More success on the cards as company celebrates centenary

HALLMARK Cards is spending £1m on aligning production at its Yorkshire factory as the company celebrates its 100th anniversary.

The company said its Bradford-based plant needed a new interior layout because of changes in working practices over the years, and investment in new machinery

It is in the middle of a seven-month project to make sure it is working as efficiently as possible.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

In the UK, Hallmark produces approximately 200m cards per year and offers the largest product range in the UK market with almost 20,000 designs available in any one year.

Donald Hall Jr, a third-generation descendent of Joyce Clyde Hall, who founded the US-based business in 1910, visited Hallmark's UK head office to meet employees as part of the celebrations.

Speaking to the Yorkshire Post, he said: "People will always have a need to express their feelings to people in a heartfelt way, and we expect the business to keep growing."

Last year, Hallmark UK grew by about three per cent and currently has a turnover of about 200m.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Hallmark UK was established in 1958. It has 3,500 employees, 2,000 of whom are based across three sites, including design, sales and marketing and manufacturing, in the Bradford district.

The company has contracts to supply major retailers, including Asda and Marks & Spencer, and has also recently won a contract with Disney.

Ian Stuart, international president of Hallmark Cards, predicts that the company will continue to grow by up to five per cent in 2010, although he ruled out any acquisitions saying: "There's nothing worth buying at the moment."

He added that the greetings card market has not been threatened by electronic cards, which are sent via the internet. However, demand is growing for so-called print-on-demand cards which can be personalised online and then sent through the post.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Over the past 100 years, Hallmark has grown to become the world's largest greetings card company. Today, Hallmark's greeting cards, gift wrappings and products are translated into more than 30 languages and sold in more than 100 countries.

Although Hallmark was founded in the US, the UK market is the most successful greeting card industry in the world, according to the Greeting Card Association.

Mr Hall said: "There are differences between the UK and the US markets. The UK doesn't express as much emotion as the US where we tend

to have longer verses in our products. The UK market is more succinct."

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

He added: "Our UK operations are a significant part of the Hallmark International business.

"The UK is an extremely influential and growing market for us so it was great to be immersed in the innovative work going on in our head office here.

"Our 100-year anniversary is a significant milestone and testament to the hard work and commitment of our employees across the globe who have ensured that we have continued to evolve and grow with the world around us."