The Christmas season is turning into a “disaster” for the retail trade for the second consecutive year, according to the German Retail Association (HDE).
According to a survey conducted by the Association among its 750 members, traders are disappointed with the Christmas movement this year and blame the measures taken to reduce the pandemic. “In many cases, traders are overwhelmed with frustration and even existential fear,” said HDE Director Stephen Gent. As he pointed out, the traffic in the run-up to Christmas was going well in November, however the introduction of the 2G rule (for access to stores only for vaccinated and sick people) caused the collapse of retail sales, with a decrease of more than 35% compared to the corresponding periods before the pandemic .
In the survey, more than three in four non-food retailers said they were unhappy with the flow of traffic, with clothing stores and even more so in downtown areas particularly affected.
Instead, the E-Commerce Association (BEHV) announced an increase in holiday traffic, as many consumers opted for online shopping. Specifically, sales from the end of October to the end of November increased by 15.8% compared to the previous year. Characteristic of the new habits of the last two years is the fact that, according to a survey by Ernst & Young, last year 60% of Germans planned not to buy gifts, but to donate money or gift certificates, worth an average of 58 euros.
SOURCE: ΑΠΕ-ΜΠΕ
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Source From: Capital
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