Sinterklaas is big business for retailers
A consultancy bureau has done the maths: Families in Belgium spend €350 million a year on presents for the feast of Saint Nicholas
Sinterklaasje, kom maar binnen
We refer of course to Sinterklaas, the Good Holy Man, whose day it was last weekend, and who called on homes across the region to bring presents to all the good girls and boys. And if you were wondering how he manages to do that, a possible answer has been provided by the consultancy WES: Sinterklaas is very, very rich.
Belgians, a WES survey reveals, spend €350 million at this time of year on presents for the feast of St Nicholas. Families with children, WES found, celebrate the occasion in huge numbers, from 90% for households with one or more children under six, down to 62% with kids aged between 13 and 17.
Parents spend an average €70 on gifts per child. In 88% of cases, their choice is made according to their kids’ wish-list; 66% are swayed by information from the shops; 62% are convinced by word of mouth.
An increasing share of shopping is taking place online: 65% go online to compare prices, but only about 21% actually buy online, preferring to hand their money over in actual shops – one in four of them leaving it until the last minute.
Photo by Sander van der Wel/Wikimedia
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