Top greetings retailers have plenty to rabbit about as this year’s awards nominees
A raft of greeting card retailers have plenty to rabbit on about as they’ve just been named as finalists in The Retas Awards 2024.
Across 22 categories covering from the tiniest independent, through small chains and bookshops, garden centres, supermarkets, and up to the biggest multiples, everyone who sells cards is included in these annual awards celebrating the best of greeting card retailing.
Having rigorously canvassed publishers, reps and agents for their retailer nominations and thoroughly cajoled shops themselves to enter The Retas, there are six or seven finalists in each category who will now be hopping to it and getting ready for the fabulous awards lunch and afternoon event on Thursday, 4 July.
The winners will be revealed in the ballroom of London’s Grosvenor House Hotel which this year will take on a World Of Beatrix Potter theme, with the full blessing and support of Frederick Warne & Co and Penguin Ventures, with images supplied courtesy of the Frederick Warne Archive.
“Goodness me what a fabulous community of greeting card retailers we as an industry have,” commented Jakki Brown, managing director and co-owner of Max Publishing, which owns and organises The Retas. The last year especially has seen them pull out the stops, with their product selections, engagement with customers, store environments and initiative galore.
“The Retas 2024 finalists’ roll call exudes excellence right across the spectrum, thanks to the huge input from publishers, reps and agents the number of nominations for this year’s awards was off the scale, while more retailers than ever took the time and trouble to submit their store’s entry.”
Now, without further ado, the finalists for The Retas 2024 are:
Best Independent Greeting Card Retailer – London (inside M25)
Earlybird Designs, Stoke Newington
Flaxten Cards, Hornchurch and Upminster
The Indigo Tree, Streatham and Crystal Palace
The Loft, Teddington
Medici Gallery, Kensington
Nor, Beckenham Place Park and West Norwood
Pretty Shiny Shop, Finsbury Park and Oval
Best Independent Greeting Card Retailer – Home Counties & South East
&Quirky, Berkhamsted
Gemini Greetings & House of Cards, Heathfield & Battle
Milford Cards & Gifts, Milford On Sea
Objectables, Folkestone
Paddock Wood Cards, Paddock Wood
Red Card, Petworth
Threads, Harpenden
Best Independent Greeting Card Retailer – East Anglia
Cards ’N’ Things, Norwich
Chapmans, Southwold
Dzo Dzo, Woodbridge
Pug & Pussycat, Aldeburgh, Southwold and Woodbridge
Simply Cards, Beccles
Sincerely Yours, Shenfield and Hornchurch
Spirals Cards, Gifts and Stationery, Brightlingsea
Best Independent Greeting Card Retailer – South West
The Card Collection, Bath and Salisbury
The Card Gallery, Wimborne Minster
Cilla & Camilla, Beaminster, Bridport
Expressions, Polkadot and Cat’s Whiskers, Swindon, Keynesham and Bishop’s Cleeve
Highworth Emporium, Highworth
PaperGangsta, Bristol
Sky, Clifton
Best Independent Greeting Card Retailer – Wales
Creative Cove, Lampeter
Fancy That, Rhos-On-Sea
Occasions, Porth
Paperweight, Cardiff
Robyn’s Nest and Maple, Porthcawl
Stwff Stuff, Llantwit Major
The Village Gift Box, Cardiff
Best Independent Greeting Card Retailer – The Midlands
Atticusboo, Buxton
Austin & Co, Malvern
Blandfords, Broadway, Hereford and Ledbury
Country Kate, Kinver
Hugs & Kisses, Tettenhall
Set Design, Leicester
Token House, Nottingham
Best Independent Greeting Card Retailer – North West England
Bailey’s, Ainsdale, Crosby and Maghull
Presentation, Barrowford
Raffia, Clitheroe
Reflections, Nantwich and Rugeley
Wishes Of Cockermouth, Cockermouth
Zo & Co, Cheadle, Didsbury, Knutsford and Marple
Best Independent Greeting Card Retailer – North East England
The Card Shop, Hexham
Castle Cards, Barnard Castle
Chirpy, Chapel Allerton
Greetings Of Haxby, Haxby
Strictland & Holt, Yarm
Who-Ray, Stockton-On-Tees
Best Independent Greeting Card Retailer – Scotland
The Bay Tree, two stores in Edinburgh
Ivad Home & Gifts, Paisley
JP Pozzi and Bijou, Buckie and Elgin
Paper Tiger, Edinburgh
Penny Black, Glasgow
Polka Dot and Polka Dot Too, Castle Douglas
Best Greeting Card Retailer Newcomer (opened since Jan 2021)
Cards & Moor, Yelverton
Casa Green, Cardiff
Doodles Cards, Gifts & Balloons, Crowthorne
Fig & Fox, Romsey
Helen’s Wishes, Dursley
