The finalists of The Retas 2021 greeting card retailer awards have been announced today (May 28), collectively representing the best greeting card retail stockists in the UK.
“In what must rank as the most challenging period for retail ever, the line-up of The Retas 2021 finalists stands as testament to the passion, inventiveness, nous and tenacity of the UK’s leading greeting card stockists,” commented Jakki Brown, joint managing director of Max Publishing, which owns and organises The Retas (as well as Progressive Greetings and PG Buzz). “Even through the forced closures during lockdowns, so many found ways to continue inspire, excite and over deliver on consumer expectations on the greeting card front,” she added.
The finalists were arrived at following a rigorous industrywide nomination and entry process.
This year there is no Best Retail Employee award category, due to extended periods when the card shops were not open and the vast majority of staff were furloughed.
However, there is an additional Best Garden Centre Retailer of Greeting Cards award, which sees both independent centres as well as multiple-sited groups to be recognised and rewarded for their greeting card retailing prowess.
So, come now and meet the finalists of The Retas 2021…
Best Independent Greeting Card Retailer – London
Card Bureau, Holland Park
The Card Collection, East Molesey
Earlybird, Stoke Newington
Gift, Crouch End
The Indigo Tree, Streatham and Crystal Palace
Best Independent Greeting Card Retailer – Home Counties and South East
Calladoodles, Carshalton
Cardies, Stevenage
Dee’s Cards, Leighton Buzzard
Objectables, Folkestone
Red Card, Petworth
Threads of Harpenden
Best Independent Greeting Card Retailer – East Anglia
Celebrations Hallmark, Aylsham
Creativity, Sheringham
Elm, Norwich
Podarok, Cambridge
Quest, Bury St Edmunds and Holt
Sincerely Yours, Shenfield and Hornchurch
Best Independent Greeting Card Retailer – South West
Card Collection, Bath and Salisbury
Cilla & Camilla, Beaminster and Bridport
Expressions, Cats Whiskers and Polkadot, Swindon, Bishops Cleeve and Keynsham
Just Cards, Honiton
Southbourne Cards, Southbourne
Best Independent Greeting Card Retailer – Wales and the Midlands
Austin & Co, Malvern
Beau Regards and Willowsbrook, Wombourne and Stone
The Celtic Company, Welshpool
Hugs and Kisses, Tettenhall
Mooch Gifts & Home, Bewdley and Stourport-on-Severn
Nest, Stoneygate, Thurlaston and Broughton Astley
Something Special, Kingswinford
Best Independent Greeting Card Retailer – North and Northern Ireland
Bailey’s – Ainsdale, Crosby and Maghull
Best Wishes, Garstang
Cards & Gifts, Sheffield and Dronfield
Love & Best Wishes, Sheffield
Reflections, Rugeley and Nantwich
Serendipity, Newcastle
Best Independent Greeting Card Retailer – Scotland
Bearing Gifts, Troon
Bijou and JP Pozzi, Elgin and Buckie
The Gift Boutique Hallmark, Fraserburgh
Paper Tiger, two stores in Edinburgh
Papyrus, Glasgow
Penny Black, two stores in Glasgow
Best Greeting Card Retailer Newcomer or New Branch – South
The Bean Hive, Falmouth and Kettering
Cranbornes of Shaftesbury, Shaftesbury
DickieBird Homestore, Battle
I Only Popped In For A Card, Clerkenwell, London
Kingfisher Cards, Sidmouth
Wishlist, Raynes Park
Best Greeting Card Retailer Newcomer or New Branch – North
Coorie Doon, Campbeltown
HBB Cards, Newport Pagnell
Henry & Co, Bridgnorth, Nottingham and Ormskirk
Jessica Hogarth Shop, Robin Hood’s Bay
Papersmile, Normanton
Paper Wishes, Prestatyn
Best Independent Bookstore Retailer of Greeting Cards
Bookends, Christchurch
The Bookshop, East Grinstead
Guisborough Bookshop, Guisborough
House of Books, Crouch End, Muswell Hill and West Hampstead
Spencer Thorn, Bude
Winstone Books, Frome, Sherborne and Sidmouth
Best Non-Specialist Independent Retailer of Greeting Cards – North
The Hollies Farm Shop, Little Budworth and Lower Stretton
Newark Post Office, Newark
QLM Home, Leeds
Stationery Supplies, Marple and Wilmslow
Tutbury Present Company, Tutbury
Utility, three stores in Liverpool and Manchester
Best Non-Specialist Independent Retailer of Greeting Cards – South
