Mother’s Day 2026 confirmed something important for independent retail. Gifting is where growth is happening. It is where shoppers are spending, and it is where local small business retailers can still win.
Across a sample of 13 newsXpress stores, nine grew retail sales through the Mother’s Day period compared to last year, excluding lottery revenue. The pattern was clear. Stores that made a deliberate commitment to gifting performed better, while stores carrying more floor space for declining print categories were under pressure.
First up: why 13 stores? This is a selection of newsXpress stores across different retail settings and demographics where we could access the data quickly, right after the season.
Now, why do it now, and so quickly? This matters because the wider market is changing fast. Newspaper unit sales are down about 13 percent year on year nationally, and the newspaper publishing industry continues to contract. Magazine sales are proving more resilient, but the long-term drift in traditional print categories is undeniable. At the same time, national consumer demand for gifting remains strong, especially in categories such as plush, homewares, candles, jewellery and personal care.
The strongest stores in the newsXpress network did not grow by accident. One recorded a 57 percent in-store result, with growth across plush, toys, gifts, homewares and apparel. Another achieved a 31 percent result, with toys and gifts more than doubling. In both cases, the growth came from clear ranging decisions, strong display execution and a willingness to back categories that shoppers are actively looking for.
Cards were another bright point. Most stores recorded positive or flat card sales through the Mother’s Day period. That is important because cards still sit at the centre of many local retail businesses. When cards are supported by a strong gift offer, they remain highly relevant.
There is another lesson in the data. Growth is not only coming from existing customers spending more. Some of the best-performing stores grew both transaction count and average sale value. That means a stronger gift offer is helping attract new shoppers as well as increasing the value of each visit.
For retailers thinking about the future, the message is straightforward. The opportunity is not in hoping old categories recover. The opportunity is in making better use of your space, curating products that feel fresh and relevant, and building a business around what shoppers want now.
That is where newsXpress comes in. The group exists to help independent retailers compete and grow through data, supplier access, marketing support and practical guidance tailored to each business. If you are looking at your shop and wondering what the next chapter could look like, Mother’s Day 2026 offered a useful answer. The retailers who chose gifting, and acted with intent, were the ones who grew.
