2024-01-08 07:30:54
Whoever walked through any shopping center or area yesterday, surely came across countless times the posters of ‘Discounts‘. The gaudy lights and Christmas decorations have given way, overnight, to posters visible meters away, with percentage discounts and offers to end the Christmas festivities, starting another traditionally long-awaited period .
And the fact is that the establishments in Girona, such as El Corte Inglés or Espai Gironès, were strategically and exceptionally open throughout the day, showing off the great offers they had for sale. “We usually work on Saturdays; on Sundays everything is usually closed. In any case, we already know that if we work in this sector, January 7 is like making August for us”, explained a clerk at a clothing store in Espai Gironès. In fact, the sectors that traditionally get the most juice from sales are “the fashion and footwear sector, without a doubt, and household products, with an indirect but very important impact on the restoration” as he explained Paul Jordan, manager of Espai Gironès. In this case, the restaurant deserves a separate mention, since it is one of the biggest beneficiaries of the activity generated by the sales, despite not making discounts and keeping the offer intact. In this shopping center, for example, only bars, restaurants and the cinema are open on Sundays. Therefore, practically all the customers who travel there go there expressly to have a meal. Yesterday, on the other hand, a very high percentage of customers made their stops for lunch or to have a bite and gather strength to continue with the shopping day. The joy of a strong start to sales, “with discounts of up to 60%”, comes after one of the best Christmas campaigns: “The influx of people in December was 5% more than in 2022 and 9% more than in 2019. We are talking about 756,000 people in total”, said Jordà.
In the center of Girona, the mild temperature and the sunny day with no threat of rain facilitated the influx of people for the start of the campaign. An indicative fact that foreshadowed a change of era in theCommercial axis of the city center was the image of Plaça Independencia, facing the closed Christmas Market but still with stalls set up. The Fair ended last Saturday, and the Christmas excitement has given way to the winter sales. The president of Girona Center – Eix Comercial, Mercè Ramírez de Cartagena, commented that “the sales are expected to last between seven and ten days. They used to last longer, though now sales can be made at any time and it is deseasonalizing.» Of course, this year the trade in Girona has counted on the presence of «a lot more people from the south of France, as well as many Catalan people and from the rest of Spain who spend the night here. Girona is fashionable and healthy because of people who come from outside. The job is to make it possible, viable and sustainable.” However, Pau Jordà warns that the sales at Espai Gironès will last “until there is stock”, which he expects to be at the end of January or even during the first two weeks of February.
Discounts more often
The liberalization of sales decreed in 2012 has de-seasonalized these periods. “We have done a survey and the pre-campaign is being focused on Black Friday and it is becoming a widespread fact. The bridge on the 6th and 8th of December this year has been a very big bridge and people spend a lot, but sales stop until 2-3 days before Christmas. Then, between Christmas and Kings, people have holidays and go back to shopping» explained Ramírez de Cartagena. The manager of Espai Gironès, considers that Black Friday purchases “are different purchases. This month of October was very hot and autumn fashion was sold a month later, in November, until Black Friday. They weren’t Christmas purchases, but seasonal clothes.’
Minor expense
The increase in the CPI has affected many families. A study carried out by the Spanish Association of Consumers (Asescon) foresees that those who are going to compare es will spend an average of 164 euros, 21 euros less than last year. In any case, according to Ramírez, it would be more about a change in consumption trends: “Now people are very focused on personal experiences: eating, traveling… This ultimately damages commerce, which is changing because habits they change The restaurant industry is the sector that benefits the most.”
#Christmas #excitement #practicality #sales