The trade association is satisfied after the third Christmas shopping Saturday. There were a quarter more customers than last year, says chairman Rainer Willi. Currently, the main items purchased are vouchers, clothing and sports equipment.
According to the trade association, watches, jewelry and toys would also go well at Christmas. This year’s Christmas turnover (the entire December turnover is included, please note) is expected to exceed the previous one and reach a turnover of 7.5 billion euros. The third Advent weekend “even went a little better than the second”. “Things are going well,” says Styria trade chairman Gerhard Wohlmut.
“If the fourth weekend of Advent also performs above expectations, we will be well above last year’s turnover of 7.34 billion euros in December.”
Average 50 euros per gift
According to a current survey among 1,000 Austrians, a third of respondents will spend less this year than in 2023. Half will invest a similar amount as last year. An average of 50 euros is spent per gift.
Retailers are especially happy with vouchers: “When redeemed, the value is usually 15 to 20 percent higher than the value of the voucher,” says Wohlmut. However, in some cases it can lead to problems for customers; the bankruptcy of Kika/Leiner recently caused problems with acceptance.
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.
