christmas retailing


Classic or quirky for Christmas in 2019?


What will be the key trends for Christmas decorations this year? Garden Centre Update reports


“There is a trend for traditional items with a reductionist slant and that is reflected in our sales figures,” Benjamin Wolffs, marketing director at Designimdorf, explains. “We thought, to begin with, that a contrasting item on the tree – i.e. one in lighter wood – would sell well, but the darker one is more popular.” In general, Wolffs observes there is a growing customer base for high-quality and sustainably produced products. “We are also finding that wholesalers and retailers are increasingly interested in manufacture and materials,” he says. “They were not yet ready to pay the higher price. And sustainability, too, how the wood is treated, what oils we use have been important to customers.”


W An emphasis on quality


Quality is something that interests buyers is a conclusion reached by Christian Schmidt from Gift Company: “Products, which, from a craftsmanship point of view, involve more work, are the ones that are in demand. We get a clear sense of that,” he says. “It has to be either very cheap or very expensive, there’s not much activity in the mid-range.


hat will we be able to find in the high street and in online retail sites in a few weeks’ time?


“So, for instance, our labour-intensive vases have been getting plenty of good orders. Being able to apply enamel over such a large surface needs a huge amount of skill and that’s what makes these vases special.”


“In addition to that, the little glass pine tree has been very popular. Its charm lies in the fact that you decorate the inside with pinecones and even flowers or strings of lights and it’s this variety that has appealed to buyers.” Helmut Schmidt, managing director of Weihnachtsland, confirms: “There is an increasing trend for more and better quality.” As far as colours are concerned, Helmut Schmidt can see no overall trend: “Whilst we offer countless different colours – over 100 with the Oberfränkische Glas brand, for example – Christmas remains, in my view, a relatively conservative business. Red and gold are the classics and so are natural colours like greens and browns. “Variety is then provided in a whole range of


different shapes and forms. Sometimes owls seem to be a strong trend, then birds in general.”


Colour interests from consumers Red is also an important colour at Inge's Christmas Decor. The “Red and Glorious” principle, for instance, has been doing really


well for the company. “In previous years it has been rather a purist approach that people wanted, but this recent trend is for more opulence and weight. In terms of the details, it is characterised by reds, blues and gold, accented with black, pinks and purples.


It has to be either very cheap or very expensive, there’s not much activity in the mid-range


Christmas decorations are unthinkable without animals and this, too, is borne out by the figures at Vondels. Owner, Loesje Donner- Raedts, comments: “Nature is a major trend, without a shadow of a doubt; greens are modern, together with any of the animals that inhabit the natural world.” In her view, the upcoming festivities will be


dominated by animal prints. There’s nothing to stop Christmas decorations being just good fun, particularly the items for the tree. But ‘quality’ doesn’t necessarily mean ‘conservative’. “Younger customers, in particular, have, for some time, no longer decorated their homes in traditional fashion, but more individualistically, according to taste and mood,” she adds.


Traditional candles see popularity Orders for candles have been relatively traditional. “Flat-top pillar candles are among those that have always sold well and continue to do so. But it’s our marbled candles with a rustic look that are increasingly in demand,” Vanessa Wagner from Wiedemann tells us. “We’ve seen significant growth in this area. “As far as traditional candles for the tree are concerned: red sells best, followed by gold. Consumers remain traditional in this area. But I am not surprised to see that other colours, too, are extending the Christmas spectrum more and more amongst younger customers.” There are now increased efforts to use the most eco-friendly packaging materials. And it is not only the Norwegian-Estonian company that is making more effort in this regard. Designimdorf and Wiedemann also have sustainability very much in mind, in terms of both production and packaging.


18 | www.gardencentreupdate.com GCU October/November 2019


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32