Countdown On Until Black Friday and Christmas

25 September 2019

It's just three months until Christmas, and Retail NZ says the sector is hoping for a busy end of the year.

"Customers usually start seeing elements of Christmas festivities beginning to appear in shops around the end of September, and some super-prepared consumers have already started their Christmas shopping. Festive shopping is likely to progress steadily for a few weeks, but will really ramp up from November as Kiwis get into their Christmas and summer shopping," Greg Harford, Retail NZ's Chief Executive, said today.

"Additionally, the American Black Friday shopping festival has now become firmly entrenched in the New Zealand retail calendar - with last year's Black Friday spending outstripping the previous Boxing Day. New Zealand consumers have become accustomed to great deals being available on Black Friday, which this year falls on 29 November. Many retailers are preparing for Black Friday sales this year, and that's likely to kick off an extraordinarily busy month in the shops in the lead up to Christmas.

"The retail market has been pretty tough over the past year but retailers will be hoping that the end of year is more positive, particularly on the back of the recent reduction in the Official Cash Rate..

"As people think about their summer purchases, it's a great idea to shop local and support businesses that are creating jobs and opportunities in our communities. Additionally, shopping local means that customers are fully covered under the Fair Trading Act and Consumer Guarantees Act in the unlikely event that something goes wrong".

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