Carte Blanche Greetings

What Carte Blanche Greetings does

Carte Blanche Greetings Ltd is a UK-based, privately held creator and licensor of branded greetings cards, gifts, stationery, plush toys and lifestyle merchandise, founded in 1987 by Stephen Haines and headquartered in Chichester, West Sussex. The company operates primarily through its flagship Me to You brand, anchored by the Tatty Teddy character (a blue-nosed teddy bear originally drawn in charcoal by illustrator Mike Payne), with a secondary historical character portfolio known as the Miranda Gang. The company's product range spans core greetings cards (the original and still-central product line), plush toys, gift wrapping paper, bags, stationery, gifts and licensed merchandise in categories such as clothing, figurines, cakes and bicycles distributed via world-class third-party licensees.

The business operates a dual-channel go-to-market: a B2B distribution network reaching more than 10,000 retailer outlets across the UK spanning premium high street, value sector, online and supermarkets, supported by a 24/7 trade ordering portal at cbgtrader.co.uk; and a direct-to-consumer e-commerce presence via metoyou.com. Revenue is generated through two principal streams: one-time product sales of branded greetings cards and related gift items, and ongoing licensing royalties from global licensees extending the Me to You brand into adjacent lifestyle categories. Underlying technology, data infrastructure and AI capability are not disclosed, and the company's core asset is the proprietary character IP and brand recognition accumulated over nearly four decades.

The company remains majority-owned and controlled by founder Stephen Haines, who serves as Company Chairman in a backseat capacity, with no disclosed external institutional investment or public listing. Customer concentration is structurally low given the long-tail retail distribution model, and the operating geographies span the UK and global markets through licensed product distribution, with cumulative global sales exceeding £850 million since inception.

Name

Carte Blanche Greetings

Legal name

Carte Blanche Greetings Ltd

Website

https://carteblanchegreetings.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1987

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Carte Blanche Greetings is a UK-based, founder-owned creator and licensor of branded greetings cards, gifts, plush and lifestyle merchandise built around its proprietary Me to You / Tatty Teddy character IP, distributed through 10,000+ UK retailers and global licensees.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Tangmere

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Greetings Cards and Related Products: Sale of greetings cards, wrapping paper, bags, stationery, gifts, and plush products featuring the Me to You brand characters including Tatty Teddy.
2. Licensing Royalties: Extension into licensing where Carte Blanche worked with world-class licensees in new categories such as clothing, figurines, cakes and bicycles. The brand is recognized globally with licensed products.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Carte Blanche Greetings creates, produces, and licenses branded greeting cards, plush toys, gifts, wrapping paper, bags, and stationery under its flagship 'Me to You' brand featuring the Tatty Teddy character. The company operates a dual-channel distribution model selling through 10,000+ UK retail outlets via its trade portal and directly to consumers via metoyou.com. It also licenses the Me to You brand globally to licensees producing clothing, figurines, cakes, and bicycles.

Product overview

Carte Blanche Greetings is a greetings card and gift company founded in 1987, operating primarily through its flagship 'Me to You' brand featuring the iconic Tatty Teddy blue-nosed teddy bear character. The product portfolio spans greetings cards (the original core product), plush toys, gift wrapping paper, bags, stationery, and licensed merchandise including clothing, figurines, and home goods. The company operates a B2B Trader Site (cbgtrader.co.uk) for trade customer ordering and a consumer-facing Me to You website (metoyou.com) for direct sales. Products are distributed across a diverse retail mix from premium high street to value sector, online, and supermarkets, reaching over 10,000 retailer outlets in the UK with global sales exceeding £850 million since inception.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Me to You: Primary consumer brand built around Tatty Teddy character. Includes greeting cards, plush toys, stationery, gifts, and licensed products.
• Tatty Teddy
• The Miranda Gang

Products and services

• Me to You branded product range Flagship brand of Carte Blanche Greetings featuring the Tatty Teddy character, spanning greeting cards, plush toys, gifts, and licensed merchandise across multiple product categories including clothing, figurines, cakes, and bicycles.
• Tatty Teddy greetings cards Core greetings card product line featuring the Tatty Teddy blue-nosed teddy bear character drawn in charcoal pencil style, spanning multiple gifting occasions including Valentine's Day, Mother's Day, and birthdays.
• Me to You plush teddy bears Plush teddy bears and stuffed animals that personify the characteristics of the Tatty Teddy character across varied sizes, extending the Me to You brand into a world-recognized gift offering.
• Me to You gift wrapping paper, gift bags, and stationery Extended gifting categories including gift wrapping paper, gift bags, and stationery items featuring Me to You designs and characters for retail and consumer purchase.
• Me to You licensed merchandise Licensed products including clothing, figurines, cakes, bicycles, and other items produced through partnerships with world-class licensees, extending the Me to You brand into categories outside Carte Blanche's core product portfolio globally.
• CBG Trader trade ordering platform Trade customer ordering site enabling retail partners to place orders for Carte Blanche products 24 hours a day, available at cbgtrader.co.uk for verified trade buyers.
• Me to You consumer e-commerce site Consumer-facing website for purchasing Me to You branded products directly, including greetings cards, plush toys, gifts, and licensed merchandise for personal gifting.

Quantifiable outcome

• Global sales exceeding £850 million since company creation in 1987
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• World-class LicenseescoreOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing PartnerCarte Blanche worked with world-class licensees to extend the Me to You brand into new product categories such as clothing, figurines, cakes and bicycles. This licensing strategy helped propel Me to You into a world recognised brand.
• Paper Kisses LimitedminorOthersAppointed as Carte Blanche's data protection representative within the EEA, based in Ireland. Individuals within the EEA can contact them directly for GDPR-related matters.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Hallmark Cards: World's largest greeting card company, operating across cards, gifts and licensed character brands. Directly comparable as a multi-decade greetings publisher leveraging character IP and licensing — the closest large-scale analogue to Carte Blanche.
• American Greetings: Major US-headquartered greeting card publisher and licensor (including character properties like Care Bears). Comparable business model of greeting cards combined with character IP and licensing.
• WHSmith: UK multi-category retailer with a strong greetings, stationery and gifts category. Comparable as a UK high-street distribution channel buyer of cards and gifts.

Direct peers

• Moonpig Group: UK-based personalised greeting cards and gifts retailer operating Moonpig and Buyagift. Direct UK peer addressing the same consumer occasion with a digitally-native model alongside physical cards.
• Card Factory: UK high-street greeting card retailer with ~1,000 stores, focused on value greetings and seasonal products. Direct competitor for shelf space in UK value and high street retail.
• Danilo: UK-based publisher of licensed and own-brand greetings cards, gift wrap and stationery for major retailers. Closest mid-market peer for licensed character card publishing.

Emerging players

• Build-A-Bear Workshop: US-listed branded plush toy retailer and licensor. Comparable as a character-led plush business extending into licensing and branded merchandise.
• Jellycat: London-based designer and wholesaler of premium plush toys and gifts sold globally through gift retailers. Comparable as a character-led plush brand sold through independent and premium gifting channels.
• Archie McPhee: US novelty gift brand known for quirky licensed and own-brand products sold through gift retailers. Comparable in the gift/novelty category Carte Blanche operates in.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/CarteBlancheGrp
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@officialcarteblanche
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/carte-blanche-greetings-ltd
• Instagraminstagram.com/carteblanchegrp

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Carte Blanche Greetings