Till date, the company has stayed focussed only on the premium segment of the Rs 1.25-crore Indian greeting cards industry. In this area, it enjoys about 33 per cent market share.

However, in the light of stiff competition, Vintage has decided to mark its presence in other greeting cards segments such as institution, lower end markets and gifts and accessories, according to the company's managing director Anil Kapur

As a precursor to this initiative, Vintage has already entered into a non-exclusive agreement with Mattel Inc of the US for manufacture, sale and distribution of greeting cards, posters, letter sets, mugs and invitations under the `Barbie' brand.

This apart, starting from January 2000, all Hallmark and Vintage cards emanating from Pune and Goa plants, will have a typical millennium mark on them. All of them will also carry a bar code sticker.

The Rs 19.37-crore plans to come out with a public offer of 12,60,250 equity shares of Rs 10 each of its partners, Blueberry Holdings Mauritius Ltd, for cash at an offer price of Rs 225 per share. This will bring down the holding of Blueberry to about 14 per cent in Vintage post offer.

The offer, which constitutes about 25 per cent of the Rs 5.04-crore paid-up capital of the firm, is being made to enable the listing of Vintage shares in bourses. The offer opens on September 29 and closes on October 6, 1999.