A Northland business leader hopes fine weather continues to entice shoppers out in search of bargains which will keep the tills ringing across the region.
An influx of out-of-towners into Whangarei yesterday created shopping and parking chaos in central Whangarei as well as at Okara Shopping Centre as Boxing Day sales kicked in.
Some retailers offered heavily discounted or even half-priced items to lure shoppers.
Manager of The Strand Merv Williams said retail spending, particularly for small business owners, was crucial at this time considering sales were pretty flat for most of the year.
"For a large part of the year the shops are just existing but they rely on trading at this time of the year to make some money. Visitors to Whangarei or Northland certainly help in terms of sales," Mr Williams said.