Shoppers Snap Up Luxury Gifts Online

    KENT, ENGLAND, December 22, 2011 /24-7PressRelease/ -- While the High Street and shopping malls proved unseasonably quiet for the first half of December, Royal Mail reports handling nearly double the volume of parcels at their Heathrow Worldwide Distribution Centre compared to last year, suggesting that UK ecommerce is thriving.

In agreement with this trend, niche online retailer of luxury hair clips, Stone Bridge Hair Accessories, announced that they are anticipating a 92% year on year increase in turnover for the Christmas period.

Founder Melissa Hill attributes the strong growth this year to a combination of industry factors as well as a series of campaigns the company rolled out earlier in 2011.

"We were badly hit by the Royal Mail industrial action in November last year, followed closely by the heavy snowfall across the Southeast. We were concerned that the economy would knock back consumer confidence again this year, so planned a number of marketing programmes during the summer. This definitely gave us a strong foundation as we moved towards Christmas."

Stone Bridge specialises in hair accessories that are handmade in France using a traditional, 10-day finishing process. The techniques involved are costly, requiring both time and skill.

"Our designs tend to appeal to collectors, who value the heritage behind French hair accessories."

So, what have been the hot trends this year? Hill says, "We found visitors this Christmas fell into two categories. Men have tended to choose gifts with real 'wow' factor for their wives and fiancees to open on Christmas day. Women, on the other hand, are opting for high-end designs in our classic tortoiseshell colours that are more useful for day-to-day wear."

Stone Bridge Hair Accessories is a UK retailer specialising in luxury quality hair clips and headbands, made by hand in France using traditional methods. The Stone Bridge website can be visited at www.Stone-Bridge.co.uk. Melissa Hill is available for interviews. For more information and image requests, please contact us at 01732 883820 or by email at [email protected]

# # #