RTL’s Tim Morizet spoke to several shops situated in Luxembourg City to investigate how consumers’ behaviour has changed compared to the first lockdown in March.
Guy Tabourin’s wine shop on the Place du Théâtre is one of the few stores in the upper district of the city which has remained open under the new measures. His shop had seen an uptick in sales ahead of the festive period. Tabourin praised the information provided by the government with regard to the measures this time around, saying the guidelines were clearer compared to the March closure. The government issued a clear list of products which were permitted to be sold under the new guidelines.
Compared to the previous week, the city’s streets were quiet, but the atmosphere is less nervous than during the first lockdown, said Tabourin. There are more shoppers in the capital this time around, as people feel more comfortable going out, he added.
This demonstrates the change in customers’ behaviour over the last few months, as they flock towards bigger shopping centres. Anne Kaiffer, owner of a butcher’s in the capital, said customers were less afraid of mingling with crowds, and went to shopping centres to do all their shopping in one outing. However, she said she was aware that shoppers outside the capital had been turning to local stores to avoid visiting the city and its malls.
Shoppers have shown tendencies towards using local bakeries rather than visiting the large chain bakeries in shopping centre galleries. Anne Nickels of Namur said this had changed from the March lockdown, and their pre-Christmas figures showed a swing towards their smaller stores for orders, rather than the stores in shopping malls.
For many other shops in the city, the question remains as to what support lies in store for them over the coming months, as there has not been much communication from the municipal council.
