The Cambium Group

The Basics

Cambium is the home of three leading UK wedding gift list brands: The Wedding Shop (TWS), The Wedding Present Company (WPC) and Prezola. Each brand helps engaged couples build a list of gifts that they would like to receive for their wedding. Gift lists can consist of anything from homewares, art, furniture, technology, baby products, subscriptions, experiences, charity or honeymoon contributions and more, with products available from many leading brands. Once couples decide to make their list live, guests can purchase their chosen gifts from a dedicated website. Cambium fulfils the items on the list after the wedding. WPC also has its own showroom and TWS has a townhouse showroom as well as a showroom in Selfridges, which couples can visit for inspiration and to obtain expert guidance as they build their list.

The Story

Phoenix’s investment manager made a personal investment in TWS back in 2002 that was then sold in 2013. However, the buyers went into administration after just 15 months and it was repurchased again for a token amount, primarily to protect the company and prevent any harm to the couples getting married at that time. Embracing Buffett’s mantra of being a better investor because of being a businessman and a better businessman because of being an investor, Gary became directly involved in the shaping of the business strategy.

With an obsessive focus on the customer, investing in innovation and digital marketing, lists at TWS grew rapidly from 300 in 2015 to 4,000 in 2018 and traditional competitors like House of Fraser, Debenhams, Harrods, Amara and Not On The High Street withdrew from the market. In 2016, TWS acquired WPC and in 2019, after having fiercely competed against each other, TWS merged with Prezola, one of the most successful pure online players. John Lewis and Amazon are the key competitors now, with John Lewis recently replacing their dedicated wedding gift list service with a generic wish list.

The two-year integration with Prezola is almost complete and a restructuring due to the pandemic has resulted in a much leaner logistics operation with just one warehouse and one headquarters in Barnes. Marketing spend is now focused on organic growth, building the market and taking share from John Lewis. The three brands have also been refreshed to appeal to their relevant cohort of couples to entice them to add more inspirational product to their lists using the latest technology and e-commerce.

One of the UK’s leading wedding planning platforms, Rock My Wedding (RMW), was also acquired in 2019 and underwent a revamp in 2020. Providing inspiration and planning tools for engaged couples, RMW acts as a gateway for the Cambium brands and plays a key role in the Group’s marketing strategy. As sustainability becomes an increasingly important consideration for couples, RMW also launched Recycle My Wedding, an online platform that enables users to buy and sell pre-loved wedding attire and accessories.

The Opportunity

Smart digital advertising and social media is the engine to getting more couples to register with Cambium. The work continues to keep driving higher value and higher product share to these lists and creating more operational leverage to drive greater margins from back-end efficiencies and the brand suppliers.

In light of the successful UK vaccination programme against Covid-19, Cambium is expected to emerge from the pandemic as the number one player in the market as weddings rebound with the huge pent-up demand from weddings deferred from 2020, whilst its main competitor (John Lewis) retreats.

Other opportunities include a baby list offering as the desire for a baby registry makes its way to the UK from the US, and The Homeware Outlet, which not only sells excess stock but will be its own online interiors and homeware business that leverages the current knowledge and supplier relationships. With a huge database of couples and guests, this has the potential to be even more valuable than the wedding business as we decorate our homes more often than we get married.

Careers at The Cambium Group

Click here for more

The Group.

Meet the Castelnau Group family of businesses

Strand Collectibles Group Limited is the home of stamp collecting. With a distinguished heritage dating back to 1856, Strand…

Hornby is the name of the largest brand within the company, but actually Hornby is a portfolio of heritage toy and collectible…

Established in 1812, Dignity is the only nationwide, vertically integrated end-of-life business. It currently has c.800 branches…

Rawnet is a digital marketing and software development agency that works with its partners to create a long-term positive impact.…

Cambium is the home of three leading UK wedding gift list brands: The Wedding Shop (TWS), The Wedding Present Company (WPC) and…

Ocula Technologies Ltd is a start-up that is building a data and analytics tool which will provide insights for companies to grow…

Showpiece Technologies Ltd is a fractional ownership platform, created to make ownership of the world's most famous and valuable…

Silverwood Brands is an investment vehicle focused on premium consumer brands which has an existing presence in the beauty sector.…

Welcome to the Castelnau Group Website

IMPORTANT NOTICE: VIEWING THE MATERIALS YOU SEEK TO ACCESS MAY NOT BE LAWFUL IN CERTAIN JURISDICTIONS. IN OTHER JURISDICTIONS, ONLY CERTAIN CATEGORIES OF PERSON MAY BE ALLOWED TO VIEW SUCH MATERIALS. ANY PERSON WHO WISHES TO VIEW THESE MATERIALS MUST FIRST SATISFY THEMSELVES THAT THEY ARE NOT SUBJECT TO ANY LOCAL REQUIREMENTS THAT PROHIBIT OR RESTRICT THEM FROM DOING SO.

