According to this, more than a quarter of the trading companies are satisfied with the course of business so far in what is traditionally the time of the year with the highest sales, the rest, however, are not yet. The view of the remaining days until Christmas therefore remains "exciting", said the industry association HDE. "Great hopes" rested on the final sprint.

According to the survey, around a third of the companies were satisfied with the business development in the days before the third Advent. Sales went well, for example, in the food trade, where 59 percent drew a positive conclusion for the week. The mood in the clothing trade was also above average, with a satisfaction rate of 40 percent. According to the HDE, the recent wintry temperatures presumably played a role.

According to initial reports from around 400 participating dealers, Saturday was the strongest sales day of this year's Christmas business so far; 70 percent of them were satisfied with the course. Overall, the HDE assumes that the industry will have total sales of around 120 billion euros this Christmas season. Adjusted for price, this would correspond to a decrease of four percent compared to the same period in 2021.