Retailers are hoping healthy Boxing Day sales will lead to a spending resurgence in 2012.
Shoppers whipped themselves into a frenzy as retailers reaped the benefits of huge Boxing Day sales. Picture: James Elsby Source: The Daily Telegraph
Locked out: David Jones staff use bolt cutters to open their doors for Boxing Day. Picture: Bill Hearne Source: The Daily Telegraph
- Slow start to the day, but shoppers spend $1.7 billion
- David Jones forgot to bring the keys to Sydney store
- Healthy crowd reported around most of Australia
IT was a slow start to Boxing Day but shoppers turned out in their droves, spending nearly $2 billion in a major shot in the arm for Australia's retail sector.
Consumers were lured by heavily discounted stock and splashed an estimated $1.7 billion, as retailers drastically dropped prices to avoid collapse after a dismal pre-Christmas slump.
More than 1000 retailers closed their doors in 2011 while high-profile brands like JB Hi-Fi and Billabong took a major profit hit.
Cool temperatures and heavy rain left clothing stores hurting badly in a sluggish December sales period, and retailers hope the Boxing Day boost will kick-start a summer spending frenzy.
The owners of David Jones on Pitt St had to call in back-up to unlock the doors, eventually giving their loyal customers access with a pair of bolt cutters.
Despite reports of a sluggish start to the day in drizzly Melbourne, the momentum quickly shifted with all major capitals reporting healthy sales.
Fashionably lateMyer boss Bernie Brookes said shoppers got going around lunchtime.
"Customers were very slow to get going, but as the day has gone on it's become a bit of a crush, so in Sydney and Melbourne we've had to restrict entry into the stores to control traffic," he said.
Margy Osmond, chief executive of the Australian National Retailers Association, said high-end fashion was among the most popular target for shoppers, with discounts of up to 70 per cent.
"Because the weather was pretty unfriendly in the run-up to Christmas, there's a much better range of sizes and colours available than usual, the retailers have a lot more stock than they expected, and they're very keen to get rid of it," she said.
Ms Osmond said Queensland shoppers remained cautious when opening their wallets, but the sales still kicked off to a reasonable start.
"The projected spend for Queensland on Boxing Day sales (today) is about $325 million," she said.
Boom in "serious" shopping
Despite the boom in shopping across the post-Christmas period it appears a lot of shoppers still have work on the mind.
Sales in clothing have so far been dominated by the office market as rain drove many off the high street and into shopping centres, said Russell Zimmerman, executive director of the Australian Retailers Association (ARA).
"I'm told that the big areas of selling have been in business suits, business attire, and particularly for men, which has been particularly strong,'' he said.
"The big concern to retailers will be what I call the casual end of the clothing and the footwear market.
"The weather has not been conducive to strong sales in that area.''
Shopping frenzy
Nearly 200,000 people flocked to Melbourne's shopping mecca Chadstone as bargain hunters swamped stores to snare discounts of up to 80 per cent.
Strong customer numbers were also reported at Westfield centres. Myer spokesman Steve Carey estimated that up to 250,000 shoppers passed through its Bourke St store while online shopping also proved popular.
While shoppers in eastern states took advantage of discounts of up to 80 per cent yesterday, most South Australian retailers stayed closed.
Adelaide will have to wait until next year to shop on Boxing Day, after the State Government finally relented to calls to bring the city alive on a day when the shopping districts of other capitals are full of people and economic activity.
Meanwhile Perth CBD was swarming with shoppers.
"We've had some very good crowds this morning," said Myer WA general manager Kerry Davenport. "We had the ladies running through the doors as normal over to the ladies footwear."
End of year boom last hope for retailers
The Australian Retailers Association (ARA) expects shoppers to spend $14.1 billion between Boxing Day and the end of January.
Sales have so far been mixed: either flat or slightly up on last year.
Retailers are hoping for a boost over the remainder of the week with public holidays ending and more stores able to stay open for business across the country.
- with The Daily Telegraph, Herald Sun, Courier-Mail, AAP, The Advertiser and Perth Now
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