Cold Weather Hits 'super Saturday' Christmas Shopping

[interestrateripoff]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-12031389

There has been a sharp drop in the number of people at the shops as a result of the heavy snow, figures show.

Retail researchers Synovate found footfall across the UK on Saturday was down 24.3% compared with 2009.

The worst affected areas were the West Midlands and South East, down 30% year-on-year, with Scotland, badly hit the previous Saturday, down 4%.

The survey is based on a sample of 6,000 retail outlets, excluding supermarkets.

Synovate said that it expected numbers to increase on Sunday and beyond if there was no new major snowfall.

The worst affected regions were: West Midlands, down 33.1%; South East England, down 32%; London, down 28.6%.

The least affected regions were: East Midlands, down 3.1%; North East England, down 3.2%; Scotland, down 4.2%.

Comparing Saturday 18 December with the previous Saturday, Synovate said shoppers were down 20.5% overall.

Footfall and sales are two very different things but I would assume their is some linkage between footfall and sales.

Is the last Sat before Christmas traditionally a big sales day for shops?

[interestrateripoff]

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/economy-feels-chill-as-uk-grinds-to-a-halt-2164827.html

The economic impact of the freezing winter will deepen this week as Britain prepares for more travel gridlock, and millions of workers, travellers and shoppers were expected to stay at home in the run-up to Christmas rather than brave the icy conditions.

Heavy snow and sub-zero temperatures cost the aviation and retail industries many millions of pounds in lost revenue during one of the most crucial weekends of the year.

Heathrow, the world's busiest international airport, was closed to all but a handful of flights on Saturday and yesterday, forcing thousands to abandon their festive travel plans. Meanwhile, shopping centres in the South were also badly hit as consumers were forced to postpone buying Christmas presents on what had been billed as "Super Saturday". But with the Met Office predicting no let-up in freezing conditions and more snow likely in the South-east, the North and Scotland, economists fear that the knock-on effects will begin to hit the whole of the UK's economy at a key moment in its fragile recovery from recession.

Q4 GDP is going to be interesting.

All because of the snow.

[SHERWICK]

http://www.bbc.co.uk...siness-12031389

Footfall and sales are two very different things but I would assume their is some linkage between footfall and sales.

Is the last Sat before Christmas traditionally a big sales day for shops?

I wouldn't be surprised if FF was down a lot more than 33%...

[Fishfinger]

Was down Sainsburys this morning and it was deserted. Had the pick of all 6 open check out tills!

[LiveinHope]

And a hit for the charity shops after Xmas too due to so much less tat being given

Seriously, I would not be surprised if the snow didn't provide many with a perfect pshychological excuse to spend less leading to a significant downturn in spending in the shops.

[Self Employed Youth]

And a hit for the charity shops after Xmas too due to so much less tat being given

Seriously, I would not be surprised if the snow didn't provide many with a perfect pshychological excuse to spend less leading to a significant downturn in spending in the shops.

IT's not just psychological.

A tenner on the gas is a tenner that won't be spent on beer / xmas presents.

[leicestersq]

IT's not just psychological.

A tenner on the gas is a tenner that won't be spent on beer / xmas presents.

Weather can have major implications for an economy. I wonder if it has affected death rates? Well I bet it has, but by how much?

A higher death rate will reduce deficits at pension funds, and reduce costs at the NHS. It may also free up an amount of housing.

I see in the Telegraph Boris Johnson was talking about the weather. He was writing about the predictions of Piers Corbyn, and speculating if we were on the verge of a mini ice age like the Little Ice age, or perhaps even worse. These things have happened before, so it is clearly possible that they can happen again. It would be true to say that they will happen again at some point, and if they did restart, then it woud probably be with weather like this.

That would make the UK a lot less desirable as a destination, and if the weather was cold enough, much of the UK could become uninhabitable. I am sure that changes to weather systems have brought much death and destruction, on a scale that seems so unimaginable, that we would rather not think about it.

Alas, I am thinking about it now, and hoping that the sun starts to put out a few more spots. I would rather live in a warm UK hoping for a house price crash, than a frozen one with a pick of multiple free houses.

Edited December 20, 2010 by leicestersq

[tallburt]

The television I've had for the last 15 years or so finally gave up the ghost so I've done my bit by spending £150 I wasn't expecting to for a new one. Trouble is, despite being lovely and shiny and modern, it still displays the same old $H!T.

[Hyperduck Quack Quack]

I reckon the slow Christmas trade, which is largely due to the weather as it dropped so much in 1 week, could lead to a lot of small businesses closing, like that article about the 1000 's of businesses closing claimed. The vulnerable ones are those that have been struggling along all year, hoping for a good pre-Christmas spree to keep the wolf from the door. The weather might be the last nail in their coffins.

Edited December 20, 2010 by Hyperduck Quack Quack

[Self Employed Youth]

The television I've had for the last 15 years or so finally gave up the ghost so I've done my bit by spending £150 I wasn't expecting to for a new one. Trouble is, despite being lovely and shiny and modern, it still displays the same old $H!T.

You can pick up a large CRT for £10 now, sometimes less.

People buy flatscreens and put them in a corner.

[200p]

You go to the council tip, there are 100s of CRTs there. I'm sure most of them are working fine, just discarded when the owners upgraded. If you want to take one, I would check the remote is with it. Pot luck.

[Bloo Loo]

sales are sliding.

[Beggar Thy Children]

You go to the council tip, there are 100s of CRTs there. I'm sure most of them are working fine, just discarded when the owners upgraded. If you want to take one, I would check the remote is with it. Pot luck.

I've tried that, seen some nice CRTs there but they wouldn't let me take one

Edited December 20, 2010 by Beggar Thy Children

[Mr. Miyagi]

sales are sliding.

It's snow joke people could end up in the workhouse.

[Mr. Miyagi]

[ken_ichikawa]

That would make the UK a lot less desirable as a destination, and if the weather was cold enough, much of the UK could become uninhabitable. /quote]

Erm the UK is a desirable destination? Other than to economic refugees etc?

And there are many places in the UK which are ALREADY uninhabitable. Salford and surrounding manchester areas come to mind. Even the police won't go there and buses divert their routes away from these areas as people are murdered for 20p.

[Tin Foil Hat]

******ing Harlow, chav bling centre of West Essex was cunting crammed to the ******* rafters today. I went to buy my dad a CD and my wife a pair of earrings and tried 3 car parks, every ******* one full, with plenty of ***** taking up two spaces per bling 4x4 shit box wagon. Came home cos nowhere to park.

Not ******ing happy.

[interestrateripoff]

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/newsbysector/retailandconsumer/8215241/Snow-could-force-retailers-to-issue-profit-warnings.html

Analysts believe that there could be some pre-Christmas profit warnings from national store groups as they face the reality of depressed sales.

Meanwhile, shares in BA, the airline, fell as thousands of holiday makers were forced to abandon Christmas getaway plans and return home as a result of the worst weather in years.

In a rising stock market, shares in retailers dropped markedly. Shares in HMV Group fell 9.5pc to 28.5p, shares in Dixons Retail fell 6pc to 22.8p, while shares in computer games store Game Group fell 5.5pc to 65p. WH Smith, Marks & Spencer and Tesco were also down. BA closed down 5 at 265.2p.

With just a few shopping days remaining until Christmas, analysts said that store groups might be forced to issue profit warnings due to the terrible weather.

And today we have a story about profit warnings.