Do not count your chickens on the high street!
While John Lewis confirmed that Christmas Eve sales across the group were almost 25% higher than the same period last year there are many experts warning against complacency. Despite the fact that the surge in Christmas sales has been far greater than even the most optimistic forecasts, there is a concern this could be the rise before the fall. So why the doom and gloom?
It would appear that many people in the UK were concerned about their ability to fund Christmas purchases and many left it until the last minute to give in to impulse buys. It seems as though the need to buy presents for friends, family and acquaintances has overtaken the financial constraints which many people are feeling at the moment and which held them back until the last minute. It never ceases to amaze the experts how UK consumers can find the money for Christmas, even in the darkest of economic times.
However, it would now appear we have seen the peak and we will see a sharp reduction in retail sales in the first half of 2010. Many different factors are coming together to put more pressure on consumers and businesses and UK retail sales will likely pay the price.
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