UK newsagent giant WHSmith is now in ownership of Australian franchise business Wild Cards & Gifts after the chain was sold to help grow the brand.
Co-founded by Lawrence Boyle and his wife Sandra – who launched the business in 2002 – Wild Cards & Gifts has grown to a 42 store operation with two new locations to open this year.
Boyle says the decision to sell came after a year of research. “Having exceeded all our personal goals after 12 years we embarked on market research to determine what was necessary for the stores to achieve continued success in the marketplace,” he explains. “This included personally interviewing all store owners as well as gathering data on what made similar groups in other countries successful. Realising the time frame and expertise needed to implement the new programs we believed it was time for a new owner to take over.”
WHSmith plans to retain the Wild brand and is believed to have new initiatives in mind to further grow its presence in the market.
“They are an amazing company with a 222 years heritage that currently spans 13 countries. Smith has demonstrated an ability to provide every profit enhancing program identified as well as many other value adding services to the stores.”
Boyle and his wife remain in a consultancy role for a short time. They will then take a break and spend time with their new grandchildren. He is not only proud of the success Wild has achieved – including more than two million transactions a year – but the people he has worked with along the way.
“We are also very proud of the relationships that we formed with both Wild store owners and suppliers. We always strived to add value to everyone we came into contact with and hopefully this will be how we are remembered.”
