Happy bunnies across the greeting card industry as licensing tie-ups are recognised
There are some very happy bunnies in the greeting card world as their licensed products have been recognised at the B&LLAs – and cards have also made the grade in both the retail and property sectors.
Known initially for their card designs Meg Hawkins and Eleanor Bowmer have both expanded their brands across a wide range of licensed partnerships and have made the Best Licensed Fashion Or Talent Brand finalists’ list in the annual Brand & Licensing Lifestyle Awards.
Also in the mix are Matthew Williamson, whose designs are licensed by Museums & Galleries for a card and wrap range, and Sara Miller London, who works with The Art File on greetings and Penny Kennedy for wrap and giftbags, plus there’s Emma Bridgewater, who has a partnership with Woodmansterne for cards and Penny Kennedy for wrap.
Woodmansterne also has the greeting card licence for Sanderson, which has been chosen in the Best Licensed Design-Led Lifestyle Brand category, alongside fellow finalists Morris & Co, where the Ling Design, Great British Card Company (GBBC) and Penny Kennedy group has licences across cards, gift packaging, tote bags, stationery and gifts, and Cath Kidston, who also works with GBCC on stationery as well as Ohh Deer for cards.
Celebrating the news that GBCC’s Morris & Co Stationery & Gift Range is a finalist in the Best Brand Licensed Gifting Product Or Range listing, the group’s CEO David Byk commented: “Morris & Co was our first licensed stationery offer when GBCC entered this category a few years ago and the attention to detail and quality which we and the Morris team have shown in the development and successful execution of each product is testament to us receiving this nomination.
“We started with luxury gift stationery and we now have expanded that to include many variants of notebooks and gifts such as pens, planners, water bottles and pocket mirrors to name a few. Each one featuring a distinctive and instantly recognisable Morris & Co print.
“It’s also a relationship that goes across all the product categories the group offers which means the partnership and product development is wider than just the fantastic gifts and stationery we’ve been nominated for. We’re pleased to be among such an esteemed list of finalists.”
Museums & Galleries has the scoop as it works with Best Licensed Heritage & Institution Brand finalists V&A and Natural History Museum, as well as Transport For London from the Best Lifestyle Brand category – the V&A also has a card and notebook licence with Ohh Deer.
The Royal Horticultural Society is also a Heritage & Institution Brand finalist for its portfolio including partnerships with various greeting card industry licensees, including Danilo for calendars and diaries, UK Greetings for cards, and Willsow for a plantable calendar and cracker range that’s made the grade on the product side in the Sustainability Brand Licensed Range category.
“This is huge and fab news, how exciting!” said Willsow’s account gardener Tash King. “As a small business, collaborating with the RHS has given Willsow so many incredible opportunities, especially as an age-old heritage who love to explore new ways to help everyone be more sustainable.”
Another Heritage & Institution Brand finalist is The National Trust, which works with Carousel Worldwide where the Calendars & Wallplanner Collection is in the Best Brand Licensed Gifting Product Or Range listing.
Carousel’s licensing and business development director Martin Rees-Davies said: “We’re over the moon to be nominated as a finalist. We have collaborated with The National Trust for many years and they are a fantastic partner. We fully align with their work to protect historic places and green spaces for everyone and our calendar range is a great reminder of this – 365 days a year!”
Also in the Heritage & Institution Brand list is The Natural History Museum, among whose licensing partners is publisher IG Design Group, and the pairing has made the grade on the product front with a Best Brand Licensed Food Or Beverage Product Or Range finalist place with its Natural History Museum Range for Boots.
IG’s commercial director Adrian Coates said: “The gifting team has a long-standing relationship with the National History Museum and we are proud of the innovative design-led and quality products that we have supplied for many years. We are very pleased and excited to have been nominated for this award.”
Meanwhile, Moonpig has been busy on all fronts, being part of the retail judging panel for the product categories, while also making it with a brace of nominations, adding a place in the Best Specialist Brand Licensed Retailer Execution category to its Best Brand Licensed Gifting Product Or Range listing for its Kate Smith 2024 Greeting Cards & Gifts Collection.
Danilo combines two greeting card industry greats with its Paper Salad Calendar & Diary Range which has a finalist place in the Best Brand Licensed Gifting Product Or Range, and MD Daniel Prince said: “That’s fantastic news – we’re absolutely thrilled to be shortlisted as a finalist in the B&LLAs! It’s such a vibrant and joyful collection, and we’ve loved bringing Paper Salad’s signature style to life across our calendar and diary formats. To see it recognised is a real honour for the team.”
Paper Salad owner Karen Wilson added: “What a surprise! I had no idea they’d even been entered. We’re over the moon, we love working with Danilo, all of our design team are very happy!”
Celebrating Ohh Deer’s two nominations – Cath Kidston Greeting Cards Collection in Best Brand Licensed Gifting Product Or Range and Ashkahn Roll Wrap Collection in The Sustainability Brand Licensed Range – a very happy MD Mark Callaby commented: “We’re delighted to have been nominated for both these categories. Our Cath Kidston collection is doing incredibly well and, with the recent refresh with new envelopes and more finishes, it’s made the range shine.
“After winning the Henries last year with this range it would be extra special to get a B&LLA. Is there an equivalent EGOT – Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony winner!”
Ian Hyder, CEO at Max Publishing which owns and organises the B&LLAs as well as PG magazine and PG Buzz, said: “Since we first held the B&LLAs back in 2016, it has been amazing to witness how the brand and lifestyle licensing sector has flourished.
“We were blown away by this year’s entries, with the eventual finalists all demonstrating creativity, innovation and passion for a sector which only keeps growing in importance for the licensing industry overall.”
The full list of Brand & Lifestyle Licensing Awards 2025 finalists can be found here, and the winners will be revealed at a glittering afternoon ceremony at the Royal Lancaster London on Thursday, 24 April.
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, 0118 334 0085. You can reserve and pay online at the Max Publishing digital box office.
