Clothing, footwear and technology: the Portuguese back to shopping – Daily News – Lisbon

return Are the pre-crisis behavior. Deco regrets the lack of learning

Technology, clothing and footwear. This is where the Portuguese are spending money. The numbers do not lie and show that last year, particularly in December, there was a return to old behaviors consumption of the pre-crisis time. “We are witnessing a December unbridled consumption” – explains Mafalda Ferreira, professor of IPAM – The Marketing School -, “the Portuguese have shown, in several studies, are tired of the restrictions and decided to take this off, even without money in your pocket .. to spend Of course we will pay later “

This reality until it seems contrary to the consumer confidence index – fell in the last quarter of the year compared to the previous two in that it had improved. What happened? “After turbulent political times, the Portuguese turned to look at the country in a positive way. To this is added the number of issued credit cards, as well as the ceiling, increased. In other words, there was greater access to money and people bought a lot of technology, clothing and footwear, “explains the professor.

Number of times that Portuguese dining out rose 25% compared to October two years ago

That was not the only factor. Changing the dates balances have also been essential: “Brands proceed with promotions, attractive prices, and consumers adhere.” The conclusion, as stated Mafalda Ferreira is simple, “the more responsible behavior, most spared, he found himself in Portugal for three years, to no avail learning, was a cyclical behavior.”

Expenses late last year outnumber previous years and credit cards also increased

The numbers are proof of this return to consumption. The latest data from SIBS – responsible for managing companies specializing in service areas that primarily operate in the sector of electronic payments – reveal that between 23 November 2015 and 3 January 2016 were carried 110.2 million of purchases paid with cards . This means an increase of 10.9% over the previous year, with a total value of 4.3 billion euros, 6.6% more than in the same period. Currently there are in circulation about 20 million bank cards, just above 2014, which in percentage terms has no weight by SIBS.

Call for savings

Faced with these numbers, Deco, through its Support Office Over-Indebted (GAS), issued a warning to the Portuguese continued to focus on savings. “Both families as credit institutions are taking behaviors that reveal being less responsible in the way they deal with money,” says Natalia Nunes, responsible for GAS

He continues: “. The financial situation of households did not have significant improvements, we continue to live difficult times, proof is that the GAS continued to receive the same number of households over-indebted in 2015 than in 2014, but with an accent on economic degradation, ie, much greater difficulties to restructure their debts. ” To make matters worse, recalls that many of those who managed to re-employ up did it for lower than those they received. “It is surprising that families are returning to pre-crisis consumption habits, with the results that have occurred.”

Expert says Canadians” were tired of restrictions “.Deco regrets the lack of learning

And also noted that financial institutions increased the granting of mortgage loans, automobile and consumption. The latest data from the Bank of Portugal relating to November 2015, the consumer lending rose again to 493 million euros and the credit component through credit cards rose 49.9% over the same period 2014. The amount of credit for car purchase amounted to EUR 166 million.

“The climate of euphoria that erupted in the summer of 2015 with the output of the troika and after the election campaign, gave hope to families and access to credit was too easy, “says Natalia Nunes. Mafalda Ferreira shoots “. It was a consumer explosion”