Studio on track for biggest ever Christmas

After registering record sales leading up to Black Friday, Studio.co.uk is preparing for its busiest ever Christmas.

Studio, the online retail division of Express Gifts, saw a 12 per cent year-on-year increase for the ten weeks leading up to Black Friday.

Personalised gifts - such as Christmas decorations, pyjamas and stationery - made up a core of the products bought. More than 64,000 items were personalised on one day during the peak Black Friday and Cyber Monday frenzy.

An overall 20 per cent year-on-year increase in website visitors has put the value retailer in good stead to see its strongest Christmas performance to date, following an equally successful Black Friday, with over 25 per cent more online orders compared to the 2017 shopping event.

Express Gifts has already recruited 750 seasonal staff to handle the orders.

Paul Kendrick, managing director of Express Gifts Ltd, said: “We have made a number of investments in our technology infrastructure and product ranges, as well as expanding our workforce in recent months and this is certainly bringing us a strong return.

“We have been able to spot trends and match, if not, beat our competitors when it comes to value, which is what keeps our customers coming back. People love to feel like a gift has been bought specifically with them in mind, which is why our free personalisation service performs so well. “With a few weeks to go until the big day, we are confident this will be the biggest Christmas season we have ever seen.”