The finalists of The Retas 2019 greeting card retailer awards have been announced today (April 30), collectively representing the best greeting card retail stockists in the UK.
This year’s strong roll call of finalists are as a result of a rigorous industrywide nomination and entry process.
“In what must rank as one of the most challenging years for retailers generally, this year’s line of Retas finalists proves that the greeting card sector is well blessed with savvy, tenacious innovative retailers who continue to inspire and excite the card buying public, maintaining greeting cards’ presence,” commented Warren Lomax, joint managing director of Max Publishing, which owns and organises The Retas (as well as Progressive Greetings and PG Buzz).
The Retas winners will be unveiled at a lavish afternoon Frida Kahlo-themed event on Wednesday 10 July, which will take place at the Grosvenor House Hotel in London’s Park Lane, not at The Dorchester as initially announced (the move was made in protest to anti-human rights laws. https://www.pgbuzz.net/the-retas-2019-move-from-the-dorchester-to-the-grosvenor-house-hotel-in-protest/)
To secure your Retas ticket to this great networking event at which the top retailers will rub shoulders with publishers and trade suppliers, contact Clare Hollick on clare@keystonecomms.co.uk or on 01733 294524 or 07769 905959.
The Retas 2019 Finalists:
Greeting Card Retail Employee Of The Year
Mandy Baker, manager of Celebrations, Aylsham
Helen Baxter, visual merchandiser of Thurrock Garden Centre
Jennifer Burke, store manager of Card Factory, Bootle Parkside and Stonedale stores
Denise Keers, shop manager of Cards 2 Confetti, Brixham
Pippa Kelly, card buyer/admin coordinator of Gee Tee’s, Westhoughton and Bamber Bridge stores
Ben Knight, customer service manager of Scribbler, Manchester store
Emma Knights, part-time sales assistant of Dragonfly Cards & Gifts, Knaresborough
Karen Roberts, shop assistant for Memorable Moments, Ripon
Antonia Secchi, assistant manager for The Write Stuff, Edinburgh
Helena Smith, sales assistant for Nickery Nook, Bedale
Best Independent Greeting Card Retailer – London (inside the M25)
The Ark, Stoke Newington
Diverse, Brixton
Gift, Crouch End
The Loft, Teddington
Medici Gallery, South Kensington
Pretty Shiny Shop, Stroud Green
Best Independent Greeting Card Retailer – Home Counties
The Card Hall, Maidstone
No. 14, Ampthill
Paddock Wood Cards, Paddock Wood
Red Card, Petworth
Something Special, Edenbridge
Zebra Cards, Royal Tunbridge Wells
Best Independent Greeting Card Retailer – East Anglia
Blue Dog, Clare
Greetings from the Heart, Bourne
Little Boat Gifts, Brightlingsea
Love It, Bury St Edmunds and Stamford
Sincerely Yours, Shenfield
Wave and Spots, Bungay and Southwold
Best Independent Greeting Card Retailer – South West
Cards 2 Confetti, Brixham
Cilla & Camilla, Bridport
Daisy Park, South Molton
Island Greetings, two stores in St Helier
Just Cards, Honiton
Soukous, Bristol
Best Independent Greeting Card Retailer – Wales and the Midlands
Bentleys and Maddison, Stourport and Harborne
In Heaven At Home, Market Harborough
Little Paperie, Ashbourne
Nest, Leicester
Tidings, Cirencester
Tokenhouse, Nottingham
Best Independent Greeting Card Retailer – North and Northern Ireland
Baileys Cards and Gifts, Southport and Crosby
Cards etc, Horsforth
Forget Me Not, Rochdale
Hallmark, Castle Douglas and Newton Stewart
Memorable Moments, Ripon
Nickery Nook, Bedale
Best Independent Greeting Card Retailer – Scotland
Alba, Oban
Bluestone Gift Shops, Largs
