Enlarge image
Christmas decorated shop window in Berlin
Photo: Christoph Soeder / picture alliance / dpa
Even after the fourth weekend in Advent, the majority of German retailers are disappointed with the Christmas business.
Two thirds of the 1000 respondents are dissatisfied with the way things have gone so far, said the German Trade Association (HDE).
"This year's Christmas business is a bitter disappointment for many retailers," said HDE Managing Director Stefan Genth.
The situation a few days before Christmas is apparently bad, especially for dealers in the city centers.
80 percent of the companies surveyed there rated the business development negatively.
In the week before the fourth Advent, they also recorded a large drop in sales and customer footfall.
The association sees the corona restrictions as the main reason for the bad business of retailers.
With the exception of shops for daily needs such as supermarkets and drugstores, only those who have been vaccinated or recovered are allowed to enter the shops because of the fourth corona wave - the so-called 2G rule.
"2G has been bothering them for weeks, and it's usually the busiest time of year," Genth said.
Many see their existence in jeopardy if the corona restrictions continue to apply
The non-food retail trade, which is open under 2G conditions, recorded a decrease in sales of 34 percent compared to the pre-crisis year 2019. In inner-city retail sales fell by 35 percent.
The situation is particularly dramatic in the clothing trade, which has lost 37 percent of its sales.
"The clear drop in sales and frequencies ran through the entire Advent season and worsened the tense situation in retail week after week," said Genth.
Only 15 percent of those surveyed from the non-food trade had positive expectations for the time up to the end of the year.
"It's about a lot more than a successful Christmas business," said Genth, "it's about livelihoods."
If access restrictions for shops continue to apply, around half of the non-food retailers surveyed see their very existence at risk.
Genth referred to the judgment of the Lower Saxony Higher Administrative Court that 2G is disproportionate in trade and does not make an effective contribution to containing the pandemic.
"Adhering to these regulations in other federal states is unacceptable," demanded the HDE expert.
"A nationwide uniform and proportionate solution is required."
The HDE had actually expected record sales in the current Christmas business.
According to the expectations, revenues in November and December should increase by two percent compared to the same period of the previous year to just under 112 billion euros.
Online retailing should be the main driver.
Traditionally, classic gift industries such as the toy trade make more than a fifth of their annual turnover in November and December.
fdi / Reuters