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
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 the tills will be ringing even more frequently on Boxing Day.
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 main 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.
In Rotorua, Apt Collections store manager Heather Davis said Boxing Day was “a boomer of a day”.
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.
Eko retail assistant Bernie McCort was not sure what to expect on Boxing Day, with the numbers of those shopping in the week before Christmas being lower than last year.
It had not been the usual Christmas-time chaos.
She said it would also depend on the weather, with rain likely to bring shoppers through the door.
Eko retail assistant Bernie McCort was not sure what to expect on Boxing Day. Photo / Laura Smith
Retail NZ chief executive Greg Harford said Boxing Day was a hugely important day on 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.”
Bayfair Shopping Centre manager Steve Ellingford said the unsettled weather might have been the reason why its businesses had seen good numbers this past week.
“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.
Bayfair Shopping Centre manager Steve Ellingford said he expected good numbers on Boxing Day. Photo / NZME
He said the centre was opening an hour early at 8am on the day to give people more time to shop.
Mount Surf Shop Downtown store manager Stevie Macfarlane was expecting lots of foot traffic on Boxing Day.
She said it did not put on specific Boxing Day sales, but the number of holidaymakers and shoppers out and about was good for the store.
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.
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 city centre.
It also had a large and diverse offering of cafes, bars and restaurants.
“Our hospitality sector will be looking forward to providing the best dining options for people coming into the city centre.
“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.”
