The Murcian Federation of small businesses have said that the January sales campaign can save many businesses from closing.
Cartagena shopkeepers see the coming weeks as “crucial” while those in Murcia appeal to the public to provide their support.
After a black 2020 for trade, 2021 is fraught with uncertainty for many businesses in this sector. Now, with January, we will see the arrival of the traditional sales, a campaign that some shopkeepers in the Region see as the only possible salvation for hundreds of small businesses that face closure if they are not able to turn around the losses they have endured during the economic crisis that has brought by coronavirus.
Some businessmen haven’t waited for January 8 to introduce their offers, as they hope they can encourage sales that have been weak, and have fallen dramatically, by starting early, and although right now it seems that it is picking up a little, it is nothing compared to other years.
Carmen Piñero, president of the Trade Federation of the Region of Murcia (Coremur) and the Triángulo de Murcia association, says that “there are many businesses that depend on the Christmas and January sales campaigns to survive”.
In Cartagena, many of the sales began weeks ago. Its shopkeepers say they have had to go out of their way to offer big discounts and sales to attract customers. “This has been the only way that most stores have been able to survive,” says Antonio Sánchez Casado, president of the Centro Comercial Abierto.
Campaigns have also been carried out in Murcia to promote sales, such as the Discount Fair held by the City Council and the Murcia Commercial Area Federation (Femuac), whose president, Santiago Vera, says of the situation: “The year was very bad, and unfortunately the sales are not going to fix it”. With more than 40 years dedicated to the retail business, he insists that sales “are not a lifeline, nor is having discounts all year long.”
Vera says that “but we are going to try to take advantage of the January sales, but it is uncertain, we do not know if people are going to come to the local shops.” “The only way to save many of the businesses is if the people come.”
“During previous years, with the arrival of the cold weather, people were encouraged to buy warm clothes, footwear and also party clothes; But as we now go out less from home and there are no big events, sales have fallen”, explains the spokesman of Cartagena merchants. For this reason, although small businessmen will continue with their sales campaigns, they do not expect large sales figures, but rather “they will settle for enough to keep them open, so as not to have to close their doors for good.”
