The trade advances the sales to encourage consumption

Since the middle of the month the banners have started with discounts to encourage consumption, 'touched' by high inflation. / JUAN CARLOS ALONSO

Most brands have already started with discounts, without waiting for the traditional date of July 1, to attract spending. The canaries will pay 25% more this summer than in 2021

«If you have to spend between 80 and 100 euros more per month to fill the tank of your car; you pay electricity 20 or 30 euros more per month and also, going to the supermarket is increasingly expensive and you have the same salary, it is clear that you have to cut from somewhere.

With these words explained yesterday a small businessman, owner of two multi-brand stores in two shopping centers in Gran Canaria,
the effects that inflation is having on the commercial sector of the islandsespecially in the fashion segment: clothing, footwear and accessories.

This branch of commerce was especially affected by the pandemic and, despite the improvement in sales at the beginning of the year, it has not yet recovered the figures for 2019. Inflation is now emerging to punish it again.

In response,
to encourage consumption and achieve a rebound in sales, the trade has chosen this year to advance the sales.

Since the middle of the month, the big brands and franchises in the fashion sector started with discounts and rebates, some limited to the online channel and others also in physical stores.

Even brands subscribed to the traditional start dates -although today the sales have been liberalized since 2012- have decided to start this week with discounts on some of their brands, as is the case of Massimo Dutti from
Inditex.

Until
The English Court The discount period will begin this year on June 23, one day before the festival of San Juan, without waiting for the traditional July 1. The discounts will coincide with the first weekend of the school holidays.

The small business will wait for July 1 despite the difficulties it is going through. The reduced sales in season do not allow you to go to discounts because you would lose the little margin you have left.

The objective of each other, large and small, is to achieve the sales figures of the 2019 sales, although all agree that the challenge is not easy. How do you recognize big and small?
the economic situation and uncertainty 'weigh' on the consumer despite social life is fully recovered and there is a desire to go out and make up for time lost in the years of the pandemic.

“To match the figures of 2019 we should grow between 10% and 15% compared to last year. That would be a good sales campaign but it's complicated. At least we hope to equal those of last year", indicates the president of the Federation of Urban Areas of the Canary Islands (Fauca),
Abbas Moujirwhich assures that the situation of small businesses on the islands is worrying.

"Inflation is taking its toll on families, who are allocating more money to basic necessities and are holding back the purchase of non-essential products, such as fashion," he says. In addition, in his case, as he points out, businessmen do not have the capacity to go for aggressive discounts and advance sales.

At this point, Moujir clarifies that the commercial sector is large and very fragmented, so generalities cannot be established as statistics do.

"A business that is in the center of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria and Santa Cruz de Tenerife and another that is in Arucas, Telde or Granadilla is not the same," says Moujir. "The increase in retail sales that the statistics point to is not the same for everyone," he notes.

The president of the Canarian Association of Medium and Large Distribution Companies (Asodiscan),
alfredo medina, is confident of reaching the 2019 sales sales. "Staying at -5% would also be a good figure," he says. He says they will be "good" at discounts and merchandise volume.

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