Congratulations to all of the finalists and winners of the Retas Awards 2015 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.
3 Wishes won The Retas Award for Greeting Card Retailer of the Year
The Retas Awards Winners 2015:
Kerry Young from Thoughtful Expressions won Greeting Card Retail Employee of the Year
Finalists 2015:
Matthew Anderson, manager of 1st Stop Stationers, Reigate
Kym Baker, manager of Cardzone, Farnsfield
Lynda Hilbert, manager of Just Write, North Finchley
Lauren Keen, manager of Sentiments, Burnham on Sea
Vivian Laing, sales assistant of Signatures From The Heart, Preston
Sharon McMahon, manager of Nice Thoughts, Coleshill
Lynda Wells, manager of Love It, Stamford
Postmark won Green Best Independent Greeting Card Retailer - London
Finalists 2015:
All Good Gifts - Battersea
Card Bureau - Holland Park
Gift - Crouch End
Paperlane - Chislehurst
Presence - Watford
Box of Delights won Best Independent Greeting Card Retailer - Home Counties
Finalists 2015:
1st Stop Stationers - Reigate
Kado – Princes Risborough
Creased Cards - Brighton
Panda Cards - St Albans
The Secret Garden - Borough Green
Just Cards won Best Independent Greeting Card Retailer - East Anglia
Finalists 2015:
Cards R Us - South Woodham Ferrers
Pedlars Gold - Swaffham
Simply Cards - Wymondham
Sincerely Yours - Shenfield
Thoughtful Expressions - Holt
Tidings won Best Independent Greeting Card Retailer - South West
Finalists 2015:
Card Gallery - Wimborne
Saltash Cards - Saltash
Sentiments - Burnham on Sea
Skoops Cards - Cinderford
Soukous - Bristol
Something Special won Best Independent Greeting Card Retailer - Wales and the Midlands
Finalists 2015:
Every Occasion - three stores in Bedworth, Altherston and Wigston
Nice Thoughts - Coleshill
Sentiments - Whitchurch
Set - Leicester
The Tutbury Present Company - Tutbury
Unit 7 and Presentation won Best Independent Greeting Card Retailer - North and Northern Ireland
Finalists 2015:
The Card Gallery - Pontefract
Dragonfly Cards & Gifts - Knaresborough
Gorgeous Gifts and Cards - Birkenshaw
Mantons - Isle of Man
More Than Just Cards - Sheffield
Clocktower Cards won Best Independent Greeting Card Retailer - Scotland
Finalists 2015:
Everyone's Designs - Edinburgh
The Gift Boutique - Fraserburgh
Hallmark Gold Crown - Parkhead Forge
Kairds - Kirkwall
Strachans - Inverurie
Rhymes with Orange won Best Greeting Card Retailer Newcomer - South
Finalists 2015:
ETC - Islington, London
Hallmark Celebrate - Chigwell, Essex
Maythers - Westminster, London
Memories - Twickenham
Penny Black won Best Greeting Card Retailer Newcomer - North
Finalists 2015:
Cool! Cards & Gifts - Skipton
Little Paperie - Ashbourne
Love Letters - Anlaby, Hull
Quirky Coo - Dundee
Signatures From The Heart - Preston
The Bookshop Loughton won Best Indie Bookstore Retailer of Greeting Cards
Finalists 2015:
Barnes Bookshop - Barnes, Kew and East Sheen
Bookends - Christchurch
Chorleywood Bookshop - Chorleywood
St. Paul's Bookshop - Ramsey
Walkers Bookshops - Stamford and Oakham
Harriet & Dee won Best Non-Specialist Indie Retailer of Greeting Cards - North
Finalists 2015:
Church Gallery - Kirby Stephen
Pippin - Edinburgh
Polka Dot - Castle Douglas and Dumfries
Tippecanoe - Portree, Skye
Tebay Services – Tebay, Cumbria
Calladoodles won Best Non-Specialist Independent Retailer of Greeting Cards - South
Finalists 2015:
Art For Art’s Sake - Muswell Hill
Calliope Gifts - Dorking and Alton
The Country House Gift Company - Winscombe
Darts Farm Village - Topsham
KP News and Stationers - Wallingford
3 Wishes won Best Greeting Card Small Multiple (4-20 Branches)
Finalists 2015:
All Wrapped Up - Thame, Heathfield, Uckfield and Cranbrook
Funky Pigeon/Paper & Script - 12 stores
House of Cards - seven stores in the Home Counties
iCandy - 14 stores in Essex and Herts
Occasions Cards & Gifts/M&P Cards - 8 stores in the Home Counties and the south
Barkers won Best Department Store Retailer of Greeting Cards
Asda won Best Supermarket Retailer of Greeting Cards
Finalists 2015:
Booths
Morrisons
Sainsbury’s
Tesco
Waitrose
Oliver Bonas won Best Non-Specialist Multiple Retailer of Greeting Cards (4+ branches)
Finalists 2015:
Blackwells - 46 stores nationwide
Foyles - five stores in London and Bristol
The Lemon Tree - Seven stores in Surrey and Kent
National Trust - 200+ stores nationwide
Utility - Four stores in Liverpool and London
Scribbler won Best Specialist Multiple Retailer of Greeting Cards (20+ branches)
Finalists 2015:
Card Factory
Cardland
Cardzone
Clintons
Paperchase
Frosts won Best Garden Centre Retailer of Greeting Cards
Finalists 2015:
Gordale Garden and Home Centre - South Wirral
Grosvenor Garden Centre - Chester
Hawley Garden Centre - Canterbury
Klondyke/Strikes - 24 branches nationwide
Longacres - Bagshot
House of Cards won Best Greeting Card Retailer Initiative for its Ladder Club promotion
Finalists 2015:
Austin & Co, Malvern - for its dog friendly promotion Forget Me Not, Stubbington - for its WW1 centenary activities
The Gift Box, Peebles - for its Thinking of You Week promotion
The Lynn Tait Gallery, Leigh-on-Sea - for its WW1 design competition
Red Card, Petworth - for its Valentine’s calligraphy event
Greetings House won Best Greeting Card Service Based Wholesaler
Finalists 2015:
Archway Cards - Norwich
Budget Greeting Cards - Seven Branches
CAPS - Bury
Crosswear Trading - Enfield
Jackson’s - Sheffield
Now in their eleventh 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 8th July, where the 2015 winners were announced by comedian Sean Collins. Congratulations to all of the winners and finalists!
Click here to see previous winners of The Retas Awards
