Exactly this time last year, we challenged the people of Rhuthun to shop locally for their Christmas gifts. The same plea extends to this year.
In spite of the so-called credit crunch, there’s every sign that this Christmas will see record consumer spending, even ahead of last year’s. Yesterday, mainstream media were predicting a bonanza ahead of a major slowdown from January.
It seems Christmas this year will be a sort of storm before the calm.
Internet sales are expected to double to 14 per cent this Christmas. The trouble with internet sales is that they ignore the small trader on the doorstep, shopkeepers who rely on Christmas to stay afloat. Hardly sustainable.
But there was also some encouraging news for small retailers. A Deloitte report suggests local shops and even produce markets could be beneficiaries of the last Christmas blow-out before the recession. The report points to an “emerging trend” of more shoppers than ever wishing to shop locally. It seems “shoppers are making a conscious decision to support their local community”. An estimated 29 per cent of shoppers will visit smaller, independent stores, an increase of 20 per cent on last year.
Make your pound count in Rhuthun this Christmastide.
In spite of the so-called credit crunch, there’s every sign that this Christmas will see record consumer spending, even ahead of last year’s. Yesterday, mainstream media were predicting a bonanza ahead of a major slowdown from January.
It seems Christmas this year will be a sort of storm before the calm.
Internet sales are expected to double to 14 per cent this Christmas. The trouble with internet sales is that they ignore the small trader on the doorstep, shopkeepers who rely on Christmas to stay afloat. Hardly sustainable.
But there was also some encouraging news for small retailers. A Deloitte report suggests local shops and even produce markets could be beneficiaries of the last Christmas blow-out before the recession. The report points to an “emerging trend” of more shoppers than ever wishing to shop locally. It seems “shoppers are making a conscious decision to support their local community”. An estimated 29 per cent of shoppers will visit smaller, independent stores, an increase of 20 per cent on last year.
Make your pound count in Rhuthun this Christmastide.
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Shops