Retailers hope for happy end to hard year as Christmas adverts hit screens

The Christmas advert season is beginning as retailers seek to win consumers’ hearts and ultimately their wallets after a tough year on the high street.

Asda, Argos and Currys PC World are launching their festive campaigns as November begins, with the former relying on a mischievous impish creature that is foiled in its quest to cause chaos around the house by one of the retailer’s Fast Track delivery drivers.

Asda claimed it will be the first of the major retailers to get its adverts on-screen, when its Bring Christmas Home commercial airs during Emmerdale on ITV at 7.15pm on Friday.

The Argos promotion airs later during Coronation Street on ITV and Gogglebox on Channel 4 from 9pm.

Scenes show carol singers using Microsoft Surface Pro tablets in place of hymn books and a woman using Google Home Hub to play Christmas tunes to her house guest, through to a street vendor selling roast chestnuts that have been heated to perfection in an AEG steam oven.

Retailers will be hoping consumers shake off their pre-Brexit dip in confidence and start spending soon after a torrid year on the high street.

Waitrose has reported sales of mince pies, advent calendars and stollen are already starting to rise,  while John Lewis said gift food sales were up 14% last week.

Marks & Spencer also said its customers were embracing Christmas already after the long summer, with festive food orders up 13% on the year, higher than ever before at this stage in the season.

Sales of mince pies are up 35% on last year and the retailer said it has had to treble the order for yule logs as customers stocked up early.

An M&S spokeswoman said: “Thanks to the unusually long British summer we all enjoyed, customers have been embracing the festive season and enjoying an early taste of Christmas.

“Christmas essentials such as mince pies are flying off shelves and people are putting their orders in for the big day earlier than ever before.”