It is end of an era at WPL as Andrew Whiteway, the sole shareholder of the business he started back in 1981 has decided to leave the company to focus on his other business interests, notably as a shareholder in Hong Kong-based sourcing company, Winner Star Asia. However it is the start of a new ‘WPL chapter’ as Mark Mostyn, who has been sales director of WPL for over 30 years, together with gift industry stalwart, Chris Noble (a former director of Xpressions for 16 years and consultant to WPL for the last five years) have formed a new company, WPL Gifts, that they jointly own and will run as joint managing directors.
All existing WPL products will now be sold and distributed by WPL Gifts, alongside other products that will be launched in the coming months. While the new company will focus on gifts it will also publish card ranges as well as calendars.
The original WPL business will officially cease to exist over the next few days, but the company will be closed without owing any money to anyone or with any changes to the sales team. “It will essentially be business as usual as it has always been Mostyn who has been the front man of the business. Together with Chris they will be able to further develop the business while I will still retain a connection as Winner Star is likely to be supplying the company with products,” said Andrew. The WPL head office is to be moved to Nottingham, close to the company’s warehousing facility in Mansfield.
When Andrew started WPL, the ‘small house card publishing’ scene, as it was referred at the time, was in its infancy. Having started out as a postcard company, WPL grew rapidly into a leading greeting card company, trailblazing on the sophisticated contemporary photographic sentiment brand MILK as well as with many commercially successful gift and card concepts.
Recalling the very early days of the company, Andrew said: “Mostyn joined me soon after I started the business which was run from a rather fancy address – 3 Whitehall, but in fact was run from a rather smelly basement of my brother’s souvenir shop!”
Andrew became involved in Winner Star four years ago when the sourcing company was starting up and he has acted as a consultant and non-executive chairman over the subsequent period as the business has expanded into producing its own products, including the impressive Magic Speaker and Magic Boombox products that WPL showcased on its stand at Spring Fair.
“The gift trade has changed considerable over the years, WPL would never have considered offering gadgets, but retailers and their customers are now looking for alternatives,” says Andrew.
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