Will this Christmas be tough on the high street?
As we approach the vital festive period for the UK retail sector there are signs that an ongoing reduction in household spending is starting to kick in. Over the last three months we have seen a fall in demand for a variety of different items on the high street and there are concerns that this could continue up to the festive period. However, have we not been here before with these scare stories?
It seems that each and every year, especially during times of economic hardship, we hear about potential problems on the UK high street only for UK shoppers to come out in their numbers and spend, spend, spend over the festive period. Only last year there were concerns that 2009 would be a terrible year for retailers, especially the festive period, only for shoppers to show their hand at the last minute looking for bargains and promotions. Will this year be any different?
Unfortunately, it looks as though the UK high street has been fighting a losing battle for the last two years which could culminate in a disastrous 2010 festive period. The truth is that UK consumers are running short of funds, preferring to pay off their debts rather than rack up more finance to cover the festive period. We could be wrong but Christmas 2010 could be cancelled for UK retailers!
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