Mildura’s Christmas shoppers beat the heat

MILDURA Central has seen a “big increase” in shoppers looking to not only tick off the last of their Christmas list, but also escape the blistering heat.

• Mildura’s hottest day and other hot weather records

And with Friday’s forecast a record 47 degrees, retail marketing manager Lexi Golding is expecting even bigger crowds inside the air-conditioned Fifteenth Street shopping centre.

“We’re seeing a lot more people coming in and spending a lot more time in the centre because of the heat – whether they’re just grabbing a cool drink or a bite to eat,” she said.

“There’s about the same amount of foot traffic as last year, if not, a bit more because of the weather. It’s definitely a contributing factor.”

Ms Golding said preparations for the Christmas period typically begin in September, with the “little things” that often take a lot of planning.

“We offer so many things like the charity gift wrapping stall, and of course Santa photos.

“We introduced our extended trading hours on Wednesday, and they will last until Christmas Eve so people who work full time have the opportunity to come in after hours and do their shopping.

“We’re expecting this coming weekend to be absolutely huge.”

But things don’t slow down once Christmas and this week’s heatwave are over, with Ms Golding anticipating Boxing Day will be the “biggest day of the year.”

“We’re expecting that Boxing Day will be even bigger than last year,” she said.

“We’re working a lot with our retailers to make it a good shopping destination on Boxing Day.”