Inflation has hit Salzburg residents this year and retailers have so far complained about lost sales. The traditionally strong December 8 brightened the mood a bit on Friday – a “Krone” tour through Getreidegasse and Europark.
Sabine Florian van Fellhof notices an interesting development. Last year, the stores of sheepskin specialist Hof were literally stormed due to a possible energy shortage. “There was a particularly high demand last year for skins, shoes, scarves, everything that keeps you warm,” says the saleswoman in Getreidegasse.
The oil and gas storage facilities are now sufficiently filled – hardly anyone worries about having to sit in a cold apartment in January. “That’s why not so much was sold this time on December 8. “But we benefit from the fact that people increasingly value natural products,” Florian’s conclusion is positive.
Many retail colleagues in the shopping strongholds of Mozart’s city experienced similar things yesterday, albeit because of different signs. Shortly after noon, Getreidegasse was full. Countless drivers stood in traffic on Neutorstrasse hoping to get one of the rare spots in the Mönchsberggarage.
Christmas business offers an opportunity to catch up
The decline in retail sales across Austria of as much as 6.7 percent until the last quarter can no longer be made up for. But the pre-Christmas shopping holiday has left some stallholders and vendors looking to the future with more confidence. “There are really a lot of people out and about. Even if more purchases could be made, business is going well,” say Catalina and Leonie from the Irisgalerie on Getreidegasse.
Transfer to Europark: Here too, you can park your car in the garage within a few minutes. “It actually started at 10am. The dealers report very good frequencies,” explains center manager Manuel Mayer. Thanks to the constellation with the long weekend, you will meet very relaxed shoppers and walkers. What was spent less during the year due to inflation is now likely to be made up for: “You don’t want to save the least at Christmas,” says a mother who strolls by with two small children and three full shopping bags.
The number of visitors was even higher than last year
Center manager Mayer was able to draw a positive annual conclusion yesterday: “You notice a price sensitivity among customers. We can still look forward to very good frequency development within the company. We are even better than last year, and that was very good.”
Nina from Stoffamt, a stand in Europark for baby and children’s textiles, can also confirm this. The Black Shopping Week at the end of November was a great start to the Christmas business. “Now we noticed another real shock. There were a lot of people there!”
Retailers offering more expensive goods, such as jewelers, still see room for improvement. “We are noticeably behind the turnover in the pre-Corona era,” says Florencia of Juwelier Reiter. The price increase has not left retailers completely unscathed.
Source: Krone
I’m Ben Stock, a journalist and author at Today Times Live. I specialize in economic news and have been working in the news industry for over five years. My experience spans from local journalism to international business reporting. In my career I’ve had the opportunity to interview some of the world’s leading economists and financial experts, giving me an insight into global trends that is unique among journalists.
