Latest news:
Budget Greeting Cards & Paul White Ltd - 15th March 2024
Budget Greeting Cards Ltd (BGC) wishes to announce the purchase of the trade and assets of Paul White Ltd and Tiger Feet Party Ltd T/A Tiger Feet Direct.
First established in Leeds in 1979, Paul White Ltd has steadily grown to include depots in both Nottingham and Gateshead. Tiger Feet Direct is based within the Leeds Branch of Paul White Ltd and was established as an online balloon and party wholesale company in 2013.
Budget Greeting Cards Ltd, established in 1984, has an HQ in Manchester and operates across a network of branches in Gateshead, Bradford, Belfast, Manchester, Birmingham, Bristol, Dunstable, Nottingham, and Dublin.
Both businesses have been major supporters of the independent greeting cards sector, as well as the party and gifts categories, and stationery, across specialist shops, the convenience sector, post offices, and local party specialists.
Paul White Ltd and Tiger Feet Direct are both established businesses operating across a similar customer base to those of BGC, and in similar locations, so the joining of the two businesses makes it an exciting opportunity to better serve the independent sector.
Our aim is to ensure the wholesale market remains competitive and delivers value to our customers as they compete with major high-street retailers.
BGC is proud to be making this investment to support both sets of customers.
paul white ltd Customer Q&A
Q. What happens from the signing date (15th March)?
As a customer, you will see no difference in trading for the first few weeks, while behind the scenes BGC will be working hard to combine key practices and procedures between the two businesses. You may see more of our head office staff out and about as we get to know the employees and customers at the new sites.
Q. What will happen to the Paul White Ltd staff?
All existing Paul White Ltd staff are now employed by Budget Greeting Cards Ltd. You will see the same faces in the branches and speak to the same staff in the Leeds Head Office.
Q. What are BGC’s priorities?
BGC’s focus across 2024 is to ensure we continue to give our customers the range of products they need at the best possible price to stay competitive in the independent sector. This will include highlighting and taking on board areas of Paul White Ltd where they perform well, to continue the great relationships built up with customers and to review the workings of Tiger Feet Direct & BGC’s online platform to see how we can increase our services.
Q. Will my shopping experience change?
Any changes made to the company sites and services will be communicated with plenty of notice.
We are reviewing our sites and how we can serve our customers best. With this in mind, both Nottingham sites will be merged into one with a re-open scheduled for May. Key dates for this change can be seen in our diagram below. The merge will see the closing of the current BGC site, with operations moving just down the road to 10 Dabell Avenue, NG6 8WA. Other sites are still under review.
Q. If I only shop at Paul White’s, do I need to re-register with BGC?
No. All customer data will be transferred and your account will be ready to use for the re-opening. Please keep us updated with any changes to your account such as address or contact details.
Q. Is my data secure?
We know how important it is to protect and manage your data. We have procedures and technology in place to ensure your data is transferred, stored, secured, and used appropriately.
Q. Will my trade discount stay the same?
Until each Paul White Ltd branch is using the BGC till system your trade discount will be the same. Once the move is made to the BGC till systems you will be moved to the BGC pricing model and we will offer you the discount closest to your current offer. All discounts are due for review and any current offer may be changed in the future.
Q. I have a credit account, will this remain open?
Credit accounts will be reviewed on an individual basis. We aim to actively support customers.
Q. Will pricing change?
There will be no immediate change in the Paul White Ltd branches; upon the integration of the businesses, a standard pricing model will be applied, which will be based on the current BGC pricing. Moving forward, prices will continue to be monitored to ensure that our customers get competitive pricing. Please be assured that we have no plans to increase prices generally as we wish to ensure our customers stay competitive.
Q. Is there a minimum spend?
Until each Paul White Ltd branch is using the BGC till system the minimum spend in Paul White Ltd branches will stay at £40. Once the BGC till systems are being used we will align with BGC and the minimum spend will be £50. We understand there may be times when you need the odd item to support your customers, please speak to a member of the team in these instances.
Q. Refunds & Returns
Please review our policy online at bgcwholesale.com. We cannot exchange or refund goods bought by customers in error. We do not offer sale or return, and all damages must be returned within 30 days with a valid invoice, after 30 days we are unable to complete refunds.
Q. Is my helium deposit safe?
Yes, all deposits held by Paul White are being transferred to BGC and will still be returned in full once all helium cylinders are returned.
Q. Can I return helium cylinders I rented from Paul White to a BGC branch?
Yes. Please ensure that all returned cylinders are received by a member of our team who will ensure that the cylinder serial number is registered as being returned.
