Poor figures for summer sales

THE 2015 summer sales have recorded disappointing figures at the end of their run.

Latest figures show that consumers stayed away from shops, preferring to spend online, and the number of sales and the amount spent were both down on the previous year.

It is a second blow to shops, as sales at the beginning of the year were also poor, with fears of terrorist attacks making a dent in shopping habits.

This summer’s heatwave also hit profits, as shoppers opted for lighter cheaper clothing such as t-shirts and sandals, avoiding heavier more expensive coats and shoes.

Data analysts Kurt Salmon say that the number of people visiting shops is down 1.5% on the previous year, with their average spend down between 2%-3%.

However the group Toluna, carries out online panels and surveys, reported that around 77% of people had bought at least one sale item during the past six weeks.

Toluna France's managing director Philippe Guilbert said that more people were opting to buy through private vendors online, whose lower prices throughout the year reduced the budget they set aside for the traditional sales.

The government has increased restrictions on sales, forcing shops back to two periods of six weeks in which they can sell items at below cost price.

Shops in Paris bucked the downward trend. According to the capital’s chamber of commerce 75% of managers reported that their turnover was up compared to the previous year: of these 44% said their turnover was up by more than 20%.

The increase in online sales shopping continued this summer, but at a slower rate: sales were up 6% compares to the previous year, however the year-on-year rise last year was 11%.

Photo: Flickr/SOLDESArticle edited 13/8/2015 to change title of Philippe Guilbert and role of Toluna.