Coorie Doon, Gourock
The Gift Boutique, Fraserburgh
JP Pozzi and Bijou, Buckie and Elgin
The Write Stuff, Edinburgh
Best Greeting Card Retailer Newcomer or New Branch – South
Objectables, Folkestone
No.66 Cards and Gifts, Ryde
Pack A Punch, Bridgwater
Planet Sal, Honiton
Sincerely Yours, Hornchurch
Sullivan’s, Thorpe Bay
Best Greeting Card Retailer Newcomer or New Branch – North
Best Wishes, Garstang
Cards & Gifts, Sheffield
Holly Blue, Saltburn-by-sea
Pencil Me In, Elgin
Rad Studio, Saltaire
West Kirby Cards Hallmark, West Kirby
Best Independent Bookstore Retailer of Greeting Cards
Blandfords, Broadway, Hereford and Ledbury
Bookends, Christchurch
Edge of the World, Penzance
Serendip, Lyme Regis
Spencer Thorne, Bude
Walkers, Oakham and Stamford
Best Non-Specialist Independent Retailer of Greeting Cards – North
Boroughbridge Post Office, Boroughbridge
CTD News, Allestree
Hand-Picked By Henrietta, Chapel-En-Le-Frith
The Old School Beauly, Beauly
QLM, Leeds
Spirito, Glasgow
Best Non-Specialist Independent Retailer of Greeting Cards – South
George R Reeve, Wymondham
Gifted, Thaxted
Mimi, Hartley Wintney
Mooch, two stores in Northampton
Mooch Gifts & Home, Stourport on Severn
My Flair Lady Floral Design, White Roding
Best Greeting Card Small Multiple (4-20 stores)
House of Cards – six stores in the Home Counties
Mayther – seven stores in the South
Penmark – four stores in the Midlands
Postmark – four stores in London
Three Wishes – Broadstone, Ferndown, Lymington, Ringwood and Verwood
Zo & Co – four stores in Greater Manchester and Cheshire
Best Department Store Retailer of Greeting Cards
Atkinsons, Sheffield
Elys of Wimbledon
Daniels of Windsor
Dawsons, Clitheroe
Barkers, Northallerton
John Lewis, Oxford St
Best Supermarket Retailer of Greeting Cards
Aldi
Asda
Co-Op
Sainsbury’s
Tesco
Waitrose
Best Non-Specialist Multiple Retailer of Greeting Cards (4+ stores)
Between The Lines – 15 stores in the South
Lorimers, 12 stores in Surrey and Kent
Oliver Bonas – 70 stores nationwide
Utility, 3 stores in Liverpool and one in Manchester
Waterstones – 250+ stores nationwide
WHSmith – 611 stores nationwide
Best Specialist Multiple Retailer of Greeting Cards (20+ stores)
Cards Direct – 30 stores
Card Factory – 970+ stores
Cards Galore – 50 stores
Cardzone Group – 130 stores
Paperchase – 130+ stores
Scribbler – 38 stores
Best Garden Centre Retailer of Greeting Cards
Burston Rose, St Albans
Blue Diamond Group – 30 garden centres
Garrion Bridges Garden and Antique Centre, Overtown
Klondyke and Strikes – 22 garden centres
Longacres – Bagshot, Bybrook Barn, Chobham and Shepperton
Planters, Tamworth and Derby
Best Greeting Card Retailer Initiative
(for a specific project or initiative undertaken by a retailer to promote card sales)
Blue Rose Gifts & Balloons, Heywood – for its Make A Pudsey activity
Card Factory – for its Father’s Day Macmillan Cancer Support Partnership
Cardies, Stevenage – for its community street art programme
Dragonfly Cards & Gifts, Knaresborough – for its Milestone Birthday Giveaway
Scribbler – for its Goes Greener initiative
Pencil Me In, Elgin – for its My Shoplife 19 Instagram Challenge
Wishes of Cudworth – for its Christmas programme
Best Greeting Card Service Based Wholesaler
Archway Cards, Norwich
Budget Greeting Cards, eight branches UK and Eire
Card and Party Store, Bury
Crosswear Trading, Enfield
Greetings House, Walsall
Jacksons, Sheffield
Greeting Card Retailer of the Year
The winners of the other categories are finalists in this category. To be announced at The Retas Awards.
