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| Scottish sales: Shops hope for Boxing Day retail bounce | Scottish sales: Shops hope for Boxing Day retail bounce |
| (about 2 hours later) | |
| Shoppers are hitting the high streets as retailers hope for a Boxing Day boost to their sales figures. | Shoppers are hitting the high streets as retailers hope for a Boxing Day boost to their sales figures. |
| Doors at some shopping centres across Scotland opened at 06:00 for the traditional post-Christmas sales. | Doors at some shopping centres across Scotland opened at 06:00 for the traditional post-Christmas sales. |
| Concerns over "underwhelming" retail figures in November have been easing after reports of a busy week in the run-up to Christmas Eve. | Concerns over "underwhelming" retail figures in November have been easing after reports of a busy week in the run-up to Christmas Eve. |
| Meanwhile, the Scottish Retail Consortium (SRC) has repeated a call for a freeze in business rates. | Meanwhile, the Scottish Retail Consortium (SRC) has repeated a call for a freeze in business rates. |
| In Aberdeen, the Union Square centre said 1.2 million people had come through its doors in the December run-up to Christmas Eve. | In Aberdeen, the Union Square centre said 1.2 million people had come through its doors in the December run-up to Christmas Eve. |
| General manager Ryan Manson said: "The final week of trading before Christmas was buzzing, and we recorded some of our busiest days on record. | General manager Ryan Manson said: "The final week of trading before Christmas was buzzing, and we recorded some of our busiest days on record. |
| "Momentum amongst shoppers continued to build throughout the month with each week proving busier and busier." | "Momentum amongst shoppers continued to build throughout the month with each week proving busier and busier." |
| 'Respectable Christmas' | |
| Glasgow's Braehead Shopping Centre said it was having a very busy Boxing Day. | |
| General manager Peter Beagley said: "Our car parks were full by mid-morning and we've been exceptionally busy for Boxing Day with tens of thousands of shoppers in the centre by 11am - it was just like a busy Saturday." | |
| Ian McLelland, centre director at East Kilbride Shopping Centre said: "Judging from the numbers coming through the doors today, Boxing Day has proved yet again to be one of the busiest shopping days of the year." | |
| However, the SRC said 2012 had been one of the most challenging years it had seen for sales. | However, the SRC said 2012 had been one of the most challenging years it had seen for sales. |
| Policy adviser David Martin said most stores would have had a respectable Christmas but that sales had fallen in the high street for much of the past year. | Policy adviser David Martin said most stores would have had a respectable Christmas but that sales had fallen in the high street for much of the past year. |