The UK greeting card industry is worth over 1.7 billion annually, according to the GCA Market Report 2009, - more than tea and coffee put together. It is the most successful greeting card industry in the world with 800 publishers producing over 1.5 billion greeting cards in 2009 for the greeting card hungry British public. The report puts the average number of greeting cards sent at 31 per person per year.
Latest Figures from the GCA Market Report 2009
The average retail price of a card last year in the UK was £1.17.
Everyday cards accounted for 70% (£1,200 million) of the value and 51% (768.1 million cards) of the volume of all cards bought last year.
Christmas cards (for 2007 Christmas) accounted for 43% of the volume (some 641 million cards) and 19% of the value (£324 million)
Spring Season sales were worth £188 million with a total of almost 84 million cards being sent for Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day, Easter and Father’s Day. Mother’s Day was the most popular event, accounting for almost 29 million cards sent (worth collectively £67.7 million)
The greeting card industry is directly and indirectly responsible for the jobs of 100,000 people in the UK including: publishers; artists, photographers and image suppliers; verse and prose writers; printers; paper and board companies; envelope and cello wrap suppliers; specialist finishers; warehousing and distribution companies; trade fair organisers and retailers.
No other country has such a tradition of card sending or card display in the home - the sending and receiving of cards is an important part of our culture. 85% of all cards are bought by women!
The UK card industry is acknowledged to be ten years ahead of the rest of the world in terms of design.
There are approximately 800 publishers in the UK, most of which are small businesses with fewer than five employees. Out of the 420 members of the GCA over 300 are small/micro businesses.
It’s a creative industry with strong bases in London, Nottinghamshire and the North, especially Yorkshire and Lancashire, where it has replaced many of the heavy manufacturing industries as a major employers.
Charities estimate that £50m is raised for good causes through the sales of charity Christmas cards each year.
Greeting cards are stocked in more types of outlet than any other product – with one in six retailers stocking greeting cards.
The commercial Christmas card was invented in 1846 by Sir Henry Cole, the chief organiser of the Great Exhibition, pioneer of the penny post and founder of the V&A Museum.
One of Sir Henry’s first Christmas cards, sent to his Grandmother was recently sold at auction for £22,500.
Greeting card making is also the number one craft hobby, according to Crafts Beautiful, the top consumer craft magazine, which receives more enquiries about greeting cards than any other subject.
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