This is no time for celebrations, as we said in other e-mails, but there are positives we can take from 2020. The pandemic created very difficult situations and imposed many limitations (lockdowns, travel restrictions, store closures) having a significant impact on different sectors. We were realistic from the start: our clothes and products were not essential goods. Shopping could wait. Yet thanks very much for being there for us!

We thank you because despite everything, 2020 was a year of significant growth. Our total turnover increased 54%, with our online turnover growing even more dramatically by 116%. This was possible thanks to you and every customer who put their faith in Trendsplant. The turnover of our traditional store in Alicante fell by 7%, which we saw as quite positive after three months of closure due to the lockdown and a summer that was not great for tourism in our city.

These were the top-selling products from 2020 helping us to achieve those figures: Pack of Washable Masks, "my mask protects you, your mask protects me"; Navajo T-Shirt, a classic brand that keeps getting better; Navy Navajo Hoodie, we think it's your favorite of all our products; Color Block Hoodie, right now everything points to this becoming a new classic; Bamboo Socks, you'll find it hard to find more comfortable socks. In all, we have fulfilled 5,397 orders for these products and the rest of the catalog, 2,354 from Spain and 3,043 from abroad.

Since December, each of our orders have also included a Trendsplant chocolate bar produced by our friends at Chocolates Pérez. With your Christmas shopping we wanted to give you a little gift, a product manufactured near us in Villajoyosa, by one of the most traditional family businesses in Alicante and indeed Spain. We’d like you to rate that gesture below, but let us tell you a little more about this family chocolate business.

Its origins were tentative and difficult (just like last year). Decades were spent avoiding inclement weather by making journeys at unholy hours to ensure the chocolate reached its destination in perfect condition. Only four of the many chocolate businesses founded in the 19th century have survived into the 21st century. One of them has been Chocolates Pérez, along with Chocolates Valor, Chocolates Marcos Tonda and Chocolates Clavileño.

When we talk to Chocolates Pérez, they always like to remind us of Gaspar Pérez Pérez, their founder. He brought chocolate to other communities. He began selling his chocolate in the city of Valdepeñas, taking advantage of the fact that there lived his sister, the owner of a tavern, Hermenegilda Pérez Pérez. His visits to his sister by mule and cart were a very good opportunity to sell his chocolate. The journey by cart to Castile-La Mancha lasted three weeks, avoiding the inclement weather to ensure the chocolate reached its destination in the best condition.Chocolate makers concentrated production between fall and winter and sold their chocolate for Christmas. Imagine the adventures and misfortunes enjoyed during those journeys!

The continuity of the Chocolates Pérez business is assured by new generations of chocolate makers, like Gaspar Pérez Lloret and his son, a boy of almost three called Gaspar Pérez Llinares. Chocolates Pérez continues to sell in Alicante province and Ciudad Real, maintaining its tradition of providing the best product and making its manufacturing processes as efficient as possible.

We wanted this anecdote to encourage you to relish tradition and think about your experience of 2020. But above all, we’d like you to think that 2021 will no doubt be so much better. Before we finish, we’d like you to give your feedback on the gesture we performed during the Christmas campaign. To complete the survey, click here. Please give us a couple of minutes of your time to help us know what you think and get to know you better as a customer during 2021. Thanks again!