Whatever you might think of 2017, there is no doubt that it was a challenging year and the last 12 months certainly kept the retail industry on its toes. PWW spoke to Dan Parsons, director of Fun n’ Frolic in Reading, to find out how the last year has shaped up for the retailer.
Staying Optimisitic
“We had a tough time in general last year, with some flashes of excitement and positivity, mainly in the balloon and party sector. We are aiming for a much better 2018 with exciting new ideas and a whole heap of optimism.”
Fantastic Foils
“We have found that corporate clients for balloon décor are on the up and see the balloon and party business going from strength-to-strength thanks to new ideas, designs and ranges from suppliers. Our foil balloon sales alone are at an all-time high, with our huge Qualatex balloon wall serving its purpose. Unicorns are easily the best new party product of 2017. Shame they don’t do rose gold ones too!”
New Approach
“Decor is also going extremely well, with more and more people wanting to celebrate with parties. I just hope with new ranges and a whole new approach we are going to take towards fancy dress, we can turn the gloom that we have experienced at the dress-up end around.”
Making Changes
“At this time of year we are busy looking at ways to diversify and improve. We have yet to decide on strategies, but we will certainly be making changes to try and enhance the shopping experience and think of ways of increasing footfall to the store. New ranges are a big part of keeping things fresh and trade shows are a great way of seeing those ranges, so I’d like to think we will get to some shows as well.”
The party industry in three words: Up and down.
