During the last weekend of Christmas, Cardiff is full of shoppers: cars are lined up in the car park and crowds of people walk the streets. At least on the surface it looks like a big sales day, a good day at the box office. But does that tell the whole story?
The forecasts were not encouraging. The Office for National Statistics (ONS) reported that retail sales fell 0.4% last month, a much weaker result than expected.
Big retailers also reported falling sales, blaming the rising cost of living. The rail strikes have raised fears that they could affect the flow of people in cities and urban centres. Even the weather did its best to scare away shoppers.
And all this after two years in which the global pandemic destroyed the business.
In the Welsh capital, the Hayes Christmas Market has been the center of Christmas shopping for three decades.
This year it has been open since November and will close on Friday, December 23rd. It is home to a variety of small businesses that provide an array of unique and one-of-a-kind household items and crafts, some of which are made from wool, glass, wood, metal, ceramics and more.
James Barker, 47, co-owner of Ye Green Men, started the business nine years ago and has run the Cardiff Christmas Market for six. They sell custom blown glass products. He said: “In terms of trade, it’s a little bit down from last year, but not so much that I’m concerned about that.”
Food and drink prices at the Cardiff Christmas Market and how they compare to others in the UK
He added: “It’s always been a good market and you can see that in all the returning merchants – it’s one of the best Christmas markets ever. The organizers are great, they know their stuff, and they don’t put deals like this down the drain. So when people come to the market, they can walk around and get real experiences.
(Image: Richard Swingler)
“Can’t complain, it’s been busy. Some days are busier than others and the weekends are obviously much busier. We had a small business meeting on Saturday a few weekends ago and it was one of the best weekends we’ve ever had in this market. People still go out and continue to see what’s going on around them. I’ve noticed that people don’t make impulse purchases, they walk in and you see the same faces looking around the market once or twice and then they buy again, they’re making a conscious choice.
“The only good thing about this market is that it has something for everyone. You can buy an amazing piece of art by one of my talented friends for around £900, but you can also buy a Christmas ornament or something with your initial on it for £5; there’s something for everyone and I think that’s one of the reasons why this market is so good”.
(Image: Richard Swingler)
Mark Lewis, owner of Landscape and Wildlife Photography, sells his framed prints, holders and other items at the market. He said business was “very good”. He added: “With the cost of living crisis and all that, things are still going well. I think the train strikes have affected us in recent days because there are fewer people, it’s not like last Saturday. Today is Christmas”.
Jeweler Mike Cole, owner of Tangled Web Jewellery, has been in business for 27 years and this is his 26th consecutive stall at the Cardiff Christmas Market. He said: “Business has been good and steady. It’s a long schedule, so doing it consistently over the six weeks is better than the last 12 days. Lots of people walking around, it was quite early in the week, but it depends on the weather. I didn’t notice much difference [in trade] since last year and everyone was satisfied. 🇧🇷
Mike also added that the strike and train delays had affected trading on Thursday and Friday, but noted that today was no different than normal Saturday trading.
(Image: Richard Swingler)
Sandra Davis said her daughter has been selling her products at the market for 10 years. Sian Davies Ceramics saw a steady stream of customers the last weekend before Christmas, but Sandra said there were more last year than this year. However, they still sold a lot of items this Christmas and only the last stock is available now. He added: “Customers buy a lot of small items, but this year we’ve had a lot of success.”
Julia Millington, owner of Welsh Coast Pebble Craft, has been running her stall at Cardiff’s Christmas market for seven years. She said her trade was steady but higher than last year, which she attributed to bad weather and the effects of train strikes. She said: “Last year was really good after coming out of Covid. I think the trade was good this year, but that could be because my work is sentimental”, as she sells the stones in picture frames that represent milestones and events in the life.
Javier De Francesco, 44, owner of Il Giardino D’Indiprete, has traveled from Spain every Christmas for the past 12 years to attend the Cardiff Christmas Market. It sells handcrafted sculptures and metal and wood products. He said: “I’ve been a welder all my life and have worked in markets across Spain and here in the UK; this is the only market I work in here in the UK. Before it was very good, but after Covid and the quarantine it started to decline and this year it was worse, at least for me.
(Image: Richard Swingler)
“Okay, but I have to spend a lot of money to be here and pay taxes on all the supplies. I used to drive my truck across the border, but now it takes cumbersome paperwork to get all the supplies here. Sales have dropped this year, which is really surprising because November was really good, better than last year, so I was expecting December to be great. But December was really bad, I’m talking about half of what I had last year.
Javier said he has managed to sell some of his larger items, which cost around £200, while the smaller items, which cost £5, are the most popular. He said he would come back next year to “try again and see” because of the economic strain, but added that “it’s not worth coming here and sleeping in a trailer for two months and being cold” if you can. I don’t earn enough money
Javier is not the only merchant struggling to keep his business in Cardiff. Gary Blackburn, owner of Tropigoz, based in Castle Arcade, made the difficult decision to close his houseplant shop at the end of December.
(Image: Richard Swingler)
He said: “I started 2020 at The Castle Emporium and moved here last Christmas. Trading last Christmas was very good, but this Christmas it was very bad: about 60% less than last year, so I will close in January.” Gary said it’s hard to pinpoint a specific reason, but he says “the saturation of houseplants at the moment, more competition in the city and the cost of living” has had a big impact on his business as people spend less in general and don’t can afford to keep warm, not to mention the plants. And he added: “This year has been tough.”
Gary said the gallery is “still quite busy” but much quieter than downtown. He said: “I had a quiet November and thought December would change things, but that didn’t happen this year. Last year I had a very good year after the quarantine, because indoor plants were a big problem, they were not saturated: people worked from home and had time to take care of them. Except for that December, I never went back to where I was before, even though I was a little more popular.”
Gary has the last few remaining stocks in the store for customers to shop until he finally closes in January.
Source: Wales Online
Jason Jack is an experienced technology journalist and author at The Nation View. With a background in computer science and engineering, he has a deep understanding of the latest technology trends and developments. He writes about a wide range of technology topics, including artificial intelligence, machine learning, software development, and cybersecurity.
