Sports Insurance Blog

The recession has bought around some pretty gloomy financial forecasts for many small and large businesses up and down the country however there may be one ray of light that is helping people through this difficult time. Valentine’s Day has caused a much needed boost on the high street and spas, florists and card shops are reaping the rewards. Loved ones are going there and buying their partners all sorts of romantic gifts from spa gift vouchers to a massive bunch of flowers. The national retail section of the UK forecast that people will spend anything from £5 to £100 on a Valentine’s Day gift per person which is really starting to put dollar signs in business owner’s eyes.
It is about time that the country had a bit of luck in respect to people flocking back onto the streets. From a financial point of view shops are in desperate need of people loosening their purse strings a little and going out and spending. Cupid must not have heard about the recession, orders are still pouring into local florists from around the country. People want a dozen roses or a bunch of red tulips for their loved one and demand is extremely high!For one small shop in a tiny town called Shropshire, they have already ordered 3,000 roses to cater for people’s orders and they are about to order another 3,000 to cope with the work load.
Finally, a bit of good news in the retail sector! Considering that a lot of people wait until the last minute to give a gift a lot of the retail sector will still be expecting sales right up until the day itself – knowing most men out there!
Most business from around the country is waiting until the 14th when they believe most men will be making their orders. Personally, I think Valentine’s Day is a little bit over rated. After all, it is just an American invention but we all seem to follow it religiously every year without fail.

Everyone will know the singer Amy Winehouse from the constant press that she has received over the past four or so years. Constant binge drinking and drug taking, Amy Winehouse has equally been known for her extravagant lifestyle and her incredible singing voice.
She is most recently known for another particular habit. Spending lots and lots of money on spa treatments. Amy Winehouse has recently splashed out a staggering £6,000 on massages and facials during her stay at the exclusive Le Sport spa hotel in St Lucia. The hotel’s spa offers detox and rejuvenation programmes as well as exotic facials with flowers, herbs and even yogurt. This is so much more different from any London spas that she may of been use to and the fact that she is out in the sun all day recovering for her excessive life style is warming for her soul. Before she went to this hotel spa resort her body was covered in sores and a very serious bout of impetigo caused half of her face to swell up. Now however she is at least on the right lines to some form of recovery. She definitely looks a lot healthier. 
The young pop sensation, Amy Winehouse has also recently announced that she has given up her usual diet of ten crunchie bars a day, orange lucozade and burgers for loads of fresh fruit and fish. The hotel manager Andrew Barnard said in a press statement this week: “We had Amy on a diet and exercise programme as she really was not well when she arrived here earlier in the year. But now she is mentally and physically stronger than ever before. The hotel in St.Lucia has completely grown in popularity recently, people are enquiring on a daily basis on vacancies that they may have this summer. The hotel has also decided to hand out spa gifts for anyone who is staying with them from January to June this year.

The Spa industry enjoyed a healthy 25% annual growth from 2002 until 2008 alone, when expansion fell to just 6% on domestic political turmoil and the world travel downturn. The Thai Spas Association president Andrew Jacka said spa operators around the world needed to focus far more on Thai customers as relying on foreign tourists is a weakness in the current situation.
Spa vouchers have recently become far more popular in western society and have really helped revolutionise the industry. In Thailand foreign tourists might go to a spa five to ten times during the two to three week period they stay in Thailand however that could only ever happen once or maybe twice a year and that is it. Thailand’s spa industry currently employs about 50,000 people, the world’s seventh highest national workforce in the entire sector. It ranks 18th globally in terms of revenue which is a staggering figure to understand.
In Europe the Spa industry has never been so healthy, people are more than happy to treat themselves in these depressing economic times, people need that escape factor and a spa can offer that. Unfortunately, things are not really as cheap as they are in Bangkok, Thailand. Because of the recent airport scares in Thailand many tourists have been put off to come into the country which has led the spa industry to rely on heavy discounts and offering BOGOF deals. Once tourists start flocking back into the country these deals will eventually wear off however for now, the economy is being hit hard by one of its most flourishing industry’s suffering badly.
The spa industry needs to establish itself more as an online presence in order to maximise profit and simply advertising from your shop window is not enough anymore. People want to be able to see the products you have to offer at your spa on the web where it is way more convenient.