Mam's the word as dialect greetings help Card Factory break records

Card Factory broke trading records around Mother’s Day this year, with the Saturday before the traditional Sunday celebration its busiest ever, the 1000-store chain said today.

Greetings cards featuring regional terms such as “mam” helped drive the trend. And cards for Eid and Diwali were also popular.

There could be more variation and diversity on the way. Customer research has led to “a wider breadth of celebratory captions with examples including cards from pets as well as broader diversity and inclusion.” The chain has around 20 shops in London.

Card Factory also reported a rise of over 10% in full-year revenue for £511 million and profit before tax up by over a quarter to £66 million. The company re-instated its dividend after repaying loans. It will payout 4.5p per share.

The Wakefield-based company also said it expected to make further progress in the year ahead.

Darcy Willson-Rymer, chief executive officer, said she was “delighted” with the “progress made”, adding: “we are able to both reinstate the dividend and invest in the future, while effectively navigating the ongoing economic environment.”

Neil Shah, director at investment research group Edison, said: “The decision to resume dividends, following a cessation during the pandemic ... reaffirm[s] management's confidence in and commitment to shareholder value.”

Card Factory’s shares rose 6p to 107p.