Hundreds of customers create queue of over 50 yards in each direction on Regent Street as they wait for Hamley’s Toy Store to open
Tomorrow will see an estimated £1million-a-minute spent on what is expected to be the first ever £1billion Christmas Day for shopping.
Cyber spending will rocket four times higher than an average day, with 11 million bargain-hunters – one in five adults – shopping online, spending trends show.
A record £895million is expected to be spent online on Christmas Day – up 11 per cent on last year – as sales start today or tomorrow online, according to a Centre for Retail Research study for VoucherCodes, based on interviews with 80 major UK retailers and 1,000 shoppers.
It works out at £932,000-a-minute over the 16 hours most are awake on Christmas Day.
Store spending on Christmas Day is set to pass £105million as 1.5million shoppers spend at a record number of convenience stores and garages opening on December 25.
Christmas Day online spending will peak at 10am as cash gifts and vouchers are opened, and 6pm before big evening TV shows, experts say.
Consumer electronics will be popular purchases, analysts say. Amazon expects movies and music downloads to be big sellers.
Professor Joshua Bamfield, director of the Centre for Retail Research, said: ‘It looks like the first ever £1billion Christmas Day. The day is getting stronger every year for online spending.
‘Shoppers want the bargains retailers make available when post-Christmas sales start early online.’
Crowds grow in London’s west end on Christmas Eve as last minute shoppers hunt for gifts
Seventeen million shoppers splashed out on ‘Super Saturday’ yesterday – capping Britain’s £7billion busiest ever week before Christmas as price cuts hit 88 per cent
Post-Christmas sales started on Christmas Eve online.
Online sales started with AO.com at 12noon Christmas Eve, with Next joining from 3pm, John Lewis and M&S from 5pm and Debenhams also due to start. Argos’ online sale was starting at 6am on Christmas Day.
Seventeen million shoppers splashed out on ‘Super Saturday’ yesterday – capping Britain’s £7billion busiest ever week before Christmas as price cuts hit 88 per cent.
And Boxing Day is due even bigger bargains as sales start early online today and from 6am Tuesday in stores.
Last minute Christmas shoppers throng the city centre, in Leeds, West Yorkshire
Last minute Christmas shoppers throng the city centre, in Leeds, West Yorkshire
Shoppers get some last minute presents for Christmas in Bristol on Christmas Eve
Shoppers get some last minute presents for Christmas in Bristol on Christmas Eve
Saturday had even more shoppers than are due on Boxing Day, with one in three adults shopping yesterday as £1.7billion was spent.
Fourteen million jammed high streets and shopping centres to spend £1.45billion, with 3.4m shopping online, spending an additional £220million.
Bluewater, Kent, was expected to have seen 110,000 shoppers yesterday, with 100,000 at Lakeside, Essex.
St David’s, Cardiff, was due 250,000 shoppers, with 220,000 at Birmingham’s Bullring, 180,000 at Manchester’s Trafford Centre and 90,000 at Bristol’s Cabot Circus.
Scottish malls were due approaching 100,000 at the Braehead Centre, near Glasgow, 80,000 at Glasgow’s Silverburn and 70,000 at Aberdeen’s Union Square.
The splurge capped a record £7billion spree for the last shopping week before December 25, the spending data showed, with around £5.5billion spent in stores this week and another £1.5billion online.
The mega spree is due to a late rush after shopper totals were down 10 per cent on last year over the first three weeks of December.
Professor Joshua Bamfield, director of the Centre for Retail Research, said: ‘This may well be the busiest ever week before Christmas in terms of shopper numbers, and the biggest spending week before Christmas ever.
‘Saturday has the highest ever number of shoppers before Christmas forecast, as it falls right before Christmas Eve.
‘There is a trend of spending late. And prices are falling so shoppers can expect bargains.’
Mintel director of retail research Richard Perks added: ‘More and more shoppers are leaving it until the last minute.’
A busy High Street in Canterbury, Kent, as shoppers purchase last minute presents on Christmas Eve
Shoppers get some last minute presents for Christmas in Bristol on Christmas Eve