We are two weeks into our new card relay at our newsXpress Forest Hill store and early indications are good. Hallmark has introduced new product into the mix and adjusted pocket numbers for some segments.
Hallmark has 75% of allocated space. The total space allocation has not changed but the mix within this certainly has. We have replaced the remaining 25% allocated to For Arts Sake with counter and lifestyle cards from Henderson Greetings. The scope of change is significant.
It has been more three years since we made any moved on card range so these changes were long overdue. That it had been left this long was a mistake we will not repeat.
We will look at performance on a quarterly basis with the card companies and tweak as we go based on their data and ours.
Each card, like every stock item in a newsagency or any retail business, must earn its right to stay. To break even on real-estate costs, we need a stock turn from the card department of 3.5 times a year.