A dozen greeting card and stationery companies feature in the line-up
Twelve companies from the greeting card and stationery world are celebrating after their products made the shortlist for the hotly-contested product categories in The Licensing Awards 2024, while Cardfactory is feted as a finalist in the retailer Radar award for retailers who have upped their licensing activity in the last year.
Danilo, Hallmark, Moonpig, Tache and UK Greetings are among the top names from more than 3,000 entries across the 12 awards categories which have been whittled down to the finalists thanks to a team of retail buyers from across the gamut of licensed and consumer products, with the list revealed on Thursday, 11 July.
“We were thrilled to hear that our Squishmallows calendar, card and wrap range had reached the finals of the Licensing Awards,” Danilo licensing director Dan Grant told PG Buzz. “It’s always nice to receive this news and we fully appreciate the recognition from the panel that judge the product categories. We’re now looking forward to attending this fantastic annual event and discovering who the winners are on the night – fingers crossed for Danilo!”
For Tache co-owner Pennie Bryant it was the second boost in a week: “I’m absolutely thrilled with the news – being nominated for our Elmer The Elephant collection at both the Licensing Awards and the Henries Awards is truly amazing!
“Partnering with Elmer and the team was a dream come true and we are eager to share this fantastic achievement with our team, customers, and everyone at Elmer.”
And Sarah-Jane Porter, Moonpig’s global design and licensing director, commented: “Moonpig is absolutely delighted to be nominated for the Licensing Awards with our Bluey greeting card range. This recognition celebrates the creativity and hard work of our team, and we couldn’t be more proud to bring the joy and charm of Bluey to our customers.”
The judges included buyers from retailers such as Asda, Bargain Max, Calendar Club, Cardfactory, Character.com, DFS, Dobbies Garden Centre, Dunelm, Fat Face, Forbidden Planet, HMV, Homebase, Iceland, John Lewis, JoJo Maman Bébé, Lipsy, Longleat, Lush, Marks & Spencer, Matalan, Moonpig, My 1st Years, New Look, Next, Paultons Park, Primark, Sainsbury’s, Selfridges, Studio, TJ Morris, Tesco, The Hut Group, The Very Group, The Works, TruffleShuffle, Vanilla Underground and WHSmith.
And there’s double delight for Toasted Crumpet, whose The World Of Peter Rabbit Collection – which featured among the table gifts for attendees at last week’s Retas Awards – has been picked in both the Best Licensed Paper Products Or Stationery Range as well as the Best Licensed Health & Beauty Range, with the winners to be revealed on Tuesday, 10 September.
Toasted Crumpet owner Jo Clarke said: “We’re absolutely delighted to be nominated for two awards and feel hugely honoured to have made it through to this stage. Our licensed range collaboration with The World Of Peter Rabbit brings together the very best of Toasted Crumpet’s botanical and woodland designs with the instantly recognisable and iconic characters from Beatrix Potter.”
And on the retail awards side Adam Dury, chief commercial officer for Cardfactory, added: “On behalf of the entire team we’re delighted to be nominated for a 2024 Licensing Award. Licensed products are a key part of our overall commercial strategy and we’re very proud to be working with some amazing supplier partners who help us curate such fabulous licensed product ranges for our customers.”
The 12 finalists in the paper products or stationery category are:
Bluey Greeting Card Range from Moonpig
Crayola Kraft Range from Hunter Price
Elmer The Elephant Greeting Cards from Tache Crafts
Marvel Characters Breakout Collection from Pyramid International
Me To You Crystal Art Card Kit from Craft Buddy
Paddington Classic Arts & Craft Collection from Robert Frederick
Peter Rabbit Greeting Card & Wrappings from Hallmark Cards
Squishmallows Collection from Blueprint Collections
Squishmallows Greeting Card, Calendar & Giftwrap Collection from Danilo Promotions
Stitch Greeting Card Collection for Asda from UK Greetings
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem Stationery Collection from BlueSky Designs
The World Of Peter Rabbit Collection from Toasted Crumpet
“The response from across the industry this year to the product categories was outstanding, with the quality of the entries underlining the innovation, passion and creativity of the licensing industry,” commented Ian Hyder, ceo at Max Publishing which owns and organises The Licensing Awards.
“The judges certainly had a difficult task, but the resulting shortlist is a reflection of the sheer brilliance of our industry and we cannot wait to celebrate with you all.”
The full list of finalists in the product categories can be found here, and the Licensing Awards 2024 takes place on Tuesday, 10 September, at London’s Grosvenor House Hotel. The Licensing awards are run and owned by Max Publishing, which also owns PG Buzz, PG, The Henries and The Retas.
Tickets and tables can be reserved quickly and securely online by visiting Max-Tickets.net or by contacting Clare Hollick at Create Events: clare@createvents.co.uk or phone 0118 334 0085. For sponsorship or general questions regarding The Licensing Awards, please contact Ian Hyder, Jakki Brown, Rob Willis or Samantha Loveday.
