Creating festive displays with Laura Roberts, Laura’s Larder

This is not a year for Christmas stock experimentation, is it? Many suppliers tell me that “people will just go for it” this year. I know they are doing their job and they could well be right, but what if people don’t “go for it”? January can be a long month when you’re broke and if I’m thinking that way, then others are too.

Christmas isn’t cancelled, but we should be careful as we purchase this year. I am certainly terrified of left-over stock and what it might cost me. But I think that sentiment is also in customer’s minds too. What do people do in times of crisis? We stick to what we know, what we love, and what makes us feel better. These are certainly good points to think of when buying and organising stock - what you are good at, what your customers love, and a peppering of Christmas nostalgia.

People love sweet treats and Panettone of varying flavours and sizes are a must, people keep and gift them and they are usually packaged in a way so that they stack into lovely displays which look great without spending loads on decorations.

Don’t forget “gifts for hosts” too. Small, grabbable treat items. We try to make a display for this in store, as well as other themes with little blackboards which say, “be the dinner guest people want to invite” or “elevate your cheeseboard”. These little areas of display can be changed frequently so all stock is out in one way or another, we find moving things around the shop or having them in more than one place does help sales.

Never have less than three of one item on display however, I’ve learned there must be a psychological barrier for customers picking anything up from a shelf if the numbers of items are two or less. Slow selling items with long dates or anything which feels more “January” are put to the back to be taken back out later, if people know you stock them they will ask, you’ll need the space for everything Christmas.

Small nostalgic luxuries come in the form of vintage biscuit tins placed at eye level and visible from the window or door. “Do you remember these?” you’ll hear, as people inevitably come in to see the rest. Nostalgia can also be found in condiments though, or liquorice, or marzipan fruits and even pre dinner drinks. Ask yourself what one thing do you associate with Christmases of old? And what’s the fantastic version of it that you can stock and display today?

We always let the products speak for themselves in the window display and opt for dried or paper decorations which keep it classy as well as being long-lasting. And never, never anything shiny or plastic, that kind of nostalgia should stay in the past!

Christmas content supported by Woolcool – the pioneers of sustainable temperature-controlled packaging.