How to Ensure Your Christmas Presents Are Made in Britain

As the festive season approaches, many of us are searching for the perfect gifts to delight our loved ones. This year, why not make a conscious effort to support British businesses by choosing presents made right here in the UK? 

Not only does this help boost the local economy, but it also reduces the environmental impact of shipping goods from overseas. Here’s how to ensure your Christmas presents are proudly made in Britain.

1. Check the Label

The simplest way to confirm a product’s origin is to check the label. Look for phrases like “Made in Britain” or “Made in the UK.” However, be cautious, as some products may be “assembled” in the UK but not manufactured here. When in doubt, research the brand’s production process to ensure authenticity.

2. Shop from British Brands

Many iconic British brands manufacture their goods domestically. From Barbour jackets to Emma Bridgewater pottery, there’s a wealth of homegrown companies offering high-quality products. A little research can uncover British brands in every category, from fashion and beauty to food and drink.

3. Explore Local Markets

Christmas markets and craft fairs are treasure troves for unique, locally made gifts. Artisans and small businesses often sell handmade items, from jewellery to home décor, and you can usually chat with the makers to learn more about their craft.

4. Use Online Directories

Websites like Make it British or Buy British list UK-based companies and products. These directories are a fantastic resource for discovering brands that prioritise British manufacturing. You can often filter by product type to find exactly what you’re looking for.

5. Prioritise Handmade and Small Businesses

Small businesses and independent makers are more likely to produce their goods locally. Platforms like Etsy UK or Not On The High Street feature a range of handmade items crafted by British artisans. Plus, shopping small often means you’re giving a gift that’s truly one of a kind.

6. Consider Food and Drink Gifts

The UK is home to incredible food and drink producers. From award-winning cheeses and chocolates to locally distilled gins and whiskies, there’s no shortage of delicious options. Look for products with protected status labels, such as PDO (Protected Designation of Origin), to ensure their authenticity.

7. Avoid Fast Fashion and Imported Goods

Fast fashion brands often outsource production to cut costs, so their items are unlikely to be made in Britain. Instead, opt for clothing and accessories from British designers who manufacture locally. The same goes for electronics, toys, and other mass-produced items—seek out alternatives made by UK-based companies.

8. Ask Questions

If you’re shopping in-store or online and it’s unclear where a product is made, don’t hesitate to ask. Retailers should be transparent about their supply chains and should be able to tell you if a product is made in Britain.

Why It Matters

Choosing British-made gifts isn’t just about patriotism—it’s about supporting local jobs, reducing carbon footprints, and investing in quality craftsmanship. By buying locally, you’re helping to sustain British industries and ensuring that your gifts come with a story worth telling.

Final Thoughts

This Christmas, take the time to consider where your presents come from. With a little effort, you can find beautiful, meaningful gifts that support British businesses and artisans. Your choices can make a difference—not just for the recipient of the gift, but for the makers and the planet too.

Happy shopping, and here’s to a very British Christmas!

High Street Revival: Christmas Shoppers Return to Traditional Shopping

After years of declining footfall and increasing competition from online retailers, the high street is experiencing a heartening resurgence this Christmas. 

Across the UK, bustling streets, festive shopfronts, and lively markets are signalling a shift in shopping habits as consumers rediscover the joys of in-person shopping.

The Appeal of the High Street at Christmas

There’s something undeniably magical about the high street during the festive season. Twinkling lights, carol singers, and the aroma of mulled wine create an atmosphere that no online retailer can replicate. 

For many shoppers, this year has been about embracing the Christmas spirit, and a visit to the high street offers an experience that goes beyond mere transactions.

High street shops are also leaning into the festive mood with creative window displays, in-store events, and personalised customer service. From local boutiques to big-name retailers, businesses are pulling out all the stops to entice shoppers back through their doors.

The Shift in Shopping Habits

This resurgence can be attributed to several factors:

Post-Pandemic Desire for Community

After years of lockdowns and social distancing, people are craving connection. The high street provides a sense of community that online shopping lacks. Local businesses, in particular, are benefitting as shoppers prioritise supporting their neighbourhoods.

