Get your Christmas stock-in!

A well-planned Christmas promotion will help you end the year on a high, writes Jim Manson

Let’s be honest, Christmas 2020 was not the merriest. So, here’s hoping that this year’s festive season will be more Joy to the World and less In the Bleak Midwinter.  

After the trials and tribulations retailers have contended with over the past 18 months, delivering some healthy end-of-year sales figures will be more important than ever. An added incentive, then, to get your seasonal ordering done early and make sure you do all you can to optimize Christmas trade. 

Get everything right and you could see in-store sales increasing by as much as 50-60% during the Christmas run-up.

Order early, order smart
The key to having a successful Christmas lies with planning. Ordering early is vital as seasonal best-sellers quickly run into short supply, especially time-sensitive food lines. Order smart – the right numbers, the right products, the right time – because there are few sadder sights in early February than a pyramid of marked-down yule logs sitting at the checkout. 

Christmas is a frantically busy period for wholesalers. Sophie Ziegler-Jones at Suma explains: “The Christmas period is always an extremely busy time for Suma. We stock lots of Christmas essentials, from baking goods, fruit cake mixes, alcohol, gifts and – of course – lots of chocolates, including advent calendars.” 

So, which products see the biggest uplift over the festive season? “Chocolate and confectionery are always up there, followed closely by other festive lines like mince pies and Christmas cakes. Ethical gifts are becoming more and more popular, and retailers are asking lots about plastic-free gifts and cruelty-free body care.” 

One of Suma’s biggest growth areas in recent years has been vegan Christmas foods. “Tofurky was a huge seller last year and vegan advent calendars and selection boxes now come with more choice than ever before due to demand,” Ziegler-Jones confirms. 

Creating Christmassy vibes
One retailer and brand-owner that truly maximizes the Christmas opportunity is Daylesford. Its 2021 Christmas line-up lists an impressive 36 seasonal hampers, 56 festive food lines, 26 stocking-fillers and 73 houseware gifts. It’s true that a fair proportion of these are not strictly Christmas lines, but that’s where the real creativity comes in. A festive presentation – in the form of store-branded hampers or seasonal beauty ‘bundles’ – can be a deal-clincher for a time-pressured customer looking for gift inspiration. 

Daylesford also ensures that its five farm shops look the part, explains Nick Fletcher, CEO: “Our approach to Christmas this year is  ‘Let’s celebrate’. From the feedback we have gathered, people want Christmas to  feel extra special, with a  focus on spending quality time with family and friends. Customers visiting the farm shops this year can expect Christmas trees, wreaths and chandeliers made from foliage and foraged seasonal materials along with artisan felt decorations and festive lighting.”

This Christmas should see a return of special festive events, he adds: “We cannot wait to bring back carol singing, Father Christmas and his reindeer at the farm, and special shopping events.”

Creating Christmassy vibes in your store will get customers in the mood for seasonal spending. Lead with an inspiring window display and use natural and eco-friendly decorations around the store to set the mood. 

And even if you’re one of those people who has to suppress their inner Scrooge, remember this will boost takings and help you end 2020 on an altogether brighter note.  

Revolution  Himalayan Salt Lamps

World foods brand management ltd
Tel: 01782 366080
E-mail: mark.mccarty@wfbm.co.uk
www.wfbm.co.uk

Himalayan Salt lamps are more popular than ever, with the warming glow and beneficial effects on air quality drawing new users.
Revolution Salt lamps are made using traditional methods and will be expanding the range during 2021 offering the largest selection of lamps and an active promotional campaign to support Health stores including point of sale and great offers.
The new range will include a mix of traditional and contemporary designs, providing for all tastes and now include fully dimmable cords.

Cherry pillows

World foods brand management ltd
Tel: 01782 366080
E-mail:  mark.mccarty@wfbm.co.uk
www.wfbm.co.uk

The contemporary version of a century’s old Swiss tradition. The original cherry pillow is filled with cherry stones and can be easily and quickly heated, for example, in the microwave. It then radiates heavenly warmth for hours. The pillow shapes itself to the body and spreads its heat evenly. It never gets colder than body temperature.
Place the pillow by your feet in bed, on your stomach to relieve stomach cramps, around your neck if you are feeling stressed.
Also serves as an effective cold compress.
New for this winter are the Cherry Belly children’s pillows in various designs

Stock up for Christmas!

Pravera Ltd
Tel: 01557 870203
E-mail:  trade@pravera.co.uk
www.lavera.co.uk

True miracles happen at night with the lavera Good Night Gift Set.  The lavera Good Night gift set is the ultimate pampering set for super soft and supple skin. The delicately scented body milk is enriched with organic grape and shea butter that will hydrate, regenerate, and nourish the skin overnight leaving it feeling fresh and soft when you wake. The set also includes the new lavera Good Night 2in1 Hand Cream and Mask. This rich and creamy hand cream is enriched with shea butter to provide intense moisture and long-lasting care overnight.  This gift set is perfect gift for that special someone at Christmas, it is vegan and certified natural and organic by Natrue. RRP £15.95

