Sales are steady with last-minute rush expected for Sunday’s celebration
Dads are a slow burner when it comes to greeting cards as most shops across the country brace themselves for the traditional last-minute rush for Father’s Day at the weekend.
However, sales figures are generally tracking at least equal to last year and, in many cases, rising on both cards and gifts despite the cost-of-living crisis, so making a fuss of father is working well – and there’s a distinct move to general purpose designs that can be saved for other occasions.
“Father’s Day for us is definitely up on last year by around the 25% mark,” Milford Cards & Gifts co-owner Kayleigh Hisim told PG Buzz. “Our shop tends to have a slow burn and then a mad rush at the end for both cards and gifts.
“We’re in a tourist area so get tourists popping in for souvenirs but then picking up their Father’s Day cards at the same time. For Father’s Day we buy in lower code prices compared to Mother’s Day as we find customers spend out more for female cards.
“We have a range of general humour cards that we move next to the Father’s Day display and find these sell well – and we do well with upselling as customers will pick up a card and then head to our gift section where novelty mugs are a big hit. It’s better compared to Mother’s Day where customers by a card and then head to the local florist!”
It’s definitely a last-minute event for Mantons as, being on the Isle of Man, the annual TT Races take precedence, running for almost a fortnight up to the Sunday before Father’s Day.
Co-owner Chris Beards explained: “Our Father’s Day run-up is basically only a week as we have a lot of tourists who aren’t really thinking about it. So far our sales have been level with last year which we’re pleased with given the effect of the cost-of-living crisis.”
Jason Billings-Cray, the recently-appointed John Lewis and Waitrose buyer for cards and collections, said the store group is “really pleased” with Father’s Day sales so far as they’re tracking ahead of last year.
He added: “We had an early launch of Father’s Day collections this year, nine weeks ahead of the event, as we were seeing appetite from those super organised customers, searching the website for cards and gifts well in advance.
“Though we have those keen early shoppers, the week before the event remains our biggest week, and we’re forecasting strong sales.
“Success of Father’s Day we’ve seen comes from our varied choice of cards, for Dad, Daddy, Fathers, and Grandads. We’ve also seen a trend of customers buying into cards that offer a personal touch, and referencing their own Dad’s bad jokes, questionable dancing, love of crosswords, gardening and other hobbies.”
In Edinburgh, the late surge is the norm, but Paper Tiger MD Michael Apter is “delighted” with sales at its new Morningside store which are helping track ahead of last year on like-for-like sales.
Very pleased that the weather has finally caught up with the calendar and Scotland’s capital has been shimmering under cloud-free skies this week, Michael commented: “This year we have selected a fine array of cards and gifts that encourage you to get your dad outdoors. As you can see from my snap, I was encouraged out of doors by the sunshine and a claw-some deckchair!
“As ever, it’s the cards that have some fun at the expense of dad that are performing well – designs from The Art File and Woodmansterne are ticking those boxes.”
It’s always last minute at Highworth Emporium too where the gorgeous sunshine is causing co-owner Aga Marsden a bit of a problem: “The weather is not working in our favour – footfall is significantly lower due to the heat. We have sold a similar amount of Father’s Day cards so far but the revenue is slightly lower so, clearly, lower price codes are selling better.
“We always bring special captions like Father’s Day From Your Daughter or From Your Son and they sell through and that hasn’t been any different this year. First Father’s Day and From The Bump tend to sell well as well.
“I don’t think many people are buying gifts this year or if they do it’s literally a pair of socks or a mug. We were cautious this year, so we went for general men’s or dad gifts rather than Father’s Day specific – cards, however, we do very specifically for Father’s Day.
“I’m not sure if it’s the cost-of-living crisis or just after-Covid normality but our sales figures are more in line with 2019. It may be time to lower our expectations and forget about the boom we had in 2021 and 2022! Looking at it this way shows things in much better colours – but fingers crossed for the next few days!”
Putting Father’s Day cards out straight after Easter has helped Helen Southgate, co-owner at Cards ’N’ Things, Hellesdon, keep sales about the same as last year: “We’re very fortunate that we have a separate area in the shop just dedicated to seasonal times of the year so we never have to take off any everyday stock to accommodate this.
“We haven’t noticed people spending less, if anything, now that our gifting offering is bigger, people are buying an add-on purchase such as a Rosie Made A Thing coaster to go with their card.
“From The Dog cards have been selling well, along with humour which always does well for us. New for us this year are books, they’ve been selling well, especially the dad jokes books!”
Pets are good at No14 Ampthill too where owner Jo Barber explained: “So far, so good, we’re tracking around the same figure as 2022, but a very different split. With another three days’ trading to go, I suspect we’ll finish similar to last year.
“Daddy cards aren’t quite as strong – maybe more children are being encouraged to make their cards this year. Dad captioned cards remain strong, as do Grandad, but there’s an uplift in cards from pets to their dads, such as Dog Father, thanks for the walkies, paw-some dad, etc.”
