Bristol becomes new tinseltown as ‘tinsel tina’ launches

News
24/11/2015

We’re not yet into December but there’s definitely an air of festive cheer at Cadbury, a Wyevale Garden Centre. With six weeks until Christmas, Bristol’s largest garden centre is unveiling “Tinsel Tina” – a unique tinsel machine that can produce 24metres of the coloured sparkly stuff every 5 minutes, to swathe Bristol homes this Christmas.

Even though consumers have been buying into the idea of minimalist decorations in recent years, one of the hottest trends for Christmas this year is a return to the Seventies – according to a recent retailer research report* that shows retro fever is gripping the nation’s interiors. As home owners look to abandon neutral colour palettes in favour of a more adventurous kitsch look, tinsel, the ultimate retro Christmas decoration, is expected to be dusted off the shelves this festive season.

Moreover, Cadbury garden centre is seeing a trend for people purchasing the shiny decoration to accessorise their Christmas outfit or decorate their desk at work with it. A definite sign that Christmas is on its way...

Tinsel Tina, the new tinsel-making machine at Cadbury Garden Centre, launched on the 21st November, looks like a great big candy floss machine that cuts shiny plastic metalized tape into strips, which in turn are drawn into a spinning bowl along with nylon string. The spinning action binds the whole thing together into the familiar shiny garland.

Paul Butchers, Cadbury Garden Centre Manager says: "A Christmas tree isn't a Christmas tree without tinsel on it – it just conjures memories from Christmases past. The good thing about tinsel is that it works on all styles of Christmas trees. Other decorations, such as heavy crystal ornaments, might not work well on trees with more bendable branches. The retro silvery strands are also great value and the affordable way to glam up your tree.”

Tinsel dates, by some accounts, to the 1600s and was originally made from strands of real silver, when a silversmith would hammer and shred it and put it on a tree. However, real silver tinsel tarnishes and loses its shine with time, and eventually, artificial replacements were invented.

Cadbury garden centre offers tinsel in a variety of colours from £2.49. Last year’s most popular colours of tinsel were red and gold (closely followed by silver), which again signals a return to the traditional. Tinsel Tina is managed by Festive Productions, a British tinsel manufacturer who makes almost two-thirds of all the tinsel sold in the UK. That is enough to wrap the whole world in a glittery garland.

Come along and see how tinsel is made with Tinsel Tina and get a FREE sample. Tinsel Tina opens to the public on the following dates:

21st - 22nd November

28th - 29th November

5th - 6th December

12th - 13th December

* How We Shop, Live & Look report for 2015

http://www.johnlewis.com/inspiration-and-advice/home-garden/jl-retail-report