The merchants are cautious at the moment. Interest rate increases and the Election to Parliament will affect consumption. This is evident in this month's Business Barometer.
However, the merchants are still optimistic but cautious. The proportion of merchants that are planning to recruit staff remains unchanged.
Overall, they have a positive outlook for the fall . It is mainly general dealers that are a bit more cautious but the school start is a contributing factor to optimism since the sales are predicted to increase.
Vice President of the Swedish Federation of Trade, Yvonne Ingman, said in a press release:
- We face an uncertain future, the parliamentary election and possible interest rate increases may affect consumption in the future. Nevertheless, the confidence remains positive, which should be seen as a sign of strength.
The result in the Barometer shows that 65 percent of the merchants do not believe that interest rate increases will affect trade. However, 65 percent believe that consumption will increase more if the Alliance wins the election in September.
Cecilia Helland