City shoppers have soaked up the Black Friday and Boxing Day sales in Rundle Mall with new data showing strong foot traffic and sales growth, according to the Adelaide Economic Development Agency (AEDA).
Boxing Day foot traffic in Rundle Mall was 26% higher than 2022, with retail spend jumping 22%to reach $6.7 million as shoppers took advantage of discounts of up to 50% off.
Meanwhile, the Black Friday sales phenomenon continues to gain momentum, cementing itself as a not-to-be-missed sales event.
Black Friday at Rundle Mall, Adelaide
Approximately $26.9 million was spent in city retail businesses between Black Friday through to Cyber Monday (November 24 to 27, 2023).
Black Friday itself (Friday 24 November 2023) was the second biggest day for retail spending for the entire year with sales totalling $11.1 million across the city, up 2.5% on 2022. Rundle Mall foot traffic rose 8.2% compared to Black Friday in 2022.
This spending was second only to Friday 22 December 2023 when shoppers spent $11.8 million and took advantage of Rundle Mall retailers trading until midnight to secure the last of their Christmas gifts.
“November and December were huge months for city retailers and we’re pleased to report strong foot traffic and sales growth for Black Friday and Boxing Day which are two key events on the shopping calendar,” said Andrew White, AEDA’s Executive Manager, Rundle Mall.
“Cyber Monday has evolved into a brick-and-mortar retail sales event too, with many retailers telling us they’re seeing strong sales increases over multiple days, not just Black Friday itself.
“Many stores in Rundle Mall on Boxing Day had queues of customers right through till closing time, including Sephora, JD Sports, Peter Alexander, Swarovski, Hype DC and Sunglass Hut.
“Extended trading hours granted by the State Government proved beneficial again, with shoppers taking full advantage to shop later and stores generating additional sales.
“Stores were busy right through until midnight on Black Friday and the days with midnight trading in the lead up to Christmas significantly outperformed other days with regular trading hours,” said White.
