****PRESS RELEASE 8th April 2024
As a local business that has grown to over 20 employees and has exported greetings cards to countries around the world, Paper Salad Publishing is one of the North West’s great success stories.
But owners are concerned about the potential impact that proposed changes to Royal Mail services could have on them – and to thousands of other local businesses across the UK.
They are among over 90 members of the Greeting Card Association which have sent letters to their local MPs asking for their help to support their industry.
Paper Salad Publishing, which is based at Chadkirk Business Park in Romiley, just outside
Stockport, prides itself on being different to any other publisher, pushing boundaries in print and finishing and taking embossing to a new level.
Owner Karen Wilson said: “We are all about colour! We have won over 20 different awards for what we do over the years, and have been nominated many times. We have even won awards in the USA!
“We have got 22 employees working with us. We are a thriving local business.
“Paper Salad Publishing is based just outside Stockport, in an old cotton mill right next to the river.
We started off in one unit there, and have now taken on three units as we continue to grow. We are gathering momentum now after the Covid pandemic.
“We started out 19 years ago, just doing a few cards, and have gone from strength to strength.
“We dispatched over 10 million cards last year! It’s astonishing how much our company has developed.
“People can find our products in some of the major supermarkets in the UK and in many other outlets too.
“Our cards can be bought all over the world. We export to more than 15 countries including the USA, Australia, New Zealand, Italy, Germany, Switzerland. France, Singapore and more.
“There are not many countries that we haven’t exported to over the time we’ve been going.
“It is a big industry, but there is huge competition.
“You have to have a very strong brand to stand out in the market.
“We also depend on a UK postal service that is reliable, affordable and accessible.
“We really rely on the Royal Mail. Some of the changes being proposed pose a massive threat to our whole industry.
“We are all very mindful of the impact any reductions to the current levels of service, or increases in price, could have.
“Hopefully the concerns of local businesses across the UK will be listened to and some sensible solutions can be reached.
“The reliability of our postal services is vitally important. And no-one wants to see a situation where it starts to become too expensive for people to consider sending cards.
“It’s been proved that receiving a hand-written greeting card from a friend or a loved one has a massively positive impact on people’s health and wellbeing.
“It’s all about staying connected with your friends and your family, which is so cherished and so important.”
The thousands of people who work in the creative UK greeting card industry know that card sending matters.
The simple act of sending and exchanging cards promotes wellbeing and mental health, lighting up the life of recipients and senders alike.
And what’s more, card sending nurtures local independent businesses on the high streets we all love, supports local charities and organisations in the communities we care for and helps protect the Royal Mail delivery service we all treasure.
That’s why the Greeting Card Association launched its #Cardmitment campaign in the run-up to Christmas 2023, reminding everyone about the joy and importance of sending cards.
But #Cardmitment was never just about Christmas.
Being able to put a smile on someone’s face though a card, relies on a Royal Mail service that delivers on time, all the time, right across the UK – and at a great price.
The GCA is now inviting people to support its #Cardmitment campaign to protect vital Royal Mail services.
For more details about the GCA Cardmitment campaign please visit: www.gca.cards/cardmitment-2024
Further information: Nick Agarwal, +44 (0)7568 101045 // Andrea Ross, +44 (0)7961 776339
Paper Salad Publishing: www.papersalad.co.uk
Editors’ Notes:
About the Greeting Card Association
- The Greeting Card Association (GCA) is an independent, not-for-profit trade organisation operating for the benefit of its members and has been the voice of the greeting card industry, providing support to its members since 1919
- The GCA embraces over 500 publishers, retailers, agents, distributors and recommended suppliers of materials and services and is the voice of the British greeting card industry, representing the industry to stakeholders such as postal service providers, government, colleges and schools.
- Greeting cards themselves are part of a world-leading British creative industry worth over £1.5bn to the UK economy, at the forefront of innovative design and delivering important export revenue to the UK.
- Consumers in the UK, spent £1.5 billion on single greeting cards in 2021, excluding packs and boxes of cards and the British send more cards per person than any other nation.
- Greeting cards build relationships. Sending and receiving a greeting card creates a strong connection and the GCA’s members facilitates and celebrates positive communication between people of all backgrounds.
- The GCA’s purpose is to ensure the wellbeing of the greeting card industry and to promote the absolute joy of sending and receiving a well-chosen card. Its mission is to passionately support the growth and promotion of the greeting card industry and its vision is for everyone to feel connected by the sending and receiving of greeting cards.
