Contenders for the UK’s only dedicated awards for greeting card retailers are unveiled.
Hundreds of heartfelt nominations from publishers and agents and a strong roster of entries has resulted in a sterling line up of finalists for The Retas 2017 greeting card retailing awards.
Now in their 13th year, The Retas (organised by Progressive Greetings) are the dedicated annual awards that recognise and reward UK greeting card retailers right across the spectrum for their activities in the last year. The Awards celebrate not only the top independent and multiple greeting card retailers regionally and nationally, but also outstanding retail employees. These dedicated awards for retailers have risen immeasurably in status since their formation and are now universally acknowledged as being true accolades of excellence.
The Retas 2017 Official Finalists
Best Independent Greeting Card Retailer – London (inside the M25)
The Cherry Tree – East Finchley
Hallmark – Hornchurch
Nor – West Norwood
Northwood Cards & Gifts – Northwood
Postmark – Greenwich,
With Best Wishes – Petts Wood
Best Independent Greeting Card Retailer – Home Counties
The Card Hall – Maidstone
Dee’s Cards – Leighton Buzzard
Paddock Wood Cards – Paddock Wood
SWALK – Lindfield
Threads – Harpenden
Zest – Crowborough
Best Independent Greeting Card Retailer – East Anglia
First Class Greetings and Plum Green – Hadleigh
Love It! – Stamford and Bury St Edmunds
Pedlar’s Gold – Swaffham
Mackenzies Cards – Gainsborough
Snape Maltings – Aldeburgh
Spots – Southwold
Best Independent Greeting Card Retailer – South West
By The Way – Bradford On Avon
The Card Collection – Bath
Celebrations – Waterlooville and Eastleigh
Coles Of Sidmouth – Sidmouth
Expressions – Swindon
Paper Gangsta – Bristol
Best Independent Greeting Card Retailer – Wales and the Midlands
Celebrations – Stourbridge
Doodlebug – Cwmbran
Sentiments – Whitchurch
Something Special – Kingswinford
Special Occasions – Castle Bromwich
The Tutbury Present Company – Tutbury
Best Independent Greeting Card Retailer – North and Northern Ireland
Belly Button – West Didsbury and Heaton Moor
Blue Rose Gifts – Heywood
Cards & Candles – Lancaster
On Church Hill – Knutsford
Mantons Cards – Port Erin
Wishes Hallmark – Cockermouth
Best Independent Greeting Card Retailer – Scotland
Blueberry – Musselburgh
CloudyBlue – Aberdeen
JP Pozzi and Bijou – Buckie and Elgin
Kairds – Kirkwall
Papyrus – Glasgow
Polka Dot – Dumfries
Best Greeting Card Retailer Newcomer Or New Branch – South
Ceri Jam – Warwick
Expressions – Broadstairs
Ohh Deer – Ipswich and Loughborough
Paper Turtle – Lewes
Peppertrees – Northampton
Sweet Autumn – Buckingham
Best Greeting Card Retailer Newcomer or New Branch North
Baileys Cards & Gifts (Hallmark) – Ainsdale
Card Heaven – Mexborough
Celebrations – Kirkham
The Hummingbird at Shrewsbury – Shrewsbury
Joy! – Heswall
Zo & Co – Knutsford
Best Independent Bookstore Retailer of Greeting Cards
Aldeburgh Bookshop – Aldeburgh
Daunt Books – London, Saffron Walden and Marlow
The Guisborough Bookshop – Guisborough
Gerrards Cross & Chorleywood Bookshops – Gerrards Cross and Chorleywood
J&G Innes – St Andrews
Simply Books – Bramhall
Best – Non Specialist Independent Retailer of Greeting Cards – North
Cloud 9 – Edinburgh
Gee Tees – Wigan
Give the Dog a Bone – York
The Hollies Farm Shop – Tarporley
Paper Moon – Dore
Proudfoots – Scarborough
Best Non-Specialist Independent Retailer of Greeting Cards – South
The Alphabet Gift Shop – Burton-On-Trent and Mickleover
Berts Homestores – Brighton
Darts Farm Shop – Topsham
Farrants – Cobham
