Card Factory completes roll out of first international partnership with leading Australian value retailer

Card Factory, the UK’s leading specialist retailer of greeting cards, dressings and gifts, is pleased to announce that it has completed the roll out of 356 branded concessions across the entire store network of The Reject Shop, Australia’s leading value retailer. The exclusive five-year supply agreement with The Reject Shop is Card Factory’s first international partnership and follows a successful trial in 2019. The agreement will see Card Factory leverage its own customer insights and learnings from the trial to curate a value-led range of single Everyday greeting cards to meet customers’ requirements. As part of the roll out, which was completed at a rate of 70 stores per week since the start of January 2020, Card Factory has worked with The Reject Shop’s in-store teams to develop an efficient operating model which harnesses the systems and capabilities of both businesses. The value-led solution provides The Reject Shop’s customers with over 1,200 cards in each store and a full range in excess of 1,500 cards. Each store has seen a material increase in card volumes, compared to the incumbent supplier, since the roll out. This volume growth reflects Card Factory’s strong alignment with The Reject Shop’s value proposition, supporting increased footfall in stores, and its capability to grow further market share in Australia. Alongside the national roll out of Everyday cards, Card Factory has also executed its first seasonal event for The Reject Shop. This saw Card Factory allocate reduced retail space to Valentine’s Day while driving substantial volume growth and overall sales revenue, indicating The Reject Shop’s enhanced quality and value proposition. The Reject Shop, which is listed on the Australian Stock Exchange, was founded in 1981 and offers a wide variety of general consumer merchandise at value prices. Karen Hubbard, Chief Executive Officer of Card Factory, said: “We are delighted to have completed the roll out of our partnership with The Reject Shop. Their customers’ response to our products is testament to the strength of our quality value offer and we believe that with this partnership, we have the potential to be the leading greeting card retailer in Australia. This is our first international partnership and we are excited about the opportunity to apply this model in other markets.”