Rotorua shoppers flock to local retailers

With just days until the big day, Rotorua shoppers have been out in droves.

While the Rotorua Central carpark was bursting at the seams at times over the weekend, retailers in the CBD were also enjoying an influx of customers leading up to Christmas.

Portico Gallery owner Cheri Hayes said they had been so busy they were forced to turn away customers wanting framing done.

"It's been really great we've had lots of tourists and local shoppers through," Mrs Hayes said.

"We've had to turn work away. We had one woman come in today for framing and we had to say, 'Sorry, we just can't do it.' We've been working seven days a week for the last six weeks and have had to employ an extra staff member.

"We're probably slightly ahead of last December but are booked up for frame work right through January."

Mrs Hayes said being in the inner city was also a bonus.

"It's a great location for us, there's cafes here, a bookshop we've had many customers come through."

At Simply Different Gift Shop on Hinemoa St a staff member said they were also enjoying the busy Christmas period.

"Because we offer such a wide range of giftware we're seeing a lot of people coming in. We also offer free gift wrapping which people enjoy," she said.

Atlantis Books owner Fraser Newman said the festive shopping had been building since last month.

"It's been taking off, it goes to new heights every day. For us we've had a six to seven-fold increase [compared to previous months]. We have a lot of people buying for others, we've been doing a lot of gift wrapping."

Paymark recorded a steady growth in spending for the Bay of Plenty during the first 14 days of December compared to the same period last year.

There has been a 5.2 per cent rise for the region with Bay of Plenty spending $140.3 million last year compared to the current year value of $147.5 million.