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STAFF REPORTER PALMA

ONLY three of every ten traders in Majorca are saying that the results of the first week of the winter sales this year were worse than the same period in 2010, the island's small to medium-sized business association “Pimeco” reported yesterday.

Whilst island-wide 28 percent of retailers said that income from 7th to 13th January was worse than last year, the figure is a vast improvement on the 40 percent of businesses which made the same claim in 2010, said Pimeco who had focused their survey on clothing, footwear and accessories trade.

Results appeared to be worse in the outlying areas of the island where 29 percent of shopkeepers said that trade during the first week of the winter sales had been worse than in 2010, whereas only 26 percent were similarly disappointed in Palma. The report went on to claim that half the businesses interviewed alleged that the outcome of the first week of sales had been roughly the same as it had been in 2010, whilst 22 percent believed that year-on-year results were worse.

The most encouraging assessment came from shopkeepers in Palma where 24 percent insisted their income had been higher this year than in 2010, and 50 percent claimed they were the same. In outlying areas of the island meanwhile, just 20 percent said they had fared better during the first week of the sales this year than they had in 2010, while 51 percent claimed the situation had been the same as last year.

When asked if the results of the first week of winter sales had been what they had expected, 57 percent of proprietors said they had predicted correctly. Of this group, there were 13 percent more traders in Palma than in outlying areas who had correctly forecast the outcome of the first week of sales.

Pimeco said that disappointment had hit some traders in part because of the low turnout of shoppers (40 percent) and the unwillingness of those who browsed to commit to a purchase (60 percent).

Meanwhile, research showed that businesses admitted to marking up greater discounts on stock prices this year.