WHILE retailers will benefit on the run up to Christmas and from sales immediately after, what then follows is a lull which can break firms.

The big ‘Christmas Shop’ is a hard fought battle between retailers to see their revenues through to the spring. Competing with Liverpool One, which offers a strong leisure and mixed shopping experience and Manchester’s renowned Trafford Centre is going to be tough for facilities such as Golden Square.

Although improvements are planned for Warrington’s town broader centre it will still be challenged by the continued growth of online shopping too.

So many high street facilities in the UK offer the same predictable mix of chain-stores.

Although it is important to have the big names in there for shoppers to rely on, it is also important to entice folk with something different.

This is where small retailers can really make a difference, by offering high quality and distinctive goods, items which are just that bit special, right for Christmas and difficult to find in chain-stores or online.

We just need to make sure that they have affordable space to deal from in the retail mix, after all variety is the spice of life.

LAWRENCE Bellamy, associate dean at the University of Chester's Padgate campus, writes a regular column for the business pages.