The Union of Merchants estimates the increase in business between 5% and 15% and trusts that the positive evolution will continue
After the halfway point of the traditional summer sales season in Lorca businesses, there is a diversity of opinions among merchants about the success that it is having. While some calculate that sales have increased compared to previous summer campaigns and are moderately positive about the results, others defend that this improvement was not difficult considering the health situation from which we come and assure that this year he’s not being too good either. Thus, although everyone agrees that the results are “improvable”, there are those who see a glimmer of light at the end of the tunnel and those who consider that the current crisis has small businesses in check.
Among the most optimistic is Iván López Bastida, president of the Merchants’ Union of Lorca, for whom, “albeit little by little”, the situation is improving. “This year we are excited about the sales because we see that, although it is true that the pandemic is not over yet, people are more animated, go out more and buy more,” said López, who calculates an increase in sales between 5% and 15% compared to the previous summer campaign. “We are happier with the sales because we see that progress is being made and more is being sold,” he concludes.
The president of the Merchants of Lorca association (Codelor), Antonio Martínez, also considers that this summer’s sales “are going quite well”, but he does not want to advance growth figures as he does not have, until the end of the campaign, “real data » to corroborate it. The first survey carried out by the association among merchants shows positive records, although not very high. “It is true that they could be better, but we must be realistic and take into account the current situation,” Martínez said. In his opinion, the reasons that explain this growth are, together with the improvement in the health situation, that customers wait for the sales period to make their purchases (which explains the boost in sales, especially in the first two weeks July) and the fact that many Lorca have stayed this summer in the city. However, despite this situation, Martínez recalls that, during the months of July and August, store sales fall by around 10% or 15% compared to the rest of the year.
In downtown stores they expect the situation to improve in winter, but they recognize that they have exceeded the 2020 data
In the oldest area of Lorca, expectations are very different. «In general terms, except for some businesses that may have done better, sales this campaign have been weak. Sales are no longer what they used to be, because there are promotions almost all year round». So considers the vice president of the Historic Center Lorca Commercial Association, Regino García Aragón, after testing the feelings of the merchants integrated in it. “If compared to 2020, obviously, more has been sold, but the reality is that this year the sales could have been better,” he adds. Beyond the current socio-political state, remember that there are issues that seem unimportant and that influence commerce, such as the sweltering heat experienced these months and causes potential customers to stay home when stores open .
With an eye on the future, in the historic center they keep hoping for future seasons. “We want to be optimistic for winter, with the return to school or the new clothing promotions, paralyzed in recent years by the surplus of ‘stock’ that has caused the decline in industrial production due to the pandemic,” he explained. Garcia Aragon.
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