Massive turn out on the first day of the sales

Bartolome Servera, the president of Afedeco, said that this should “logically be translated into an increase in sales.” Textiles and footwear are the main buys, he added.

Angel Pujol, the secretary general of Pimeco, expressed his satisfaction at the large number of shoppers on the first day of the sales, adding that the biggest sales have been in footwear and clothing. Many shops expect to have run out of sales goods within two weeks, although by law, the sales can continue until September.

More tourists than ever are taking advantage of the sales, the shops reported.
But business has not been so good this year, as 100 per cent of the shopkeepers in Palma and 72 per cent of those elsewhere on the island say that the spring-summer period prior to yesterday's start of the sales had been worse than last year, according to a survey conducted by Pimeco. This reverses a trend which started a few years ago.

Four hundred shopkeepers specialising in clothing, footwear and accessories were consulted in the survey.
A spokesman for Pimecop said that customers are showing a reluctance to buy during the normal season and more and more of them are waiting until the sales. He attributed this to “the constant drop in disposable income for this type of product.” He went on to say that most shops had “more than enough stocks for the sales” and 80 per cent of the shopkeepers expect to do better than last summer.
Traders outside Palma are more optimistic than those in the city, the Pimeco spokesman said.