At HBB Cards, customers know what they like as the firm favourite is Dandelion Stationery’s personalised Best Dad In Newport Pagnell, “I’ve sold out – again!” said owner Hayley Bastable.
She added: “I have steadily sold Father’s Day cards, especially this week as the big day approaches. However, the more expensive cards of the range are certainly remaining on display and not selling as fast as I’d like.
“The quirky papa bear from Lorna Syson is proving popular with people commenting on Papa on the card being difficult to find. Small gifts are being sold with cards but, in complete contrast to Mother’s Day, on a much smaller quantity. However, the book Daddy Fartypants has proved very popular alongside soap, mugs and coasters. Father’s Day has been a welcome boost for me on an otherwise quiet month.”
Talking of Dandelion Stationery, founder Jo Wilson and her team have brought their own brand of help for customers out again in the shape of their special posters in four sizes which are perfect for window displays.
“It’s to emphasise the importance of shopping local and supporting small businesses,” Jo said, “so we have a series of free poster promoting seasonal events – we’ve just done the coronation, Father’s Day, and exam season among others.”
The artwork is print ready and includes an image that can be shared on social media – to find out more get in touch with Dandelion.
It’s a bit different in Lampeter where Creative Cove’s Sandra Jervis reckons Father’s Day is a bit of a non-event, with none of the rush of Mother’s Day and a shorter selling time.
“The main bulk of sales for Father’s Day is in the week leading up to it, before then you sell a handful,” Sandra explained, “and I’d definitely say it’s been a lot slower this year, it still hasn’t really kicked off at all and I don’t think it will, to be honest.
“The one thing we do seem to sell more of each year is the Welsh ones for dad and grandad – tad and tadcu. I’ve tried a slightly more modern range this year in an attempt to do something different, so hopefully Ohh Deer will make that difference for me!
“People don’t want much fuss. The Ohh Deer ones seem to be the ones trickling out and they have the little pun on them that people have enjoyed. Other than that, it’s as traditional as you can imagine. I do have ones that can be used for other occasions also, it means it’s not such a worry if they don’t go in the week leading up to it.
“We don’t see much gift buying for Father’s Day, maybe the odd pen and notebook combination but that’s it. I don’t even do a window for it anymore, but I’ve bought in a few gifts from Brainbox Candy, mugs and coasters, to see if we can amuse people with those. And if it doesn’t sell, then it can be for anyone!”
Over in Yorkshire, Beverley Card Company’s Donna Stocks has a similar issue as Father’s Day is always her slowest event: “Our main supplier Noel Tatt does not publish any Father’s Day cards at all, so that tells you it’s not such a big event!
“The best selections sell early then we don’t usually restock, only the budget ones. The dog dad cards by Rachel Ellen have all sold as have Carte Blanche’s Wishing Well range, gorgeous traditional cards at excellent prices.
“I’m hoping for a mad rush at the end of the week and Saturday especially – I have a double whammy myself this year as it’s happy birthday to my dad Gary Clark, who’s birthday falls on Father’s Day!”
It tends to be the smallest season for Cardies’ Jo Sorrell in Stevenage too: “We have our Father’s Day display out probably longer than any other spring season as we have the extra time after Easter. It’s a slow burner with people picking up just a card while they’re in for other occasions.
“Many leave it to the last minute which, hopefully, benefits bricks-and-mortar retail, and one of the best captions is the very simple Happy Father’s Day, nothing more, nothing less, it say’s exactly what’s needed.
“We always add to our range with open cards such as Thanks Dad, etc, that can then go back into the everyday dad section afterwards. Gifts aren’t a big seller for Father’s Day, but we have a great selection of coasters and notebooks from Dandelion Stationery and Rosie Made A Thing, which are a popular inexpensive gift to go in with the card.”
The cost-of-living crisis has been causing problems for Julia Keeling at Wishes Of Cudworth as some of her nearby businesses are running on reduced hours to try to save money.
“I can understand the reasoning,” she commented, “but it’s not good with so many shutters closed – Saturday afternoons can end up being a ghost town with me sitting outside the shop on my stool, topping up my tan but not my sales!
“That said, it’s not been a complete wash out and things have heated up the closer it’s got to Father’s Day. People still make an effort for special occasions and seasons, so don’t necessarily scrimp when it comes to picking a card. I think they understand that, as an independent shop with many of our cards made here in the UK, if they spend a little more, the reward is a much better-quality card.
“We’re never going to the kind of shop where you can get five cards for £1. People visit us to find that extra special card and, if we start to move away from that, I only see our customers leaving disappointed.
“People are still picking up a gift when they get a card but the overall spend per person is down. I try to offset this by buying gifts that can be used all year round. For Father’s Day our biscuits and old favourites like the trusty Dad mug always sell well.
