Lincolnshire-based food & drinks gifting disrupter IMP & MAKER announced today (30 Jan 2024) what it called ‘a cracker of a Christmas’ with its best sales ever that saw customer orders soar by a staggering 900% year on year.
Similarly, its corporate business also delivered a bumper Christmas with orders up a whopping 600% when compared to the same period the year before.
The record-breaking results are even more impressive when you consider recent figures from the British Retail Consortium that showed growth for the period was only 1.78% across retail. However, when inflation was taken into account it represents a decline in consumer spending over Christmas 2023.
The owner-managed independent business is the brainchild of entrepreneur Sarah Louise Fairburn, who decided that food and drinks gifting sector was in need for a serious shake up as the offer in many cases hadn’t evolved and was frankly ‘passed its sell by date’.
So, four years ago Sarah and her dedicated, small, Coningsby-based team went about reinventing the world of food gifting by searching the UK and overseas for the very best foodie finds delivered to doorsteps across the country. The business now counts footballers, celebrities, entrepreneurs and even Usain Bolt as customers.
On the amazing Christmas sales results, Sarah Louise Fairburn, owner and founder, commented: “We have had the most amazing Christmas and it’s all down to doing things a little differently from the rest of the industry. Everything we do is designed to make whoever receives an IMP & MAKER hamper feel appreciated and loved.
“I knew we had been busy in the run up to Christmas as all of us were working round the clock to get orders out in time and now we know why.
“It really shows that customers are looking for something that little bit different, that tastes great, looks great and is great value – all with a little bit of love thrown in. It’s a huge pat on the back to the fantastic team here at IMP & MAKER – I can’t thank them enough.”
Although Christmas decorations in homes will by now be firmly tucked away in lofts and sheds ready for next year, the festive season is still front of mind at IMP & MAKER as the team is already scouring the country for innovative artisan food suppliers for Christmas 2024.
“We’re not going to rest on our laurels,” said Sarah Louise. “The hunt is on for even more fantastic product for next Christmas. However, before then we’ve got Valentines’ Day, Mother’s Day, Easter and Father’s Day all with specially curated food gifting ideas, to show how important your loved ones are to you. What better way to do it than with great tasting IMP & MAKER, curated food and drink.”
On the business corporate success Sarah Louise added: “Doing it differently is in our DNA, from personalisation to personal customer service. As we know how important your colleagues and/or customers are to you.
“In fact, we pride ourselves on that personal touch with many orders being discussed, curated, and handled over the phone; it’s something that really sets us apart. It means we are well on the way to achieving our ambition of becoming the modern way to corporate gift.”
In the run up to Christmas the team at IMP & MAKER scooped the Good Housekeeping Christmas taste test for best hamper, beating the likes of Fortnum & Mason, Harvey Nichols and M&S to the festive top spot.
The team also won Corporate Gifting Business of the year 2023.
The amazing ‘pat on the back’ is even more impressive as the business has only been trading for four years.
