The period of traditionally high New Year sales this year did not meet the expectations of non-food retailers. In some stores, traffic fell by 30%, writes “Kommersant. "
In particular CEO of Inventive Retail Group (re: Store, Samsung, Sony Center, Lego, Nike, Street Beat, Rookie, etc.) Tikhon Smykov notes that the total traffic in shopping centers during the New Year holidays was significantly lower than expected.
Fashion Consulting Group CEO Anna Lebsak-Kleimans noted that last December did not bring high sales to the fashion segment. “The behavior of customers can be described as thoughtful and rational: people tend to buy exactly what they need, when they need it, and at the best price,” the expert comments.
The decline in retail turnover is a consequence of the macroeconomic crisis. According to Rosstat, in 2015 the volume of retail trade in non-food products decreased by 10,9% (to 14,12 trillion rubles) compared to the same period of the previous year, and by the end of 11 months of 2016 (period January - November) it fell by another 5,1% (to 10,4 trillion rubles).
According to the director general of the agency "Infoline-analytics" Mikhail Burmistrov, a general decrease in sales is indicated by sharply increased marketing activity of retailers: there were significantly more discounts and various promotions during the holidays this year than a year ago. The decline in retailers' sales, in his opinion, can be explained by a decrease in inflation "ruble prices for goods practically did not grow, and in the context of a decrease in real incomes of the population, the average check of retailers practically did not increase." According to Rosstat, in 2016 the inflation rate reached a record low for Russia at 5,4%, a year earlier it was 12,9%. Among the other factors that negatively impacted New Year's sales, the expert cites the reduction by citizens of their expenses, a 70 percent increase in cross-border trade turnover, as well as an increase in the number of Russians who went abroad for the winter holidays.
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