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SINGAPORE: The spirit of gift-giving this festive season has not taken a backseat. Businesses here said on Saturday that sales are picking up with more consumers willing to dig deeper into their pockets to spread some festive cheer.
Gifts that are priced from a few hundred dollars to over S$1,000 are proving to be a hit among corporate givers this year. In fact, sales at Noel Gifts have already surpassed that of last year's.
The company said the average spending power of its customers, such as banks and construction companies, has risen about 12 per cent this year.
These customers have also become more discerning, as traditional hampers seem to have lost some ground to trendy-looking gifts.
Winnie Tan, general manager of Noel Gifts, said: "Corporate givers are very concerned about the overall look of a hamper... they'd like to take the opportunity to invest in building a relationship for a better year ahead."
Christmas trees, which come bundled with hampers, are on the popularity chart this season as well. But for most shoppers, mobile phones and computer games like Rock Band and Guitar Hero are all the craze.
Courts Megastore said its sales for such items are up 50 per cent, compared to the same period last year.
Terry O'Connor, CEO of Courts Megastore, said: "The gaming consoles and software are selling very well as gifts for the children. Cameras are selling very well across the board... even things like cake mixers are up about 65 per cent, so obviously the mothers and the aunties are doing very well this year."
Big ticket items like Blu Ray players and plasma TV sets are also said to be two of the season's top purchases at the store.
- CNA/so
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