Christmas shoppers expected to splash out £11m in one day

SHOPPERS are expected to spend £11m in Cardiff today in a pre-Christmas shopping frenzy.

High streets have been preparing for the busiest day of the year as last-minute shoppers desperately finish preparations for the big day.

Across the UK, shops are expecting to turn over as much as £1.4bn, with £113m coming from department stores alone.

As households stock up with festive goodies, supermarkets will rake in about £631m today.

In Cardiff, shoppers have been warned to arrive early or start later in the day to avoid the rush-hour.

Yesterday, the city centre ground to a halt as many finished work early to head to the shops.

Shoppers took to social media to report waits of more than two hours to exit the Culverhouse Cross retail park with heavy traffic also outside Cardiff Bay retail park.

In St Mellons, there were traffic jams as police caught two dogs on the carriageway A48(M) Westbound.

Bus services also suffered delays following congestion along Whitchurch Road, City Road, Cathedral Road and Cowbridge Road West.

In Birmingham it is thought £20m will be spent today, compared to £16.3m in Manchester and £11m in Cardiff.

Steven Madeley, general manager for St David’s shopping centre, said: “This week has been very busy in the centre – we’ve welcomed more and more shoppers every evening as they make the most of our later opening hours. Today is expected to be one of the busiest days of the year, so for those who want to beat the rush we advise getting here early or visiting us later in the day.”

Delivery drivers will also be working late as retailers allow shoppers to place last orders well into the evening. Amazon and Argos are both offering home delivery for those who have left their shopping late.

Argos customers can order items eligible for its fast track delivery until 1pm on Christmas Eve for delivery in time for Christmas Day, although its usual 7pm to 10pm evening delivery slot will not be available.

But shoppers have been urged to avoid Christmas Eve shopping as large chains will be closing as early as 4pm as part of Sunday opening hours.