The long-awaited Star Wars: The Force Awakensc opens in New Zealand cinemas this week, and retailers are cashing in on the hype.

Data from cloud-based point of sale company Vend shows that retailers selling Star Wars-related products and memorabilia have seen a 430 per cent increase in December sales so far, compared to the same time last year.

Sales in these stores have been steadily increasing since November as shoppers rush to buy memorabilia in the lead-up to Christmas. To date the biggest day for Star Wars purchases has been December 12.

“You don’t have to be the brightest lightsaber in the galaxy to know that Star Wars is pretty hot right now, but it’s great to see that its popularity is paying off for local retailers,” says Vaughan Rowsell, founder and CEO of Vend.

“Last year NZ saw record levels of Christmas spending across the country, and we’re coming off a pretty strong 2015, so it’s likely we’ll see another great season for retailers – and the Star Wars Effect is certainly helping. Now I’m just hoping there’ll be a Star Wars gift or two under the tree for me this year too.”

And apart from Star Wars collectables, what else might we find underneath the Christmas tree this year? Vend’s 2014 data showed the biggest sales uplift to be in furniture and homewares stores in December, which is 111 per cent higher than the November average. This was followed closely by jewellery stores at 110 per cent and toys and games stores at 90 per cent.