Dear...

Letter writing remains popular

"The art of letter writing is still thriving despite the rise of texts and emails, says market analyst Mintel.

UK sales of pens and stationery rose by 9 per cent between 2001 and 2005 to reach £527m.

And by the end of 2006, sales are expected to rise by a further 4 per cent to hit £546m.

Mintel said the growing popularity of designer pens was the driving force behind the high spending.

David Bird, senior market analyst at Mintel, said: "There is an assumption that new technology always replaces old in the way that DVDs have replaced the video.

"But emails and texts have not replaced personal stationery and writing instruments, and in fact the old and the new seem to be complementing each other well..."

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