When you think of Christmas markets, what comes to mind? To hazard a guess, it’s probably plenty of good food and drinks amongst stalls selling Christmas decorations and crafts.
Seeing the Christmas market stalls all set up symbolises the start of the festive season for many of us. Getting the family wrapped up warm for a wintry walk around helps to get everyone excited for the holiday.
Have you ever thought about being on the other side and opening up a pitch yourself? If you’re a seasoned market trader or just like the idea of getting involved, there are a few things to think about before you start.
Here are some Christmas market stall ideas and some advice on renting a market stall, including costs, insurance and other important information you need to know.
10 Christmas Market Stall Ideas
If you’ve decided on setting up a stall at a Christmas market, you first need to consider what you’re going to sell. The more unique you can get with your ideas, the better, as this will make you stand out from the crowd.
Here are some suggestions to help you get started.
#1 Christmas arts and crafts for everyone
People love to buy Christmas trinkets for their homes; even better if it’s homemade. What you can sell is limited only by your imagination (and what stock you can get hold of).
There are also lots of possibilities for kits you can sell that are DIY – perfect for families with young children who are excited about Christmas.
Some Christmas craft fair ideas for your market stall include:
- Mini Christmas trees
- Do-it-yourself wrapping paper kits
- Christmas stockings (a favourite with the kids!)
- Handmade Christmas cards
- Christmas gift baskets
- Themed decorations for around the home, such as Santa, traditional nativity, snowflakes and wintry themes
#2 Hot and cold food options
The plentiful food options available at the Christmas market are one of the main attractions for visitors.
Selling hot food such as Bratwurst, burgers, and pulled pork rolls is likely to bring in customers looking for something warm to eat in the cold weather. There are also sweet options like hot doughnuts, churros, and chocolate-covered fruit or marshmallows, which are always popular with children.
You can also sell sweets, chocolate, marshmallows, gingerbread, roasted nuts – whatever you can think of – and the more distinctive, the better. This is a Christmas market stall idea for all of the aspiring and experienced chefs out there.
#3 Milkshakes, hot chocolate and more
Popular alcoholic drinks at the Christmas market include Gluhwein, warm cider, and German beer. Non-alcoholic alternatives such as hot chocolate and coffee are also popular – although you could offer a range of liquors to add to your hot drinks such as whiskey and Irish cream (for the adults, of course!)
Another Christmas market stall idea that’s grown in popularity over the last few years is selling milkshakes. Customers can choose from any number of different flavours or make their own. You can add all sorts of things to it, from ice cream to chocolate bars and sweets.
#4 Homemade tree decorations
Another popular idea for market stall owners looking for Christmas fair ideas to sell is homemade decorations for the Christmas tree.
When it comes to decorating the tree, some people love tradition, and others go for something that suits their personality and home decor. This means there is so much possibility for handmade decorations.
If you’ve got skills with a paintbrush (or know someone who does), hand-painted glass baubles are likely to be a top seller for people looking to add something unique to their tree. Design them in as many different colours and sizes as possible to account for every taste and budget. If you have the capabilities and the capacity, you could also offer to personalise baubles with names that customers can order and collect from you later.
You could also sell handmade stars or angels for the top of the tree, handmade tinsel, and other types of ornament such as embroidered, traditional, or novelty pieces.
#5 Christmas traditions from around the globe
One of the wonderful things about Christmas markets is that it brings together people from all over the world. It gives people an opportunity to show off and sell traditional pieces from their home countries. Some of the items that people sell include hand-carved ornaments and figurines, rugs, children’s toys, and even traditional foods.
#6 Personalised advent calendars
Personalised and individual advent calendars are incredibly popular amongst adults and children alike. They are preferable over the chocolate calendars you can buy as they allow you to personalise them with gifts you know your loved one will enjoy.
#7 Activity stalls
Another Christmas market stall idea is setting up various activities for people to participate in. Again this could be anything you think people would find fun and within the budget you want to spend to set it up.
Some ideas include biscuits or gingerbread decorating – or you could sell mystery gifts for a set price.
#8 Christmas-themed clothes
Who doesn’t love a Christmas jumper?! This is just one idea of holiday-themed clothes you could sell on your Christmas market stall.
You could also offer matching family pyjamas, hats, scarves, and gloves.
