IG DESIGN GROUP PLC
IG Design Group plc is a public limited company registered in England and Wales under company number 01401155, with a registered office at Howard House, Howard Way, Interchange Park, Newport Pagnell, MK16 9PX. Incorporated on 22 November 1978, the company is recorded as active on the Companies House register. It has traded under several previous names — Surakara Limited until 31 December 1979, Scandinavian Design Limited until 3 April 1989 and International Greetings plc until 24 June 2016 — before adopting its current name.
IG Design Group plc’s Companies House SIC classification is 70100 (activities of head offices), reflecting its role as the group’s UK holding company. According to its own website, the group designs, manufactures and distributes creative consumer products across two categories: “Celebrate” (gift wrap, gift bags, greeting cards, crackers and other celebration goods, sold under brands including Tom Smith, Eco Nature and Giftmaker Collection) and “Create” (stationery and craft products, including the Artwrap brand). The group operates business units in the United Kingdom, continental Europe, Australia and South Africa, plus a Netherlands-based entity, Anchor B.V., selling to around 3,800 customers in approximately 54 countries. On 30 May 2025 the group completed the disposal of its US subsidiary, Design Group Americas, Inc., to a special-purpose vehicle owned by Hilco Capital, and on 29 April 2026 it acquired Glenart, a South African cracker manufacturer, for consideration of up to £5.3 million.
Ordinary shares of IG Design Group plc, of 5p nominal value each, have traded on the Alternative Investment Market (AIM) of the London Stock Exchange under the ticker IGR since the company, then named International Greetings plc, was admitted in 1995.
For the year ended 31 March 2026, IG Design Group plc reported consolidated Group revenue of £217.9 million, down 3% from £225.4 million the prior year, reflecting tariffs, pricing pressures and softer UK demand; adjusted operating profit was £9.6 million, down from £16.0 million, at a margin of 4.4%. By segment, DG Europe generated revenue of £102.9 million (up 2%), DG UK £82.0 million (down 12%) and DG Australia £33.5 million (up 6%). The Group ended the year with net cash of £54.6 million and reported approximately 740 employees worldwide, according to its own website. These are consolidated Group figures rather than standalone figures for the parent legal entity, announced 16 June 2026.
- Company fundamentals
- Corporate linkage & group structures
- Digitized company financials
- Firmographics — websites, social profiles, revenue and employee estimates
Shareholders
Shareholders of IG Design Group plc
IG Design Group plc’s ordinary shares trade on AIM, so the company is subject to the FCA’s Disclosure Guidance and Transparency Rules (DTR 5) notification regime, and its own investor-relations pages publish a shareholder analysis rather than a complete share register. According to the company’s website, as at 1 September 2026 there were 93,821,556 ordinary shares in issue, and its six largest disclosed holders were: the Hedlund family, 22,918,994 shares (23.52%); Fidelity International, 9,393,864 shares (10.01%); Canaccord Wealth, 9,325,000 shares (9.94%); Crucible Clarity Fund, 6,717,353 shares (7.16%); Octopus Investments, 5,683,538 shares (6.06%); and Interactive Investor (EO), 5,022,164 shares (5.35%). Separately, regulatory notifications under DTR 5 report larger total voting-rights positions once financial instruments are included: FIL Limited (Fidelity’s notifying entity) reported total voting rights of 14.9458% on 10 August 2026, comprising 9.9375% in shares and 5.0083% via cash-settled financial instruments, and Canaccord Genuity Group Inc. reported total voting rights of 11.0034% (10,817,243 shares) as at 22 April 2026. The Hedlund family holding is associated with founding director Stig Anders Hedlund, who has served on the board since before 28 February 1992, though the company’s shareholder page does not break the family holding down by individual member.
Data availability
Shareholder disclosure for this AIM-listed company is classified as Major shareholders only: the complete underlying shareholder register is not publicly available, and published information is limited to the company’s own investor-relations shareholder analysis and DTR 5 major-holding notifications. Companies House confirms that, since 28 February 2023, IG Design Group plc has been exempt from the requirement to maintain a persons-with-significant-control register because its voting shares are admitted to trading on a UK regulated market, so no ultimate beneficial owner can be verified from that register.
