The current sales on the fourth week of Advent are comparable to the last year’s results. Based on ČTK traders’ research, Czechs showed a high interest in gift vouchers, food, and cosmetics. The possible reason is the uncertainty about future measures against the COVID-19.
“Compared to the previous Advent weekend, we recorded an increase in purchases and overall, the interest was equal to the last Advent weekend last year,” explained Globus spokeswoman Lutfia Volfová. Customers mostly spent money on food and gifts. The most popular food options were meat, pastries, and sausages. Lego Super Mario and the board game Minecraft were popular among the gifts for children. As for adult gifts, Czechs buy alcohol or cosmetic packages.
According to the Tesco spokesman Václav Koukolíček, the shopping process went smoothly and without queues. The sales increased by a tenth compared with the last week’s results. Experts witnessed increased sales of alcohol which can be related to the closed restaurants and bars. Koukolíček expects intensive shopping until the middle of this week.
Shopping centers are full of people again, said PetCenter director Vít Bukvic. The sales rose by 15 percent compared to last year’s pre-Christmas sales. The demand is rising because of the uncertainty of future measures. “We see that some customers are therefore pre-stocking for safety. This is especially evident in the case of feed, whose sales have increased by a fifth,” Bukvic added.
Interest in online grocery shopping is also high, stated the marketing director of Košík.cz, Jan Škrabánek. The sales doubled in comparison to last year’s sales during this time. People show interest in ingredients for traditional salads and soups, as well as Christmas home decorations.
