waichingliu81
08-08-2009, 10:25 AM
Christmas comes early as Selfridges opens it's Yuletide shop
London department store opens festive shop four-and-a-half months before Christmas Day
by: Steve Spencer
8 August 2009
THOSE who moan that Christmas gets earlier every year were proved right today when Selfridges opened its Yuletide shop.
Four-and-a-half months before Christmas day, a range of festive decorations went on sale at the London department store.
But shoppers will not yet be forced to endure the strains of Christmas songs played on a loop.
The store's Christmas shop traditionally opens in late August, but has launched earlier than ever this year to cash in on the tourist trade.
A Selfridges spokeswoman said: "It gets earlier and earlier every year. This year there are a lot of tourists in London because of the situation with Sterling, which means sales to tourists are up this year."
The decorations are designed to appeal to overseas visitors, with baubles adorned with Union flags as well as "We Love England" and "We Love London" slogans.
It is too early to know how much demand there will be for Christmas decorations when the temperature in the capital is 23C - but the spokeswoman said: "We wouldn't launch it now unless we thought there was a market for it."
In addition to the British theme and a panto-theme is a trend for bright colours, with artificial Christmas trees on sale in bright pink and bright purple.
Selfridges will sell real trees for the first time this year too, but not until December.
Customers desperate to get their hands on a broader array of festive stock will have to wait until late September, when all the Christmas ranges start to appear around the store.
Christmas shops at Selfridges' Manchester and Birmingham branches will open at the beginning of October.
http://www.thelondonpaper.com/thelondonpaper/news/london/christmas-comes-early-as-selfridges-opens-its-yuletide-shop
London department store opens festive shop four-and-a-half months before Christmas Day
by: Steve Spencer
8 August 2009
THOSE who moan that Christmas gets earlier every year were proved right today when Selfridges opened its Yuletide shop.
Four-and-a-half months before Christmas day, a range of festive decorations went on sale at the London department store.
But shoppers will not yet be forced to endure the strains of Christmas songs played on a loop.
The store's Christmas shop traditionally opens in late August, but has launched earlier than ever this year to cash in on the tourist trade.
A Selfridges spokeswoman said: "It gets earlier and earlier every year. This year there are a lot of tourists in London because of the situation with Sterling, which means sales to tourists are up this year."
The decorations are designed to appeal to overseas visitors, with baubles adorned with Union flags as well as "We Love England" and "We Love London" slogans.
It is too early to know how much demand there will be for Christmas decorations when the temperature in the capital is 23C - but the spokeswoman said: "We wouldn't launch it now unless we thought there was a market for it."
In addition to the British theme and a panto-theme is a trend for bright colours, with artificial Christmas trees on sale in bright pink and bright purple.
Selfridges will sell real trees for the first time this year too, but not until December.
Customers desperate to get their hands on a broader array of festive stock will have to wait until late September, when all the Christmas ranges start to appear around the store.
Christmas shops at Selfridges' Manchester and Birmingham branches will open at the beginning of October.
http://www.thelondonpaper.com/thelondonpaper/news/london/christmas-comes-early-as-selfridges-opens-its-yuletide-shop