January Trade

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Issue 1, 16 January 1937, Page 4

January Trade

0PTIM1SM GENERAL More Money About Than Usual at This Time RETAILERS' VIEWS In the eycle business activity January is generally looked upon as the principal doldrum period of ths year. It naturally follows that there should be' a lean time immediately after the peak of the Christmas rush, and in this respect the present month is no exception in Hastings. However, there is unquestionably good business being done for this time of the year and the present month to date compares more than fa-vourably with the corresponding period last year. " Yes,.tliings certainly are quiet now, but they are not as quiet as they wero chis time last year," said the manager oi one large store. "As a matter of iact early this week I was discussing matters of business generally witn two other Hastings business men and also one from Napier, and it was mentionea during our conversation that tnere appeared to be more money about than usual at this time of the year. Later I made a rough comparison and I was agreeably surprised to find that business was certainly better." There is not the ready inoney about like there was last 'month, but in the drapery business it has been noted tfiat people are inaking many purchases of seasonable goods, particularly the •unallei artieles of apparei. "I should say that during the next L'ew months there is going to be u uellnite improvement in the appearance of the people," said one informant. "With the retum of better times people are taking stock of their wardrobes and I am satisfied that they will be a lot smarter dressed than for eome lime past." This view was confirmed as regards men by a leading mercer, who said flint he Wias still awaiting the fulixialnont of his orders for suits. He had oeen "closcd down" by the manufacturers late in November, but had taken orders for delivery early in the new year. "I'm afraid 'early in the new year' will not be until next month for some people," he said. "I was informed that the factories iare still going at top to meet the continued rush, and this despite the increased costs " AJMOTHEE BOOM YEAR. He also agreed that there was u steady demand for aecessories, and that generally business was quite brisk for this time of the year. "If it keeps up like this 1937 certainly will be another boom year," he said optimisticaliy. , One point emphasised by a number of the business people interviewed was that there was no lavish spendiUg. The money was not being wiasted, though it was being spent freely. People were showing a definite discrimination for things of real value and were buying carefully, obviously with the intention of building up their wardrobes, which during the years of depression had been sadly depleted. The unfavourable weather had not been the setback to business that might Eave feeen expected in certain lines, particularly raincoiats, which have been in exceptionally good de-' mand. "They '11 do for the Winter anyway," is a Sample of the comment passed when such purchases are made, there being a natural reluctance to buy winter things ,in mid-Suinmer, espesially when the shops are displaying a wealth of summer goods. PEOSPEEITY BAROMETER The jewellery trade, being largely of a luxury nature, is regarded as a good barometer of prosperity in the commUnity, and it was therefore gratifying to .learn that one of the leading jewellery lirms in the town had been exceptionally busy since the beginning of the ndw year. There was a big call upon his services for repair work, a class of business that is particularly dependent on good times to keep it brisk. "We are repairing a big number of clocgs and watches at the present time that have not been in use for quite a while," explained one of the craftsmen. In other lines of business similar satisfactory reports were made, many of the business people attributing some of their gains to the purchasing power of the viuting people that have been in the distnet, despite the unfavourable weather ;'or holiday-making. The coun17 people, too, were very much in evidence in the town and it was signifieant that two fiTias with branches in the countvy dislricts rep'orted that they had done remarkably fine business in their branches, there being a continual call for i'resh stock A representative of a mercantile firm was quite optimistic as to the immediate future. "Yes, business is undoubtedly quite good for this time of year, and I i'eel that the present year is going to bc b. very good one indeed," he said. "Tuere is an upward tendency in prices for the primary produce and the great uplift in wool will help to give a goOd foundation for the expectation that the yetr will be a good one.'' On the other hand, a Hastings broker expressed the opinion that though 1937 would certainly ,be a good year compared with four or five years ago, he was of the opinion that the Christmas period just passed would be the peak and that next Cjitistmas would not be so good. He did not look pessimistically at the future, he said, but he thought that there Would be more careful spending than had been the case during the past few monrlxs, and though business would continuc to be quite good he did not think ihe next festive shopping pcyiod would find thc saino freedom of spending as wa? the case towards the close of the year jnsl ended.