Thanks to the return of the Christmas Markets, Manchester is buzzing with festive cheer. The annual celebration gets bigger each year as thousands of visitors flock to the city centre in search of unique gifts, quality decorations and delicious food from across the globe. With more than 300 stalls and so many consumers all in one place, competition is rife, meaning that businesses need to be at their best to fully harness the power of seasonal trade.
To find out exactly what it takes to succeed in such a competitive market, Aldermore Bank visited a selection of traders to find out how they stand out from the crowd and ensure customers return to them year after year.
In a VIDEO released by the Bank, we see three market traders share a handful of business lessons. Among the tips dispersed by these experienced businesses, we learn just how important it is to be unique, while developing your product range and listening to customer feedback.
Contributor, Graham Kirkham, from Garstang-based cheese-maker, Mrs Kirkham’s commented:
“We developed our product range from last year by listening to the customer and listening to what they want. As a result of feedback we’ve introduced some more blue cheeses and some more soft cheeses. So you do need to refresh your stall, refresh what you’re doing, keep it interesting and keep your customers interested.”
The Manchester Christmas Markets are currently enjoying another successful year. Following an estimated half a million visitors in the first week alone, it’s thought that the event will continue to give businesses a fantastic seasonal boost while generating millions of pounds for the economy.
For more information visit the Aldermore Bank blog.
