Little joy on the High Street

There was little joy on the High Street during the New Year sales last month with 47 percent of shopkeepers saying that their takings had enjoyed no improvement on the same period last year. More disturbing still was a claim that 30 percent of shopkeepers said that their takings had actually fallen. The survey was compiled by the Small and Medium Sized Business Organisation of the Balearics. The survey also revealed that the sales proved more popular in Palma than other parts of the island. Many small shopkeepers say that they are unable to compete against the major department stores.