Concern that cost of living crisis could curtail Christmas spending

Retailers in Northern Ireland are reporting plenty of shoppers in our town centres, but say it’s too soon to judge if pre-Christmas spending has been curtailed by the cost-of-living crisis.

Glyn Roberts of Retail NI said said a much clearer picture of spending trends will emerge some time in the new year.

"I think footfall is at a very good level,” he said.

"The challenge you always have is that you can get lots of people out but they are not maybe spending as much as previous years.

"The big indicator for us will be what the sales figures are. That is the only really effective judgement we can make.

"Footfall, while it is an important indicator, it is not actually an accurate indicator of sales.

"We obviously need to be very aware of all pressures families are under, particularly at this time of year and with the cold snap."

The trade body's chief executive added: "People are paying so much more for energy and the impact that is going to have on spending, but I think we can make a more rounded judgement when we look at the sales figures rather than the footfall."

Last week, Mr Roberts said many retailers had become slightly less dependant on footfall as they had greatly improved their online offering during the Covid pandemic.

"During and following the pandemic many independent retailers had to use online more effectively – many of them had to learn to do ‘click and collect’.

"We have seen many of those businesses now up their game quite significantly in terms of their online presence,” he said.