We are the UK’s leading
greeting card franchise
Case Study 2
Andy Thompson
Sunderland & Durham
Card Connection franchisees enjoy the freedom and flexibility of self-employment with all the back up of an established, successful franchisor behind them.
The working day starts early for Card Connection franchisee Andy Thomson. By 6.30am he and his wife and business partner Vicki are at his warehouse, situated on the river Tyne, ready to pack up their first van with greeting cards for delivery to some of his 310 retail customers throughout his Sunderland and Durham based territory.
“After a quick walk with the dog, my other merchandiser arrives to check the boxes in his van and receives his route,” explains Andy. “By 7.30am we are both on the road in our separate vans.
“Although there is not really a typical day,” says Andy. “I usually spend the morning merchandising retail stores. I generally handle the bigger stores visiting a mixture of group accounts like Netto or Londis plus some independents. Most retail outlets needs to be visited at least once per month to deliver the supply of greeting cards and to ensure displays are kept looking fresh and up-to-date. This is an important aspect of our work as attractive displays encourage customers, which of course, leads to higher sales.”
Although Andy has been a Card Connection franchisee since 2004, there are always new prospecting sales calls to do. “If Card Connection has passed me a lead or I have noticed a potentially new outlet then I always call in en-route and introduce myself,” Andy explains. “When visiting new stores it is simply a matter of describing the Card Connection award-winning franchising concept. I explain that the Card Connection stock and display equipment are installed on free loan to the retailer and that I supply and merchandise the stock and displays regularly. The retailer gets a percentage of all the sales in return for agreeing to stock the product.”
Andy usually visits between 6-12 retail outlets per day depending on how large they are or the area he is covering. He returns to the warehouse by 2pm for his wife and part-time helper to un-pack the day’s boxes and prepare them for the next day’s deliveries. During the afternoon Andy works from home to catch up on paperwork and returns any calls he needs to.
If it is a Wednesday, Andy’s wife orders new stock using Card Connection’s online system. “Vicki very much runs the ‘back office’ of the business, planning larger displays, controlling the stock and pushing forward various sales drives with new products. Friday is usually our delivery day and Vicki also manages the sorting and putting the product away unless it is a very large order. I try to keep Fridays for visiting recently opened outlets to check the store managers are happy as well as catching up on paperwork,” Andy continues.
“Driving and delivering stock for most of the day is fairly demanding physically, but one of the main advantages is that the job can be flexible. We usually work on a Saturday morning but this sometimes allows me to finish a little earlier on a Friday if all the work is finished.”
In just three and a half years Andy has developed his area and become one of Card Connection’s first Platinum franchisees. Through the acquisition of a neighbouring territory and prospecting for new retail customers Andy has grown the franchise from 110 accounts to over 300 which he manages today. Andy has further plans for the future: “including getting a third van and increasing the staff to two full-time merchandisers and another packer,” he confirms.
“Card Connection’s greeting cards and the merchandising service is very popular with retailers and this has been largely behind the success of my own franchise. So much so it has allowed me to double the size of my franchise in just three years, Each day we work hard but have the satisfaction of knowing, like anyone who runs their own businesses, that the rewards are ours to keep,” concludes Andy.