Bankrupt mail-order giant Quelle is to have “Germany’s biggest clearance sale” starting Sunday, with 18 million items of merchandise ranging from clothing to electrical appliances being sold at up to 30 percent off.
German consumer confidence is edging higher after stagnating for several months, but rising unemployment is a risk to any broader pick-up in Europe's biggest economy, a key survey showed on Tuesday.
German retailers suffer €4 billion in losses each year to shoplifting and theft from employees and contractors, according to a study released by the European Retail Institute Wednesday.
Rushing back into the supermarkets on Tuesday, Germans will find that comparing prices of food in supermarket has become more complicated, with this weekend’s scrapping of the standard size rules.
The new “scrap bonus” - or <i>Abwrackprämie</i> - which gives Germans €2,500 to scrap their old cars and buy a new one - is inspiring other industries to make similar offers to boost business, according to daily <i>Der Tagesspiegel</i>.
German retailers are satisfied with their Christmas business, Josef Sanktjohanser, president of the Association of German Retailers (HDE), said Wednesday morning.
More than 10 million Germans will do at least part of their Christmas present shopping over the internet, meanwhile another nearly eight million are considering following their lead.
German consumers have shown a “comparatively cool-headed” reaction to ongoing financial turmoil, with a key confidence index compiled by the GfK institute remaining stable, it said Tuesday.
