Hundreds of thousands of SA shoppers spend estimated $128.6m on Boxing Day sales, as Rundle Mall welcomes a bumper crowd

RUNDLE Mall welcomed its biggest Boxing Day crowd as hundreds of thousands of shoppers spent an estimated $128.6 million at retail outlets across the state.

RUNDLE Mall welcomed its biggest Boxing Day crowd as hundreds of thousands of shoppers spent an estimated $128.6 million at retail outlets across the state.

While eager customers queued from as early as 3.45am outside shops in the CBD shopping precinct, several major suburban centres remained closed, prompting calls for the deregulation of restrictive trading hours.

Boxing Day shopping remains largely exclusive to Rundle Mall, Harbour Town and Glenelg. Australian Retailers Association executive director Russell Zimmerman said the restricted trade was “a huge problem”.

“All (the) big shopping centres should be open,” he said. “One of the big problems is you can only get so many people through any store. I actually believe Adelaide is losing people to Melbourne, who will fly over for the big sales. If you want to grow your employment in South Australia – you want to have a good, strong retail environment – you’ve got to open when the people want.”

SHOPPING FRENZY: Rundle Mall is jam-packed with shoppers keen to bag a bargain on Boxing Day 2017. Picture: Brenton Edwards/AAP

Rundle Mall Management Authority general manager Amanda Grocock said it expected up to 200,000 people to have visited between 11am to 5pm yesterday – up from 180,000 last year.

“Boxing Day is a massive day in the Mall and this year we’re expecting a bigger crowd than we’ve ever had,” she said. “Being able to trade on Boxing Day at all really recognises the importance of Rundle Mall to the city and to the state.”

She said some smaller shops with less than 200sq m of retail floor space opened before 11am to take “advantage of the crowds”.

Trading hour restrictions apply to general shops over 200sq m or grocery stores larger than 400sq m.

“The Australian Retailers Association predicted almost $129 million to be spent in South Australia today and, as one of the only places to shop, most of that money will be spent here in Rundle Mall,” she said.

Shop, Distributive and Allied Employees’ Association assistant secretary Josh Peak said they did not support calls for the deregulation of trading hours because “public holidays should be for everybody”.

“The only winners out of shopping hours deregulation are big businesses who will require their employees to work,” he said.

David Jones regional manager Stephanie Trevor said thousands of customers came through their doors in the CBD, where they enjoyed up to 50 per cent off women and men’s fashion. Myer Adelaide store manager Peter Figg said that they were expecting a “huge day”, with “up to 70 per cent off some of the big brands”.

As in previous years, roads surrounding Harbour Town were congested as shoppers flocked to the precinct.

Danielle Pascoe, 20, said the atmosphere in Adelaide was “crazy”. “I knew it was going to be busy, but not like this,” she said. Shopping centres closed yesterday – such as the Westfield centres – can trade until 9pm today.