Card Factory Share Discussion Threads

[casholaa] 20/1/2024 13:04

Blimey, CR! What's with the view on pensioners spending money? "April sees pensioners get a 10% rise in pensions when inflation will be way lower, this may boost retail in May and going fwd." Their increase for pensioners is effectively about a year post facto and they also suffer the usual decrease in the buying power of money. The triple lock is supposed to help pensioners not slide slowly into oblivion like many years ago when they'd be eating catfood.

[eeza] 20/1/2024 12:51

Then don't read, Dan.

Simples.

A bit like you.

[dan_the_epic] 20/1/2024 12:49

good 'honest' review from a guy who ramped this forever and then sold down on the quiet?

OK M8

Nice critical thinking

i wish the FCA was competent and not a chocolate teapot and these stock personalities wouldn't be so brave

[bbonsall] 20/1/2024 12:27

eeza
Have you got a link to that for us please?

[eeza] 20/1/2024 11:29

Good, honest, review of CARD from CR today. Well worth reading & considering, imo.

[extrader] 19/1/2024 20:44

Top quality analysis here, hat-tip to Gimmers :



a 56 minute deep dive. Don't be put off by the first 30 secs in Spanish...

Ole
ATB

[premium beeks] 19/1/2024 20:08

I added to the bottom line with a birthday card purchase for the wife today.1.99 of next year's earnings can be attributes to me.Form an orderly queue to thank me please.

[lordbob1] 19/1/2024 19:20

zebediah...current employee. Always best way to find out how a retail company is doing is to speak to the guys in the shops, especially us older ones who've seen it all. 😀

[premium beeks] 19/1/2024 13:29

Do we know if all of CRs sheeple are out yet?

[zebediah] 19/1/2024 08:25

Lord Bob.. Do you mind sharing where you found the start regarding 600k xmas cards sold in 2022 & 1m in 2023 please.Much appreciated

[premium beeks] 18/1/2024 19:27

Yes, I'd prefer to proudly flaunt my wealth by hanging a "happy 70th Sandra" card out of my back pocket.Card Factory type of wealth, gets you in to most places**Job centers

[yf23_1] 18/1/2024 19:13

I'm a proud owner of 3 digital watches I bought in Thailand 5 years ago, and they're all stll running on the original batteries, cost £7.50 total, have a stopwatch, date, nightlight and alarm.
Unfortunately not waterproof so have to take off when I have a bath.
Stll what do you expect for £2.50.

[s34icknote] 18/1/2024 18:26

You get mugged for your Rolex !!!Been all over the news ! Why risk it !!

[casholaa] 18/1/2024 18:18

Speaking of wosg.l - I popped into my local Costa earlier and this chap was in front of me in the queue. As he turned around to look at the pastries on offer along the counter top, having had a glance at me he must have felt intimidated as he immediately decided to have a look at his Datejust with the jubilee bracelet. He then proceeds to pull out his iphone and looks for something to bring-up to the fore of the screen.

The reason I mention this, is not because I think that he felt intimidated or a desire to demonstrate his status (which was non-apparent), no, it's because when I was younger I heard that a rolex is 'a Swiss confidence trick'. Admittedly, it took me a while to realise what was meant by the phrase. What gets me is that even my local barrista has a submariner, in fact so common are the rolex watches, that they are mass-produced and flogged globally. I don't wear a watch anymore, I just rely on my phone instead, my phone does all sorts of things, it is really very smart compared to a Swiss confidence trick.

[mouse_of_wallst] 18/1/2024 16:28

*Just to clarify, it were for my wife... not somebody else's!

[casholaa] 18/1/2024 15:43

I gave a 'wife' one too. Valentine's coming up in 3 full weekday weeks or 4-5 weeks otherwise.

[lordbob1] 18/1/2024 15:16

Just a snippet of info regarding Christmas trading, they sold 600,000 wife Christmas cards 2022, this last Christmas 2023, 1 million. People definitely still buying cards!

[elsa7878] 18/1/2024 08:59

You walk past works and there were less people buying than last year . Less people in the shop .
I remember queues at tills
Nothing like that this year .
Card was always busy .

Nothing to buy now apart from cards. Valentines coming up in 4 weeks. That will be the next tell on sales.

[elsa7878] 18/1/2024 08:57

Interesting sector divergence. Lower value end of the market eg Card, B&M, ShoeZone doing well, mid range (M&S, Next JD Sports seems very brand specific). High end awful. Burberry, WOSG, Mulberry etc

[s34icknote] 18/1/2024 07:30

You walk past works and there were less people buying than last year . Less people in the shop . I remember queues at tills .Nothing like that this year . Card was always busy .

[chester9] 18/1/2024 07:16

The works highlights just how good card performance was. Note drop in online

[chester9] 18/1/2024 07:15

TheWorks.co.uk plc ("The Works", the "Company" or the "Group")Interim results for the 26 weeks ended 29 October 2023 and trading update for the 11 weeks ended 14 January 2024.Pressures on sales and profitability seen in H1 FY24 continued into H2. Short-term focus is on margin growth and cost reduction. Guidance for FY24 maintained.The Works, the family-friendly value retailer of books, arts and crafts, stationery, toys and games, announces its interim results for the 26 weeks ended 29 October 2023 (the "Period" or "H1 FY24") and an update on current trading for the 11 weeks ended 14 January 2024.H1 FY24 Financial summary· Delivered total revenue growth of 3.1% to £122.6m (H1 FY23: £118.9m) and total LFL sales growth of 1.6% against a challenging backdrop with softened consumer demand. o Maintained store sales growth, with LFL sales up 3.5%. Strong sales delivered in the early summer months after which the rate of growth slowed, primarily due to sector-wide reduced footfall. o Online sales declined by 12.2%, echoing broader retail trends. Performance improved throughout the Period, reflecting website improvements and increased demand driven by promotional activity.· Pre-IFRS 16 Adjusted EBITDA loss of £8.5m (H1 FY23: loss of £6.4m) and Adjusted loss before tax of £7.8m (H1 FY23: loss of £7.3m).1 o Faced tough cost headwinds due to inflation and increase in National Living and Minimum Wages. o Product gross margin increased to 57.2% (H1 FY23: 56.3%), albeit less than anticipated, with lower freight costs partially offset by product mix and market-driven promotional activity towards the end of the Period.· The Group had net bank borrowings of £2.5m at the Period end, reflecting the build-up of stock prior to the peak trading season, and the corresponding low point in cash levels.· Given pressures on sales and profitability and uncertain trading outlook, focus is now on cost reduction and margin growth in the short-term, with decisive action already underway.· The Board's expectation for the full year (pre IFRS 16 Adjusted EBITDA of approximately £6.0m), currently remains unchanged.· The Board is not proposing a dividend or share buyback in the short-term.H1 FY24 H1 FY23(Restated)2Revenue£122.6m£118.9mRevenue growth3.1%2.4%LFL sales growth31.6%0.6%Pre-IFRS 16 Adjusted EBITDA(£8.5m)(£6.4m)Loss before tax(£14.8m)4(£7.3m)Adjusted5 loss before tax(£7.8m)(£7.3m)Basic loss per share(17.6p)(8.4p)Net (debt)/cash at bank6(£2.5m)£7.0m