VOW Launches Exclusive Brands

June 30, 2017, 1:10 am

Leading UK and Ireland office supplies wholesaler VOW has announced the launch of a range of exclusive brands. The nine new brands are available to resellers looking to gain a competitive edge.

Following on from the launch earlier this year of the VOW product conveyor, reported on in our article VOW Product Conveyor Pushes Forward, the wholesaler is continuing to add value for its resellers.

The nine new exclusive brands are:

MyCafé: Catering essentials including tea, coffee, water, sugar, cups and stirrers.
2Work: A professional range of cleaning supplies for the busy workplace. Also includes downloadable safety sheet data.
Reviva: Technology essentials including mobile phones, tablet and smartphone accessories and chargers.
Contour Ergonomics: Affordable ergonomic solutions including sit/stand desks, footrests, back supports and mouse mats.
GoSecure: Secure, multi-purpose mailing and packaging solutions.
StoreStack: Super, strong, stackable storage solutions.
Prestige: Till and machine rolls.
Ergo-brite: Drywipe markers and highlighters.
Graffico: Notebooks.

More Margin and Profitability

Helen Wade, the Product Marketing Manager says:

“As these brands are exclusively available from VOW, they have been competitively priced so our resellers have the opportunity to make more margin and increase profitability. Given the high quality of the range within each of the brands, these products aren’t sub-standard, cost-effective alternatives of popular products, but in fact they are brands within their own right. They have been specifically developed to meet resellers’ needs in growing categories.”

“With this is mind we will have a full Reseller and End User marketing calendar including sampling campaigns, blogger engagement and targeted marketing to drive brand advocacy and awareness. We have also invested in product experts, dedicated marketing resource and marketing materials for each of these brands to fully support our resellers, details of these will be issued over the next couple of months. Additionally, we will be sharing ‘how to sell’ guides to ensure our resellers are completely informed about product features and benefits so they can sell to their customers more effectively. Each of these brands will also have its own dedicated website which will be live by the end of June and social media channels will follow to communicate in different ways to our customers. We will also shortly be launching details of our Authorised Reseller Programme to support the brand growth.”

All products are also supported by detailed marketing support available through VOW’s MyMarketing site. Product information can be accessed via the OPDealer site. For more information, VOW resellers can contact their Account Manager or email Product.Marketing@voweurope.com.

Write a Pop Song with BIC

July 3, 2017, 1:00 am

≫ Next: Avery Look to the Consumer Market

≪ Previous: VOW Launches Exclusive Brands

Stationery giant BIC has launched its “Write and Shine” competition. Budding songwriters now have the chance of their big break by putting pen to paper and writing a hit song.

BIC has teamed up with TV presenter and YouTube sensation Bethan Leadley to find the pop stars of the future.

Bethan says:

“I’m really excited about working with BIC® on this songwriting competition, because you don’t even need to be a singer to enter. I think music and lyrics can be one of the truest forms of expression and it will be amazing to help an undiscovered talent shine.”

This innovative promotion is for BIC® 4 Colours Shine pens. The winner, a songwriter aged 15-24 will spend a week learning about the music industry, working with producers, songwriters and musicians.

In addition, the winner will join Bethan at The Big Feastival taking place on 25^th-27^th August in Chipping Norton, Oxfordshire. They will then perform their song on the main stage. Other acts performing at this year’s festival include, Olly Murs, Louisa Johnson, Ella Eyre and Betsy and Frances.

The whole experience will be recorded in a short film which will be shown along with the winner’s song, on Bethan’s YouTube channel which has 23 million views.

Enter the Write and Shine Competition

If you know someone who would like to enter the competition, head over to the My BIC Pen Facebook page. Entries are open to anyone in the UK aged 15-24. The closing date for entries is 11.59pm, Sunday 16^th July 2017.

The best four entries will be selected by a host of songwriting experts, Bethan and BIC. These entries will then be put to a public vote on BIC’s Facebook page from 4^th to 18^th August 2017.

Avery Look to the Consumer Market

July 7, 2017, 1:30 am

≫ Next: CROSS Reveals New Sheaffer Pens

≪ Previous: Write a Pop Song with BIC

As part of their new consumer approach, Avery UK has launched a brand new website featuring their latest products and services all grouped into one place.

Featuring a colourful new aesthetic and a fresh new layout, the Avery website looks to offer an easier browsing experience for consumers to explore everything under the Avery brand banner. Avery’s WePrint service has been added into the new website and several tweaks have been made to the interactive elements on each page to ensure it offers users a comprehensive experience on both desktop and mobile devices.

Expanding the Avery Brand

Many organizational changes have been made to the website design including new product groupings and a specialized section which provides consumers with many imaginative and inspiring hints and tips related to the workplace and working in a home office. In addition to this, many of Avery’s products are featured in real life scenarios and different realistic scenes to show how they can be used throughout daily life and in other unique ways. Changes have also been made to the structure of their software help guides and printing tutorials to promote more ways for consumers to print more effectively when using Avery products.

