Research and Markets: Giftware Market Report 2010: 42% of Consumers Expect to be Disappointed by Christmas Gifts

DUBLIN--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Research and Markets (http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/9b2635/giftware_market_re) has announced the addition of the "Giftware Market Report 2010" report to their offering.

This report on giftware covers ceramic and toys and games, jewellery, glass tableware, ornamental articles, and small leather goods, such as purses and wallets. Each sector, particularly in the middle market, has struggled in the long and harsh recession as cash-strapped consumers cut back on discretionary spending. The toys and games sector was hit particularly hard by Woolworths fall into administration in late 2008.

Character Group PLC, for example, recorded bad debts of more than 1m in its 2008/2009 financial year despite having reduced its exposure to the troubled retailer in the last quarter of the 2008 calendar year. It was also left with excess stock that had been ordered for Woolworths Christmas 2008 trading.

A global recovery is now underway but it is a fragile one and there are still fears of a double-dip recession. According to the latest figures from the British Retail Consortium, UK retail sales values fell 2.3% on a like-for-like basis in April 2010 from April 2009. With the UK entering a period of austerity, the trend towards trading down that was evident during the recession will continue.

However, while it may be the case that most people will generally look to economise, there are incidents of exception as they indulge in the occasional luxury brand to offset their tightened budgets, and the choosing of a valuable gift for someone else becomes more of a gesture than ever. Luxury brands that derive a great proportion of their sales revenue from overseas will continue to expand their presence in emerging countries although weak sterling also benefits their sales to foreign tourists in their own domestic market.

In a poll of 2,000 adults conducted by retailer TK Maxx, half the male respondents said that they put more effort into choosing a present for their mother than a wife, girlfriend or anyone else. However, one in five admitted to persuading their partner to shop for that gift. The survey on Christmas shopping habits, conducted in November 2009, also found that 18% of respondents did not like any of the gifts they had received the previous Christmas and 42% expected to be disappointed that coming year.

In another survey undertaken in 2009, the University of Hertfordshire found that many of the adults surveyed saw nothing wrong in passing on unwanted gifts to others, reasoning that it makes sound economic sense. Add to this the fact that gold parties, where individuals sell unwanted jewellery to traders, are thriving and it paints a somewhat pessimistic picture of the giftware industry. Nevertheless, the authors anticipate retail sales values in all the sectors considered returning to growth in 2010 after a particularly tough year in 2009.

Key Topics Covered:

• REPORT COVERAGE
• MARKET SECTORS
• GENERAL MARKET TRENDS
• INDUSTRY-SPECIFIC TRENDS
• ECONOMIC TRENDS
• MARKET POSITION
• THE TOTAL MARKET BY MARKET SECTOR
• OVERSEAS TRADE
• RECENT HISTORY
• NUMBER OF COMPANIES
• REGIONAL VARIATIONS IN THE MARKETPLACE
• DISTRIBUTION
• HOW ROBUST IS THE MARKET?
• LEGISLATION
• KEY TRADE ASSOCIATIONS
• THE MARKETPLACE
• MARKET LEADERS
• OUTSIDE SUPPLIERS
• MARKETING ACTIVITY
• THE GIFTWARE INDUSTRY IN GENERAL BY PRODUCT SECTOR
• HOUSEHOLD EXPENDITURE
• CONSUMER SURVEY
• CLOSURES, MERGERS AND ACQUISITIONS
• BOARD AND SENIOR MANAGEMENT CHANGES
• NEW PRODUCTS
• SELECTED GLOBAL COMPETITORS

Companies Mentioned:

• Hasbro, Inc
• Mattel, Inc
• Signet Jewelers Ltd
• Villeroy and Boch AG
• The LVMH Group
• Lenox Corporation
• Coach, Inc
• Sega Industries Co Ltd
• Abbeycrest PLC
• The Character Group PLC
• Graff Diamonds International Ltd
• Hasbro UK Ltd
• Mattel UK Ltd
• Mulberry Group PLC
• Portmeirion Group PLC
• Signet Jewellers Ltd
• WWRD Holdings Ltd

For more information visit http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/9b2635/giftware_market_re