27_29_25/27 15/01/2018 08:29 Page 27
Feedback
Christmas 2017:
Was It A Cracker? With Black Friday dominating the headlines in the run-up to Christmas it was anyone's guess how consumers would be spending their festive cash. But as a handful of retailers reveal, it was something of a mixed bag great for some, less so for others.
Sales Records Were Broken "We had a great Christmas on gifts and Candleshop at John Lewis breaking many of our sales records especially in the last week before Christmas because, as we had expected, trade came very late in the season with a full weekend for customers to snap up last minute gifts," says Sara Allbright, buyer Gifts and Candleshop at John Lewis. "Our star performers were board games and jigsaw puzzles which continue to perform, showing that there is still a trend for people to shun tech products for the more collaborative activity of playing a game or spending some mindful time doing a jigsaw." Observes Sara: "In gifts, people are still definitely liking the personal touch with both personalised gifts online trading well, and huge interest in store when personalised experiences were available. Within Candleshop, people have definitely wanted the scent of Christmas with our own brand and branded ranges of Christmas scents both performing particularly well - our collaboration with Neom on their Wellbeing Street Christmas concept at Oxford Street was very well received and looked beautiful.�
December Was A Record Month "People started to shop for Christmas in early October, with huge sales in both keenly priced fashion jewellery, such as crystal wrap bracelets, as well as higher end brands such as Dansk," says Angela Jones, owner of Lily Blue in Hagley. "Other best sellers were Powder and, as always, Katie Loxton. A late contender was Lua - their velvet purses were particularly popular. A late spike in December sales meant we had a record month and the festive quarter as a result was strong overall." As for the average spend, Angela confirms that although the over 70s were showing more caution, many customers spent around ÂŁ30 per transaction during December. She says that the shop's late night shopping events were a great sales booster, enjoyed by young and old. "Plus, the hard work we put into our window displays paid off as they pulled in the new and the curious," Angela confirms. "We were also rewarded this Christmas by winning the Best Dressed Window in Hagley competition. However, greeting cards outstripped all product sectors this year, with high end independent publishers Belly Button and Five Dollar Shake firm favourites. Large cards sold out early, with greeting cards closely followed by jewellery in terms of the most popular products. Although our Home sector was slow this year compared to previous years, personal gifts were more popular by a clear margin." Adds Angela: "Heavy snowfall was also a great sales boost for us as many more people shopped locally. In fact, I could have trebled my woolly hat order and still sold out!" Above: Lily Blue in Hagley.
Below: John Lewis, Oxford Street.
Good But Not Great "We gave Christmas our best shot, but while it was a good Christmas I don't think we will quite reach last year's figures," says Hilary Jones, owner of Let's Go Round Again in Wombourne. "For us, it kicked off in November when we held our shopping evenings which were really well supported and successful for us. The week before Christmas was also very good, but that was to be expected I guess, with confidence in deliveries from internet shopping not as high over the last few days, driving more people onto the high street. Additionally, it was the first time in 18 years that we opened on a Christmas Eve Sunday, and although it was a reasonable day - and gave us the takings we would have on a 'normal' Saturday - it certainly wasn't our usual Christmas Eve. Saturday December 23 felt more like Christmas Eve to us, and was our busiest Christmas trading day." Hilary adds that unicorns, prosecco and gin-related products continued to perform well. "Boxer Gifts were one of our star suppliers. They have some great lines and also have a wonderful approach to doing business. Every time we had a balance order due they contacted us to see if we wanted to add to it, meaning
PROGRESSIVE GIFTS & HOME WORLDWIDE
27