IT’S almost the time of year when retailers traditionally slash their prices to encourage bargain-hunting shoppers to part with their hard-earned cash.
While Boxing Day and New Year’s Day are the most popular days to start their sales, some shops around the island have already started.
Wallis, in Duke Street, Douglas, was ahead of most Douglas retailers by starting its sale last Tuesday.
A company spokesman described the response to the sale so far as good, saying: ‘I think people were waiting for the sale to start!’
In response to customers shopping later this year, Marks and Spencer extended its weekend opening hours. The store was open from 7am until midnight on Saturday and Sunday, and will be open until 5pm today (Monday).
And Millichap’s, in Parliament Street, Ramsey, was inviting customers to ‘give yourself a gift in the pre-Christmas bed sale’. Its bed sale started at noon on Sunday ahead of its big clearance on New Year’s Day.
When asked how trading had been this year, assistant manager Mark Tallis said: ‘It’s been a lot better than we predicted it would be, but not brilliant. I think everyone’s finding it a bit tighter than in previous years. On the whole we’re pleased with the way it’s gone.’
John Shakespeare, of The Strand Shopping Centre, in Douglas, said after a slow start this month, sales had ‘really picked up now’. Millets and Mothercare’s sale started last week, while sales start at Miss Selfridge and HMV today (Monday). Peacocks’ sale starts on Boxing Day.
B&B Furniture, in Snugborough Trading Estate, Union Mills, starts its winter sale on Boxing Day (10am) with a whole range of offers, including up to 35 per cent off suites and beds, and up to three years 0 per cent finance across the store.
It is also holding an online only ‘red bow sale’, with savings of up to 70 per cent at www.bbfurniture.co.uk with manager Ian Cubbon saying that the company was moving with the times by experimenting with online sales and Facebook.
He said that as with other retailers ‘January is our busy time so the sale is very important’.
Lifestyle Furniture, in Snugborough Trading Estate, starts its sale on Boxing Day (at 10am). Staff were hoping to entice customers with interest free credit and savings of up to 50 per cent on some items. A spokesman said trading ‘had been on a par with last year’.
Stephen Bradley of Tynwald Mills shopping centre at St John’s said business was ‘in line with expectations’ and ‘pretty good’.
He said: ‘It has been quite a tough autumn but Christmas has not been bad and it has certainly been a lot more positive than a lot of places in the UK.’
A Next spokesman said it was not company policy to comment on individual shops.
Ramsey Chamber of Commerce chairman Chris Blatcher said local retailers benefited from the success of the Santa Trail day on December 9. Many businesses opened especially, as sections of Parliament Street were closed to traffic to accommodate the crowds and festivities, and Sunday trade continued to be good the following weekend too.
Mr Blatcher, who is sales and merchandise director at Ramsey Warehouse, said Christmas business there started in November rather than October. He said the last few weeks had been particularly busy.
