Old English Company Ltd

What Old English Company Ltd does

Old English Company Ltd is a privately held, UK-based design brand founded in 2013 that creates and sells hand-lettered greeting cards, stationery, homeware, and giftware. The company's product portfolio spans occasion-based greeting cards, personalised planners and notebooks (hardback, softback, and foil variants), notepads, pens and pencils, gift wrap, enamel pins, keyrings, embroidered patches, art prints, city map prints, coasters, mugs, wall flags, pillowcases, and tea towels. Operations are run from a design studio in Stamford, Lincolnshire, with the company having relocated from London where it was originally founded.

The underlying technology stack is straightforward: a Shopify-powered e-commerce storefront at oldenglishprints.com for direct-to-consumer sales, with global shipping to the UK, Europe, North America (US, Canada, Mexico), and Asia. The creative differentiator is the proprietary hand-lettered illustration and design IP applied across all SKUs. The business operates three revenue channels: direct e-commerce (one-time unit purchases at price points from £0 to £20+), wholesale distribution through a Faire trade portal serving retailers and department stores, and a corporate gifting motion with quantity-based discounts and custom branding options. A custom design and branding services practice monetises the studio for commercial clients.

The customer base spans individual consumers purchasing for personal gifting occasions (birthdays, weddings, holidays, sympathy), retail stockists including Selfridges, Paperchase, and Oliver Bonas, corporate clients such as Charlotte Tilbury, and bespoke design clients including West Elm, Papyrus, Notonthehighstreet.com, and Waterstones. Headcount is reported at 1-10 employees, the company is bootstrapped with no disclosed institutional funding, and the headquarters remains a single design studio in the UK. Marketing relies on Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest, an email newsletter with a 10% subscriber discount, SEO, and a blog channel.

Name

Old English Company Ltd

Legal name

Old English Company

Website

https://oldenglishprints.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2013

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Old English Company Ltd is a privately held UK design brand, founded in 2013 and based in Stamford, Lincolnshire, that designs and sells hand-lettered greeting cards, stationery, homeware, and giftware to individual consumers, retail stockists, and corporate clients globally via Shopify DTC, Faire wholesale, and bespoke design services.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Greeting Cards and Stationery

NAICS

Greeting Card Publishers (513191), Gift, Novelty, and Souvenir Retailers (459420), Office Supplies and Stationery Retailers (459410)

SIC

Greeting Cards (2771), Pens, Pencils & Other Artists' Materials (3950), Wholesale-Paper & Paper Products (5110)

akta.pro primary industry

Greeting Cards, Wrap & Party Supplies Retail (CRALAJAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Office, Stationery & Craft Supplies DTC (CRAFACAL), Greeting Cards, Gift Wrap & Party Paper Goods Distribution (CRAOALAJ), Home Fragrance, Candles & Small Giftables Retail (CRALAJAN)

Keywords

• Hand-lettered greeting cards
• Stationery products
• Personalised notebooks
• Giftware and homeware
• Corporate gifting

Headquarters

HQ city

Stamford

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Direct E-commerce Sales: Direct-to-consumer online sales through their Shopify storefront, selling greeting cards, stationery, planners, notebooks, enamel pins, homeware, and gift products to individual consumers worldwide with GBP pricing.
2. Wholesale Distribution: B2B wholesale sales to retail stockists through their trade website on Faire, offering discounts based on order quantity for retailers seeking to stock Old English Company products.
3. Corporate Gifting: Bulk corporate orders for branded merchandise including mugs, planners, greeting cards, and enamel pins with custom branding, offering quantity-based discounts.
4. Custom Design Services: Bespoke design, illustration, branding, and stationery services for commercial clients including custom product design and branding existing product lines with client logos.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Old English Company designs and sells hand-lettered and illustrated greeting cards, stationery, planners, notebooks, enamel pins, keyrings, art prints, mugs and homeware. Products are sold direct-to-consumer via a Shopify storefront and to retailers via wholesale, with additional custom branding and bespoke design services for corporate clients.

