By Amelia Cosgrove
Lincoln's Cornhill Market played host to a very festive gathering, as local Christmas decor specialists FizzCo brought together independent businesses from across the city to talk tinsel and twinkling lights.
There was an all Christmas treat for the city’s independent traders who were shown how get a glow up and get ahead for the coming festive season.
The event was all about encouraging businesses to think creatively about their festive displays this year and to discover just how easy Fizzco can make it.
Attendees didn't just listen to what Fizzco can offer, they got stuck in. A hands-on garland-making workshop gave independents the chance to see and feel inspired by what exactly what goes into building a piece of festive decor from scratch.
The demonstration came courtesy of Andrew and Paul, two of Fizzco's installation team who've clocked up 30 years each travelling all over the country putting up commercial displays.
The demo showed the pair pulling together a full commercial garland in around 15 minutes flat, hands moving so fast and so precisely it was genuinely hypnotic to watch. I think we should give Santa their CV?
Top Tip: for anyone taking notes for their own display, the Fizzco team let us in on a commercial secret - when adding lights to a wreath or tree, don't just wind them round the outside, better to push them deep into the greenery instead, creating a much richer, more layered glow and gives a far more professional, commercial finish than lights simply laid over the top.
Pick, Choose, Create
Fizzco's model offers businesses a "pick and choose" service; independents can browse Fizzco's extensive range of festive decor and select the pieces that suit their business on loan - rather than reaching for the same generic decorations as everyone else.
From there, it's over to the businesses themselves to get creative. From dressing windows, doorways and their interiors however they like through using Fizzco's decorations.
And when the season is over and it's time to pack Christmas away for another year, there's no need to spend hours untangling lights or wrestling decorations back into boxes. Fizzco takes care of all of that too, collecting everything and sorting it out ready for the next cool yule.
This is what I like about the Fizzco offer, rather than decorations being thrown away or replaced annually, the company refurbishes and reuses the same stock year on year - extending its life, cutting down on waste, and reducing the carbon footprint that comes with constantly manufacturing new décor.
It's a sustainable model that fits neatly with a growing appetite among Lincoln's independent business community to make more environmentally conscious choices, without that meaning any compromise on the ‘wow’ factor.
For traders who want to explore what's available beyond what Fizzco itself supplies, it's also worth knowing about Phoenix Stock, Fizzco's site for picking up commercial Christmas lights, motifs and decorations.
So, Who’s Behind FizzCo?
Leading the event was director Wendy Hollingsworth-Brown who runs Fizzco alongside her husband, Russell Brown.
The company was founded back in 2006 on a Christmas tree farm in rural Lincolnshire, launched by local farmer Alfred Rose as a sideline to his tree-selling business. Wendy joined that same year as only the fifth member of staff, at a point when the business was turning over around £500,000 a year. Finance-trained, with an MBA and a background at British Railways, she set about growing the festive side of the business into something much bigger.
The results speak for themselves.
Fizzco's turnover has since grown to more than £2 million a year, with the business now spanning three warehouses covering over 20,000 square feet and more than 16 permanent, year-round staff.
In 2020, Wendy became sole owner of the company, steering it through the pandemic and out the other side with growth intact.
Alongside her at the helm is her husband, Russell, who joined the business and helped it diversify into professional project management and large-scale Christmas installations for shopping centres - the side of the business that has since made Fizzco a genuine market leader.
Fizzco's reputation has grown along with it - in 2012, the company had the honour of decorating Number 10 Downing Street for the festive season.
In 2020, it invested over a million pounds in a new warehouse and showroom, giving clients the chance to see displays in three dimensions rather than just as 2D concepts.
Today, based at Lincoln Enterprise Park on Newark Road, Fizzco is one of the UK's leading names in commercial Christmas displays, working with shopping centres, retail parks, hotels, town centres and even cruise ships nationwide.
The company has picked up recognition for its efforts too, including Green Business of the Year and Winner of Winners at the Lincolnshire Business Awards in 2026, and Wendy herself has previously been shortlisted for Business Leader of the Year at the same awards.
Who would’ve known Lincolnshire is home to some very sustainable elves of its own.
Lincoln as a Christmas Destination
Lincoln has enormous potential as a Christmas city destination and it’s our independents and hospitality venues who are best placed to bring that to life.
A beautifully decorated pub, cafe or restaurant doesn't just look good for its own customers - it adds to the overall pull of the city, giving people even more reason to come into Lincoln, to stop and stare a little longer, and spend time (and money) across multiple venues. The whole city benefits.
For the excited business owners who came along that night, it's now a case of starting to plan: picking out decor, thinking about themes, and imagining how their shopfront or venue could look come December.
With Fizzco handling the sourcing, the take-down and the storage, there's very little standing between Lincoln's independents and a bit of proper festive magic this year - and a real chance to keep putting Lincoln on the map as a Christmas destination in its own right.