#9 Warm and cosy blankets
Christmas is the best time of year for snuggling up with a warm blanket and a cup of hot chocolate.
Christmas market shoppers love to buy blankets for themselves as well as purchase them for gifts to give as Christmas presents.
#10 Christmas candles and soaps
Candles and soaps do well all year round, but especially at Christmas. They make excellent presents and decorations for around the home.
You can use traditional colours and scents such as pine, apple, and cinnamon to make the house smell like Christmas. Not to mention that the incredible smell of your stall will be enough to draw in customers by itself!
What Do You Need To Consider Before Renting A Market Stall?
Even if you’re a seasoned market trader, having a Christmas market stall may be something that feels completely different. Some things to think about are:
- Costs – Before you begin, assessing the costs of setting up your market stall against the likely profit you think you’ll make is vital. This involves working out how much renting a market stall will cost, the costs of stock, and how many staff you’ll need to pay to man the stall while it’s active.
- Planning – Christmas markets can get really busy. The last thing you want is to lose customers simply because you don’t have the staff to help you quickly move through the queue. It’s not always easy to plan for how busy you might be, but it’s a good idea to have a contingency plan in place if things are going well and you could use extra pairs of hands at short notice.
- Choosing a location – You may not have much say in the location you’re given if you are asking for a spot at a Christmas market. If you can choose a site, it goes without saying that you should choose somewhere with a heavy footfall that’s consistent throughout the day. You also don’t want to be too close to anyone selling the same products as you, so customers don’t get oversaturated with the same thing.
- Sourcing stock – You may have lots of Christmas market stall ideas, but do you know where you can access the stock that you want? Carrying out some research on the accessibility to the stock you’re considering selling before offering anything for sale to make sure it’s both available and affordable.
- Marketing – How are you going to generate business for your stall? Are you going to be relying on people discovering you just by walking past, or are you thinking of having a more comprehensive marketing strategy? Advertising on your social media channels is the best way to encourage visitors to your stall, especially if you’re an established business and this is something new to you. You could advertise offers such as a special discount to the first 100 visitors or 10% off when they use a particular discount code. You can also do giveaways and encourage people to share pictures of your stall with their followers. It can help you to drum up business via “word of mouth”.
- Branding and stall design – Following on from marketing is stall design. You may already have an established brand and want to design your Christmas market stall in the same way. If not, think about how you should display your products in a way that’s attractive and encourages visitors. It’s a good idea to arrange your stall to promote any items you have on special offer or those you find really popular with visitors. You could put them in a prominent place, such as at the front or in a spot away from the rest of the products.
- What’s your USP? – What do you have that no one else does? A Christmas market can quickly become oversaturated with the same type of products. If you can come up with some unique ideas that set you apart from the crowd, this is the best way of making sure you sell out!
Why Is It Important To Have Insurance As A Market Stall Trader?
A market stall is a business, and as a business owner, you know that you need to have the proper protection in place – all in the hope that you’ll never need to use it! It’s essential to ensure you’re covered if you face a claim.
For example, if you’re selling hot food and drink, you should make sure you have public liability insurance. It protects you against claims of food poisoning, allergic reactions, and even burns in the event of a spillage of something hot.
If you intend to sell products on your stall, you must also consider product liability insurance. The products you sell need to be safe, and if a customer faces illness or injury from buying something from you, you need to make sure you are covered financially in case of a legal claim.
Other considerations you may not consider include having employer liability insurance. You need to have this even if you’re just taking on staff temporarily to help you while the stall is up and running.
With Christmas markets, lots of people pay in cash. This opens you up to new risks, including having this money stolen or being passed fake notes. Keep all your money safe in a locked cash box out of sight or on your person in a money belt. Don’t give anyone access to the cash you don’t completely trust.
Tips For Finding The Best Christmas Market Stall Insurance Cover
As with any insurance, shopping around and finding the best deal is the most important thing. This doesn’t necessarily mean the cheapest, but it does mean getting the best price for the cover you want and need.
Think before you start about what type of cover you might need and how much you are willing to pay for it. This can give you an indication of a ballpark figure of how much it’s all going to cost.
It’s easy to get confused by all the products on the market, especially if this is something new to you. Why not let Park Insurance help you?
We know insurance inside out and can help you plan for what your Christmas market stall needs. We can talk you through all the options available, and you can rest assured that you and your business have the protection you need.