UK Retail Industry: Christmas Preview

The UK Retail Industry shops turn to battlegrounds every festive season, as retailers are annually put to the test to meet the high demands of Christmas shopping. Now they face their greatest challenge yet.

Christmas is the time of year that incites the highest level of competition among those in retail. Despite the time of merriment and cheer, UK stores battle it out tenfold during the festive seasons, bombarding shoppers with deals that aim to win them round to their neck of the woods. If nothing else, the allure of Christmas is a critical component to the retail industry, striking out for the money-spinning sales that only the festive fun can provide.

However, this lucrative time for sellers is undergoing its fair share of struggles. A charted 1.9% drop in sales volumes occurred last December, the weaker post-Brexit pound causing less people to part with their cash. Consequently, it is feasible that the UK retail industry will suffer further setbacks this coming Christmas, as consumers take a hit from the economic instability and lack of Brexit deals. Of course, the stores will feel the inflation in turn. After years of toil, the UK high street is now a place frequently left desolate and deserted. Statistics regularly surface of online vendors gradually phasing out the brick and mortar shops that line the streets, reshaping retail.

However, any storm can be weathered. Christmas miracle or not, the high street comes alive during the festive period. After all, for all the convenience online shopping provides, last minute or important Christmas shopping cannot always be designated to delivery. If the prized presents arrive damaged, late or are lost all together, then the whole effort is ruined. Naturally, this spurs people on directly into stores themselves to purchase presents in person and dismiss any worries of troublesome transit. Of course, when the transaction really matters, people naturally feel better ferrying their own items to home in a timely and safe manner.

While UK retailers might well waste their energy, they put a whole other kind of vigour into the mad dash for Christmas shopping. In the face of an uncertain Brexit and a setback in the sterling, vendors are now relying more on the UK manufacturing side within the UK Retail Industry. The ingenuity is now focused within the country, as higher trade costs drive out the overseas options for production, with further trading logistics yet to be ironed out with the EU. For both the consumer and the producer, matters are being taken into their own hands, isolation breeding ;innovation out of necessity and propelling retailers to rocket upwards with new retail builds.

Solutions pour in when crisis looms, coming directly from the businesses themselves by displaying awareness for their consumers struggles. Companies developing toys and children’s gifts are crafting their own opportunities in the UK, as businesses offer exclusive cheap pricing on the mainland for go green sports that will undoubtedly make strides in combating the inflation. The toys and electronics markets are expected to perform well as the gadget world is looking to be tested once again. At last, retail is far from dead, with such companies evolving with the times that help the market, economy and environment. Come Christmas time, retailers are ultimately prepared to be giving, with both the consumer and bigger picture in mind.