A New Consumer Experience

Commenting on these brand new changes, Kevin Power, Digital Marketing Manager, reinforced many of the new additions and tweaks made to the Avery website. “With consumers needing information quickly, whenever and wherever they are, we needed a site that reflected this. Our aim was to make it as quick and easy as possible for consumers to discover our products and ways they can be used, ideally with just a few clicks.

Power went on to explain the effect the new website experience has had on its consumer base. “In the short time since launch, we’ve been keeping a close eye on consumer behavior and have already noticed visitors browsing the new label-sub categories as well as our newer product categories. “We’ve also seen an increase in customer browsing sessions on the site and an increase in session duration.”

You can take a look at Avery’s new website by clicking here.

CROSS Reveals New Sheaffer Pens

August 2, 2017, 1:49 am

≫ Next: Poundland Enters Back to School Stationery Market

≪ Previous: Avery Look to the Consumer Market

Luxury writing instrument company AT Cross has launched a new range of Sheaffer Pens. They are designed to appeal to the growing fashion stationery market.

The new range of pens have been designed to attract creatives, artists and millennials. Their fun, bright designs will certainly be popular during the Back to School season.

Two styles are available, the Sheaffer Ion and the Sheaffer Pop.

Sheaffer Ion: A pocket sized gel pen available in various bright colours including lime green and lilac. This smooth writing pen is set to be a hit in the classrooms during the new academic year.
Sheaffer Pop: Designed with millennials in mind, this pen is available as a twist action ballpoint, rollerball or fountain pen. The vibrant coloured barrels are complimented with a high gloss finish and chrome.

Designing the New Sheaffer Pen Collection

In creating these new products, Sheaffer worked with six millennial artists. Their brief was to design pen colourways and packaging which replicated their own creativity.

Further products are going to be added to this range during 2017. This includes calligraphy kits, gift sets, journals and matching pouches. In addition, licensed partnerships with iconic pop culture characters will add to the range’s appeal, particularly in the run up to Christmas later in the year.

Fashion Stationery Sales Set to Rise

Sales of fashion stationery are helping to boost a declining traditional office supplies market. According to analysis by Verdict Retail, the UK stationery market will rise by 2.4% to £2.1 billion by 2021.

Sales amongst 16-24 year olds is increasing despite the growth of digital devices. More of us are choosing stationery items as gifts for birthdays, weddings, Christmas and during the Back to School period.

In particular, drawing instruments and accessories are the fastest growing categories.

Poundland Enters Back to School Stationery Market

August 4, 2017, 2:26 am

≫ Next: Moleskine Seeks Start-ups

≪ Previous: CROSS Reveals New Sheaffer Pens

As the Back to School season is in full swing, a high street discount store has entered the stationery market. Poundland is set to shake things up with their cheap, yet very desirable new ranges.

Students all over the country are now looking to spruce up their stationery supplies for the new academic year. Yet, the usual suspects on the high street, WH Smith, Paperchase and new kid on the block, Smiggle now have some new competition.

Poundland has launched a series of new stationery ranges and they are proving to be very popular this summer. Featuring notebooks, ring binders, lever arch files, pens and other desktop stationery items, they resemble products you would find in Paperchase. However, the products are less than a third of the price, the cheapest starting at just 75p.

Head of trading at Poundworld, Pradipta Ganguly, says:

“We were expecting them to be popular, however, we’re blown away by the success of our new stationery ranges – they are getting rave reviews and we’ve had to move a number of the ranges to the front of store as a result. We now can’t keep items on the shelves long enough.”

Poundland Range a Hit on Social Media

Already these new Poundland stationery ranges are making an impact on social media, particularly Instagram. When you take a closer look at what is on offer, you can easily understand why.

The Premium Collection feature marble coloured items in pastel shades. They are foil finished and include striking geometric patterns.

Whilst Fashion Collection have pineapples and flamingos as the main design on bold zig- zag backgrounds. Perfect for the teenager market who love to buy fashionable stationery.

In addition, the Unicorn and Rainbows Collection is a huge hit with younger children.

Moleskine Seeks Start-ups

September 6, 2017, 2:20 am

≫ Next: Pentel Reports Increase in Back to School Sales

≪ Previous: Poundland Enters Back to School Stationery Market

Luxury stationery brand Moleskine has launched the Moleskine Open Innovation Program. It is collaborating with Digital Magics in Italy to find four start-up companies to work with.

The Moleskine Open Innovation Program is an international competition for start-ups. Four lucky winners will take part in a six month “incubation period”. During this time, they will work with Moleskine and have access to their marketing and product development professionals to help their businesses grow.

Moleskine is looking for:

“…creative minds to develop interconnected small objects – smart notebooks and apps, designed to mix physical and digital products.”