Sources
- IG Design Group plc — Shareholder Information, thedesigngroup.com, retrieved 9 September 2026
- Companies House — IG DESIGN GROUP PLC, persons with significant control, company number 01401155, retrieved 9 September 2026
- London Stock Exchange RNS / Investegate — Holding(s) in Company notifications (FIL Limited, 10 August 2026; Canaccord Genuity Group Inc., 22 April 2026)
Officers
31
Directors and officers of IG Design Group plc
Companies House records seven active officer appointments for IG Design Group plc, held by six individuals: six directors and one company secretary, against 28 resigned officer appointments (23 directors and 5 secretaries) since incorporation. Ari Vincent Bensoussan holds both the Director and Secretary roles, appointed 1 September 2026; he is disclosed with Swiss and French nationality and is resident in France. The other active directors are Clare Victoria Askem and Stewart Charles Gilliland (both appointed 5 July 2021, British nationality, resident in England), John Anthony Gittins (appointed 3 March 2025, British nationality, resident in England), Stig Anders Hedlund (appointed before 28 February 1992, Swedish nationality, resident in Wales) and Gerald Christoph Kuehr (appointed 1 May 2026, Austrian nationality, resident in Austria). This overview reflects the Companies House officer register as retrieved on 9 September 2026.
Recent officer changes
- Appointment of Ari Vincent Bensoussan as Chief Financial Officer, director and company secretary, effective 1 September 2026, succeeding Rohan Cummings, who stepped down as Chief Financial Officer and director effective 31 August 2026.
- Appointment of Gerald Christoph Kuehr as director, effective 1 May 2026.
- Appointment of John Anthony Gittins as director, effective 3 March 2025.
Data availability
Officer information for this entity is classified as Full: Companies House publishes current and historical officer records, including appointment and resignation dates and nationality for current directors. Country of residence is disclosed as a separate field from nationality — for example, Stig Anders Hedlund is recorded as Swedish by nationality but resident in Wales — and is not used here to infer nationality. Occupation is not separately published for the current directors in the record reviewed.
Sources
- Companies House — Officers list, company number 01401155, retrieved 9 September 2026
- IG Design Group plc — Appointment of Chief Financial Officer, company announcement, 2026
Registry feed — rows exactly as filed with Companies House, including entries the profile above does not cover.
Group Structure
Group structure of IG Design Group plc
IG Design Group plc is a publicly listed holding company; no parent company is recorded for it, and Companies House confirms it has been exempt from persons-with-significant-control disclosure since 28 February 2023 because its shares are admitted to trading on a UK regulated market. Registration-number-matched corporate-linkage data synced to this profile on 11 August 2026 shows IG Design Group plc as the top entity of a multi-jurisdiction group, with direct or indirect subsidiaries recorded in England, the Netherlands, Poland, Hong Kong and mainland China, including IG Design Group UK Limited, I. G. Employee Share Trustee Limited, BRITE SPARKS LIMITED, IG Design Group Europe B.V. and International Greetings Asia Limited. That same linkage data also lists an extensive chain of US entities beneath “Ig Design Group Americas, Inc.”, including CSS Industries, Inc., Paper Magic Group and Berwick Offray LLC; however, an official company announcement confirms that IG Design Group plc completed the disposal of this US subsidiary, Design Group Americas, Inc., to a special-purpose vehicle owned by Hilco Capital on 30 May 2025, after which the US entity entered US Chapter 11 proceedings that concluded in liquidation, effective December 2025. This overview reflects internal corporate-linkage data as synced, cross-checked against external sources reviewed on 9 September 2026.
Verified corporate relationships
| Entity | Country | Registration number | Relationship | Ownership | Status | Information date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| IG Design Group UK Limited | United Kingdom | 02265899 | Direct subsidiary | Ownership percentage not disclosed | Active | 11 Aug 2026 |
| I. G. Employee Share Trustee Limited | United Kingdom | 03517832 | Direct subsidiary | Ownership percentage not disclosed | Active | 11 Aug 2026 |
| BRITE SPARKS LIMITED | United Kingdom | 02215134 | Direct subsidiary | Ownership percentage not disclosed | Active | 11 Aug 2026 |
| IG Design Group Europe B.V. | Netherlands | 23047335 | Direct subsidiary | Ownership percentage not disclosed | Active | 11 Aug 2026 |
| International Greetings Asia Limited | Hong Kong | 30530142 | Direct subsidiary | Ownership percentage not disclosed | Active | 11 Aug 2026 |
| Design Group Americas, Inc. | United States | Not disclosed on UK register | Historical relationship (divested) | Formerly wholly owned | Divested 30 May 2025 | 30 May 2025 |
Recent structural changes
- Disposal of the US subsidiary Design Group Americas, Inc. to a special-purpose vehicle owned by Hilco Capital, completed 30 May 2025; the entity subsequently entered US Chapter 11 proceedings that concluded in liquidation, effective December 2025.
- Acquisition of Glenart, a South African manufacturer of celebration crackers, completed 29 April 2026, for consideration of up to £5.3 million.