Q. Will my direct debit for rental payments change?
The intention is to transfer all direct debit agreements from Paul White to BGC, as well as to offer BGC customers the ability to pay by direct debit. Watch this space!
Q. Will I still be able to get the same products?
There may be slight changes to products stocked in branch after the merge. We will look, where possible, to make anything not available in branch available via our online sites. We actively take feedback from customers on products they need and aim to source and have them in branch at speed. We do also look at products that are not selling and clear them to ensure we have the space to bring in new products.
Q. What will online look like?
We are working on improving our offerings online, with both BGC Wholesale and Tiger Feet Direct and both will still be fully operational. We are constantly adding more products to support you and your business and we always try to get you the stock you need as quickly as possible.
Q. What does this mean for my customer support?
All customer support teams & channels will still be available including online, in branch and through our head offices. You can contact us at info@bgcwholesale.com, headoffice@paulwhiteltd.com, or by phone on 0161 871 4450 (Manchester Head Office) or 0113 2000260 (Leeds Head Office). All Paul White Ltd Branch email addresses and phone numbers will remain the same for now, if there are any changes on how you should get in touch we’ll let you know.
leeds@paulwhiteltd.com - 0113 2489898
nottingham@paulwhiteltd.com - 0115 9796920
gateshead@paulwhiteltd.com - 0191 4871717
Key Dates - Nottingham Branch
June 2023 Update
Town Name 2023 Christmas Cards - Pre Order Now
Celebrate the unique identity of your local community by offering your customers packs of Christmas Cards personalised with your local town names.
The cards come in boxes of 12 with envelopes and are printed on high quality board in an assortment of traditional designs. We will have your chosen local town name printed onto each the cards.
The minimum order for each town name is 144 cards and at 26p + VAT per card including printing they are great value.
Place your order at your local Paul White cash & carry branch now for delivery mid-September.
Leeds - 0113 248 9898
Message Leeds on Facebook
Nottingham - 0115 979 6920
Message Nottingham on Facebook
Gateshead - 0191 487 1717
Message Gateshead on Facebook
Pre-order Simon Elvin 2023 Main Collection
With all the hustle and bustle getting ready for Christmas, especially when you’re running a business, it’s easy to let thoughts of 2023 get lost in the sparkly blur.
We’d like to help take one thing off your plate. We’ll get your Simon Elvin Main Range Collection order picked, packed, and ready to collect by 6th January 2023. No scouring the shelves trying to find the design you need, just pick what you want from the catalogue, fill in the order forms, and email them over - we’ll do the rest.
Email your completed order forms to:
Leeds Branch - leeds@paulwhiteltd.com
Nottingham Branch - nottingham@paulwhiteltd.com
Gateshead Branch - gateshead@paulwhiteltd.com
Main Range Card examples:
Simon Elvin Christmas 2021 - Update 24.9.21
Our first delivery of Simon Elvin’s Christmas 2021 range has started arriving. It’s not the entire range yet and we expect more to arrive over the next few weeks. The stock we’ve got should be on sale in all our branches next week.
COVID Restrictions from Monday 19th July 2021
Face Coverings - we’d like to encourage people visiting our cash and carry’s to continue to wear face coverings but appreciate that this is now a personal choice.
Social Distancing - Having reviewed the risks posed by the new more transmissible variants of COVID-19 we will continue to insist on social distancing being maintained whilst inside our buildings. All visitors must keep at least 1M distance from people not in their household, this includes other customers and our team members. Please also stay out of any areas marked as staff only.
12 May 21 - Isabel’s Garden 2021 Mid-Season Range Available Now
Available now in all Paul White Ltd Cash & Carry branches, the brand new 2021 Mid-Season Isabel’s Garden release is packed full of beautiful cards for all occasions. Click the link below to download the full catalogue and see all the designs available.
The award winning Isabel’s garden C50 range from Simon Elvin are all singly wrapped and printed on top quality hi-white board with delicate and original hand crafted attachments and short verses inside.
Order Christmas Town Name Cards for 2021 Collection
Pre-order your Simon Elvin Christmas Town Name cards before 1st June 2021 to guarantee they will be ready for you to collect from your local Paul White Ltd branch in August 2021.
Each pack is 1 gross assortment containing all 12 available designs. Each card measures 5.25" x 7.5” (133mm x 190mm) and is high gloss varnished
Call or email your local Paul White Ltd branch now to order:
Leeds - 0113 248 9898 - leeds@paulwhiteltd.com
Nottingham - 0115 979 6920 - nottingham@paulwhiteltd.com
Gateshead - 0191 487 1617 - gateshead@paulwhiteltd.com