Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
£4.75bn Boxing Day sales binge
Shoppers set to break last year’s record spend
BARGAIN hunters are expected to splash out in a record breaking £4.75billion Boxing Day spending binge.
The battered high street is poised for a massive payday as 27.6 million shoppers bag the best deals in stores and online, and the splurge is set to top last year’s £4.5billion.
Jimmy New, of Vouchercodes. co.uk, said: “Boxing Day continues to be a hugely popular savings day for the high street, with billions being spent on bargains.”
Experts say the sales frenzy will start from dawn online and queues are expected to start snaking around stores from 6am – two hours before doors open.
Figures from Vouchercodes.co.uk and Centre for Retail Research reveal 17.8 million people will pack shopping centres today while
Philips 43in 4K Ultra HD Smart TV, amazon.co.uk. Was £600, now £399.
Silver Apple Macbook Air Intel Core i5 8GB laptop, very.co.uk. Was £949, now £789. 9.8 million will snap up deals from the comfort of their homes.
Online sales are expected to hit £1.04billion – up 20% on last year.
Clothing and accessories top our shopping lists with 40% heading for the fashion rails to grab coats, shoes and dresses for half price.
Richard Cristofoli, managing director of beauty and marketing at hard-hit Debenhams, said: “This
JBL Pulse 3 portable bluetooth speaker, ao.com. Was £199, now £149.
Fire HD 8 Kids Edition Tablet, amazon.co.uk. Was £129.99, now £99.99. year our Boxing Day deals are our biggest yet with thousands of discounts on top brands.”
Bargain homewares, beauty products and gadgets are also predicted to fly off shelves, says the CRR study.
The welcome sales extravaganza means jingle tills as 400,000 shoppers cram into Westfield London and Westfield Stratford.
Traffic chaos is expected as 270,000 head to Cardiff ’s St David’s centre, 250,000 to Birmingham’s Bullring and 190,000 shop at Manchester’s Trafford Centre.
Bluewater, Kent is bracing itself for 180,000 shoppers, another 180,000 will head to Sheffield’s Meadowhall, 150,000 at Lakeside, Essex, and 120,000 are expected at Bristol’s Cabot Circus. Hammond and Co wool blend holdall, Debenhams. Was £80, now £48.
Carrera Hellcat unisex adult mountain bike, Halfords. Was £425, now £275.
Hug-a-buds watch, Smiggle. Was £18, now £12. Phaze 52 Piece Tool and Socket Set, Halfords. Was £40, now, £15.
Nike Flex 2018 running shoes sn93 (navy/ white), Sports Direct. Were £69.99, now £35.
Evo Luxe Liberty Francis iphone Xs Max phone case, Tech21com. Was £49.95, now £24.95.
Play, Learn & Sleep Bed for kids, cuckooland. com. Was £599, now £449.