B&Q Christmas Preview
Retail Insider was greeted at the door of the annual B&Q Christmas preview by a huge felted inflatable Nutcracker teddy costing £250. Apparently inflatables are going to be huge this year – both figuratively and literally. In fact the Halloween dragon was actually too big to fit into the courtyard and had to be left behind. It’s just one of the trends that the retailer has identified as a key this festive season.
Another is the pre-lit Christmas tree. This is for the people for whom the annual wrangle with the fairy lights is not a beloved Christmas tradition but a health and safety hazard. This range of artificial trees has integral lighting and in a twist of genius has a range of light settings which are activated by an accompanying wand – which makes the obligatory tinkly magic spell sound when waved and pressed. A sure-fire hit even if it has the potential to become the new remote control wars.
Modern Magic is in fact one of four décor themes that B&Q is running with this year alongside Nordic Naturals, Golden Glam and Timeless Traditions. Modern Magic is whimsical, largely pink and white and full of candy canes for a Willy Wonka experience. Baubles in the shape of food items is surely a new trend – doughnuts and mince pies abound here.
Golden Glam allows everyone to get in touch with their inner Bet Lynch and hang a faux leopard print bauble. But metallic finishes are also in there and the retailer is offering a box of 100 Golden Glam decorations for those who want to go all out. Meanwhile, the Nordic Naturals sheds the bling in favour of more tactile and gentle muted colours, jute or knitted materials and felt woodland creatures.
It was noticeable how B&Q emphasise that these four trends are not to be taken as individual sets – mixing and matching is welcome and allows every member of a family to take part in the decoration of a house. Overall, looking at the range on display, it is clearly more normal now to decorate not only a tree but, to a certain extent, to change over larger furnishing items such as throws and cushions in favour of a festive themed version over Christmas. Those boxes in the attic for Christmas ‘stuff’ are clearly going to keep getting bigger.
A social media trend that had completely bypassed Retail Insider was the popularity of the South American rodent capybara. The B&Q staff member assured us that it was impossible to look at social media without seeing them so they are also represented here in various festive guises – and very cute they are too. Who needs reindeers?
It’s worth remembering that although many people think of it as a DIY retailer only, B&Q is an enormous buyer of plants and will source a whopping 100,000 real Christmas trees this year. All grown in Scotland where Mark Sage, buying manager of horticulture at B&Q, assured us the rain has been falling steadily meaning that there is no problem with supply as there might be for other retailers who use more southerly (and rain-starved) plantations.
The core of the range is still the non-drop Nordmann but with an eye to thinner wallets it is offering a non-Nordmann £20 tree. In line with the decreasing space that many smaller households have some of the trees are also being grown to a more narrow shape. The Fraser fir is also offered this year, which has softer needles and a bigger scent.
Continuing the popularity of non-chocolate advent calendars and for gifts that promote family activity or an active hobby, B&Q is selling a vegetable garden seed advent calendar for either adults or children and a grow-your-own Brussels sprouts tin. These calendars apparently sold out quickly last year. The buyer also highlighted amaryllis as an increasingly popular choice of festive plant that younger people are choosing over poinsettias which are seen as old-fashioned.
And finally, just in case you thought the retailer had forgotten its core trade customer, rest assured there are Xmas B&Q socks and Trade Point festive woolly hats for the favourite builder in your life.
Glynn Davis, editor, Retail Insider