Australians Will Part With $14.73 Billion During Post Christmas Sales

Australians will part with $14.73 billion during post Christmas sales

* Shoppers will spend $250 each
* Women and men's clothing the hot ticket items

Potentially six in 10 Australian shoppers with brave the crowds and hit the shops for the Boxing Day Sales, the Australian National Retailers Association and American Express Annual Christmas survey has found.

The ANRA and American Express Annual Christmas survey shows that most people will spend $250 each, and the top items will be men and women's clothing (47 per cent), homewares and consumer electronics (both on 36 per cent), manchester (33 per cent), children's clothing (24 per cent), Christmas decorations (23 per cent) and children's toys (16 per cent).

Economic modelling done by Access Economics for ANRA reveals Australians will part with $14.73 billion between Boxing Day and 15th January, a slight increase on last year ($14.25 billion in 2008). NSW shoppers will spend $4.537 billion (compared to $4.40 billion), Victorians $3.69 billion ($3.57 billion in 2008), Queenslander $3.075 billion (2.97 billion), South Australians $1.069 billion ($1.047 billion), West Australians $1.617 billion ($1.55 billion), Tasmanians will spend $330 million ($318.8 million), Territorians $147.4 million ($142.4 million) and those in the ACT will part with $269 million ($260.4 million).

"This time last year, there was cash flowing through the economy from the first stimulus package. This year, Australians are spending their own money at the sales, and while there is higher confidence, there's still a reluctance to spend big.

"Our survey shows that 14 per cent of people will spend less at the sales compared to last year, 45 per cent will spend the same or more and 41 per cent won't attend the sales," ANRA CEO Margy Osmond said.

"There is always a buzz at the sales. People love bargain hunting, and even if they don't spend as much as last year, they generally do come out in force to see what's around," she added.

Geoff Begg, Vice President Merchant Services at American Express, said the post Christmas sales period traditionally generated an increase in American Express card usage. "The Christmas sales period brings out the bargain hunter in us all and causes a post Christmas splurge both in terms of frequency of card use and value of transaction," he said.

Margy Osmond added, "Retailers will be working extra hard to encourage shoppers to part with their money given the aggressive pre Christmas sales, so expect to see some really great bargains over the next few weeks."


Margy Osmond and David Jones Group General Manager of Stores and Operations Paul Zahra will hold a media conference today, Thursday 24 December at 3.30pm at the David Jones store, CBD, Sydney.
Please phone Tahli Koch at David Jones
0408 019 222

The survey was an online poll of 1000 Australians nationwide aged 18 and over.

ANRA Media inquiries:
Susan Redden Makatoa
0403 870 383

SOURCE: Australian National Retailers Association