Festive season sales cheer for retail giants

Retail centre Liverpool One is celebrating the close of a successful festive period, with figures showing a five per cent increase in sales during the period compared with 2018, contradicting widespread industry declines.

The outstanding Christmas results mark the end of a record year of performance at the destination, with sales up 2.5% over the 12 months.

Footfall figures also bucked trends in 2019, with a total of 29 million visitors to Liverpool One throughout the year, 5.5 million of which attended during the Christmas period.

The positive performance figures were supported by 17 openings at the destination, including premium brands Ralph Lauren, Virgin Holidays, Oliver Bonas, Mint Velvet, Jo Malone London, Too Faced and Morphe.

Complementing this, 125,000 sq ft of space was renewed with existing tenants, while a total of £5.3m was invested by retailers and operators into new and existing space.

To complete the year, international life and style brand, Kate Spade, also chose Peter’s Lane, for the brand’s first dedicated Christmas pop-up in the UK, and first boutique outside of London and Scotland.

Alison Clegg, director, asset management at Liverpool One owner Grosvenor Europe, said: “It’s been a remarkable year of growth for Liverpool One, which is a credit to our forward-thinking leasing strategy and series of well-considered campaigns.

“Welcoming a host of leading brands, and seeing occupants dedicate substantial investment into existing stores at the destination, has propelled Liverpool One’s exciting trajectory in 2019. We look forward to seeing this continue into the new year, off the back of an exceptional Christmas season.”

Liverpool One’s investment in a series of enlivenment activities also drove the year’s record results, including an innovative ‘Dinosaurs Unleashed’ augmented reality campaign, the annual ‘Tickle the Ivories’ activation, and a giant slide installation throughout the Summer months.

To wrap up the year, the destination curated a series of immersive festive events for all ages, with tickets selling out across all key dates and weekends.

Meanwhile, upmarket Preston-based store chain Booths, the family owned independent Northern food and drink retailer, recorded solid Christmas sales with a 3.5% sales increase over the key three-week trading period to January 5.

Chairman and chief executive, Edwin Booth, said: “Booths performed very well this Christmas.

“Customers have confidence in our commitment to deliver excellent service and exceptional food & drink.

“At a time when customers shop at several retailers for Christmas, including discounters, they trust Booths for the centrepiece and all the trimmings.”

Retail like-for-like sales increased by 2.7% driven by orders from the Booths Christmas Book increasing by 6.8%.

The Christmas Book has become an institution in Booths Country, a hardback 180-page book showcasing the Christmas offer and featuring recipes written by Booths colleagues.

Pre-orders were so successful that Booths have extended this service giving customers the chance to order special products all year round.

Key Christmas Product highlights include:

• English Wine sales were up by 36% and Champagne sales returned to growth.
• Booths Brand wines (E.H. Booth & Co. Ltd.) up by more than four per cent.
• Low & No alcohol wine sales increased by 73%.
• Booths sold one million Bell’s of Lazonby Mince Pies.
• Turkey sales were up 13% with turkey crowns rising 30%.
• Sales of Booth Brand party food increased by 21%.
• The top-selling Click & Collect product was Booths Roast Potatoes in Goose Fat.
• Booths sold a quarter of a million bottles of premium ale.

New Year sales were up seven per cent on last year, indicating that shoppers were happy with Booths’ Christmas offer and returned to shop for party food, snacks and drink.

Sales of Booths brand products, made by Booths manufacturing, were particularly cheering with sales of pigs in blankets up by 25% and Booths stuffing balls up by 85%.

Other top performing lines included pre-prepared roast potatoes and red cabbage with port.

Business to business sales were very strong, up by more than 50% adding 0.8% growth of overall Christmas sales.

Edwin Booth

This progress was due to a combination of established and new customers all performing strongly.

Booths brand party food and bakery lines performed well in business to business sales.

The relationship with Amazon continues to grow as Booths expand the ranges available on the site.

Booths sold three times the amount of mince pies on Amazon in 2019 versus the previous year and their Christmas tree brownies were a ‘Black Friday’ best seller.

Mr Booth said: “Booths is a heritage retailer and our ‘Christmas book’, published in 1937, includes a quote which still resonates some 80 years on – ‘Goodwill, that immeasurable bond between buyer and seller which is born of good business is our greatest reward and encouragement’.”