Customer frequency and sales therefore remained behind the figures for the corresponding week of the previous year. The German Trade Association discovered this in a survey of 300 retailers.
“It wasn’t a good week for most retail companies. The number of customers and sales were below the previous year for the majority of retailers. This meant that the Christmas business took a breather in many places,” said HDE Managing Director Stefan Genth. In the survey, over two thirds of the companies surveyed reported a decrease in visitor numbers compared to the previous year. This particularly often affected central city center locations and commercial areas. Only last Saturday did individual companies report significant sales momentum. Even among retailers from sectors with traditionally high sales shares in the Christmas business, such as toys, books and electronics, only 20% of the companies surveyed were satisfied with the sales development in the last week.
Overall, according to the HDE, one in six respondents sees the Christmas business as positive. Retailers are more than averagely satisfied with watches, jewelry, household goods and food. “Retailers are now hoping for a strong final spurt. Experience has shown that the last days before Christmas are among the strongest sales of the year,” says Genth.
For November and December this year, the HDE expects a total of 121.4 billion euros in retail sales in Germany. This corresponds to a nominal increase of 1.3% compared to the previous year.
