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RETAIL: Craft Shops Report Sales Drop
Listed under: News
Published: Thursday, August 28, 2008
Craft retailers have expressed concerns over rapidly decreasing sales during the past month.
The claims contradict recent reports published by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) suggesting high street sales were higher in July than the previous month.
Julia Cameron, owner of The Beehive in West Lothian, says “If anything, sales have actually dropped. Our location has been a big factor in this; there has been a lot of renovation going on in our town centre, which has affected some of the local shops. The bus service around here is also quite inadequate and I think this is hurting everybody.”
Jill Shepherd, owner of Cards 'N' Crafts in Hertfordshire, agrees “Our sales are down to rock bottom I'm afraid. Our business is often very seasonal and we are expecting sales to pick up within the next month. I have been here for 23 years now and we have always had a better winter than summer but I think it has generally been a lot worse for everyone this year.
However, Jill remains hopeful that things will soon pick up. “I am optimistic that the situation will improve,” she says. “I think its just a general trend and sales have been down in every area of the retail market, it's not just crafts. I think the internet and larger businesses have also done us some harm but I am sure things will get better soon.”
These findings supports new statistics published by the CBI showing a significant drop in high street sales over the past two months.
What do you think about this issue? Email me your thoughts on this story at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
Julia Cameron, owner of The Beehive in West Lothian, says “If anything, sales have actually dropped. Our location has been a big factor in this; there has been a lot of renovation going on in our town centre, which has affected some of the local shops. The bus service around here is also quite inadequate and I think this is hurting everybody.”
Jill Shepherd, owner of Cards 'N' Crafts in Hertfordshire, agrees “Our sales are down to rock bottom I'm afraid. Our business is often very seasonal and we are expecting sales to pick up within the next month. I have been here for 23 years now and we have always had a better winter than summer but I think it has generally been a lot worse for everyone this year.
However, Jill remains hopeful that things will soon pick up. “I am optimistic that the situation will improve,” she says. “I think its just a general trend and sales have been down in every area of the retail market, it's not just crafts. I think the internet and larger businesses have also done us some harm but I am sure things will get better soon.”
These findings supports new statistics published by the CBI showing a significant drop in high street sales over the past two months.
What do you think about this issue? Email me your thoughts on this story at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
