Things are looking up for Christmas 2013 if the recent reports in the news are to be believed with some forecasters predicting that this year will be the best Christmas for retailers since 2007.
Market Research Company Verdict has predicted that consumers will be spending £2 billion more than they did in 2012. That's welcome and happy reading for the retail sector. These figures show expected growth of up to £88.4 billion this quarter of which £36.4 billion is likely to be on grocery and £52 billion on non food items.
Sales are already up by 0.6% this September compared to August which was lower than anticipated due to the weather. According to the Office for National Statistics sales are up by 2.2% compared to September last year.
All of this is good news as strength in consumer spending is generally a reflection of the wider economy. With house prices on the up it's looking like consumer confidence is returning despite the USA problems with the debt ceiling and government shutdown shaking confidence in world markets.
Some of the reasons Verdict have given for this upward trend in spending is more job creation, a baby boom recession, PPI refunds and the Post Office float. Although wages remain low, which has reflected in the fall of food sales in supermarkets.
It is thought that many sales will be left to the last minute with Monday 23rd December expected to be the busiest shopping day. Online sales are increasing as more people shop around for bargains and take advantage of click and collect services, allowing for greater confidence in online shopping as it cuts out the risk of last minute missed deliveries.
As a result of the recession baby boom Christmas spending is going to be big for childrens items. With John Lewis M.D, Andy Street, expecting them to have the best Christmas ever here is the John Lewis top 5 best selling toy predictions for Christmas 2013:
The Mini Kitchen (£50) ~ LEGO Creator Winter Village Cottage (£89.99) ~ Furby Boom (£59.99) ~ John Lewis Spy Watch and Pen set (£15) ~ Doc Mcstuffins Doctors Set (£19.99)
As our Christmas roll outs are about to start it's our busiest year yet! We're seeing retailers investing in making the most of the anticipated consumer spending with wonderfully creative displays which we'll be installing up and down the UK in the coming weeks.
