Step-change into Christmas

With recent events taking centre stage in the food and drink world, you’d be forgiven for letting Christmas slip your mind.  While 2020 may have got off to an uncertain start,  fine food distributor Cotswold Fayre is urging retailers to plan ahead for this year’s festive period, as the nation comes out of its pandemic state and families and friends gather to celebrate the end of the year.

Paul Hargreaves, chief executive at Cotswold Fayre says: “When times are bad, consumers seek out luxuries, and speciality food certainly falls into this category. In light of recent events, this has certainly been true, and I would expect to see this trend continue throughout the year.  In fact, I would expect some great spending on food at Christmas as consumers will have not been able to shop for a significant part of the year.”

“While Christmas might not be on the radar just yet, it’s important for retailers to plan ahead and consider the type of products to stock for this year’s festivities.  As retailers reap the benefits of new customers visiting their stores, they should look to maximise this footfall by seeking repeat purchase and consider stocking new and unusual festive products that consumers can’t find in supermarkets.

“My advice would be to create big, bold Christmas displays, think about complementary products and ranges, and get them on shelf nice and early to maximise sales!  In recent years retailers stocking larger volumes of fewer lines seems to have resulted in better sales.”

Top trend predictions for Christmas 2020:

1. ETHICAL PRODUCTS: “Fairtrade products simply aren’t enough these days.  Consumers are looking for brilliant brands and products with incredible stories to tell. Take for example Tony’s Chocolonely and MIA (Made in Africa). While Tony’s Chocolonely has grown hugely in popularity during the last year, with its incredible and unusual flavour combinations, its mission is clear – to make chocolate 100% slave free. And MIA’s delicious dark chocolate range is entirely crafted by communities in Africa, using locally sourced ingredients and materials creating jobs which often support an entire family.”
2. PRODUCTS INSPIRED BY ARTISTS: “Christmas products don’t always need a touch of festive design to make them fly from the shelves, in fact sometimes it lessens the perceived value.  We stock a range of Dean’s All Butter Shortbread Rounds and Assortments featuring artist Steven Brown’s bright and colourful Highland Cow, dog and stag designs. And Shortbread House of Edinburgh’s new festive range with bold and beautiful packaging illustrations by Carrie May across the range including shortbread selection tins, shortbread with mincemeat and shortbread stars. These tins make for a beautiful gift, and of course can be used to store products at home for years to come.”
3. ULTRA PREMIUM PRODUCTS: “Consumers will really want to treat themselves and loved ones, after the year we’ve all had!  So, think ultra-premium, special gifts with a touch of quirky that can’t be found in mainstream retailers. For example, the perfect Italian Truffle range from La Perla, including sugar free milk and dark chocolate truffles, as well as truly indulgent Tiramisu, Honey, Ginger and Pistachio Chocolate Truffles.  Think real wow-factor!”

4. NON-GIN SPIRITS: “I’ve long been a believer that the gin bubble is ready to burst, and we’ve seen signs of this in 2020 as sales start to slow. For this Christmas I expect Rum to continue to drive sales, and more unusual spirits and flavours to enter the market.  Take for example Penningtons range featuring flavoured liqueurs including Gingerbread, Bakewell Gin and Kendal Mint, Keepr’s Honey Rum or Espresso Vodka, and Aluna Coconut Rum.”
5. REDUCED PACKAGING: “There is of course still work to do here, but as a business we have omitted a number of products and lines from our Christmas range which we felt had excessive packaging. We know a lot of brands are working hard to create alternatives and have seen this come to life in the gifting arena for Easter.  Montezuma’s is a great example of a brand doing just this – and as of February 2020 has changed all of its packaging to either 100% recyclable, compostable or biodegradable.”