In terms of presenting ideas, Moleskine states projects can take the form of notes and sketches. They do not necessarily have to be in digital form as the projects will be further developed in workshops as part of the six-month process.

All projects however, should be aimed at Moleskine’s target market of highly educated, creative professionals who seek new ways of working, learning and expressing themselves.

The deadline for entries to the competition is Sunday 24^th September 2017. Twelve startups will then be shortlisted and invited to the Moleskine Innovation Day at the company’s head office in Milan on 26th October 2017. Here, the twelve finalists will get the chance to meet the teams from Moleskine and Digital Magics and present their projects. After this, the four winning start-ups will be selected to enter the program.

To find out more on how you can enter, visit the Moleskine Open Innovation Program website here.

Good Sales Growth following D’leteren Takeover

Last October, we reported on the D’leteren takeover of Moleskine. The luxury car distributor took a 41% stake in the company worth £506 million. In the first six months of 2017, Moleskine has continued to see growth with a 6.9% increase in sales with growth in both B2B and retail channels.

New product launches are planned for the rest of 2017 and the forecast for profits are over 10%.

Pentel Reports Increase in Back to School Sales

September 20, 2017, 1:30 am

≫ Next: Smiggle Europe Expansion

≪ Previous: Moleskine Seeks Start-ups

Pentel UK reports growth in back to school sales. In particular, the company’s EnerGel pen brand has seen a 40% increase in sales in the calendar year to the end of August.

Whilst this sales growth coincides with the busy Back to School period, Pentel has also seen excellent sales during the peak exam season, April to August with sales increasing by almost 70%.

Earlier this year, Pentel UK announced two major appointments. Michelle Sommerville joined as Channel Manager Business to Business after 15 years at BIC. Kyle Partridge became Key Accounts Manager, managing E-commerce clients and developing targeted strategies to support business development.

EnerGel Range, the Key to Success

The Energel pen range has proved to be extremely popular with the student market. It has been backed by cinema advertising campaigns and social media activity. Targeting 16-24 year-olds, over 1.1 million people saw the EnerGel “Stick with It” commercial when visiting to the cinema to see summer blockbusters such as, Spiderman: Homecoming.

Graham Craik, the Pentel Director of Sales UK and Ireland says:

“This success is the result of a number of factors, including the addition of four new colours to the EnerGel range. As we know, consumer demand for colourful stationery has grown considerably over the last couple of years – both in B2B and B2C sectors. So, the fact that consumers can now buy their favourite quick-drying liquid gel pen in a range of 12 colours is appreciated by them and most welcomed by our trade customers.

“EnerGel has always been very popular with office products users, but we’re also growing our business in retail and education channels in particular, as increasing numbers of end-users experience the benefits of EnerGel ink, which is ideal right and left-handed writers, for themselves.”

Smiggle Europe Expansion

October 2, 2017, 3:58 am

≫ Next: BIC Recycles Pens to Make Furniture

≪ Previous: Pentel Reports Increase in Back to School Sales

Australian fashion stationery retailer, Smiggle is to expand into continental Europe. This follows the announcement that the UK is now the company’s largest global market.

Smiggle’s success in recent years in the UK has seen the stationery brand become a common site on UK’s high streets and shopping malls. Its selection of bright colours and mix and match ranges of pens, pencils, notebooks and pencil cases has seen it become a big hit within the highly competitive back to school stationery market.

So far in 2017, 38 new Smiggle stores have opened in the UK. They include prime locations on London King’s Road, Edinburgh Prince’s Street, Glasgow and Londonderry. Smiggle, which is part of Premier Investments Limited, plans to open a further 15-20 stores in Ireland over the next three years.

In the group’s latest financial results, global sales have increased by 28.8% from FY16 to FY17 to £140.35 million. Over 60% of Smiggle sales are outside of Australia with the UK its biggest market.

Smiggle Enters Continental Europe

With excellent performance, globally, Smiggle is to enter the Netherlands and Belgium during 2018. These two countries combined have a personal stationery market worth £1.26 billion. Smiggle plans to open 40-50 stores in this region over the next four to five years.

Premier Retail CEO Mr Mark McInnes, says:

“Smiggle has become a truly unique, highly profitable global brand, and is quickly being recognised as a new and leading retail concept in all of its new markets. We are very excited to have a pipeline of an additional 100-120 new stores in existing markets over the next two years, a rapidly growing Smiggle online business in both the UK and Australia and today’s announcement of the opening of our first stores in continental Europe in CY18. We continue to investigate new high value countries of size and scale.”

BIC Recycles Pens to Make Furniture

October 9, 2017, 2:41 am

≫ Next: Transom Capital Acquires Cross and Sheaffer

≪ Previous: Smiggle Europe Expansion

BIC enters a partnership with French company Plas Eco to manufacture outdoor furniture using recycled pens.

