It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas - in the middle of Summer. Christmas season seems to be arriving in London earlier each year at many major department stores. Let's see what could be in the Christmas stocking this year.
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Selfridge's department store in Oxford Street opened its Christmas shop, with a dazzling array of baubles, ornaments, Christmas trees and tinsel.
Geraldine James, is the Christmas decorations buyer for Selfridge's department store. She decided to open 6 days earlier than last year to cash in on summer tourists looking for festive holiday souvenirs.
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The up market store has 25 thousand different lines of Christmas decorations.
Its best-selling item is a Union Jack bauble of hand-blown and decorated glass.
For some visitors, Christmas is a magical time that's welcome anytime of the year.
[Mary Buchanan, Tourist from Scotland]: (English)
"Can't resist. Can't resist buying."
With "White Christmas" echoing over the basement level Christmas shop, customers passing through to get to other departments were a little bewildered.
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Other department stores like Harrods also opens its Christmas department in August, and last month Hamley’s toy store unveiled its list of what will be the hot toys this year.
Richard Dodd, spokesman for the British Retail Consortium explains why it is so profitable for well-known stores to stock Christmas lines in the summer.
[Richard Dodd, Spokesman, British Retail Consortium]: (English)
"It's mainly something that retailers who have a lot of overseas visitors who won't be back between now and Christmas do.”
But, he says there’s no need to worry about an all year Christmas season on the horizon.
[Richard Dodd, Spokesman, British Retail Consortium]: (English)
"I don't think people need fear that there is any new precedent being set here. For most people they won't be seeing Christmas start to appear for quite some time yet."
