The Tribune

By JADE RUSSELL

Tribune Staff Reporter

jrussell@tribunemedia.net

CHRISTMAS tree sales were steady and profitable for some retailers this year as many Bahamians rushed to decorate their homes for the holiday season.

A representative of The Christmas Tree Co-op, located on Prince Charles Drive, East Street, and Soldier Road, told The Tribune on Friday that the company sold out its stock a few days before its expected deadline. The representative noted there were no issues importing trees despite slightly higher costs. However, they highlighted a decline in demand for real Christmas trees, mentioning that last year, an overstock of trees did not align with the local market.

In Grand Bahama, Home Fabrics’ Freeport location also reported strong sales, with most of its Christmas trees sold out. Despite economic challenges and unemployment in the area, there was no evidence that the community’s holiday spirit was diminished.

Some retailers chose not to sell Christmas trees this year due to high import and freight costs.

Bruce Pinder, manager of Rocky Farms Nursery on Seabreeze Lane, said he stopped importing Christmas trees in 2019, just before the COVID-19 pandemic, due to rising fees. He explained that the cost of imported trees has become so high that they are affordable only for a select group of people.

“I try to bring in Christmas trees for everybody,” Mr Pinder said. He added that he does not foresee resuming Christmas tree sales in the near future.

Meanwhile, in the United States, some farms offered discounts to clear unsold stock. CBS News reported that farms in Massachusetts, such as Brooksby Farm in Peabody, reduced tree prices by $20 a week before Christmas.

"Our smallest one here looks like it's about 6 feet and they go up to about 8 feet," the farm's manager, Joanne Roden, told WBZ-TV.  "We were a little nervous going into the season with Thanksgiving being so much later. It gave us one less week of selling time. If they haven't gotten their tree yet, come on up here, we do have plenty of trees available." 

Ms Roden attributed the price increases partly to a drought that caused significant inventory losses for growers. For example, Vandervalk Farm in Mendon lost 500 out of 2,700 trees, prompting farms to raise prices to offset revenue losses. As a result, more customers are turning to artificial trees for their holiday decorations.