Christmas Marketing

It's that time of year again.

If you are American or drink Coca-Cola you may be under the impression that the 'holidays are coming'.

For the rest of us Christmas means a mad dash to strike off all those hard to find presents from that ever growing list.

And for businesses across the country the next four weeks will be crucial to deciding their fate in the next financial year.

Traders in Bath are already gearing up for the festive season as the annual Christmas Market kicks off today in Abbey Churchyard.

Stall holders will be hoping to cash in on the hundreds of thousands of visitors making a beeline for the annual event.

More than 1,000 people applied for just 123 places at this year's market which must be a good indication of its success.

With high street stores finding it harder and harder just to survive let alone make any money it seems that it is the small business man who is winning this Christmas.

Bath has always been famous for its independent traders and offering a unique destination for shoppers.

It is one of the last havens of trading not to have been sucked in by the blank faceless corporations engulfing shopping centres across the country.

Shoppers in Bath are giving less and less money to 'The Man' and more to the local economy.

And that may be why the city is so well poised to survive the choke hold being placed on Britain's businesses by the global credit crisis.

There are some who see the Christmas market as a negative force driving regular shoppers away from the city centre.

While I'm not a fan of being crushed between anxious bargain hunters and screaming children I can't deny that upping the number of people in the streets of Bath has to be good for business.

Some visitors will be travelling a long distance and they will need to stay somewhere and enjoy nourishment after a hard day's shopping.

So the knock on effect is bound to be positive and in a city that thrives on its service industry this has to be a good thing in the long run.

Time will tell whether the market continues to be a success but with any luck the phenomenal demand for stalls will translate into good times at the tills.