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Card Connection Franchisee Goes Platinum. Karen Humphrey joined Card Connection 5 years ago and has since become the companys first sole female platinum franchisee. This means she now manages one of Card Connection's largest territories. Originally the owners of a newsagent store in Derbyshire, Karen, husband Richard and their two children moved half way across Britain specifically to take on the North Devon Card Connection franchise. I was familiar with Card Connection's range of quality greetings cards as they were delivered to our shop in Derbyshire," explains Karen. I loved the products and knew the Devon franchise had become available, so I visited the Card Connection head office for interviews. The Card Connection team spent time with me and explained exactly how the franchise works. Compared with other greeting card franchises I looked into, the staff had a good, common sense approach which I liked."
Although Karen is the franchise owner she stresses the every day tasks of running the greeting card distribution business are a real team effort. "I do most of the merchandising," explains Karen. "This involves visiting stores to deliver stock and ensuring displays always look fresh and up-to-date with seasonal items like Valentine's Day Cards or Mother's Day cards for example. However, Richard manages the essential back office processes which include keeping control of the accounts, ordering and stock selection, route management and packing. We also have a part time assistant who helps with stock delivery. A typical day can involve visiting between three and fourteen retail stores depending on their size and location to deliver greetings cards and gift items like bottle bags, Heart Warmers or Card Connections popular Flashing Badges. Stores vary from small independents, newsagents and supermarkets and Karen even merchandises for seven stores on the Butlins Holiday Resort at Minehead.
The Card Connection greeting cards and gifts are placed in retail outlets on a 'consignment' basis. This means the stock and display equipment are installed on free loan to the retailer. This is one step beyond 'sale or return' as Card Connection retail customers never have to buy the stock initially, only paying for what they sell, which has proved a particularly popular system over the years. Keen to expand her business, in April 3 years ago Karen purchased a neighbouring Card Connection territory. Her area now extends from Hartland to Minehead in Somerset, through North Devon right through to the East side of Dorset. Karen puts her success down largely to her; "previous experience as a retailer. This means I can see things from the customer's perspective. For example, space is always at a premium and with increasing concerns over health and safety, I can work with the retail managers to ensure the stock displays are optimised while considering maximum convenience for both the retailer and consumer alike.
Being organised when it comes to route planning for deliveries is also important, she continues. Now with the bigger territory, making sure all the retailers are merchandised efficiently on a regular basis is key. There are many things I like about being a Card Connection franchisee," concludes Karen. "The flexibility of self employment is a major advantage. I work hard but the hours are sensible compared with when we owned the newsagents! I am excited about the future and with the expansion of the territory am looking forward to capitalising on that investment over the next few years. To search Irish Franchises for Sale, please click the Home link above.
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