Spain's shops pin hopes on healthy summer sales
Spain's summer sales, or 'rebajas', season starts on Monday in many parts of the country, with retailers saying the average spend per person will be a crisis-affected €50 ($65).
The sales season starts in many parts of Spain on Monday with unemployment and lower purchasing power expected to dampen retailers' start to the summer.
Sources from Spain's retail sector have said the average shopper will part with €50 during the sales.
Some 75 percent of this spend will go on textiles, with shoes and accessories being the hottest items, 20minutos reported on Monday.
A poll run by Spain's consumer federation, FUCI, meanwhile, says that just six out of ten of shoppers plan to visit the sales, but their spend will be a healthier €72.
This means less people will go shopping, but those that do will spend more, FUCI said.
Last year, survey respondents told FUCI they planned to spend €60.
Spain's summer sales come hot on the heels of a spring shopping season affected by the country's cool, wet weather and an economic situation that has seen the country's unemployment levels rise to 27 percent.
Check out the latest exchange rates on The Local Spain's handy currency page.
But the country's small shop owners are still hoping for an "acceptable" sales season.
They have their fingers crossed that the sales will make up 25 percent of their business for the year, a figure which would bring much-needed relief to a a sector that has seen 35 months in a row of falling sales.
Spain's embattled retail sector is also hoping to cash in on new rules introduced in 2012 that mean the official sales season is longer than ever.
The rule changes also mean that shops can sell more sale items.
Previously, sales items had to have been available for purchase for at least a month before the sales season kicked off. Now, however, though items only have to be in the store at some point before prices can be dropped.
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The sales season starts in many parts of Spain on Monday with unemployment and lower purchasing power expected to dampen retailers' start to the summer.
Sources from Spain's retail sector have said the average shopper will part with €50 during the sales.
Some 75 percent of this spend will go on textiles, with shoes and accessories being the hottest items, 20minutos reported on Monday.
A poll run by Spain's consumer federation, FUCI, meanwhile, says that just six out of ten of shoppers plan to visit the sales, but their spend will be a healthier €72.
This means less people will go shopping, but those that do will spend more, FUCI said.
Last year, survey respondents told FUCI they planned to spend €60.
Spain's summer sales come hot on the heels of a spring shopping season affected by the country's cool, wet weather and an economic situation that has seen the country's unemployment levels rise to 27 percent.
Check out the latest exchange rates on The Local Spain's handy currency page.
But the country's small shop owners are still hoping for an "acceptable" sales season.
They have their fingers crossed that the sales will make up 25 percent of their business for the year, a figure which would bring much-needed relief to a a sector that has seen 35 months in a row of falling sales.
Spain's embattled retail sector is also hoping to cash in on new rules introduced in 2012 that mean the official sales season is longer than ever.
The rule changes also mean that shops can sell more sale items.
Previously, sales items had to have been available for purchase for at least a month before the sales season kicked off. Now, however, though items only have to be in the store at some point before prices can be dropped.
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