Indies share greetings from the festive trading front
Christmas may be over for another year but the ramifications last long so it’s always worth spending time checking out whether the festive season has been a cracker or a turkey.
There was a palpable feeling of nervousness with the significant rise in first-class stamp costs and reports of a general downturn in the retail world, but the full-on #Cardmitment campaign added to cardies’ efforts alongside the GCA’s mega successful PR activity grabbing the public’s attention.
As Christmas delivered on so many levels, PG shares the festive greetings from the trading front with Stationery House, The Indigo Tree, Cards & Gifts, and Cardies…

Malcolm Adams, owner of Stationery House, Somerton, Clevedon and Wrington
Christmas verdict: “Satisfied.”
Reveal all: “Our total Christmas card sales in Somerton were up 2% on the previous year. Given the fact we lost a whole day’s tradeon the first Saturday in December due to Storm Darragh and a power cut, we see it as a brilliant result.
“Our shop overall sales were up over 5%. The Wrington store’s Christmas card sales were up 29% on last year, but it was only its second Christmas of trading. Card sales at our little Clevedon store were down 0.8% on last year.
“Buying trends this year continued to show the market is shifting towards customers buying quality over quantity and purchasing open and humorous single Christmas cards for a personal send. Single card sales held up well, and we needed to reorder certain captions, notably Wife, and open Christmas cards yet again saw increased sales, as did the humorous designs.

“We almost had a complete sell out of boxed cards with customers tending to buy fewer, but purchasing quality boxes of cards. Sales of these were particularly strong between September and November. Then, in the second week of December, we saw a huge spike in purchasing standard boxes of Christmas cards. Charity cards had a slower start but, in the end, it was a complete sell out, due again to a huge spike in sales in the second week of December.
“Our stamp sales were up 25% on last year, and could have been even higher if Royal Mail had been quicker at allocating payments on our account!”
Star performers: “Museums & Galleries, our main supplier for boxes and charity cards. We introduced The Art File charity and boxed cards for the first time and were very impressed with the sales and the FSDU was very well designed. Noel Tatt’s Luxury Boxes also proved a hit with customers. Great British Card Company, Ling Design and UKG did well on single cards.”
Hunch for 2025: “Going into 2025 I feel reasonably confident about our greeting card trade. We’ll look at introducing some new suppliers to keep our selection fresh and relevant to purchasing habits.”

Adam and Harriet de Wolff, owners of The Indigo Tree, Streatham, Crystal Palace and Blandford Forum
Christmas verdict: “Exceeded expectations.”
Reveal all: “Overall, Christmas trading exceeded expectations across the three shops. We put Christmas stock in the London shops three weeks earlier this year, but it was a slightly anticipated slow start and things didn’t pick up until the second week of December as usual.
“We sold fewer tree decorations this year, but were cautious with what we bought in and more cautious buying in Christmas-themed stock – on the whole, this paid off.
“Sales of single cards were better than previous years which possibly reflects people sending cards more selectively. Christmas card packs were generally a little slower for us, but charity packs certainly did better than non-charity. Gift bags and roll wrap were also great sellers for us across the board.”
Star performers: “The Art File and Ohh Deer were our most popular publishers.”
Hunch for 2025: “We’re anticipating a tough year ahead and will focus primarily on our bestseller lines and suppliers to start with and we’ll see how we go.”

Carl Dunne, owner of Cards & Gifts, Sheffield
Christmas verdict: “Amazing!”
Reveal all: “Our Christmas trade went really well. I did order more than usual, but it paid off, with our Christmas sales ending 203% up overall. Christmas cards/boxes sales were up by a whopping 51%. Sales of chocolates from Sarunds and Custom Brand Co were up by 75%, gift wrap sales were up by 19% and, surprisingly, we saw a huge 58% increase on sales of stamps.
“I have to thank all my staff who dealt with each customer personally, as well as the suppliers who supported me with their great designs, plus keeping me stocked up throughout the very busy period.”
Star performers: “Most of my suppliers went above and beyond with me this year. My special thanks go to Abacus, Carte Blanche, Emotional Rescue, IC&G, Nigel Quiney, Noel Tatt, Second Nature, UKG and Words ’N’ Wishes as they were all amazing.”

Your approach: “Without the customers I would not be where I am today on building this business. What I think makes me stand out is that I really listen to my customers and go the extra mile to ensure that I can get them what they want. This Christmas we saw so many new customers, perhaps partly due to the fact that we advertised in local magazines further afield.”
Hunch for 2025: “I’m looking forward to our replan of stock with UKG as well as the spring seasons to see what this will bring this year. I also feel positive about seeing suppliers’ new designs and products that I’m excited to get on the shelves.
“Our industry has to be one of the best to be a part of – whatever the occasion people come into the shop for they always leave so happy and this makes all of us so happy too.”

Jo Sorrell, owner of Cardies, Stevenage
Christmas verdict: “Consistent.”
Reveal all: “Our Christmas sales ended up on par with previous years. We continued to hear people say they’re cutting back on the quantity of Christmas cards they send, but it’s good to hear they’re continuing to send cards to the important people in their lives and to those who they feel appreciate the connection of receiving a card in the post.
“Charity packs of cards sold well, but I believe many people would prefer a pack of at least 10 cards rather than the packs containing five or six cards but the packs/boxes of 10 cards tend to cost over £10 which do not sell well for us.”
Star performers: “Our bestselling range by far continued to be the bumper boxes of 30 assorted cards from Tracks. Each year we wish we had bought more. Note to self… buy more for 2025!
“Ranges that sold well for us came from Alex Clarke, Belly Button Designs, Five Dollar Shake, IC&G, Paperlink and Wendy Jones-Blackett. Our top-selling individual caption, as always, was Wife. Every year I think I’ve over ordered and every year I’m left panicking that we’ll run out! Men still rush in on Christmas Eve saying: ‘Is that all you have left?’
“Individual captions that sold well for us are From The Dog. We often tag this on to the sale of a Wife card ensuring there are lots of happy dog mums. Our bestselling dog range came from Richarts Designs. We just needed a few more dog breeds in its Christmas glasses line.

“Granddaughter, Grandson, Daughter & Son-In-law, Son & Daughter-In-law, Both Of You, Mum, Mummy, Husband, Sister & Brother In-law, Brother & Sister-In-Law all continued to be popular captions. Rather surprising this year was the shift away from the traditional One I Love caption with many preferring something less formal like Sending Lots Of Love/Hugs At Christmas, or just preferring the Someone Special caption.
“Note to publishers… we need more Someone Special At Christmas designs!”
Your approach: “I displayed the #Cardmitment posters and used the logo on social media. It’s an excellent campaign which has helped to highlight the importance of card sending.
“I’d love to have a great post that I could use which would kick back at the very annoying FB posts that loudly announce that ‘we are not sending Christmas cards this year, but are donating to charity instead’. I want to scream at them ‘why don’t you stop buying something else instead, as no other product that you buy at Christmas already gives to charity like Christmas cards do’!”