SIMPLY THANK YOU ANNOUNCES NEW PARTNERSHIP WITH START-UP INSIEM Corporate gifting company Simply Thank You has announced a major new partnership with North East start-up Insiem that will benefit small, independent retail businesses across the country. The collaboration will allow global corporate clients of Darlington-based Simply Thank You to shop at niche, independent online stores, alongside high-street names and big brands, using gift cards and reward points. Insiem, a new online shopping site that brings together hundreds of British independent retailers on one dedicated platform, is the first of its kind to form an alliance with wellestablished gifting giant Simply Thank You. Its founder Trina Scott-Priestley, who worked for 15 years as an accountant in blue chip companies, said the partnership is a major step forward for smaller, standalone retailers. “There is a growing trend to shop small and shop sustainably, and, by joining forces with Simply Thank You, we can open the door for British independents to enter an untapped area of sales within the corporate gift market,” she explained. “Historically, independent businesses have been underrepresented in the corporate gift and employee rewards market, through lack of awareness and barriers to entry. Insiem exists to champion these bespoke businesses and we are delighted to announce this partnership with such an important player in the industry.” Established in 1993, Simply Thank You offers a vast range of more than 20,000 corporate gifts, allowing clients to reward employees and operate loyalty schemes, for example, or incentivise customers with products or reward cards for their business. It has a 35,000 sq ft warehouse in Darlington and works with some of the leading names in banking, media, insurance, and telecommunications. Mark Eglington, Managing Director of Simply Thank You said: “We have listened to the market and responded with a completely new way to spend reward money. We know times are becoming increasingly hard for everyone right now, which makes it even more important to offer our customers a way to make their money work harder than ever before. “By choosing to reward their customers and employees through products brought to them by Insiem, not only will they be able to purchase beautiful, bespoke gifts, they can also support their ESG initiatives, and offer a new stream of money to British Independents.” www.simplythankyou-corporate.com CARTE BLANCHE GREETINGS PARTNERS WITH BULLDOG LICENSING Carte Blanche Greetings, best known for the award-winning Me to You brand and its signature character Tatty Teddy and nursery property, Tiny Tatty Teddy, has today announced a partnership with Bulldog Licensing, one of the licensing industry’s leading agencies. The timeless appeal of Tatty Teddy now extends well beyond its original incarnation as a greeting card character to make it a staple part of the UK brand landscape, propelling Me to You as a true heritage brand with timeless appeal. Since 2001 Carte Blanche has partnered with best-in-class licensees to bring to market best-selling Me to You products across many categories including apparel, print on demand, food, gifting and nursery – within these key categories, the characters regularly feature amongst retail number one performers. Alister Marchant, CEO of Carte Blanche Greetings comments: “Carte Blanche have a guiding mantra of considering category, customer and consumer in everything we do. We work handin-hand with our retail partners to execute elite class products in targeted categories to deliver excellence to the Me to You consumer. Rob Corney and the team at Bulldog share this approach and we’re thrilled to be partnering with them on this exciting new opportunity. Collaborating with Bulldog comes at the right time for Carte Blanche and our ambitions for Me to You and we’re looking forward to working with Bulldog to identify and deliver exciting ways to take our brand to new heights.” Rob Corney, MD of Bulldog Licensing, commented: “The positive response to Me to You and its delightful imagery made it an ideal candidate for extension into multiple categories very soon after its launch. Now it’s time to take Me to You to the next level. We’re extremely excited to be part of this new stage for this wonderful brand.” Talia Tester, Carte Blanche Greetings Head of Licensing, who will be spearheading the relationship with Bulldog, as well as managing a number of existing accounts, adds: “Bulldog is known as an industry leader in its field with a great commercial philosophy and second-to-none retailer relationships. The team and I are looking forward to working with the Bulldog team to open new doors and enter into new categories to further strengthen our existing brand performance.” www.carteblanchegreetings.com INDUSTRY NEWS 11
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