Retailers expect 3%-5% holiday sales rise in Puerto Rico
Holiday sales in Puerto Rico are expected to rise between 3% and 5% this season, according to Lymaris Otero, executive director of the Puerto Rico Retailers Association (ACDET, in Spanish), who spoke with News is my Business.
Otero said early Black Friday activity has been especially strong.
“All retail sales related to Black Friday — and as you know, there’s been a trend in recent years of extending Black Friday — show a 7% to 10% increase for businesses that began offering specials last week and over the weekend,” she said. “These have been very healthy special sales.”
Christmas decorations drove the first wave of holiday purchases, she added, and demand for gift items intensified before major promotions began.
Otero stressed that the projected 3% to 5% rise in December reflects increased dollar totals, not necessarily higher sales volume.
“We still have an impact from inflation … so you won’t necessarily sell more in quantity, but the increase in dollars will be reflected in the cash register,” she said. Still, she noted that positive growth remains essential. “With inflation, not having an increase in sales would be detrimental.”
She said expectations remain optimistic that retail sales will close the year with a 3% to 5% gain.
United Retailers Association (CUD, in Spanish) President Ramón Barquín offered a more cautious outlook, pointing to changing economic conditions that differ from the stimulus-driven environment of recent years.
“We are trying to look at it with the best expressions, but economic indicators are compromised,” he said, “What was happening two years ago with reconstruction funds and federal stimulus checks — we know that today that is not the case.”
Even so, Barquín said businesses are preparing to make the most of the season.
“Traditionally, Puerto Rico has a consumer-spending economy,” he said. “So we manage to increase economic activity, at least enough for many businesses to be able to open and close the year.”
Nationally, Deloitte’s holiday retail forecast projects U.S. sales will rise between 2.9% and 3.4% in 2025. Economist Akrur Barua of Deloitte Insights said disposable personal income — expected to grow between 3.1% and 5.4% — remains a strong indicator for retail and e-commerce.
“Steady growth in income can help offset some economic uncertainty,” he said, adding that while inflation may temper sales volume, it should continue to boost the dollar value of holiday purchases.
