129 SCOTLAND FAIR INTERVIEW Scotland trading Mark Saunders, Director Scotland’s Trade Fairs looks at whether Scotland trading will be a bleak midwinter or tidings of comfort and joy Listening to Elton John and Ed Sheeran you would be forgiven for thinking all is well in the world. The reality is that ringing around to find out which carol is the most pertinent has proved a confusing exercise and interpreting the different views is like trying to make sense of the patterns in a bowl of spaghetti. The city centres have it toughest. With very few office workers back in Scotland on their regular weekly beat and the remainder now encouraged to go back to their spare bedrooms, coupled with a dearth of international visitors, trade has been fitful in city shops. A stroll up the Royal Mile ain’t what it used to be. Whilst international visitors will return one day who knows about office workers? Tourism has changed for now and whilst the foreign visitor has been replaced by the domestic, with the best will in the world the couple from Colchester are unlikely to have the same urge to spend as the couple from Connecticut, and they are less likely to buy a cashmere sweater from The House of Bruar, settling instead for an ice cream in Pitlochry High Street. Stock is hard to get. Delivery, shipping and carriage is very messy territory and for those who ordered late or badly, Christmas will have been tough. However, in the satellites and dormitories trade is better. Folk seem more comfortable mixing in their hometown. The side effects of work from home seem to have encouraged people to wander down their local high street for a sandwich, nip into the gift shop for a birthday card and enjoy a “blether” in their lunch break. It seems a quaint idea but it has clearly become a thing. This brings me neatly to the one thing that almost everyone has said. Shopping local has moved from a marketing soundbite to a reality. The drive to support local business has been tangible and whilst the internet has clearly been sweeping the floor with everyone, there are enough morsels to go round to support local retailers. Amen to that. Sourcing from local suppliers has also become more prevalent as products from abroad have been harder and more expensive to come by. Another ‘glad tiding’, but tinged with the fact that whilst that bottle of locally made bath oil might tick all the boxes for Auntie Morag’s stocking, the bottle top might still be stuck in the Suez Canal. Local sourcing is to be encouraged but it still has its challenges. The other thing that is very clear is that, as always, those shops who have sourced well and early, who really know what their customers want, are marketing savvy, smart on social media and have blended their online retailing with their bricks and mortar are going to enjoy their turkey this year. For those that aren’t, unfortunately they may well be the turkey? Windy Wilson would say, “Don’t ask me I’m not a clairvoyant” but with a few choice words thrown in for good measure! Obviously, this depends on what Omicron has in store for us. At the time of writing we await the analysis of the scientists, the politicians are hardening the guidelines and the media are pouring fuel on the fire. We will see what the New Year brings and keep everything crossed that the current challenges to confidence are a blip. We could all do with some tidings of comfort and joy not least a very battered exhibition industry! Visit: www.scotlandstradefairs.com
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MTA0NTE=