CHRISTMAS SALES OFF TO GOOD START
By Adnews Staff
The Christmas season has started off on a cheery note for independent retailers as sales during the holiday season are ahead of last year's Christmas shopping period, according to a survey done by the Retail Council of Canada. Forty-one per cent of responding merchants said that sales are higher than last year, while 28% said they were about the same and 29% said sales are down. Thirty-nine per cent said customer traffic is up over 1995, 31% said it was about the same and 29% said it was down. Almost 50% of retailers are expecting sales over the entire Christmas season to increase, while 25.5% said they will match last year's and 25.2% said sales will dip. On average, retailers expect a rise in sales of 4.5%. Those predicting decrease, expect sales to drop 3.2%. The Retail Council of Canada is a national trade association representing the interests of over 6,500 retail merchants across Canada.