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Have post-Christmas sales lost their appeal?

New figures from the UK show that high street shopping figures from Monday to Friday of last week...
Newstalk
Newstalk

13.35 4 Jan 2016


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Have post-Christmas sales lost...

Have post-Christmas sales lost their appeal?

Newstalk
Newstalk

13.35 4 Jan 2016


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New figures from the UK show that high street shopping figures from Monday to Friday of last week fell by 3% when compared to the same period in 2014.

Research published by Springboard shows that this is in contrast to a jump of 6.2% experienced during the previous year.

Retail Ireland still predicts Christmas sale figures will match its forecast of an increase in spending of 3.5% during the Christmas period.

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Speaking to Newstalk, Retail Ireland Director Thomas Burke said that anecdotal evidence suggests that sales will "remain strong."

He added that while some retailers have felt the effects of the numerous storms which have hit Ireland over Christmas and that some consumers are not in a "shopping frame of mind" in areas which have been affected by flooding, retail performance has remained strong.

Speaking before Christmas, he commented that Black Friday is an "increasingly important promotional window for retailers," and that this could lead to lower sales later in the period.

Retail Ireland will publish figures tracking trends in Irish retail during the period later in January.

In the UK, Springboard analyst Diane Wehrle says that a shift towards online shopping and customers' expectation that retailers would offer their discounts well ahead of Christmas were the two main factors which resulted in shoppers staying at home.

A number of key-British retailers, including Marks and Spencer, Next and John Lewis will release Christmas trading reports in the coming days.


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