Streets ahead: Kirsty Cramer, Jodie Smith-Reyntjes and Mark Davis at this week’s sidewalk sales.
Andrew Mathieson
EAGER bargain hunters brought chairs to line city streets hours before the first cash registers started ringing in anticipation of traditional Central Geelong Sidewalk Sales on Melbourne Cup day.
Organisers estimate that this year’s crowd figures were “equal to or better” than last year’s 28,500 shoppers who flocked to stalls in Moorabool, Malop and Ryrie streets and inside Westfield and Market Square shopping centres.
Last year more than 140 participating retailers reported $1.4 million in sales.
Central Geelong Marketing executive officer Jodie Smith-Reyntjes believed the continual growth of Melbourne Cup shopping event was rivalling the city’s Boxing Day sales for popularity.
“The Boxing Day sales are often for the big department stores but we’ve still got Westfield and Market Square retailers involved as well,” she said.
“There’s at least 134 individual businesses competing with special offers, so it’s a very big sale.”
Central Geelong Marketing spent nearly $23,000 promoting the sales in Geelong, Werribee, Ballarat and Colac.
A survey of shoppers found that more than half of respondents had travelled into the city especially for the sidewalk sales, she said.
Central Geelong Marketing initiated the sidewalk sales concept on Melbourne Cup day 2003 with almost 100 traders to address concerns about the city centre strip traders losing business.
“We found most people had Geelong Cup off and when we were open on Melbourne Cup there was nothing open in Melbourne at all, so there was an opportunity to attract people,” Ms Smith-Reyntjes said.
