Elbows at the ready!

Now Next, Harrods and John Lewis launch sales as bargain hunters queue throughout the night

By Daily Mail Reporter
Last updated at 2:12 PM on 27th December 2010

• Hundreds queued in freezing temperatures for Next's 5am openings
• Harrods, Marks & Spencer, Next and John Lewis sales start
  
• 800,000 shoppers are expected to spend £80m in London's West End today
  
• Selfridges' flagship London handled 10,000 purchases every hour yesterday
  
• Internet shoppers spent a record £323million on Boxing Day
  

Queues around the block on the the first day of winter sales are hardly unusual spectacles.

But few would have expected to see quite as many shoppers out of bed before 4am on a bank holiday for first dibs on half price bargains from Next.

The high street retailer opened its doors for the first time since Christmas Day at 5am, but Next fans started queuing as early as 2.30am.

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Bargain hunters: The freezing temperatures did not deter hundreds of Next fans who started waiting outside Silverlink Retail Park, Tyneside, at 4am

Bag a bargain: Next in Tyneside's Silverlink Retail Park was selling clothes for half price or less

Harrods, Marks & Spencer and John Lewis later also started their sales this morning.

Nearly 800,000 are expected to hit central London today, spending around £80 million in the West End.

Bargain-hunters waited patiently outside Harrods and on Oxford Street from around 6am for the bank holiday clearance bonanza.

Hundreds also queued in sub-zero temperatures from 2.30am for the traditional Next sale which began at 5am.

Jace Tyrrell of the New West End Company, which represents the retailers on Oxford Street, Bond Street and Regent Street, said: 'Yesterday was heaving - we didn't think it would be that big.

'We expected to draw in around £50million and we smashed that.

'Today, 800,000 people are expected to come to the West End and £80million should be spent, which is a huge amount.

'The weather is on our side, but these are still very determined shoppers. People were queuing outside Selfridges on Christmas day, planning to sleep outside - these are hardcore shoppers.'

This year there is an extra incentive for those scouring the sales for bargains as the VAT increase on January 4 will raise the price of many goods by 2.5 per cent.

Mr Tyrell said: 'Technology is selling very well ahead of the VAT rise and other high price designer goods. Christmas has come late - a lot of people have held off until now and those given vouchers as gifts have also come to spend that.'

First come, first served: The Harrods sale started at 9am today and runs until Sunday January 23

Festive bargains: Jerry Hall and her daughter Elizabeth Jagger opened the Harrods sale

Some stores are open for 16 hours today, which may also account for the projected record-breaking revenues.

At Brent Cross in north London, shoppers spent £10,000 a minute in the second day of the sales - topping Sunday's record of £7,000 a minute.

The shopping centre attracted half a million shoppers last week, the biggest number in its 34 year history.

General manager Tom Nathan said: 'Thousands of shoppers have been holding out for the major retailers to go on sale today and are hungry to bag bargains of 50% and up to 80% in some instances.

'The major drive is that people have been through a tough time and know that next year will be a challenge.They should take the opportunity to buy something they will need next year.

'There were queues outside Marks & Spencer at 8am and when stores opened at 9am there were quite significant queues outside Hollister and other big brand names with people looking to bag a bargain.'

He added: 'The majority of stores have a minimum of 50 per cent off and we have seen up to 80 per cent off in some clothing and footwear stores. Even though there is not a large amount of cold weather clothing left you can still get high quality clothing at a good price.'

Department stores John Lewis and Harrods opened their doors for the first time since Christmas today, and were expecting a massive boost in trade.

John Lewis launched its online clearance at 5pm on Christmas Eve and saw sales rise by 42 per cent with more than four products sold every second.

The store also attracted a 25 per cent increase in visitors online on Christmas Day with sales going up by 45 per cent.

The most popular Christmas Day purchases included feather pillows, luxury white towels, napkin rings, LCD televisions and laptops.

Figures for the week ending on Christmas Day showed sales of £97.1 million for John Lewis, up 30 per cent on last year as shoppers made their purchases before the rise in VAT in the new year.

Wrapped up warm: the freezing temperatures may have deterred some, but hundreds spent the early hours queuing for bargains in North Tyneside

Maggie Porteous, head of selling operations for John Lewis, said: 'We are thrilled to have seen such a positive start to our online clearance and this bodes very well for trade across our shops when they open their doors.

'Customers clearly appreciate our Never Knowingly Undersold commitment and are responding extremely well to our inspiring products, great value and exceptional service.

'We are also thrilled to have finished the pre-Christmas period on such a strong note as the slight thaw in the weather released some pent-up demand.

'Due to the fall of the calendar we traded for six days in the final week this year compared with five last year, however this is still a fantastic result.'

Harrods also expected a lift in sales with its discounts on designer clothes and gadgets.

Highlights at the Knightsbridge store included a Marc Jacobs sequinned evening bag reduced from £670 to £399 and a Sony 3D TV bundle package down from £3,549 to £2,828.

The sale, which started at 9am today, will run until Sunday January 23.

Next in line: Brent Cross' car park was full by 4.30 with people queuing round the retail park for Next's sale

Early starters: Around 100 people were waiting outside Oxford Street's Next at 4.15am today

Shopping centres around the UK were also prepared for a busy day as the big freeze eased its grip on the country and tempted shoppers back on to the high street.

