01/07/2015
The summer sales season which officially started in various regions of Spain on Wednesday is one which is being greeted with optimism by large department stores all over the country, with over 3 million customers expected to be hunting for the best bargains on the first day.
The flood of shoppers is forecast to continue over the weekend, coinciding with a slightly later start to the season in the regions of Andalucía, Aragón, Castilla-La Mancha, Castilla y León, Catalunya, Extremadura, Galicia, Murcia, Madrid, Asturias and La Rioja.
As the sales period has now been de-regulated some shops were first out of the starting gate and began their reductions last week in an effort to bag the first shoppers, although in general the main department stores and big brands tend to wait for the 1st July.
Over the next couple of months the summer sales are set to lead to 116,000 new jobs being created, an increase of 4% on last year’s figure, and with discounts of up to 50% being offered it is hoped that the general economic recovery of Spain will be reflected in sales figures being up to 5% higher than last year. This is the forecast of the traditionally strong textiles sector, where turnover this summer is expected to reach around 2,800 million euros.
In the Comunidad Valenciana an estimated 13,660 contracts should be created by the sales period as retailers take on extra staff for the summer period, with tourists from the major Spanish cities expected to swell the volumes of shoppers all along the coast.
The Valencia Region is expected to create the third highest number of contracts as visitors head for the coast, with Barcelona creating the most jobs: 23,180. The Spanish capital Madrid is next with 16,850, the Valencia Region with 13,660, Andalucía with 11,765 and then Murcia with 10.957.
At this time of year the swimwear and accessories sectors are among those experiencing the highest upturns in demand, and employment in the distribution and retail sector as a whole can be over 60% higher in July and August than at other times of the year.
The summer sales season normally accounts for 20% of all annual retail activity in Spain, with a further 25% occurring in the winter sales and 15% at various “outlet” stores and events.
All Text and Images are Subject to Copyright
