Christmas business is booming for Colchester retailers but there are still four more "make or break" festive shopping days to go.

Despite sluggish sales early on, the town's tills have been ringing as customers get in the seasonal spirit.

Retail bosses even claim shoppers have been shunning their own areas like Chelmsford and Ipswich to buy gifts in Colchester.

Nick Clarke, Debenhams department store manager and chairman of Colchester Retail Association, described the last eight shopping days as "excellent".

He said: "The last few weeks have been very good in Colchester and the last eight to nine days have been excellent.

"Christmas shopping in Colchester has been very buoyant. From what I hear, Colchester has had a better time than many other areas.

"There is strong evidence to suggest we have had a lot of people coming from Chelmsford and Ipswich. This can only be good for the town."

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Published Tuesday, December 21, 2004

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