Signs are looking good for Belfast traders as thousands of shoppers pounded the pavements in search of a bargain on what is traditionally the busiest trading day of the year.
The festive spirit was hampered last year by a Translink strike which put many people off going into the city centre on the last Saturday before December 25.
However, Retail NI’s Glyn Roberts believes it’s been “a very successful day” this year.
“There has been no major traffic congestion problems which is good,” the chief executive said.
“The city centre was very, very busy – but in the end it’s not footfall that counts, it’s sales.
“So we don’t know for sure yet, but from talking to traders – they have had a good day.
“And it doesn’t look like the weather put anyone off.”
A yellow weather alert came into force at 7am on Saturday, with the Met Office warning of Christmas travel disruption caused by winds of up to 70mph this weekend.
But festive shoppers and revellers braved the elements and flocked to the Belfast Christmas Market in droves to enjoy the penultimate day of the annual spectacle and sample the delights on offer.
Mr Roberts said the stalls always attract significant numbers onto the streets and has established itself as a key part of the city’s offering in December.
However, he suggested it’s time to freshen up the Yuletide fixture.
“It’s always popular, but I think we need to take a look at how to enhance it and make it bigger,” Mr Roberts explained.
“We also need to look at how we can do more with St George’s Market – even it that involves moving things to other parts of the city.
“Traders in St George’s don’t get the attention or profile they deserve.”
The lobby group chief was keen to remind members of the public to “be kind” to shop workers who are operating under “huge pressure” to ensure everyone gets what they want for Christmas.
Meanwhile Hospitality Ulster boss Colin Neill said it’s too early to do the numbers on how the city’s bars and eateries are performing this season as there’s still a few more sleeps to go until the big day.
“It’s busy,” he said.
“But it is not as busy as we would like it to be in some places.
“Belfast has been impacted by traffic issues and it means people are arriving late for bookings.
“But it’s all to play for still.”
Mr Neill was among business leaders who called for a pause on roadworks in the run-up to Christmas to mitigate the damaging impact on traders and met with infrastructure minister John O’Dowd to discuss traffic jam solutions last week.
Now, with just three days to go until December 25, he cautioned that despite booming numbers in pubs and restaurants – profit margins will not be as big as they should be as a result of the cost-of-living crisis.
“Turnover is flatlining because of soaring costs,” he added.
“That also means people don’t spend as much as they maybe used to.”