Case Study: Transforming Portico Designs

Company Context
Portico Designs, a Bath-based card and stationery publisher, was at a crossroads when I began working with them. Despite a long history in the market, the company was under pressure from multiple directions:

  • Product relevance – Designs and product styling had fallen behind competitors, leaving ranges looking dated.

  • Customer dependency – The business was heavily reliant on Clintons Cards, a declining retailer, which meant sales volumes and revenue streams were shrinking rapidly.

  • Licensing challenges – The brand portfolio was confused; some lines were premium in quality but tied to lower-end mass-market licenses, while others lacked clear positioning.

  • Sales model – The salesforce was consultancy-based and lacked cohesion or alignment with the company’s strategic needs.

The company was losing licenses, market share, and brand credibility. It was clear that continuing along the existing path was not viable.

Diagnosis and Strategy

  • While stabilising day-to-day operations, I developed and presented a transformation strategy to the board that addressed the root causes of decline:

    Product repositioning

    Rationalised the portfolio, ensuring new designs and licenses aligned with a clearer brand identity.

    Differentiated between high-volume commercial products and boutique ranges, removing internal supply chain confusion.

    Salesforce transformation

    Re-evaluated the external consultancy sales model.

    Introduced more targeted, proactive approaches to account management.

    Digital transformation

    Rebuilt the sales funnel by creating a trade e-commerce platform, enabling buyers to order directly online.

    Modernised the company website to reflect the new brand identity and strengthen credibility with prospective retailers.

    Market re-entry

    Rebranded Portico Designs and repositioned it as a fresh, design-led publisher.

    Launched a new tradeshow strategy, positioning the company as an “emerging” brand to spark curiosity and avoid negative legacy perceptions.

Execution and Results

  • New Product Development

    Within nine months, the transformation strategy began to deliver tangible results:

    Tradeshow breakthrough – At launch, the company was perceived by many buyers as a new market entrant rather than a legacy player, generating fresh interest.

    Retail expansion – Secured meetings and opened doors with top-tier national retailers who had previously not engaged with the brand.

    Product development – Successfully developed and launched new ranges that were on-trend, commercially relevant, and aligned with market demand.

    Revenue recovery – Signed contracts with leading retailers, creating a stronger, more diversified customer base and reducing dependency on struggling accounts.

    Cultural shift – Shifted the company mindset from survival mode to growth and innovation, building confidence across the team and stakeholders.

Impact

  • This transformation repositioned Portico Designs as a contemporary, credible card and stationery publisher, enabling it to regain competitiveness in a challenging and consolidating retail environment. The turnaround demonstrated how a clear strategy, decisive execution, and willingness to disrupt the status quo could bring a long-standing but struggling brand back into relevance.