Essex calendar makers have been caught out by a late change in a bank holiday date to coincide with next year’s Victory in Europe (VE) celebrations.
The original date for the May Bank Holiday was May 4 2020, but it has now been moved to Friday, May 8 - the date of the 75th anniversary celebrations - causing headaches for Rose Calendars in Colchester which had already started its print runs.
The new bank holiday date marks the day when the Allied forces officially won the war in Europe, an important milestone in the end of World War II.
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The firm's boss, Michael Rose, whose great, great uncle started the business in 1908, first read of the change on Saturday, June 8, on a BBC news website.
Many of the firm's promotional calendars had been printed already, and in some cases will be distributed as early as next month.
To meet customer requirements nationally and internationally, Rose Calendars, which makes high quality promotional calendars, manufactures its calendars well ahead of the start of each year. It is currently working on its 2021 products.
Michael is the fourth generation of the Rose family company to run the firm, which is thought to be the UK's largest promotional calendar manufacturer, producing around 2m calendars a year.
"It's great news that the government has decided to do this to mark the momentous and important anniversary in the history of this country and of Europe," said Michael.
"However, it means we have had to spring into action to ensure our customers get the right date in their 2020 calendars, so we are producing special commemorative stickers to highlight the occasion. As a reminder of the date, customers will be able to use a selection of the stickers, not only on their calendars, but on other promotional materials.
"Due to Brexit, companies like ours have been buying materials in advance to keep costs as low as possible given the unpredictable economic climate. We therefore produce some of our 2020 stock well in advance."
His father, chairman Chris Rose, now 81, recalled how the business faced difficult circumstances 75 years ago during the war when employees were in active service and supplies such as paper were difficult to procure. However, it continued to produce war calendars, using whatever paper could be found.
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