Last-minute shoppers are flocking to Orchard Road to pick up gifts in the days leading up to Christmas Day.

Despite talk of challenging times for the economy, most of the five shops which The Straits Times contacted reported strong demand during this period.

One in particular, Mothercare, which has an outlet in Paragon, put the boost in sales down to the upcoming Chinese New Year.

Mothercare's managing director Pang Fu Wei said: "Retailers like myself were initially concerned about demand but we've actually experienced quite a growth compared with the same period last year.

"A lot of Christmas shoppers have been coming in the last week, but they are also shopping for Chinese New Year because it's only a few weeks after Christmas, so we've been catering for both holidays."

Multi-label fashion and lifestyle concept Mimento, which opened new outlets along the shopping belt this year (adding to the one in Takashimaya), said their expansion has helped business.

Mimento's chief executive Adriana Lim Escano said: "It's been really busy but not as busy as last year, but because we've expanded, the sentiment is still not too bad for us.

"During this period, we get a lot more men than usual who come to buy women's accessories, so those are quite obviously going to be used as gifts."

Mr Danny Lim, senior general manager at Robinsons, observed that "many shoppers leave their gift shopping till the last minute as they want to ensure they have gotten the best deals for the gifts they wish to purchase or they simply do not have time to shop earlier".

The Orchard Road Business Association also noted the surge in shoppers around the festive season.