Christmas at Regent.

Most people don't even start thinking about their Christmas shopping until late November. Though there are, of course, some incredibly organised individuals that are already on the case as early as August. But, when you operate in the retail world, you the planning for winter and for Christmas in May.

 

You read that right - May! 

 

Summer has yet to peak, the longest day has yet to dawn and the hose pipes have yet to be banned... meanwhile we're looking at thick coats, gloves and stocking fillers.

 

In 2023, over 10,500 shops closed their doors for the last time. In 2024 another 8,500 went. Studies show that around 50% of small businesses, will take roughly a quarter of their annual revenue through November and December. 

 

So, it's important to get Christmas right. Especially small, independents like us. 

 

By June, we've already thought about what you're going to need in your wardrobe and ordered the stock. 

 

We start planning for specific smaller gifts in about October - this is when we get in some of the items we have in stock now such as torches, chocolate and dog treats - we try to be as diverse as possible and ensure there are gifts available for a range of people at a range of price points. 

 

We also put in our orders for items that we know are popular - socks and whisky stones are two particular products that come to mind - but that kind of insight usually comes with years of experience that a lot of businesses don't get the time to build. In fact, most close down within the first five years!

 

As Black Friday approaches, the sense of dread builds. Without wanting to get on our soapbox about it, Black Friday is challenging for small businesses. We often see products from brands we stock going into sale at huge discount prices. It's great for the customer and sometimes brings people to us that might not have otherwise. However, we rarely know what products our brands and suppliers intend to put into sale ahead of time and it can be hard to compete against the bigger retailers out there...

 

Not long after that is Small Business Saturday (the first Saturday of December), which seems to be growing in popularity. For those that don't know, it's a grassroots campaign to encourage people to shop local and shop independent. We love seeing people come through our door, wanting give their support to an independent business!

 

It's usually about this time that we plan and prepare our shop window display. 

 

From the outside (literally) it's a bit of fun! But, it can't be underestimated how important the shop window is to enticing new customers in. So, it's not something we can just slap together. This year's wonderful Grinch window was designed by Lula.

 

After that, we just do our best to continue to promote our business on social media and sell you the products you want! We are proud to have established ourselves as 'a place to buy an unusual gift'.

 

In recent years, we have started offering a bespoke personal shopper service to help take the stress out of some of the Christmas shopping for some of our customers - and we love doing it!

 

With a few weeks left to get your presents under the tree, make sure you consider getting them from an independent this year and keep the high street alive!