As the doors closed on the 10th PG Live yesterday (June 6), both visitors and exhibitors were hailing the show as a great celebration of the global greeting card industry.
Over 270 exhibitors showed thousands of brand new designs and ranges to multiple and indie retailers, agents and overseas distributors at PG Live at the Business Design Centre in London. Some of the big names who visited included: Paperchase, John Lewis, Scribbler, Clintons, Sainsbury’s, Tesco, Waterstones, Oliver Bonas, Squires, Waitrose, WHSmith, Card Factory, Cards Galore, Harrods, Selfridges, JoJo Maman Bebe, Amazon, TKMaxx and Ocado.
As Rajesh Shah, founder of Cards Galore summed up the show: “Really positive vibes – great show, great products, great location, great opportunity to catch up with everyone.”
Of course, many independent retailers were out in force too!
The show is a must-visit for Amanda and Will Oscroft, owners of the 2018 Greats winning shop, Love It in Stamford and Bury St Edmunds. “The show is just fab and it is really buzzing this year,” said Amanda. “We love coming here, it’s one of the few shows that doesn’t feel like a chore to do. We’ve found three new suppliers so far, including Bettie Confetti, who we spent our £75 silver ticket with.”
Alison Ireland, owner of Cloud Nine card and gift shop in Market Deeping, Lincolnshire confessed that she has “nearly filled a wheelie suitcase with leaflets and samples” within the first few hours of the show, such was the potency of great products from exhibitors. “There’s just about every genre of card, the quality of the offering improves year on year. We really need more time to digest the vast array of exhibitors!”
On behalf of the overseas visitors, Jenny Cummins of Sydney-based Macmillan Cards stated: “It’s been a ripper!” adding that when translated from Aussie to British ‘english’ it means “It’s been an absolutely spiffing show!”
Next year, PG Live 2019 will take place Tuesday 4 and Wednesday 5 June.
