More reaction from retailers as to what the saw at this year’s PG Live that got them excited.
Cathy Frost, owner of LoveOne, Ipswich:
“PG Live is great as it is not overwhelming in size yet includes loads of surprises. I especially love Springboard as it gives me the opportunity to discover new artisan start-up businesses that have never shown anywhere before. I spent my Sunshine Ticket with Maurice and Maude because I really like what they do as a family business and fact that the company is local to me is an extra bonus. I also really liked Rosa and Clara Designs as their designs, especially of flamingos and pineapples, are very strong.”
Lisa Rutherford, card buyer of John Lewis and Amie Scull, assistant buyer – stationery, gift wrap and seasonal events for John Lewis
Lisa: “I always love this show, it is really spirited. We have seen every single one of the 280 stands and are so impressed with the creativity out there. Stop the Clock really stood out. Beautiful cards with a distinct look and feel that is both aspirational yet commercial. I also really like what Louise Melgrew is doing. She is a fabulous, emerging superstar.”
Amie: “The addition of Springboard really sets PG Live apart. It is lovely to have such a condensed exhibition that means we can see everyone we already deal with as well as those who contact us that we don’t yet know, plus make new discoveries. Among the best ranges I have seen include those from Meraki, which are very pretty in a lovely smaller format. I also love how Tache has taken on its Famous Faces collection which is cool and exciting at the same time.”
Claire Castle, senior buyer of greeting cards for WHSmith:
“I thought PG Live was another great fair, and something I always look forward to. I actually had a sore throat by the end of the day – too much talking! The show is perfect timing for us for the 2018 re-plans. It is a great opportunity to catch up with existing publishers as well as check out new ones. In particular there were a lot of new humour ranges across several publishers which we will look to trial next year. I think I will also try to plan in two days next year as had to rush towards the end.”
Nik Gornall, owner of Romantica, Bristol:
“PG Live – I love it. It’s my favourite show for many reasons. I like the fact that I can see lots of smaller companies that do not yet have agents that are happy to do smaller carriage paid orders so I can try them out is great. I like the fact you can discover some great new ranges from newbies and established brands. I am so impressed with Linoking – the artwork is lovely and the cards have real texture due to some great embossing. Our customers really like letterpress and Wildberry Letterpress’ designs are wonderful and bound to go down well for us.”
Jerry and Debbie Brown, co-owners of First Class Greetings and Plum Green, Hadleigh:
“We saw loads of really strong new products. We spent our Greats voucher with Widdop and Co, on its new collections of Bambino and Amore cards as we already stock the gifts. We were also impressed with its Studio Oh range, which we will introduce into our new Plum Green store and its Rossana range of stylish gifts. We spent our Retas Ticket with new publisher Chocogreetings as it offers something different – a lovely card with a piece of quality chocolate.”
