Fresh investment fuels further growth at cards and gifts business
Online retailer Stacey Dennis is expanding her Pontefract-based firm with a six-figure investment.
Her cards and gifts business, Love Layla, has grown to become a multi-million-pound operation with over a million fans on social media.
The latest round of investment will see state-of-the-art digital printing machinery installed in the company’s West Yorkshire factory. It will enable the company to launch next-day delivery of personalised cards and gifts.
Love Layla is gearing up for its best-ever Christmas trading period since launching just four years ago and has a new range of 178 original Christmas cards available for this year.
The company has grown a market for traditional greeting cards by appealing to younger buyers in particular. It has found a growing audience for its non-PC product range and has expanded into gifts and stationery to meet demand.
Dennis started the business from her kitchen table in 2015 with just £30 after being made redundant as a greeting cards designer. The company now has an established franchise in Australia and is eyeing additional markets around the world.
Dennis and her husband, Jay, with whom she runs the business, have controlled the growth of the company while gradually expanding its range and products, now consisting of over 600 items, from the original 11 designs.
Founder and owner Dennis said: “The last four years have been a real whirlwind. Demand is increasing all the time, and we have seasonal spikes, so we’re looking forward to the festive period.
“To cope with the volume we’ve invested heavily in new kit and machinery which will allow us to meet demand quicker and more efficiently.
“We’ve seen massive growth in demand from office workers who seem particularly keen on our range as it can be used as part of team-building activities or to keep morale up amongst colleagues.
“Our new website will also enhance the customer experience and allow greater showcasing of our full product range as well as making the sales and delivery process faster and smoother.
“Customer loyalty is essential to us, and we see lots of repeat business from customers who like our product range, so it’s key to keep innovating and give them fresh, new ranges to look at.”
Fans of the brand – which is named after Dennis’s six-year-old daughter Layla – include Dragon’s Den entrepreneur Theo Paphitis, former glamour model Katie Price, Made in Chelsea star Georgia Toffolo and Geordie Shore stars Vicky Pattison and Abbie Holborn.