The Ubicuity™ initiative is the result of a collaboration between BIC, TerraCycle, Govaplast and Plas Eco. By using discarded pens, the raw materials are transformed into benches and tree seats in public places and schools. The end products have a high weather resistance and are low maintenance.

Sponsored by BIC, the initiative works as follows:

TerraCycle provides a toolkit for businesses and schools to organise the collection of old pens
A recycling provider shreds the pens, sorts the raw materials and shreds the plastic pellets to flakes to Govaplast.
Govaplast transforms the pellets or flakes into post-consumer plastic boards and sends these onto Plas Eco.
Plas Eco then manufactures, supplies and sells the Ubicuity™ furniture products.

Marie-Aimée Bich-Dufour, BIC group Executive Vice-President, says:

“As writing instruments were not included in any organised recycling chain, the BIC Group was willing to enter the circular economy and go beyond the efforts carried out in the collection programme. It is a strong commitment for BIC. We are taking the initiative to set up the first recycling chain for discarded pens in France.”

BIC Launches STAR WARS™ Range

Meanwhile, BIC has also launched a new Star Wars™ stationery product range featuring characters from the famous film franchise*.

The latest film in the Star Wars saga, Star Wars: The Last Jedi, is coming to our cinema screens on December 15 2017. A trailer for the new film is also released today, Monday 9^th October.

Fans of the saga young and old will no doubt be eager to get hold of this Star Wars stationery collection from BIC. Included in the range are:

BIC® Ball Pen
BIC® 4-ColorTM/MC ball pen
BIC® Mechanical Pencil
BIC® Briteliner® Grip Highlighter
BIC® MarkingTM/MC Permanent Marker

Whether the items in this range will become valuable collectors’ items remains to be seen. However, it is unlikely that they will reach the $18,000 price tag a 1977 Jawa action figure originally released with a vinyl rather than cloth cape fetches if in mint condition.

BIC Stationery Division Growth

After a good back to school season, BIC recently announced an increase in sales for Q2. The company had previously reported a sales decline in Q1, but Q2 saw sales 9.8% higher compared with the same time last year at $313.5 million.

Bic Stationery sales have grown 3.3% in the six months to the end of June 2017.

*STAR WARS and related properties are trademarks and/or copyrights, in the United States and other countries, of Lucasfilm Ltd. and/or its affiliates. © & TM Lucasfilm Ltd.

Transom Capital Acquires Cross and Sheaffer

November 17, 2017, 3:39 am

≫ Next: Stationery Market Set for Continued Growth

≪ Previous: BIC Recycles Pens to Make Furniture

Luxury pen manufacturer, A.T Cross has been acquired by Transom Capital. The private equity firm now owns both the Cross® and Sheaffer® brands.

Cross Pens was founded over 170 years ago. The company’s first fountain pen, the Peerless (named because there was no other pen to match it), is still in production.

Today, Cross continue to manufacture some of the world’s most luxurious writing instruments. Using precious metals including silver, gold and platinum, a Cross Pen is instantly recognizable by its “X” Authenticity mark.

The brand continues to be the writing instrument of choice for U.S Presidents. In fact, earlier this year President Donald Trump started running out of the custom-made Townsend fountain pens. A batch of 350 new gold plated pens were sent to him in February to ensure there was no delay in him signing executive orders.

Transom Capital Group Acquisition

Transom Capital Group has acquired Cross and Sheaffer from Clarion Capital Partners. Clarion originally bought Cross Pens in 2013 and then Sheaffer the following year. The terms of this deal have not been disclosed.

“The Cross transaction fits well with the investment strategy of Transom Capital and will allow us to partner with management in executing our ARMOR℠ value creation process,” says Russ Roenick, Managing Partner of Transom Capital.

“The iconic Cross and Sheaffer brands have tremendous history and recognition in the U.S. and globally, and are positioned well with specialty distributors, mass retailers, and ecommerce players, bringing with them an outstanding legacy of fine writing products that have been passed down through generations. We look forward to growing these two exceptional brands around the world.”

Innovative Product Development

This acquisition enables Cross and Sheaffer to invest in product development initiatives and expand into new product categories and markets. Transom has experience in branded consumer markets. In particular, it has a reputation for growing premium brands.

Stationery Market Set for Continued Growth

December 18, 2017, 4:30 am

≫ Next: Ancora Launch First Bitcoin Pen

≪ Previous: Transom Capital Acquires Cross and Sheaffer

The Global Stationery Market is set for continued growth over the next ten years. According to research from Fact.MR, the market will reflect a CAGR of 2.2% over the period 2017 to 2026.

Digital devices such as smartphones, tablets and laptops are now more likely to be used than traditional office products. However, in areas such as education, demand for stationery products is still relatively strong. Smart stationery products that work in conjunction with digital devices are also set to transform the market.

