It’s spend, spend, spend... on posh frocks, jewellery and paddleboards
THE lockdown-weary population is splashing its cash on underwear, occasion wear, jewellery and others things ‘they can feel’, as the retail boom gears up for the summer.
And the trend is likely to continue as shops reopen their doors in full from tomorrow, Retail Excellence said this weekend.
Duncan Graham, managing director of the umbrella group for Irish shops, said many of those who availed of shopping by appointment in stores over the past week opted for personal clothing and feelgood items.
This is a marked change in consumer behaviour from earlier in the year, when most people focused spending on the home and food.
Mr Graham said data from the first three months of the year when retail was shut down showed most people were shopping online on ‘DIY and also in speciality food shops because they couldn’t go out for dinner’.
But, he added: ‘This is going to change drastically over the next week and it already started last week. We’re going to see people back buying occasion wear as events hopefully open up over the summer.
‘And the kind of goods that people want to pick up in their hands… like jewellery, underwear and
‘Couples have now named the date’
hosiery, which is actually more often than not an impulse buy, will surge too.’
After months of being shut down, Mr Graham said the retail sector is ‘expecting a really good summer’.
But he added: ‘The big test of the effect that the pandemic has had will be in September when the schools go back. That’s what we’ll be watching really closely to see.
‘There’s a lot of talk about how much people have saved since the pandemic but, of course, not everybody is in that position.’
Meanwhile, younger consumers are spending money on post-Covid purchases such as apparel and handbags, and they’re also more eager than other generations to interact with people outside of their household.
Dundrum Town Centre director Don Nugent said there is ‘huge excitement’ about the reopening tomorrow. He said many people have been enquiring about luxury items and camping equipment.
‘I know Weirs [jewellers] have had a lot of people enquiring about luxury goods and couples who’ve been putting off weddings have now named the date so they’re looking for rings.
‘Our outdoors stores are reporting lots of enquiries too, with people looking for surfboards, paddle boards and camping equipment on a level which they wouldn’t have had previously,’ he said.
‘Occasion wear is also seeing an upturn in our shopping by appointment last week.
‘We had mostly women coming in during the week but this weekend we saw lots of males as well making appointments.’
The opening up of ‘non-essential’ retail is likely to result in a corresponding downturn in the amount of money people spend on groceries.
This sector enjoyed its best period to date during the pandemic, with people spending more on groceries than ever before.
Already this year, Irish people’s spending on groceries has increased by an average of €1,000. Figures show shoppers have spent an extra €2bn in supermarkets since the start of the pandemic.
It seems, according to latest Central Statistics Office data, that many people had money burning a hole in their pockets during lockdown. Retail sales were 8.5% higher in March than the same period last year, driven by growth in homeware and car sales.
This followed a monthly decline of 20.7% in January and an increase of 18.3% in February.
The largest monthly increases were in books, newspapers and sta tionery, with sales jumping by 19.6%, while department stores sales were up 17.1%.
Sales of hardware, paints and glass increased by 9.4%, while clothing, footwear and textiles sales were up 7.7% and fuel sales rose by 4.9%. But the focus is likely to shift considerably, said Arnold Dillon, head of Retail Ireland, the Ibec group that represents the retail sector.
Mr Dillon said there has been a lot of pent-up demand, which should lead to a strong recovery.
‘Those shops that opened for appointments have been busy and shoppers are thrilled to be back,’ he told the Irish Mail on Sunday.
‘Retailers have been reviewing and updating their public health protocols to ensure a safe experience for customers and staff.
‘The last few months have been incredibly stressful for retail businesses and their staff but there is a sense of optimism. We don’t expect to have to close again.’