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06.01.2011
The Christmas decorations are down, the trees have gone to the tip, everyone has returned to work and the leisure sector is seeing an increase in gym memberships…. (Well, for a few weeks anyway.)
Everyone seems to be busy giving their views on the year ahead and how the economy will perform, with a key topic being if the VAT increase will have a negative impact on the economy? Will it stall the recovery or will consumers ignore the increase?
The retail sector is traditionally a good measure of consumer confidence and whilst there are some mixed signals, January sales have started strongly with packed shops and shopping centres, cafes and restaurants. The FTSE has also jumped over the 6000 mark. So a positive start to the first week.
We’ve also been seeking answers from a number of our clients - retailers, store managers and area managers - who all have expressed quiet confidence for 2011. The restructuring, painful redundancies and tightening of belts in 2009/2010 have helped many of them to become stronger, leaner and more competitive. With a number of retailers planning new stores including ‘Waitrose’, ‘The Entertainer’ and ‘The Original Factory Shop’ then we are predicting a positive but challenging year for retail, retailers and retail managers although with HMV announcing the closure of stores, the high street still has challenges ahead.