Concerns About Delivery Delays

With postal strikes and ongoing concerns about supply chain disruptions, many shoppers are opting to buy in person to ensure their gifts arrive on time. The ability to see, touch, and take home purchases immediately is a significant advantage.

The Rise of Experiential Shopping

Retailers are enhancing the in-store experience with festive workshops, live music, and exclusive promotions. These events make a trip to the high street feel like a festive outing rather than a chore.

Sustainability and Localism

Shoppers are increasingly mindful of the environmental impact of their purchases. Buying locally reduces carbon emissions associated with shipping, and high street shops often offer unique, handmade, or ethically sourced products that appeal to eco-conscious consumers.

Challenges and Opportunities for the High Street

While the return to the high street is promising, challenges remain. Rising costs of living mean that many shoppers are cautious with their spending, and high street retailers must balance competitive pricing with maintaining quality.

However, this renewed interest provides an opportunity for high street businesses to innovate. By combining the convenience of online shopping with the charm of in-person experiences—through click-and-collect services, loyalty programmes, and social media engagement—retailers can sustain this momentum beyond the festive season.

A Bright Future for the High Street?

The high street’s revival this Christmas is a reminder of the enduring appeal of face-to-face interaction and the unique charm of shopping in person. As shoppers rediscover the magic of the high street, there’s hope that this trend will continue, breathing new life into town centres across the UK.

This Christmas, the high street isn’t just a place to shop; it’s a destination to celebrate, connect, and create memories. And that’s a gift worth cherishing.

The Pros and Cons of Buying, Selling, and Moving House During the Christmas Period

What has encouraged me to write this blogpost? A relative has decided to put a house on the market just in time of the Christmas period, as has a friend in a different part of the country, which set me to thinking about the pros and cons of trying to sell or buy property at Christmastime.

The festive season is typically a time for family gatherings, cosy evenings by the fire, and an endless stream of mince pies. 

Yet, for some, it's also a time for a major life event: moving house. The idea of buying or selling a property during the Christmas period might seem daunting, but there are both advantages and drawbacks to consider. 

Whether you’re looking to upsize, downsize, or relocate entirely, understanding the pros and cons of moving at this time of year can help you make an informed decision.

Pros of Buying a House at Christmas

Less Competition

The property market tends to cool off in the winter months, particularly around Christmas. Many buyers pause their property search until the New Year, meaning you might face less competition. Fewer rival bids can give you an edge when negotiating with sellers.

Motivated Sellers

Homeowners who list their properties during the festive period are often motivated to sell quickly. This could be due to a job relocation, a change in personal circumstances, or a desire to get the sale wrapped up before the New Year. As a buyer, this could give you more bargaining power and potentially result in a better deal.

A Cosier Viewing Experience

Viewing properties in winter can offer a unique perspective. A home that feels warm and welcoming on a cold December day is likely to remain cosy year-round. It’s also a great opportunity to see how a house handles the British winter—does it retain heat, or are there draughts? If a property feels inviting in the winter, it's a good sign for the rest of the year.

Cons of Buying a House at Christmas

Limited Property Listings

While there may be some bargains to be found, the number of properties on the market tends to drop during December. Many sellers prefer to wait until after the holidays, so your choices could be more limited if you're set on buying before the New Year.

Delays with Legal Processes

The Christmas period can slow down the administrative side of buying a house. Solicitors, estate agents, and mortgage providers may close for a few days over the holidays, leading to potential delays. If you're looking to complete before year-end, it might be challenging to coordinate all the necessary parties.

Unpredictable Weather

Winter weather in the UK can be notoriously unpredictable. Snow, ice, and heavy rain could make travelling for viewings or house inspections more difficult. This could also impact moving day logistics if the weather decides to be less than cooperative.

