Source: E-Formal News
Date: 3-19-2009
News release:
"Cardi Partners with Trade Shirt Makers"
EFN has learned that Cardi International has partnered with two of the formal wear businesses' shirt makers to cover price points and quality levels that will appeal to a broad spectrum of formal wear buyers. According to sources, CSS Chaplin and Ascot have been retained to produce shirts under Cardi specifications that will be exclusives.
Cardi's impact is now being felt by coat makers, as a finer feel, super 150's synthetic tuxedo is said to be renting and performing well in rental stores. In some cases, Cardi products are out performing goods at twice the price, even super 100's Lora Piana products made by Fabian Couture. An ongoing watch is starting to confirm that bookings taken against Cardi's commitment to same day shipping are decimating the reported declining stock position of Fabian and other suppliers that find it difficult to compete.
Owner of the company, Chris Cardi, declined to elaborate on the topic simply saying, "We are happy to partner in with our own trade suppliers and forge long lasting relationships that work for both sides and benefits the business that we service. We are committed to the tuxedo business and believe we can continue to deliver good quality and value to them."
EFN continues to monitor Cardi's progress and has heard ongoing efforts to add shoe products to their line have been unsuccessful. Reports say Cardi's criteria to meet certain standards have not been met, but the supplier remains hopeful they will be able to add shoes at some point.
Source: E-Formal News
Date: 2-13-2009
News release:
"Cardi International rockets to the top of formal wear suppliers."
This week, Cardi International announced the launch of their new tuxedos, supporting all size buyers by offering a sample pack which includes seven new style coats and three pants. The tuxedos join the accessories, creating a package that will be difficult, if not impossible to beat.
Modestly priced, Cardi told EFN they have committed millions of dollars in inventory to match the scope of their accessory launch that began in July of 2006.
"We're pleased with the response we're getting already," said Chris Cardi today. Cardi told EFN a significant amount of inquires and shipment of samples began immediately after an EFN article announcing the move this week.
Since Cardi's launch in 2006, success was almost instant. With no traditional form of selling, the Internet based company has continued to grow without the help of a sales force. The company's focus remains online, offering venerable designs and an intricate system of marketing formal wear products that bypasses all the usual methods.
Cardi's growth and main target has been a vast majority of moderate to smaller accounts and has all but snubbed larger buyers that cannot buy their way into controlling them. The policy since day one has been Cash On Delivery, shying away from credit terms that have been the down fall of many of the businesses' suppliers and bankrupted Lord West, has hampered Fabian Couture and reportedly still holds After Six at bay.
Samples and testing have scored well in over a year's use in local Philadelphia shops that helped to develop the products and have reportedly been using them very effectively and under the radar.
EFN sources say Cardi could be at the verge of several other announcements in the near future to further capture a greater portion of formal wear buyer's budgets. The news has updated Cardi's very favorable STRONG BUY status with today's date.
Source: E-Formal News
Date: 2-09-2009
News release:
"Cardi again gives competition Cardi-ac arrest."
After recuperating for a while, competitors of Cardi International are in store for another relapse, as an announcement made on Friday that was read by an expanded readership of EFN operators is again raising the blood pressure of the tuxedo business.
This time, the news of a sample pack of items in clothing will be joining Cardi's accessory programs, allowing smaller and moderate size operators to torso mannequins with a super 150's feel product made in China. In a Just In Time (JIT) chain environment, operators will be able to book weddings against a multimillion dollar inventory position that has quietly landed in the United States and taken residence in an expanded warehouse in Trenton, New Jersey and buy what they need, as they need it.
"It eliminates the risk of overbuying or buying dogs that don't rent at the store level," say owners that say they're at a loss of what to buy and what consumers really want. "No one advertises any more-- and those that do only make a sample for a photo shoot but don't tell us there's no distribution or production of the products, so we get stuck," say others. While yet other new readers on free trial subscriptions said, "I mentioned I have nothing but great things to say regarding Cardi. As far as I'm concerned if the "traditional" manufacturers had what I needed during May, guys like Cardi probably wouldn't have stood a chance. But to Chris' (Cardi's) credit, not once have I called for something that wasn't there and shipped on time, including in May. I think the last time I could say that about After-6 or FLOW was... I can't even remember."
