Huge turnout at bargain sales on Boxing Day

Huge turnout at bargain sales on Boxing Day

	Published : Tue, 27 Dec 2005 12:05 By : David Simms Print this Story

LONDON: The sale fever has caught Britain. Bargain seekers landed in hordes at the shopping centres across the country on Boxing Day to take advantage of the post-Christmas sales that got under way. Queues started forming during the pre-dawn hours and car parks of major stores were packed to full capacity.

Selfridges in London had unprecedented crowds, who queued up for hours together to avail of the price reductions -- up to 50 per cent. A spokesperson said the stores had done around 150,000 sales during the day. The stores had to manage crowds erecting barricades.

The whole of Oxford Street was chock-a-block with queues, which started forming around 5 a.m. Prices in most of the stores were slashed by 50 per cent for many items and some prices were down 75 per cent.

Apart from Selfridges, stores like Debenhams and House of Fraser too have effected substantial price cuts. The managers at crowded stores were seen directing people to their braches.

In Manchester, the Trafford Centre shopping complex did brisk business as almost all the stores were open and most of them offering 50 per cent discount. At John Lewis, there were at least 7,500 cars parked in the stores' car park as it opened for trading. Managing director Maggie Porteous said this is for the first time that John Lewis remained opened on Boxing Day, and she said "It's very hectic, everyone's busy."

An instant poll by the retail chain covering some 3,500 shoppers indicated that clothing items were the most popular choice.

At the Metro Centre in Gateshead, the number of shoppers is estimated to have gone up from 60,000 on Boxing Day last year to 70,000 this year. Major shopping centres Thurrock, Essex, and Bluewater, in Greenhithe, Kent, saw several thousands of bargain buyers reaching the malls as early as 5 a.m.

It is estimated that around 1.4 billion pounds would have been spent by shoppers in one day. Women had a majority presence in almost all the stores, especially at Selfridges, Debenhams and House of Fraser, according to industry sources. Some of the items in demand included designer leather bags, clothing, kitchen gadgets, books, sporting gear and footwear.

Retail analysts FootFall said it would be difficult to compare this year's crowd with last year's as Boxing Day in 2004 fell on a Sunday. But Natasha Burton, marketing manager, said the department stores have all done a better job this year of getting the shoppers back.