In addition, stationery is finding new markets, particularly in the luxury goods sector as “gifts” and “collector’s items”.

Demand for Business Stationery

Customising stationery for individual businesses is a potential growth area for dealers, particularly in Europe according to this latest research. As businesses look to drive productivity and start-ups seek to market their brand, many are turning to customised stationery items including:

Letterheads
Business cards
Memos
Notepads
Pens/pencils
Invoice and accounting forms

Yet, with many businesses choosing to digitalise their data and reduce paperwork, there is also expected to be a reduction in traditional stationery products in the next decade.

Pens Set to Generate Revenue

The pens segment is predicted to be a high growth area. Businesses now want to file financial documents with premium ink quality. Coloured pens and art goods are also expected to be high performers in this category.

In terms of price range, it is the mid-range segment where the biggest growth is expected. This market is predicted to have a value in excess of $4,000 million by 2026. The main players within the stationery market include: Pilot Corporation, Pentel, Zebra Co. Ltd, Mitsubishi Corporation and BIC Cello.

Ancora Launch First Bitcoin Pen

December 20, 2017, 2:44 am

≫ Next: Pilot by Mika 100th Anniversary Range

≪ Previous: Stationery Market Set for Continued Growth

Luxury Italian pen manufacturer, Ancora has announced details of the first Bitcoin Pen. Part of the Crypto Pens Series, these limited-edition pens are set to become a much sought after collector’s item.

Milan based Ancora, is a renowned name in the luxury stationery market. Their pens are still hand crafted as they were a hundred years ago when the company was founded by Giuseppe Zanini in 1919. The company’s “Titanic” pen featured part of the first-class cabin of the ship in the body of the pen.

The phenomenon of Bitcoin has been headline news in recent weeks. Ancora’s Bitcoin pen went on pre-sale on 18^th December 2017. Customers who buy the pens during the pre-sale period will benefit from a 25% discount. The pens will then be available to buy from retail on 1^st June 2018.

Ancora Bitcoin Pen

Only 88 Crypto Pens Series fountain pens with an 18-carat gold nib will be produced by Ancora. With the discount, they will cost $1000, raising to $1250 next summer.

In addition, 888 rollerball pens will also be manufactured. They will cost $750 pre-sale and then $1000 when they hit retail.

Every pen will include a personalised serial number. The highly collectible platinum serial numbers include 01/88, 88/88, 001/888 and 888/888. These will only be available for sale for Bitcoin and Ethereum and will not be available for retail.

Another cryptocurrency pen is set to be revealed by Ancora in February 2018. Customers are being asked to send in their suggestions as to what cryptocurrency they want the pen to be modelled after. You can send your suggestions to Ancora via their telegram channel on: https://goo.gl/RDGG5C.

Pilot by Mika 100th Anniversary Range

January 8, 2018, 2:04 am

≫ Next: Blake Envelopes Posts Sales Increase

≪ Previous: Ancora Launch First Bitcoin Pen

Japanese stationery manufacturer Pilot, celebrates its centenary in 2018. To mark the occasion, Pilot has joined forces with pop-star Mika to create a new range; “Pilot by Mika”.

Over the past 100 years, Pilot Pens has been at the forefront of innovation and international expansion. Pilot Pens asked Mika, the Lebanese singer whose hits include Grace Kelly and Relax, Take It Easy to devise designs for the company’s three bestselling ranges.

Limited edition designs are available for the Pilot V5, G2, FriXion Ball and FriXion Clicker.

Speaking about the collaboration with Mika, marketing manager for Pilot Pen UK, Stuart Barker says:

“We are very excited to have Mika on board to help us celebrate our 100 years’ birthday in a unique way for the writing instrument market, the pens looks amazing and I’m sure will be extremely sought-after by both fans of Mika and of our top-selling products who are looking for a twist on the usual barrel designs.”

It isn’t the first time a pop star has become involved in the stationery business. In 2017, Staples worked with Lady Gaga as part of its Staples for Students programme. In addition, BIC ran a song writing competition last summer to promote its BIC® 4 Colours Shine pens.

Pilot by Mika Limited Edition Range

You can view the Mika range in this fun Pilot Pen YouTube video.

Mika says:

“It’s a pleasure to celebrate Pilot’s 100th anniversary together with you and to create a special project for this birthday. Pilot has been part of my life, I grew up with these pens, I grew up stealing my father’s V5, stealing my mother’s (V7) and learning how to write properly with these pens and also learning how to draw. So, using these same pens that we now have in our design studio today, we’ve created another world and our versions of Pilot pens for this birthday. It’s an honour, we’re very happy to be doing it, I am so happy to be actually drawing these things that are going to be part of something so iconic.”

The range goes on sale in the UK this month. It will be available throughout 2018.

