The Tribune

By NATARIO McKENZIE

Tribune Business Reporter

nmckenzie@tribunemedia.net

BACK-to-school sales for 2012 were relatively flat in comparison to last year, according to retailers, one telling Tribune Business: “It was business as usual”.

“We had no problems with the level of business during the back-to-school season. It was business as usual. Business was about the same”, said John’s Shoe Store’s operations manager, John Cathopoulis.

Mr Cathopoulis added that the shoe retailer’s recently launched on-line offering had generated a great response thus far.

“So far it’s had great response and great traffic. There’s just a bit of confusion where a lot of people think they can just put stuff on hold on the site. That’s the biggest obstacle we’re trying to overcome right now, converting holds into purchases. It’s doing fine - at the moment it’s doing about as well as I would have expected it to do”, said Mr Cathopoulis.

Traditionally, the back-to-school shopping period is the second busiest period of the year for retailers behind the Christmas season

Jack Moree, owner of Sandy’s, told Tribune Business: “We haven’t looked at the numbers as yet. Business was pretty much the same as last year I guess”.

Peter Philips, managing director of the Brass and Leather Shops, told Tribune Business: “I think business has been pretty much the same. There were no great gains or great decreases relative to the previous year”.

Daren Wong, manager at Book World and Stationers, added: “Sales have been stable compared to last year and the year before. It hasn’t gone up but it hasn’t nosedived further.

“It’s not as good as it’s been in the past. Shopping patterns have changed in the sense that people are getting the school fees out of the way first and leaving the shopping for much later.”