Easter shopping frenzy hits malls
Eager shoppers poured into malls in the main cities over Easter weekend, filling many car parks by 11am, after shops were closed on Good Friday and Easter Sunday.
Auckland’s Westfield Albany and Christchurch’s Westfield Riccarton were ‘‘manic’’ yesterday and on Easter Saturday, said Paul Gardner, a centre manager at Westfield’s parent company, Scentre Group.
Consumer electronics stores, women’s clothing stores and supermarkets were particularly busy, he said.
Both malls were closed on Good Friday and Easter Sunday because their respective local councils did not allow shops to open.
However, busy Easter trading days probably made up for the revenue lost on the days that shops were forced to close, Gardner said.
That could encourage local authorities to keep stores shut next Easter Sunday.
Scentre Group had held ‘‘some discussions’’ about Easter trading hours prior to Easter, but neither the Auckland Council nor the Christchurch City Council had made bylaws allowing them to open, he said.
‘‘We have busy enough malls on [Easter] Saturday and Monday. It does not hurt us too much to be closed.’’
Scentre had a ‘‘duty of care’’ to give employees a break and would not advocate for its malls to be allowed to open next Easter, he said. ‘‘We will wait and receive instruction … rather than lead that discussion. There will be at least another year of this.’’
In August 2016, the thennational government passed the responsibility of Easter trading hours on to councils, meaning
"We have busy enough malls on [Easter] Saturday and Monday. It does not hurt us too much to be closed." Paul Gardner, Scentre Group
local bodies had the power to rule on whether retailers could open on Easter Sunday.
To date, 39 of the country’s 67 councils had created bylaws to let stores open if they wished.
Retail NZ general manager Greg Harford said this was the first year most bylaws came into effect because councils did not have time to consult on new bylaws by last Easter.
The differing bylaws were ‘‘confusing and complex’’ for shoppers and business owners, he said.
A ‘‘good number’’ of shops would have opened where they could, including The Warehouse Group stores and Briscoe Group stores, he said.
Countdown spokeswoman Kate Porter said the supermarket chain opened 17 of its 183 stores where it was allowed to do so and where high customer demand was expected. She would not reveal their locations.
Countdown would review sales before making any decisions on what stores, and how many, it would open next Easter, she said.
SME Network founder Tenby Powell said local councils deciding whether stores could open on Easter Sunday was unfair to smallbusiness owners who lost a day’s trade.
‘‘Some are seriously disadvantaged over others. [It depends on] what side of the coin you’re on.’’
He wanted a blanket ruling across the country. ‘‘It worries me that local bodies interpret national legislation inconsistently.’’