North Street is responsible for a couple of dodgily named businesses. There's a few runners in this reprehensible category for the hotly contested top slot, including Caffe Sazz and Lion Stores, the latter of which doesn't supply all of the accessories that you will ever need for your pet lion, but does stock everything you'll need for cleaning your toilet. But, without any shadow of a doubt, Cardiac wins this category hands down, and would probably fair pretty well in the national, nay European, stakes as well.
When I first saw this shop with its dated branding, I thought, wow! Another charity shop on North Street... but no! Cardiac doesn't describe a fundraising outlet for people with heart trouble... instead, it's a greetings card store that sells pretty naff gifts as well.
When the penny dropped I immediately thought, 'what were they thinking?' Then I moved onto, 'what drugs were they taking?'
Being a little more cynical, I then concluded that they must have applied the Anita Roddick approach to marketing... which is essentially to brand and launch your store with the desire to cause as much offense as possible. (The first ever Body Shop was directly next to an undertakers, and received comprehensive press coverage as a consequence, making the Body Shop an instant hit!)
At least Roddick was an innovator, applying new business models to her marketing campaigns and product ranges. For her ethos regarding animal cruelty alone she deserved to succeed. But why oh why is Cardiac still in business? read more