Retail shows confidence for Advent - there is still room for improvement according to HDE

Retail shows confidence for Advent - there is still room for improvement according to HDE

According to a report by www.n-tv.de, a survey by the German Trade Association (HDE) shows that confidence in retail for the Christmas business is slowly growing. Although only just under half of the companies are satisfied with their sales so far, the emerging festive mood is clearly noticeable in the Christmas business. The HDE managing director, Stefan Genth, expresses optimism for the coming weeks and traditionally calls the Advent season the time of the year with the highest sales.

According to the survey, there is currently still significant room for improvement, as 54 percent of companies are dissatisfied with their sales, especially in clothing and footwear retail. Weak customer frequencies, especially in the city centers, are cited as the reason for this, despite some impulses on the Saturday before the first Advent. However, retail companies in urban suburbs, district centers and commercial areas are significantly more satisfied. The food, electronics, toys and sporting goods sectors are recording positive developments, with larger companies being happier than smaller ones.

The coming weeks of Advent are traditionally considered to be the busiest time of the year in terms of sales, and the HDE expects an increase of 1.5 percent compared to the previous year, with sales of just over 120 billion euros.

Based on these facts, one can assume that the current festive mood and optimism among retailers will lead to new impulses in retail. The increase in dealer confidence and the HDE's expectations indicate that the Christmas business will lead to an increase in sales in the coming weeks. This could have a positive impact on the market and the financial industry, as increasing retail sales can also impact other economic sectors.