Trading strong at the Mall in Falkirk
With day-to-day trading of constant interest to retailers, Retail-week.com is interviewing a number of Mall centre managers during the final week of Christmas shopping.

The first report comes from The Mall Falkirk general manager David Pierotti.

He said: 'There has been much media comment this year that Christmas is set to be extremely hard for retailers, with shoppers not spending. This is coupled with the collapse of Farepak, which hit Scottish communities particularly hard and should have signalled a tough Christmas trading for our retailers.

'However, the expected downturn doesn't seem to be biting. Although footfall was slightly lower through last month, it now seems to have recovered to last year's levels. Spend is up, with 85 per cent of our retailers trading ahead of forecasts.

'Our average trading index for last month was up 5 per cent on last year and, for the first two weeks of December, we have seen strong year-on-year growth, with trading 4 per cent ahead of last year in the week commencing December 4.

'With stores having the whole weekend to trade before the big day, we are expecting this Friday and Saturday to be extremely busy. I'm certain that Saturday 23 will be the busiest day of the year for us.

'Partywear is flying off the shelves, with a trend this year for stronger, vibrant colours.

'Electronics are also selling well - particularly the Nintendo DS, Wii and X-box 360. The latest Oasis album is doing well, as is anything to do with the Pirates of the Caribbean film.

'Bratz and Dr Who are must-have toys this Christmas, but there has also been a surge of interest in more traditional board games, such as Cluedo and Monopoly.

'In general, retailers are having a good Christmas, supported by the fact that there are far fewer Sales and megadays. Full-price trading for retailers is almost universal this year. However, there are still the usual offers and 2-for-1 deals in stores, but this is to drive profit rather than sales.

'Falkirk Mall had a special shopping night on November 29, with every store open until 9 pm and many offering 10 per cent discounts. It was the most successful day in my four years at The Mall, with average sales double digits ahead of last year.'

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