Ryman owner Theo Paphitis is aiming to expand Ryman Design into a 30 store portfolio. 

The executive wants to open more Design shops, following the format’s high performance since its launch in 2023, Retail Week reported. 

Ryman Design, which currently has five branches, was developed after the retailer’s original model suffered during the aftermath of the Covid pandemic. The stores stock goods including exclusive stationery brands, art materials and cards.

Speaking to the publication, Paphitis said: “I think there’s 30 places it would work well in. It won’t work everywhere , that’s fine, I’ve got other stores that will be hybrids of Design.”

Paphitis hoped landlords would work with the stationery brand to launch more Design stores and improve the business’s general estate.

The current estate is reaping benefits from innovations including an app which allows printing from store, which is boosting footfall. In addition, the exec is taking brands from its Design arm into its original Ryman stores where appropriate.

The retailer’s owner said: “As we do that it upgrades and elevates the existing stores, because they become more interesting and drive people over the threshold.

“We can sit down and say: Dear landlord, this is Ryman here. We have been here for God knows how many years. The store is looking very tired. It got bashed in a massive storm recently with Covid and everything else.”

“That’s the discussions we’re having, because we’ve got examples now of our Design store to show people. We can show them numbers. That becomes more interesting for them.”

The move comes after Ryman launched its first mobile app in February 2024, as Paphitis vowed to “disrupt the online greetings card industry”. It enables shoppers to browse and personalise over 2,000 greeting card designs, which can then be picked up from one of its 198 shops across the UK.

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