Huge sales reported for Pip greeting cards in Russian market

The popularity of greetings sensation Pip the cat - winner of ‘Best Cute Range’ at The Henries Awards 2010 - is continuing to spread across the globe, with sales figures just released from the Russian market showing that an astonishing 70,000 Pip cards have sold in Q1 of this year alone!

Russian greetings company Otkrytoye pis’mo is responsible for Pip’s presence in Russia after signing a deal to both produce and distribute the cards across Russia and Ukraine. The company is one of the leading card publishers in the challenging Russian greetings market and supplies cards to supermarkets, book stores and gift shops across the region.

Anastasia Goremykina, Commercial Director at Otkrytoye pis’mois is delighted with Pip’s outstanding sales performance: “It seems that Pip cards have resonated with Russian consumers as sales of cards featuring this irresistible black kitten have been really great so far!”

This adds to Pip’s global success, with massive sales also being reported in France, Germany, Finland, Italy, Switzerland, Hong Kong, New Zealand, and Australia. In the UK the cards are available in a vast range of outlets, including Fenwicks and Harrods, as well as on the Web via Moonpig.com. Orders are also flooding in to Pip’s dedicated website at www.pipthecat.com, where cards and branded stationery are available.

Pip is also proving to be a huge success in licensing terms and licensing agent KJG Ltd has recently signed a deal with Alligator to produce a range of Pip-branded gift bags and boxes. This adds to an extensive programme that covers a wide variety of sectors – a host of existing partners includes Raiseprint for fridge magnets, Bluebird Brands for a range of mugs, coasters, purses, wallets and umbrellas, and Shreds for a variety of products aimed at 2 to 4 year olds, including aprons, mini tote bags, giftpack melamine sets and lunchbags. Pip also appears in Easy Peazy magazine, a popular publication for young girls, and from July will feature in SPARKLE WORLD - the UK’s No. 1 multi-character magazine for Primary school aged girls.

“Pip is a truly universal character and is proving to be a hit wherever the cards have launched,” says Kirsty Guthrie, from KJG Ltd, “this in turn is leading to an ever growing licensing programme, with Alligator the latest licensee to realise the potential of what is an incredibly popular brand.”