Greetings retail giant climbs Most Loved brands chart again
On a roll of opening more stores, Cardfactory has hit a high spot at the UK’s Most Loved Retail Brands yet again, reminding everyone how much Brits love greeting cards.
Taking 18th spot in the top 100 list from Savanta BrandVue, the greetings and celebrations specialist retailer continued its rise, moving up one place from the 2023 poll, having then jumped nine spots from the previous year.
The news that it had again earned the top spot in the poll’s Books & Cards category came just as Cardfactory, comfortably the UK’s largest greeting card retailer with a store estate now over 1,050, announced its latest shop opening in Syston, totting up 15 new ones since February.
On social media, the retailer cheered: “We’re one of the Most Loved Retail Brands in the UK – again! This is a tremendous achievement and reflects the hard work and dedication we consistently see from all our colleagues to ensure we do the right thing for our customers.
“A big thank you to all our colleagues for helping us on our way to these achievements; we couldn’t have done it without you.”
Savanta’s research survey recognises the most emotively-connected of more than 200 retail brands canvassing the opinions of over 96,000 consumers via its market intelligence platform.
While greeting card retailers are still much loved, Cardfactory was the only one to move up the table, leapfrogging Waterstones, which was in second place in the category and 21st overall having dropped down from 17th last year, and the Books & Cards list third place went to Hobbycraft, which was 51st in the main list, down from 46th in 2023.
Moonpig dropped to 58th from 52nd, WHSmith fell to 81st from 68th, there was a 10-place drop for Thortful to 83rd, and Cards Direct, which had just earned the 100th place last year, is out of the rankings again.
John Lewis & Partners – well known for its cards and stationery section – won the Department Store category again, while finishing one place down in the overall Top 100 at 14th, and The Works also dropped a place to 42nd while coming third in the Children & Recreation category.
With Amazon, Apple and Aldi clinching the top three spots yet again, Savanta said: “It’s no surprise that the UK’s most-loved retail brands are those that the majority of us interact with on a weekly, if not daily, basis.”
Pointing out that even top three had seen “decreases in Brand Love scores” the researcher said the reason they do well is “because they don’t rely only their trusted status”, with Apple and Amazon among those which are constantly innovating.
It added: “The harsh reality is that consumers can fall out of love with a retailer just as quickly, if not quicker, than they fell in love with them and, as the emotive connection diminishes, commercial performance will often follow suit.
“Think of WHSmith, a High Street staple for as long as many of us can remember but with increasing online competition, e-book growth and competitors offering lower price points, the brand has struggled.
“One brand that challenges WHSmith on price is Cardfactory, which has been building Brand Love year on year and is now the 18th most-loved UK retailer. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for WHSmith. Having dropped a further 13 places down the ranking to 81st position, the brand is fighting to remain within the Top 100.”
Savanta said affordability remains part of the strategy for the brands performing well as the cost-of living crisis is still here, and commented: “These winning brands are continually evolving and adapting to consumer needs. They are combining quality products, strong customer service, brand trust, and often a unique shopping experience, to maintain and grow their positions as our most loved retail brands.
“As we predicted last year, the top performing brands are ultimately recognising that, while important in the current economic climate, price alone is not a guarantee of success!”
