Boxing Day bargain-hunters descend on busy shopping centres

Crowds started queuing from 1am on Saturday as they braved the wind and rain to get their hands on the best deals.

Experts predicted that 22 million people will hit the stores, spending as much as £3.74 billion.

Selfridges’ Oxford Street branch in London took more than £2m between 9am and 10am on Saturday – its most successful ever hour of trading.

General manager David Pierotti said: “Boxing Day is always one of our busiest days of the year and we were delighted to welcome shoppers on the official start of the post-Christmas sales, with queues from 4.30am”.

“He added: “£100 million is the target and we are in line to do that as forecast.

He said: “Be very careful about tearing open the packaging on anything”.

The first bargain-hunters through the door headed straight for the luxury fashion section, with designs by Valentino, Erdem and Victoria Beckham the first off the shelves.

Boxing Day is no exception.

People reportedly arrived at 2am at Westfield London in White City, while Harrods in Knightsbridge saw one of its biggest-ever queues, which ran around the corner of the store.

While foot traffic in bricks and mortar stores was reportedly up, so too was the portion of people shopping online, and the Retail Council expects 16 per cent of spending this sales period – $2.7 billion – to come from online customers.

“People really do have the confidence to go out and spend money and we’re seeing that right across the board”.

“We really came for the experience – and because I’m a bit insane – but you only live once”.

“We were stood in a queue for about an hour”.

Daniel Graham, from Australia, was out shopping with friends who were hoping to snap up a bargain at Selfridges.

The 26-year-old said: “This year seems to be a lot better than last year”.

“It’s always full but they some great deals on if you know what you’re after and know how to get around the place”.

Another growing trend is the rise of the online sale, with stores like John Lewis remaining closed while discounting items on its website.

An estimated £856m was spent on the internet on Boxing Day – 22 per cent up on past year, according to analysts at Experian and IMRG, the online retailers association.

The Broadway was the UK’s biggest retail development of 2015 when the £260 million centre opened earlier this year following a tortuous decade-long saga. Incidents of violence, threats and abuse against shopworkers are already worryingly high, so my message to shoppers is clear: “enjoy your bargain hunting, keep your cool and respect shopworkers”.

He said: ‘We have been very busy and I am extremely pleased with the number of customers over the festive season, despite slightly fewer shoppers compared with the previous year on the run-up to Christmas week’.