Christmas has a major impact on the workload of most businesses. Whether it means gearing up for a festive rush, or preparing for a slowdown over the holiday period, planning how to handle the change in a firm’s activity will be key if small business owners are to make the most of the season.

One such business is Bedroom Athletics Ltd based in Newport.

The business established in 2009 and supported by Barclays, is an independent local business which retails stylish and fashion-led slippers, indoor footwear and loungewear for women and men, with 60 per cent of turnover linked to the to the festive season.

Employing 12 staff, which rises to 20 during the Christmas period, and with turnover set to exceed £2,800,000 this year, the business has grown from simple beginnings to having its product on the shelves of John Lewis, Office and Lipsy to name but a few of the high street retailers showcasing this high end quality brand.

Howard Wetter, MD at Bedroom Athletics Ltd, said: “We retail high-quality loungewear and slippers ranging from between £25 and £60.

"As well as our wholesale business, we also retail from our own online site www.bedroomathletics.com.

"The Christmas period is so important for us, as slippers make the perfect gift.

"On Black Friday last year we experienced 104,000 page views to our website, our busiest traffic day all year and we expect the same again this year. We have worked hard using search engine optimisation techniques to ensure we appear within the first two pages when anybody searches for slippers online.”

Andrew Price, Barclays business banking manager, said: “As champions of local business, it is essential that we support local growing businesses such as Bedroom Athletics Ltd.

"We do this by really understanding the business and issues they have faced, Barclays has been able to support the business throughout its development. The business growth is an endorsement of the highly successful business Howard and his team has developed.

"Winning new contracts and with turnover forecast to increase next year Howard is a great example of how experience and attitude can develop a successful business.

"Other trades may envy increased turnover at Christmas, but the extra business can be a mixed blessing if it’s not properly planned for. Additional staff, cash flow pressure and stock levels are just some of the considerations to ensure a successful festive period. Planning is the key to making the most of the season.”

Howard said: “We are actively looking to grow the business and have diversified into the summer market with Beach Athletics, which retails summer footwear and clothing but our next big push is into the US. We are already in 120 US stores and available via US online retailer Zappo but we plan to target another 25 major US retailers next year and launch our own US website giving us access to the massive US market. We are establishing Bedroom Athletics as a quality brand recognised domestically and internationally and also plan to open three to four retail stores over the next two years.”