Retail trade - Sunday sales open: Advent makes retailers optimistic
After the first weekend of Advent, retailers in Berlin and Brandenburg are cautiously optimistic about Christmas sales. Snow and the winter atmosphere had helped, especially on the Sunday when sales were open, said Phillip Haverkamp, Managing Director of the Berlin-Brandenburg Retail Association, to the German Press Agency.
Overall, retailers had started with the expectation that business - real sales adjusted for price increases - would be slightly weaker this year than in 2022. The consumer mood was cloudy and many people lacked confidence. Measured against this, business has "started quite well", said Haverkamp. The association expects 45 million euros in additional sales for Berlin and 26 million euros for Brandenburg from the Santa Claus business alone - for example, chocolate or small gifts.
Haverkamp criticized the fact that Sunday shopping in Potsdam had been cancelled at short notice following a trade union complaint. This was a disservice to customers, but also to employees, who were entitled to bonuses for working on Sundays. Where stores were open, for example in Brandenburg an der Havel and Beeskow, the assessment of business was similar to that in Berlin: cautiously optimistic.
The retail sector has had a mixed year. According to the Office for Statistics, real sales in Berlin fell by two percent in the third quarter compared to the same period last year. In the case of electronics, DIY and home improvement stores as well as furniture stores, the drop in sales was as much as 7.4 percent compared to the previous year. According to the statistics, the hospitality industry also recorded a price-adjusted drop in turnover of 9.9%.
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- The retail trade in Berlin and Brandenburg often sees an increase during the 'Advent business,' with customers purchasing gifts and festive items.
- Despite the cloudy consumer mood, retailers in Berlin and Brandenburg had a 'cautiously optimistic' start to the 'christmas business' after the 'advent weekend,' according to Phillip Haverkamp, Managing Director of the Berlin-Brandenburg Retail Association.
- Retailers in cities like Brandenburg an der Havel and Beeskow, who were able to open their stores on Sundays, reported a similar level of optimism to those in Berlin during the 'advent weekend.'
- The German Press Agency reported that Haverkamp expressed concern over the cancellation of Sunday shopping in Potsdam due to a trade union complaint, as it could negatively impact both customers and employees who are entitled to bonuses for working on Sundays during the 'Christmas business.'
Source: www.stern.de
