Fortnum and Mason, 2012

Fortnum and Mason's traditional holiday hampers are back, and this year, the company is ready for high demand. In 2011, technical glitches prevented Fortnum from filling a lot of orders--a costly problem for the firm, not to mention the problem of negative customer reaction.

For 2012, Fortnum revamped its supply chain and its info tech back-office support. Now its orders are well ahead of hamper sales two years ago.

And yes, Fortnum may be more than 300 years old, but it uses 21st century communications like online videos and Facebook to promote its hampers. It also maintains a Twitter account. Oddly, neither the FB nor the Twitter accounts are featured on the retailer's home page, although a Google search located them right away.

Fortnum also presents an online 'magazine' (not a blog) with articles about new products, background about where some foods come from and more info.

What about traditional holiday windows? Look for displays that tell the story of Dick Whittington, famous as Lord Mayor, if you visit Fortnum before the end of 2012.