As each new year begins, it’s important to take stock as we look back at what we have learned over the past 12 months – whether that is with optimism, pragmatism or a healthy mix of the two. Smiffys’ director Elliott Peckett took a look back at 2020 while also sharing his hopes, concerns and predictions for the year ahead.
“How would I sum up the party industry over the last 12 months? In a word, challenging! While Covid has tested all of us in terms of mental strength and resilience, it has also brought out the best in our staff and in our relationships with customers. The ‘can do’ attitude from our team has been humbling, and our rapport with our customers has only grown.”
“Aside from the announcement of a vaccine, my business highlight of 2020 was the community spirit demonstrated by the way in which people celebrated the VE 75th anniversary back in May. While Halloween represented a bigger success in terms of revenue, it was truly amazing to see people come together (while staying two metres apart!) in their gardens, front yards and in the street to celebrate this event in full lockdown. It was this spirit that gave us enormous optimism for the year ahead.”
“Naturally, 2021 will be a much slower start to the new year than we had in the first 10 weeks of 2020, but with the rollout of the vaccine getting off to a good start, we are incredibly optimistic for 2021 as a year for the party to return. The pent-up demand to dress up and party is palpable and demonstrated by the relative success of last year’s Halloween, despite very difficult circumstances. The ‘Roaring 20s’ was coined as such due to the return to partying following the Spanish flu pandemic. We fully expect to see this celebratory mood be repeated as soon as restrictions ease in early spring.”
