In the fourth of a series of ‘United Nations’ reports (the first three being from Jenny Cummins of McMillan Cards in Oz, Tori Wright of Paper E.Clips in Canada and Alan Harnik, of Notes & Queries in the US) Basil Shapiro, managing director of Shapiros, a long-established distributor of UK publishers, shares his take on the South African greeting card sector and sends good wishes to his many friends in the UK card community.
How is the greeting card trade in South Africa, compared to pre-pandemic?
“There is a massive shortage of stock in South Africa right now as shipping is an absolute disaster. It is taking over two months to get shipments here, so planning is of utmost importance and it is hammering cashflow.”
“However, for all the problems of supply, on the consumer front, everyone is making a huge effort at home to make a person’s special day amazing. So, card sales are almost back to 2019 levels though there has been a drop in the multiple card sends, such as for weddings and milestone ages etc.”
What has been the good news?
“On our side as some competitors have closed down and others are being conservative, we have started trading with new customers which is very positive and exciting for us. Online sales have also helped immensely.”
Do you have a message for your UK friends?
“Missing PG Live was very disappointing for me as it’s such a great opportunity to touch base with all suppliers and look for new opportunities. Right now, I am relying on Progressive Greetings and suppliers communicating with me for new offerings.”
Top: Basil Shapiro enjoying a friendly arm wrestle at PG Live 2018 with Alan Holmes, formerly of Icon.
