After a Successful 2020, Christmas Decor Prepares for More Growth in 2021

The seasonal holiday-decorating franchise celebrated its biggest year for franchise recruitment since its founding 15 years ago, welcoming 19 new franchisees to its rapidly growing family. And in a year when the need for holiday cheer was at an all-time high, the brand saw higher consumer demand than ever before.

Growth and demand

According to Brandon Stephens, Christmas Decor’s president, the brand started to see increased demand well before the holiday season kicked off, with sales picking up as early as August and web inquiries nearly doubling their 2019 numbers.

Stephens says he found that because people were spending more time at home and less on regular yearly expenses, like vacations, they were reinvesting their money into their homes.

“Even in the spring when COVID-19 shutdowns first started, we started getting requests from existing clients who wanted us to come put their lights back up,” said Stephens. “Once their friends and neighbors saw the work we do, that quickly turned into new business. People are looking for some cheer and positivity, and we’re proud to be a go-to resource for that.”

Stephens says many of the brand’s commercial clients, such as retail stores and casinos, decided to hold off on holiday decorating, but the increase in demand among residential clients more than made up for the dip in commercial sales, even carrying on well past the holiday season.

That surge translated to an impressive boost in sales growth. The brand saw an 18% increase in sales overall compared to 2019 - 90% of which were residential.

Sales growth trends

And while 2020 was a big year for Christmas Decor, year-over-year sales growth is nothing new for the brand.

“We've always been blessed with strong growth,” said Stephens. “We’ve had 11 straight years of growth, with 10 of those years having double-digit growth. We’re prepared to see more of the same coming into 2021.”

According to Stephens, 2020’s increased demand also helped Christmas Decor find new ways to reach customers across the country.

“We really had to focus on some of our best practices and principles,” he said. “How strong is this support system we have in place when you throw 22% growth on top of it? The pandemic exposed some shortcomings, but it also validated a lot of our best practices. What a good problem to have. In the end we were able to meet demand effectively and nothing fell apart.”

Future outlook

Looking ahead at the franchise’s sales goals for 2021, Stephens says he’s optimistic the brand will continue to grow, but he remains realistic about what to expect.

“The sensible thing is to operate on 2019 expectations,” he said. “No one knows what’s going to get locked down again and how people will react. We’re counting on growth, just maybe not the 20 to 25% we saw last year.”

Stephens says the success Christmas Decor enjoyed in 2020 was thanks largely to the hard-working, passionate franchisees behind the brand. It was because of their dedication to their business and their clients, Stephens said, that they were able to grow at the individual level and contribute to the brand’s growth overall.

“Without a doubt, the stable and consistent growth we’ve seen comes from franchisees,” he said. “And it's because of all the talent and personalities that are involved. That kind of strong franchisee network is what creates stability, and we’re proud to see it firing on all cylinders.”