<P> In recent years, retailers have expanded deals to "Boxing Week". While Boxing Day is 26 December, many retailers will run the sales for several days before or after 26 December, often up to New Year's Eve . Notably, in the recession of late 2008, a record number of retailers were holding early promotions due to a weak economy . Canada's Boxing Day has often been compared with the American Super Saturday (the Saturday before Christmas) and Black Friday . From 2009 onward Black Friday deals become more prominent among Canadian retailers to discourage shoppers from crossing the border to the USA when the Canadian and USA dollars was close to parity, and this has lessened the appeal of Boxing Day in Canada somewhat as it was overtaken by Black Friday in terms of sales in 2013 . Boxing Day is not and has never been a shopping holiday in the USA; however, 26 December often starts many retailers' after - Christmas sales . </P> <P> In some areas of Canada, particularly in Atlantic Canada and parts of Northern Ontario, most retailers are prohibited from opening on Boxing Day, either by provincial law or by municipal bylaw, or instead by informal agreement among major retailers to provide a day of relaxation following Christmas Day . In these areas, sales otherwise scheduled for 26 December are moved to the 27th . The city council of Greater Sudbury, Ontario, which was the largest city in Canada to maintain this restriction as of the early 2010s, formally repealed its store hours bylaw on 9 December 2014 . </P> <P> In 2009, many retailers with both online and High Street stores launched their online sales on Christmas Eve and their High Street sales on Boxing Day . </P> <P> In the United Kingdom, it is traditional for all top - tier football leagues in England, Scotland and Northern Ireland, the Premier League, the Scottish Premiership and the NIFL Premiership, and the lower ones, as well as the rugby leagues, to hold a full programme of football and rugby union matches on Boxing Day . Originally, matches on Boxing Day were played against local rivals to avoid teams and their fans having to travel a long distance to an away game on the day after Christmas Day . Prior to the formation of leagues, a number of traditional rugby union fixtures took place on Boxing Day each year, notably Llanelli v London Welsh and Leicester v The Barbarians . </P>

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