The one thing everyone wants to know as soon as the new year sales begin is whether the preceding festive season has been a cracker or a turkey on the retail front.
With analysts confirming a national reduction in footfall over the Christmas period – in the last full week, it is estimated that footfall was down 11.4 per cent compared to 2023 (source: BRC-Sensormatic) – and two major retailers, John Lewis and Marks & Spencer, taking the decision not to open on Boxing Day, how did independent stationery retailers fare in the run-up to Christmas?
The run up to Christmas was chaotic for Simon Churley of Stationery Solutions in Braintree. “I am as busy away from the shop as I am in it!” he says. “Footfall was well up, with me breaking my record for transactions three times in the final 10 days, so it bodes well moving in to the new year. I was selling more gift stationery and feel that will be an area that will keep growing. The biggest seller were the ever-popular Legami erasable pens. A great stocking filler.”
Elliot Jacobs, ceo of UOE Stores has been celebrating the group of nine stores’ best Christmas ever. “At UOE, we’re entering 2025 with great optimism and excitement. While it’s easy to focus on challenges like rising business rates, staffing costs, and increased taxes, we believe in seizing the opportunities the year ahead holds. We know customers are more cost-conscious than ever, but with the right products, competitive pricing, and effective merchandising, there are plenty of sales to capture. Right now, we’re noticing some key shifts in the market—general filing is in decline, while erasable pens (especially Legami) are seeing impressive growth.”
“Marvellous” was the Christmas verdict from Mark Janson-Smith, managing director of the Postmark group of 15 stores in London, Birmingham and Glasgow, and he added: “We couldn’t be happier with our results. Overall, our like-for-like sales were up 10.4% in the Christmas category for the eight weeks leading up to Christmas Day.”
