Caroline Gamester, managing director of LDJ Design & Display, points out that as consumers' purse strings begin to tighten, shopping centres are looking for really stand-out, eye-catching and memorable decorations to entice shoppers inside.

"Contemporary rather than traditional decorations therefore featured strongly in 2007. For example, The MetroCentre in Gateshead chose a 1970's retro-inspired look to celebrate its 21st anniversary while, for its first Christmas, the Westfield Centre in Derby chose a very modern design based on a mixture of classic bauble and lantern shapes.

"Before the start of each year our design team research trends in contemporary fashion, interiors and lifestyle and then provide forecasts to our clients of the strongest styles, themes and colours."

Last year, warm, opulent colours, such as deep purples, greens and pinks, were a favourite. Gamester points out that these work equally well with traditional and modern architecture.

"Silver featured in a strong way, complementing the trend in Christmas evening wear for silver sequins; a major fashion story for winter 2007," she adds.

"LED lights are now an accelerating trend. We actively promote LEDs to our clients as not only are they much brighter than filament lights, they also use 80 per cent less energy.

"Behind the scenes, centres are also, not unsurprisingly, looking for value for money. Our office in China gives us a real edge in this respect as we can source all our lights and baubles direct, in our own colours. We regularly check all the factories we use for quality as well as to ensure they do not use child labour and comply with our strict ethical policy - something which our clients really appreciate."

Gamester reckons the key trends to look out for in 2008 will be more contemporary (less traditional) designs, more fashionable (less traditional) colours, LED lights, greater awareness of the environment, ethical supply routes and value for money.

In stark contrast, Peter Mason, managing director of Centre Design, believes shopping centres will be heading down the traditional route, but also that LEDs will continue to have a strong presence.

"LEDs came on the scene in the last three years in a big way from a display point of view generally," he says. "In terms of how marketing strategies are put together, in 2008 we will find ourselves creating products with a more traditional feel about them."

Centre Design, which is celebrating its 21st birthday this year, manufactures over 75 per cent of the products it installs in its schemes and Mason believes this stands it apart from the competition. In addition, research conducted by the company has revealed that unlike some views that have been bandied around within the industry, Christmas does matter to the general public. In fact, more than 70 per cent of those asked, from a selection of centres across the country, claimed that Christmas displays made a difference as to which shopping centre they chose to visit.

"There have been a number of views expressed in different quarters over the last five or six years that the level of spend on Christmas decorations and activity generally is high," says Mason. "But the problem here is that people are making these suggestions and then putting their own interpretation on it. They have no idea of the marketing side of the business and the marketing potential in shopping centres, so we were out to prove what was right and the research gave us the proof we needed: 87 per cent of people said they expected to find their shopping centre decorated. And an overall percentage expect to find a Father Christmas activity on the mall.

However, Paul Dart, creative director of James Glancy Design, reckons we will see fewer Christmas grottos in 2008. He believes they are too prescribed and fail to encourage children's imagination.

"I think the grotto is going out of fashion," he says. "That's not to say there shouldn't be something for kids but I think as a non-parent I would want my kids to do something a bit more engaging and something more to encourage their imagination. For the traditionalist it's a very important part of Christmas, but I think it's fraught with a lot of problems.

"Also, there's not the budget for them any more, which is why the standard keeps going down. People have been to Disneyland and Universal Studios and seen hugely expensive rides and experiences. They come to their local shopping centre with those expectations and there's no way they can be fulfilled."

Dart points to Carnaby Street as the success story of 2007 because the larger-than-life paper chains, which dominated the streetscape, reminded people of being kids. "It was something that was so simple that it turned into a piece of street art," says Dart, who created the display.

"It is also connected to my business feelings about the whole change of economics across the world. People are going to want some escapism - something glitzy and glamorous and something to take their minds off how depressing it is. So there will be a move against modernism. That's not to say we're going back to just red and green, but traditionalism will be reinvented for the tastes of today."

Adam Nicholson from Imagination sees a return to the 'more is more' attitude to decoration schemes. "Whether the desired feel is modern or traditional, the emphasis is now on getting the centre decorated properly," he says.

"The industry has a few years under its belt now and many managers will have seen or experienced a lot of variations on the same theme. The challenge now is to introduce a new approach. Alternative base products such as sisal and willow provide a completely unique feel. These renewable sources can be accessorised in traditional shades or given a modern feel using LED lights and unconventional colour mixes.

"Colour washing and projections have evolved over the last couple of years, and are now very effective, especially on external areas and blank facades. Spectacular light pieces and strong colours will always prove a good starting point and when accompanied by a considered approach to focal pieces will create a great effect. Also, paying attention to all the dark corners will make sure every tenant feels they're getting something for their service charge."

Dart also foresees more lavish decorations and a definite move against blue LEDs, which create a 'cool' look.

"There will still be an ecological edge to things," he adds. "And it's something we all have to be aware of and seen to be doing something about. But Christmas is supposed to be over the top, lavish and excessive, so from my point of view it's about making everything fabulous and gorgeous without using power.

"Decorations outside must look good in the day as well as at night, but this often isn't the case; they only look good at night. So Carnaby Street was more about using objects and using the lighting already existing on the buildings without adding more to the carbon footprint."

Springfield Decorations and Display points out that there are plenty of ways to reduce both the amount of energy used and carbon dioxide generated, while still decorating a shopping centre with beautiful lights.

Switching from conventional tungsten to LED Christmas lights will reduce energy consumption by a staggering 90 per cent, while their larger scale projects generate significant savings. For instance, the lights used in the eight giant tree structures on the front of John Lewis in Oxford Street in 2007 totalled some 78,000 LEDs, and yet the power consumption was only just over 13 amps.

"The effect of this intense bright light, even in its third year, generated publicity in many national publications and we have also been able to capture the historical closing of Oxford Street to traffic," says Wendy Ford. "Our message for 2008 must therefore be to 'save money and cut pollution', and while LEDs cost a little more than tungsten lights, the electricity saved makes up the cost within a season or two."

Springfield's clients have already made the transition to LEDs. And for those who prefer the mellow effect of tungsten, Springfield can also supply an LED that will cast this type of more traditional light. The company is 'WEEE' registered, and pledges to dispose of all the electrical waste they sell. Everything that can be recycled will be.

Imagination agrees that environmental issues are an increasing consideration when designing and producing commercial Christmas decoration schemes. Nicholson says this topic is becoming more and more important to shopping centres as they strive to be more environmentally responsible.

"By involving organisations who specialise in carbon offsetting, we can offer the chance for clients to neutralise CO2 produced by their display," he says. "The process is simple - we calculate the entire electrical consumption and then offer options such as the planting of trees locally or sponsoring energy-saving initiatives. The use of LED lighting has massively reduced consumption, which makes this option realistic and easily achieved."

Contacts

LDJ Design & Display: 01756 693905

Centre Design: 01661 836282

James Glancy Design: 020 7252 8844

Imagination: http://www.imaginationuk.com

Springfield Decorations & Display: 01483 236622

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