City business booms over busy concert weekend
BUSINESSES in Dunedin have basked in a busy holiday weekend, enjoying the influx of people in the city for the Ed Sheeran concerts and relaxed Easter trading rules.
Shops were allowed to open on Sunday as the Dunedin City Council tested a relaxation of rules.
The city was unusually busy over the weekend because of Sheeran, who left Dunedin Airport on a private jet yesterday.
Otago Chamber of Commerce chief executive Dougal McGowan said shops in Dunedin’s centre were exceptionally busy.
‘‘What we do know is that the turnover for the malls was very high and turnover was very good. Foot traffic on George St was high.
‘‘For businesses further out, their sales were normal or slightly above normal.’’
One franchise had a record turnover in one day and another store did the equiva lent of two days’ trading in one day, he said.
Some franchises opened some stores but not others because not enough staff were willing to work, he said.
‘‘That means that they are actually listening to their staff and saying ‘OK, well we won’t open that store today’,’’ Mr McGowan said.
Many businesses were also reporting their staff did not mind working on Sunday, he said.
Shops along the routes to Dunedin, such as in North and Central Otago, benefited from the activities in town over the weekend, he said.
The Scottish Shop owner Erin Hogan said Sunday was a big day of trading at her Stuart St store.
‘‘I was going to do it by myself, but one of my staff showed up without being asked. I thought I would go home, but I needed to stay.’’
Opening was ‘‘certainly worth it’’, she said.
‘‘Compared to an average Sunday it was busy, and Saturday was even busier.’’
My Mate John’s Furniture Warehouse sales manager Ian Cameron said the store traded as much as a usual Sunday, but did so with reduced hours.
‘‘It was quite a good day. It went very fast. Everyone we talked to was off to see Ed.
‘‘We were just on the outskirts a bit, so not as much business as the centre. The people who come here are usually destination shoppers.
‘‘We got quite a few people who were out of town, though.’’
Dunedin Mayor Dave Cull said the council would review the relaxed Easter Sunday trading rules.
‘‘It was an unusual circumstance this year. It looked on the face of it to be very successful in the sense that retailers’ initial reports are that there was pretty heavy trading, and frankly you’d expect that with so many people in the city.’’
❛ It was quite a good day. It went very fast. Everyone we talked to
was off to see Ed