Retailers predict back to school sales boom

The Retailers Association says “back to school” spending will hit another high in 2009, up 7% on last year.

Executive director of The Retailers Association Scott Driscoll is tipping a total spend prior to the first day of school in 2009 of $118 million across the country.

“The traditional pens, books, calculators, writing pads and glue sticks, plus everything else that goes into getting a child ‘school ready’ all adds up for mums and dads every year, and 2009 looks like another big one,” says Driscoll.

“With population growth and more children entering school in Australia, the numbers are up for retailers helping parents prepare their children for the new school year.

“I think that the strong spending in this back-to-school season also points to the fact that the majority of families who were in receipt of the Federal Government’s recent bonus payments, are indeed spending the money wisely and in the main on items of benefit to their children,” he says.

This article first appeared on Inside Retailing.