THE post-Christmas sales in Colchester were a case of boom or bust.

About 100 bargain hunters were queuing outside Williams&Griffin, waiting for the doors to open at 8.30am on Boxing Day.

Other traders fear they could be forced to close due to disastrous takings.

Gazette:

Jackie Brock, manager of Jones boot makers, in Culver Square, Colchester, was 53 per cent down on her Boxing Day budget.

She said: “It has been diabolical.

“People are finding it hard financially.

“Car parking and the car ban have had an effect.

“The council should do something over Christmas and New Year to encourage people to come into town.

“Lakeside, Bluewater and Westfield are manic because people don’t have to pay for parking.

“I’ve seen a steady decline in Colchester recently. I dread to think how many shops will be closing come January and February.”

Yakub Patel, manager of Red Dress, in Lion Walk, reported disappointing takings in the first few days of sales.

He said: “It was average, not like it’s supposed to be on Boxing Day.

“It was a disaster before Christmas. There was no rush at all.

“It is the worst Christmas I’ve even seen – so bad we might have to close.

“People used to come in and spend £50 of £60, but now everyone is looking for bargains.”

Calendar Club, in Lion Walk, reduced the price of all its stock by 40 per cent on Boxing Day.

Bill Nettelfield, director, said: “It went really well for us.

“The sale is very important to us. We have to clear our stock.”

Jay Harnett, supervisor at Attitude Inc, in St Isaac’s Walk, said: “Boxing Day was quite busy. People were spending quite a lot and our promotion definitely helped.

“We had a lot of people coming in with vouchers they got for Christmas.

“We’ve put in a lot of hours over the Christmas period and we haven’t dealt with one rude customer – it’s been a nice experience.”