This ad will be closed automatically in X seconds.

Gift Retailers Walking On Sunshine

Following the recent warm sunny weather – that included a record breaking May Bank Holiday weekend – retailers, including gift indies, saw sales soar.

Long established independent department store group Tudor Williams (which also includes Elphicks), saw footfall shoot up when the sun came out.

Above: Tudor Williams enjoyed a fantastic May Bank Holiday weekend.
Above: Tudor Williams enjoyed a fantastic May Bank Holiday weekend.

“We had events running in our stores in New Malden and Dorking, where we were fantastically up saleswise,” confirmed John Morris, group managing director of Tudor Williams.

The weather is not the only thing to be improving the department group’s fortunes as a £2m refurbishment is now underway at its Elphicks store in Farnham, while John confirmed that “a refurbishment extravaganza” is also off the blocks at its New Malden store, “where we will be moving away from furniture and considerably expanding our gift offer.”

Among the other retailers to be relishing the benefits of warmer climes is Aspire, which has five shops in the Warwickshire and Oxfordshire areas.

Above: GiftandHome.net’s editor Sue Marks is shown at the recent bira conference in Hinckley with Samantha Yair and Emma Woodward, co-owners of Aspire.
Above: GiftandHome.net’s editor Sue Marks is shown at the recent bira conference in Hinckley with Samantha Yair and Emma Woodward, co-owners of Aspire.

“The warm sunshine came as a great relief after a run of such miserable weather,” enthused co-owners Emma Woodward and Samantha Yair. “In the tourist area of Stratford upon Avon we saw terrific footfall over the May Bank Holiday weekend. In Earlsdon, we were delighted to benefit hugely from a fantastic festival that saw the town buzzing. Everyone wanted to treat themselves with Aspire seeing a significant increase in footfall.” 

Meanwhile, in Port Erin on the Isle of Man, Chris Beards, owner of gift and card shop Mantons, said that the exceptional weather on Bank Holiday Sunday and Monday resulted in an increased average spend and conversion rate, with a higher percentage of customers happy to shop. “People were definitely treating themselves and we also did very well with gifts for christenings and weddings,” confirmed Chris.

 

Top: The recent sunshine was a boost to retailers.

MORE NEWS
HomeGift
 
Visitor registration is open now...
KateWinch_GiftAwards
 
Candlelight’s head of sales, Kate Winch, says that the company, “sponsors The Greats each year because we truly value the independent retailers who are the backbone of our industry”...
Amore.
 
Co-owner Pete Whiteman looks backwards and forwards over the past decade...
Dunelm
 
“We remain very mindful of the wider backdrop and the impact of increased uncertainty on customer sentiment”...
Shoplifter
 
The vast majority of incidents occurred during opening hours, with thefts ranging from opportunistic to organised...
GA_SF
 
The Gift Awards are a reminder of what makes this industry so special, says Soraya Gadelrab, event director of Spring & Autumn Fair, who tells GiftsandHome.net why Spring Fair and Autumn Fair are once again supporting the Awards as headline sponsors...
Get the latest news sent to your inbox
Subscribe to our daily newsletter

The list doesn't exist! Make sure you have imported the list on the 'Manage List Forms' page.