£200k a minute Splurge Saturday
Almost 1 million Scots hit high streets as retailers slash prices by up to 75% in last-minute bid to tempt shoppers
ALMOST a million people hit the high street yesterday for Scotland’s busiest shopping day of the year.
In a last-minute scramble to make the most of the pre-Christmas bargains, shoppers spent an estimated £127 million.
As Super Saturday saw more than 900,000 people head to city centres and retail parks, £11.5 million an hour passed through the tills – almost £200,000 a minute.
Across the UK, shoppers splurged £142.6 million an hour.
Retailers are set for another boost today as it is expected that UK shoppers will fork out a further £850 million on gifts.
Online shoppers also joined in the frenzy, with around 400,000 Scots spending a total of £25 million on buying gifts through the internet.
Yesterday’s surge is good news for the retail industry which, after a slow start, now expects sales figures for December to be higher this year than in 2017.
The forecast of better weather means that Christmas Eve – often regarded as a slower day for retail – is also predicted to be busy with last-minute shoppers.
Professor Joshua Bamfield, Director of the Centre for Retail Research, said that shoppers had been lured by the promise of bargains.
He explained: ‘By the time December is over, it’s looking like it will be up on last year. We have seen some quite amazing reductions that have led to a 1.3 per cent increase in sales.’
Nevertheless, some stores have been slashing prices by up to 90 per cent in a last-minute bid to lure in thrifty shoppers. Debenhams, Topshop, House of Fraser and Gap are just some of the high street chains which started their sales ahead of Britain’s busiest shopping week.
Accountancy firm Deloitte said that retail discounts on goods are running at an average 43.6 per cent. The cuts are expected to rise to a record 48 per cent on Christmas Eve as shops try to shift stock.
David Lyon, marketing manager for Glasgow’s Braehead shopping centre, said: ‘We’re now seeing shoppers upping the pace when it comes to buying their Christmas presents.
‘This year they seemed to have waited until the Black Friday discounts were announced before getting out of the starting blocks.
‘This week has seen a big increase in footfall as shoppers get into a sprint as they head into the home straight towards Christmas. We’re really busy this week, as people won’t have any guarantees that items they have bought online will be delivered before the big day.
‘Santa’s sack will be jam-packed with new mobile phones, laptops and game consoles as they’ve been the big sellers this Christmas.’
The Scottish Retail Consortium said: ‘As Christmas Eve falls on a Monday, we are likely to see some of the activity that was concentrated on the weekend last year spilling over on to Monday 24th.
‘Consumer habits are tending more towards last-minute shopping. Coupled with more reliable delivery, many consumers are leaving their present and food shopping to the final moment.’
Many shoppers opted to avoid the crowds and shop online, with 4.8 million people expected to have made purchases worth £268 million yesterday.
But even online retailers were cutting prices to attract shoppers. Clothing retailer ASOS reduced prices by up to 50 per cent while rival online fashion firm Boohoo was offering discounts of as much as 70 per cent.
Debenhams will launch its end of year sale today and John Lewis begins its clearance sale at 5pm tomorrow.
Meanwhile, bad weather is not likely to affect last-minute Christmas shoppers today, with forecasters promising a dry bright day.
Temperatures are expected to reach 43F (6C) in Glasgow and 39F (4C) in Inverness. There may be some rain in the South, around Dumfries and Galloway, but everywhere else is promised clear skies.
Scotland can look forward to more dry weather on Monday, with a bright sunny afternoon forecast.
Motorists are being warned to be wary of freezing fog patches settling on Monday morning, with the potential for disruption on Scotland’s roads.
But Met Office meteorologist Martin Bowles predicted a generally mild Christmas, saying: ‘The fog may stick around for a long period in the morning and that could offer an issue for travellers.
‘However, that will eventually clear on Monday afternoon with lots of sunshine.
‘Christmas Day is going to be a grey, dull Christmas rather than a white Christmas.
‘We’re expecting quite a lot of cloud and not much rain – dry and relatively mild.’