Tiger Feet, described as the UK's largest wholesaler of greeting cards, balloons, party supplies, stationery, giftware and toys, has filed a Notice of Intention to appoint administrators in the UK. The move was announced in a statement by chief executive Andy Dodwell and is significant for the company's many suppliers.
Dodwell said the filing provides a short statutory period in which the business can explore options to secure future funding. He said the directors, together with their professional advisers, are assessing all available options during that time. No administrators have yet been appointed, and Tiger Feet is continuing to trade normally while the process is ongoing.
Recent headquarters and systems investment
The notice comes less than six months after Tiger Feet opened a new headquarters and flagship branch in Manchester. The company also introduced a new enterprise resource planning system, described as state of the art, to help operations run more smoothly.
Tiger Feet was founded in 1984 as Budget Greeting Cards by Paul Lavery, who was later joined by his brother Martin. Investment group Ardenton Capital has been an investor since 2019 and is now the majority shareholder.
In March 2024, BGC acquired the trade and assets of Paul White Ltd and Tiger Feet Party Ltd, which traded as Tiger Feet Direct. Five months later, BGC Wholesale and Paul White Gateshead merged and rebranded the business as Tiger Feet.
Seven branches and a wholesale distribution role
Tiger Feet currently operates from seven branches in Manchester, Bradford, Birmingham, Nottingham, Gateshead, Belfast and Dublin. It closed its Bristol branch a few months ago.
In addition to publishing its own greeting cards, Tiger Feet is a significant distributor to several wholesale greeting card publishers. That combination gives the business a role both as a card publisher and as a distribution channel for other publishers' ranges.
The notice is not itself an appointment of administrators. It opens a statutory period for the company to pursue funding while existing management remains in charge and trading continues. No date was given for the end of that period.
The statement did not specify which funding options are being considered or set out a timetable beyond the statutory period. It also did not give a reason for the funding review or say whether staffing, branch operations or supplier arrangements could change. The company confirmed only that no administrators have been appointed and that trading continues during the review. It did not identify any proposed administrator or potential new funder.