greetings cards
Recently, I was invited onto BBC Radio Leicester to talk about something I care very deeply about: the future of greeting cards, changing customer behaviour, and the growing importance of trust in our postal system. As both a greeting card retailer and publisher, I see every day just how much
I have never sat down at a desk and asked AI what article to write. In fact, I hardly ever sit down to write an article at all. The ideas come gushing out when I'm cleaning my teeth, while I'm creating a display, while I'
Smart Shopkeeper Club
I was really pleased to be featured on the Greeting Card Association’s official Thinking of You Week blog, talking about the ideas and campaigns we created around this year’s event. Thinking of You Week is already a genuinely brilliant campaign. At its heart is something very simple but
Retail Shopping used to be about acquisition. You went out for a thing, found it, paid for it, and left. Now, in many of the most interesting corners of retail, the thing itself is no longer quite enough. Stores are being asked to entertain, reassure, instruct, flatter and provide a
Smart Shopkeeper Strategy
People love a business origin story. How did they start? What was the lightbulb moment? How did they go from nothing to success? We’re taught to believe the secret lies in the beginning. That somewhere inside the founder’s early decisions is a blueprint we can follow ourselves. But
Does Faire Marketplace Spell the End of the Trade Fair? For generations, the trade fair has been one of retail’s great rituals: the early train, the sensible shoes, the coffee drunk too quickly in a cavernous hall, the chance encounter that turns into next season’s best seller. Now
Thinking of You Week
Why I created these free retailer resources and how they can help your shop make an impact with minimal effort. Thinking of You Week is a nationwide campaign that encourages everyone to send a card and deliver a smile. Brought to you by The Greeting Card Association, it’s a
Retail Industry
Britain loves the idea of small shops. We love market towns. We love independent cafés, bakeries, florists, card shops and bookshops. We love Christmas shopping evenings and beautiful little shopping streets decorated with lights and bunting. We love discovering hidden gems on holiday. We love towns with “character.” At least,
Greeting Card Association
I was really pleased to take part in the GCA / PG Retailer Forum in August 2025, alongside other independent retailers, publishers and industry figures, with PG Buzz later covering the event and the conversations that came out of it. What I valued most about the forum was that it focused
Greeting Card Association
I was honoured to be invited to join the judging panel for the 2025 Henries Awards, widely regarded as the UK’s most prestigious celebration of greeting card design and publishing. As both a greeting card retailer and publisher, it was a real privilege to spend time reviewing such an
Smart Shopkeeper Strategy
One thing my team will tell you very quickly is this: I rarely leave anything alone for long. A display gets adjusted slightly. A sign moves half an inch. A product gets regrouped. A caption changes. A window gets simplified. A price point shifts. A shelf suddenly makes more sense
retas awards
We were incredibly proud to have our Female Founders Month campaign named Best Retailer Initiative at The Retas 2025, a national awards event celebrating the very best of the UK greeting card industry. Not long afterwards, the Leicester Mercury also featured the story, helping share the campaign and award win