Author: Joanna Frame, Business Development and Marketing
Jingle bells, jingle bells… only 147 days to go!
The countdown is on… yes, already! With147 days until Christmas, this week Selfridges opened its Christmas department selling festive gifts, food and baubles. Father Christmas himself opened the now-annual department on Monday (I suspect even he isn’t busy with Christmas prep yet), making it the first department store in the world to open a dedicated Christmas offer in July.
While opening a Christmas department in summer, when Londoners are still in flip flops, might seem premature but in many respects it is a smart move by the retailer clearly aiming to position itself as THE destination for Christmas fans.
August is London’s busiest month for tourists, many of whom are pleased to be able to take home British decorations and gifts. Retail Week has estimated overseas visitors could splash out as much as £2.4 billion in the UK this summer as they take advantage of the slump in the value of the pound. Visitors are able to shop safe in the knowledge their holiday cash will stretch a further than before. Christmas baubles and stocking fillers appeal to all budgets, from a £6 Selfridges branded bauble, to a corgi bauble costing a staggering £50. Baubles can be the perfect travel-friendly sized gift, as well as the perfect collectable item giving a reason for tourists to return year-on-year, excited at the prospect of discovering new collectables.
Not only has Selfridges decided to start stocking its decorations five months early, but from today the retailer will also introduce its festive food range to appeal to domestic shoppers. Customers will be able to shop the retailer’s curated collection, which includes Christmas pudding, traditional Christmas cake and eggnog curd. Selfridges claims it has brought forward its release date from late October (a much more sensible the weeks before Christmas) to August in order to meet the popularity of ‘convenience shopping’.
‘This new extension to our usual offer is simply addressing this growing demand for convenience Christmas shopping outside the traditional Christmas season from many of our customers.’
This however seems slightly dubious, as Selfridges is certainly not a brand synonymous with convenience retail. Regardless of the retailer’s motives, and as it seems summer may be over as the rain continues to pour down, perhaps we should all take a trip to the Christmas shop and check out the ‘With Love From…’ theme (a tribute to London, Birmingham and Manchester), embrace it and start our Christmas shopping now!
Links:
Jingle bells in July as Selfridges opens Christmas shop 147 days early
Pre-Ramadan rush boosted by weaker pound and love of British luxury Selfridges opens Christmas store — 147 days before 25 December
Tourists set for £2.4bn ‘summer spending frenzy’ in UK
