‘Our sales reflect that there’s a lot more people around’: Grocer sees unusual sales increase in December

AN ALICE Springs whole foods grocer has seen a 20 per cent increase in sales compared to 2019

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A POPULAR whole foods store in Alice Springs has seen a significant boost in sales over December, which its owner puts down to both government stimulus and the fact fewer residents are taking interstate holidays this year.

Marli Banks, Alice Springs councillor and owner of Afghan Traders, estimates her business is up 20 per cent on the same time last year.

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“Our sales reflect that there’s a lot more people around,” she said.

“Also the effects of the myAlice Discount Vouchers coming into effect in December have had a positive impact.

So it’s been really good to see people supporting that and supporting local business.

“It feels alive in (the store) today. Usually it’s a ghost town at this time, but there are more people around and there seems to be more money in people’s pockets. Historically, in our business, we go into a point of hibernation from Christmas Day until people start trickling back into town for school at the end of January.”

Ms Banks said some of the credit also had to go to the unusually fine weather Alice Springs has been enjoying over the past week.

“The more temperate it is, people are more inclined to go out and shop. When it is hot in town people are more likely to head to greener pastures. They’ll head off to the beach or somewhere out of town.”

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Despite feeling buoyed by this atypical boon in an atypical year, Ms Banks said she didn’t expect it to continue once people were more free to travel again.

“I doubt that we’ll have a local trade as strong next year,” she said.