By Sean Poulter, Consumer Affairs Editor For The Daily Mail
22:32 22 Dec 2023, updated 23:46 22 Dec 2023
- Today is expected to be busy for retailers, both on the high street and online
If you’ve still got last-minute presents to buy or turkey trimmings to source then no one could blame you.
But for those (rather smug) individuals who have done all their festive shopping, you could use this last Saturday before Christmas to nab a few bargains with the early onset of January sales online.
Saturday is expected to be very busy for retailers, both on the high street and on websites.
One estimate suggests 15million shoppers will spend £1.37billion as they stock up on fresh food, drink and gifts ahead of Monday.
Some 11.6million are expected to head to physical stores – spending £1.06billion – with 3.4million predicted to make an online purchase, spending £310million.
The online figures are likely to be boosted by the online sales starting early at big stores such as Currys, Boots and Boden.
Lisa Hooker, consumer expert at accountants PwC, said: ‘Christmas is still likely to come down to the wire for retailers.
‘Consumers said they would spend less overall, but can they be persuaded to spend more than they planned in the final weekend before the big day itself? And, if not, the likelihood of bumper Boxing Day sales to clear seasonal stock will only increase.’
Major chains are slashing prices on a huge range of products online, with Currys cutting the price of a Lenovo laptop by 38 per cent, down to £999 and offering a 25 per cent saving on a American-Style fridge freezer at £1,699.
Elsewhere, Boots has knocked 50 per cent off many of its cosmetics to attract customers.
The estimated shopping figures come from the annual festive spending study from website Voucher.Codes.co.uk, whose savings expert, Anita Naik, said: ‘The final full day before Christmas can be a busy day for many, especially if you’re one of the 15million Britons scrambling to make those final purchases.’
While the high street will still be busy, analysts at MRI Software, which measures shopper numbers, predict in-store spending to be 5 per cent lower than last December 23 as Saturday is traditionally the most popular day for travelling ahead of Christmas.
Robert Johnson is a UK-based business writer specializing in finance and entrepreneurship. With an eye for market trends and a keen interest in the corporate world, he offers readers valuable insights into business developments.
