The Giftware Association (GA) is throwing its weight behind the ‘Celebrate an Independent Christmas’ initiative from The Retail Champion, Clare Rayner, who is encouraging shoppers to buy from local independents rather than multiples in a six-week long campaign from November 12 until Christmas Day.
GA chief executive Isabel Martinson says that the association will act as a conduit to encourage its retail members across the gift and home industry to participate in the nationwide effort to improve footfall to high streets, towns and village centres; to increase consumer confidence, and to boost retail sales.
“Our sponsorship of the campaign is a no-brainer as many of our retailers achieve more than 30% of their annual sales in the six weeks before Christmas,” says Isabel. “And it stands to reason that the more business they do, the better it is for our supplier members. The industry as a whole will benefit.”
Clare Rayner, founder of the campaign, says: “The Giftware Association’s support is a terrific boost for independent retailers across the UK and I am personally delighted that such an authoritative and influential trade body is backing the initiative.
“Retailers will be greatly heartened by the encouragement they are receiving from The GA and it is to be hoped that members in the same communities will come together to take the campaign forward and ensure that ‘Celebrate an Independent Christmas’ is a success this year and every year.”
Consumers will be encouraged to spend a proportion of their Christmas budgets – be that on gift and food shopping, partying or pampering – with local, independent businesses. The campaign will be inclusive of all those who serve consumers – so bars, restaurants and salons as well as traditional shops.”
The message to consumers from the campaign will be that buying from an independent typically guarantees them a more unique, personal experience. It will highlight that if consumers are looking for a bit of indulgence at this celebratory time of year; if they are seeking more unusual gifts; unique outfits; delicious treats or special social occasions, they should explore their local independents.
To capture consumers’ imaginations and encourage them to make the effort to seek out their local independents, the campaign will be calling on retailers and business organisations to work together to create ‘Christmas Shopping Crawls’. These are intended to be a lot of fun and shoppers will have an opportunity to win a prize for completing a crawl.
