Holiday season shoppers were bargain hunting in these tough economic times, a leading retail boss said.

George Grundmuller is the president and chief executive officer of The Phoenix Stores Limited, which operates seven major pharmacies across the island as well as retail locations including The Phoenix Centre, Brown & Co, 59 Front, The Annex Toys, P-Tech, P-Tech Photo Solutions and iClick.

He was speaking on Friday after returning to head office from a visit to the organisation’s outlying stores.

Mr Grundmuller said: “We had a very good November, and December at this point is at par with last year.

“What we are seeing is that people came out early in November – they were very organised – and everyone is looking for a sale. Merchandise is moving where there is a sale on.

“That is a function of the general economic environment. With prices increasing, people are having to watch their wallets. People are much more careful when they buy, and they are looking for sales.”

He added: “Overall, I am happy with what we have accomplished so far. There is still one big day to go.”

From Front Street to Court Street, and everywhere in between, retailers rely on the holiday shopping season to boost sales.

That is particularly the case in these perilous economic times.

The latest Retail Sales Index figures, for September, marked the fourth consecutive month of decline and the 13th out of the last 15 months, according to the government statistics.

We canvassed some Hamilton retailers, large and small, on the penultimate day of the holiday shopping period that began with Black Friday four weeks previous, to take the pulse of retail as Christmas approached.

Tony Thompson, CEO of Gibbons Company, said: “It’s been going good so far. There is always a lot going on in the lead up to Christmas, this year more so than ever. We are receiving goods later than we had planned because of supply chain challenges, so we are seeing better sales later in the season.

“We introduced three new brands to the women’s department from Spain, which have done extremely well.

“Men’s sales continue to be strong, with underwear, pyjamas and active wear being top categories.

“We have two Christmas décor shops, one in the home store and one in the main store, and these have performed well.”

He added: “People are able to have more social events this year, so foot traffic has increased in our perfume and cosmetics department and in our Mac store as well.

“The increased cruise ships in Dockyard this month have helped our location there.”

Entrepreneur Demeka Tacklyn owns the store, Street Vybez, on Court Street.

Earlier this month, she organised the two-day City Hall Christmas Market, which provided small businesses – some of them from North Hamilton – with an opportunity for exposure and additional sales.

She said the market was an “excellent experience” but added that the cold, damp weather meant that some vendors had pulled out.

Addressing the current retail landscape, Ms Tacklyn said: “Retail, on the whole, is different than it used to be – you have to be extraordinary.”

She said foot traffic at Street Vybez has been a challenge – but loyal customers have continued to provide support.

Ms Tacklyn said: “It’s not like we get five to ten customers an hour, which is what truly sustains a business.

“Hourly, there are not that many, maybe one or two. I am thankful to my ‘VIP shoppers’. They come and spend strong with me – that’s what’s carried me through.”

For the second consecutive year, the Bermuda Arts Centre at Dockyard gathered up some of its wares and launched a pop-up gallery in Washington Mall for the month of December.

Gallery administrator Heidi Cowen said: “We of course have only one month to base our sales on, but there has been a drop.

“Not sure of course if this is our change of location within the Washington Mall or just overall sales, but we have noticed a significantly less amount of foot traffic going through the Mall itself as opposed to last year.”

Hannah Willmott, managing director at The Bermuda Bookstore on Queen Street, was swamped when we called, but had time to say: “It’s been very busy.”