December, the most productive month for food retail chains isbringing supermarkets and hypermarkets sales put at more than 600million euros, 30-35% more than the average of a regularmonth.
Eastern and Christmas holidays generate record sales in largestores, with lots of people standing in line at the tills, becausethe client traffic increases by as much as 50% compared withNovember, according to data from players on the market.
Last year, supermarket and hypermarket networks (discountersincluded) posted cumulated sales of 6 billion euros, according toFinance Ministry data, that is a 450-500 million-euro average.Taking into account the estimates of the networks about the growthrate of sales registered around Easter and Christmas, 30-35%, salesin December can be put at 600-650 million euros. This year 13hypermarkets were opened and three closed on the market, but,considering the consumer spending decline, the segment shouldstagnate at its 2008 level.
Preparation of Christmas dinner and presents could thereforegenerate an additional 100-200 million euros in revenues tosupermarket and hypermarket chains in the last month of 2009.
"Generally, the number of clients in Carrefour hypermarkets goes upby approximately 50% in December compared with a regular month,"says Andreea Mihai, marketing manager of Carrefour Romania. On theaverage, the traffic increase in hypermarkets stands at about30-35% in December, according to market data.
In Bucharest, an over 10,000-15,000 square metre hypermarketattracts up to 150,000 clients in December, but the representativesof the stores are unwilling to provide details about the value ofthis month's sales.
This year, however, retailers are no longer talking about growth insales or client traffic, so that the December 2008 peak may not bereached in 2009.
Supermarket and hypermarket chains on the Romanian market totalalmost 500 stores at present, with almost one million square metresin sales area.
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