The post-Christmas sales landscape has changed, but there are still bargains to be found there
The breeze of a festive bargain will have traditional post-Christmas sale aficionados out today as they get rid of turkey carcasses and hunt for heavily discounted items.
A series of shopping malls open at 9am today while the country’s two largest department stores, Brown Thomas and Arnotts in Dublin, open at 10am, offering up to 50% off fashion items apparel, accessories, shoes, children’s clothing and home appliances.
However, many parts of the sales suite are gone. The Next store chain, which has traditionally been the leader in St Stephen’s Day fees, which caused the pre-dawn line to open at 6am, has pushed back its sale until tomorrow. It’s another example of how the post-Christmas sales landscape has changed.
Savvy shoppers took advantage of cross-platform sales discounts throughout November, with a range of deals wrapped around Black Friday/Cyber Monday. There are constant sales in stores and special discounts the night before Santa arrives.
Retailers have seen a very active trading week.
The Dunnes Stores flagship store in Cornelscourt, Dublin, is open for 24 hours while the Marks & Spencer store in Dundrum Town Center, Co Dublin, opens at 6am, serving eager shoppers to buy. shop.
Louis Copeland stores in Dundrum Shopping Center and in Dublin’s Wicklow Street both reported record sales last week, the best in 10 years, with a particular increase in items.” conventional smarts” luxury, according to the group’s general manager David O’Connor.
Shelly Corkery, fashion purchasing manager at Brown Thomas Arnotts (BTA), reports that they had “a great season, womenswear was phenomenal, menswear was very good and footwear had a great season too. great”.
She points to “adapability and function” as key for 2023 and says that “fashion has changed like never before this season and if people buy a jacket, they want one that can be adjusted.” Adjust it in your wardrobe for day and night use.”
If people are predicting the demise of brick-and-mortar stores, this Christmas has underscored just how much the ‘retail craze’ is returning.
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People will be careful with how they spend – and whether they have money left for the January sale remains to be seen.
Duncan Graham, chief executive officer of Retail Excellence, confirmed that “online trading has dropped a bit this year, certainly past the Christmas period and brick-and-mortar shopping is back.
“People are spending more time browsing through stores than they were two years ago. In previous years, shoppers were in and out of stores very quickly, but this time they spend more time in towns. They are absorbing and enjoying the Christmas atmosphere, and have spent more time in the store,” he said.
“We have not seen the increase in online spending that we have seen in the last two years. When you compare it to 2019 levels, it’s still higher.”
Mr. Graham said that while visitor arrivals have increased compared to previous years, spending levels are the same if not lower, and that reflects people being very conscious of the cost of energy and cost of living.
“People will be careful how they spend it – and whether they have money left for the January sale remains to be seen,” he said.
“But for sure the product will be there and we will shop more freely like we did in previous years.”
While the recent cold snap and snowfall have boosted online sales, it’s also spurred people to ‘shop locally’ – something that has been strong since the pandemic. Neighborhood shopping will make up a significant portion of the retail pie as we approach the end of the year.
Transactions in December will be between €5.3 billion and €5.4 billion. Mr. Graham forecast “a period of reasonable discount for the retail industry”.
Don Nugent, center director of Dundrum Town Center, said: “At the start of operations we closed that gap compared to 2019 every week but what we saw in terms of the pattern was that people shopped earlier this year.
“Our research has shown that 30% of our shoppers start their Christmas shopping before mid-October compared to 18% last year, so that means they’re already planning is different.”
When it comes to spending, a clue is always in the gift card. “Our average download value on gift cards has increased by 15% this year,” Mr. Nugent confirmed.
“People are spending but they keep an eye on January and prices are driving behavior,” he said.
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Shoppers desperately want a bargain as they deal with the cost of living crisis. Photo: Dinendra Haria/SOPA
So what will shoppers find in stores during the sale?
There are many products around with some shortcomings, mainly in well-known electrical products, but the return to normal supply chain is an important issue.
Last year, some fashion stores tried to eliminate seasonal inventory as supply chain issues and the Suez Canal incident during the pandemic hit deliveries hard.
This year, Spring-Summer 2023 goods have been delivered to some stores, so businesses will be eager to clear their goods and welcome winter to make room for the new season.
This could also mean steep discounts aimed at speed, which can only be good news for bargain hunters looking for value, and it’s the most important buzzword in retail: longevity. .
‘Our sales will start today, but only online – we will wait until tomorrow to open the store’
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Jane and Ruth Flanagan, who run Style Ignite. Photo: Frank McGrath
Sisters Jane and Ruth Flanagan are Generation Z fashion entrepreneurs who are selling their Christmas sales their way – choosing to shop online today and then wait until tomorrow to open their stores.
The couple founded Style Ignite, their sustainable knitwear brand, and their website for 18 months when they moved to Tullyallen, Co Louth, during the pandemic.
Last Christmas, the sisters were part of a pop-up in Dublin’s Exchequer Street. This year, the duo opened a Design Collective pop-up in the same unit, delivering a festive showcase for their knitwear and 10 other brands.
Ruth says customer response to Irish domestic brands including women’s and children’s fashion, jewelry, candles, throws, nightwear, cards, art prints and footwear has been “unbelievable”. The growth of pop-up stores has become a retail trend in Ireland this year.
Although the sisters only have five days of trading left in the pop-up, which opens on November 28 and will close on New Year’s Eve, they have chosen to wait until tomorrow to reopen so they can spend their time. Time for family and friends at home for Christmas, something they believe some shoppers will want to do, too.
Ruth also said: “The volume of customers coming into the store is unbelievable and we have certainly met a lot of customers who want quality and who just want to shop in Ireland and be sustainable.
https://www.independent.ie/style/fashion/the-post-christmas-sales-scene-has-changed-but-there-are-still-bargains-to-be-found-out-there-42244027.html The post-Christmas sales landscape has changed, but there are still bargains to be found there