Retailer Spotlight: Scribbler
Published: 25 November, 2009
Irreverent card chain, Scribbler, has taken up two prime leases on the Scottish High Street. The London-based greetings card chain has invested £200,000 in the launch of stores on Glasgow and Edinburgh's busiest shopping streets.
The retailer has opened a 383sq ft outlet on a £73,500 per annum, ten year lease at 80a Princes Street, Edinburgh; and a 590 sq ft store at 176 Buchanan Street, Glasgow with a £65,000 per annum five year lease.
Already a well-known name in London, the £6.5m Scribbler brand has enjoyed sustained growth and success thanks to its humorous cards and ability to spot emerging pop art trends.
As well as creating 10 new Scottish jobs, Scribbler is now eyeing further expansion potential north of the border.
Scribbler now has 18 shops in the UK, employing around 100 staff, and owner John Procter said he was already looking for a location for another Scottish Store.
He said: "We have taken on a five year lease in Glasgow's Buchannan Galleries but we think the city could take another store, or even another two.
"We are actively looking to open a new store in the near future, perhaps in the city's West End.
"Other than that, we are keeping our options open and considering other Scottish cities with a demographic that meets our customer base."
Proctor, who first launched his greetings card business in 1981 with a branch on King's Road, London, said Scotland had seemed a natural location to grow the Scribbler business.
He added: "We felt more nervous about hitting the Midlands - places like Manchester, Birmingham or Leeds - than Scotland in terms of reaching our target audience, so we decided to leapfrog the north of England entirely in our expansion.
"We first looked at a store within the Buchanan Galleries for Glasgow. In the end we opted for one that is still part of that centre but that has a shop front opening onto the street. We feel we are still high street traders to a certain extent."
Scribbler, which uses property agents Michael Pedder & Co for all its store acquisitions, was able to negotiate contributions towards both Scottish stores when signing the leases.
But Proctor added: "The move to Scotland was made because we want to grow the business there - not because of cheap retail space. Princes Street is as expensive as London but it is a good place to have an outlet.
"We opted for prime locations because we want to go for high footfall initially. We have some destination stores in London, but we want to make a name for ourselves quickly in Scotland rather than waiting for other card retailers to come in.
"The Average Transaction Value (ATV) for a Scribbler store is £6 so we rely on high footfall. We have to be in places where there are a lot of people to ensure the trade is there."
Buchanan Galleries is owned by Land Securities and Henderson Global Investors. On behalf of the partnership, Katherine Armstead said: "Scribbler will be a perfect addition to Buchanan Galleries. With its unique approach, it will complement the diverse range of gift outlets already established."
