Cause for celebration?

To their relief, most retailers pulled off a good Christmas after a fraught year. As the festive trading season nears its end, Lisa Berwin examines the key findings from OC&C’s Christmas Trading Index.

Trading positive – comparatively. After the turmoil of 2009, retailers desperately needed a strong Christmas to end a difficult year on a high. During the festive run-up last year barely a day went by without a new story of a retail chain collapsing into administration with Woolworths and Zavvi two of the major victims of the downturn. This year brought far more cheer for the industry, with most retailers reporting positive trading, which was something of a rarity last year. Although a great deal of this year’s results are undoubtedly against soft comparative figures, there is no doubt that many shoppers shrugged off the gloom, deciding to ignore the recession and enjoy Christmas.