I’m an independent retailer, publisher and founder based at More Than Just a Gift in Leicestershire. I have been a shopkeeper for over 30 years. I am founder of greeting card publisher Petimo as well as The Shopkeeper Journal.
The AW26 buying season is hotting up. Harrogate Home & Gift is just around the corner and independent retailers across the country are turning their attention towards buying for the busiest trading season of the year. Over the next few weeks we'll all be doing much the same
Every July, thousands of independent retailers head to Harrogate Home & Gift with comfortable shoes, a notebook, and usually a shopping list. Of course, buying products is an important part of the trip. The right product, bought at the right time, can become a bestseller for years to come. But
Small Shop Summer
Every year, around this time, independent retailers start talking about Christmas. Buying. Ordering. Planning. Forecasting. It makes perfect sense. Christmas is the biggest opportunity of the year. But last year I found myself wondering whether we were overlooking something. What if the quieter summer months weren't something to
ask a shopkeeper
Dear Shopkeeper, I've started hearing this more and more. A customer is browsing in my shop, then they tell me "I can get this cheaper online." Sometimes they still buy it, sometimes they don't, but either way I never know how to respond. Part
Over the past three years, our shop’s greeting card sales have almost quadrupled. On paper, that shouldn't really be happening. Just two miles from our shop is one of the country's largest shopping parks, attracting more than 13 million visits a year. My customers are
Small Shop Summer
It's that time of year again. After a fantastic response last year, Small Shop Summer is back for 2026. What began as a simple idea has grown into something much bigger. Last summer, independent retailers around the country used the campaign to spark conversations, celebrate their businesses and
Small Shop Summer
When we launched Small Shop Summer last year, we didn't have a 2500 participants research report to back us up. We had an idea. An observation. And a growing suspicion that customers valued independent businesses far more than many retailers realised. The campaign was built on a simple
royal mail
Last week I was interviewed by the BBC about the impact of failing postal services on the greeting card industry. My contribution got bumped because an actual MP made an interesting comment about the situation, and frankly, I‘m well aware my opinion ranks way lower than his! But being
retas awards
I was genuinely shocked and incredibly honoured to discover that Smart Shopkeeper Club has been named a finalist in The Retas Awards 2026 for Best Retailer Initiative. What makes this especially meaningful to me is that Smart Shopkeeper Club didn’t begin as a polished plan or carefully mapped-out
Small Shop Summer
My archaeology degree occasionally proves useful in unexpected places. One of the simplest ways I’ve ever heard the difference between history and archaeology explained is this: History tells us what people say. Archaeology tells us what they do. History is the written record. Archaeology is the physical evidence left
Small Shop Summer
When I launched Small Shop Summer last year, I genuinely didn’t know what would happen. The idea seemed sound enough. I’d seen first-hand how powerful a good campaign could be during our award-winning Female Founders Month initiative. Customers had engaged with the message, embraced the stories
Smart Shopkeeper Club
Summer is a funny season for independent retailers. The spring occasions are behind us. Mother's Day, Easter and Father's Day have come and gone. Christmas still feels a very long way away. For many shops, summer can feel like a gap between the major retail moments