Blake Envelopes Posts Sales Increase

January 12, 2018, 3:00 am

≫ Next: Bong Envelopes Buys InterMail

≪ Previous: Pilot by Mika 100th Anniversary Range

Blake, the UK postal supplies company has announced a 12.5% increase in sales for FY2017. This is despite a reduction in sales within the envelope sector of 5%.

November 2017 was the company’s most successful month with record breaking sales.

Earlier in the year, Blake acquired Rapid, a reel fed envelope production site. This has enabled the company to meet increased demand for faster delivery times. It also helped to negate the potential impact of Brexit by reshoring business to the UK.

Hubs of Excellence, Key to Success

Key to Blake bucking the trend of a general decrease in envelope sales are their hubs of excellence.

In 2017, Blake teamed up with the Postal Museum at Clerkenwell, opening a hub of excellence. This is in addition to hubs in Edinburgh, Leeds and Manchester. Designers and marketers can work with experts to explore postal packaging options for direct mail and bespoke packaging requirements. Blake plan to open three more hubs in 2018.

Graham Carlin, MD at Blake states:

“I’m fortunate to work with the best people in our industry, our success to date and particularly last year is the result of us improving in all areas of our business while growing stronger as a team.”

New Envelope Product Launches for 2018

A new Blake envelope product book is set to be launched in the next few weeks. This includes products that bring a closer alignment of the Creative Colour range with the company’s packaging offering.

CEO, Michael Barter is confident 2018 will be the company’s best year to date:

“What we have achieved in 2017 is a far cry from the days spent in my attic, where the business began 17 years ago. Whilst we are cautious about making bold statements for 2018, I am convinced with the team we have that we will continue to succeed with our ambitions, and with our forward thinking strategy, I feel 2018 will be our greatest year yet”.

Bong Envelopes Buys InterMail

January 22, 2018, 2:57 am

≫ Next: Handwriting Adds a Personal Note to Business

≪ Previous: Blake Envelopes Posts Sales Increase

Bong Envelopes has acquired InterMail, the Nordic envelope manufacturing business based in Denmark.

In a press statement, Bong announced:

“Since InterMail has taken the strategic decision to cease its envelope business in the Nordics and their envelope production, Bong has agreed to help InterMail in this transition. Bong will help to serve InterMail customers and to make sure to provide a good service also in the future, Bong will offer the majority of InterMail’s sales representatives in Sweden, Denmark and Finland employment in Bong. The production of the envelopes will be done in Bong’s existing factories.”

Bong’s CEO, Håkan Gunnarsson says:

“This consolidation is an opportunity to mitigate cost increases due to market decline, and Bong will use all efforts in order to satisfy current and future service need of these customers”

The closing date for the transaction is March 2018. Royalty payments to InterMail will continue for the next three years.

Bong Win Award for ScanSafe®

Meanwhile, Bong has won the 2018 Promotional Gift Award for its ScanSafe® travel document sleeves. The sleeve allows you to store your passport, credit card, parking tickets, boarding pass, mobile phone and car keys. Winning the “Communicative Product”, ScanSafe® can be customised with any brand design/logo.

The water resistant and dust repellent ScanSafe® range offers a high level of protection against data theft. ScanSafe® sleeves block RFID rays to prevent data on stored chip cards and passports being spied upon. Targeted at buyers that attach a high level of importance to the safety of their customers this range combines data security, strength and luxurious design.

Handwriting Adds a Personal Note to Business

February 5, 2018, 1:20 am

≫ Next: Smiggle to Open Oxford St Flagship Store

≪ Previous: Bong Envelopes Buys InterMail

Are we relying on our keyboards a little too much in order to communicate in the workplace? A sudden rise in the sale of writing instruments and handwriting stationery could be reflecting a fresh desire for a more personal touch to our conversations.

Think about the last time you received a letter addressed to your home or business. Did it contain handwriting with due care and attention? Or did it contain computer created text like a large majority of sent mail? It’s rare to receive a handwritten letter or even to produce handwritten documents these days, but are we missing the point by not picking up a pen more often?

Retaining Information

It wouldn’t be a common link to make between our memories and written information, but handwriting has the ability to improve our reliance on memory. A survey conducted on 650 students across ten different countries revealed that handwriting was favoured amongst the group as it helped them to retain more knowledge on the subjects they were studying. Transfer this over to the business world and there is already a picture emerging on the impact this could have on productivity and creativity in the workplace. Important events, scheduled meetings and deadlines – you could be more likely to remember important occasions like these by jotting them down on a piece of paper or in a notebook.

Getting Personal

With the benefits on our memories handwriting could provide, what’s more important than staying in the minds of those we work with and hope to work with? Potential customers, clients and even current work colleagues prefer the power of the pen – a survey conducted by Blake Envelopes indicates that 57% of people noted that receiving handwritten mail made them feel more valued overall. Only 17% said that they felt the same about receiving an email. If you want to really impress the people around you, start practicing your handwriting skills to provide that personal touch to your communications.

