Several major chains have not been looking forward to Christmas. In many cases,sales declines are inevitable: the only question is, how far will they drop?Spot the Christmas turkey. It’s an annual game for retail-watchers but this year’s offering comes with additional helpings of gravy. Several factors mean there is more at stake than usual. First, and the gentle weather,enemy of clothing retailers with piles of jumpers and rails of coats to shift. Second, the rising popularity of online shopping, or which makes current sales trends harder to read. Third,the fact that several big-name retailers desperately need a noble Christmas. There are five firms in specific where reputations are on the line.
At Tesco, chief executive Dave Lewis was hailed a hero when he arrived a year ago. He took emergency measures – like cutting the price of vegetables – to ensure Christmas 2014 wasn’t the washout it had threatened to be only a few months earlier when the group’s accounting scandal broke and the boardroom was in turmoil.
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Source: theguardian.com