What a year 2018 turned out to be ! I do hope that, as in the case of member Joe Brown’s, that you have good news to share on your AW trading results and that you haven’t been hit too hard by the rash of deep discounts some have been making. I am writing this prior to the final weekend before Christmas which is being touted as likely to be truly manic with many consumers having held off buying until prices cannot possibly fall any further. One of the things that has been concerning me the most is how on earth brands which have slashed their prices to rock bottom during this desperate season can possibly hope to sell at full price ever again. I can only commend the courage of those businesses which stuck to their guns and kept discounting to the minimum on Black Friday/Cyber Monday and then returned to full price. What other brands have done seems rash by contrast but when we look at the broader picture and the low footfall recorded in most shopping centres, as well as the impact of the House of Fraser administration on concession holders perhaps this was the only option left open to them. And now with Brexit uncertainties spilling over into the New Year we have all had cause to wonder what to expect next. In the DCA offices the team has been busy working on a robust series of events for 2019 including the first two for vertical sectors – one for the gardening products sector and one for those marketing mature markets plus some new regional event locations including one for the Cotswolds which I will be hosting, one in Leeds for members located further North, and one in Exeter for our members in the South West. Not omitting our Annual Summit at which Kevin Hillstrom will be delivering the keynote address. Do take the opportunity to come along to the events which appeal to you as there is no doubt whatsoever that we can all learn from each other, do business together, and gain valuable insights at DCA events. I look forward to seeing you all in 2019 !
Kind regards
Katy Ingram
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