Main Street traders have reported a broadly positive festive trading period, with strong local support, resilient spending patterns and a vibrant town centre atmosphere despite challenging weather conditions and wider economic uncertainty.

Several retailers noted that Christmas shopping began earlier than usual, with steady demand from local customers from late November. While some businesses experienced a short slowdown following Black Friday, trading activity picked up as the festive season progressed, with neighbouring stores also reporting strong footfall and busy periods throughout December.

Ramesh Karnani of ADAM said:

“From my own perspective, it’s been a good Christmas period for us at ADAM. I’m talking about local shoppers who’ve been buying gifts since late November.

The week after Black Friday was quite slow, probably because people had already spent a lot and there were many Christmas dinners taking place.

Other stores in the area have been busy every day, with queues to pay, and shops opposite us have also been doing well.”

One trader, who preferred not to be named, highlighted a shift in consumer behaviour during December:

“November was a strong month for us up until Black Friday weekend, where trade dropped off compared to last year. For the 24 days in December up to Christmas we have seen less footfall, but higher spend.

I think this is due to the amount of rain, as people made fewer trips to Main Street but bought more when they did come. Between the 1st and 24th December there were 17 days of rain this year, compared to just four last year, which is a significant difference.

Rain probably also put off some cross-border tourists, although cruise calls were higher than last year.”

George Russo of IFL said the festive period reinforced the importance of continued investment and a strong town centre strategy:

“2025 and the festive period has seen a positive and vibrant Main Street and town area, very similar to previous years, and we can only thank our teams and customers for their continued support of local businesses.

As a company, we continue to invest in our stores and in Main Street during 2026 to provide the best brands and experience in Gibraltar, including the launch of TOPSHOP in February 2026. As we invest in our business and in Gibraltar, I hope we can also see Government investment in Main Street, with a clear strategy to protect local businesses from the impact of the Treaty.”

Overall, traders point to strong local loyalty, adaptive consumer spending habits and the importance of coordinated efforts between businesses and policymakers to ensure Main Street remains vibrant, competitive and resilient in the year ahead.