Shopper numbers drop as customers ‘reticent’ about venturing out

Shoppers still are not back to their normal habits, after last year’s lockdowns, Stuff reports. Figures provided by First Retail Group show shopper numbers were down 6% in Auckland. The sectors that had been doing particularly well were home improvement and gardening with strong, sustained demand driven by good weather and people spending more time in their homes, First Retail Group managing director Chris Wilkinson said.