BUSINESS RESUMES

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXII, Issue 21999, 4 January 1935, Page 11

BUSINESS RESUMES

THE CHRISTMAS TRADE EVIDENCE OF FREER SPENDING Business was resumed in the city yesterday after the Christmas and New Year holidays. For the most part the impression was that trade was better than usual after the holiday interval, and shops generally were well patronised.

The large firms have now had opportunity to review in detail the results of their trading over the holiday season, and can regard the position with satisfaction. One house which does a widespread business throughout the province records an increase for December v of 12 or 13 per cent on the figures for the previous December. Its turnover had been increasing month by month all the year. A feature of the December shopping was the demand for better quality goods, and for utility lines as distinct from fancy articles.

A representative of this firm attributed the position to the fact that during the last few years people have been learning to adjust their spending to their incomes. Luxuries have been abandoned, and necessity has taught, people to spend their money more wisely and effectively than they did at one time. For this reason, the outlook for the immediate future was good. Looking further abend, two main requisites for the establishment of improved conditions in the Dominion were an intelligent and efficient marketing scheme for New Zealand produce in England and the resuscitation of Germany to provide an outlet for wool. The head of a large firm, in reviewing the past season's trading, said the weather had been exceptionally favourable throughout, particularly for drapery business. People had been compelled to have seasonable clothing, but even in other departments business had been well ahead of last season. He ventured the opinion that people having experienced for so long a period of "depression" wore now disregarding tho idea and spending their money as it came to them. The increase in his Christmas trade this season was attributed by another principal lioth to tho large number of visitors in the city and to tho good weather. Tho warm humid conditions had stimulated in particular the sale of cotton dress materials and beach wear. Among yesterday's customers there wero still a considerable number of strangers who were evidently visitors to tho city, he said. WELLINGTON SHOPPING TURNOVER LARGELY INCREASED [BY TKUX.'RAI'H —PRKSS ASSOCIATION] WELLINGTON, Thursday Turnover at the Christmas and New Year shopping season is generally considered to have been better than that for the previous year by 25 per cent. Approximately the same results were obtained by shopkeepers in all lines, according to inquiries made at Wellington to-day. This year shops in Wellington did not keep a late night on New Year's Eve as they did last year, but rather than being the cause of a falling-off in takings, this change seems to have increased turnover. In fact, one firm went so far as to report a 75 per cent increase in New Year's Eve sales over figures for the previous year.