After spending a record amount on Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales, Australians are expected to spend a further $21 billion (US$15 billion) across the country after Christmas. The Australian Retailers Association and Roy Morgan released a forecast, that argues that Australians will back this up with a strong trading period between Boxing Day and Jan. 15. If realised, it would be an increase of 2.1 percent on the previous year and up 12.6 percent from 2019, prior to the pandemic. “We’re continuing to see a lot of pent-up demand for shopping after the Delta lockdowns,” ARA CEO Paul Zahra said. “We’ve experienced a record-breaking Black Friday with sales exceeding expectations, and that’s provided businesses with strong momentum for this critical trading period.” Roy Morgan CEO Michele Levine said Australians have saved up a lot of money as a result of lockdowns and other restrictions preventing their ability to spend. …