Bermuda retailer Roger Davidson cannot boast of any Christmas sales records at his five stores. But he remains upbeat.

The HA&E Smith Ltd. president was pinning his hopes on a last-minute rush of shoppers.

Heading into the final week of pre-Christmas activity, he said, "We have another week and an extra day of shopping before Christmas, compared to last year, which we hope will bring some bonus points.

"But there is a great deal of competition out there with the Internet and overseas shopping.'' Mr. Davidson's stores are in Hamilton, St. George's, Southampton Princess Hotel, the Dockyard, and the Treasure Chest.

Smith's has just been faced with a store closure at the Belmont Hotel, as the guest property prepares for redevelopment.

Trimingham Brothers, meanwhile, are on target for sales projections and president Eldon Trimingham believes Bermudians may have found more to cheer about in retail stores.

He said, "We are encouraged by this Christmas. People are starting to understand that the price structures in Bermuda are getting to be much more attractive than they were before.

"This appears to be reflecting through to greater confidence in purchasing.

We are about on plan.

"It is hard to compare, because we changed our buying structure, and we think our new merchandise this year is more exciting. We're encouraged that we are just about on plan.'' Another difficulty for Trimingham's in comparing their sales performance this year over past years is the company's closure of four stores in the last two years.

Closures included The Perch in Somerset which was consolidated into the firm's Somerset village shop, the Hamilton Princess Hotel store, the Castle Harbour Hotel store and the Railway Shop at Crystal Caves.

President of AS Cooper & Sons Ltd., Peter Cooper, said that while he is optimistic about Christmas sales, total performance for the year had not been that good. He said, "No, it hasn't been a good year. Tourism department sales have not been good. If anything, it has been very, very sluggish. I think you will find that true for most of the retailers who deal with visitors. I think they will tell you the same thing.'' Friday night shopping in Hamilton, with pedestrian-only traffic on Queen Street and portions of Reid Street, does help retail. But a refinement in the programme may be required. Mr. Davidson said, "It's worth the exercise, especially in the lead-up to Christmas. But then the weather has been so good, that may not be so conducive to shopping. People prefer to be out in the warm air. And a little nip in the air, is more likely to bring them inside.

"As long as they bring people into town, we are happy. But when there is a big diversion, when you put bands and music along the street, people go out to watch and listen and they lose interest in shopping.

"It's pretty expensive for us to open for an evening, especially when we are staffed up for Christmas. If we then have to compete with the Regiment band on Reid Street, then it becomes a problem. So, I suppose with a little more thought in the entertainment, people wouldn't be as distracted from shopping.'' Mr. Cooper said, "This past weekend seemed to bring a good splurge among shoppers. Both Friday evening and Saturday were very, very active. I would have thought that most businesses did well.

"That was the real kick-off, though. Up to that point it had been sluggish.

And then the weather has not been on our side for selling woollens. "The weather has been too good for everyone, except retailers.'' Page 29: HA&E Smith could sell off subsidiary