CHRISTMAS COMES EARLY TO HOUSING UNITS: SEPTEMBER 9, 2010.

HOUSING UNITS

PRESS RELEASE

September 6, 2010.

CHRISTMAS COMES EARLY TO HOUSING UNITS: SEPTEMBER 9, 2010.

Photo and interview opportunities from 9am, Wednesday, September 8, 2010.

Housing Units will launch its 2010 Christmas department on Thursday, September 9 – 106 days before Christmas - and in the process do its bit to help both the consumer and the economy.

The department will be 3,500 square feet of floor-space dedicated to Christmas trees, decorations and accessories, and seven ready-made decoration themes.

The front of the store will be designed as a fairytale castle, with a layer of snow over outdoor displays and the entrance area – a special effect produced by designers more used to creating snow scenes in Disney movies.

“Christmas is getting bigger and bigger as a celebration in the UK, with many families turning the decoration of the house into an event in its own right – by starting Christmas so early we feel we’re helping both the consumer and the economy,” said Nick Fox, director of north-Manchester based Housing Units.

“Customers like the idea of being able to spread the cost of purchase of decorations - and UK families are very much following the North American trend of making Christmas a much bigger and more decorative event in any case – so they’re actually spending more on what they really want, and spreading the cost.

“The Christmas department saw 2009 turnover up on 2008, and this clearly impacts down the line – not just in terms of our sales, but also suppliers.

“A good part of the reason is that we have created seven self-contained design and colour themes – this enhances the decorative abilities of those with a good eye, but also proves to be a solution for the less well naturally co-ordinated.”

Housing Units – known for its top-hatted doormen - was established in 1947. It is a family-owned furnishings retailer based in Wickentree Lane, Failsworth, Manchester M35 9BA, next to Junction 22 of the M60. It stocks 30,000 high-quality lines across a range of departments in two buildings and a crescent of specialist shops, and prides itself on its unique style of customer service, the value of its goods and the shopping experience it provides.

Ends

Further information:

Iain Macauley

0161 929 0446/07788 978800

im@pressrelations.co.uk

www.housingunits.co.uk