Traders hope this week's cold snap will get winter sales off to a good start

THE Winter sales get under way this morning and traders are hoping that this weekend's cold snap will help boost demand for winter clothes.
Prices, particularly in the clothing sector, are going to be slashed by as much as 50 percent from today as retailers attempt to shift mountains of stock.

Here in the Balearics, consumers are expected to spend around ten percent less at the sales than last year but traders are confident that the late arrival of the cold weather may compensate for the forecast down turn in expenditure. After a poor year for the retail sector, some amazing savings are going to be found over the next few months with some stores poised to cut prices by as much as 70 or even 80 percent if the sales get off to slow start.

The department stores, retail parks and hypermarkets appear to be relatively confident of a good sales period but the small shopkeepers are worried and many do not know what to expect. “It's virtually impossible to predict how consumers are going to react to the sales, this will be the first real test of consumer confidence of 2010,” retail sector sources claim.