Bargain hunters go online to beat Boxing Day crush
BOXING Day bargain hunters rejected shopping centres yesterday as experts warned they were choosing to shop online rather than brave the crowds.
Overall the UK’s shopping centres saw “severe” footfall declines of 16 per cent yesterday, the biggest drop in four years according to Springboard which monitors shoppers.
However, Harrods proved an exception, pulling in “record” crowds, with many foreign shoppers taking advantage of the weak pound.
Overall Boxing Day sales bucked tradition, with footfall declining 7.2 per cent year on year, based on figures taken at 4pm yesterday.
However, online sales were predicted to be up by 7 per cent with retailers claiming their websites had seen record sales.
Curry’s, the largest electrical retailer, reported a 7 per cent uplift in customers shopping on their mobile devices at 2pm yesterday compared with Boxing Day last year.
High streets and out-of-town shopping districts saw small declines in footfall with crowds 4.7 per cent and 3 per cent smaller than last year.
Diane Wehrle, of Springboard, said: “Shopping centres have been underperforming all year but the Boxing Day footfall decline is marked. People either want to shop online for the convenience, or make a real day out of it. Whereas high streets tend to offer a selection of shops and cafés, shopping centres offer pure functionality, which cannot compete with online.”
About 27 million bargain hunters were predicted to have spent £3.93 billion at bricks and mortar shops and online, as prices in shops were cut by up to 86 per cent. The amount is expected to be nearly double the £2 billion spent on Black Friday, with the rise in online sales expected to have boosted overall spend.
An estimated 14 million Britons hit the shops, with some queuing from 11pm on Christmas Day, according to the Centre for Retail Research. Queues formed down the street at Harrods in Knightsbridge, London, which opened its doors at 10am.
The store arranged for butlers to hand out croissants, coffee and bacon sandwiches to those waiting patiently, and put on a dance show.
Hundreds of shoppers still descended on centres in search of reduced electronics, fashion and homewares, with the most extreme bargain hunters queuing overnight.