Boxing Day sales: Edinburgh city centre swarming with shoppers despite predicted drop in spending

Eager shoppers were seen queuing to get inside some of the most popular stores in Edinburgh as Boxing Day sales in the Scottish capital defied modest forecasts.

The city centre was buzzing, packed with locals and visitors out hunting for bargains and enjoying festive attractions in bright, but crisp weather. Throngs of people could be seen up and down Princes Street, despite the large number of empty premises on what was once the city’s key shopping thoroughfare.

Shops including Primark, Office and the Apple Store were busy.

The St James Quarter, the city’s flagship multi-level retail complex, was also inundated with shoppers, with customers even lining up outside its Lego and Pandora stores. However, there was some disappointment, with key city centre stores such as John Lewis, M&S and Next not reopening until December 27.

One woman, a beautician and mother of young children, was enjoying a rare day in town with a mission to spend vouchers she had been given for Christmas. She had planned to visit John Lewis, only to discover the doors were closed.

Edinburgh resident Maureen Nicol and her Manchester-based daughter Louise Lamb were also bargain-hunting.

“We came into town in particular to go to Zara and we would have gone into M&S too, but it was closed, and so was John Lewis,” Ms Lamb said. “We didn’t come in for anything specific, just a wander really – I always do it on Boxing Day, whether that’s in Manchester or Edinburgh.

“The two things I bought were not in the sale, so no bargains yet. But I think because I was spoiled at Christmas I probably didn’t really need anything.”

Princes Street, once Edinburgh's key shopping thoroughfare but now punctuated with several empty premises, was busy on Boxing Day

Ms Nicol said: “I haven’t got anything in the sales either. The shops I like are Marks and Spencers and John Lewis – and they’re shut.”

Outside the city centre, the picture was quite different. The Gyle Centre, on Edinburgh’s western edge, was much less frenetic and footfall was fairly light.

Yavor Zhechev, customer adviser at the Gyle’s Three mobile phone shop, said online shopping continued to impact on high-street stores, with budget-savvy customers searching out good deals on the web. But the company still sees customers who prefer in-person service.

“Post-Covid shopper numbers have been lower,” Mr Zhechev said. “A lot more people are finding deals online and not going into stores.

People of all ages were out bargain-hunting in the St James Quarter, although some shoppers expressed disappointment that key stores such as John Lewis and Next remained closed

“But we do get some folk who are guaranteed to come in looking for a bargain, and they come in because they want a face-to-face interaction. I think so far today the store is a lot quieter than it would normally be, but there’s time yet.”

Scott Haldane, who comes from Edinburgh, but lives in Amsterdam, was indulging in a spot of retail therapy with his wife and children during a visit to family over Christmas. They had already managed to scoop a few sale items.

“We came out here this morning to meet my mother-in-law, and we had some Christmas money, so we’re going to spend a few hours going round the shops,” Mr Haldane said.

“We got a few good bargains in River Island, some nice clothes, so it’s going well.”

People were forced to queue to get inside some popular shops in the St James Quarter, including the Lego store

Despite the crowds in Edinburgh city centre, figures suggest Boxing Day takings will be down overall this year. Research for the VoucherCodes website has predicted consumers will spend £3.7 billion on December 26, a drop of 2.9 per cent from the same day in 2022.

However, a survey for Barclays bank found shoppers were planning to spend more per head in the festive sales than usual – an average of £253 each, the highest amount per head in four years.

Men were expected to be the biggest spenders, willing to fork out £299 each compared to £209 for women. But findings suggested most people – more than three out of four – would be hunting for deals online.