The run up to Christmas is usually the busiest time of year for retail, with the festivities beginning on Black Friday and followed by Cyber Monday. The incorporation of online sales this year promised a profit with the UK doing more of their shopping online than in store.
Despite this, the mild weather has had a notable effect on Christmas sales, as a lack of need for winter clothes has had many retailers reporting lower sales than last year. Here’s a round-up of
some of the best and worst.
John Lewis
John Lewis is one of the only retailers to be reporting a good profit from its Christmas sales. The department store reported a 7% increase in sales over the festive period. Not to mention the selling out of the brand’s telescope minutes after its Christmas ad campaign ‘The Man on the Moon’ was launched online.
Morrisons
The supermarket was a surprising contender this year as it was expected the company would report a decrease in sales. Instead, Morrisons reported a 0.2% increase in the nine weeks to the 3 January.
Next
Next were one of the badly hit retailers this Christmas, reported a rise of only 0.5% between 26 October and 24 December. Next bosses have blamed the fall in sales on the unusually mild weather for the time of year. Shares in Next dropped by almost 5%, making them the biggest fallers in the FTSE 100.
This information doesn’t include the company’s renowned Boxing Day sale, which starts at six in the morning. Had it done so, they may have reported a larger increase in sales.
Sports Direct
Following a Guardian Investigation, the company led by Newcastle United football club’s Mike Ashley, has reported a continued loss in sales. The business also claimed a “continuation of the unseasonal weather over the key Christmas period”.
It is unlikely however, that Sports Direct would be affected in the same way by the unseasonal Christmas weather, as they sell clothes intended for milder weather; unlike M&S and Next which stock the shelves with knitwear at this time of year.
Small Businesses
With Small Business Saturday falling on 5 December this year, energies were focused on encouraging customers to shop small for their Christmas food and goods. According to American Express and The Centre for Economics and Business Research (CEBR) small businesses earned £13.9 million last December, a figure which is expected to rise for the 2015 Christmas.
Have you shopped small this Christmas? We’d love to hear about it! Leave your comments in the section below!