Feeling Happier

As strange as it might seem, producing handwritten documents and mail has been linked to increasing overall mood levels. A study by Steve Toepfer at Kent State University concludes that making a habit of writing thoughtful letters of gratitude increases happiness, satisfaction and can even lessen the symptoms of depression and anxiety. Breaking away from the confines of your desk and screen can make communication with your colleagues much simpler and more productive. Therefore, for a more personal benefit, it can provide a much needed boost on any off days you might experience.

Smiggle to Open Oxford St Flagship Store

February 16, 2018, 2:01 am

≫ Next: Post-it Note Undergoes Extreme Makeover

≪ Previous: Handwriting Adds a Personal Note to Business

After a strong performance year across its branches of stores, Australian stationery retailer Smiggle is now planning to open a flagship store on Oxford Street.

Launched originally in Australia, Smiggle’s adoption onto the high street and into the UK market has seen the company record high sales figures, with reported sales of £29 million in 2016 and a recorded £3.8 million in pre-tax profit. With the brand description as ‘the ultimate creators of colourful, fun, fashion-forward stationery’, the retailer currently employs 1000 people in the UK, with this number on the rise once it’s 200 stores open by 2019.

Proving a Hit on the High Street

Speaking on the plans for the flagship store and the overall success Smiggle has seen so far after setting up stores in the UK, Managing Director, John Cheston commented “We had a very strong half, and the first quarter was very strong with back to school, we will consider prudently our store openings”. In order to expand on their ambition to take the stationery category by storm, Cheston added “But the target is still to be bringing in 200 million Australian dollars (£112 million) in revenue by 2019 and to have around 200 stores, including opening a two floor Oxford Street flagship in May.”

Is Stationery Becoming More Fashionable?

One of the factors which could be playing a part in Smiggle’s rise is the culture behind fashionable stationery and office supplies. When analyzing the sales growth behind their fashionable stationery ranges, Selfridges reported that their stationery sales grew by up to 20% thanks to the introduction of new, fresh and colorful brands in 2016. Luxury stationery brands like Moleskine and Smythson believe that a new interest in high quality stationery items by millennials, lead to paper products such as diaries, notebooks and sketchbooks accounting for nearly 90% of their sales in 2015, with this further increasing over the past few years to record high net revenues.

Post-it Note Undergoes Extreme Makeover

March 21, 2018, 12:30 am

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≪ Previous: Smiggle to Open Oxford St Flagship Store

The Post-it Brand now cater for workers who don’t work in offices, by giving the Post-it Note an Extreme makeover.

First introduced to us in 1980, the Post-it Note has been a fixture in most offices ever since. The handy yellow sticky notes’ dominance is homage to how useful these can be for communication between employees, and in brainstorming sessions. But what about workers outside of the office who find themselves in ‘stickier’ situations?

Post-it Note Extreme

3M, the parent company behind the Post-it Note, have recently released a heavy-duty upgrade of the original. Specially designed to be used in hot, cold, and wet conditions, the new Post-it Extreme Notes will also stick to a variety of surfaces including cement, steel, PVC piping and lumber. Other characteristics of the new Post-it Note Extreme include:

• Water resistant, but totally writable.
• Made with ultra-strong Dura-Hold Paper and Adhesive.
• Sticks to textured surfaces and in tough conditions.
• Can be used indoor/outdoor.
• Removes cleanly.

Users are able to purchase these in 3 Packs or 12 Packs, with each pad containing 45 sheets. The colours to choose from are green, orange, and yellow.

A Solution for Construction, Manufacturers, and Culinary Workers

The driving force behind the more withstanding version of the Post-it Note was that aside from office workers, construction workers and kitchen staff need to communicate too, but options are often limited.

According to an internal study of more than 1,000 workers who work outside of an office setting, 3M found that 82% admitted to having communication issues. The study also found that 40% of these workers need redo a task at least once a week because of poor communication, and that 51% of workers use alternative methods to jot things down – including writing on their own body.

Post-it Brand’s global business director, Remi Kent states: “Dependable communication is key for productive, accurate work and timely results, yet our research uncovered that 82% of workers outside the office experience challenges with non-verbal communication. After years of leading the market in office communication, Post-it Extreme Notes were developed specifically for this need outside of traditional offices. This new tool can get messages across, even in the toughest conditions.”

When conditions make communication tough, the Post-it Note Extreme could be the ideal tool to get the job done.

For all your Collaboration Supplies, take a look at the wide range of 3M Collaboration Solutions at the Post Office Shop.

Three Major Art Brands to appear at London Stationery Show

April 9, 2018, 12:30 am

≫ Next: Promotional Products – An Effective Business Tool

≪ Previous: Post-it Note Undergoes Extreme Makeover

Due to take place in three weeks time, the London Stationery Show will see major art brands Artline and Derwent making their debut appearance at the event and will feature the return of Manuscript Pen Company.

