Jewellery, fashion, click-and-collect all strong at Hammerson malls

By

Barbara Santamaria

Published
Dec 8, 2016

Jewellery and technology sales at Hammerson shopping centres continued their positive trend in October, according to the British mall operator’s Retail Tracker.

Sales across the group’s portfolio of shopping centres increased in October 1.4% on a like-for-like basis, driven by jewellery sales which grew 9.4% in the month and technology with a 28.3% increase.

Overall, Hammerson’s sales growth outperformed the BDO High Street Sales Tracker for the month, which saw a 0.7% uplift

“October saw a return to positive trading as autumn officially kicked into shoppers’ minds helping to stimulate spending. Gadgets and gems are continuing their successful performance this year and it’s reassuring to see that fashion updates for the winter season are also selling well,” said Hammerson CEO David Atkins.

Tourists took advantage of the weak pound to shop high value branded watches such as Rolex, while domestic shoppers treated themselves to charms, bracelets and stacking rings.

During October, department stores across Hammerson’s UK portfolio also performed strongly with sales up 2.7% as shoppers updated their wardrobes with accessories, footwear and key fashion pieces for the autumn season.

Meanwhile in November, bargain hunters boosted footfall with store traffic for November 1-27 up 1.3%.

“While Black Friday is still an important date in the retailing calendar, it no longer holds the clout with shoppers as ‘the’ ultimate shopping day. We think ‘Black Fortnight’ is now a more appropriate label and is more in line with consumer expectations as shopper visits were spread out across a two week period and the prolonged event enables smoother operations for retailers versus one bumper day,” David Atkins.

Hammerson’s Click & Collect services saw a 30% increase in traffic during Black Friday week as shoppers made the most of the retailer’s online offers.