Pros of Selling a House at Christmas

Serious Buyers Only

If someone is house hunting in December, they're likely to be serious about buying. This can filter out time-wasters and result in more genuine enquiries. Buyers at this time of year may be keen to move swiftly, leading to quicker sales.

Festive Atmosphere for Viewings

Christmas decorations, a roaring fireplace, and the scent of mulled wine can create a warm and inviting atmosphere that might appeal to potential buyers. The festive cheer can make your home stand out, especially if it's beautifully decorated and feels cosy.

Potential for Higher Offers

If a buyer finds the perfect property just before Christmas, they may be willing to pay a little more to secure it quickly. For sellers, this could mean achieving a higher sale price than you might expect during other quieter times of the year.

Cons of Selling a House at Christmas

Fewer Buyers on the Market

Just as buyers face fewer listings, sellers encounter fewer potential buyers. The property market tends to pick up in January, so waiting a few weeks might result in a higher volume of interest in your home.

Disruption to Your Festive Plans

Preparing your home for viewings, accommodating last-minute appointments, and handling negotiations can be stressful at any time of year, let alone when you're trying to enjoy the holidays. If you're hosting Christmas celebrations, managing viewings could interfere with your plans.

Potential for Longer Sales Process

As with buying, the holiday season can cause delays on the administrative side. Estate agents, solicitors, and surveyors might be harder to reach, leading to a slower sales process. If you're aiming for a quick turnaround, this could be frustrating.

Pros of Moving House at Christmas

Seasonal Discounts

Removal companies, storage units, and even decorators may offer discounts around the festive season due to lower demand. If you're flexible with your dates, you might save on moving costs.

Time Off Work

If you have some time off over the Christmas holidays, it can be an ideal opportunity to handle the move without needing to take additional leave. You can use the break to unpack and settle into your new home before work resumes.

Starting the New Year Fresh

Moving house just before Christmas means you can start the New Year with a fresh slate in a new home. It’s an invigorating way to begin January with a new chapter in your life.

Cons of Moving House at Christmas

Potential Weather Issues

Winter weather can be a logistical nightmare for moving house. Snow and ice can make transporting furniture challenging and even dangerous. Additionally, the shorter daylight hours mean you'll have less time to move during daylight.

Increased Stress Levels

Moving house is already one of the most stressful life events. Combine that with the hustle and bustle of Christmas preparations, and it can become overwhelming. From packing boxes to managing holiday commitments, you may find yourself stretched thin.

Impact on Christmas Plans

If you're moving just before Christmas, you may not have time to decorate your new home, host family gatherings, or even relax. The chaos of unpacking boxes and organising furniture could overshadow the festive joy.

Conclusion

Deciding whether to buy, sell, or move during the Christmas period is a personal choice that depends on your circumstances and priorities. For some, the benefits of reduced competition, motivated buyers and sellers, and seasonal discounts can outweigh the challenges. For others, the stress of navigating delays, unpredictable weather, and disrupted holiday plans may be too much to handle.

If you do decide to make a move during the festive season, planning is key. Keep communication lines open with your estate agents, solicitors, and removal companies, and prepare for potential delays. With the right approach, you can turn the experience into a smooth transition and celebrate Christmas in your new home.

Here's an Interesting Idea: Why Not Set Up in Business as a Personal Christmas Shopper?

With Christmas just around the corner, many people find themselves struggling to keep up with the demands of the festive season. 

There are gifts to be bought, cards to be written, decorations to be hung, and social events to attend. The pressure to create the “perfect Christmas” can be overwhelming, especially for those with busy schedules or large families. 

So, what if you could offer a solution to ease this seasonal stress? That’s where the idea of setting up in business as a personal Christmas shopper comes into play.

Why the Demand for a Personal Christmas Shopper is Growing

The concept of a personal Christmas shopper is not as far-fetched as it may seem at first sight. In recent years, there has been a marked increase in the demand for personal shopping services, and it’s not limited to fashion or everyday items. The holiday season, in particular, is a time when many people need an extra pair of hands to ensure everything runs smoothly.

