28 Dec 2011

Bumper Boxing Day sales in Canterbury

10:09 am on 28 December 2011

Canterbury retailers had a stand out Boxing Day with sales using credit and eftpos cards up by 7.7% on last year to $10.7 million, according to Paymark.

In the country as a whole, sales rose 6.6% to a total of $105.8 million.

The figures from the country's main electronic transaction provider account for half of all spending on Boxing Day. They exclude cash, gift vouchers and electronic transactions using software from competing providers.

Westfield Riccarton shopping centre manager Bronwyn Anchor says there were queues outside the doors at 9am and shortly after opening the mall opened it was packed.

She said foot traffic was up by more than 9% on Boxing Day in 2010.

Otago shoppers had the largest rise in terms of money spentm rising 12.3% to to $6.2 million.

The only region where less money changed hands on Monday was Gisborne where spending dropped by more than 4.3% compared to last Boxing Day.