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Retailer Perspective
In The
Zone
While never ones to court the limelight, Cardzone’s trio of recent triumphs - winning two awards in The Retas, founder Paul Taylor being presented with the Honorary Achievement accolade at The Henries and the company’s acquisition of the Northamptonbased Mooch gift shop group - has certainly shone the spotlight on this independently-owned specialist retail business. PG met up with directors Paul and James Taylor to find out what’s on the cards for 2022. “We have never felt that comfortable with being the centre of attention, but cannot deny what a lovely feeling it was to receive two awards at The Retas, including the prestigious Greeting Card Retailer of the Year, especially as so many of our team and our suppliers were in the room,” said Paul Taylor, managing director of Cardzone. “And to come a month after The Henries, when I felt so humbled and surprised to be presented with the Honorary Achievement Award, was lovely. I love this industry that I am proud to have been a part of for almost four decades and still feel there are more growth opportunities out there for Cardzone,” he added. Cardzone has certainly not rested on its laurels, despite the challenges that the pandemic has thrown in its way, by not only navigating its way through, but growing its estate through acquisitions, forging a joint venture with London-based Postmark, instigating several relocations to larger units, investing in new look branding for Cardzone while also being incredibly fair in its financial support for suppliers. As Paul’s co-director and son James explained: “On the one hand we have faced falling footfall and sales in our existing stores (which thankfully gradually improved since coming out of the third lockdown); and on the other we have been opening roughly a new
store every fortnight.” He added, that strategy meant “explaining to our staff that this growth was a means of supporting the business’ financial health in the longer term. It may have often felt like we were prioritising growth ahead of the performance of our existing stores when truthfully both aspects
Above: Paul Taylor holds The Retas 2021 Greeting Card Retailer of Year trophy on stage with James (third left), members of the Cardzone team and The Art File’s Ged Mace (fourth left), who as sponsor of the category presented the award. Below left: Cardzone opened a store in Seaford last year, in a former Clintons unit. Below: The Cheshire Oaks store is one of 23 outlet stores in the Cardzone estate. The retailer joined forces with Fedrigoni and Hallmark on a Cards for the UK activation last summer in which members of the public wrote their thanks inside giant cards. Bottom: The Mooch shop in Rushden Lakes which is now part of the Cardzone family.
are of equal importance and without these combined elements we wouldn’t be where we are today, almost 17 years on since opening the first Cardzone store.” Making The Retas 2021 all the more memorable for the Cardzone team was that half an hour into the event came the news that its acquisition of the Northamptonshirebased Mooch gift shop group of five stores (owned by Rachel and Paul Roberts), had been signed and sealed, taking the Cardzone group up to 191 stores and boosting its profile on the gifting retailing front. “We are thrilled to welcome the Mooch brand to our group portfolio and its team of dedicated staff who have all been excellent throughout this transition period,” said James Taylor. “We had been aware of the growing Mooch brand for a couple of years and so were delighted to start discussions PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE
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