Time-poor professionals: Many professionals are swamped with work commitments during the final months of the year, making it difficult to find time to source the perfect gifts for family, friends, or colleagues.

Busy parents: Juggling children’s Christmas plays, family gatherings, and everyday chores can leave little room for thoughtful gift shopping.

The elderly or those with mobility issues: For some, the physical task of Christmas shopping can be overwhelming. A personal shopper can remove the need for venturing out into crowded stores or navigating tricky online shopping platforms.

What Does a Personal Christmas Shopper Do?

As a personal Christmas shopper, your role would be to provide a customised shopping experience, tailored to the needs of each client. Your services could include:

Gift sourcing and purchasing: Your primary responsibility would be to find the perfect gifts within the budget and preferences of your clients. Whether it’s the latest tech gadget, luxury cosmetics, or personalised items, your job is to ensure every present is just right.

Gift wrapping and delivery: Many people are not only pressed for time when it comes to buying gifts but also with wrapping them. Offering professional wrapping and even delivery to the client’s home could be a game-changer.

Decorations and Christmas cards: For an additional touch, you could help clients by sourcing festive decorations or even writing and posting Christmas cards on their behalf.

Last-minute shopping: Sometimes, no matter how organised we try to be, there’s always something we forget. A personal Christmas shopper can be a lifesaver for those last-minute purchases.

How to Get Started as a Personal Christmas Shopper

Define Your Services: Will you focus solely on gifts, or will you offer a more comprehensive service that includes decoration, wrapping, and event planning? You may also want to consider whether you’ll target a specific demographic, such as corporate clients or families.

Set Your Rates: Pricing will depend on the level of service you provide. You could offer different packages based on the time commitment, the number of gifts to be sourced, or the complexity of the request.

Marketing Your Business: Social media and local advertising will be your best friends. Create a website or a simple landing page outlining your services, and use platforms like Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn to reach your audience. Word of mouth will also be key, so ask your early clients for testimonials and referrals.

Network with Local Shops: Building relationships with local retailers, florists, and artisans could be mutually beneficial. You might even be able to offer exclusive discounts or unique items through these partnerships, giving your service an extra edge. You can also work with the catalogues of larger national stores such as Marks and Spencer, Fortnum and Mason, eBay and Amazon to ensure you have every Christmas gifting requirement of your clients catered for.

Prepare for a Busy Season: Christmas shopping tends to start as early as late October, so ensure you’re ready to go well before December hits. Create a calendar to manage client bookings, and consider hiring extra help if demand surges.

Benefits of Becoming a Personal Christmas Shopper

Low start-up costs: You don’t need a shopfront or large amounts of inventory to get started. A mobile phone, laptop, and good organisational skills are the main tools you’ll need.

Seasonal demand: While the Christmas season is your main target, you can also extend your services to other occasions like birthdays, anniversaries, and weddings, allowing for year-round income.

Flexibility: You can choose your hours and the number of clients you take on. It’s a business that can be run alongside other commitments, whether you’re looking for a full-time venture or a seasonal side hustle.

Rewarding work: There’s something uniquely satisfying about helping someone find the perfect gift, knowing that your service has made their Christmas a little more magical.

Final Thoughts

Setting up as a personal Christmas shopper is a creative, flexible, and potentially lucrative business idea. With more and more people looking for ways to reduce holiday stress, the demand for such services is only likely to grow. Whether you’re looking to start a full-time business or a seasonal side gig, this could be the perfect opportunity to turn your organisational skills into a festive enterprise.

So why not take the plunge? After all, who wouldn’t want to spread a little extra Christmas cheer while running their own business?

Over one in ten sales shoppers set to avoid the crowds this year by shopping on their mobiles

• 14 percent will be using their mobile phone to either purchase sales items online or find discounts from their favourite brands

Research by mBlox, the mobile consumer interaction and payment specialist, reveals that one in ten UK consumers are planning to avoid the High Street this sales season and are shopping from their mobile while they are on the go.

