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Feedback: Retail Barometer 2021
Looking Backwards And Forwards With the doors of non-essential retailers remaining firmly closed from part-way through December 2020 until April 12, 2021, it was a worrying, uncertain first few months for many in the retail industry, to include gift shops. However, showing their resourcefulness and resilience, gift indies not only used the opportunity productively to give their shops a makeover, but also strengthened their online presence and encouraged people to shop locally. With working from home the norm for those that could, the upside to 2021 was that people re-discovered their local high streets. PG&H’s unique annual retail barometer survey, now in its 16th year, gives the full lowdown, revealing that, for the vast majority of gift indie respondents, it was a pretty good year. Christmas 2021 was better or the same, with many independent gift retailers across the board reporting that it was their best Christmas yet, especially the final week.
Looking Back To 2021 How did your business fare in 2021 compared to 2020? Despite an unprecedented start to the year, with doors firmly shut for almost four months, over 90% of those surveyed said that their business had fared better or the same in 2021. Compared to 2020, which was blighted by three lockdowns, with the ‘closed’ sign up, over 90% said that the average spend had increased or remained the same, with just 9% saying that it had declined.
How did the average spend compare to Christmas 2020?
Above: Retailers remained closed until April. Left: Christmas was a cracker for many indies.
Bringing much Christmas cheer, a huge 93% of survey respondents reported that the average Christmas spend increased or remained the same, significantly up from 81% in 2020. Declined 7% Remained the same 31%
How was Christmas 2021?
Increased significantly 22%
Having experienced an extremely unsettling Christmas in 2020, with retailers fearing and eventually experiencing another lockdown, thankfully, it was a very different story in 2021. A whopping 90% of respondents said that
Increased slightly 40%
How Did Your Business Fare Over The Last Year? PG&H looks back at seven years of Retail Barometer data 2020 v Better Same Worse
2021 78% 13% 9%
2019 v Better Same Worse
2020 23% 13% 64%
2018 v Better Same Worse
2019 37% 24% 39%
2017 v Better Same Worse
2018 45% 28% 27%
2017 v Better Same Worse
2016 37% 21% 42%
2016 v Better Same Worse
2015 56% 18% 26%
2015 v Better Same Worse
2014 50% 27% 23%
PROGRESSIVE GIFTS & HOME WORLDWIDE
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