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Retailer Focus
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Right: The acquisition of the Cardland stores in Northern Ireland (which are in the process of being rebranded, as this one in Cookstown has been) has highlighted a major opportunity for the group. Below: Cardzone’s managing director Paul Taylor (right) with son James, trading director of the retail group. Below middle: Cardzone’s Didcot store, one of what is likely to be 150 stores in the group by the end of 2019. Bottom left: The new upmarket retail concept, Paper Kisses was spearheaded by David Robertson, and has been introduced into four stores, including this one in Broughty Ferry. Bottom right: The Cardzone directors, senior managers and area managers met for a two day think tank conference to talk about future plans recently.
Out
James Taylor, trading director of Cardzone, already knows what to give his father Paul Taylor, the md and founder of the specialist card retail group, for his birthday - a new wall map. The last one he bought, four birthdays ago, didn’t include Scotland or Northern Ireland, both of which have been areas of growth for the group and, as there are now 130 stores in the estate with aspirations for another 20 by the end of the year, James had better buy a big box of marker pins too. PG pinned down the dynamic father and son duo to hear more about how greeting cards are very much the beating heart of the business’ future plans. year ago, Paul Taylor went public about his plans for Cardzone: “I want to double our business over the next three years,” he boldly stated, setting his sites on trading from 300 shops by the end of 2020. The ensuing period, despite it being one of the most challenging in retailing history, has seen Cardzone move assuredly towards this goal. It has swelled its store portfolio to 129 shops; secured some savvy acquisitions; made its presence felt in Northern Ireland; revealed a brand new upmarket retail concept in Paper
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Kisses; forged a new business supply partnership with Hallmark in 60 stores (with a roll out continuing in March which will see 50% of its relations and occasions cards being from Hallmark) and was even feted in the Sunday Times Profit Track as one of the 100 most profitable growing independently owned businesses in the UK. Having totted up the numbers for its Christmas trading, with single Christmas card sales up 2% and boxed cards showing an even greater growth, Paul is buoyant about the future, not just for Cardzone, but for greeting card sending generally. “What is great is how well sales of greeting cards generally have held up. It is a sound measure of how resilient card sending is in the UK when we and other retailers