Boxing Day sales expected to draw millions of Britons despite recession

LONDON. December 26. KAZINFORM Millions of Britons will flock to high streets and shopping centres around the country on Boxing Day as they enjoy a holiday from austerity on the biggest shopping day of the year.
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Despite some stores launching their sales in the days leading up to Christmas, the Boxing Day sales remain the main event in bargain hunters' calendars as retailers slash the price of designer clothes and big ticket items such as TVs and sofas by as much as 50%.

Shopping centres are anticipating huge crowds with Bluewater in Kent, one of the largest, expecting 100,000 visitors on Boxing Day and 1 million over the rest of the week. "We're expecting the next seven days to be very strong," said Robert Goodman, general manager at Bluewater.

The lure of cut-price fashion is also expected to draw 700,000 shoppers to the West End in London, with queues expected outside department stores such as Selfridges and Liberty. The Knightsbridge store Harrods, which is launching its sale with a performance by the performers of Cirque du Soleil, is dangling big reductions on sought-after brands such as Chloé, Balmain and Diane von Furstenberg.

During December, Britons will part with almost £40bn - 50% more than in a typical month - as they stockpile food, drink and presents. But with many households struggling to cope with everyday food and fuel bills, the recession has altered the pattern of Christmas shopping, with savvy consumers looking to spread the cost over several months and holding back for in-store and online promotions, Kazinform quotes the Guardian.

For the second year running, Britons spent nearly 4% more between late October and mid-November as they took advantage of early-bird offers, according to analysis by Barclaycard of the spending habits of more than 11m UK cardholders. Then, in a break with the past, shoppers sat back and waited for the next wave of promotions, with spending down in the second half of the month, rather than building steadily towards a Christmas peak - as used to be the case.

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