Discussions with Chris Cardi today said he remains optimistic that the tuxedo rental trade will find value in his products. "This is why we are selling the goods in sample form for a nominal price. We understand times are getting tougher and we want those that partner with us to be successful," said Cardi.
Friday's news continues to hit a nerve, as cryptic e-mails and a proportionately small percentage of Cardi users complain. To date, only a small portion of accounts that have bought Cardi goods say they were disappointed. Cardi has tried to satisfy customers, as best they could but has also told some they could not satisfy them and they should seek goods elsewhere, in a very polite fashion.
EFN continues to be allowed extraordinary insight into Cardi's plans to further distribute products and is aware on ongoing negotiations with other organizations that could leverage Cardi's resources and distribution capacity. Neither Cardi, nor the other parties involved would elaborate further.
Source: E-Formal News
Date: 4-02-2007
News release:
"Cardi-ac-cessories continues to grow and make improvements to its system."
A week from today, a relatively unknown supplier begins its first peak season and approaches its first full year in existence. But for some that have been ordering products nearly every week since last July, Cardi International, dubbed Cardiac by this news source, has become an integral part of their businesses.
Reports and monitoring by EFN proves a true J.I.T system is in place between accounts, Cardi International and their Chinese partners that have formed a supply chain of accessory products. Since July, it was announced that a new vest and neck wear maker was in place; Just In Time, as other vest suppliers were gasping for air.
Over nine months of tracking and unlimited access into every aspect of their business, EFN has been allowed to examine the innermost workings of the Cardi system and culture and has found them to be the antithesis of all suppliers-- especially the piss poor accessory makers we had prior to them.
Built on what was felt to be solid ground, Mel Howard and Elite that salaamed almost exclusively to big budget buyers, were forced to merge and consolidate expenses and are still held captive-- guided by outdated methods. Mel Howard's main support up until last season, After Hours, is ironically scheduled to become a part of Men's Wearhouse-- a buyer that rejected them-- next Monday on the 9th, as Cardi begins their first peak season.
Attempts by Mel Howard to silence, stifle, suppress and assassinate Cardi, aided by other suppliers in the business, have failed miserably, as Cardi's moral standards and counterculture is building a better business for themselves, starting from the little guy up. Replacing walking dead sales people with software implementation and front-loading millions of dollars in inventory commitment, Cardi's plan is said to be working.
The company now sells an estimated 33% of combined Mel Howard-Elite accounts rental products that are said to be performing. But, without estimation, those 33% are accounts that pay-- requiring no credit and attached pitfalls associated with receivables. … EFN further estimates the next third of accounts will come to Cardi, as the pressure to at least consider the goods becomes excruciating. For the final third that we estimate represents the greatest credit risks-- we continue to urge Cardi to let their competitors keep them.
Last week, Cardi completed interface projects with UPS to handle the increasing volume. "We want to make certain that our customers keep getting the kind of treatment and service they've come to expect from us," according to Chris Cardi-- a true gentleman. Cardi continues to refrain from saying a single word against his competitors. "We leave that up to you-- you are better qualified than we," said Cardi.
Source: E-Formal News
Date: 07-13-2006
News release:
"Look
out competitors, here comes Cardi-ac-cessories"
A trip to Cardi accessories in Trenton, New Jersey, yesterday
confirms a new way of supplying formal wear products to match
the changing needs of tuxedo trade operators. The shift is
felt to be coming just at the right time, as most of our
trade's accessory suppliers face insurmountable challenges
and are felt to be slipping into oblivion.
Seeing the erosion, Cardi owners admit timing could be in
their favor, prompting them to invest resources to gain the
favor of disappointed operators all over the U.S. and other
markets that say they no longer have faith in traditional
methods ...
... On a higher ground, the people at Cardi say they plan
to move even more aggressively to brand themselves and provide
new options in buying to a formidable base of accounts. "We
all know and understand what the problems are-- we're here
to talk about some solutions," says Chris Cardi, owner
of the company. Cardi is said to be a genius at what he does,
taking steps that have never been done to merge product development,
expeditious delivery, advertising, marketing and service
support for his customers and new Cardi supporters that are
said to be coming on board every day.
