Feature
The Abacus team debate a new design - LtoR: Richard Gurteen,
Mikaela Wilson, Vicky Kingsnorth, Alan Mawhinney, Bev Cunningham,
Jo Bryant and Samantha Church
Bursting into life with the acquisition of
specialist publisher, Clare Maddicot last
year, Abacus Cards is continuing to
explore creative avenues in greetings.
Lewis Eckett reports.
A A timetime for grr growowth
hings are growing nicely at
“There’s a
with 300 designs plus a dedicated salesforce the role. This was 1992.
T
Newmarket-based Abacus and a product offering that was low price “Before I arrived it had been a bit of a rocky
Cards.
lot going on
point, high volume and with not much attention start for Abacus,” confi rms Cunningham.
The publisher, which shares to design and aesthetics. “Greetings cards is a fashion industry and I
its home with sister company, right now in Perhaps unsurprisingly the stock sold into thought the product line was a bit dated and
Mr Fothergill’s Seeds, caught retailers didn’t sell through quite as planned had few designs that I could relate to. A lot of
the attention last year when it snapped up
society, lots
and Carey took action and decided to bring in it carried very cheesy sentiment and although
specialist publisher, Clare Maddicot and
of changes
a Creative Director to sharpen up the design the photographic fl oral range was doing well
transplanted the Ludlow-based operation to side. the sales spoke for themselves.”
East Anglia. The move put Abacus on the map
in attitudes
Enter Bev Cunningham who in her fi rst Cunningham’s brief was to go in and cut
as a serious player and focused the minds of interview for the job suggested that Abacus out the badly performing lines and build on
the creative team led by Bev Cunningham.
for instance
should develop a range of cards with a packet what was left.
We’ll talk more of Maddicot next month but of seeds on the front. The idea never made it “It took a few years before I felt we
rather than absorb the business into Abacus,
that are
out of the ground but it at least demonstrated were working in the right direction,” says
the policy seems to be to maintain separate Cunningham’s desire to think outside of Cunningham. “And of course you are never
identities for both brands and let them grow
throwing up
traditional card design for inspiration. Perhaps entirely happy but we have far more hit these
independently.
opportunities
with the current vogue for allotments, growing days than we have failures.”
The idea for a greetings card business your own and a return to The Good Life, The sharper focus on the design side has
occurred to Brian Carey, co-founder of Mr
for us as
a seed card would be another winner for really paid off for Abacus, which is now a
Fothergill’s Seeds back in the early 1990s. At Abacus. completely separate company, with separate
the time seeds were not a growing market so
designers
Cunningham had cut her teeth working for accounts and its own identity, despite sharing
Carey looked around for another operation Marks & Spencer as a ‘Selector’ (buyer) at its offi ce space with the original seed business.
that he could get into quickly and easily.
and
Baker Street HQ in London. She “hated it” and “The only thing we share is the techy stuff like
With reps already visiting garden centres was soon on her way to the Designers Guild IT,” adds Cunningham.
it made sense to fi nd something that would producers in the fashionable Kings Road as a product “Abacus is at a nice stage in its
fi t into the existing retail offer. Pots and development coordinator, which suited her development,” says Cunningham. “We’re a
containers were looked at but didn’t fi t the bill.
of greetings
background in textiles. consistent player and we’re going to build on
It was the time of legendary card publisher,
Andrew Brownsword but more importantly
cards.”
After 3-4 years she left to travel round that strength and continue to offer a range of
the world for a year. When she returned, ‘best sellers’.
Carey had also sold cards in the past so had she needed a job and although she hadn’t “We might not be considered cutting edge
some experience of greetings. envisaged working out near Newmarket, she but we are a safe pair of hands and customers
Thus Abacus sprang into life – kicking off went for the interview at Abacus and landed can rely on us to deliver.”
28 Greetings Today
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