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ISBN 1-85765-839-6

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Executive Summary

Table of Contents

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

Executive Summary

Market Definition

INTRODUCTION

MARKET POSITION

MARKET SECTORS

MARKET TRENDS

Table 1: Main Sectors of the UK Greetings Cards Market by Volume and Value ( percent), 1997

Market Size

THE TOTAL MARKET

MARKET SECTORS

OVERSEAS TRADE

Table 2: The UK Greetings Cards Market by Value (£m at rsp), 1993-1997

Table 3: Analysis of the UK Greetings Cards Market by Category by Volume and Value (million units and £m at rsp), 1997

Table 4: Overseas Trade in Greetings Cards and Postcards (£m) 1992-1997

Table 5: Overseas Trade in Greetings Cards and Postcards (£000), 1997

Table 6: Sources of Imports of Greetings Cards and Postcards into the UK (£000 and percent), 1997

Table 7: Destination of Exports of Greetings Cards and Postcards (£000 and percent), 1997

Industry Background

HISTORICAL BACKGROUND

INDUSTRY CONCENTRATION

EMPLOYMENT

DISTRIBUTION

TRADE ASSOCIATIONS

TRADE EXHIBITIONS

Table 8: Analysis of UK Publishers and Printers by Turnover Size (number of enterprises and percent), 1997

Table 9: Analysis of UK Publishers and Printers by Employment Size (number of employees and percent), 1997

Brands

BRAND IDENTIFICATION

THE GREETING CARD INDUSTRY AWARDS 1997

THE LOUIE AWARDS

NEW TECHNIQUES

NEW CHARACTERS AND THEMES

NEW COMPETITORS

Competitor Analysis

THE MARKETPLACE

LEADING COMPANIES

CHARITY GREETINGS CARDS SUPPLIERS

ADVERTISING AND PROMOTION

Table 10: Leading UK Greetings Cards Companies by Turnover (£m), 1996, 1997 and 1998

Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats (SWOT)

STRENGTHS

WEAKNESSES

OPPORTUNITIES

THREATS

Buying Behaviour

PER CAPITA CONSUMPTION

CONSUMER PROFILE

Table 11: Per Capita Consumption of Greetings Cards (million units and £m), 1993-1997

Table 12: Buying Occasions of Greetings Cards by Age and Sex ( percent), 1998

Outside Suppliers to the Industry

ENVELOPES

PACKING AND DISTRIBUTION

PAPER/BOARD SUPPLIERS

PRINTING AND EMBOSSING, ETC.

DISPLAY EQUIPMENT

AVERY DENNISON WORLDWIDE OFFICE PRODUCTS

Current Issues

ACQUISITIONS AND MERGERS

NEW PRODUCTS

TECHNOLOGY

WASTAGE

Forecasts

FORECASTS 1998 TO 2002

Table 13: Forecast Retail Sales of All Greetings Cards by Volume and Value (million units, £m at rsp and pence), 1998-2002

Table 14: Forecast Shares of the Main Sectors of Greetings Cards by Volume and Value ( percent), 1998 and 2002

Market Growth

A DECADE OF DEVELOPMENT

Figure 1: The UK Greetings Cards Market by Value (£m at rsp), 1993-2002

Company Profiles

INTRODUCTION

DEFINITIONS

FURTHER INFORMATION

Company Financials

Further Sources

ASSOCIATIONS

PERIODICALS

DIRECTORIES

GENERAL SOURCES

HBI UK INFORMATION SOURCES

GOVERNMENT PUBLICATIONS

OTHER SOURCES

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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

The UK market for greetings cards has long been one of intense competition, and this has never been more evident than in recent months, both on the retail and publishing sides. Trade sources put the retail value of greetings cards at £945m in 1997, which is 10 percent less than in 1996. This would appear largely due to a lower average unit price which, in turn, can be attributable to the supermarkets' gaining market share with their marginally cheaper product.

1997/1998 has not been without its casualties. Second Generation, RGM Originals and Jooles were all acquired from the receivers by other publishers. Meanwhile, the struggling J Arthur Dixon, despite considerable investment and review of its ranges, is under new ownership, as is another long-established name, Henry Ling.

The wholesale sector continues to struggle in the face of competition from ever-increasing direct-to-retail (DTR) sales which have gone to the mixed multiples and supermarket chains. The retail sector has also undergone significant changes since 1995, noticeably Fine Art Developments' withdrawal from retailing.

With a domestic market at near saturation, many publishers have looked, in recent years, to expand their operations overseas, only to find themselves now penalised by the strength of sterling. This has made their products expensive. Similarly, a strong pound makes importing more attractive for foreign companies which are able to undercut UK factories.

The Confederation of British Industry (CBI), which recently disclosed that both domestic and overseas orders in the UK manufacturing sector in its entirety, are at their thinnest since early 1993, say that overseas sales are at their lowest level for 15 years due to the pound's strength and that more than 200,000 factory jobs are threatened.

Following a particularly healthy 1996 for overseas trade in greetings cards, export values in 1997 reached £57.6m, down by 10.3 percent, whilst the cost of imports rose by 5.8 percent to reach £20.2m. Despite the threat from imported cards, the UK greetings cards industry, however, is renowned for its innovation and is not about to take a back seat. With a wealth of creative ideas, it continues to introduce new products across a wide range of prices, perseveres in establishing new sending occasions and messages and, in the case of Hallmark, has embarked on a campaign of television (TV) and other main media advertising.

Text © 1998 Key Note

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Last updated by Duncan Nottage 5th March 1999