Shoppers stroll through downtown Duisburg, Germany, Thursday, Dec. 20, 2012. Analysts and shopkeepers say sales have been slow so far this season. But many are hoping for a late push the final weekend before Christmas. “Every year it comes later,” said Joachim Stoll, who co-owns Leder-Stoll OHG, a leather and luggage retailer just off the glittering Zeil pedestrian shopping quarter in Frankfurt, Germany. “People wait longer and longer, even after Christmas.” As in the U.S., Christmas sales are vital to shopkeepers: British non-food retailers can make up to 50 percent of their profits in the end-of-year push. In Germany, Christmas business can mean 30 percent of annual sales for holiday-heavy sectors like toys.