`From a business point of view, our retailers are looking to finalise their year operations and looking to make up for a poor summer. The Friday night programme is the our biggest project toward Christmas.' -- Ms Cyanne Thomas Businesses are upbeat about this year's Christmas shopping season, despite uncooperative weather for the start of the organisation's evening shopping festival.

"I'm very optimistic and the customers seem to be in a positive mood,'' Chamber president Mr. Robert Rego said.

"It appears the merchants have started early this year with advertising and encouraging people to come to the stores,'' said Mr. Rego, who is also general manager of The Knick Knack store.

The Chamber kicked off the Christmas shopping season last Friday with its annual Christmas festival which has downtown Hamilton stores opening late.

For Bermuda retailers, the days between US Thanksgiving and Christmas can generate 25 to 35 percent of a Bermuda stores receipts, said Mr. Rego.

And in the US, some retailers garner up to 40 percent of their sales during that time, he said.

In connection with the Chamber's Christmas shopping festival, downtown stores will be open for the next four Friday evenings until 9 p.m., instead of customary 5 p.m. or 5.30 p.m. closings.

Despite the positive outlook by the Chamber executives, duty and overseas shopping by locals remain issues for the Island's merchants.

Overall, Mr. Rego predicted the Island's retail sector Christmas sales should equal last year's.

And many of the Island's retailers have responded to criticism surrounding customer service, he said, adding: "There has been a special effort by the merchant community to communicate to staff how essential service is.'' Chamber executive vice president Ms Cyanne Thomas was keenly upbeat about the Friday evening shopping programme.

"Busy 9-5 professionals love the idea of getting out and shopping with their families in the evening,'' she said.

"From a business point of view, our retailers are looking to finalise their year operations and looking to make up for a poor summer,'' she said.

"The Friday night programme is the our biggest project toward Christmas.'' But consumer traffic was somewhat slow Friday as rain drizzled down, some merchants said.

And heavy rain on Saturday likely hindered many shoppers from heading out, they added.

The weather definitely put a damper on the number of people taking part in shopping on Friday night and Saturday as well, said Otto Wurz manager Mr.

Christopher Edwards.

"But as we get closer to Christmas, Fridays will definitely pick up,'' he said.

Many shoppers are just looking at this stage and stores are trying to offer service the customer will remember when they decide to buy gifts, he said.

"This is the time when we do our most work for our least amount of sales,'' he said.

Because Bermuda stores have started to have sales before Christmas, many shoppers are waiting for more sales before they start buying, he said.

"Bermuda has traditionally had sales after Christmas but in order to increase cash flow, stores are now holding sales before Christmas,'' said H.A.& E.

Smith president Mr. Roger Davidson.

And despite efforts to woo the Bermuda shopper to local stores, the retail sector continues to lose ground to stores in the US.

A.S. Cooper & Son managing director Mr. Peter Cooper said: "It is still to early to tell what the trend will be.'' Mr. Cooper also said that Saturday's poor weather kept shoppers away but felt traffic on Friday was good.

This marks the third year the Chamber has organised the Friday evening shopping festival.

In connection with the Christmas shopping festival, the Bermuda Regiment Band is scheduled to play on Friday, December 8 but the Chamber and the Department of Tourism are currently discussing at what time the music will begin, 7.30 p.m. or 8 p.m.

The Chamber had lobbied to have the scheduled 8 p.m. time moved to 9 p.m., when the stores closed.

The decision to play at 8 p.m. came under fire last year from merchants as once the band commenced playing all their customers exited stores, leaving the businesses empty for that hour.