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Many successful businesses have humble beginnings, and ours is no exception. Sarah and Nick Bolton stumbled into the Christmas decorating industry while attempting to attract customers to their bar and restaurant nestled high up in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado. When they realized the effectiveness of their festive decorations, they decided to establish a Christmas decorating business. Without a formal name at first, it was christened based on the common inquiry from callers: "Is that the Christmas Decorators?"
Upon their son reaching school age, Sarah and Nick decided to return to the UK, leaving Aspen behind. They posted flyers around their local neighbourhood in Liverpool and garnered attention with a feature on the BBC, leading to significant business growth.
Our industry recognition grew as prestigious clients like Claridge's of Mayfair, along with notable public figures such as Sharon and Ozzy Osbourne and Wayne Rooney, sought our services
Physically exhausted from traversing the length and breadth of the UK day after day, fueled by unhealthy amounts of Red Bull, we made the strategic decision to franchise the business for future growth. Launching as a franchised business required a significant investment and consumed most of 2007.
Up until this point, we had been sourcing lighting and decorations from UK-based wholesalers. However, as our business continued to grow, we realized the advantages of manufacturing our own products. With this in mind, we embarked on our first trip to China, where we procured several containers of lights, Christmas trees, garlands, and decorations.
During the height of its popularity, The X-Factor was one of the biggest TV shows, and we were thrilled when their production company approached us for their decorations. By Christmas 2009, we had successfully launched six franchised offices across the UK. Our team comprised four full-time employees, including Sarah and Nick.
This year proved to be a pivotal moment for us as we achieved a significant milestone with a £1 million turnover, thanks to the collaboration of several major clients. Notably, McArthur Glen entrusted us with the decoration of multiple shopping centres across Europe.
We established a Christmas shop in our hometown of Liverpool, alongside an online platform, allowing us to cater to customers across the UK. This initiative enabled individuals with budget constraints to purchase items from us, even if they didn't opt for our full installation service. Occasionally, we receive remarkable inbound inquiries, but when the receptionist informed us that “Bethlehem” was on the line, we initially thought it was a prank. To our surprise, it wasn't. Following an initial assessment trip, we became the first, and to this day, the only Western Christmas Company to decorate Manger Square in Bethlehem. This business relationship is one we are incredibly proud of.
It was a significant honour when the wife of a soldier serving in Afghanistan approached us to help create a special Christmas for the troops. We promptly took action, and our efforts were televised on both the BBC and ITV. The media caught wind of our initiative, leading the BBC to produce a mini-series titled “Baubles to Bethlehem”. This series aired at the end of November.
We now had 20 UK-based franchisees. While our team were halfway through decorating a mansion in Aspen, Colorado we discovered that it was the home of Steven Spielberg. A real pinch-yourself moment!
In April, we were contacted by the town of Liscard which had just been voted as having the worst decorations in the UK. As a courtesy we decorated the entire town centre at the end of April as a fundraiser which saw crowds of 2000 people turn out to make donations, leading to Liscard being one of the best-decorated towns in the UK in Christmas 2014.
As our business expanded, we found ourselves in need of new premises. Coincidentally, around the same time, we established the largest Christmas showroom in the UK. One day, while taking a walk past The Ritz in London, we decided to drop in and say hello. This casual visit unexpectedly led to us being commissioned to decorate it for Christmas.
We were invited to pitch to Harrods and arranged a sample evening where we decorated a small section of the store after closing time. The response was overwhelmingly positive, and we quickly formed a great relationship with the team at Harrods. The rest, as they say, is history! Another incredible high-profile client we are honoured to consider friends.
Amidst the bustling activity in our showroom, where numerous visitors marveled at the excellence of our business, significant achievements were made. We secured two prestigious national contracts with Boots and O2 mobile phone stores, leveraging the unparalleled capabilities of our franchise network to execute rapid UK-wide rollouts. Additionally, we had the privilege of decorating the residences of the King and Queen at Highgrove and Clarence House. Furthermore, we successfully met the challenge of floating a 35 ft tall Christmas tree on the River Thames, ensuring it remained buoyant without incident.
We achieved recognition as finalists in the British Franchise Association's annual awards for the best UK Franchise. Although we didn't clinch the top spot, being among the top 3 out of 900 UK franchise brands was truly remarkable. Throughout much of the year, we were trailed by a camera crew who documented our journey in a fly-on-the-wall documentary titled "The World’s Greatest Christmas Lights". The documentary aired in December and garnered immense success.
As we approached 40 UK franchisees, we decided to fulfil the ambition of launching a franchise network in the USA, where we had started. This is a complex task but we successfully launched the US business at the end of 2019 ready to recruit franchisees through 2020.
Amidst the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, our plans for the American launch came to an abrupt halt. The hospitality sector, including bars, restaurants, and hotels, faced staggering cancellations of Christmas events, resulting in significant financial losses each day. In response, we took action by deploying a massive illuminated NHS sign, which journeyed across the UK, visiting hospitals as a token of our appreciation. Additionally, we initiated "Operation Save Christmas" for the shopping centre industry, offering complimentary Christmas decorations for 2020 to those experiencing difficulties.
Emerging from the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, we persevered, albeit a bit battered and bruised, but grateful to still be in business. Recognizing the importance of transparency and credibility, we joined Trustpilot to showcase our excellence and willingness to embrace public reviews. In another bold move, we released our second fly-on-the-wall documentary titled "Deck the Halls," which surpassed its predecessor with over 3 million viewers. You can still catch it on Channel 4 catch-up.
We proudly transitioned into a "zero carbon" company and extended the opportunity to all our clients to offset their carbon emissions from our installations. Achieving £10 million in annual sales, we solidified our position as the largest Christmas company in the UK
Collaborating with Netflix on the UK version of the popular USA show "The Great Christmas Light Fight," our showroom has welcomed a record number of prospective clients.
We are the only Christmas decorating company in the UK that can offer national coverage managed by a dedicated local offices.
Contact your local Christmas decorator today to find out how we can make your Christmas special this year.
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