Despite an avalanche of grim predictions for the domestic economy in 2009, most Australian jewellery retailers have enjoyed excellent Xmas sales and are ‘confident’ of business success in the year ahead, according to a Jewellery World survey.
More than 60 percent of the retailers surveyed in Jewellery World’s online survey last week said their sales in the 2008 Xmas trading period (December 1 to December 31) were ‘greater’ than their sales in the 2007 Xmas trading period î º 32.6 percent recorded a sales increase greater than 20 percent, 18.6 percent recorded a sales increase of 11-20 percent and 11.6 percent recorded a sales increase of 1-10 percent.
Only 27.9 percent recorded a sales drop in the same period î º 16.3 percent recorded a 1-10 percent fall, 2.3 percent recorded an 11-20 percent fall and 9.3 percent recorded a fall of more than 20 percent.
Around 9 percent of respondents said their sales were ‘about the same’ in both periods.
In addition, nearly 75 percent of the surveyed retailers said their sales in the 2008 calendar year were ‘greater’ than their sales in the 2007 calendar year î º 25.6 percent recorded an increase of more than 20 percent, 25.6 percent recorded an increase of 11-20 percent and 23.3 percent recorded an increase of 1-10 percent.
Just 9.3 percent said their sales in the 2008 calendar year were ‘less’ than their sales in the 2007 calendar year – 7 percent said their sales had dropped by 1-10 percent while 2.4 percent said their sales had dropped by more than 20 percent.
Around 16 percent of respondents said their sales had stayed ‘about the same’.
The majority of the jewellers were ‘confident’ (44.2 percent) or ‘very confident’ (11.6 percent) about their business’s prospects in the year ahead while 30.2 percent were ‘slightly concerned’ and 14 percent were ‘very concerned’.
* Jewellery World’s online survey included retailers from NSW, Victoria, Qld, SA, WA and Tasmania – 34.9 percent of respondents had an annual retail turnover of less than $500,000, 18.6 percent (a retail turnover of $500,000- $1 million), 27.9 percent ($1-2 million), 11.6 percent ($2-5 million) and 7 percent ($5 million plus).
