Repeat Boxing Day sales not enough

9:51 am on 14 February 2011

Retailers in central Christchurch say they got a boost from a second attempt at Boxing Day sales but it was not enough to get them back on their feet.

The day after Christmas is normally one of the busiest trading days, but it was disrupted last year by a magnitude 4.9 aftershock which closed much of the city centre.

Thousands of shoppers were out on Saturday to take advantage of the repeat attempt.

With turnover down between 30% - 50% since the big quake in September, the Canterbury Business Recovery Network says it will take more than a one-day sale for retailers to recover.

Chairman Matthew Carpenter says retailers need financial investment from the Government to get back on their feet.