It may seem hard to believe, but it is already time for retailers to start gearing up for the festive rush. There may be many weeks before December 25th, but if firms are to take full advantage of the surge in spending that occurs during the Christmas celebrations, they must ensure they are completely ready.
Luckily for managers, it is now easy to buy gas forklifts and other similar vehicles online, and they can also use the web to stock up on gas supplies to ensure their fleet keeps running.
Highlighting the importance of the festive season among retailers, a recent Daily Express article suggested that firms are facing a “critical Christmas”. The news source pointed out that over the last couple of years, a number of big chains have collapsed during the post Christmas lull in January. Among the organisations to have suffered this fate are HMV, Blockbuster and Jessops.
Commenting on the topic, Nick Hood from Company Watch said: “Retail stakeholders will be watching very closely as the festive season gathers pace. They will monitor sales and profitability carefully to decide which retailers will survive the traditional killing season from late December to mid-February living to fight on through a rapidly changing retail battleground in 2014 and beyond.”
According to Company Watch, there are more than 20,000 vulnerable retailers in the UK, and around 5,000 of these are expected to fail.
Mr Hood went on to remark: “Despite growing confidence about the economy and signs of a retail recovery, there are still far too many zombie retailers, with negative balance sheets and debt burdens they can barely service, never mind reduce. There are also too many with ineffective online and mobile sales channels and bloated store portfolios that are becoming little more than expensive showrooms or online collection and return points.”
Given the tough trading conditions facing retailers, it is especially important that bosses ensure they get value for money when they stock up on supplies of any kind, including gas forklift trucks and the gas refills they need to operate them.
It may only be by reducing their expenditure and making their operations as efficient as possible that firms are able to survive these tricky times.
When they are on the lookout for new forklifts and gas supplies, managers may benefit from heading online. This is a convenient and quick way to source products and it can also help to save organisations money. After all, web-based retailers tend to have lower overheads and are able to pass the savings they make onto their customers. Also, there is plenty of choice available over the internet, helping to save companies yet more cash. Of course, bosses must ensure that any items they buy meet the necessary quality standards.
About the Author – Anna Longdin is a freelance blogger who frequently writes about forklifts for a number of websites, including Calor Gas.