Anne Toms’ Yarmouth Gallery
Emporium, Leckhampton
Highworth Emporium, Highworth
No. 14, Ampthill
Papilio at Heritage, Thornbury
Paprika, Bath and Chippenham
Best Greeting Card Small Multiple (4+ stores)
3 Wishes – Broadstone, Ferndown, Lymington, Ringwood, Verwood
Bailey’s Cards & Gifts – Ainsdale, Crosby, Maghull and Southport
House of Cards – Caversham, Chalfont St Peter, Kidlington, Thatcham, Tring and Wallingford
Mooch – Olney, Northampton (x2), Rushden Lakes and Towcester,
Postmark – Balham, Blackheath, Chiswick, East Dulwich and Greenwich
Zo & Co – Cheadle, Didsbury, Knutsford and Marple
Best Department Store Retailer of Greeting Cards
Atkinsons, Sheffield
Austins, Newton Abbot
Fenwick Group
Goulds, Dorchester
John Lewis & Partners
Morley Group
Best Supermarket Retailer of Greeting Cards
Asda
Booths
Morrisons
Sainsbury’s
Tesco
Waitrose & Partners
Best Non-Specialist Multiple Retailer of Greeting Cards (4+ stores)
Between the Lines – 15 stores in the South
Gee Tees – five stores in the North
Oliver Bonas, 75+ stores in the UK
Lark – six stores in London
Waterstones – 280+ stores in the UK
WHSmith – 1,100+ stores in the UK
Best Specialist Multiple Retailer of Greeting Cards (20+ branches)
Card Factory – 1,000+ stores in the UK
Cards Direct – 37 stores in the UK
Cardzone – 160+ stores in the UK
Clintons – 240+ stores in the UK
Paperchase – 125+ stores in the UK
Scribbler – 35 stores in the UK
Best Garden Centre Retailer of Greeting Cards – independent (1-4 centres)
Bernaville Nurseries, Cowley, Exeter
Fron Goch, Caernarfon
Frosts, Woburn Sands, Willington, Brampton, Millets Farm
Monkton Elm Garden Centre, Taunton
Plants Plus Garden Centre, Newcastle-Upon-Tyne
RHS Garden Centres, Harlow Carr, Hyde Hall, Rosemoor, Wisley
Best Garden Centre Retailer of Greeting Cards – Multiple or group (5+ centres)
Blue Diamond Group – 37 centres in the UK
Dobbies – 70+ centres in the UK
Haskins – five centres in the South
Klondyke & Strikes – 22 centres in the UK
Longacres – five centres in the South
Otter Nurseries – seven centres in the South West
Squires – 16 centres in the south
Best Greeting Card Retailer Initiative
Calladoodles, Carshalton – for its 10th Anniversary programme
Earlybird, Stoke Newington – for its Hope Programme
Little Boat Gifts, Brightlingsea – for The Brightlingsea Badge Challenge
My Beautiful Caravan, Stonehaven – for its Pay It Forward activity
Red Card, Petworth – for its Pants charity initiative
Swagger, Chipping Sodbury – for its Valentine’s Windows of Caring
Best Greeting Card Wholesaler
Archway Cards, Norwich
BGC Wholesale, nine branches
Card & Party World, Cardiff
Crosswear Trading, Enfield
Greetings House, Walsall
Jackson’s, Sheffield
Greeting Card Retailer of the Year
All winners of the other categories are contenders for this award.
The Retas winners will now be unveiled at a lavish afternoon Finery of Greenery-themed event on Tuesday 16 November, which will take place at the Grosvenor House Hotel in London’s Park Lane. (The event was originally planned to go ahead on Wednesday 14 July, but due to the delay in lifting the restrictions, it was moved to a later date to enable it to go ahead).
“Due to the pandemic, The Retas 2020 were cancelled before any finalists were announced, which means that this year’s awards are doubly important – and a great opportunity for retailers and publishers to get together once again,” said Warren Lomax, joint managing director of Max Publishing.
Tickets and tables to The Retas 2021 can be bought online via www.max-subscriptions.net or by contacting The Retas’ awards organiser, Clare Hollick of Createvents on 01183 340085 or by emailing her on clare@createvents.co.uk.
The Retas 2021 already has a strong roster of sponsors, leading companies, who are all committed to rewarding retailing expertise, with more to follow. These currently include The Art File, Carte Blanche Greetings, Cath Tate Cards, Danilo, Hallmark, Ohh Deer, Ling Design, Paper Salad, Paperlink, Pigment Productions, Progressive Greetings Live, Second Nature, Sensations, UK Greetings and Woodmansterne Publications.
