With the sun shining over the Easter weekend, and temperatures above average in many parts of the country, gift indies reported a cracking Easter.
“Easter trade was very good,” confirmed Aga Marsden, co-owner of Highworth Emporium in Highworth. “Footfall was not necessarily bigger, but there were a lot of big spenders, and we did especially well with Jellycat bunnies and Gisela Graham’s Easter/Spring collection.”
Continued Aga: “We always do a big window display and this year’s was really well received with lots of positive comments from customers. And as with every year, we ran an Easter raffle with main prize being 2.5 kilo chocolate bunny. This year we were raising money for the DEC Ukraine Appeal, and our customers’ generosity completely overwhelmed us. In total. we raised £1000. So overall it was a very good Easter indeed and it’s been a very strong April so far.”
It was a similar story at Hugs & Kisses in Tettenhall, Wolverhampton. “Easter trade was surprisingly good this year which is wonderful after the terrible time we had last year,” commented owner Caroline Ranwell. “People were mainly buying our gorgeous Jellycat bunnies as well as small Easter gifts, Easter candles, Easter tree decorations and children’s Easter bags. And obviously, we sold a huge amount of chocolate too!”
Added Caroline: “I always put an Easter window in with an Easter tree with lots of decorations on, and, of course, lots of bunnies and chicks. We have more on display inside the shop too. We ran an Easter competition on Facebook and Instagram, with a prize of a £50 voucher to spend instore or online.”
As for online sales over Easter, Caroline confirmed that that side of the business held steady. “However, it was the gift shop that was really busy,” she emphasised.
Down in Tiverton, there were happy vibes at Jo Amor for the Easter countdown. “Liberty print bunnies were hopping out of the shop and lots of happy chitchats could be heard,” enthused owner Jo Webber. “Our lively Insta/Facebook daily posts definitely helped, and it felt like the good times again.”
For Davina ‘Bean’ Parkhouse, owner of The Bean Hive in Kettering and Falmouth, Easter was all about Miffy and chocolate.
“We had a really good run up to Easter this year with loads of people buying Easter decorations and gifts, as well as chocolate,” said Bean. “It helped that SC Brands launched a lot of new, coloured Miffy’s in time for the Easter holiday. We always get busier in the school holidays, especially in Falmouth, as the tourist numbers increase.”
According to projections from finder.com, almost two thirds (63%) of the UK were expected to part with a total of £892m on gifts and chocolates, with the average spend per person estimated to be £26.85.
Top: Highworth Emporium’s Easter window.
