Just when you thought you could hang up your shopping bags, it has been all on again Boxing Day.
Full carparks and hoards of bargain hunters are great news for retailers who have been doing it tough in recent years. The sight of slow traffic on Christmas Eve and the sound of tills ringing on Boxing Day is a cautious nod that consumer confidence has returned.
As business reporter David Porter reported last week, there have been many positive signs in the region this year. The long-awaited city campus funding was signed off and the kiwifruit export industry has experienced an unprecedented surge. Stan Gregec, Tauranga Chamber of Commerce chief executive called the year "a boom year" and pointed to the huge growth in people moving to Tauranga from Auckland and elsewhere which has created buoyancy in the housing market.
Priority One chief executive Andrew Coker said the economic landscape in the Bay was becoming more robust.
It will be interesting to see the development in Tauranga next year, particularly how the initiatives proposed by the Civic Amenities Group progress as its partnership with Tauranga City Council continues.
