Retail News from the shop floor and store head offices

The Retail Barometer

A regular column in which retailers and more tell us about the positive – and negative – things happening in stores around the country. All comments are provided anonymously, but verified and checked by us at TnP…

To have your contributions potentially included, email tim@lemapublishing. co.uk with what’s doing well and what’s doing not so well in stores, what’s making you happy, confident and optimistic for the future – and what’s giving you cause for concern…

LEGO – one of the big pre-Christmas winners, with sales continuing to grow from their already strong position. As one major retailer noted, Lego City Express Passenger Train was one of the early winners out of the station (obviously not run by Avanti then), before adding “in fact, everything LEGO is selling well!)’’. But – and there is a downside – independent retailers who also noted the brand’s ongoing success were less happy with the brick giant’s support for the indie sector… Family games – looks like consumers are keeping it in the family again this year. After the pandemic brought the family unit together (for better or worse!) and saw a boom in family games, the trend is continuing in the post-pandemic era too, working at both majors and indies… Arts and crafts – like family games (see above) this trend is continuing beyond the Covidinspired boom too. “It’s not going out of fashion,” said one retailer. Christmas sales – finally – and slowly but surely, it’s starting to happen for retailers. “We are getting there – we are tracking last year and previous years and expect to be on par with them,” said one retailer. Another noted: “It’s challenging, but we’re still hopeful for a good December. Air fryers – apparently, as one retailer told us, this is, outside of toys, the buzziest item at retail this year! Recessionary fears – it’s not all doom and gloom. And independents, who can be nimble and react to changes, are well-placed to be able to monitor what’s going on. As one said: “The financial implications of the global recession will no doubt hit every business in the next couple of years, we can only hope that if we continue to do what we think we do best, we will weather the storm and look forward to better times for everyone.” And, they added: “As an independent, we are probably in the privileged position to gauge public feeling and spending habits without having to simply look at spreadsheets. We can adapt easily on instinct unlike the bigger chains who answer to a board and change can take too long as a result.” Wage rises – we’re not talking strikes yet, but with inflation riding high, costs at home for the weekly shop and monthly leccy bills rising, retailers are beginning to brace themselves for a round of wage rises in the New Year. As one said while discussing the threat of spiralling costs: “We are keeping a close eye on our energy costs but have a good plan in place. Wages will be the key growth in costs next year.”

Busy November for The Entertainer

Saturdays in November saw The Entertainer hosting weekly events to help kids craft their wish lists to Father Christmas with the help of some friendly elves.

The Letters To Santa workshops were held across the retailer’s estate throughout the month, complete with a worksheet from The Entertainer. The elves were then set to personally deliver the letters.

Craig Lowe, events coordinator at The Entertainer, commented: “We are delighted to be hosting our Letters to Santa workshops once again this year, helping to create a memorable day out for all this Christmas.

“The workshops are fantastic for children as they not only help with developing important letter-writing skills, but also provide plenty of festive fun. Our elves were in store from November 5, and all set to spread festive cheer and help little ones write the perfect letter for Santa.”

As well as the letters, the end of November also saw the retailer taking part in Pennies donations across its estores, matching customer contributions by weighing in with the same amount raised. The longrunning initiative sees customers being offered the chance to round-up sums spent in store with the difference being donated to charity. Giving Tuesday on November 29 saw The Entertainer matching the monies donated itself.

Gary Grant, founder and executive chairman of The Entertainer, said: “At The Entertainer, we believe that business should be a force for good, and through this partnership we’re really driving this belief forward. Our customers should feel enormous pride in the incredible amount that they have raised over the past year – it demonstrates that every penny really does count. We are so grateful to each and every one of our customers for the kindness they have shown through their individual donations.

“We’ve been in partnership with Pennies for over 11 years and each year it is lovely to see more and more of our customers sparing their pennies to support local children’s hospitals and other children’s charities across the UK.’’

Building up to Christmas

A whole host of television personalities, assorted celebrities, influencers and social media stars turned out for a festive event at LEGO’s flagship store in London’s Leicester Square.

Sam Faiers, Binky Felstead, Lydia Bright, Ashley James, Joe Sugg, James Buckley, Annie Mac and others were on hand to play, build their own Minifigures and also see the dress worn by Katy Perry in LEGO’s Build A Playful Holiday ad. They could also learn more about the company’s Build to Give initiative, which is aiming to give 2 million LEGO sets to children in need.