Feed back Half Term Report

“2023 was always going to be a difficult year, on the back of some bumper years, when it felt as if the whole country came to our seaside locations following Covid,” comments Kieron Cockley, co-owner of eight Brocante stores in Cornwall and Devon (to include two new stores opened in April in St Ives and Salcombe). “The news about the economy and the cost-of-living crisis has played on people’s minds and how they spend. The weather has also been particularly bad, with lots of rain, which stops visitors wondering around.”

Continues Keiron: “On a more positive note, the three Bank Holidays in May have helped push footfall. We are especially excited for the last one, which kick starts our season. Easter weekend was very good, so when people are here, they are spending. Suppliers are also better stocked than previous years, which really helps.”

Left: The Brocante store in Salcombe opened in April.

“After a really strong Christmas we’ve certainly seen a more cost-conscious approach to spending among customers,” says Paul Lewis, merchandise director, Austins department store in Newton Abbot. “Price competitiveness is adding challenges to margins, especially in toys, and the unsettling weather hasn’t been in our favour. Despite that, sales have been pretty much in line with our expectations. With regards to the Coronation, we certainly embraced the opportunity to buy into some tasteful commemorative products, to include gift food lines, and we got it just right with excellent sell through. New Jellycat products have also been in high demand. In fact, we were one of only three stockists in the South West to have Albert the Jack Russell, a definite collector’s piece. We actually closed on Coronation Saturday so that we could all enjoy the celebrations - not an easy decision commercially, but there was no negative customer feedback.”

“Business at the start of the year was much better than we had predicted - we really did get off to a great start,” comments Samantha Gibbs, owner of Nest, which has stores in Stoneygate, Broughton Astley and Thurlaston Garden Centre. “The trade shows were fantastic, and we invested heavily in lots of lovely new ranges. However, the last month or so has been slower, although we did anticipate that. The Coronation gave us a welcome added interest to the windows, and some of the more novelty-type products did exceptionally well. Nevertheless, overall, the Bank Holidays didn’t help at all. We saw a huge dip in spending from the beginning of May, and with the approach of the last Bank Holiday and half term, I don’t expect sales to rise again for the next few weeks.”along with strong sales of New English Tea's products.”

Above: Nest, Stoneygate.

Inset: We’ve won! Big smiles from the delighted winners of both The Greats Awards and The Gift of the Year Awards who are shown on stage with their trophies.