Product overview

Old English Company Ltd is a UK-based stationery and giftware brand that designs and creates hand-lettered and beautifully illustrated products. Founded in London in 2013, with their design studio now based in Stamford, Lincolnshire, the company offers a diverse portfolio of greeting cards (for occasions like Birthday, Baby, Wedding, Thank You, and Holidays including Christmas and Valentine's), planners and notebooks (including Personalised Hardback Notebooks, Personalised Softback Notebooks, and Personalised Foil Notebooks), stationery items (notebooks, notepads, pens and pencils, gift wrap), pins and keyrings (enamel pins, keyrings, embroidered patches), and home décor products (art prints, city map prints, coasters, mugs, wall flags, pillowcases, tea towels). The company also offers corporate gifting with custom branding options and custom design services for illustration and branding projects. Products are sold through their own website as well as major retailers including Selfridges, Paperchase, and Oliver Bonas.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Greeting Cards Hand-lettered and illustrated greeting cards sold individually to consumers for a wide range of personal gifting occasions, including birthday, baby, wedding, thank you, holiday, congratulations, encouragement and sympathy, love and friendship, new home, and everyday messages.
• Planners Personalised planners for organisation and scheduling, sold through the direct-to-consumer e-commerce storefront.
• Personalised Notebooks Made-to-order hardback, softback and foil notebooks that can be personalised with a name or message, sold direct to consumers and offered as customisable stationery products.
• Notebooks General notebooks included in the stationery collection, sold to consumers for everyday writing and note-taking.
• Notepads Notepads for note-taking and writing, sold as part of the stationery range.
• Pens and Pencils Writing instruments including pens and pencils offered as part of the stationery assortment.
• Gift Wrap Wrapping paper and gift packaging products sold to consumers.
• Enamel Pins Enamel pin badges and accessories featuring hand-lettered designs, sold individually and with a multi-buy incentive.
• Keyrings Keyrings and keychains sold as accessories.
• Embroidered Patches Embroidered patches designed for jackets and garments, sold as part of the accessories range.
• Art Prints Art prints and decorative prints featuring hand-lettered and illustrated designs, sold as home decor.
• City Map Prints Custom map prints featuring various cities, sold as decorative wall art.
• Coasters Coasters and placemats for home use, featuring illustrated designs.
• Mugs Mugs and drinkware featuring hand-lettered designs, sold as home products and available for custom branding by corporate clients.
• Wall Flags Wall hangings and flags for home decoration.
• Pillowcases Pillowcases featuring illustrated designs, sold as home textiles.
• Tea Towels Illustrated tea towels for kitchen use, featuring hand-lettered designs.
• Gift Cards Digital gift cards available for purchase in variable denominations for redemption on the e-commerce store.
• Corporate Gifting Service Bulk corporate gifting service offering quantity-based discounts and custom branding on mugs, planners, greeting cards, enamel pins and other products for corporate clients and their employees or customers.
• Custom Design and Branding Services Bespoke design, illustration, branding and stationery services for commercial clients, including custom product design and branding of existing Old English Company product lines with client logos.

Named customers11 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• SelfridgescoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorMajor UK department store chain stocking Old English Company greeting cards, stationery, and giftware products in their retail locations.
• PaperchasecoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorLeading UK stationery retailer stocking Old English Company product ranges across their store network.
• Oliver BonascoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorUK lifestyle fashion and homeware retailer stocking Old English Company gift and homeware products.
• West ElmminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCustom design and branding collaboration for homeware products, creating bespoke Old English Company designs for West Elm's product range.
• PapyrusminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCustom card and stationery design work creating exclusive designs for Papyrus retail locations.
• Notonthehighstreet.comminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDesign partnership creating unique gift products for the curated online marketplace.
• WaterstonesminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorStationery and gift product collaboration with the major UK bookseller chain.
• Mollie Makes MagazineminorGTM or Marketing PartnerEditorial content collaboration and brand features in the craft and lifestyle magazine publication.
• Heidi Delicatessen, WindsorminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerComplete brand identity design work including logo and visual branding elements for the deli business.
• Attic of StamfordminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCustom hand-lettered tote bag design for the local independent retailer.
• Charlotte TilburyminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorCorporate gifting collaboration with the luxury beauty brand for employee and client gifts.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Typo: Lifestyle stationery, gift, and homeware retail brand owned by Cotton On Group. Comparable as a broader stationery/gift retailer with overlapping product categories, though operating at much larger scale and via physical retail.
• Smythson: Heritage British luxury stationery and leather goods brand. Comparable in premium stationery and gifting category, though positioned at a much higher price point and with broader accessories portfolio.

Direct peers

• Papier: UK-based personalization-led stationery brand offering customizable notebooks, planners, and greeting cards via DTC. Comparable in personalized products, British retail presence, and multi-channel strategy.
• Ohh Deer: UK-based greeting cards, stationery, and giftware brand with a strong illustration-led identity. Directly comparable in product categories, design philosophy, and indie retail/wholesale mix.
• Sugar Paper: US-based design-led stationery and lifestyle brand with customizable greeting cards, planners, and paper goods. Comparable in design quality, customizable products, and DTC-plus-wholesale model.
• Rifle Paper Co. US-based lifestyle brand selling hand-illustrated greeting cards, stationery, planners, and home décor. Closest comparable by product mix, design-led aesthetic, and multi-channel DTC plus wholesale model.
• Katie Leamon: UK-based designer stationery brand specializing in hand-lettered and illustrated greeting cards, notebooks, and gift products. Direct competitor to Old English Company in the premium hand-lettered UK stationery niche.
• Caroline Gardner: UK design-led stationery and gift brand with extensive wholesale presence. Comparable in occasion-based greeting cards, planners, and design-driven home and gift products in the UK retail market.

Emerging players

• Cassia Joy: UK-based hand-lettered creative studio offering greeting cards, prints, and custom design services. Comparable in hand-lettered specialty, custom design offerings, and small-team creative business model.
• Anika Asks: Australian hand-lettered greeting card and stationery brand with similar hand-lettered aesthetic and indie retail distribution. Comparable in design DNA and product range, though smaller scale and primarily ANZ-distributed.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/Oldenglishco
• Facebookfacebook.com/Oldenglishco
• Instagraminstagram.com/oldenglishcompany
• Pinterestuk.pinterest.com/OldEnglishCo
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/old-english-company

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 Old English Company Ltd