Bargain hunters hit Boxing Day sales

Major department stores have set up secure zones outside their city stores ahead of Saturday’s sales, with Myer and David Jones to throw open their doors at 5am and other retailers around 7am.

Record numbers of consumers are expected to spend “a significant proportion” of their Christmas Day shopping online, either to take advantage of the sales or return unwanted gifts.

All stores across NSW will be able to open on Boxing Day for the first time, as opposed to former laws permitting only stores in the CBD and tourist precincts to trade.

Online retailers were predicting peak sales during the evening on Christmas Day.

The Boxing Day sales which brought people out to the shops came after a warning about Black Friday by Cambridge’s MP Daniel Zeichner, who fears the “important British value of queuing is being lost”.

“On Boxing Day alone a huge £856m is expected to be spent, up 22% on previous year”.

Prof Sparks said the run-up to Christmas in 2015 had seen a growth in online shopping largely for convenience, as he predicted it would impact on the Boxing Day sales.

About 150,000 shoppers poured through the doors at Meadowhall previous year.

Fenwick department store on Bond Street will open for its first Boxing Day in its 124-year history.

Steve Richardson, UK regional director at analysts FootFall, said: “With Boxing Day falling on a Saturday, this means for most an extended Christmas break with the extra bank holiday on Monday”.

“Boxing Day is always one of the busiest for retailers, and some of the biggest discounts have been saved for the post-Christmas shoppers, so we’re ready for a busy weekend of trading. We have enjoyed a particularly buoyant festive season and, with lots of great deals to be had, we expect to be busy right through the week leading to New Year”.

Some of our stores even closed early on Christmas Eve this year to prepare for a busy Boxing Day.

The company said the last two days before the day itself point to a very strong Christmas period.