Guildford is not exactly famous for its Chinatown, so you may wonder why on earth the Chinese New Year celebrations could have an impact on your business.
Speaking recently to Martin Pratt and Barry Starling of local promotional merchandise company Love Your Logo gave me a whole new perspective on this festival.
Unlike Christmas, which happens of course on the same date every year, the Chinese New Year is movable – more like our Easter celebrations. In 2012 the next New Year (the year of the Dragon) falls on January 23rd – which is almost as early as it can be. Just as in this country, which largely closes down for two weeks over the Christmas/New Year period, China effectively closes down for the two weeks leading up to the New Year – in other words, from early January next year.
Why does this matter? If you’re a business which has Chinese suppliers, as Love Your Logo do for items such as USB memory sticks, then it’s vital to build that double shutdown into your planning. Not only will it take you longer to get orders signed here as key people go on holiday, your order could also be subject to delays in China as they do the same.
So, think ahead – you may already be fed up of the Christmas decorations appearing in shops, but you have to plan for the New Year too!
