The sales period started this Sunday with a good rhythm and the commercial sector forecasts that consumption will maintain the inertia of the Christmas campaign, which has been positive. The National Association of Large Distribution Companies (Anged), an association that brings together companies such as El Corte Inglés, Ikea, Carrefour or Mediamarkt, expects “a good campaign”, driven largely by the sale of fashion and accessories. The textile has suffered for much of the last four months of 2023 due to the unusually high temperatures of the fall. But the arrival of the cold these days has stimulated their sales and they are confident of being able to dispose of the stocks they have accumulated.
For its part, the Spanish Confederation of Commerce (CEC) expects a 5% increase in sales compared to the previous year, despite the fact that “large discounts” are not made “due to” the high extra costs that have greatly narrowed the margins for merchants.” As for the average spending per customer, it is estimated that it will reach 80 euros, a figure that would reflect “not so much the foreseeable increase in sales but rather the increase in prices as an effect of inflation.” Regarding the duration, they consider that the majority of purchases will be concentrated during the first two weeks of the campaign.
The president of the Catalan association Comertia, David Sánchez, predicts sales figures similar to those of last year, but points out that turnover will increase by approximately 5% due to the rise in costs. “An increase in turnover but with the same units sold.”
Although January 7 traditionally marks the start of the winter sales, some companies launched them a few days before, especially through their websites and applications.
The brands of the Inditex group (Zara, Bershka, Massimo Dutti or Stradivarius) activated the discounts on their website on Saturday afternoon, January 6 and on January 7 in their physical stores, as well as El Corte Inglés in its shopping centers. The influx to the main axes of the city centers was high this Sunday.
