The Great British Christmas Window Display

The great British high street switch on has begun. Here we are nearing the end of November and celebs galore are being safely placed up ladders, on high rise platforms and even on top of double decker buses to perform the annual switching on of the Christmas lights.

And with the lights comes the unveiling of the theatrical Christmas window displays.  So let the season begin!

Window merchandising is an important marketing tool at any time of year but none more so than the run up to Christmas. Why?  Well we shoppers are visual creatures who shop with our eyes, so this is a great opportunity to showcase a product in true story telling fashion to achieve that vital “pull-in” factor.  It doesn’t matter how big or small the brand or the budget, retailers have permission to let their creativity go into overdrive in a bid to stop shoppers in their tracks and influence buying behavior.

So I’ve been out and about on a whistle stop tour to bring you the best from not only the large department stores but also the small local shops on my own high street.

The top of the class award for creativity goes to Jimmy Choo’s elaborate dinner setting with decadent plates and a very large sprinkle of Swarovski crystals. Their vertical window display converted cleverly into a flat lay image ready for the perfect instagram post.  Genius!

 

 

 

We often see a lot of collobarations at Christmas and the most striking this year is the partnership between the The Royal Ballet and Liberty with their fabulous The Nutcracker theme.  Even if you are a small business you could think about linking up with a local theatre group to put on a similar pantomime theme.

 

 

 

There was a bit of self indulgence with Fenwick as they celebrated their 125^th anniversary and why not! The high street is a tough place to operate so lasting that long and becoming a national treasure deserves a prize.

 

 

The incredible mechanical artic display at Louis Vuitton

 

 

 

 

Not sure of the exact theme behind the Hermes display but it was striking nevertheless

 

 

 

The gorgeous chandelier skirt brought to us by Butler & Wilson

 

 

 

It’s not all about department stores and retail shops. This festive display outside Claridge’s had me running to pack an over night bag

 

 

There was no missing the festive packaging from Jo Malone outside Fenwick

 

 

Lets not forget the local high street with some great examples from local businesses.  So even if you are a small brand and don’t have the immense budget of the big boys there are still ways to create theatre with window displays to entice people in.

 

 

Look away now if you are a vegetarian but I loved this window from The Provenance Butcher in Notting Hill with its hillside snowy scene.  Just proves that you don’t have to be a gift shop or clothes retailer to create a festive window.

 

I am not usually a fan of cluttered windows but will definately make an exception for Beehive Treats in Marlow.  It conjures up nostalgic images from a bygone era.

 

And finally here is the wonderful White Company with a window that just evokes the spirit of Christmas with twinkle lights, sticks of cinnamon and candle lanterns