Monday 28th December is busiest shopping day of 2009, says Synovate
29 December 2009
UNITED KINGDOM — Latest footfall figures released by Synovate Retail Performance show that the bank holiday, Monday 28th December, was the busiest shopping day of 2009 so far. Synovate's Retail Traffic Index indicates that the number of people out shopping at non-food retail outlets on Monday was 1.2% higher than the previous busiest day of the year (Saturday 19th December, the final Saturday before Christmas Day) and fully 27.5% busier than Boxing Day, Saturday 26th December 2009.
Synovate's Dr Tim Denison explains, "These latest figures confirm that the start to the winter Sales has been an exceptionally busy one. It is very early days yet, but if these strong figures continue for the rest of the week, this final week of December (which continues up to Saturday 2nd January) could be the busiest of the whole year. Of course there is no guarantee that this will be the case, with more wintry weather and possible heavy snowfalls on the way, but the start of their Sales campaigns will satisfy most retailers.
"We must be cautious about how these figures should be interpreted", advises Denison, however. "I don't believe that this is symptomatic of a dramatic bounce back in consumer confidence. The strong performance is anchored around consumers considering making some expensive household purchases before the VAT rate returns to 17.5% in January. The strong footfall is also reflective of the fact that most retailers resisted going to mainstream Sale before Christmas. Indeed it is only since Christmas that shoppers are finding Sale bargains on the high street. In this regard then, the bubble is somewhat artificial and should not be taken to mean that consumers feel the recession is behind them. Sadly, 2010 may well prove even more difficult for retail than 2009 has already been."
Synovate's RTI figures for the full week commencing 20th December confirmed that total shopper numbers in the run-up to Christmas were down on 2008. Retail footfall levels were 8.1% lower than the previous week (w/c 13th December 2009) and showed a 14.0% deficit against the corresponding week of 2008 (w/c 21st December 2008).
Denison comments further, "These figures confirm that the last-minute rush to the shops that we saw in Christmas week last year failed to materialise this time around.
We must remember that last year just before Christmas, after a slow build-up, many retailers slashed prices to encourage people to the shops and help reduce the high stock piles. Their actions had maximum impact. This year, the situation is very different and retailers have witnessed solid trading, with little need to discount heavily. Consequently the surge in traffic is coming after Christmas this year. How December as a month pans out is still in the balance. There is still plenty to play for this week and every trading day will have a significant impact on the final results."
Enquiries for interviews with Dr. Tim Denison should be directed to Theo Chalmers at Verve PR on 01908 275271 (weekdays) or 07932 004632.
Contact(s) for this press release
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Chris Scoot
Synovate Retail Performance |
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34 Walker Avenue |
Telephone: +44 1908 682 700 |
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Theo Chalmers
Managing Director, Verve Public Relations |
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Park House, 8 Grove Ash |
Tel. +44 1908 275 271 |
Synovate Retail Performance provides footfall monitoring solutions, shopper tracking systems and in-store behavioural research to retailers worldwide. Its core products - Shopper Count, Shopper Interact and Shopper Engage - scientifically measure all aspects of a shopper experience from store entry to exit. It supplies national and international retailers with essential business metrics to drive accountability and performance improvement.
Synovate Retail Performance is home to the Retail Traffic Index series, which for over 10 years has been the industry's leading tracker of national, regional and sector retail footfall trends. It is also co-founder of the KPMG / Synovate Retail Think Tank, offering thought leadership on the state of retail health and the future of retailing.
General information for Synovate Retail Performance, email info.rp@synovate.com
Synovate Retail Performance Limited is registered in England and Wales under number 3552625 with its registered address at Minerva House, 5 Montague Close, London, SE1 9AY, UK. Synovate Retail Performance is a wholly owned subsidiary of Synovate.
About Synovate
Synovate generates insights to help clients drive competitive brand, product and customer experience strategies. Now part of Ipsos, with offices in over 80 countries, our approach combines best in class global research capabilities with personalised service, local knowledge and the flexibility to create teams and processes that meet clients' specific requirements. At Synovate, our clients sit at the top of our organisational chart, driving us to continually develop more innovative research solutions that predict actual business outcomes.
For more information on Synovate visit www.synovate.com.