35 COMPANY PROFILE SANTORO +44 (0)2087811104 https://santorotrade.com What sets you apart from your competitors? Originality is probably the biggest thing. We have never wanted to simply follow what is already in the market. Our combination of art direction, paper engineering, and character development gives us a distinctive perspective. We’ve spent more than 40 years developing products that combine strong visual design with an element of surprise or interaction. We’re also proud of the longevity behind many of our collections. Our Swing Cards have been selling for more than 30 years, while Gorjuss has developed a devoted global following over 15 years. At the same time, we’re continually developing new concepts such as Bangoberry, Harmonie Lane, and Pop & Build. That balance between heritage and reinvention is very important to us. Do you visit any trade shows? Do you plan to visit any soon? Trade shows are an important part of our calendar because they give us the opportunity to meet retailers, distributors, and partners face-to-face, as well as see first-hand what is happening across the wider industry. Earlier this year, we exhibited at Spielwarenmesse in Nuremberg, where we showcased our 3D greetings and Pop & Builds alongside Gorjuss, Bangoberry, and the newly launched Harmonie Lane. The response to Harmonie Lane in particular was extremely exciting! We also have an international presence at key licensing and retail events, including Licensing Expo, which took place in Las Vegas in May. Looking ahead, Brand Licensing Europe (BLE) is also firmly on our list of upcoming trade shows, providing another valuable opportunity to connect with the licensing community and showcase our growing portfolio of brands. We see trade shows as an important platform for introducing new products, building relationships, and giving retailers and industry partners a chance to experience our collections in person. We are also participating in the online UK Gift Fair, which has enabled us to reach additional retailers that we otherwise wouldn’t meet at the physical trade shows. What are you looking forward to most over the next year? We’re particularly excited about building on the momentum behind our newest launches! We’re looking forward to developing Harmonie Lane further and seeing how retailers and consumers respond to the wider product universe, especially the newer craft categories we are moving into. We’re equally excited about continuing to expand Pop & Builds beyond seasonal occasions. There’s huge potential for the format as a creative, educational, and screen-free activity, and we’re exploring new themes that can continue giving it genuine yearround appeal. What new products can we expect from you in the future? There are plenty of new developments in the pipeline, particularly across Harmonie Lane and our wider 3D portfolio. We’ll continue to release exciting and unique new themes across our 3D Pop Up greetings, building on the paper engineering expertise that has been at the heart of SANTORO for more than 30 years. We’re always looking for fresh ways to surprise and delight, creating designs that offer something beyond a traditional greeting card and give recipients something to keep and display. We’re also continuing to explore new themes for Pop & Builds, with a particular focus on products that combine creativity with play, learning, and hands-on making. Harmonie Lane will continue to grow across stationery, craft and activity-led products, with new products that build on its themes of creativity, friendship, and self-expression. And, as ever with SANTORO, there will be some surprises along the way! Our history has always been about taking something familiar and approaching it from a completely different angle, so we’re excited to keep pushing those boundaries with new products, themes, and ideas.
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