Despite shops opening at the height of the festive season, centre traffic in December fell by 40 per cent year-on-year. It could hardly be a worse summary of an already difficult year.
The results of the ShopperTrak Index Poland survey show that, despite shopping centres having been open since the last weekend in November, the festive season has fared poorly in terms of customer numbers. In November, the drop in visitor numbers as a result of the lockdown was 55.8 per cent, but in December, despite the peak of the festive season, it still exceeded 40 per cent.
- In the last week before Christmas, when traffic was customarily highest, attendance was 35.9 per cent lower than a year ago. In the case of large centres, the decrease exceeded 40 per cent. - says Anna Szmeja, president of the Retail Institute.
- It is difficult to predict how the situation will look in January, although it is already clear that there is nothing to count on for any sales records. Since September, we have been observing a drop in the number of customers at a similar level of 30 per cent. The beginning of the year usually meant less traffic and lower turnover," he adds.
GALLERIES IN TROUBLE
Worst of all is the situation of the large galleries, where customer visits have fallen by more than 40 per cent. - The unit results of individual 2020 companies show that we as an industry have been set back several years - differently for different product groups. Entrepreneurs who do not sell online and are deprived of support from the shield, despite the government forcing them to cease operations, are in a particularly dramatic situation, says Zofia Morbiato, director general of the Association of Polish Trade and Service Employers.
Data from the Polish Council of Shopping Centres shows that visitation in December 2020 was around 30 per cent lower than a year ago. Depending on the day of the week and the size of the facility, it was down by up to 40 per cent compared to 2019. The highest number of customers visited shopping centres in the first week of December - this was also the first week in which the malls were fully open after the November lockdown. The so-called footfall then amounted to 76 per cent of last year's, and in the following weeks, footfall fell steadily to around 70 per cent compared to the corresponding weeks in 2019.
Małgorzata Anisimowicz – kwalifikowany doradca restrukturyzacyjny i prezes zarządu PMR Restrukturyzacje udzieliła komentarza do publikacji w serwisie Forsal.pl poświęconemu tematyce społeczno – ekonomicznej.
on 7 January 2021. We invite you to read the full version:December disastrous for retailers
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