Showcasing the best stationery suppliers and key brands in the writing and paper industries, London Stationery Show will be taking place later this month on Tuesday 24th of April to Wednesday 25th of April at the Business Design Centre in Islington.

Artline Return to the London Stationery Show

Following an impressive 2017, Artline will be revealing their brand new Artline Heroes project and will be releasing their new product line, Artline Supreme, with guest Judith Selcuk demonstrating Artline’s product range to many of the attendees over the two days of the event. Using Artline’s water based and permanent markers, Selcuk will be working with a variety of materials including fabric, paper and canvas.

Derwent Make First Appearance

The event will also mark the debut of leading arts materials brand, Derwent, who are eager to get their range of products into the hands of many attendees as they begin an extension of their product categories. One key focus for the brand will their newly revamped Derwent Academy range, which features brand new, vibrant packaging and will include a host of pastels, paints and markers for the very first time. In addition, Derwent will also showcase the Derwent® Lightfast range and the Inktense Paint Pan Set, part of their professional range.

Manuscript Out to Impress

Making their return, Manuscript Pen Company have once again confirmed their place at the London Stationery Show and will be joined by renowned calligraphy expert Joyce Lee, who will be creating personalized gift tags along with leading a selection of workshops to demonstrate how Manuscript products can be used and utilized for in-store demonstrations.

Also making their UK debut at the show will be several Manuscript products including their one-of-a-kind Lettering Pencil, the Switch Tip collection, the versatile Callicreative Flexi Markers and Duotip Brush Markers, the Curve Fountain Pen collection and the Clarity Fountain pen range.

Dedicated to Stationery

Originally beginning as a general office products and stationery event, the very first London Stationery Show took place in 2011 and has since grown on a year by year basis. The event attracts a large base of both exhibitors and visitors to both celebrate and showcase the dynamic and resilient stationery market. Both the London event and the smaller Manchester event provide an international themed stage to showcase writing and paper products truly coming to life and brings the industry together all under one roof.

Meet the Artline team on stand M721, along with Derwent on stand M422 and Manuscript at stand M315 throughout the two days of London Stationery Show.

Information courtesy of Dan Shorthouse, Small Man Media https://smallmanmedia.com/

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Promotional Products – An Effective Business Tool

April 16, 2018, 3:31 am

≫ Next: Yard-O-Led Launch Royal Wedding Pen Set

≪ Previous: Three Major Art Brands to appear at London Stationery Show

For any small, medium or large business, promoting your brand is an important part of your overall marketing strategy. If you want customers to remember your brand and your offered services, using promotional products provides you with an effective business tool. Here’s why.

According to the British Promotional Merchandise Association (BPMA), the promotional products industry across the UK and Ireland is currently worth £1 billion. For any business or small enterprise, a strong range of promotional products to gift to current or potential customers can provide a competitive advantage. Based on recent studies, 76% of us will keep any promotional items we are given, with another 73% admitting that they would go on to purchase from a company that provided them with promotional products. For businesses that want to stay on a customer’s mind, the survey also reveals that 83% of people say that they can name the brand of the promotional product without having to refer to it.

Lyreco Giveaways

To provide businesses with a solution for producing their own promotional products and promotional merchandise, office supplies and workplace solutions retailer Lyreco have launched ‘Giveaways’. Operating as part of their online web store, the new service allows customers to personalize more than 1,200 Lyreco produced products with custom logos and branding. The ‘Giveaways’ offering contains 14 different product categories along with a search facility to help customers find ideal promotional products for exhibitions, gifts, incentives and promotional campaigns.

Speaking about their new merchandising solution, Peter Hradisky, Managing Director of Lyreco in the UK and Ireland, spoke further of the benefits the new service will provide, commenting “Our new Giveaways offering will enable Lyreco to deliver an effective high level of service on premium gift ideas to more than 100,000 UK based companies. It is a service that sits intuitively alongside our existing business and will fulfill another step on our way to becoming a catch all solution for all workplace supplies. This is a massive opportunity for Lyreco with huge potential for growth for the future.”

Quirkier the Better?

Whilst traditional promotional products such as branded stationery and office products are widely appreciated by customers, more businesses are looking to provide quirkier promotional products to help them stand out from the crowd. Niche items such as digital clocks, screen cleaners, stress balls, hand fans, fashion accessories and bottle openers are the most likely to create an instant impact on a customers purchasing intentions, with 50.7% of customers quoting that receiving unusual promotional products would motivate them to complete a call of action compared to TV adverts, print adverts, online adverts or from receiving direct mail. Along with producing adverts through traditional and modern outlets, it’s expected that many more businesses will look at providing unique promotional products as part of their marketing strategy as they jockey for the market share in their respective industries.

Information provided by Lyreco – http://uk-corp.lyreco.com/gbr/ and Be Bold Media Ltd – https://beboldpr.com/