Call for publishers, agents and reps to nominate greeting card retailers for 2022 awards
Do you have a favourite greeting card store – where they sell your cards with a smile and go the extra mile to make sure the customer gets just what they want?
Then it’s time to make sure these fab shops receive the recognition they deserve by nominating them for The Retas 2022 greeting card retailer awards, with organisers Max Publishing on a mission to hear from as many publishers, agents and reps as possible.
“The last year has seen so many greeting card retail stockists finding inventive ways to stand out from the crowd, engage with their community, create a welcoming environment full of amazing products and provide customer service that is second to none. The Retas 2022 will reward this retail excellence, innovation, passion and commitment,” said Jakki Brown, joint md of Max Publishing which owns and organises The Retas.
“We’re actively seeking nominations from publishers, agents and reps as well as really urging retailers to put aside their modesty and enter, making the most of the PR and morale-boosting opportunity by putting themselves forward and blowing their own trumpet! This self-entry and nomination process collectively ensures the true victors will be celebrated.”
The only dedicated awards in the world for greeting card retailers, winning a Retas’ trophy is recognised as a true accolade of retailing excellence in the sector, with award categories covering indies through to multiple chains, department stores to grocers and everything in between.
In addition to the retail categories, there is also an award for Best Retail Employee for those special members of staff who have gone the extra mile, as well as Best Retail Initiative for a specific promotion or activity that a retailer has undertaken between 15 April, 2021, and 14 April, 2022, the period covered by this year’s awards.
All nominations should be submitted to Jakki via email on jakkib@max-publishing.co.uk by Friday, 25 March – publishers, agents and reps are invited to nominate up to three retailers in each of these categories:
- Greeting Card Retail Employee Of The Year
- Best Independent Greeting Card Retailer – London
- Best Independent Greeting Card Retailer – Home Counties
- Best Independent Greeting Card Retailer – East Anglia
- Best Independent Greeting Card Retailer – South West
- Best Independent Greeting Card Retailer – Wales and the Midlands
- Best Independent Greeting Card Retailer – North and Northern Ireland
- Best Independent Greeting Card Retailer – Scotland
- Best Greeting Card Retailer Newcomer
- Best Independent Bookstore Retailer Of Greeting Cards
- Best Non-Specialist Independent Retailer Of Greeting Cards – North
- Best Non-Specialist Independent Retailer O Greeting Cards – South
- Best Greeting Card Small Multiple
- Best Department Store Retailer Of Greeting Cards
- Best Supermarket Retailer Of Greeting Cards
- Best Non-Specialist Multiple Retailer Of Greeting Cards
- Best Specialist Multiple Retailer Of Greeting Cards
- Best Garden Centre Retailer Of Greeting Cards – Independent
- Best Garden Centre Retailer Of Greeting Cards – Multiple or group
- Best Greeting Card Retailer Initiative
- Best Greeting Card Wholesaler Or Cash & Carry
- Greeting Card Retailer Of The Year
A downloadable entry form is available for retailers from the www.theretasawards.co.uk, or you can go straight to the relevant page by clicking here. The deadline for retailers entering The Retas 2022 is Thursday, 14 April.
All Retas 2022 winners will be announced at a Mary Poppins-esque themed awards lunch and afternoon event to be held on Wednesday, 7 July, in the Ballroom of the Grosvenor House Hotel, in London.
So, to get set for a supercalifragilisticexpalidocious time among the best card retailers in the UK as well as some great card publishers, book your ticket online via Max-Tickets.net or contact The Retas’ awards manager Clare Hollick, director of Createvents on 0118 224 0085 or clare@createvents.co.uk.
The “practically perfect in every way” sponsors of The Retas 2022 include: The Art File, Belly Button Designs, Carte Blanche, Cath Tate Cards, Danilo, Glick, Hallmark, Ling Design, Ohh Deer, Nigel Quiney, Paperlink, Pigment, Progressive Greetings Live, Second Nature, Sensations/Express Yourself, UK Greetings and Woodmansterne.
Top: Winners all – The Retas 2021 awards line-up