Little Boat Gifts – Brightlingsea
Loveone – Ipswich
Best Greeting Card Small Multiple (4-20 stores)
Bentleys – four stores in the Midlands
Between The Lines – 13 stores in the South
House of Cards – six stores in the Home Counties
Mayther – seven stores in the South
Paper & Script/ Funky Pigeon – 10+ stores nationwide
Three Wishes – Ferndown, Lymington, Ringwood and Verwood
Best Department Store Retailer of Greeting Cards
Barkers – Northallerton
Bentalls – Kingston
Fenwicks Of Colchester – Colchester
Harrods – London
John Lewis – 29 stores
Selfridges – Oxford Street, Manchester and Birmingham
Best Supermarket Retailer of Greeting Cards
Asda
Co-Op
Morrisons
Sainsbury’s
Tesco
Waitrose
Best Non-Specialist Multiple Retailer of Greeting Cards (20+ stores)
Marks & Spencer – 914 stores nationwide
National Trust – 200+ stores nationwide
Next – 500 stores in the UK and Eire
Oliver Bonas – 42 stores nationwide
Waterstones –275 stores nationwide
WHSmith – 612 stores nationwide
Best Specialist Multiple Retailer of Greeting Cards (20+ stores)
Card Factory –850+ stores
Cards Galore – 46 stores
Cardzone –100+ stores
Clintons – 400+ stores
Paperchase –130+ stores
Scribbler – 34 stores
Best Garden Centre Retailer of Greeting Cards
Bents – Glazebury
Frosts – Brampton, Millets Farm, Willington and
Woburn Sands
Klondyke Strikes – 22 garden centres
Longacres – Bagshot
The Mains Of Drum – Banchory
Thurrock Garden Centre – Ockenden
Best Greeting Card Retailer Initiative (for a specific project or initiative undertaken by a retailer to promote card sales)
Clintons – for its Thinking of You Week activity
House of Cards, six shops in the Home Counties – for its Sympathy Card initiative with The Ladder Club
The Lynn Tait Gallery, Old Leigh – for its Queen’s 90th Birthday Card Competition
Nor, Norwood – for its community Okido mask-making workshop and poetry balloon day
Ohh Deer, Loughborough – for its Gemma Correll instore charity event
Postmark, four shops in London – for its Feel Good Friday initiative
The Secret Garden, Borough Green – for its ‘Win Kylie for Valentine’s Day’, Beany Boo and Pots of Dreams initiatives
Best Greeting Card Service Based Wholesaler
Archway Cards – Norwich
Budget Greeting Cards – eight branches UK and Eire
Crosswear Trading – Enfield
Jacksons – Sheffield
Merseyside Greeting Cards – Liverpool
WJ Nigh – Isle Of Wight
Greeting Card Retail Employee of the Year
Carol Budd, manager of The Card Hall, Maidstone, Kent
Heather Clarke, senior merchandiser/sales of Ivad Gifts, Paisley, Renfrewshire
Lisa Dean, manager of Feathering Your Nest, Rayleigh, Essex
Hilary Hayes, senior sales assistant of Coles of Sidmouth, Sidmouth, Devon
Denise Keers, sales person of Cards 2 Confetti, Brixham, Devon
Tim Reynolds, shop manager of the Medici Gallery, Kensington, London
Susan Robertson, greeting cards & wrap supervisor of The Mains of Drum, Banchory, Aberdeenshire
Sue Williams, retail assistant/buyer of The Hollies Farm Shop, Lower Stretton, Cheshire
Greeting Card Retailer of the Year
There are no finalists in this category as the receipient will be the winner of one of the other award categories.
All Retas finalists were decided as a result of an industry-wide poll of greeting card suppliers, reps and agents and validated by a panel of experts.
This year The Retas Awards will take on an ‘Enchanted Tails’ animal and woodland beasts themed ball event at The Dorchester Hotel in London on Wednesday July 12, when this year’s winners will be unveiled.
For more information on The Retas Awards and to book tickets, please see www.theretasawards.co.uk.
