The UK’s very best greeting card retailers were officially recognised at The Retas 2021 greeting card retailer awards ceremony, which took place yesterday (16 November) at The Grosvenor House Hotel in London’s Mayfair.
The Retas 2021 saw greeting card retail stockists from right across the retail spectrum recognised, rewarded and celebrated. Among the worthy winners are Cardzone (Best Specialist Multiple as well as Greeting Card Retailer of the Year), Postmark (Best Small Multiple), John Lewis & Partners (Best Department Store Retailer of Greeting Cards) and Sainsbury’s, which was crowned Best Supermarket Retailer of Greeting Cards.
The ever-popular event was attended by over 300 greeting card retailers, publishers and suppliers and hosted by comedian Stuart Goldsmith.
In keeping with the thriving passion for houseplants and gardening, as well as the yearn for green shoots of optimism, the theme of The Retas 2021 was The Finery of Greenery.
Welcoming guests, PG’s co-owner Jakki Brown paid tribute to The Retas finalists and winners, highlighting that in one of the most torrid times for retailers ever, “so many showed their true grit and determination, learning new skills and instigating initiatives to enable them to nurture their customers’ loyalty.”
Enjoying a strong roster of sponsors, all leading companies, who are all committed to rewarding retailing expertise, the event was backed by: The Art File, Belly Button Designs, Carte Blanche Greetings, Cath Tate Cards, Danilo, Hallmark, Heritage Art & Design, The Imaging Centre, Kantar, Ohh Deer, Ling Design, Paper Salad, Paperlink, Pigment Productions, Products of Change, Progressive Greetings Live, Second Nature, Sensations, UK Greetings, W Select, Wendy Jones-Blackett and Woodmansterne Publications.
The Retas Awards 2021 Winners are…
Best Independent Greeting Card Retailer – London
Earlybird, Stoke Newington
Best Independent Greeting Card Retailer – Home Counties and South East
Red Card, Petworth
Best Independent Greeting Card Retailer – East Anglia
Celebrations Hallmark, Aylsham
Best Independent Greeting Card Retailer – South West
Expressions, Cats Whiskers and Polkadot, Swindon, Bishops Cleeve and Keynsham
Best Independent Greeting Card Retailer – Wales and the Midlands
Austin & Co, Malvern
Best Independent Greeting Card Retailer – North and Northern Ireland
Reflections, Nantwich and Rugeley
Best Independent Greeting Card Retailer – Scotland
Paper Tiger, two stores in Edinburgh
Best Greeting Card Retailer Newcomer or New Branch – South
Kingfisher Cards, Sidmouth
Best Greeting Card Retailer Newcomer or New Branch – North
Henry & Co, Bridgnorth, Nottingham and Ormskirk
Best Independent Bookstore Retailer of Greeting Cards
The Bookshop, East Grinstead
Best Non-Specialist Independent Retailer of Greeting Cards – North
Stationery Supplies, Marple and Wilmslow
Best Non-Specialist Independent Retailer of Greeting Cards – South
No. 14, Ampthill
Best Greeting Card Small Multiple (4+ stores)
Postmark, Balham, Blackheath, Chiswick, East Dulwich and Greenwich
Best Department Store Retailer of Greeting Cards
John Lewis & Partners
Best Supermarket Retailer of Greeting Cards
Sainsbury’s
Best Non-Specialist Multiple Retailer of Greeting Cards (4+ stores)
WHSmith
Best Specialist Multiple Retailer of Greeting Cards (20+ branches)
Cardzone
Best Garden Centre Retailer of Greeting Cards – independent (1-4 centres)
Bernaville Nurseries, Cowley, Exeter
Best Garden Centre Retailer of Greeting Cards – Multiple or group (5+ centres)
Blue Diamond Group
Best Greeting Card Retailer Initiative
Earlybird, Stoke Newington for its Hope Programme
Best Greeting Card Wholesaler
Budget Greeting Cards
Greeting Card Retailer of the Year
Cardzone
Now in its 16th year, The Retas, organised by Max Publishing, owners of Progressive Greetings magazine are the only dedicated awards for greeting card retailers.
Photos from The Retas will be available to see and download from the awards’ website (www.theretasawards.co.uk) over the next few days and the event will be covered in full in the December edition of Progressive Greetings magazine.
Top: The Retas winners on stage with host Stuart Goldsmith (centre stairs) and PG’s co-owners Jakki Brown and Warren Lomax.
