SF-October-2020

ingredients: dried herbs for scratch- made stuffings; mounds of soft brown sugar piled around bundt tins; fancy tinned anchovies for special canapés. For the kitchen anorak a tub of aromatic dried porcini or neat jar of tonka beans is likely to outshine any sparkly decoration. “Christmas is probably our biggest time of the year,” says Nick. “That means our visual displays turn to Christmas gifting and seasonal food items. I would say a large section of our shop turns to Christmas once October hits. We also stock a large amount of items ready for hampers, which prove very popular every year in bespoke, pre-packed and corporate options. So I would say, you definitely know it’s Christmas when you walk round the Food Hall! “ Helping stressed shoppers to the right gift “The gift shopper may be buying outside their own taste, so there are chances here to sell an idea,” says Edward. “Again, it can be quite traditional, such as beer for boys. But with gifting, everything needs to look just a bit special: packs with an extra dimension and glasses with the beer, for example. I’d also say don’t forget the ‘stocking filler’ items that are neat sizes and of course Secret Santa, which requires specific price points: £5, £10 and so on.” Doing shoppers’ work for them is always a shortcut to a sale at such a busy time of year, and food gifts may be seen as a practical gift in a year when the physical and economic health of friends and family can’t be taken for granted. Covid-19 will, of course, be affecting your approach to Christmas stock. “This year we ordered in what we knew would be easy to sell, as we weren’t sure whether we’d even be open in December or if we’d have to close due to Coronavirus,” says Sue Billington, co-owner of Scottish deli Billington’s of Lenzie. “We sell a lot of panettone and Christmas cake, panforte, bars and boxes of chocolate, nice jams and chutneys, and we get in nice extra boxes of oatcakes and pâtés, biscuits in biscuit tins and that kind of thing. We order in larger quantities than usual of locally-made tablet and fudge, which people like to put into their hampers. Hampers sell well for us, and we offer a range of options including beer hampers and gluten-free, and bespoke versions too. We also sell a lot of chilli jams and marmalades, and bring in festive versions at Christmas like Champagne jam and whisky marmalade; these are in our own- brand range.” Gift items are also big money spinners at Billington’s. “We used to sell ambient stuffing mixes, gravies and things like that,” says Sue. “However they didn’t sell well for us at all so we stopped stocking them and decided to focus on gifting items.” “Our must-stock item? Chocolate, and a lot of it,” says Sue Johns, co- owner of Johns of Instow which has two delis and a grocery store in North Devon. Gifting makes the core focus in the business at Christmas, with giftable SKUs outnumbering pantry items by ten to one. “Gifting lines both sweet and savoury are key, and what works best for our customers are individual items that can bought is a single gift or put in a hamper. Ready-made gift packs are rarely taken up by our customers, CHRISTMAS 2020 however, this year this may be different with wanting a quick purchase so we’re re-introducing a few again.” Stocking for optimum interest Has your Christmas stock started to make its way out of the storeroom and onto the shelves yet? “We began introducing seasonal and festive lines early September,” says Simon Drury, ambient buying manager of retail group Booths. “At Christmas, we undoubtedly enjoy a wider customer base, as people come from far and wide to shop our range of locally-sourced produce, and festive food and drink. Our Christmas snacks, confectionery and seasonal biscuits are store cupboard essentials to see families through the festive season. Meanwhile, Christmas crackers and puddings are also ‘go-to’ products for our customers at Christmas. Many people eagerly await the launch of the our Christmas book which showcases some of the tastiest food, and return to our store each year to grab their copy! Customers can then either head into store, or place their orders online.” “October is when we start really stocking Christmas products,” says Nick from Suffolk Food Hall. “I would say that reflects in some of the purchasing, but it obviously ramps up in November and the start of December. That’s when these products really fly off the shelf. Also many of them are included in bespoke hampers, which customers start thinking of in October too. Although, saying that, we are often busy right up to the last minute on Christmas Eve, those last-minute shoppers (and I’m guilty too!) like to leave it late.” Others are getting in there sooner. “Normally we’d start stocking in the first week in October but this year we’re putting out phase one of Christmas stock (stock that has already been received) at the end of September,” says Sue Johns. “There is a sense more than ever this year of ‘buy it now’ whilst people feel safer in the knowledge that they have that money to spend. We’re fortunate to be in a tourism area, so visitors like to choose gifts that might seem slightly different to what they’ll find at home, or an item that they see for their Christmas. In terms of ambient items, it’s usually complimentary products such as cheese biscuits or pâtés, chocolate again, and local produce. The increase is usually for fresh produce but they’re also more likely to pick up an item for a gift as opposed to the Christmas table.” There is a sense of ‘buy it now’ more than ever this year whilst people feel safer in the knowledge that they have that money to spend Visualmerchandising is essential, and it’s not, tomymind, a time for innovation. Christmas sales are extremely traditional specialityfoodmagazine.com THE BAY TREE BOOZY MINCEMEAT Deliciously indulgent, this mincemeat contains no suet. thebaytree.co.uk BALLYMALOE GIFT PACK A flavourful combination of Cranberry Sauce, Original Relish and Jalapeno Pepper Relish. ballymaloefoods.ie HAWKSHEAD RELISH SMOKY MUSTARD SAUCE A mild, smooth Dijon mustard with a subtle smoky tone. hawksheadrelish.com PETER’S YARD SEEDED FLATBREADS Made with organic flour, British rapeseed oil, seeds and sourdough. petersyard.com GORDON RHODES FESTIVE GLUTEN FREE GOURMET ROAST CHESTNUT AND SPICED CRANBERRY STUFFING MIX Delicately blended to enhance both meat and vegetable dishes. gordonrhodes.co.uk CHOC ON CHOC CHRISTMAS CHOCOLATE JUMPERS Handpainted chocolate jumpers made from Belgian chocolate. choconchoc.co.uk FLOWER & WHITE FESTIVE MERINGUE POPS Caramel, chocolate orange and dark chocolate-coated meringue balls. flowerandwhite.co.uk WILLIES CACAO DARK CHOCOLATE SEA SALT CARAMEL PEARLS Chulucanas 70 per cent dark chocolate filled with Cornish Sea Salt- flecked molten caramel. williescacao.com TRACKLEMENTS CHRISTMAS SPICE CHUTNEY LE PARFAIT A festive blend of cranberries, Bramley apples and a host of seasonal spices. tracklements.co.uk MONTEZUMAS AMERICAN IDOL Milk chocolate truffle with salted caramel. montezumas.co.uk