A SHOPKEEPER who opened for 12 hours on Christmas Day 2012 because he couldn’t afford to miss out on a day’s trade says he plans to do the same this year.

While thousands of people across Worcester open their presents and tuck into their Christmas meals tomorrow, Tu Nguyen’s Lifestyle Express store on Broad Street, Worcester will be open.

Mr Nguyen says footfall in the city centre has been good in recent years and is “hoping trade will be even better this year”.

“2012 wasn’t a very good year for us commercially, due to the unusually high frequency of rainfall that we’d experienced that year, which really affects trade for a convenience store business like ourselves,” said the 33-year-old.

“We simply could not afford to miss out on a days’ worth of trade that year, not matter how little it might be. This seemed to be a common thread amongst local independent businesses like ourselves in the area.

“According to our records, the turnover for that day was higher than our normal Sunday take-ins, and only slightly lower than our normal week day take-ins, so (it was) a success overall.”

The shop, as well as being a convenience store, also hosts a games store.

Mr Nguyen said Christmas Day last year saw sunny weather which may have encouraged people out of their homes for a stroll and into the shop. He is hoping for the same this year.

The independent store, which usually opens 15 hours a day, will trade from 10am to 10pm.

His three members of staff will do alternate shifts on extra pay, with Mr Nguyen saying they all chose to work it.

“We will be opening on Christmas day again this year, both Lifestyle Express and Manaleak.com, which is our hobby-games store,” he said.

“We will open from 10am -10pm and hope that the trade will be even better this year, now that more people know that we are open on Christmas Days.”

Meanwhile, the young owner of a hair and nail business will also be trading on Christmas Day.

“It is the best time of the year really for people who want to pamper themselves, so it makes sense,” said former Christopher Whitehead High School pupil Kay Smedley, 25, who has just set up Scandalust, a mobile hair and nail business.

“I need to get the business up and running.”