The Christmas clothing market was characterised by the dash for discounts this year, but festive grocers also felt the squeeze. So how can you square an accelerating economic recovery with consumers being so choosy at the checkout?
The answer is clear when you consider years of unyielding food inflation which has sent shoppers worried about declining real-terms wage growth to the bogof aisle.
It is a trend that has helped cheap and cheerful supermarkets Aldi and Lidl gain acceptance in middle-class homes.
Shoppers can be forgiven for getting confused by the supermarkets’ advertising efforts, with Aldi plugging its award-winning mince pies and Waitrose playing up its value. What unites the winners of this Christmas trading season are those that held their nerve on price and were suitably convenient — namely, customers had faith in their online offering to deliver the turkey in time for lunch.
As seen at Debenhams, and underscored by Mothercare today, non-food was much more of a bloodbath. This year, shoppers have been no one’s dummy.
