Christmas trading was mixed, say independent convenience stores

While many stores enjoyed increases in the value of sales, this appears to be because of the rising prices of the goods sold as opposed to an increase in volume. This is in line with figures since released by the Office for National Statistics on retail sales.

Some retailers seemed happy with the overall result, including Anita Nye, who runs the Premier Eldred Drive store in Orpington, Kent. She reported sales up £1,000 on each of the two days before Christmas, compared with last year.

But even some of those who traded reasonably well in cash terms noted that customers were being cautious in how they spent their money and the amount that they bought.

Harry Goraya, who runs a Nisa Local store down the road from Nye, in Gravesend, Kent, described his sales as “average” as a result of customers cutting back.

Others, such as Leslie Francis, who runs the Enham Alamein Spar store and post office in Hampshire, were affected quite badly not just by customer caution but also the postal strike. For Leslie and husband Tim, those strikes cut footfall and therefore overall sales during December.

Further details on these and other Christmas experiences of retailers can be seen on Talking Retail and in this month’s edition of Independent Retail News.