Despite wintry weather keeping shoppers away from the high street in recent weeks, the majority of retailers are expecting a good festive period.
In a new survey by the British Retail Consortium (BRC), most of those questioned said they thought this Christmas would be at least as good as last year.
Indeed, some 29 per cent are anticipating similar levels of trading, while 35 per cent expect sales to be better.
Promotions are being used to drive spending, with 41 per cent of retailers offering more discounts than they did last year.
Stephen Robertson, director general of the BRC, said: "It's reassuring to see a majority of retailers believe Christmas sales will be at least as good as last year even if a third say they will be worse."
However, he pointed out: "Considering inflation is now at 3.2 per cent, growth of anything less then that would be a real-terms fall."
Struggling retailers may therefore wish to review their shop insurance cover to make sure they are protected against a range of unforeseen circumstances that could put further pressure on their business at a critical time.
