“There is no doubt that consumers love sending and greeting cards. Trends come and go, but birthdays will be with us forever,” was an upbeat message Ged Mace, managing director of The Art File delivered to an all-attentive audience of card publishers at The Ladder Club Day Two seminar recently.
As well as sharing the award-winner publisher’s key events in its 21-year history, as well as his take on the industry’s future opportunities, Ged, who was presented with the Honorary Achievement Award at the recent Henries, shone the spotlight on some possible causes for concern.
One of the UK greeting card industry challenges which is common to both newbie and established publishers is that the demand for agents outstrips the existing agent base.
A longtime fan of agents, “We owe so much to our agents, I really believe they are the very best in this industry,” stressed Ged, paying tribute to his loyal salesforce before highlighting a real challenge for many card publishers, most especially newbies.
“I do have a concern over the future of agents. We have had a very stable team of agents, but one of our agents has just retired while another is due to retire. I received these two phone calls within two weeks of each other,” Ged told the audience to illustrate the point. “It is concerning that there are fewer agents coming through the system, despite the fact that card sending is still strong,” Ged added.
The Art File’s reaction to the recent new from two agents is that it is now investigating appointing a full time sales rep to cover the North West area that Robin Hill (the agent who has recently retired after 28 years in the industry – https://www.pgbuzz.net/popular-north-west-agent-robin-hill-to-retire-after-28-years/) used to cover. Ged however was keen to stress that this is not the start of The Art File’s wholesale move to reps. “We have no intention of stopping working with our agents, why would we, they are the best in this business!” he reinforced.
Among the other industry challenges and opportunities Ged touched on included:
- The changing high street, reflecting the shift in consumer buying habits, signify both a threat and opportunity. “What about coffee shops? Wherever there are groups of people is an opportunity for greeting cards to be stocked,” believes Ged.
- Environmental concerns are driving the demands for the reduction on waste and packaging. The Art File’s incentive to offer a 4p a card cost saving on ‘naked’ Spring Seasons cards have been taken up by 25% of The Art File stockists.
- Retailers will continue to demand differentiation, with “different models” and bespoke products bound to ensue.
- “There has to be other ways of dealing with SOR. The retail climate will mean existing rules can change,” predicts Ged.
Above: Inkpress was The Art File’s ‘breakthrough’ range.
Top: Ged Mace, md of The Art File giving his impromptu acceptance speech at The Henries 2018 at which he was presented with the Honorary Achievement Award.
