With Safety Precautions In Place, UKG Re-starts Merchandising Supermarkets’ Card Displays

After a month’s interruption to service after the government lockdown, UKG is again merchandising displays for some food retailers where it is deemed safe to do so.

Providing something of a lifeline to many card publishers who benefit from being included in the card displays of grocers such as Sainsbury’s and Asda, the news that UKG (who supply cards to supermarkets under a brokerage agreement) had been able to find a solution to ensure the safe working of merchandisers has been warmly received, especially at a time when few major greeting card stockists are allowed to trade.

“Ensuring the personal safety of our merchandisers has been of paramount importance. Our retail partners have been incredibly supportive in allowing us to carry out our work in non-trading hours and for that we are very thankful,” confirmed Darren Cave, commercial director of UKG.

Above: Not surprisingly, having not been merchandised for a while as businesses quite rightly prioritised safety, the greeting card displays in some grocers have resulted in empty pockets and untidy presentation. UKG’s merchandisers are now safely returning to work. — **Above:** Not surprisingly, having not been merchandised for a while as businesses quite rightly prioritised safety, the greeting card displays in some grocers have resulted in empty pockets and untidy presentation. UKG’s merchandisers are now safely returning to work.

In tandem with working on the access timeframe, UKG has also secured protective aids for merchandisers after they spotted a news story on PG Buzz about greeting card printer Windles re-purposing its machinery to manufacture PPE full face visors (on a not-for-profit basis) for frontline workers, whether in the medical professional, care home teams, transport staff or indeed in retail. (https://www.pgbuzz.net/card-trade-urged-to-help-windles-get-ppe-visors-where-needed/)

Above: Yvonne Dobbins, one of UKG’s regional merchandise manager in her Windles-manufactured Medi-visor. — **Above:** Yvonne Dobbins, one of UKG’s regional merchandise manager in her Windles-manufactured Medi-visor.

“As soon as I read about the initiative, I contacted Windles and ordered 1,000 of its Medi-visors that are now being made available to our merchandisers, and we’ve since been back to order more. Our merchandisers are part of our frontline, enabling greeting cards to get to the public at a time when cards are more than proving their worth in helping people to stay connected during these times of isolation,” said Darren.

Above: Darren Cave, commercial director of UKG (with a Henries trophy for service) has been keen to protect the safety of the team while resuming the card merchandising services to its grocer customers.

Having made contact with the Yorkshire hospitals NHS Trust, Dewsbury-based UKG has also donated 1,075 of the masks (matching the number it has purchased for the publisher’s use at retail) to the Pinderfields Hospital in Wakefield. “This is just one small way of supporting the tremendous work being completed by our fantastic NHS workers,” said Darren.