SF-October-2020

and a partridge on top. The Partridge in a Pear Tree is a strong image at Christmas and for speciality foods. We have in the past made our own Partridge and Pear Pie. Own label products always sell well. Smoked salmon, champagne, gin, jams, teas, biscuits, gifts etc. Some ideas work better than others. A few years ago we had the brilliant idea of a life size bottle it in a socially distanced way. More this year than ever before, with fewer organised activities we must strive to keep the Christmas spirit going. The challenge is to maintain sales while adjusting to lower footfall. Throughout this year and the Coronavirus period, our footfall has been down. This has been balanced by a rise in average spending. This could actually be a redistribution of average spends rather than a rise. Passing trade tends to spend less than loyal locals, and we have lost a lot of passing trade. Creating a festive feel We do not have very large shop windows so internal decorations are extremely important. As we have closed our in-store café we are planning to turn that area into our new Christmas shop with an adjacent Hamper Ordering Department. We use a lot of traditional Christmas decorations, but pride of place is the large pear tree with golden pears @specialityfood A s one of the capital’s most iconic retail establishments – HRH Queen Elizabeth herself is a regular customer – Partridges is not only relied upon by locals and visitors, but international shoppers too. With travel paused and footfall decreased, how is the business 12 approaching the upcoming festive season? Over to John Shepherd, MD... Christmas is a vital trading period Christmas is still the most important trading time of the year at Partridges and contributes up to 20% of the annual takings. It is more than about sales, however, it is a time when we engage with local customers through tastings, promotions, mulled wine offers and discussions about the annual decorations. There is a buzz in the air and somehow this year we must try to Locals are for life – not just for Christmas. We hope that for 11 months of the year wemake a positive impression and they knowwhat we do for the 12th HOW PARTRIDGES APPROACHESCHRISTMAS John Shepherd, MD of Partridges, offers Speciality Food an exclusive look behind the scenes during the key festive season