Data availability
Group-structure information for IG Design Group plc is classified as Partial: internal registration-number-matched linkage data confirms a number of direct UK, Dutch, Polish and Hong Kong subsidiaries, and the Design Group Americas divestment and Glenart acquisition are independently confirmed by official company announcements, but the wider international structure spanning further US, Chinese and other entities was not independently re-verified entity-by-entity against each home registry for this review, and ownership percentages are not disclosed in the sources reviewed.
Sources
- Companies House — IG DESIGN GROUP PLC, persons with significant control, company number 01401155, retrieved 9 September 2026
- IG Design Group plc — Disposal of DG Americas, company announcement, 30 May 2025 (London Stock Exchange RNS)
- IG Design Group plc — Full Year Results announcement, 16 June 2026 (Glenart acquisition)
- Company-registry-linked corporate structure data, last synced 11 August 2026
Registry feed — rows exactly as filed with Companies House, including entries the profile above does not cover.
IG DESIGN GROUP PLC
United Kingdom
Get complete shareholder and officer records, ultimate beneficial owner resolution, and ongoing ownership monitoring.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does IG DESIGN GROUP PLC do?
IG Design Group plc (Companies House SIC 70100, activities of head offices) is a UK-listed holding company for a group that designs, manufactures and distributes celebration and creative consumer products — gift wrap, gift bags, greeting cards, crackers and stationery — under brands including Tom Smith, Eco Nature and Artwrap, selling to around 3,800 customers in approximately 54 countries.
Who owns IG DESIGN GROUP PLC?
IG Design Group plc's largest disclosed shareholder is the Hedlund family (23.52% of shares in issue, associated with founding director Stig Anders Hedlund), followed by Fidelity (FIL Limited notified total voting rights of 14.9458% on 10 August 2026) and Canaccord Genuity Group Inc. (11.0034% notified 22 April 2026).
Who is IG DESIGN GROUP PLC's UBO (Ultimate Beneficial Owner)?
No Ultimate Beneficial Owner (UBO) data is recorded for IG DESIGN GROUP PLC; access to beneficial-ownership data in this jurisdiction is governed by its own register rules.
What is IG DESIGN GROUP PLC's company registration number?
IG DESIGN GROUP PLC's registration number is 01401155, filed with Companies House in United Kingdom. Its current status on the register is active.
Is IG DESIGN GROUP PLC still an active company?
IG DESIGN GROUP PLC's status on Companies House is listed as active.
When was IG DESIGN GROUP PLC incorporated?
IG DESIGN GROUP PLC was incorporated on 22 November 1978, according to Companies House.
What is IG DESIGN GROUP PLC's registered address?
The registered address on file for IG DESIGN GROUP PLC is Newport Pagnell, United Kingdom.
What legal structure is IG DESIGN GROUP PLC registered as?
IG DESIGN GROUP PLC is registered as a Public Limited Company in United Kingdom.
What is IG DESIGN GROUP PLC's revenue?
For the year ended 31 March 2026, IG Design Group plc reported consolidated Group revenue of £217.9 million, down 3% from £225.4 million the prior year, with adjusted operating profit of £9.6 million (4.4% margin) and net cash of £54.6 million, announced 16 June 2026.
Is IG DESIGN GROUP PLC listed on a stock exchange?
Ordinary shares of IG Design Group plc have traded on the Alternative Investment Market (AIM) of the London Stock Exchange under ticker IGR since the company's admission in 1995.
Who are the officers/directors of IG DESIGN GROUP PLC?
Companies House records seven active officer appointments held by six individuals — six directors and one company secretary — including new Chief Financial Officer Ari Vincent Bensoussan, appointed 1 September 2026, and founding director Stig Anders Hedlund, a board member since before 1992.
Does IG DESIGN GROUP PLC have a parent company or subsidiaries?
IG Design Group plc is the ultimate holding company of its corporate group, with verified direct subsidiaries including IG Design Group UK Limited (02265899) and International Greetings Asia Limited in Hong Kong; it divested its US subsidiary, Design Group Americas, Inc., to Hilco Capital on 30 May 2025, and acquired South African manufacturer Glenart on 29 April 2026.
Can Zavia monitor changes to IG DESIGN GROUP PLC's ownership over time?
This profile reflects a point-in-time snapshot from Companies House. Zavia's monitoring API can track changes to IG DESIGN GROUP PLC's registered shareholders, officers, and group structure going forward, flagging updates as they're filed rather than requiring a manual recheck.
Can I access IG DESIGN GROUP PLC's data through an API?
Yes. Zavia's API connects directly to official government ownership registries across 195 countries and territories, including United Kingdom, so records like IG DESIGN GROUP PLC's registration, shareholder, UBO, and group-structure data can be queried programmatically instead of viewed one page at a time.
Where does this company information come from, and how current is it?
This record is sourced directly from Companies House and was last synced on 11 August 2026.