Investment from
£25,000
Category
Event & Wedding Planning
Established
1999
About This Franchise
The Christmas Decorators is the country's leading professional Christmas decoration and lighting business, designing and installing spectacular displays for residential and commercial clients. Founded in 1999, the brand has grown into a network of 41 franchises across the country and Ireland, with A-list clients including Harrods, The Ivy, Ralph Lauren and the BBC. It's a unique seasonal franchise with year-round earning potential and minimal competition.
A detailed look at the The Christmas Decorators franchise opportunity, what's involved and what makes it stand out.
The Christmas Decorators Franchise is one of the most genuinely unique opportunities on the market. Established in 1999, the brand pioneered professional Christmas decorating in the country and remains the only franchise of its kind in Europe, which means franchisees enjoy little to no direct competition in their territories. Today the network operates 41 franchises across the country and Ireland, decorating over 2,000 homes in the last decade alongside an enviable list of commercial clients.
Franchisees have also worked on TV studios and film sets including The X Factor Christmas show, McDonald's Christmas TV commercials, and even the tree in Manger Square in Bethlehem. That kind of credibility opens doors that most new franchise owners would never get on their own.
Being part of The Christmas Decorators Franchise is far more varied than the name might suggest. As a franchisee, you offer a complete professional service that covers:
The Christmas Decorators has unique access to a proprietary product range you cannot buy anywhere else, plus the support of a head office team that secures national contracts and feeds qualified leads back to franchisees in the relevant territories.
One of the most attractive features of the Christmas Decorators model is the structure of the year. Rather than a flat 52-week grind, the business follows a natural rhythm:
It is important to separate the franchise fee from the wider start-up requirements. The headline figures for The Christmas Decorators Franchise are:
| Initial Investment | £25,000 + VAT |
| Working Capital (minimum) | £20,000 |
| Management Service Fee | 10% of net sales (annually in January) |
| National Marketing Levy | 2% of net turnover (capped at £1,000/yr) |
| Local Marketing | 2% of turnover recommended |
The business can be home-based at the start, with low overheads, and franchisees only typically need a small storage unit once their stock builds up. Funding support is available through the major franchise banks for suitable applicants.
New franchisees go through a structured nine-day intensive training programme that combines classroom-based business training with hands-on practical sessions for both interior and exterior installations. The brand is a Full Member of the British Franchise Association, which gives prospective franchisees confidence that the model has been vetted to the highest ethical standards.
Christmas remains one of the biggest annual spending occasions in the country. The British Retail Consortium reports that retailers, hospitality venues and high streets continue to invest heavily in festive presentation each year, viewing decorations as a profitable investment rather than a cost. As Europe's only franchise of its kind, The Christmas Decorators has this entire market to itself.
Existing franchisees frequently highlight how welcoming the head office team is, and how rewarding it feels to bring joy to local communities and clients.
This opportunity will appeal to creative, hard-working people with an eye for detail and strong people skills. You do not need previous decorating or installation experience because the training programme covers everything you need. You do need to be willing to work long hours during the autumn and early winter, and to enjoy the buzz of a season-led business.
If you would like to find out more about available territories or to attend the next discovery day, the next step is to enquire and request the full Christmas Decorators Franchise prospectus.
Interested in exploring more opportunities in this sector? Take a look at other Event & Wedding Planning franchise opportunities available on Franchise Hunt.
The Christmas Decorators began life thousands of miles from the UK. Founders Sarah and Nick Bolton were running a bar and restaurant in Aspen, Colorado, when they realised how much extra trade their festive decor was pulling in. Local businesses started asking them to decorate their premises too, the phone kept ringing with the same question, and the name stuck. When their son reached school age the family returned home to Liverpool and posted flyers door to door, eventually catching the attention of national media and a roster of premium clients.
The first franchised offices opened from 2007 onwards, and the brand has since been featured in its own one-hour Channel 4 documentary, Channel 4's Deck the Halls: The Luxury Christmas Decorators, which followed the team transforming the Natural History Museum, Blenheim Palace, Alder Hey Children's Hospital and London's Lansdowne Club.
For commercial clients, festive presentation is no longer a nice-to-have. Hotels, restaurants, shopping centres and flagship stores treat Christmas as their single most important footfall and dwell-time event of the year. Getting the design wrong, or worse, doing it badly in-house, costs reputation as well as revenue. That is why The Christmas Decorators' commercial roster includes the kind of brands that cannot afford to look anything less than spectacular in December.
On the residential side, demand has shifted from a single token tree to whole-house schemes covering exterior facades, garlands, wreaths, interior trees and themed rooms. Time-poor, design-conscious homeowners increasingly outsource the lot.
Every franchisee receives an exclusive operating territory, and the licence runs on a five-year term with the right to renew. Inside that territory you have no internal competition from other Christmas Decorators units, and because the brand is the only franchise of its kind in Europe, very little structured external competition either. Head office layers national contracts on top, securing relationships with corporate clients who have venues spread across the country and feeding the in-territory work directly down to the relevant local franchisee.
From early October through to mid-December the rhythm is intense and physical. A typical install day starts with a site visit, often at first light to avoid disrupting the client's trading hours, followed by exterior lighting work using cherry pickers or access towers, then a switch to interior schemes once the building opens up. Most franchisees run a small seasonal crew alongside themselves, and the brand's exclusive product range arrives pre-tested so on-site time is spent installing rather than untangling stock. By late December the focus shifts to maintenance call-outs, and January is reserved for take-down, condition checks and storage ready for next year's repeat order.
Enquire now to find out about available territories and the Christmas Decorators discovery process.
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Pricier than
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£25k
Under £30k
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To find out more about the The Christmas Decorators franchise opportunity, simply click below to fill out the form to speak with a representative from the brand.
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The minimum investment for a The Christmas Decorators franchise starts from £25,000. This typically covers the franchise fee, training, and initial setup. Additional costs such as premises, equipment, and working capital may apply.
Yes, The Christmas Decorators provides training for new franchisees. This typically covers operations, business management, marketing, and ongoing support to help you get started and grow your franchise.
The Christmas Decorators offers third party financing options to help prospective franchisees fund their investment. Contact the franchise directly for details on available funding support.
The Christmas Decorators was established in 1999. With 27 years of experience, the brand has built a track record in the UK franchise market.
The Christmas Decorators currently has 41 franchise outlets operating across the UK, demonstrating network coverage and brand presence.
The Christmas Decorators franchise opportunities are available across England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland. Contact the franchisor through the enquiry form to confirm specific territory availability in your area.
