Retailers Upbeat For Christmas

Northern Irish retailers are confident that this Christmas season will see a positive increase in sales and a boost in the country’s economy as the UK’s finances continue to improve.

With the upcoming period a crucial sales quarter for retailers, the news of an increase in the spending habits of consumers is a welcome change.

In fact, according to the GfK consumer confidence survey, the UK consumer is more confident than ever in terms of spend, with confidence levels peaking for the first time in eight years. The retail sector looks poised to receive some of that increased spending confidence in December.

Orla Jackson, chief executive of the Newry Chamber of Commerce and Trade, said: “Our retailers in Newry are looking forward to the Christmas season. Already they have recorded an increase in sales and they are confident that the Southern shoppers will be coming up to shop as they traditionally do!”

With it regarded as a regular occurrence for Ireland’s shoppers to cross the border and indulge in Northern Ireland’s trade offering, particularly in Newry, the economy does seem ready to embrace a spending spree unseen since the recession’s descend in 2008.

Andrew Irvine, city centre manager of Belfast, agreed with Orla in that his retailers are ready and raring to go in what is gearing up to be a very positive Christmas retailing season, though he is realistic about the speed at which the economy is improving.

He said: “Year to date, if you look at 2014 compared to this time in 2013, in the city centre we are around 2 per cent ahead on sales compared to where we were mid-November 2013. We have been seeing for a while a very slow growth, but it is growth despite being in the single digits.”

Andrew also commented on the willingness of all Belfast retailers to embrace online sales as just as important as sales in store.

“City centre retailers are all very sophisticated in terms of how they bring together their online business and their stores. They have a very solid strategy about what they call “clicks and bricks”, and they are quite happy to be retailing the product as long as it comes from their business.

“We wouldn’t have anybody in the city centre who isn’t up to date on how their online business and how their business in the city centre work together.”

Aodhan Connelly, director of the Northern Ireland Retail Consortium, also had realistic views on the way in which the economy was growing at a slow but steady pace.

He said: “It’s a mixed bag for the retail industry in Northern Ireland. We have seen a lot of months where footfall increased, and then it decreased but footfall does not equate to sales. In November and December we hope for an uplift.

“Unemployment rates and vacancy rates continue to fall and consumer confidence continues to rise which is promising. We must remember that a good Christmas for retail means a good Christmas for all.”