Shoppers hit the streets of Hamilton on Black Friday with an appetite to spend, a leading retailer said last week.

Nicole Warren, general manager at Brown and Co and 59 Front, said: “We had an encouraging day.

“Customers definitely came out for a visit and they were quite happy this year. They came out with more exuberance and an appetite to spend this year.”

She added: “I have been around to my colleagues in the retail area and they seem to have had an encouraging day also.

“We have seen activity in the city, and it has been pretty robust. It’s been a good day.”

Black Friday traditionally marks the beginning of the holiday shopping season.

Gibbons Company stayed open later on Thursday, and opened Friday at 8am, 90 minutes earlier than usual, and remained open until 9pm.

And by midafternoon, Tony Thompson, Gibbons chief executive officer, was also encouraged by the level of activity.

He said at the time: “It has been good so far. It is trending to our sales plan for the day.”

He said Thursday sales were a little bit disappointing, but things picked up Friday.

And he was optimistic of additional business from people attending the Friday night tree lighting ceremony.

Andrea Fubler, owner of Salt and Cedar, the clean beauty and skin care shop on Front Street in Hamilton, agreed. “It is going well,” she said.

“It is a little quieter than last year – we are seeing a lot more online traffic today rather than foot traffic. But it’s a good day.”