Xmas wrapped up

The frantic festive season is over and many retailers are breathing a sigh of relief. Charlotte Hardie examines the key themes in what has been a nerve-wracking few weeks with the help of OC&C’s Christmas Trading Index.

Festive trading may have been slightly better than expected but make no bones about it, retailers had to work extremely hard to get those results. Because December 25 fell on a Thursday, many people took the days before as holiday and had the best part of a week to shop. And who could blame them for leaving it late, given that retailers were slashing prices by the day. The bargain hunt resulted in heavy footfall in the last few days before Christmas and the first few days.