Card Factory

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Sportswift Ltd
Trading name Card Factory
Type Private (Ltd)
Industry Retail
Founded 1997
Headquarters Wakefield, West Yorkshire
Key people Dean Hoyle,
Founder, Richard Hayes, CEO
Products Greeting Cards
Calendars
Revenue £168m (2008-09)
Employees 6,500
Website http://www.cardfactory.eu.com/
Card Factory store in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire

Sportswift Ltd t/a Card Factory is a chain of greeting card and gift stores in United Kingdom founded by Dean Hoyle and his wife Janet; the first store opened in 1997. The company currently employs around 6,500 people,[1] mostly in front line positions in its stores. Their advertising claims they have not increased prices for ten years. Year-on-year sales rose 27% from 2008 to 2009 resulting in a £29.4 million pre-tax profit and a turnover of nearly £168 million.[2]

Card Factory has donated £1m to Macmillan Cancer Support, the company's chosen charity.[3]

The company has been successfully prosecuted for Health and Safety infringements on a number of occasions. Incidents have included poor stock management,[4] overstocking of stores,[5] damaged equipment, inadequate risk assessments and staff training.[6]

On 28 November 2008 it was announced that Card Factory had purchased about 80 of the 288 stores from failed greetings card company Celebrations Group (which trades as Card Warehouse and Cardfair) as part of a rescue package securing around 500 of the 1,800 jobs currently at Celebrations.[7]

On 8 April 2010 the sale of Card Factory to London based equity firm Charterhouse was completed for £350 million.[1]

On 14 July 2011, Card Factory purchased gettingpersonal.co.uk for an undisclosed sum.[8]

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 "Card Factory's £350m Private Equite Sale Completed". Yorkshire Evening Post. 8 April 2010. Retrieved 10 April 2010. 
  2. ↑ "Soult's Retail View » Blog Archive » Card Factory lined up for Newcastle’s Northumberland Street:". Graham Soult. 18 June 2010. Retrieved 16 December 2010. 
  3. ↑ Charity cash on the cards from Dean - Local - SpenboroughGuardian Archived 1 February 2011 at WebCite
  4. ↑ "Card retailer culpable for pensioner's fall". Health and Safety at Work. 1 October 2008. Retrieved 5 May 2013. 
  5. ↑ "Firm fined over safety breach". WalesOnline. 30 October 2008. Retrieved 5 May 2013. 
  6. ↑ "Health and safety breaches cost firm over £40,000". Leicester City Council. 10 December 2009. Retrieved 5 May 2013. 
  7. ↑ "Wakefield card firm Card Factory's rescue package saves 500 jobs". Yorkshire Evening Post. 28 November 2008. Retrieved 15 July 2011. 
  8. ↑ "GettingPersonal.co.uk (Online retailer of Personalised Gifts) is sold to Card Factory for undisclosed sum". Manchester Evening News. 14 July 2011. Retrieved 14 July 2011. 

External links

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