December 2, 2019

State Chamber Update

Holiday retail sales and consumer spending appear to be off to a strong start!  USA Today reports that “Americans spent more money Black Friday shopping in 2019 than ever before. Both online and in-store figures increased over last year as consumers grow more comfortable with shopping on their smartphones and tablets. Brick and mortar sales were up 4.2% over last year.” 

Here in Delaware, retailers also report a strong beginning to the holiday sales season. Our tax-free status gives us a “leg up” on area competition as price sensitive consumers look for great deals and savings. Steve Chambliss, Senior General Manager at Christiana Mall (Brookfield Properties) reports that “shopper traffic exceeded last year” and that “most stores reported significant sales increases.” He also pointed out that this shopping season is 6 days shorter than last year, yet they are forecasting strong visitation volumes and sales throughout the holiday season. On Black Friday, for example, the Mall hosted more than 100,000 shoppers.

News You Can Use

Construction spending figures for October become public today, while November motor vehicle sales are released tomorrow. On Wednesday, factory orders for October become known, and we end the week on Friday with unemployment numbers for November as well as average hourly earnings figures.

Michael J. Quaranta

President

Delaware State Chamber of Commerce

Small Business Saturday may be over, but we should never stop shopping local. Painted Stave Distilling crafts premium spirits in small batches by utilizing only the best ingredients sourced from regional farms, and by blending traditions of the past with today’s creativity and state-of-the-art technology. Join us and Painted Stave Distilling at the 9th Annual Taste of Delaware event on December 11 in Washington, DC.