The CBC survey published today by the OCIB also highlights the impact that the commercial bonus programmes have had on small and medium-sized businesses.
TDB keeps you informed. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
Retailers rate
The Trade Observatory of the Balearic Islands (OCIB) has made public this Saturday the result of a survey conducted by the Confederació Balear del Comerç (CBC) on retail sales in the second half of 2022 which highlights, among other data, that more than 66% of traders assess the summer and autumn season of 2022 as good or very good in terms of turnover. Specifically, 11% say they have had a much higher turnover and 55% say they have had a higher turnover, and only 6% say they have had a lower turnover.
Overall, a high percentage (64%) said that the season was better than the previous one, compared to 6% who said it was worse. One-third of the respondents said that the results were similar.
The trend reflected in this study, with more than 800 interviews in commercial establishments in Mallorca, coincides with the figures announced by the National Statistics Institute (INE) earlier this week, which point to the Balearic Islands as the leading autonomous community in sales and job creation in the sector for the whole of 2022.
According to the survey, these good figures are due to the good tourist season and the commercial bonus campaigns promoted by the Government and the local councils, which have allowed the competitive advantage that the large shopping centres have always had with the sales to be reversed in favour of smaller shops, advancing promotions with commercial bonuses for local shops.
“This government has made a clear commitment to local commerce and has provided it with resources such as aid for modernisation or the technology fund to make it more competitive, but also with initiatives such as the commercial vouchers that serve to boost consumption in village or neighbourhood commerce. We know that trade is one of the pillars of economic diversification and that it is a sector which, as well as creating a social fabric and local wealth, brings life to our neighbourhoods and towns, and means a more equitable distribution of the wealth that stays on the islands”, said Vice-President Yllanes.
“These campaigns have fulfilled an important function, favouring sales in small and medium-sized businesses; on the one hand, it encourages people to consume and, on the other, it promotes consumption in the small businesses targeted by the campaigns. In addition, this type of campaign also helps to build customer loyalty,” added Mateu Cunill, president of the Confederació Balear del Comerç.
The survey also shows that in the textile sector sales have increased with a cumulative annual increase of mostly between 10 and 20 %, although the figure is still far from pre-pandemic sales.
The survey concludes that, as a result of inflation, customers have had less disposable income and therefore consumption was reduced. On the other hand, there were more customers in local shops due to the promotion campaigns carried out.