Congratulations to all of the finalists and winners of the Retas Awards 2014 celebrating Greeting Card Retailing in the UK. We would especially like to thank all of you who stock our cards! We consider ourselves very privileged to be serving such a fine host of retailers.
M&P Cards wins The Retas Award for Greeting Card Retailer of the Year
The Retas Awards Winners 2014:
Annie Lovstav, manager for To Be Established, Highbury, London won Greeting Card Retail Employee of the Year
Finalists
Maureen Constable, card supervisor for Conochies, Lerwick
Emily Eastwood, manager for Hallmark Something Special, Rainhill, Merseyside
Heather Hodgson, manager for Celebrations, Carlisle
Lauren Keen, manageress for Sentiments, Burnham-on-Sea
Cynthia McLean, senior sales card specialist for Paperchase, Tottenham Court Road, London
Celia O’Connor, retail assistant for Calladoodles, Carshalton
Stephen Wallace, sales assistant for New Frames, Soho, London
Sheryl Weaver, retail assistant for The Celtic Company At Number Fourteen, Welshpool, Powys
Paper Art, Finchley won Best Independent Greeting Card Retailer - London
Finalists
All Good Gifts, Battersea
Classic Cards, Upminster
Felicitations, Shepperton
Le Chocolatier, Highgate
Paper Lane, Chislehurst
The Gorgeous Gift & Card Company, Biggleswade won Best Independent Greeting Card Retailer - Home Counties
Finalists
Box Of Delights, Flitwick
Dees Cards, Potters Bar, Leighton Buzzard and St Albans
Lovely Cards, Camberley
Presentimes, Faversham
Wishing Well, Great Bookham
First Class Greetings, Hadleigh won Best Independent Greeting Card Retailer - East Anglia
Finalists
All Wrapped Up, Saffron Walden
Books & Cards, Snape Maltings, Aldeburgh
Chapmans of Southwold, Southwold
Creativity, Sheringham
Pedlar’s Gold, Swaffham
Occasions Cards &Gifts, Fareham won Best Independent Greeting Card Retailer - South West
Finalists
From The Heart, New Milton
Sentiments, Burnham-on-Sea
Splash, Ryde, Isle of Wight
Tidings, Cirencester
Top Drawer, Dorchester
The Card Emporium, Malvern won Best Independent GCR - Wales and the Midlands
Finalists
Bentleys, Stourport
Hallmark, Ryemarket, Stourbridge
Special Occasions, Castle Bromwich
The Celtic Company at Number Fourteen, Welshpool
The Tutbury Present Company, Tutbury
Celebrations, Carlisle won Best Independent GCR - North and Northern Ireland
Finalists
Harriet & Dee, Didsbury and Chester
Magpie Greetings, Harrogate
Serendipity, Newcastle
The Card Shop, Hexham
Unit 7, Manchester and Birmingham
Conochies, Lerwick won Best Independent Greeting Card Retailer - Scotland
Finalists
Charisma, Dunblane
Paper Tiger, two shops in Edinburgh
Papyrus, Glasgow and Edinburgh
Present Boutique, Edinburgh
The Framing Gallery, Innerleithen
Red Card Shop, Petworth won Best Greeting Card Retailer Newcomer - South
Finalists
Bromleys, Halstead
Calliope Gifts, Dorking
Chapstone Cards, Dartford
ETC, London
Southbourne Cards, Southbourne
Austin & Co, Malvern won Best Greeting Card Retailer Newcomer - North
Finalists
Card & Gift Boutique, Birkdale
Gorgeous Gifts & Cards, Birkenshaw
Hallmark Wilson and Bailey, Ainsdale
House of Cards, Clitheroe
Love Letters, Hull
Bookends, Christchurch won Best Independent Bookstore Retailer of Greeting Cards
Finalists
Coach House Books, Pershore
Spencer Thorn Bookshop, Bude
The Barnes Bookshop, Barnes, Kew and Sheen
The Book Shop Loughton, Loughton
Walker Books, Oakham and Stamford
The Hollies Farm Shop, Lower Stretton won Best Non-Specialist Independent Retailer of Greeting Cards - North
Finalists
Calladoodles, Carshalton
Flowertime, Hayle
Hale Post Office, Hale
Morgans The Barns, St Agnes
Wincanton Post Office, Wincanton won Best Non-Specialist Independent Retailer of Greeting Cards - South
Finalists
Calladoodles, Carshalton
Flowertime, Hayle
Hale Post Office, Hale
Morgans The Barns, St Agnes
iCandy – won Best Greeting Card Small Multiple (4-20 Branches)
Finalists
3 Wishes - Verwood, Ringwood, Lymington and West Moors
House Of Cards – seven stores in the South of England
I&A Cards – seven stores in Scotland
Mayther – seven stores in the South of England
Penmark – 13 stores in the Midlands
Jarrolds, Norwich won Best Department Store Retailer of Greeting Cards
Finalists
Daniels, Windsor
Fenwick, Newcastle
Fortnum & Mason, London
John Lewis, Oxford Street
Oldrids, Boston
Asda won Best Supermarket Retailer of Greeting Cards
Finalists
Utility won Best Non-Specialist Multiple Retailer of Greeting Cards (4+ branches)
Finalists
Joy – 25 stores nationwide
National Trust – 200+ stores (incl 14 high street shops) nationwide
Oliver Bonas – 43 stores nationwide
Waterstones – 300+ stores nationwide
WHSmith – 600+ travel outlets and 600+ high street stores nationwide
Cardzone won Best Specialist Multiple Retailer of Greeting Cards (20+ branches)
Finalists 2014
Card Factory – 733 stores
Cards Galore – 50+ stores
Clintons – 391 stores
Paperchase – 130+ outlets
Scribbler – 28 stores
Klondyke/Strikes won Best Garden Centre Retailer of Greeting Cards
Finalists
Bents, Glazebury
Burstons Garden Centre, St Albans
Longacres Garden Centre, Bagshot
Poplar Nurseries, Marks Tey
Ruxley Manor Garden Centre, Sidcup
Paperchase - for its Impressmum Mother’s Day viral video won Best Greeting Card Retailer Initiative
Finalists
Austin & Co, Malvern - for its Christmas dog viral video
Celebrate, Scunthorpe - for its plethora of PR concepts
Fortnum & Mason, London - for its National Stationery Week activities
The Secret Garden, Borough Green - for its Write A Poem For Father’s Day initiative
The Stationery Boutique, Ampthill - for its Claridge’s Mother’s Day Promotion
Budget Greeting Cards won Best Greeting Card Service Based Wholesaler
Finalists
Crosswear Trading, Enfield
Greetings House, Walsall
Jackson’s, Sheffield
PJW Cards, Glasgow
Rupert Magnus Trading, Acton
NB: Wherever possible the names of the shops are clickable for you to be able to see finalists website and social media links.
Now in their tenth year, The Retas Awards are established in recognition of the tremendous contribution that retailers - both large and small - make to the success of the greeting card industry. Launched by Progressive Greetings magazine in 2005, The Retas Awards recognise and celebrate not only the top independent and multiple greeting card retailers regionally and nationally, but also the new generation of retailers as well as employees of outstanding excellence.
This year the Retas Awards, the ‘Oscars’ of greeting card retailing, were held at at a Vintage Travel themed luncheon at at The Dorchester Hotel on Wednesday 9th July, where the 2014 winners were announced by comedian Rob Deering. Congratulations to all of the winners and finalists!
Click here to see previous winners of The Retas Awards
