The lifting of the 2G rule brought a fifth more customers nationwide on Saturday. Handelsverband Managing Director Rainer Will 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 is even more pronounced in the rural regions than in the metropolitan areas,” said Will. Many bargain hunters apparently wanted to get gifts for Valentine’s Day on Monday in time. Valentine’s Day is one of the most important shopping events of the year and the retail association hopes that up to 128 million euros in additional sales will flow into the coffers of the crisis-hit retailers.
Rainer Trefelik, chairman of the Federal Trade Division in the Chamber of Commerce, remains cautious about the end of the 2G rule. It will only become clearer in the second half of February how much sales growth it will bring. But every relaxation step is important, such as lifting the 2G rule in the catering trade in a week.
Source: Nachrichten