“Our most popular card caption is Grandad or From The Grandchildren so we try to make sure we have enough of them in the shop – we don’t always sell out every year, but it’s very close. We have a few newer captions which are gaining strength, like From The Dog, From The Cat and Uncle. Our humour ranges sell well for Father’s Day with Carte Blanche, Wishing Well, Danilo, and Emotional Rescue doing particularly well.
“As a small shop in Yorkshire we do well with verse, even for men, so having companies like Words ’N’ Wishes, Kingfisher and Cherry Orchard help with giving our customers plenty of choice for verse, pictures and themes.
“Like most retail it’s been a mixed weather forecast. A few dark thunder clouds but I’m sure we’ll soon have our moment in the sun again. And, with no air-con in the shop, I just need a paddling pool, a couple of cheeky cocktails and Barnsley will start to feel like the Costa-del-Cudworth any day now!
Interestingly, it’s a better story not that far away in Sheffield where Cards & Gifts Dronfield’s Carl Dunne is “shocked” there’s been no real change in sales quantities on previous years despite the price rises from suppliers.
He said: “We see good sales on comedy captions and the expensive ones are still flying off the shelf. We see high sales on the step-dad, like a dad and grandad captions. And we’ve had high sales on chocolates from House Of Sarunds, while we only got the new gonks from History & Heraldry in on Tuesday and these are selling well in dad, daddy, grandad, already.
“We’ve noticed this year people are saying ‘while we’re here let’s get this card’ and they end up picking up three or four more cards.”
Even though it’s often a last-minute dash the week of the event, Berkhamsted’s &Quirky has been having a good Father’s Day, as partner Paul Cheshire explained: “In comparison to last year, we’ve been selling more cards – this may be due to a big card chain in the town closing – or simply because we have the best choice around! Also, we notice as it’s the mums buying the cards and they seem to purchase one for every child in the family – rather than dad just buying the one card for Mother’s Day.
“We have a great range of cards, from different suppliers all at different price points, but it just seems that it’s if the sentiment or amusing image on the front appeals to the customer rather than the price. We have tried a different mix, some saying Happy Father’s Day and others just saying dad as we could continue to sell these all year round as non-specific to a certain date.
“Card brands selling well for us are Ohh Deer, Old English and Dean Morris for the more cheeky side but, as men are so difficult to buy for we’ve not gone heavy on Father’s Day gifts, only pulled a collection of items already in stock which hits the dad gifting spot.”
Up in Elgin, Father’s Day is steady so far at Pencil Me In, where owner Sarah Holmes would normally expect the bigger sales towards the end of the week, but she added: “The sun is shining so much I’m not sure how that will impact sales on Saturday – and we have a far right protest in town so it’s not ideal!
“We have a mixed collection in store but don’t tend to have any slushy ones. Lots of Happy Father’s Day and then lots of fun ones. We got some beaut new cards in from Joy Jen Studio which are selling well, and Ohh Deer always bring the puns. We’re probably 50/50 on specific HFD and then others we can sell all year round.
“Add-on sales around Father’s Day have never been out strong point but we do have a new Top Gun-themed pencil set – being close to an RAF base I’m hoping this will be tempting!
“We opened a new shop in the spring two doors up, selling gifts and homeware so I’m hoping this works in our favour for customers buying their gifts in one and picking up their card here. We’re also opposite a gents grooming and gift shop which also helps for people popping in for a card.”
Adding in open designs to the Father’s Day range has helped at Red Card in Petworth where the Chris Williamson cards from Green Pebble have proved particular favourites, along with Lagom Design, Alex Clark Art, UStudio and Anzu.
Owner Sally Matson said: “We have also looked for some more traditional images in open card ranges as there didn’t seem to me to be as many traditional cards available for Father’s Day cards as in previous years.
“Humorous cards are the bestsellers, with Bold & Bright and Rosie Made A Thing’s offerings being our fastest movers this year. So far sales of Father’s Day cards and gifts this year have been on par with last year, and we know there will be a rush towards the end of the week.”
And, showing just how different retail can be across the country, an early launch for Father’s Day straight after the coronation has worked very well for Anne Barber at Market Harborough’s In Heaven At Home.
“We’ve had a full window display of cards and gift ideas themed by hobby/interest and a full table and wall display in store with all our cards and more gifts, since early May. Usually Father’s Day is quite slow, noticeably quieter than Mother’s Day but, this year, from the onset it’s been much better than in previous years.
“We have cards for Dad, Daddy, Grandad, Grandpa, Stepdad and Husband with a choice of over 60 designs including funny ones, which have proved very popular!!! We have sold out of some cards already and it definitely seems as though cards are being purchased earlier rather than mainly on the last Saturday.
“We also have specific Father’s Day soaps as well as lots of general man-type gift ideas at all prices from handkerchiefs, socks and ties to mugs, notebooks and wash bags, prints and sculptures.
“Based on sales so far, my expectation is that this will be our best Father’s Day yet!”
