John Ryan
RETAIL COMMENT
A world turned upside down…or not? We all want to ‘get back to ‘normal’ but ups and downs are a part of retail life - pandemic or no pandemic. And this year will be no different, says John Ryan One of the consequences of the emergence of Omicron just before Christmas was that nobody knew what the consequences would be and the actual consequence of that was that a lot of people ran scared. This in turn meant that once again fear stalked the shopping streets and revenues took a hit, although amid all that has happened it is of course difficult to assess just how severe this has been. One thing is certain, online looked a bit more attractive once more, particularly as people were told to stay local and stay away from others. Yet cast your minds back a few weeks and think about what might have cheered you up during what looking like a slew of bad news? The answer may well be a card from somebody that you’d not seen for a year or two (and thanks to Covid, there are a lot of these). Providing it wasn’t the dreaded ‘round robin’ missive, there are few things more welcome than a note from a friend you’re not heard from in a while. And here’s the thing. Standing on the concourse of London’s Paddington Station on the day that Boris’ instruction to WFH (work from home)
kicked into action, one of the busiest places amid the general gloom was a branch of Cards Galore. The unit in Paddington couldn’t be described as over-large, but it does pack a punch in terms of the sheer depth of the offer - this is a space that is extremely densely merchandised. As shoppers do, this one was being given the once-over by those who’d stopped to grab a bite before boarding the 10.35 to Exeter St David’s (it really is a service, by the way) and now they’d been drawn in by the impulse-purchase demon. On balance, it looked like a pretty good way of passing some time, rather than hanging around, and Cards Galore and its able-looking manager seemed more than up to the task. Meanwhile, it should be noted, Paddington Station itself was far less busy than normal thanks to the WFH diktat. All of which perhaps goes to prove that while there are still occasions that need marking, there will still be physical shoppers. This may sound like putting a highly positive spin on what could be seen as a remarkably unfortunate set of
John Ryan is Stores Editor of Retail Week, a position he has held for more than two decades, and managing director of Newstores, a daily information service on what’s new in retail across the world. @newstores | www.newstores.co.uk | 07710 429926
circumstances, but as long as shops are open (and who knows what will happen in this respect) well-run card shops have the potential to do well. Now think about the thankless task of buying cards online. There are plenty of outfits available to help shoppers in this respect, but it does mean wading through webpage after webpage until something suitable is found - and this may take considerably longer than crossing the threshold of a store in a mall or on a high street. It is also considerably less enjoyable than browsing the shelves en masse, being able to compare and contrast and reaching a decision after a brief, but full sweep. Which is another way of saying that as a new year begins, circumstances may still remain a little parlous, but that doesn’t mean giving up. 2022 is bound to have its fair share of surprises and we may well suffer a few disappointments, but what year doesn’t? The market for greeting cards remains intact, and while there is still pleasure to be had when you are the recipient of a small item that somebody has spent time choosing and then made personal to yourself, then being a physical retailer remains an interesting and possibly remunerative option. Good luck with the year ahead.
“2022 is bound to have its fair share of surprises and we may well suffer a few disappointments, but what year doesn’t?’’
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