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Christmas Comes Early For US Toy Retailers

US toy shops have hit upon a new wheeze to increase sales during the recession – Christmas in July.

In a ruse seemingly lifted directly from the seasonal film favourite Santa Claus: The Movie, starring Dudley Moore, retailers launched Christmas II – The Sequel last summer.

Several large stores in New York – including Toys R Us, Sears and K-Mart – decked their halls with boughs of holly and employed off-season Santa Clauses in an attempt to boost flagging sales. This year discount retailer Target has jumped on the bandwagon.

Target spokeswoman Molly Hanus said: "We really wanted to create that sense of excitement, that sense of urgency."

The official justification for this unseasonal seasonal jollity is to help people spread the cost of Christmas over more of the year. But it is hard not to suspect that it is just a hard sell aimed at parents with impressionable young children.

Not all retailers think it's a good idea. J C Penney chief marketing officer Mike Boylston said: "Customers don't like it when you push Christmas too early."

Consulting firm Accenture global managing partner for retail Janet Hoffman considers the July holiday sales "a risky bet," warning that while consumers could be inspired to buy more, summer promotions could also reduce back-to-school spending and depress December business.

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