A veteran retailer says it is becoming harder to compete with overseas outlets offering goods at cheap prices.

Candice Trott, the co-owner of Shannons in the Washington Mall, said retailers had also been hit by people spending less due to rises in the cost of living, such as Belco bills.

It mirrors a plea before Christmas for people to shop on-island if they wanted to maintain locally available sources and supplies of goods.

Ms Trott, who has been running Shannons for 40 years, said this year Christmas was “overall a bit quiet, quieter than last year”.

She added: “The main issue is the internet. It is our number one concern. It is very difficult to compete with places that sell something so cheap and still make a profit.”

She believes the key to fighting back against online shopping was offering quality products.

“After 40 years in the business I know what to look for and it is quality and that is what we provide.

“Hopefully we will get the trade back from overseas. It is important to bring in the quality that we provide.”

Ms Trott also highlighted another issue, adding: “A lot of people are not buying this year because of the cost of living. People said they do not have the money, that has been a big thing.”

Shannon Philpott, owner of Holidae, in Washington Mall, said it was the first year that the business had been operating in a shop, previously it had operated as a pop-up.

“It seemed to be pretty good,” said Mr Philpott said about Christmas shopping. “This year we brought in more products than normal so we were able to make more, but it is very hard to compare against last year.”

He said the store sold Bermuda-branded and designed goods and that since operating as a pop-up people had come to know their brand and, as a result, came back to shop with them.

At 1609, on Reid Street, Joanna Stapff, the owner, said she had not yet done her analytics but added that at first she was worried by a slow start to festive shopping.

“It picked up about three days before Christmas but my sales are definitely lower than last year.”

She echoed Ms Trott and said shoppers appeared to buying more online. “People were saying that they were buying on Amazon or going to New York on shopping trips.”

Ms Stapff, a designer, said her goal next year was to try and create more Bermuda-designed products, such as towels and bags. “People like looking for things that are Bermuda designed.”

At Pirates Port, also in Washington Mall, manager and buyer Lizzie Outerbridge, said Christmas “was excellent” and beyond previous years.

“We kept our prices right,” said Ms Outerbridge. “We do not have dresses selling for $800 and we think of things that are smart and needed.”