Tim Walley, general manager at the Bullring in Birmingham, said: 'During Bank Holiday Monday we expect to see in the region of 200,000 shoppers visit Bullring as the centre opens its doors at 9am, whilst Next opens at 5am to kickstart their post-Christmas sale.'

Glen Barkworth, general manager at the Arndale Centre in Manchester, added: 'There's some significant offers on high-ticket merchandise, plasma and flat screen TVs selling for under £400, silly prices.

'With VAT increasing in a few days time the retailers are gearing themselves up to take advantage, they have purchased in bulk and the public are willing to buy.'

Battle of the bargains: An estimated 8,000 shoppers were crowded outside Selfridges in London when it opened yesterday, with 10,000 purchases made inside the store every hour

Crowded house: Shoppers crowd into Selfridges department store as it opens for business yesterday morning

Millions seeking bargains also flooded high streets across the country yesterday in a Boxing Day sales bonanza that also saw internet shoppers spend a record £323million.

Shoppers started queuing on the evening of Christmas day to snap up deals after stores cut prices by up to 75 per cent.

The frenzied scenes came despite continued economic woes, the worst snow and ice for three decades, a London Underground strike and reduced Sunday trading hours.

But in a welcome Boxing Day boost for hard-pressed traders:

* Half a million shoppers crammed into stores in London’s West End;

* Selfridges reported its best ever Boxing Day, it enjoyed a 40 per cent jump in trade compared to last year, with its flagship London store taking 10,000 sales per hour;

* More than a million consumers were expected to visit Bluewater shopping centre in Kent before January 1;

* Analysts expect £22.5billion to be spent in the January sales – up by £360million on last year – in a ‘last hurrah’ before a year of austerity and belt tightening.

Thousands of excited Boxing Day shoppers were ready and waiting from 9am yesterday morning for the opening of Bullring in Birmingham

Comparison website moneysupermarket.com estimated Boxing Day’s internet sales were the biggest ever, with £323million spent.

Selfridges claimed shoppers began queueing at its flagship Oxford Street store at 11.20pm on Christmas Day, with more than 8,000 outside by opening time – compared with 2,000 on Boxing Day last year. Women’s handbags and shoes were the best-selling, taking more than £1.2million in the first three hours of trade.

Post-Christmas spending spree: London's Oxford Street was crammed with shoppers

Thousands of shoppers seeking a Boxing Day sale bargain are filling Oxford Street and Regent's Street

Shock at the tills as rise in VAT looms

Shoppers could face an unpleasant surprise when they arrive at the tills during January.

They may find that the goods they are buying are more expensive than the labels say.
Stores have been given permission to take account of the new VAT rate by marking up the price paid at the till, rather than on labels.

The Government dispensation threatens disputes and queues in stores as shoppers question the increased prices.

VAT will increase from 17.5 per cent to 20 per cent from January 4, but HM Revenue and Customs said stores will be allowed until February 1 to change their shelf prices.

During this period, they will be able to apply the price rise at the till, provided they have put up a notice in the store.

The VAT increase will cost an average of £520 per household a year, according to the price comparison website uSwitch.com. The tax grab will be worth £13billion a year to the Government.

The rise, which was announced in June’s emergency Budget by Chancellor George Osborne, could cost motorists up to £145 a year extra.

Calculations by the House of Commons library show the increase will add 2.6p to the cost of a litre of petrol, or 11.6p to a gallon of petrol.
That will mean a £1.43 increase when filling up a 55-litre tank. This is a £29-a-year rise for a car that does 10,000 miles and a £145-a-year rise for a car that covers 50,000 miles.

House of Fraser stores also clocked up £1million sales after just two hours yesterday.

The high turnout in London came despite a tube strike which caused disruption on every line in the capital. Members of the drivers’ union Aslef walked out over a claim for triple pay and a day off in lieu for Boxing Day working.

The Arndale Centre in Manchester reported ‘phenomenal’ trading with 170,000 through its doors, and Bluewater shopping centre in Greenhithe, Kent, had more than 100,000 visitors. In Leeds, the White Rose Shopping Centre was full just three-quarters of an hour after it opened.

Yesterday’s bumper sales followed figures revealing huge year-on-year spending increases in the build-up to Christmas, despite large swathes of the country being almost paralysed by snow and ice.

Waitrose also saw its best ever build-up to Christmas, with store sales up nine per cent on last year and online sales increasing by 45 per cent. Internet shopping is expected to account for £3.8billion of spending in the January sales, up £420million on a year ago.

Research by the Centre for Retail Research for Kelkoo predicts total spending in the January sales of £22.5billion.

But the boom comes amid dire warnings from analysts that retail sales will fall by £2.2billion in the first quarter of 2011 because of the VAT hike on January 4.

Kelkoo marketing director Chris Simpson said: ‘Retailers should see an average boost in spending of 1.6 per cent on last year’s January sales figures, but this could be the last hurrah before the government’s austerity measures dampen consumer spending intentions in earnest for the coming year.’

British Retail Consortium research found nearly two-thirds of retailers expect sales to worsen in 2011.