Cool reaction to sales season as bargain hunters frozen out

IT seems the icy weather put off many shoppers from hunting for a post-Christmas bargain last weekend.

“I would say without a doubt that Saturday’s figures were down, particularly in centres dependent on people travelling to them to shop,” said Torlach Denihan, director of Retail Ireland.

Mr Denihan said that shopping on New Year’s Day had been “pretty much cancelled out” because it was a public holiday.

“New Year’s Day is effectively a non-business day,” he said.

Mr Denihan said that with the bigger picture in mind retailers were really worried about the enormous drop in sales over the last 12 months.

“We only have robust and reliable data up to the end of October and that is telling us that the amount of cash taken in by retailers was down by 12% over the previous year.”

The fall in business was because people did not feel confident about spending money, not that they did not have it to spend.

“There is some hope that will change because the Budget was so decisive; people know where they stand and have some sense that the economy is not in free fall.”

Managing director of DSG Ireland (Currys/PC World) Declan Roynayne said some retail centres experienced a poor couple of days last weekend but described the loss of business as “modest”.

Mr Roynayne believed people were very specific about what they wanted to buy and were very responsive to value.

“People were very sensible in deciding not to travel over the weekend but they still have their shopping plans,” he pointed out.

“The small green shoots of consumer confidence we have seen on the back of the certainty of knowing there isn’t any more really bad news coming has been good for trade at Christmas and we are hoping it will be good for consumer confidence in 2010 too.”