Robust Christmas Trading in 2025: What Independent Retailers Need to Know After the UK Budget

The peak Christmas season is now in full swing, and this crucial Golden Quarter is traditionally when retailers across the UK secure a significant share of their annual revenue. But this year, the landscape looks noticeably different. Christmas trading has been slower to build, with many shoppers deliberately holding off, waiting for the post-budget picture to settle, and for Black Friday deals to drop.

Rethinking our Town Centres

In the past decade shopping habits have changed immeasurably as we're all too aware of; the latest high street casualties becoming a regular weekly headline. Last week we discovered that Toys R Us and Maplin were two further retailers to be leaving the high street and joining the growing number that have already joined the retail graveyard. All of these companies have something in common, the fact that they have not developed their online presence and refurbished their stores to enhance the customer experience and expectations.

How to Create a Successful Place Brand

Place brands are often complex unlike your favourite fashion brand for example, people care so deeply about their place whether they live, work, play, move away and then hopefully one day come back again! A strong place brand should be simple and successfully convey the message of your place including its location, history, strengths, future growth aspirations and community expectations.