Facial Selection 4x95g

Friendly Soap
E-mail:  sales@friendlysoap.co.uk
www.friendlysoap.co.uk

This quartet of fabulous skin friendly bars is music to the ears, nose and cheeks, thanks to this perfect gift that will leave you feeling perfectly pampered.
Each bar has been carefully selected for its unique and caring properties, Shea Butter, Cocoa Butter and fragrance-free Aloe Vera for gently moisturising your skin. They’ve even included a special Detox bar with activated charcoal for tackling those toxins.
Like of all of Friendly’s products, this bunch are completely natural, cruelty-free and packed in plastic-free boxes, so they’ll leave you feeling great inside and out.

benecos Men’s Gift Set

Pravera Ltd
Tel: 01557 870203
E-mail:  trade@pravera.co.uk
www.benecos.uk

Benecos is for men too! The benecos for men gift set includes the Men’s 3 in 1 Body, Hair and Face Wash, is enriched with a unique mix of organic ingredients to moisturise, cleanse and hydrate men’s skin and hair, it makes multi-tasking easy! There is also the Men’s Face and Aftershave Balm that soothes skin after shaving with the organic aloe vera. The organic sunflower oil moisturises skin, leaving it feeling fresh and smelling great. The perfect gift for all the men in your life, your husband, partner, dad, and brother!

Antipodes limited edition, artist designed gift boxes

Kinetic Natural Products Distributor
Tel: 08450 725 825
E-mail:  sales@kinetic4health.co.uk
www.kinetic4health.co.uk

Antipodes, the award winning ‘Scientific meets green beauty,’ skincare brand that fuses pollution free natural ingredients from New Zealand with pioneering high performing products has curated two limited edition, recyclable, artist designed gift boxes: Fresh Skin Favourites is a selection of products to hydrate dry skin; Hosanna H20 Intensive skin plumping serum, Baptise H2O Ultra Hydrating Water Gel and Avocado Pear Nourishing Night Cream. And Healthier Skin Heroes, a nightly ritual based regime to smooth fine lines and detoxify: Halo-Skin Brightening Facial Mud Mask, Culture Probiotic Night Recovery Water Cream and Divine Face Oil Rosehip& Avocado Oil will work overnight to de-stress skin. For more information or to place an order, visit www.kinetic4health.co.uk or email sales@kinetic4health.co.uk

Book Style Red Advent Calendar (25 Loose Leaf Tea Pyramid Bags – 13 different flavours)

English Tea Shop (UK) Ltd
Tel: 0203 9252 411
E-mail:  info@etsteas.co.uk
www.etsteas.co.uk

Relax…and count down to the holidays with a comforting cup of organic tea. From the first of December to Christmas Eve, you’ll be treated to 13 different blends each festively spiced with the flavours of the season. With flavours such as Gingerbread Treat, Ghostly Green, and Super Star Anise, it’s sure to be the tastiest and most enjoyable countdown to Christmas ever. The beautifully designed Premium English Tea Shop Advent Calendar includes a premium selection of 25 festive flavoured organic teas with Eco-friendly fully compostable packaging and recyclable pyramid Tea Bags and a gorgeously festive red bow on the front.

Higher Living Selection Box 

Higher Living
Tel: 017988 12188
E-mail:  info@onptea.com
www.higherlivingherbs.com

We’re an independent business, with the whole family at the wheel. A team of tea lovers who have been blending brews for over 20 years – we pour our passion into every cup. Higher Living Organic Selection Box is a unique gift box with a variety of 6 of our innovative flavours including Sweet Dreams, Green Tea Chai, Golden Turmeric, Earl Grey, Very Berry and Peppermint & Licorice. A perfect gift for tea lovers.

Cocoon Balm Lipstick 

Zao Essence of Nature UK Ltd
E-mail: team@zaomakeup.co.uk
www.zaoessenceofnature.co.uk

Premium certified organic makeup brand, Zao Makeup, has recently won further awards adding to its already impressive collection. The highly esteemed Green Parent Natural Beauty Awards recognised the high-quality and green benefits of the refillable and vegan-certified cosmetics brand.

The ever-popular Cocoon Balm Lipstick in super-popular and flattering shade 414 Oslo received Gold. Halfway between a lipstick and a lip balm, the worthy winner is enriched with natural ingredients to impart rich colour with moisturising benefits. The brand’s easy-to-use SPF25 BB Creams were awarded Silver whilst Zao’s much-loved ’10 Free’ Nail Polish in best-selling Rosewood 671 shade also received Silver. For any enquiries please contact: team@zaomakeup.co.uk

Booja-Booja Signature Collection

Booja-Booja
Tel: 01508 558888
E-mail:  welcome@boojabooja.com
www.boojabooja.com

The Signature Collection from Booja-Booja is a sensational selection of 16 irresistible chocolate truffles. Designed to echo the company’s celebrated Award-Winning Selection this beautiful box features four brand new chocolate truffle varieties; each a classic flavour with a little Booja-Booja twist. There’s sumptuous Deeply Chocolate, scrunchy Honeycomb Caramel, moreish Chocolate Salted Caramel and zesty Chocolate Orange with tangy mandarin pieces. Handmade in Norfolk from the finest natural ingredients, these melt-in-the-mouth delights are not only delicious but organic, vegan, dairy free and gluten free. Exceptional value at just £9.99 RRP, The Signature Collection makes a beautiful gift for discerning chocolate lovers. 

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