THE MATERIALS CONTAINED HEREIN ARE NOT FOR RELEASE, PUBLICATION OR DISTRIBUTION, DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY, IN WHOLE OR IN PART, TO U.S. PERSONS OR IN OR INTO THE UNITED STATES (INCLUDING ITS TERRITORIES AND POSSESSIONS, ANY STATE OR OTHER JURISDICTION OF THE UNITED STATES AND THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA), AUSTRALIA, CANADA, JAPAN, THE REPUBLIC OF SOUTH AFRICA, ANY MEMBER STATE OF THE EUROPEAN ECONOMIC AREA ("EEA") OR ANY OTHER JURISDICTION WHERE TO DO SO WOULD CONSTITUTE A VIOLATION OF THE RELEVANT LAWS OR REGULATIONS OF SUCH JURISDICTION.

The information and materials contained herein (the "Website Materials") are exclusively intended for persons who are not residents of the United States and who are not physically present in the United States. The information contained herein and on the pages that follow does not constitute an offer of securities for sale or a solicitation of an offer to purchase securities in the United States or in any jurisdiction or jurisdictions in which such offers or sales are unlawful. The shares of Castelnau Group Limited (the "Company") have not been nor will they be registered under the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "Securities Act"), or with any securities regulatory authority of any state or other jurisdiction of the United States and may not be offered, sold, resold, pledged, taken up, exercised, renounced, transferred, delivered or distributed, directly or indirectly, within the United States or to or for the account or benefit of U.S. Persons (as defined in Regulation S of the Securities Act) except pursuant to an exemption from the registration requirements of the Securities Act and applicable state securities laws. There will be no public offer of the securities in the United States, Australia, Canada, Japan or the Republic of South Africa or any jurisdiction in which such an offer would constitute violation of the relevant laws or regulations of such jurisdiction. The Company will not be registered under the U.S. Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the "Investment Company Act"), and investors will not be entitled to the benefits of the Investment Company Act.

Subject to certain exceptions, the securities referred to herein and on the pages that follow may not be offered, sold, resold, taken up, exercised, renounced, transferred, delivered or distributed, directly or indirectly, in Australia, Canada, Japan, the Republic of South Africa or any jurisdiction where to do so would constitute a violation of the relevant laws or regulations of such jurisdiction or to any resident or citizen of Australia, Canada, Japan or the Republic of South Africa. No offer and sale of the securities referred to herein and on the pages that follow has been or will be registered under the applicable securities laws of Australia, Canada, Japan or the Republic of South Africa.

In addition, the securities referred to herein and on the pages that follow may only be offered in member states of the EEA (each a "Relevant State") to the extent that such securities (i) are permitted to be marketed into the Relevant State pursuant to the Alternative Investment Fund Managers Directive (Directive 2011/ (61/EU) ("AIFMD"); or (ii) can otherwise be lawfully offered or sold (including on the basis of an unsolicited request from a 'professional investor' (as that term is used in the AIFMD)).

Any person accessing the Website Materials in any other jurisdiction should inform themselves about and observe any applicable legal requirements in their jurisdiction.

Any person accessing the Website Materials should carefully review the Terms and Conditions of this website. By using the Website Materials, you indicate that you accept the Terms and Conditions and that you agree to abide by them. The Company may change the Terms and Conditions at any time. Such changes will be posted on this website. Your access to this website is governed by the version of the Terms and Conditions then in force. If you do not agree to the Terms and Conditions, please refrain from using this website.

By clicking 'I understand and agree' below, you represent, warrant and agree that:

YOU ARE NOT INVESTING OR OTHERWISE ACTING FOR THE ACCOUNT OR BENEFIT OF A U.S. PERSON OR A RESIDENT OF AUSTRALIA, CANADA, JAPAN, THE REPUBLIC OF SOUTH AFRICA OR ANY MEMBER STATE OF THE EEA; AND

YOU ARE NOT A U.S. PERSON OR OTHERWISE A RESIDENT OF AUSTRALIA, CANADA, JAPAN, THE REPUBLIC OF SOUTH AFRICA OR ANY MEMBER STATE OF THE EEA; AND

YOU ARE NOT IN THE UNITED STATES OR IN ANY OTHER JURISDICTION WHERE ACCESSING THIS WEBSITE MAY BE PROHIBITED BY LAW OR REGULATION; AND

YOU WILL NOT TRANSMIT OR OTHERWISE SEND ANY INFORMATION CONTAINED IN THIS WEBSITE TO ANY PERSONS IN THE UNITED STATES OR WHO ARE U.S. PERSONS OR TO ANY PUBLICATIONS WITH A GENERAL CIRCULATION IN THE UNITED STATES; AND

YOU HAVE READ, UNDERSTOOD AND AGREE TO THE ABOVE.

If you cannot so represent, warrant and agree, you must click the button labelled 'I decline' or otherwise exit this website.