The National Buying Group

for Independent

Greeting Card and Gift Retailers

MARKETING ACTIVITY...

Over the years, Cardgains has developed enormously and is now, very much, a sales and marketing led company, though still backed by superb accounts systems and a fantastic team of accounts people.

Each year Cardgains takes to the road to deliver many marketing initiatives, as well as full office support.

Pictured right are the sales team at Cardgains.  The team is lead by Jim Girvan, as General Sales Manager and covers the whole of the UK.

Cardgains produces a full-colour newsletter every month, which is circulated free of charge to the membership.  It includes lots of important information, supplier news, product releases, updates and exclusive offers to Cardgains members.  It also offers the opportunity for the members to "have their say" or to make any suggestions for improvement or change.

Due to the shift in store - Cardgains also produces a Gift Supplement twice a year.  This focuses specifically on gift suppliers and products in the portfolio.

Cardgains Goodie Bag is famous throughout the greeting card industry.  This programme invites suppliers to send samples of their latest product releases to all our members enabling them to browse through the bag of goodies at their leisure, prior to suppliers following up.

Pictured above is the  'Goodie Bag' in a 'goodie box', the biggest to date with a retail value of product within of over £300

Throughout the year, the Cardgains team is available at many locations.  We take a stand at Spring Fair and Autumn Fair at the NEC in Birmingham and also host our own trade shows at venues around the country each year.

We also hold four development forums each year.  This gives us a chance to get together with the suppliers to make sure our information and product details are up to date and that supplier representatives are also familiar with benefits of joining Cardgains.

Pictured right, MUFC at Old Trafford, venue for the Cardgains Trade Show since 2006.

In 2008, the team is returning to Old Trafford, home to Manchester United FC.Over 50 suppliers are exhibiting on the 30th July 2008.  Everyone is welcome and visitors can see balloon decorating seminars, attend informative 'surgeries' on HR, Insurance, Merchant Services as well as other accountancy issues and have a 'behind the scenes' tour around the stadium.

Cardgains Village..

Spring fair...2008