What is the state of mind of traders and the state of stocks for this month of January 2025?
Based on our latest survey of independent retailers, 64% estimate that they still have more or less 40% of stocks available and therefore the possibility of putting them on sale here during the month of January. So it’s relatively important and therefore there will be choice, there will be diversity in terms of articles. And 80% of them, so four out of five merchants, estimate that they will traditionally start with the 30% reductions which will then continue with 50%, 60% and 70% at the end of January.
What is allowed to do today under Belgian legislation?
The sales period this is the legal opportunity to liquidate your seasonal stock. So the product which by definition can no longer be sold the following year because the collections change. This is the reason why the principle of sales applies first and foremost to the textile sector, therefore clothing, leather and footwear. Over time, we also sell you discounted fridges or microwaves which obviously have nothing to do with a seasonal product.
Beyond the textile sector, we must also respect the rules of sales, i.e. the possibility of selling at a reduced price, but giving consumers the opportunity to compare the price with the reference price which has been applied for at least 30 days. previously. You must always be able to compare on the label the price which was normally applied not on sale with the price which is on sale.
-Do these developments make it possible to better resist competition from online commerce?
Inventory that is not sold is inventory that is in warehouses. It’s a sleeping stock and it’s sleeping money. And therefore it is necessary and essential to be able to liquidate quickly since it is a product which by definition depreciates. So it is necessary to be able to liquidate as quickly as possible. The competition is all the tougher as e-commerce has continued to grow since Covid.
Today, it is estimated more or less that 25% of traditional consumption is taken up by e-commerce. In 2024, in Belgium, more than 800 million turnover will be made from textiles and clothing alone. It is in the top 3 in sales, more or less 8 million consumers. So nine out of ten consumers in Belgium buy on the Internet today, which was not the case before Covid.
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