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Boxing Day sales crowds expected to splurge $2.8 billion

Shoppers are expected to spend $17.2 billion between Boxing Day and January 15.

Shoppers are expected to spend $17.2 billion between Boxing Day and January 15. Photo: AAP.

The National Retail Association (NRA) predicts Australians will spend up to $2.8 billion at Boxing Day sales today — nearly 5 per cent up from last year.

Early on Monday hundreds of people queued in the dark in Sydney’s CBD to be the first shoppers to take part in sales.

According to the NRA, New South Wales shoppers are expected to spend the most across the day, handing over around $741 million.

Chief executive Dominique Lamb said Boxing Day remained the biggest day for retailers across the country.

“Retail absolutely holds Boxing Day as the standout day of the year and it looks like this year it’s going to be an increase of 4.2 per cent across the nation on spending,” she said.

Boxing Day sales $2.8 billion

Shoppers lining up for the sales in Sydney’s CBD. Photo: AAP.

But Ms Lamb said customers should not fear the famous Boxing Day crowds.

“Certainly hundreds of thousands of people turn out to Boxing Day sales, but it’s a lot of fun, the atmosphere is quite electric,” she said.

Most of the time people are quite polite and friendly and certainly I think it’s just about being able to get those bargains you can’t get any other day of the year.”

The NRA’s Russell Zimmerman said women’s and men’s apparel would be most popular this year.

“Women’s shoes, women’s dresses and intimate apparel, handbags and wallets are always very big,” he said.

“Then to move to men, we will see quite a large amount of business shirts, suits, jackets and trousers.”

The NRA is expecting that around $17.2 billion will be spent from Boxing Day to January 15 — an increase of $2.9 billion on last year’s figures.

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