The Letter Arty, Manchester
Serendipity, Hale
Best Independent Bookstore Retailer Of Greeting Cards
Aldeburgh Bookshop, Aldeburgh
The Book House, Thame
Bookends, Christchurch
Chiltern Bookshops, Chorleywood and Gerrards Cross
Guisborough Bookshop, Guisborough
Kemps General Store & Bookshop, Malton
Best Non-Specialist Independent Retailer Of Greeting Cards – North
O’Brien’s Pharmacy & Newsagents, Magherfelt
Curiouser & Curiouser, two shops in Edinburgh
Denstone Hall Farm Shop & Café, Denstone
Easton Walled Gardens, Grantham
The Hollies, Little Budworth and Lower Stretton
Proudfoots Group, Eastfield, Manham Hill, Newby, Seamer
Utility, Liverpool and Manchester
Best Non-Specialist Independent Retailer Of Greeting Cards – South
Dart’s Farm, Topsham
Dulwich Picture Gallery, Dulwich
French Grey Interiors, Bath, Cirencester, Clifton Village, Malmsbury and Tetbury
Little Boat Gifts, Brightlingsea
Stationery House, Clevedon, Somerton and Wrington
Trago Mills, Merthyr, Liskeard and Newton Abbot
Best Greeting Card Small Multiple (4-20 stores)
Henry & Co, 9 stores in the Midlands
House of Cards, 7 stores in the Home Counties
Lark, 19 stores in London and South East
Mooch London, 4 stores in London
Postmark, 14 stores in London, Birmingham and Glasgow
Smart Ideas, 7 stores in the Midlands
Temptation Gifts, 7 stores in the Home Counties
Best Department Store Retailer Of Greeting Cards
Barkers, Northallerton
Fortnum & Mason
Jarrolds, Norwich
John Lewis & Partners
Liberty
Morleys Group
Selfridges
Best Supermarket Retailer Of Greeting Cards
Asda
Booths
Morrisons
Sainsbury’s
Tesco
Waitrose & Partners
Best Non-Specialist Multiple Retailer Of Greeting Cards
Marks & Spencer
National Trust
Oliver Bonas
Ryman/Ryman Design
TK Maxx
Waterstones
WHSmith/Curi.o.city
Best Specialist Multiple Retailer Of Greeting Cards (20+ stores)
Cardfactory, 1000+ stores
Cards Direct, 60+ stores
Cards Galore, 28 stores
Cardzone, 340+ stores
Scribbler, 33 stores
Best Garden Centre Retailer Of Greeting Cards – independent
Bents, Warrington
Burford Garden Centre, Burford
Garsons, Esher and Titchfield
Okells Garden Centre, Tarporley
Webbs, Frilford, West Hagley and Wychbold,
Yarnton Home & Garden, Yarnton
Best Garden Centre Retailer Of Greeting Cards – multiple or group (5 or more centres)
Blue Diamond, 40+ centres nationwide
British Garden Centres, 60+ centres nationwide
Haskins, 5 centres in the south
Longacres, 5 centres in the south
Notcutts, 19 centres across the UK
Otter Garden Centres, 7 garden centres in the South West
RHS, 5 centres across the UK
Best Independent Greeting Card Retailer Initiative (for a specific project or initiative undertaken by a retailer since 15 April, 2023)
Cardies, Stevenage, for its community campaigns
Celebrations, Carlisle, for its Boofle 15th anniversary campaign
Helen’s Wishes, Dursley, for its Thinking Of You Week hidden cards
House of Cards, Home Counties, for its Festive Friday Friends & Family Event
Presentation, Barrowford, for its Mother’s Day and Easter charity initiative with Open Door
Red Card, Petworth, for its Gifting Tree and Jingle Bells charity initiatives with Petworth Cottage Nursing Home and Petworth Foodbank
Stationery Supplies, Marple and Wilmslow, for its Christmas Card Writing Event
Best Greeting Card Wholesaler
Archway Cards, Norwich
BGC, 11 branches nationwide
Crosswear Trading, Enfield
Greetings House, Walsall
Jackson’s, Sheffield
The Jade Group, Lindford
Greeting Card Retailer of the Year
All winners of The Retas 2024 categories are contenders for this award, so the winner will be revealed at the awards event on July 4.
The Retas 2024 is supported by a strong roster of committed sponsors which includes Abacus Cards, The Art File, Belly Button Designs, Carte Blanche Greetings, Cath Tate Cards, Danilo, GBCC, Hallmark, IC&G, Ling Design, Lucilla Lavender, Meraki, Museums & Galleries, Ohh Deer, Paperlink, Pigment, Progressive Greetings Live, Rosie Made A Thing, Sensations/Express Yourself, Spring Fair/Autumn Fair, UK Greetings, W Select, Wendy Jones-Blackett, and Woodmansterne Publications.
To be among the UK’s best greeting card retailers as well as some great card publishers at the ceremony, you can book your tickets online to The Retas now via Max-Tickets.net or contact The Retas’ awards manager Clare Hollick, director of Createvents, on 0118 334 0085 or email clare@createvents.co.uk.
