SF-October-2020

year – Gretel’s it’s called. She was an art teacher but she quit her job and does this full time now. Not only does she do these houses which are beautifully decorated but she does themwith little lights inside which you put in the window and it looks like Fortnum & Mason. They sell well and every now and then we’ll get an order for a really big one, I think those are about £100. They’re a lot of work and I don’t think she does the stained glass windows any more, melting all that candy down,” Tracey laughs, “but they’re very popular and pretty special.” A shop front is just as important online, says Stephen Fleming. “We’re putting loads of effort into 14 5 WAYS TOMAXIMISETHE FESTIVE SHOPPINGEXPERIENCE Helen Graves speaks to retailers to find out how they’re making their store memorable for shoppers this Christmas FRANCESCA CONTINI VALVONA & CROLLA VICTORIA KETCHER LUDLOW FARM SHOP STEPHEN FLEMING GEORGE & JOSEPH COMMENTATORS People are going to be a lotmore organised with their Christmas shopping @specialityfood C hristmas is a crucial time of year for independent retailers, particularly those in the food and drink sector. Creating a positive experience is vital for enticing customers to spend money in your store rather than heading to the multiples, but what are the secrets to making a shopping experience as seamless and enjoyable as possible? Four retailers share their plans for Christmas 2020 – likely to be an unusual and unprecedented festive shopping experience. 1 Get organised ASAP The unexpected events of 2020 have left customers and retailers in shock, says Francesca Contini cheese in the window! You need to put something there as a gift idea, so people can look at it and go yeah, that’s exactly what I want for uncle Trevor, or my husband, or wife.” He warns against getting carried away, however, “you don’t want anything garish but something that says to people ‘we are high quality’”. Tracey Tannenbaum of Cold Bath Deli in Harrogate stresses the importance of finding unique products for a window display. “We are always looking for local suppliers making something seasonal like Christmas tree cookies. There’s an artist in town who does the most incredible gingerbread houses, so we put those in the window last of Edinburgh’s Valvona & Crolla, and it’s important to respond by being as organised and prepared as possible. “It’s been a very difficult and challenging year for people and we feel honoured that we can still help make Christmas a little bit more special… we still don’t know quite what’s going to happen. We are starting much earlier this year as we think people won’t want to queue outside shops and they won’t want to shop when it’s crowded; that means we’re starting online much sooner too.” Victoria Ketcher, marketing manager at Ludlow Farm Shop, agrees that getting ahead is essential for navigating what is going to be a tricky retail landscape: “We are starting our hamper production a lot earlier than we normally would, as we are trying to get ahead of ourselves. There are going to be a lot of changes this year and no one really knows what it’s going to be like.” Stephen Fleming of George & Joseph cheesemonger in Leeds is getting ahead by ensuring he has the right infrastructure to deliver Christmas goods several months in advance. “We’ve put in place a really good online delivery system and have started on Christmas orders earlier than ever – 1st October this year! People are going to be a lot more organised with their Christmas shopping.” 2 Create an eye-catching window display “Window displays are going to be as important, if not more important this year,” says Fleming, “as we have to draw attention to the fact that we’re still here and still trading. Every year we put more effort into our window displays and we’re noticing better returns from it. We will be showcasing lots of our most important products because it’s hard for people to buy without seeing things.” “A good window display – because Christmas is in winter – has to be something that works well at night,” he continues, “so you can be drawn into it, and it’s also important to have something that you can see through right into the shop. We’re limited in what we can do because of our products – we can’t really put