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The winter sales will start again today, and will run until January 31. Just like the previous sales periods, the corona pandemic is somewhat dampening the expectations of shopkeepers.
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jvhSource: BELGIAN
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A survey by the sector federation of independent fashion retailers Mode Unie revealed that slightly more than half of the businesses expect to sell as much as during the winter sales last year. About 40 percent expect a lower turnover.
According to the self-employed organization NSZ, there is also little optimism among retailers. Only a quarter expect a better turnover during the sales than in January 2021, it says, even though that was already a bad month. According to the NSZ, the income from the winter sales period was 40 percent lower last year than in 2020. The retailers also still have very large stocks, the self-employed organization also says.
Bad grades
The past year was therefore not great, emphasize both the NSZ and the Mode Unie. The survey by the latter sector federation shows that the sales of independent fashion retailers in the autumn were disappointing: 57.5 percent indicated that they had sold less than in the ‘normal’ year 2019, while only a fifth achieved a better result. On average, turnover was 15 to 20 percent lower than in 2019.
“However, the start of the winter season in September and October got off to a good start with sales that were at the level of 2019. However, since the tightened measures in November, we have seen a sharp drop in sales,” says Isolde Delanghe of the Mode Unie. “Working from home, limited catering, few events and smaller parties mean that consumers buy less clothing.”
In addition, closures in March and April last year had a major impact on turnover, emphasizes Ann Van Doren of the NSZ. “It’s an understatement that retailers are very concerned,” she says. “General sales are still very low.” Van Doren also points to the influence of teleworking. “Consumers are no longer going to the malls, either because they are already at home or because they are afraid of possible contamination. This explains why for half of retailers the main competitor is now online sales.”
According to the Mode Unie, fashion retailers start with discounts of 30 percent on average, which is in line with other years.
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