“Being in the midst of the inaugural Just A Card Indie Week, which serves to prompt consumers to support independent retailers this Christmas, seems wholly appropriate time to launch our annual Retail Barometer survey which will shed light on the health and wealth of the independent card retailer,” commented Warren Lomax, joint managing of Max Publishing (which owns and publishes Progressive Greetings/PG Buzz).
This annual survey, which drills down into how trade has been over the year for indies, their highlights and lowlights, their boons and banes have been undertaken by Progressive Greetings and buying group Cardgains for the last 13 years – and this year the scope is being further broadened.
Hitherto, the respondents were confined to just Cardgains members, but this year all independent card stockists are being invited to take part.
“It is in all our interests to gain as clear an understanding as possible of what life is really like as an independent card retailer so that we can all pull together to do what we can to help overcome the challenges and highlight opportunities,” commented Penny Shaw, Cardgains’ marketing director. “Although we will be disseminating the online survey to our members too, it is in everyone’s interests that as many indies as possible participate, irrespective of whether they are a Cardgains member or not.”
The survey (the submissions to which will remain highly confidential) this year will be online only.
To get going, CLICK HERE to take part in the survey.
“If you are an independent retailer who stocks greeting cards, please can you take a few minutes of your time to complete the survey – we really have made it as easy as possible!” assures PG’s Warren Lomax.
As an extra incentive there is a gorgeous Fortnum and Mason hamper up for grabs for the earlybirds. All participating retailers who have completed (or partially completed) the survey by close of play on December 4 will be in with a chance of winning the hamper.
The results will be published in the February edition of Progressive Greetings with highlights shared on PG Buzz.
