Clintons reports 116% rise in sales of cards for ages 70+

High street greeting card specialist is considering extending its range of great-grandparent specific cards due to the baby boomers living longer.

There are half a million people in the UK aged 90 and above and 14,570 centenarians, a 65% increase over the last decade. Of these, an estimated 1,000 are aged 105 and over, double that of 2005. It is estimated that there are currently 14 million grandparents in the UK, 1.5 million who are under 50. A large proportion of this group will go on to be great-grandparents. These statistics were highlighted by Clintons as part of its ongoing consumer PR campaign to prompt greeting card sending.

A 70th card from Clintons
A 70th card from Clintons

Tim Fairs, VP of marketing at Clintons said: “Most people of my generation have no memory of their great-grandparents, yet today many play an active role in family life. It’s great that younger generations have access to the love, experience and history of their elderly relatives and it’s fascinating that demographics are shifting so rapidly.”

Sales of cards designed for those in their 70’s and above increased for the specialist chain by 116% last year. Clintons predicts that more than 100,000 cards will be sold to those celebrating 90th, 95th and 100th birthdays in 2017.

It’s a trend that Neil Greenwood, sales agent for the Northwest has noticed as he goes around his clients as well. “I didn’t use to sell many 80/90 cards but have noticed these are now just part and parcel of the order for age cards. I do find though that a lot of card companies still produce really ‘old fashioned’ cards for ages 60 upwards but as the life expectancy increases this will soon be considered middle-aged. Most 60 year olds I know do not consider themselves ready to slip into a pair of comfy slippers or sit by the garden shed. In fact most are probably still working and very active. It’s almost like some card companies are still stuck in a time warp and think everyone has retired around 60. There is still a lot of life left in 70 and 80 year olds so don’t write them off just yet!”

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