sweetly-illustrated kids’ characters and their animal friends and come with complementary pastel-coloured envelopes.

T: 07813 005707 www.idrewthis.co.uk

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www.greetingstoday.co.uk

MMEMORY boxes are something many people have stashed away for their children but you often forget to remember things for yourself.

But the newly-renamed RetroCo – formerly The CDCard Company – are coming to the rescue with

their fantastic new Birthday Boxes which everyone can jump aboard for an extended trip down Memory Lane, calling at Vintage Street and Nostalgia Central.

Incorporating their brilliant four-in-one deluxe greetings card and gift that’s a step up from their original CD and DVD cards, the Birthday Boxes are a lovingly-curated collection of pure nostalgia.

Beautifully presented in an embossed quality board presentation box, they take

inspiration from RetroCo MD Chris

Leaning’s own love of collecting ephemera – his London offi ce, house, garage and Mum’s home are stuffed full of every Apple Mac, Record Mirror, Melody Maker and NME, fi gurines from the Lost TV series, fi lm posters, vinyl records, Doctor Who memorabilia, ha’pennies and other UK coins, and so much more it’s hard to list!

Each Birthday Box is bursting with vintage objects to celebrate the special milestone birthdays with facts and music over a period marking the formative years of the recipient.

Each contains more than 25 different high-quality items including:● 24-page Story Of Your Life – booklet card● Movie posters● Pop posters● Mini-book of magazine covers

● 15-track vintage vinyl-effect CD of original hits ● Music downloads● Hour-long DVD news documentary● Music download● Original coin in presentation wallet● Toys and games catalogue● Bubblegum cards

● Button badges● Fridge magnets● TV guide● Gig guide● Postcards and much more...

The Birthday Boxes are being launched at Spring Fair, and currently there are a total of eight in the

Think Think ooutside utside the boxthe box

COVERSTORY

All aboard for an extended trip down Memory Lane, calling at Vintage Street and Nostalgia Central – the rebranded RetroCo are expanding their offer to help everyone celebrate the milestones with lovingly-curated collections of pure nostalgia.

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range: 40th, 50th, 60th and 70th birthdays in two different box designs – collage and retro spiral, and the trade price is £10.40 with a £24.99 SRP.

Born from The CDCard Company, RetroCo are a brand-new gift and greetings company specialising in products for the ever-popular nostalgia market.

The countdown has begun to the Spring Fair launch where The CD Card Company will lift off as RetroCo, incorporating all the previous products and broadening their scope to include lots more gifts.

They have been successfully producing CD and DVD

birthday cards for a number of years

and have now expanded these to include downloads, turning the product into a four-in-one deluxe greetings card with birthday booklet, CD and music download that’s priced at £4.16 trade, SRP £9.99.

Currently covering 1950-1985, this range delivers a proper step back in time to a special year with a retrospective look at the events, historic facts, adverts, box offi ce hits, music charts and other fun stuff – plus a vintage vinyl-effect CD.

Another of RetroCo’s expanded product range is the Retro Cuffl inks. They’ve capitalised on their experience with retro imagery and developed a range of fab cuffl inks and tie pins incorporating classic music, TV

and ngames icons.These are priced at £8.32 trade, SRP

£19.99 and represent a great male gift for any occasion.

They’ve really paid attention to the packaging on all the new ranges and the Retro Cuffl inks are no exception – each set comes in a gift box which doubles as a neat way to display the contents.

They also offer a whole host of other products in the RetroCo range including frameable notecards, fridge magnet packs, and button badges.

There’s even a genuine original Limited

Edition Beatles sew-on patch from the sixties!

Sian Ellis-Thomas, Head of Sales and Marketing,

said: “We’ve moved from CDs to DVDs and now we’ve moved on to

downloads. “You just have to move with the times and

that’s where the rebranding comes in.“Products-wise the retro story is here to

stay and this marks a new chapter in our history as we capitalise on our place in the nostalgia market and broaden the product remit into a more inclusive gift and greetings brand.”

Spring Fair stand 4M32 T: 020 8993 5966www.retroco.com

COVERSTORY

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