Christmas store aiming to bring seasonal cheer
IT MAY just be October, but a Christmas shop which attracts thousands from around the UK reopened on Saturday ahead of a festive season that is unlikely to be like any in recent memory.
Seasons, on the Brynmenyn Industrial Estate in Bridgend, started life as a garden outlet.
But since it launched the festive side of the business 20 years ago, it’s become a huge part of the shop’s brand.
Justin Powell, who coruns the business with brother Mark, and the Seasons team have worked non-stop to get the Christmas shop ready, but he revealed that sadly this year there’ll be no Santa’s Grotto.
With a local lockdown, social distancing, signage, sanitisers and staff in masks, Justin is hoping a bit of Christmas cheer will lift customers’ spirits.
He said: “My gut feeling is that with a second lockdown people are going to be going out of their way to decorate indoors. We’ve got lots of baubles, garlands, plenty of choice to make that possible.
“People are going to think, ‘Right, we’ll have a good bloody Christmas.
“We haven’t been able to go on holidays, it’s been a bad year’.
Christmas at home will be their one joy.
“Whether you decorate like mad usually or not, people will be looking forward to Christmas.”
Justin acknowledged that it’s been a difficult year and cancelling the Santa’s Grotto was tough, but he added they were working hard to put together a replacement experience for the kids.
“We are working on something so that children can have that Santa experience. With modern technology, a personal grotto experience, we’re working on that behind the scenes and it might be a possibility from November onwards.”
A big fan of Christmas himself, Justin said there will be lots of new items to check out in store, but for customers not ready to come to the shop – or who are outside the lockdown area of Bridgend – there’s a click-and-collect service and most of their festive stock is on their online shop.
Justin said that on his last check the store had 17,800 pallets – and that’s without counting the individual items stored on them.
“There are lots of new items we bring in new every year. We like to bring new stuff in, it’s exciting for customers. New lighting, outdoor decorations. Demand for our indoor stock has also gone up too,” he said.
“I’m a big fan of Christmas. I think it’s a fantastic time of year and it’s something to look forward to.
“I love being around the family.
“It’s a family business and it’s really important to share and enjoy it with them.”