Specialist retailer Card Factory has entered into a “long-term partnership” with fashion retailer Matalan as it rolls out a shop-in-shop concept in all of its 223 stores across the UK and Ireland.
The specialist card retailer is available in 22 of Matalan’s stores with plans to roll out products to all of the fashion retailer’s stores before Christmas.
This comes as Card Factory posted a boost in profits in the six months to July 2023 with partnerships playing an important role as the business scales its operations.
Card Factory completed the acquisition of South Africa-based SA Greetings in April this year and has started a long-term master franchise agreement with Middle East-based Liwa Trading Enterprises as it plans to open 36 stores in the region in the next five years.
Card Factory chief executive Darcy Willson-Rymer said: “We did some extensive trials with Matalan over the last couple of years and those trials were successful. It’s something that resonates with the Card Factory customer. And, of course, there is overlap between the Card Factory customer and the Matalan customer.
“The point of partnerships in the UK is to do two things. One is to get after the impulse purchase, so it’s 7pm and you forgot to buy your mother a card. You’re not coming to Card Factory but you will go to the supermarket, which is why we are in half the Aldi estate in the UK.
“But in addition to that, there’s more business to be had. In towns where you might have one store or two stores already but there isn’t sufficient business to open a second or third store, a store concept is a really good way to capture that additional customer demand.”
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