The research, commissioned by Opinion Matters, unveils how in the upcoming post-Christmas sales, nearly 10 percent of UK consumers would opt to use their mobile phone or smartphone to purchase items online, rather than shop in-store for bargains. These consumers indicated they would use the discounts and sales offers they receive on their mobile phone to purchase gifts in-store.

Michele Turner, Chief Marketing Officer of mBlox says: “We’re seeing more consumers who want to combine High Street shopping with mobile online purchasing while they are on the go.. The way in which shopping habits are evolving indicates that the way brands interact with their customers has never been so important. Our research demonstrates that 2012 is gearing up to be the year of mobile shopping, as more people choose this shopping and payment option as an alternative.”

The research also found that nearly 18% of those polled were happy to receive promotional offers on their mobile over the Christmas and New Year sales period. Of this figure, 12 percent preferred to receive offers that were relevant and personal to them.

Turner continues: “Customers still want to shop in-store for many purchases, which is good news for the High Street. However, with a growing proportion of consumers who are keen to engage with brands and shop on their mobile phones, there is now an opportunity for businesses to engage personally with these customers when they aren’t face-to-face in store. Yet, with mobile marketing being such a personal tool, consumers can be fickle if they find these promotions become a nuisance: brands may only have one opportunity to get it right. Businesses will need to market to its customers in the right way and be mindful that the consumer should have control over the messages they receive, whether that is through an opt-in service or through targeted and relevant content.”

FACTFILE:
mBlox is a mobile interaction and payment specialist that provides enterprises and solution providers with the fastest and most reliable way to engage with their customers on mobile devices without compromising on security. mBlox delivers a combination of software and services that allow businesses and solution providers to create mobile solutions with the greatest possible reach. Backed by leading venture capital firms, mBlox offers a network of more than 800 operators in over 180 countries, covering over 90% of the world’s population.

Notes to editors:

The research results from Opinion Matters can be found below. A further breakdown (gender/demographic etc.) is available on request.

The research was carried out between 5th December 2011 and 16th December 2011. A sample of 2002 UK mobile phone users and 2003 US UK mobile phone users was taken.

UK research results

Will you be using your mobile phone / smartphone to purchase items online in the post-Christmas sales, rather than shop for sales bargains in-store?

No, I will not be using my mobile phone / smartphone to shop online in the post-Christmas sales 88.3%
Yes to buy sales items online in the post-Christmas sales as I think there will be better bargains 5.2%
Yes to buy sales items online in the post-Christmas sales to avoid the crowds and the queues 4.5%
Yes but I won’t use it to purchase the items online. Instead, I will use it to find the discounts / sale offers of my favourite stores and then I will pay for these in-store 3.7%
Yes (other) 0.1%

Would you be happy for brands to send you promotional offers on your mobile about post-Christmas sales?

No, I do not want brands contacting me on my mobile with promotional offers 82.5%
Yes, I would like to receive promotional offers on sales items from brands on my mobile, providing they are relevant to me 12.1%
Yes, I would like to receive promotional offers on sales items from brands on my mobile 5.4%

US research results

Will you be using your mobile phone / smartphone to purchase items online in the post-Christmas sales, rather than shop for sales bargains in-store?

No, I will not be using my mobile phone / smartphone to shop online in the post-Christmas sales 85.3%
Yes to buy sales items online in the post-Christmas sales as I think there will be better bargains 7.2%
Yes to buy sales items online in the post-Christmas sales to avoid the crowds and the queues 6.7%
Yes but I won’t use it to purchase the items online. Instead, I will use it to find the discounts / sale offers of my favourite stores and then I will pay for these in-store 3.8%
Yes (other) 0.1%

Would you be happy for brands to send you promotional offers on your mobile about post-Christmas sales?

No, I do not want brands contacting me on my mobile with promotional offers 80.8%
Yes, I would like to receive promotional offers on sales items from brands on my mobile, providing they are relevant to me 11.7%
Yes, I would like to receive promotional offers on sales items from brands on my mobile 7.4%