Retail Franchise: Largest Range of Greetings Cards

Card Connection stationery franchise has announced it can now supply the largest range of greetings cards available through its franchised distribution network, thanks to its links with UK Greetings (UKG). 

Following a recent IT upgrade at the Card Connection head office, the company’s in-house design team now has access to a library of 10,000 designs to incorporate into its own greeting card ranges.  Card Connection became part of UKG - the British subsidiary of American Greetings Inc. (AG) - three years ago.  The company is the world’s largest publicly owned greeting card company and the largest direct to retail greeting card publisher in the UK. 

Click to read more ...

Case Study: Greeting Card Franchisee

Leading greeting card franchise and publisher Card Connection, announces Simon Linscheid has taken over the company’s Dublin territory.   

Simon was previously a Card Connection retail customer for eight years while he ran his Texaco forecourt business. He now supplies around 270 forecourts and retail stores in the region with Card Connection’s extensive range of quality greeting cards and gifts.

“Running a forecourt was a seven day per week job and although I enjoyed it, I was looking for a change of scene,” explains Linschied. “I was already familiar with Card Connection’s merchandise and the company’s award winning concept, so when the territory became available I jumped at the chance to become a retail supplier.”

Click to read more ...

Greeting Card Franchise Welcomes Franchisees

The Original Poster Company (OPC) welcomes Janet Green, new greeting cards franchise owner in Bolton.

Janet takes over from Maria Cusick who ran the Bolton area for over four years. Maria remains an OPC greetings card franchisee having recently purchased the Wirral area.

Janet brings a wealth of experience to her franchise with a solid background in management having headed up a large council department, responsible for hundreds of staff and a multimillion pound budget. Janet’s most recent employment was working for a company that provided educational services to Primary schools in the Bolton area.

Click to read more ...

18 Years Running a Distribution Franchise

By Mel Mounsdon (inset): For the past 18 years I have been a franchisee for leading greeting card franchise Card Connection.

The variety and the flexibility that the business offers are two key elements that keep me going, as well as the fact that my franchise is flexible enough to fit around my family commitments.

I work in a fairly rural community and my Northampton territory is mainly made up of market towns and villages.

This can mean a certain amount of driving between retailers to deliver greeting cards and gifts, and so I need to be particularly organised with call routes – especially given the rise in the cost of fuel in recent times. 

I generally visit anything between 4-12 stores in a day depending on the size of the retail outlet and how many cups of coffee I am offered while discussing stock levels with the retail manager!

Click to read more ...

Sheffield Greeting Card Franchisee Testimonial

In recognition of the Original Poster Company's 20th anniversary, we present testimonials from two of the greeting card franchise's success stories who are preparing to move ahead within the business.

Running one of the top five performing territories in the UK wasn't always what Rachel Kirk had in mind.

Prior to that, she worked a nine-to-five job with little autonomy, and found spending quality time with her children was difficult. But eight years ago, the chance sighting of an OPC advertisement in a national newspaper ignited a chain of events.

Today Rachel generates a profit of more than £40,000 a year running a business with a huge resale value - and she has all the flexibility she needs!

"I saw the OPC franchise opportunity advertised in the Daily Mail. I'd already heard a lot about OPC in my previous job working for a recycling paper merchant that supplied OPC.

Click to read more ...