The Wild & Wonderful

Despite strong competition, Wild Cards & Gifts is one of the fastest growing retail businesses in the sector thanks to a successful product mix and business model, writes Rebecca Spicer.

With over 20 years experience in the retail industry—operating and opening new stores as well as managing a network of stores in various industries—Lawrence Boyle and his wife Sandra were well placed to start their own card and gift franchise.

Sandra officially started the business in 2002, with Boyle joining her in 2005 after being restricted from rejoining the industry having sold out of a competing franchise three years earlier. Now, they’re a dynamic duo. "I’m arguments and documents and she’s flare and creativity," says Boyle. "Sandy loves setting direction and design and colour and if it wasn’t for her re-blending of the product mix, we would be just another random group trying to get by, but it’s also the structural things that have made it work financially as well."

With around 2,000 card and gift shops operating in Australia at any one time, the Boyles had set themselves a big challenge, especially going into the industry the same year many stores were suffering, and some closing, because of the end of what Boyle calls the "licensing product binge".

But with the shift in trends, Sandra saw an opportunity. While on holiday in January 2002, a four-page business plan was put together which they hoped had the potential to give new life in an industry under pressure. "Sandra said she’d only do it if there was a change in product," explains Boyle. "The intent with Wild was to create a unique blend of female and male gifts, leaning on the female side, with greeting cards also making up about 30 percent of our turnover. So it was that re-mixing it that made it work."

The Wild plan was always to franchise, and this started from day one with existing card and gift store owners (who were also friends of the Boyles) in NSW and then Victoria being the first to join the Wild Retail Group. "Our asset base at the time was our relationships with suppliers and store owners, and having been in the industry at that time for 12 years, the belief was there had to be a better way," says Boyle. "Having been in a [franchise] system that was good, and having seen what it could achieve, Sandra wanted to create a similar platform to achieve those same ideals, but in a way which made profit for all participants. Hence why we offer added value at a third of the cost. We only charge our franchisees three percent for a service fee, whereas other groups at the time were charging between eight and 9.5 percent for a service fee, which takes a lot of profit out of the store.

"It works for us, stores were thrilled and suppliers were thrilled because their discount wasn’t going straight through to the franchisor, it was staying with the store-owner. Hence there’s been the growth there has because people like to be treated fairly."