In the midst of all the doom and gloom, it is always refreshing to hear a success story, and Burgess of Athlone certainly has one of those to offer this January.
Bucking the trend of reduced footfall and businesses shutting down, the landmark Burgess department store on Church Street has reported a solid Christmas season in terms of sales and a positive response to its January sale so far.
“We had a good run up to Christmas and a good beginning to the sales,” managing director of the store, Rosie Boles, told the Advertiser.
Although she believes there certainly has been a shift in the way people are spending their money, quality and value for money will always be in demand. “In general there has been a change, but it’s more that people are thinking practically rather than frivolously. This is where we hold our own, as what we offer is practical.”
In spite of the fact that they did not follow the trend of many businesses and hold a pre-Christmas sale, Burgess did make a few adjustments to how they planned their January sale this year.
“We didn’t have a sale before Christmas, as a lot of shops did. We have always run two good, genuine sales each year - one in January and one in July - and we didn’t see any reason to change this.
“However, we did offer some special discounts during the first four days of our sale this time around. We offered discounts in areas we wouldn’t normally, for example a half-price sale on lingerie.
“Footfall has been high for the sales; I think people did hold on to money for the sales. People are shopping differently. Whereas last year people might have bought a coat just because it took their fancy, now they are thinking about it and maybe buying a warm coat instead of a dressy one. Attitudes have certainly changed.”
As for the coming year, Ms Boles says it is impossible to predict the way things will go. “It is hard to say. We are doing our autumn/ winter 2009 buy now, so we are thinking about next winter at the moment. Our budget will be lower, but we are still looking for value and quality so we can continue to offer these to our customers.”
Having been in business in Athlone for 170 years, obviously Burgess has built up a large and loyal customer base. “I read a statistic recently in the Retail Times, that for every €1 billion that is spent by Irish people outside the country we lose 12,000 jobs at home. It is a scary thought, and it is within our control. We have to think local, Irish, and practical. We are all interdependent,” says Ms Boles, adding that the store has taken advantage of the recently launched Athlone Chamber gift voucher scheme.
Burgess of Athlone is already moving into the beginning of the first communion season. “Lots of people are already beginning to shop for communion and confirmation wear for their children, and for summer weddings. People will probably be more practical than frivolous, but they are still shopping.
“For us, service is very important. We like our customers to feel valued and we continue to look after our local customers and treat them well.”
Keep your eyes peeled for a variety of customer events to take place at Burgess in the coming months.
