Postby Jonny Dyson Property Consultants » Mon Sep 28, 2020 10:02 am
Hi Jess,
Sorry I missed this post last week.
At the moment I would say that it is unlikely that we will be running the Christmas event this year. There are several reasons for this:
1. Normally by this time we would have been inundated with requests for stalls, however this year we have had maybe a dozen at the most, so there just doesn't appear to be the appetite by stall holders.
2. The event actually costs more than the summer event as the stalls have to be substantial, weather and water proof. Once we've added the costs of the security, it needs sponsorship, which, as you may have seen in the past, has simply not been forthcoming.
3. The continuing increase in Covid cases does give us cause for concern, especially as effective social distancing is likely to be very difficult. Given that we would be unable to insure against cancellation due to a local lockdown, it would be quite a gamble for all concerned.
4. Finally, one of the challenges of running the event is that some of the local, rate paying businesses feel that it takes trade away from them. Whilst clearly the market does give an increased footfall, some of the permanent shop keepers sadly don't feel that this actually results in more business for them.
We have a final meeting about this later today, so I will update you all once we have a definite decision.
Jonny
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