With less than two weeks to go to Father’s Day (Sunday June 16), and UK shoppers forecast to spend £695m – up 1.8% on last year – PG&H’s columnist Libby Holden, owner of gift shop Lovely Libby’s in Rayleigh, reveals what’s ringing up sales for the store.
“While Father’s Day is not one of our major seasonal celebrations – we are definitely more of a female gifting destination – we always try to source unique gifts for people to pick up while passing through.
“We gravitate towards a theme we know is guaranteed to sell all year round – football – which is a huge hit for us, especially anything West Ham-related. So, we’ve topped up on our all year round best sellers – boxed marble coasters. With a variation of price ranges, starting at £7.99 for one, and £29.99 for a set of four, these handcrafted coasters are available with prints of vintage football programmes, tickets and caricatures of iconic players, as well as comedic phrases such as ‘I’d rather be watching (West Ham!)”. Not only are they quirky and unique, there is also the benefit that they sell all year round.
“Meanwhile, we’ve found that the primary sentiment Father’s Day gifts that sell are those targeted towards younger children buying for ‘Daddy’, which we’ve made sure to top up in preparation!
“A new product we have this year is from White Cotton. We’ve stocked the company’s cards for years and were very excited when they released their new range of football socks! We first got our hands on them at Christmas and they sold out within in a week, so we were over the moon to receive our new delivery last month. Retailing at £6.99, we stock them in most major Premier League teams. They’re the ideal price point for a pick up gift, meaning that we still have the benefit of generating Father’s Day custom despite not being the primary destination for ‘main’ presents.
“Another product we’ve found falls into this category is the Rosie Made a Thing coasters. They’re just £3.50 and always result in a giggle from customers. Again, a great add on gift that can also sell all year round. My favourite is the one that reads ‘there is no greater love than that between a grumpy dad and the pet they said they never wanted’. Accompanied with an illustration of a dad and a dog cuddling on the sofa, it’s proving to be the most popular so far!”
To read the article in full, turn to page 47 in the May/June issue of Progressive Gift & Home. CLICK HERE.
Top: Part of Lovely Libby’s Father’s Day window.
