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The British Independent Retailers Association (Bira) has predicted the strongest Mother’s Day trading in over two years.
Following the lifting of restrictions early this year, the head of Bira believes this will be the strongest trading period of the year so far as shoppers will be able to hit the high street without lockdowns or further Covid-19 restrictions which have limited trading since 2020.
Bira’s CEO Andrew Goodacre said: “For the first time in two years, people can look forward to a more normal Mother’s Day on the 27 March.
“Shops, cafes, restaurants will all be open for what is traditionally one of the busiest times of the year. As we approach this day, the independent retailers will be focusing on selling those unique, diverse gifts that people look for to celebrate this day.”
He added: “As we leave winter behind, from a retailing perspective Mother’s Day is one of the first retail opportunities of the year, and this year people can celebrate the occasion in a more normal way. I do not doubt that independents will be offering quality products and we urge shoppers to look local when considering buying gifts for loved ones.”
This comes as footfall has begun to strengthen back to pre-pandemic levels, with February seeing the largest monthly rise since June. This was driven by a month on month increase of +9.1%, nearly three times as great as the increase from September to October, before the Omicron variant hit
