Stationery is having a moment in retail for sure, specialty, niche, high-end stationery especially – stationery bought by people who collect stationery with little regard for price.
Ryman Design is a step up from the regular Ryman shops in the UK. It feels corporate though, and by corporate I mean safe, bland even. In a country, the UK, with so many excellent high-end stationery businesses, this move by Ryman surprises me. They are good retailers though and I am sure have data backing up their move.
Ryman Design (https://www.ryman.co.uk/ryman-design) is a new retail format out of the UK Ryman stationery business. It’s pitched as:
Ryman Design is the one stop shop for stationery enthusiasts, artists and professionals looking for unique, high-quality products. We want to inspire your creativity and self-expression.
Our goal is to build a loyal community of stationery lovers who share our values of creativity, quality, and authenticity. We want to provide you with the products and resources you need to achieve your goals and to express yourself.
Our vision is to make stationery more than just a product – we want it to be a lifestyle that inspires and enriches the lives of people around the world.
While it is a good stationery shop it does not, for me, reach the bar of high-end stationery seen at Choosing Keeping in London, Goods For The Study in New York and other shops in this specialty stationery space. That said, it’s a better stationery offer for the creative user of stationery than we typically see here in Australia.
There is plenty of opportunity in our Aussie newsagency channel to play outside of traditional for stationery. It’s an area where newsagency marketing groups can engage. I know newsXpress is.
High end stationery, collectible stationery – these are opportunities in Australia that we can use to attract new shoppers who will gladly give us their money.
This year already I have seen many specialty stationery stores in this hgh end space overseas that are truly inspiring to embrace change beyond the traditional when it comes to stationery.
Ryman’s strategic shift to a premium market segment is notable. Their established success in high street stationery is now being augmented with a product offering that appears to blend elements of Paperchase and Waterstones.
In my own business, a newsagent located in the Manchester region, the stationery category was discontinued following advice advocating a focus on convenience. While the business remains viable, the absence of stationery is a point of regret.
The work being undertaken in Australia is commendable. Keep it up.
Edward maybe it’s not too late to recalibrate your business into better GP categories for which there is less competition. Retail in the UK is fascinating. Brits do love their local shops.