The trouble with a birthday party or a virtual leaving do cancelled due to lockdown is that you are unlikely to receive a belated card three months later when life returns to normal. The pent-up demand for greetings cards is somewhat muted.
That was the problem for Card Factory last week, when it said that sales were a touch below those in April and May 2019, even as shoppers have begun returning to stores.
While online rival Moonpig benefited from shop closures, Card Factory makes most of its sales in stores — meaning it largely lost out on sales on Valentine’s and Mothers’ Day. It typically sells cards from 99p, or about £2.29 online including delivery.
The road to recovery for Card Factory could be