Marketpulse
A RETAIL NEWS SPECIAL REPORT SPRING 2008
What’s Inside
2 From the Editor’s Desk
2 In-depth Analyses
3 Regional Hits
4 Category Comprehensive
6 Year-Over-Year Review
8 Etcetera: Internet Use
tracking the statistical pulse of the canadian giftware industry
AT-A-GLANCE
TOP 10 STOCKED CATEGORIES
TOP 10 GROWTH CATEGORIES*
Product Category
#1 Canadian-made
#2 General giftware
#3 Candles & home fragrance
#4 Christmas & seasonal décor
#5 Home décor
#6 Handmade
#7 Jewellery
#8 Wall art
#9 Photo frames & albums
#10 Stationery &
writing instruments
For an in-depth analysis of the top stocked
categories, see page 2. Stocking levels for all
categories can be found on page 4.
stocking
68%
58%
50%
49%
47%
45%
40%
39%
38%
36%
of those stocking
buying more in next
Product Category stocking 12 months
Canadian-made 68% 52%
Home décor 47% 44%
General giftware 58% 34%
Eco-friendly products 26% 76%
Handmade 45% 43%
Jewellery 40% 47%
Garden & outdoor living 33% 47%
Candles & home fragrance 50% 30%
Christmas & seasonal décor 49% 30%
Wall art 39% 37%
Gourmet food 26% 54%
* Determined by total percentage of respondents buying more of the category in the next 12 months.
For an in-depth analysis of the industry’s top growth categories, see page 2.
of total respondents
buying more in next
12 months
35%
21%
20%
20%
19%
19%
16%
15%
15%
14%
14%
SALES TRENDS
Over Half of Retailers Report Increases
The majority of retailers (54%) reported
year-over-year sales gains.
reporting
Sales increased 54%
Sales were static 22%
Sales decreased 24%
For an in-depth analysis of sales trends, see page 2.
