Christmas sales are more important than ever for the country’s struggling retailers. The pandemic has battered the high street with thousands of businesses being bankrupted by the lockdown. Thomas Pink, the shirtmakers, is the latest household name to be put up for sale following the collapse of others such as Top Shop and Debenhams.
Sales in November and December make up more than a fifth of the year’s total retail sales, according to the ONS Retail Sales Index. Last year the Brits splurged an astonishing ÂŁ48 billion on Christmas, more than the UK’s entire defence budget. But this year’s lockdown in November and tier restrictions in December have made it even more difficult to shop for the festive period.
However, the British Retail Consortium, while cautious about whether sales this year will match the last in terms of total sales throughout the year, is optimistic about a big Christmas spike. A BRC spokesman says they expect that December will see significant growth, particularly due to the release of pent-up demand from the November lockdown in England.
