Fears grow over winter sales window

After suffering a tremendous blow from the measures against the coronavirus, the retail market has now pinned its hopes on the winter sales period. It remains to be seen how that sales period will pan out.

The winter sales are supposed to begin on Monday, January 11, and last till end-February. However, due to the pandemic there is widespread concern as to how stores will operate then, after the strict lockdown measures end in six days’ time.

Sources say that, for now, the government is not considering any postponement of the sales period, given that it will only allow the click-and-collect system to return from next Monday.

Meanwhile the “click-in-shop” model that the Athens Professional Chamber had proposed last week was again referred to on Monday by the chamber’s president, Yiannis Hatzitheodosiou. He told Skai TV that with shopping by appointment, turnover will grow and overcrowding can be avoided, while consumers will then be able to do some proper shopping.

In statements made on MOnday on ERT, Development Minister Adonis Georgiadis said that this model remains on the table.