As we enter January 2020 now’s the time to plan ahead for 2020 starting with the key retail dates for your calendar.
From the must-attend trade shows, holidays to local and international calendar dates, use the Bira Direct Retail Buying Calendar to plan in your product ranges, events and to increase your brand awareness.
Key retail buying calendar dates for Q1
January
1st January - New Year’s Day - A traditional shopping day where many members of the public hit the sales.
6th January - Suggested Spring Summer Launch - Focus on the mark down of AW2019 product to make way for new ranges.
12th-14th January - Top Drawer - A key show for home, gift and lifestyle see brands such as Black + Blum, Blade and Rose and Sass & Belle.
12th-15th January - Harrogate Christmas & Gift - The place to see all the new Christmas ranges for AW20 including products from Bailey & Brooke, Heart & Home and Leonardo.
18th January - Winnie the Pooh Day: Get creative with your shop window displays or social media posting for Winnie the Pooh Day, you could choose to stock Winnie the Pooh products from Enesco or host a teddy bear picnic in the local community to celebrate.
20th – 27th January - Big Energy Saving Week – Look to improve your energy efficiency by switching to LED lighting from suppliers such as Energetic & Luceco. Also, stock products to encourage your customers to save energy by stocking products that encourage customers to make better choices in their purchases.
25th January - Chinese New Year – The Chinese New Year beginning in 2020 is the year of the Rat. If you have a prominent Chinese community near your shop celebrate by creating a themed window display, posting on social media or dressing your shop in red decorations. As it’s a 15 day festival it’s a good opportunity to run a promotion if possible.
25th January - Burns Night – A good opportunity to throw Burns night event. If you’re a cookshop why not include a cooking demonstration and serve traditional Scottish food served with Scotch Whisky from Berkmann Wine Cellars.
February
1st - 29th February – LGBT History Month – Show support to the LGBT community by posting on social media or by run events.
2nd-6th February – Spring Fair – The biggest trade show in the calendar. Bira members can meet with Mary Berry through Bira Direct Supplier Captivate Brands and benefit from exclusive offers from Bira Direct suppliers.
7th February – Send a Card to a Friend Day – Promote send a card to a friend day by stocking a selection of cards by the till from suppliers such as Really Good and Ling Design.
14th February – Valentine’s Day – A short selling window so best to sell products that aren’t Valentine’s day specific. A good example would be floral scented candles from suppliers such as Wax Lyrical or products which can be worked back into your ranges after Valentines day is over.
17th February – Random Act’s of Kindness Day – Show your customers your appreciation and help your community by celebrating Random Act’s of Kindness Day in your business. You could offer a ‘Just Because” Discount for your customers or hold a charity event that gives back to the local community.
20th February – National Love Your Pet Day – Although pet owners are likely to show appreciation to their four legged friends throughout the year you can take advantage of National Love Your Pet Day and run a best dressed pet competition or promotion on pet products in your business.
25th February – Shrove Tuesday/Pancake Day – If you’re a cookshop why not run a pancake making demonstration for Pancake Day with frying pans available from Tefal.
29th February – Leap Year – As a leap year only happens every four years, you could take advantage by offering an extra special discount.
March
1st March – Saint David’s Day (Wales) – Celebrate Saint David’s Day in your business by stocking Welsh products such as glassware and pot pourri manufactured in Wales from The Milford Collection.
5th March – World Book Day – It’s not just bookshops that can benefit from celebrating World Book Day. It’s a day where children are encouraged to dress up as their favourite literary character, you could offer discounts to those in costume or stock products themed with literally favourites such as Alice in Wonderland, Dr Seuss or Harry Potter.
8th March – International Women’s Day – If you stock products that specifically target women then International Women’s Day is a great opportunity to show appreciation to your customer base whether through social media or promotion in store.
17th March – St Patrick’s Day (Ireland) – Decorate your store for the occasion or create a collection of green or themed products. Luck is a great concept for a promotion or competition to run to mark the occasion.
18th March – Global Recycling Day – Customers are more conscious of making better choices when it comes to choosing products made from recyclable materials. For Global Recycling Day make sure to stock products made from recyclable or reusable materials such as reusable shopping bags from Eco Chic or Beeswax Wraps from Dexam.
20th March – The Great British Spring Clean – With the likes of Mrs Hinch and Marie Kondo making clean cool again build your range of cleaning products to celebrate the Great British Spring Clean.
22nd March – Mother’s Day – A short selling window, so best to stock products that aren’t Mother’s Day specific and focus more on generic ‘Mum’ products. You could also offer mothers a free gift in store to drive footfall.
28th March – English Tourism Week – If your local area is a Tourism hotspot take advantage of the increased footfall brought in by English Tourism Week.
