Expansion is very much on the cards for Scribbler, with the edgy card retailer currently fitting out a new store in Bishopsgate, directly opposite London’s Liverpool Street station and another three new sites in prime sites with the solicitors. Once all four open it will take Scribbler’s estate up to 40 stores.
Given the pretty high profile addresses of the planned new Scribbler, when John Procter, co-founder of Scribbler was posed the question by PG Buzz, “Are you being bold, opportunistic or devil may care?” he was swift to respond.
“All three! We are only looking at very high footfall locations in London that are not impacted in rental terms by competition from fashion or cosmetics brands competition.”
Given all the doom and gloom about the retail landscape, does he feel this is a case of the darkest hour is the one before dawn?
“Dawn is probably a long way off,” believes John. “Retailers will need to be incredibly creative to deal with the approaching headwinds.”
The Scribbler Bishopsgate store is set to open in the middle of May with a store in another major London thoroughway due to follow shortly afterwards.
But Scribbler isn’t the only greeting card stockist looking to increase its retail footprint in the near future. Gift and card group, Between the Lines, which currently trades from 14 stores in the south of England is all set to expand geographically by opening a further two stores over the summer in Witney in Oxfordshire and Saffron Walden in Hertfordshire.
- Both Scribbler and Between the Lines are finalists in The Retas 2018, Scribbler in the Best Specialist Multiple Retailer of Greeting Cards and Between the Lines a finalist in the Best Greeting Card Small Multiple category. Scribbler is also up for the Best Greeting Card Retailer Initiative Awards for its Valentine’s Speed Dating Event.
