Christmas retail boost

The decorations have been hung, the carols CD has been set to repeat and the Santa hats have been handed out to staff. Christmas is nearly upon us and the vast majority of retailers have finalised their preparations for the coming month and will be eagerly awaiting the shoppers.

Christmas is the most significant trading period of the year for retailers - larger traders make up to 60 per cent of their turnover between November and January. In December, it is the tills - not the bells - that will be ringing out.

Figures from British Retail Consortium (BRC) show that in December 2004, UK consumers spent £31bn - £14bn of which was spent in the two weeks leading up to Christmas Day. In 2004, on average, each person spent an average of £330 on gifts.However, Christmas for opticians tends to be a different experience to the mainstream. The last months of the year tend to be a quieter affair, as eye tests drop and consumers focus instead on gift shopping. But while many practitioners take this as an opportunity to allocate staff holiday, the sheer volume of consumers out searching for that perfect gift suggests an alternative opportunity exists.