Islandwide retail sales have varied so far this festive season from "terrible'' to "fantastic''.

Several Hamilton businesses seemed cautiously optimistic about sales, whereas the East End appears to be struggling.

Smith's President Roger Davidson said they were "marginally ahead'' of last year's figures, but noted that the retail industry was "very competitive'' right now.

"There are fewer tourists, more affluent Bermudians are travelling abroad (to shop) ... and it's putting the retail industry in a pretty big squeeze,'' he said.

Mr. Davidson noted that although e-commerce was "definitely starting to bite'', traditional mail order was more of a competitive factor.

Trimingham's general manager Laurence Trimingham said they were on-target and generally "pretty happy'' with sales, although he declined to comment on whether figures were up or down from last year because it was "a bit early to tell''.

Ian Smith, Astwood Dickinson's general manager, said their sales had been "fantastic'' and said the Sunday opening provided an extra boost. He noted that since there was an extra day of trading this year -- because Christmas falls on a Saturday -- it was too soon to tell exactly how well sales had gone this year.

But he expected that Astwood Dickinson would be up from last year by Christmas Day.

And referring to Premier Jennifer Smith's comment that retailers would have to re-invent themselves, he said they "were working very hard to do that''.

Retailers report mixed fortunes But Bill Davis, Church Hills manager and chairman of the St. George's area of the Chamber of Commerce, said sales in the East End had been "terrible''.

He said sales were very slow, except for last weekend -- and he hoped the upcoming weekend would be better, noting with a chuckle that he would be happy if all his champagne was sold by New Year's.

"I think people aren't spending as much money this year as last year -- I don't know, maybe they're spending it abroad,'' he said.

"And November was atrocious -- everyone's singing the same tune, it was one of the worst months in St. George's in years.

"We stayed open some nights on the weekends, and no one was around,'' he added.

In North Hamilton, Connections manager Michael Knight said their sales were "tremendous'' this year, primarily because they had more merchandise available.

Mr. Knight also attributed the increase in sales to the shop's late-night closing time.

"During the day, we're pretty busy -- but in the evening it really picks up, especially since most Mall stores close by five,'' he said.

Dub City Records and Boutique manager Olive Smith said last week was good for both Dub City and Town and Country Variety Store.

Ms Smith said there had been a steady flow, but she expected more of a rush in the two days before Christmas.

She said sales were a bit down from last year, and said it could be because lots of Bermudians had been shopping abroad this year.

"People think they're getting cheaper prices, but by the time you fly back and pay duty, it's really not much better,'' she said.

Wedco Development Manager Edward Williams said business in the West End seemed to go in spurts.

He admitted that this traditionally was not the busiest time of year for Somerset retailers since West End shopping captures more of a tourist market.

But Mr. Williams noted that many West End shops which were open on Boxing Day and New Year's Day tend to do a "very good business''.

"People (traditionally) are cooped up the day before, and they're looking to get out... we're anticipating the same this year,'' he said.

Debralee Perrin, a sales clerk at House of Style in Somerset, said sales were "reasonable'', but a bit down from last year because their Christmas stock hadn't arrived on time.

She said most of their sales came during the evening when many of the stores in Hamilton had closed.

Trends manager Sharmaine Thompson said they were "fairly busy'', despite some slow periods.

But Miss Thompson said this year's holiday sales were slower than last year's -- and she said it could be partially the result of online shopping.

"A lot more people are ordering off the Internet because it's more convenient for some people,'' she said.

"It's a small factor now, but it may become more of a problem next year,'' she added.