GiftsandHome.net talked Christmas best sellers and surprise winners with Louise Bawcutt, owner of The Present in Barnet, North London
A happy New Year to you Louise! Were the tills jingling merrily on high at The Present?
“We had a phenomenal Christmas at The Present which definitely exceeded our expectations! We had a good, steady November but Christmas really kicked off at the beginning of December, with consistently good takings every week day, so we weren’t just relying on the busy Saturdays. In fact, on some Fridays, we took more than we did on Saturdays.”
When was your busiest period?
“Our busiest time was from Monday December 17 right through to Saturday December 22. However, Christmas Eve was the busiest day of all re takings. Just before December 24, we even had to re-merchandise the shop due to the amount of stock we’d sold. We had customers consistently buying all day, with most purchasing a selection of mid-priced products. There was the odd high end sale too, and we were ringing the till constantly all day.”
Which were your best sellers?
“Once again, the strongest product sectors were fashion accessories, with Powder monogrammed socks our star performers this year, closely followed by the company’s scarves and gloves. In fact, we re-ordered the socks five times! People were buying 10 pairs at a time which is an £80 sale. Also popular were scarves from PoM. Men’s Equilibrium scarves from Joe Davies were another winner and we will be tripling our order next year. As always, candles just sell and sell!”
Did you take any punts with products this year?
“We normally steer clear of high priced tree decorations but took a chance this year with Gisela Graham and bought some of their higher prices themed decorations that included Alice in Wonderland characters and Red Riding Hood. They retail between £8.99 and £11.99 and we sold out in the first two weeks. In fact, we were too cautious, so hopefully we can expand on that for 2019. I think if baubles are special enough and can be gifted, then people will spend a bit more. We also bought from Heathcote & Ivory for the first time this season and, again, the products sold through very quickly. However, Bluebell alphabet coasters were the surprise hit – a brilliant pick up. Customers came in and bought them for table gifts for their whole family, so they were picking up 10 at a time. I ran out of certain letters which lost me sales, so I will have to keep on top of that next year.”
Were there any sectors that didn’t live up to expectations?
“There weren’t really any major disappointments but I feel that home accessories were slower than expected. However, it’s been the same story throughout the year.”
Was the average spend higher, lower or on a par with last year?
“The average spend was between £20-£40, and there was a greater volume of customers buying four or five items rather than spending £40-£50 on one product. As with the last few years, our buying in 2019 will focus on that average spend, so we’ll be looking for good quality products that are well priced in order to give our customers a good range of items to choose from.”
What do you feel is the secret of your success?
“Excellent customer service. The smiling and chatting is essential and so many retailers underestimate that! It’s also important to create relationships with customers – remembering them, remembering what they bought etc. Plus, we offer them a comfortable environment as well as a well merchandised and interesting shop to browse.”
Top: The Present in Barnet, North London.
