Hallmark Cards and The MATLET Group: A Relationship to Remember When You Care Enough to Send the Very Best

As 2012 winds down, it means the magical time of the year is right around the corner.  The holiday season began with Halloween, which according to a National Retail Federation report says a record 170 million people celebrated this year, with the average person spending $79.82 on decorations, costumes, candy and cards.

While Thanksgiving takes place next week, every retail outlet is loaded with merchandise for the December trio of Christmas, Hanukkah and Kwanzaa. But for Hallmark Cards, business is not limited to the holidays.  The world’s undisputed leading greeting card company recognizes life’s special occasions, 365 days every year.  Whether it’s a card to remember a birthday, wedding, anniversary or graduation, express sympathy or gratitude, they have a product to honor all the milestones in life.

Based in Kansas City, Missouri, Hallmark keeps building on its success and tradition that began 102 years ago in 1910.  Not only do they issue 10,000 new and redesigned greeting cards each year, Hallmark makes available a stunning 49,000 products at any given time.  That includes offerings for their Keepsake Ornaments, which introduced more than 100 new holiday ornaments at Ornament Debut last month.

Award-winning partnership for over 30 years

When you produce products in 30 languages and sell them in 100 countries around the world, it takes some help to stay on course and get the job done. That’s where a relationship with The MATLET Group fits into the picture, with Central Florida Press (CFP) in Orlando and NOVA Marketing Services in St. Louis managing a large amount of award-winning work across multiple product lines. The MATLET Group is a minority-owned supplier that has the firepower to compete, which led Hallmark to honor CFP with its Supplier Diversity Award in 2011.

 “Over the past decade, The MATLET Group and Hallmark Cards have developed a strong business relationship that is focused on delivering value, driving competitiveness and providing consistent execution of Hallmark’s marketing print requirements,” said Tom Ferrell, Global Procurement Director – Indirect, for Hallmark Cards.

The MATLET Group’s history credits Hallmark with the creation of the company known today as NOVA Marketing Services.

“In 1981, we were known as Sayers Printing Co., doing fulfillment kits for merchandisers when Hallmark approached us,” recalled Clay Loomis, Senior Account Executive at CFP.  “Back then, we originally did the greeting cards work by hand and Hallmark opened the door for us to get clients like Budweiser and Upper Deck.  We needed a larger building to accommodate the machines and the extra people we hired to handle the overflow work, so NOVA Marketing Services was born.  Quebecor then bought Sayers, and in 2005 The MATLET Group made NOVA Marketing Services one of its divisions.”

“Through the years, the MATLET Group has assisted Hallmark on a variety of marketing projects in support of their ever-changing business and marketplace demands,” continued Ferrell.  “Their model combines lithography from CFP in Florida and fulfillment at NOVA in Missouri to deliver seamless execution of a wide range of marketing product formats.”

Printing and fulfillment that balances the bottom line