Hey, big spenders: Boxing Day heads for a retail record

Published on Sunday 26 December 2010 18:00

SCOTLAND is on track for bumper Boxing Day sales figures, with major retailers across the country reporting their busiest 26 December on record.

Thousands of shoppers were up before daybreak to queue outside shops, many of which opened at 7am.

As people vied to take advantage of bumper discounts of up to 70 per cent before the VAT rise hits on 4 January, stores and high streets were packed with bargain hunters.

Although official figures will not be available until later in the week, shopping centres and retailers throughout the country reported a significant increase in both footfall and sales figures compared with Boxing Day 2009, despite many stores starting their sales online on Christmas Eve.

Harvey Nichols in Edinburgh had a record-breaking Boxing Day, with a 12 per cent increase in sales compared with last year.

Fort Kinnaird retail park in Edinburgh saw 45,000 people shopping for bargains, up 10 per cent on last year, while Glasgow Fort reported a similar increase, to about 40,000.

At Fort Kinnaird, 350 people queued outside Next, which was offering 50 per cent off everything, before its 7am opening, while 250 piled into the store at Glasgow Fort as soon as its doors opened at the same time.

By lunchtime, the two retail parks had no room left in their 2,500- and 2,000-space car parks.

Boxing Day sales

• The shoppers: 'The best thing is the buzz'

• The online sales: Early bird catches the bargain as shoppers log on to beat the rush

• The offers: Savings can add up to thousands

Shoppers arrived as early as 5am at the Braehead Shopping Centre, near Glasgow, to pick up bargains at Next and New Look, which also opened 7am.

Braehead's general manager, Peter Beagley, said: "The early birds were catching the best of the bargains at Braehead on Boxing Day morning. People were driving into our free car parks as early as 5am aiming to be first to catch the best of the sale items. I've no doubt that shoppers also had their eye on the VAT increase in January and were buying items to save on paying the extra VAT.

"Although Braehead wasn't officially due to open until 10am, we unlocked our doors to coincide with some of our stores opening much earlier. Next and New Look opened at 7am and River Island started trading at 8am. There were queues outside these stores."

As the morning went on, queues formed outside other stores in Edinburgh and Glasgow city centres, such as Zara and House of Fraser.

As the doors opened in House of Fraser in Glasgow at 9am, 1,000 people were waiting for a chance to pick up designer goods at up to 50 per cent off.

It was selling designer handbags, by labels such as Mulberry, Chloe, Celine and Anya Hindmarch, for 50 per cent off, as well as Hugo Boss, Paul Smith and Ralph Lauren suits for half price. By 11am, the store was reporting 1m in sales across all its stores in the UK.Sophie Chapman, 31, from Glasgow, snapped up a half-price Yves Saint Laurent handbag. She said: "I've been queuing for ages and it was freezing, but it was worth the wait. I've wanted the bag for so long, and Yves Saint Laurent is one of my favourite designer labels. I'm delighted."

In Edinburgh, 600 people waited for prestigious department store Harvey Nichols to open at 10am to take advantage of discounts of between 50 and 70 per cent.

Designer handbags, shoes and men's suits were in demand and the store had sold out of many bargains by early afternoon.

"A lot of the bags have sold out and the shoes have been hit hard, Gucci and Prada shoes always sell really fast," said Annette Lamb, press and marketing manager at the store.

"Some things have been surprising though and people aren't just buying sale items. We didn't put the McQueen scarves on sale, but they've gone already.

"The sale goes on for two weeks, but people know that if they want something specific, they have to come in on Boxing Day. If you hang on, the prices will come down further, but you might not get what you want. Considering it's a Sunday and the weather still isn't great, we're really pleased."

One customer who was particularly happy was Julie Cunningham, from Ayrshire, who drove to Edinburgh to exchange a pair of shoes and left with another two from Prada and Alexander McQueen, both at half price, costing 445 and 95 respectively.

"My boyfriend bought me a pair for Christmas," she said. "As usual, they were the wrong size and the wrong style, but at least he came to the right shop. I wasn't planning to buy another two pairs, but I didn't think there would be so much money off.

"I love shoes and handbags and I would rather save up and get something nice, so I'm delighted."

Other shopping centres reported that shoppers were spending on expensive items such as electronic goods and jewellery, before the VAT rise comes in next week.

Ryan Manson, general manager at Union Square in Aberdeen, said it had been significantly busier than last year. "Since we opened the doors this morning, bargain hunters have been trying their luck, with the busiest period so far being around lunchtime," he said. "The evidence at Union Square suggests the in-store discounts and sales are generating lots of interest. The added incentive of securing a bargain before the VAT rise could explain why people are still spending."Throughout the whole festive period, we have seen a high demand for jewellery and electronic goods such as the iPad and HD televisions. There seems to be little change to that trend on Boxing Day."

The Scottish Retail Consortium (SRC) said it was expecting Boxing Day 2010 to turn out the be the busiest ever in Scotland, despite customer fears for 2011.

"To a certain extent, people are spending what they didn't in the run-up to Christmas, where shopping was hit hard by the weather, especially in Scotland," said Richard Dodd, the SRC's head of media.

"There's also a bit of feeling that this might be a final hurrah for both shoppers and retailers.

"Retailers are more nervous about the new year than last year and the impact that the VAT rise and public sector cuts will have on shopping.

"Shoppers are also nervous and the scale of discounting is linked to how retailers judge the mood of customers, so there may be more discounts this year as they try to motivate shoppers."