If you don't have any Christmas presents yet, you still have a week to think about it and still get some. The retail trade has so far registered a rather restrained purchasing behavior.
Rostock (dpa/mv) - The Christmas business has not really taken off in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania. The majority of retailers are dissatisfied with the sales development, said the general manager of the trade association Nord, Dierk Böckenholt, the German press agency. The Christmas business gained some momentum in the second week of Advent. "This is also due to the frosty weather, which creates a need for warm clothing such as jackets, hats, winter shoes and scarves," says Böckenholt.
But there is still "room for improvement". In many places, customer frequency fell short of expectations and, in particular, the results of 2019. Compared to the Corona years, however, it can be felt that customers are happy to come back to the cities to take the Christmas feeling with them. This is also due to the fact that the Christmas business and the Christmas markets could take place again this year without restrictions.
Although the Trade Association for the Northeast for the months of November and December is assuming a nominal increase in sales of 5.4 percent over the previous year, this corresponds to a real decline of 4 percent due to high inflation. According to the association, online trade, which has experienced strong sales growth in the last two years, will also feel the effects of customers' reluctance to buy this year.
