Alabama retailers expected to see more sales growth this year

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (WSFA) - What is traditionally a slower holiday for businesses at The Shoppes at Eastchase in Montgomery was different this Labor Day.

“Normally a Labor Day weekend would be pretty quiet, but I just drove through there a little while ago and it was very busy,” said Suzanna Wasserman Edwards, vice president of marketing for The Shoppes at Eastchase.

Shoppers could be seen searching for Labor Day deals, some even commuting from out of town.

“In Atmore, we don’t have a shopping center, so come here to Montgomery, I knew that they would have different things that we didn’t have in Atmore,” said shopper Ruthie Stephens

While inflation has made the cost of goods more expensive, particularly for restaurants, the shopping center hopes to finish out the year strong.

“Some of the restaurants that you’ll attend, some of the prices have increased there,” Edwards said. “But again, we are expecting that to go back down. It’s really not noticeable.”

Experts believe business sales will continue to climb across the state for the remainder of the year, however, the Alabama Retail Association does expect it will be at a lower rate than the past two years.

In 2021 the association reported taxed sales grew 17%, but in the first six months of this year it is about 7%.

With back-to-school shopping season complete, businesses are preparing for holiday shopping in the months to come.

“We have a couple of new retailers that we’ll be adding and announcing in the next couple of months,” Edwards said. “So it’s going to be a very busy sales-wise and traffic-wise holiday season.”

The holiday shopping season plays a big role in Alabama’s economy. The Alabama Retail Association reports shoppers purchased a record $17 billion in the last two months of 2021.

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