Rotorua retailers hoping for bumper Easter Sunday

Be Rude Not To cafe owners Anthony and Priscilla Reid are hoping for a busy day on Easter Sunday. PHOTO/ STEPHEN PARKER

Rotorua businesses are hoping for a bumper weekend as retailers prepare to open their doors on Easter Sunday.

Last year marked the first time local retailers had the chance to trade on Easter Sunday after the Rotorua Lakes Council passed its Easter Shop Trading Policy, the first region in New Zealand to take advantage of the law changes.

This year several businesses spoken to by the Rotorua Daily Post said they would be open, and were hoping others would do the same to encourage people into the CBD.

McLeods Booksellers bookseller Mike Byrne said the store would be open again on Sunday, and he was expecting more retailers to open this year than in 2017.

"We were unsure about how it would go, but it was better than an average day for a Sunday."

He believed people had adjusted to the idea of shops being open on Easter Sunday.

"A lot of people didn't agree in principle, but people and retailers have adjusted."

Being a tourist destination, Byrne believed it was important for shops to be open on the holiday.

Be Rude Not To cafe owner Priscilla Reid said the cafe would definitely be open.

"It's a time for families to get together and come out for breakfast."

She was hopeful that town would be busy.

The cafe would also not have a surcharge on the public holiday, she said.

Rotorua Stirling Sports manager Dean Katipa said the store would be open again on Sunday.

The day was "a little bit quiet" last year, but he believed that would change if more stores were open.

"It's important to be open for them."

A spokeswoman for Michael Hill Jewellers said the Rotorua store would also be open.

Rotorua Chamber of Commerce chief executive Allison Lawton said the chamber supported any initiatives that enabled businesses to grow.

"Therefore, we support the Easter trading as it gives retailers the opportunity to generate more revenue. We also understand, there are staff costs attached to the Easter trading, but this is a decision respective owners need to make."

The timing of the announcement last year, just before Easter, may not have provided enough time to make roster changes, which could explain why some shops decided to stay closed, she said.

There will be plenty of people around to take advantage of the open shops over the weekend, with several big events in Rotorua.

They include the Te Hui Ahurei a Tuhoe festival, which is expected to draw up to 15,000 people, the Melt chocolate festival, and the Studebaker Nationals.

Rotorua i-Site senior travel consultant Sabrina Gogg said there had been "lots and lots of inquiries" from people about accommodation in Rotorua over Easter.

"It's definitely going to be as busy as it was last year, maybe even a little bit more busy."

That could partly be due to Easter falling outside of the school holidays this year, which would have a positive impact, she said.

A "huge" number of people travelled to Rotorua for the Easter break last year, and she thought that would be the case again this year.