The trade association expects a sales increase of around 200 million euros per week for stationary trade compared to the last 13 weeks. “The increased number of customers can be felt all over Austria, but it is much more pronounced in rural areas than in metropolitan areas,” said Will. There were even queues in front of some shops, which may also be due to the Valentine’s Day discounts. “Nationwide, our dealers can look forward to a sales increase of around 20 percent compared to the last Saturdays,” Will drew a first, consistently positive balance.
Video: That’s what the merchants say
“One swallow doesn’t make a summer”
That of Rainer Trefelik, chairman of the Federal Trade Department in the Chamber of Commerce, is much more cautious. Yes, the customer frequency is significantly higher than in the past few weeks, but the feedback that you have received from the dealers is not representative because there are strong distortions, for example in Vienna due to the semester break and the demos. “One swallow does not make a summer and one day of opening does not make a balance,” said Trefelik. You will only see things more clearly in the second half of February. But every relaxation step is important, such as lifting the 2G rule in the catering trade in a week.
Valentine’s Day gifts wanted
In a sector comparison, flower, jewellery, decoration, sweets and fashion retailers as well as drugstores are among the busiest shops today. Many bargain hunters apparently wanted to get gifts for Valentine’s Day on Monday in time. Valentine’s Day has been one of the most important shopping events of the year for decades and this year the retail association hopes that up to 128 million euros in additional sales will flow into the coffers of the crisis-hit retailers. The decisive question now is whether the high customer frequency today was just a one-off effect of Valentine’s Day.
Shopping streets well frequented
The mild weather today probably also contributed to the higher customer frequency. The major shopping streets of the country were consistently well frequented in the bright sunshine in the afternoon. The most recent steps to open up body-hugging services also had a positive impact on the number of visitors in retail. At a large electronics retailer in Vienna, customers sometimes had trouble finding a sales consultant, just like in the pre-Corona times.
No more understanding for demos
The joy of the dealers is clouded by the Corona demos in the inner cities of Vienna and Graz. Corresponding warnings in the media, for example to avoid the city of Vienna, have cost the watch, jewelry and fashion trade in the first district a lot of sales, the trade association complains. “Many merchants in the inner cities no longer understand the weekly demos of the opponents of the Corona measures,” explained Stephan Mayer-Heinisch, President of the Trade Association.
Source: Nachrichten
