January 7 it is the traditional starting date for the winter sales, although they were relaxed in 2012. This means that establishments can offer their discounts whenever they want throughout the year. Many stores, in fact, opened their campaigns just prior to Christmas in order to build customer loyalty.
Sunday, January 12, the first Sunday of sales, will be the last Sunday opening until Palm Sunday, which will be on April 5. Until then, large stores will not be able to open their doors to the public on either a Sunday or a holiday, even in areas where there is a large tourist influx with special permission, such as Alicante.
However the agreement will allow the opening of all commerce in the city of Alicante on Sundays and holidays between June 15 and January 15, whilst closing the rest of the year with qualifications such as Easter.
It is a similar case in Finestrat, Torrevieja, L’Alfàs del Pi, Benissa, Orihuela Costa and Pilar de la Horadada, where many other areas of Great Tourist Influx are located, where openings are allowed on about 40 Sundays and holidays a year.
The sector in general is optimistic about the winter sales, in which they expect to sell their accumulated stock of warm clothes this year, as in previous years, given that the temperatures are still mild and do not encourage shoppers to buy warm clothes. Trade expects an increase of its business at around 3%, thanks to the offers “which will be aggressive and the sale, especially in clothing, will provide traders with good results,” said a spokesman for ANGED.
Employers of the small and medium size outlets in the province, Facpyme, is even more optimistic and expects the increase of the turnover in sales to be in the region of 6%, and maybe as high as 10% in some sectors.
Francisco Rovira, secretary of the federation that represents more than 9,800 associated establishments in the province, says that points out that incentives will continue in the sector and that many establishments that started with discounts on Black Friday may even increase their offers.
