Shoppers forecast to spend £1.4bn on ‘Super Saturday’

SHOPPERS across the UK are expected to spend as much as £1.4bn today as part of a preChristmas shopping “frenzy”.

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

As households stock up with festive goodies supermarkets will rake in around £631m on so-called “Super Saturday”, with department stores netting around £113m.

It follows “Panic Thursday” and “Frenzied Friday” as shoppers race against the clock to get the last few bits.

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

It is estimated that people will spend £11m alone at shops in the Welsh capital today.

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 Avenue Retail Park and Cardiff Bay retail park.

In St Mellons traffic came to a standstill 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 Swansea those finishing work also faced congestion queuing down High Street and outside the railway station.

Meanwhile, in Bridgend and Llanelli shoppers braving retail parks faced further delays.

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

December 23 is the first time in 11 years that the last full shopping day before Christmas has landed on a Saturday, and coincides with many workers receiving their pay the day before.

Thanks to the way Christmas falls, added to the recent cold weather, it is thought more will leave their shopping to the wire.

Last year, the same date fell on Frenzied Friday when 15.6 million shoppers splurged £1.1bn on the high street and online.

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. Saturday 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 on Christmas Eve 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 to the eleventh hour.

Argos customers can order items eligible for its fasttrack 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 their doors as early as 4pm as part of Sunday opening times.

More consumers also plan to shop in the traditional Boxing Day sales this year than last year as they try to combat rising prices, a survey suggests.

A third of Britons (34%) will go to the festive sales, up from 23% last year, according to Barclaycard, which processes nearly half of all debit and credit card transactions in the UK.

A quarter (26%) will shop on Christmas Eve, up from 20% last year, and 15% will go shopping on Christmas Day, the poll found.

For those who do plan to shop, the majority (57%) will be browsing the sales online, with 43% visiting the high street for deals.

Consumer appetite for the postChristmas sales period fell away last year after an extended period of discounting that began well before November’s Black Friday.

However, Barclaycard’s poll found months of “feeling the squeeze” this year is resulting in many consumers looking forward to the sales.

Barclaycard said the increase in sales spending was largely due to inflationary pressures.

Paul Lockstone, managing director at Barclaycard, said: “Last year Black Friday overshadowed Boxing Day sales as many retailers struggled to maintain consumer interest in what has become a month-long discounting event.

“This year, however, consumers appear to be more eager to buy cutprice items.”