Boxing Day sales. For anyone who has ever worked in retail, these three words can easily trigger a certain sense of fear and anxiety. But for business owners and keen shoppers, the annual event is something people look forward to - some more than Christmas itself.
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For retailers it's the biggest day of the year, pumping billions into the national economy. This year the National Retail Association forecast shoppers would spend $2.62 billion on Thursday, with all retail segments expected to be up on last year's sales.
And Launceston was no exception, with many businesses in the CBD and across the city making the most of the sales, with shoppers up early, ready to grab a bargain and spend some of their Christmas money.
But while retailers were predicted to benefit from the Boxing Day buzz and extra foot traffic, online shopping was also predicted to experience a significant increase on Thursday. The NRA forecast internet spending to increase by more than 23 per cent nationally on last year's results, to $666 million. So even on the day after Christmas, it's clear the challenges facing the retails sector - mainly a move away from a face-to-face retail experience - are not immune.
The issues plaguing Launceston's CBD and retail sector are well known. This year the council even commissioned a Shopping in the City report to examine why people choose to shop in Launceston, and what's preventing them from doing so. Improved parking, an integrated city marketing campaign, and skills development workshops for modern retail requirements were among the recommendations. The negative impact of empty CBD shop spaces were also highlighted. But let's not forget these shops are empty for myriad of reasons.
Launceston is by no means immune to the challenges facing many regional cities across Australia. Mainly, ensuring people are encouraged to come into the CBD and that it is well equipped with the infrastructure to sustain the needs of those who do.
While not every day is Boxing Day, for a business every day is an opportunity to turn a profit. However, unfortunately a typical day in the Brisbane Street Mall does not look like how it did on Thursday.