Boxing Day bargain hunters spent £4.5billion in Britain’s biggest one-day spree… but stores are quieter than expected with deals online
Some 23 million — more than a third of the country — joined the £8.26million-a-minute bonanza
BOXING Day bargain hunters spent £4.5billion in Britain’s biggest one-day spree.
Some 23 million — more than a third of the country — joined the £8.26million-a-minute bonanza.
The 34 per cent taking part was up from 23 per cent in 2016.
But stores were quieter than expected, with 9.4 million shoppers going online.
Web sales hit £1.03billion, topping £1billion for the first time and up 7.9 per cent on £954million in 2016.
Prof Joshua Bamfield, of the Centre for Retail Research, said: “It will have been the biggest shopping day ever. Boxing Day gets bigger each year.
“Retailers say shoppers are now focused on Boxing Day, not the later days of the sales. Also, online spending is very high. Websites have big discounts and it’s easy to buy in a few minutes via a mobile.”
Price cuts of up to 90 per cent saw last year’s £3.93billion Boxing Day record smashed.
Despite the online surge, 13.6 million bargain hunters visited stores to spend £3.43billion, the Centre for Retail Research said.
Thousands queued in cities including London, Leeds, Birmingham, Liverpool, Newcastle and Manchester — many of them overnight.
David Allinson, head of Manchester’s Arndale shopping centre, said: “We welcomed thousands of visitors.
“The Next sale is a must for bargain hunters. About 1,000 queued for its 6am opening — some as early as 1am.”
But in a sign of the growing role of internet sales, crowds on UK high streets before noon were 4.7 per cent down on 2016.
There were 4.3 per cent fewer shopping centre visitors and 2.1 per cent fewer at retail parks, analysts Springboard reported.
The numbers in stores were boosted by a record 2.5 million from abroad, drawn by a Pound up to 13 per cent cheaper since the Brexit vote.
They spent £500million — up to £2,000 per head and 13 times more than the average Brit’s £150.
Top spenders were Qataris with an average £2,058 per transaction, a record for foreigners here.
Jace Tyrrell, chief of New West End Company — representing central London stores — said: “A high number took advantage of currency fluctuations and low-cost flights.”
Bargain hunters are expected to spend £2.8billion today.
Meanwhile, Christmas Day shoppers on the Boots website were met with a message warning of a 40-minute wait to access it.
Boots blamed a technical glitch amid “unprecedented demand”.
And Christmas Eve shoppers at John Lewis in Swindon were stunned by a display of Easter goods including eggs and bunnies.
Receptionist Angela Advani, 64, said: “It was next to Christmas decorations. It spoiled the Christmas atmosphere.”