Tesco marketing chief expects biggest Christmas yet

LONDON: TESCO expects Christmas 2010 to be its biggest festive period yet, with the focus on family entertainment and trials of Argos-style catalogue shopping.

Richard Brasher, commercial and marketing director, who will become CEO of the UK and Ireland business in March, showed off new store designs at Wembley in north London recently . The store has a new catalogue and collect service for household and electrical goods, and a department-store theme for clothing.

Brasher said: “We believe it will be our biggest Christmas yet.” The biggest shopping day is expected to be 23 December, with the retailer taking particular interest in data from December 2004, the last time Christmas day fell on a Saturday. Brasher added: “Consumers would be returning to a traditional family event this year. The space allotted for Christmas has increased by 5%, and in key sectors as much as 20%.”

Tesco was said to now hold 20% of the video gaming market , which has been bolstered by the success of 'Call of Duty' . The video game brought £10m of sales in its first week.

Impulse and last-minute DVDs, video games and toys are prominently displayed alongside traditional Christmas decorations , toys and other paraphernalia . Brasher estimated that Tesco holds 15% to 16% of the toy market.
The family-oriented Christmas meant a return to traditional toys and games. “Monopoly will be very big this year,” he predicted.

The new store design moves non-food items out of strict aisles , with clothing separated by tall partitions, creating an effect similar to that in a department store. Health and beauty products have been given greater prominence, with premium scents now out of locked displays , but greater policing by staff on the floor. The Wembley store is one of four trialling a new type of shopping collection for non-food and household items. Customers examine products on display, and then buy through an Argos-style laminated catalogue, touch screen and collection desk. Consumers can also shop online and collect or arrange delivery.

Brand Republic (C) Campaign