Backed by his family that cover every scope of the tuxedo
business, including retail and wholesale, Chris feels Cardi
accessories can quickly move into a top player position by
utilizing his skills in computer knowledge. While investigating
the viability of traditional methods including a traveling
sales force, Cardi quickly decided the Internet to be a much
more efficient and productive way to gather trade customer's
awareness and get them to call in orders, rather than
run around chasing them.
A hummer limousine was sent by the Cardi family to provide
transportation for 1800MYTUXES members to tour their Trenton,
NJ, distribution center.
EFN has been watching new concepts being toyed with by traditional
suppliers for years but Cardi is proving to have the systems
and infrastructure in place. Cardi is already shipping sample
goods, creating buzz and receiving orders from new
accounts all over the United States, Canada and Hawaii. In
less than 30 days, Cardi products are already in stores being
tested, booked and rented, leaving competitors behind to
merge and liquidate goods, while trying to create systems
to replace antiquated ones-- or even create systems that
were nonexistent-- in order to compete.
"We were impressed with what we saw. The Cardi's are
class people that sent a limo to pick us up, where as last
year, we were forced to drive ourselves around like idiots
and find Mel Howard," according to Jerrid Burdick of
Tux Express in Massachusetts. Burdick and other 1800MYTUXES
members were left to fend for themselves last year at the
first New York meetings. "People never forgot that.
Fabian did the right thing for us. Formal 1 and Mel Howard
left us to the dogs," it continues to be recalled.
Burdick, along with other members, made the four hour drive
to Queens, New York and parked his vehicle in a parking lot
used by Mel Howard workers and took the smooth ride down
to Trenton, NY, another two-hours, in a brand new Hummer. "Maybe
we will see Genis the menace today?" some laughed while
looking up at Howie's office on 48th Ave.
A mile long warehouse in Trenton, NJ, sports the latest
in formal wear technology, tracking orders arriving from
all over the United States and Canada. Cardi
accessories are being tested by a wide scope of formal
wear users hearing about the company via EFN's delivery
system. Cardi steps to hire traveling sales people have
reportedly been scrapped, as resources are diverted to
more Internet based marketing instead.
Invited 1800MYTUXES members that could not attend the field
trip called on the return trip back to the Mel Howard parking
lot at the end of the day, wanting to know what happened. "We
had a very pleasurable day, found really great accessories at
half the price than we're used to paying. Now we can
go back to our business and not worry about whether we can
get goods or not," Burdick told fellow network members
thousands of miles away on telephone calls to EFN.
Receiving areas holding the latest shipment of Cardi
vest products from China were being processed yesterday.
Reports of brisk interest and increasing cuts at Cardi
suggests faster-than-expected turn of products that departs
from the traditional waiting for sales people to "hit the
road" and fax in orders starting next month.
EFN asked for boxes to be opened to expose some of the
incoming accessory products. Shown was banded neckwear,
with coordinating satin vests in other boxes we also saw
being opened. Attending 1800MYTUXES network members witnessed
a growing in-stock program of three new lines by Cardi,
with more to follow.
Commitment to the new venture by the Cardi family includes
attention to new ethnic factors expected to govern the tuxedo
trade in the future. Attention to Quinceanera (sweet 15)
events that EFN has been monitoring suggests a greater than
average need for coat size 34, 35 and 36 short and 28 waist
sizes by a growing number of reports. "Because of that,
we decided to add a size men's extra small vest
size. We are adding the size in all of the styles and colors
we offer," said Chris Cardi at the meeting. Cardi sizes
also reach men's four and five extra large in full back and
offer generous neck sizing, up to 22 inch neck extensions
on their ties.
More trips to Cardi accessories and are being planned because
of the growing interest in the supplier. Because EFN feels
attendance to trade events are expected to be moderate this
season, smaller operators that are not able to leave their
stores are asking for the network show to be as late as possible.
If you are interested in being a part of the next trip to
Cardi or have any questions, please contact this news source
for more information.
