Boost for Clinton Cards from Halloween sales phenomenon
GREETING cards retailer Clinton Cards yesterday reported that its like -for-like sales for the 16 weeks to 22 November have jumped by 3.9 per cent, aided by a solid performance across all product categories and exceptional Halloween sales.
Clinton Cards – which sells flowers, gifts and Halloween outfits in addition to its card selection – has seen sales figures pick up since the first 10 weeks of the financial year when its like-for-like sales climbed by just 2.9 per cent after a flat six-month period.
The Essex-based group saw a revival of its Birthdays subsidiary after it purchased 196 of the stores from administrators earlier this year in a £3.5m deal.
Clinton Cards said that its Birthdays business continues to improve and is currently meeting expectations.
Since the beginning of the financial period in August, Clinton Cards has opened eight new stores and closed 10.
The retailer currently trades from 859 stores, 183 of which are Birthdays stores.
The company said it expects the forthcoming Christmas trading period, as always, to be a crucial time for the group and it will report further on performance in January.