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Shops hoping for spending spree Bargain hunters come out in force
(about 6 hours later)
Struggling retailers are hoping that the last Saturday before Christmas will be one of the busiest shopping days of the year. Millions of Britons have finally flocked to the shops to take advantage of the price cuts and promotions ahead of Christmas.
Despite gloomy predictions, millions of people are expected to pack shops across the UK looking for bargains. The British Retail Consortium (BRC) said traders would now "breathe a sigh of relief" that customers had simply delayed Christmas, not cancelled it.
A spokeswoman for the Bullring centre in Birmingham said it was expecting 50% more visitors than on a normal weekend. Retailers saw an increase in spending by UK customers and European shoppers enjoying the weakened pound.
But the British Retail Consortium was not optimistic. It said sales so far in December had been "pretty bad". Shopping centres around the UK reported queues from early on Saturday morning.
In November, UK retail sales rose unexpectedly, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS). Total volumes climbed 0.3% from the previous month and were up 1.5% from a year ago, it said. Many shops are introducing up to an hour's "browsing time" on Sunday to get around trading laws, and next week, Tesco, Sainsbury's and Asda will open some stores for 24-hours.
'Midnight sales' 'Out in force'
After a slow start to December, the BRC said shoppers had put off spending until later than usual this year.
Its director general Stephen Robertson said: "While conditions remain tough, retailers have reacted with high-profile price cuts and promotions.
I'd say it's better than last year, especially today... you can hardly get moving David Gallagher, shopping centre manager
"This, together with the recent reductions in VAT and interest rates, has meant in the last few days shoppers have come out in force."
Fiona Wilkinson from credit card company Visa Europe said there had been a peak in transactions at 1215 when the company recorded 700 payments a second.
A spokesman for the New West End Company, representing more than 600 traders in Bond Street, Oxford Street and Regent Street, said they expected half a million shoppers on Saturday and that the last-minute rush would continue until Christmas Eve.
"The number of European shoppers is up 30% from last year," he said
"They are attracted by the fact the pound is almost at parity with the euro and they are after the big fashion labels we sell."
Early birds
Andrew Parkinson, general manager at Bluewater shopping centre in Kent, said the first queues started to form at 0900, and its 13,000 free car parking spaces were nearly full by 1300.
Staff at Glasgow's Princes Square on Buchanan Street said queues formed outside before the centre opened its doors.
Shops have slashed prices in a desperate bid to boost sales
Duty manager David Gallagher said: "I'd say it's better than last year, especially today... you can hardly get moving."
Louise Hamer-Brown, from Birmingham's Bullring Centre, told BBC Radio 5 Live she was optimistic about this weekend.
"Schools have now broken up. It's been pay day, so we're expecting about 225,000 people to come shopping at Bullring [on Saturday] and about 120,000 probably on Sunday," she said.
In recent years, discounts previously only seen in January have increasingly been used to tempt customers in the run-up to Christmas itself.In recent years, discounts previously only seen in January have increasingly been used to tempt customers in the run-up to Christmas itself.
Retail experts say this has prompted shoppers to leave their purchases until later.
Louise Hamer-Brown, from the Bullring Centre, told BBC Radio 5 Live she was optimistic about this weekend.
"Schools have now broken up. It's been pay day, so we're expecting about 225,000 people to come shopping at Bullring [on Saturday] and about 120,000 probably on Sunday," she said. There's definitely been a shift away from heavy durables Andrew NunnTrago Mills department stores
"We have seen an increase in people shopping at the weekend [this year]. So I think shopping is more of a day out. It's something you do socially."
The Daily Mail newspaper said Britain was to become the "Land of the Midnight Sales" with "a record number of shops trading round the clock" in a bid to boost profits.
It reported that more than 730 supermarkets would stay open 24 hours a day from Sunday night and other stores, including Marks & Spencer and Debenhams, would keep some branches open until midnight.
Retail analyst Robert Clarke told the BBC that even more drastic discounts could be seen next week.Retail analyst Robert Clarke told the BBC that even more drastic discounts could be seen next week.
"In the very short term, retailers are going to see what happens in the next couple of days and then maybe on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday bring their sales period that they would normally have after Christmas forward," he said."In the very short term, retailers are going to see what happens in the next couple of days and then maybe on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday bring their sales period that they would normally have after Christmas forward," he said.
William Thomson, chief economist of UK financial data firm Experian, told the BBC it would not be possible to assess how bad the situation was until after Christmas. Sales figures
"As usual there's a cat and mouse game going on between retailers and consumers. People delaying their purchase until the pre-Christmas sales started," he said. Andrew Nunn, business director at Trago Mills, which runs three department stores in the south west of England, said the pattern of shopping had changed due to the economic downturn.
"Probably the more interesting question will be what happens after this weekend. How do we go into the New Year? How do the retailers respond with further discounts? Can they discount further without killing their margins completely?" "There's definitely been a shift away from heavy durables, so things like furniture have suffered," he said. "And definitely, small products under a tenner have been up."
Changing habits In November, UK retail sales rose unexpectedly, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS).
The ONS figures for November showed that the rise in monthly sales was led by household goods, which were up 3.9%. Total volumes climbed 0.3% from the previous month and were up 1.5% from a year ago, it said.
Food sales were up 0.2% for the month, but those of clothing and footwear were down 0.1%. But the BRC released conflicting figures for November.
Internet sales were also up 3.8% from 3.2% in October. It said sales for the month were down 0.4% from a year earlier.
Andrew Nunn, business director at Trago Mills, which runs three department stores in the south west of England, said the pattern of shopping had changed due to the economic downturn. It's difficult to believe in the last week before Christmas that we can claw it back Stephen RobertsonBritish Retail Consortium
"There's definitely been a shift away from heavy durables, so things like furniture have suffered. Fitted kitchens and the like," he said.
"And definitely, small products under a tenner have been up."
But the British Retail Consortium released conflicting figures for November.
It said sales for the month were down 0.4% from a year earlier, and spokesman Stephen Robertson told the BBC that the outlook was gloomy.
"It's fair to say we had a poor October and an even poorer November, and the chief executives of retailers I've been speaking to in the last few days suggest that December started pretty badly as well," he said.
"So it's difficult to believe in the last week before Christmas that we can claw it back again."