Christmas tree supplier to the stars forecasts best season ever
November 25, 2015 by admin
Filed under Choosing Lingerie
Christmas tree sales are up, boosted by demand from Russians and corporate
clients buying pre-decorated trees
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7:04PM GMT 23 Nov 2015
Samuel Lyle sold his first Christmas tree when he was just 13 years old. His father, who owns a farm in Scotland, was clearing an area of woodland and, being December, the Norwegian spruces were in demand.
“My older brother got me to do the selling and it made great pocket money,” says Lyle, now 34.
The trees sold out and Lyle and his brother Josh, 36, expanded the business the following year, gradually planting more trees and investing the profits into renting nearby land.
Pines and Needles, their Christmas tree supply business, now sells 30,000 trees direct to customers and will wholesale a further 30,000 this year. It decorates and installs trees in some of the UK’s most famous venues, from Wembley Stadium to the Natural History Museum.
The company, which is based in London but couriers trees all over the UK, runs its own fleet of 30 vans, which allows it to offer a five-hour delivery slot in the capital. When selling a product as awkward and heavy as a Christmas tree, you need to offer top-notch customer service, Lyle says.
“We try to be the Rolls-Royce of Christmas trees. If people don’t like the tree, we take it back with no questions asked.”
Pines Needles aims to make its shopping experience a ‘great day out’ for the family
Pines and Needles runs its outdoor “showrooms” – Christmas tree lots – in parks around London.
“Our stores are in convenient places like Richmond Park, Battersea Park and Bushey Park,” says Lyle. “We try to make it a fun day out for the family.”
The company’s staff wear kilts, in a nod to Pines and Needles’ Scottish roots, visitors are offered mince pies and choirs are invited to sing carols on busy days of the season.
Christmas trees are the ultimate seasonal product and the business runs for about six months of the year, gearing up for a six-week sales blitz.
“It’s like planning a massive wedding,” Lyle says. “But growing the trees requires ongoing management to make sure that they’re the right shape.”
“Bud rubbing” – the practice of pruning stray shoots – is carried out in June, helping the trees to grow bushier and in proportion. “We try to reduce wastage, so we’ll be creative with pruning,” Lyle explains. “It means that instead of being ready in year one, we may have to wait two years for it to correct itself.”
The business goes from a skeleton staff of 10 up to 200 over winter.
“We’re lucky that some people come back year after year,” says Lyle, adding that the business has become a lifeline for out-of-work actors.
In Battersea Park and Richmond, Pines and Needles sells mostly trees that are 7 or 8ft tall – in Victoria Park they are usually smaller
Years ago, sales of Christmas trees would dry up after Christmas Eve, but an influx of Russians into London has extended the Christmas peak. This season, Christmas Day for the orthodox Russian church will land on January 7.
“Quite often our Russian customers will buy trees very late,” says Lyle. “So we’ll keep selling the trees for longer.”
A rise in demand for pre-decorated trees has also driven up sales – increasing 80pc last year.
Cash-rich, time-poor customers can choose from 66 different colour combinations on the Pines and Needles site, and offices make up 95pc of sales.
To make it even easier for corporate customers to bring some festive spirit to the workplace, Pines and Needles offers a collection and recycling service.
A team not only picks up the tree but vacuums the floor, wraps up the lights and removes the decorations. Around 20pc of online customers choose this option, but the number is growing year-on-year.
Samuel Lyle (left) and brother Josh run Pines and Needles
The Nordmann Fir is the UK’s favourite tree, Lyle says, because it doesn’t drop its needles and grows in a traditional shape. “Those are the ones you see in all the Hollywood movies,” he says. But the traditional tree – and the one chosen by Downing Street each year – is the Norway Spruce.
Across London, buying trends differ, with shoppers in Victoria Park or Brick Lane choosing much smaller trees, while in Battersea Park and Richmond Park, the seven or eight-foot trees are the most popular.
Pines and Needles, which will turn over £2.3m this year, has grown steadily since inception, and even the recession failed to dent its expansion.
Lyle and his brother plan to grow the business over the next five years, perhaps expanding to New York. Next year, the pair want to launch a floristry and gardening business to offset the seasonality of the Christmas company.
For now, selling season is in full swing, and Lyle is focused on financial forecasts, to make sure the business stays in the black all summer.
He’s also busy breaking up a few squabbles in the office.
“The girls in the office all want to be in the van when we deliver a tree to One Direction’s Louis Tomlinson,” he explains. “That always causes a lot of… excitement.”
