Bay retailers look forward to busy Boxing Day

Rotorua's Apt Collection store manager Heather Davis and second in charge Karen Edgar are looking forward to seeing Boxing Day shoppers. Photo / Laura Smith

Bay of Plenty shoppers spent more than $57 million in a week in the lead-up to Christmas, but retailers are hoping Boxing Day spending will ramp up further still.

After record spending in the lead-up to Christmas and Boxing Day last year, some in retail have seen a slightly slower build-up this year, but hope it means the day of sales will be a successful one.

In the week ending December 17, consumer spending through core retail merchants in Worldline NZ’s payments network in the Bay of Plenty sat at $57.3m.

Spending typically drastically increases in the week before the big day, and on Boxing Day last year about $7.1m was spent in the region.

Mount Surf Shop Downtown store manager Stevie Macfarlane was expecting lots of foot traffic on Boxing Day.

She said the store did not put on specific Boxing Day sales, but the number of holidaymakers and shoppers out and about was good for business.

“It’s normally quite chaotic.”

Overall the week leading up to Christmas and Boxing Day itself was pretty hectic, she said, and there was always something going on in town.

Retail NZ chief executive Greg Harford said Boxing Day was a hugely important part of the retail shopping calendar and rivalled Black Friday in terms of sales.

But there had been a “bit of a soft” run-up to Christmas, and so Boxing Day was even more important than usual; a good Boxing Day helped retailers set themselves up for a successful 2023.

“Most retailers will be open on Boxing Day, and there will likely be a range of deals available.

“We expect it to be busy in-store and online so, if customers are hitting the shops, Retail NZ is encouraging everyone to be patient and shop nice.”

In Rotorua, Apt Collections store manager Heather Davis said it was “a boomer of a day”.

The streets were busy with holidaymakers and she said there was usually a good, happy vibe in town. There was little stress in the store.

But this year she hoped the return of tourists would help boost the numbers of people out hunting for a Boxing Day bargain.

She agreed with Harford’s comment on it being a little quieter this year but said it had been steady enough.

While the weather had been unsettled lately, she said it would not matter what happened on December 26.

In fact, she said wet weather might mean more shoppers if their plans for visiting lakes and beaches went awry.

Bayfair Shopping Centre manager Steve Ellingford said this might have been the reason why its businesses had seen good numbers this past week.

Bayfair Shopping Centre manager Steve Ellingford said he expected good numbers on Boxing Day. Photo / NZME

“If you’re tracking to match 2019, that’s pretty good ... people are coming.”

He expected there would be a good turnout on Boxing Day, perhaps more so than usual given the economic forecast meant people were more often hunting sales.

He said the centre was opening an hour early at 8am on the day to give people more time to shop.

A Downtown Tauranga spokesperson said Boxing Day was usually a strong retail day, and so its retailers would be looking forward to seeing the public out and about enjoying the “amazing savings” on offer in their stores in the downtown area.

“Also our hospitality sector will be looking forward to providing the best dining options for people coming into the city centre.

“We have the largest offerings of cafes, bars and restaurants in one place, in the region, and exceptional quality and diversity too.

“Whether people are coming into the city centre to shop, dine, relax on the waterfront or take in some street art, our Downtown Tauranga businesses will be ready and waiting with large smiles and great Boxing Day offers!”