Now the festive season is over and a new year has begun, Progressive Greetings’ January edition is bursting with industry stories, new launches, views and news to kick-start 2018.
Claire Castle, WHSmith’s senior greeting card buyer, takes PG on a tour of its radically different retail concept at its Reading store, which places greeting cards and stationery in prime position.
“The first thing that strikes you is the fascia. Customers can see right into the store, which has a modern, uncluttered, well-lit feel. Gone are the carpets, replaced with wooden floors; the new lights make such a difference while clever approaches to fixturing means we have been able to do away with most of the spinners,” Claire summarises. (Click to pages 53 to 55).
On the product side, creative duo Heather Flynn and Giles Andreae talk about the new Happy Jackson range reboot with an eye-popping new colour palette, encompass some quirky tweaks to the design format as well as updated phraseology. (Click to pages 56 to 57).
This month, The Art File will be marking its 21st birthday this year by initially launching 300 new everyday cards across 14 collections. Ged Mace, md and co-founder of publisher discusses the company’s evolution. (Click to pages 85 to 87).
With card indies having to work hard to win the retailing ‘match’, some ace shop players look back over 2017 to share what it ‘served’ for them and their business and what they hope this year will rally. (Click to pages 35 to 37).
Since its launch in 1990, Emotional Rescue’s On The Ceiling range has sold over 100 million cards, becoming one of the most successful and sustained humorous greeting card brands of all time. Now, as a result of an expanding licensing programme, On The Ceiling looks set to ‘build’ on its triumph. Emo’s md, Martin Nevin, and creative director, Jennie Rutter, explain the brand’s new developments. (Click to pages 77 to 79).
It’s been a ‘slow burner’ but sloths have finally reached the top of the design trend tree. With this gradual trend picking up speed, a number of publishers reveal why they are embracing the gentle sloth with very long wide-open arms. (Click to pages 73 to 75).
While an array of ‘sweet wrappers’ are launching in Hallmark new giftwrappings 2018 collection, the publisher giant is also celebrating the 100th anniversary since the company invented giftwrap as we know it. (Paper) tracing the giftwrappings market’s lineage, Claire Warren, Hallmark’s gift packaging product manager, shares insights on today’s wrappers. (Click to pages 81 to 83).
With retailers eager to see ‘what’s new’ from card suppliers and in turn, publishers are prepping for the up and coming trade shows, this month’s magazine will highlight a plethora of wonderful exhibitors at Top Drawer (Click to pages 61 to 71) as well as Ladder Clubbies who are set to put into action at the London fair what greetings knowledge they have learnt. (Click to pages 89 to 91).
All this and more on the pages of a lovely glossy magazine and online too!
Click here to read the whole PG January 2018 edition online.
