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BALMY winter weather sent shoppers scurrying to stores yesterday in search of Boxing Day bargains.
Snaking queues formed as city centre shops had their best sales for five years.
Despite the cost-of-living crisis, retail experts at Barclays reckoned customers were on course to splash out £253 per head on post-Christmas bargains.
Shoppers were predicted to splurge up to ten per cent more than last year in-store and online — taking the total to £4.7billion.
The surge came despite big names including Next, John Lewis and M&S keeping their doors shut yesterday to give staff a well-earned day off.
But huge queues developed in cities including London, Manchester, Newcastle and Liverpool.
The increased footfall led to many drivers having problems parking.
Early birds started queueing at 4am outside Selfridges department store in the capital.
Keen consumers were also lining up outside Harrods and Primark’s flagship stores in London.
One of the longer queues was around the Lush cosmetics store in Liverpool — which offered up to 50 per cent off bath bombs.
There were similar scenes at Lush and JD Sport’s stores in Manchester’s Trafford Centre.
Yesterday’s scenes were a welcome boost to businesses as research by Mastercard showed in-store spend across the festive period was up 3.5 per cent on last year — although online spending fell 2.8 per cent.
Restaurant spending increased by 11.4 per cent along with clothing (eight per cent) and jewellery (8.3 per cent), according to the research.
Data shared by Mastercard SpendingPulse for the first time analysed UK retail spending from November 1 to December 24 — not adjusted for inflation.
Despite chaotic scenes, footfall on Christmas Eve was down 20.6 per cent on last year — and 6.8 per cent lower than last week.
Jenni Matthew from MRI software said a number of factors were to blame for falling footfall this year, including the cost of living crisis.
She told the Evening Standard: "Consumers are likely to have spread the cost of Christmas and started shopping earlier."
A third fewer shoppers hit stores on Christmas Eve than in 2019.
But total UK retail sales were up 2.6 per cent year-on-year.
Natalia Lechmanova, senior economist at Europe for Mastercard, said: “The British consumer has been savvy with spending this year.
“Shoppers have been willing to splash out for gifts, with spend on jewellery and clothing up considerably year-on-year, but wanted to do so at the right price. We’ve also seen a cautiously optimistic return to the High Street.
“British consumers want to celebrate during the festive period, and we’ve seen spend on restaurants increase by more than ten per cent as people continue to value experiences and spending time together post-pandemic.”
However, the rise of online shopping means Barclays predicts more than three quarters of Brits will do the majority of their festive sales shopping online.
Nearly a fifth were thought to have spent part of Christmas Day shopping online for discounts as retailers launched promotions early.
Following a lacklustre Black Friday for some businesses — with shoppers strapped for cash — stores have more winter stock to shift than normal in post-Christmas sales.
But there was a considerable spike on Cyber Monday, with an increase of 9.2 percent compared with 2022.
Karen Johnson, head of retail at Barclays, said: “While Boxing Day remains the most popular day to start bargain hunting, retailers are no longer putting all their eggs in one basket.
“They are instead spreading out their discounts to boost ongoing demand.”
Shoppers praised stores that stayed shut yesterday to give staff an extra day off.
A Home Bargains fan said: “I’m so pleased to hear this.”
John Lewis said: “Our partners work so hard to help customers in the run up to Christmas, so we give them an extra day off to recognise this.”
Several major retailers including John Lewis, B&M and Amazon slashed their prices ahead of Boxing Day.
Deals included 50 per cent off Kim Kardashian’s Skims range, 40 per cent off Balenciaga trainers and 30 per cent off Balmain handbags.
There were hundreds of discounts on clothing, cookware and tech - with The Sun finding some stores offering up to 70 percent off items.
If you missed Boxing Day, January sales can still be the perfect time to bag some bargains and put them away for next Christmas.
Boxing Day sales can be a time to stock up on cheap gift sets and fragrances for next year's presents.
Here are deals from Boots and The Perfume Shop:
The items in this set are worth a whopping £38 individually so it's a huge saving.
It includes Coco & Eve's 200ml Bali Bronzing Foam and a hypoallergenic soft velvet mitt.
There are other shades available too including dark.
You can grab it for just £15.
This gift set includes four different scrubs, washes, body butter and facemasks.
Each item is scented with Soap & Glory's signature berry scent.
You can pick it up for just a tenner today, a 50% discount.
Gift sets aren't just for women, they can make the perfect gift for men too.
This one from Bulldog contains three of its best-selling skincare products including face wash, face scrub and moisturiser.
Shoppers can pick it up from today for just £8.
Designer perfumes can be pretty expensive so waiting for a sale event is a clever way to get your favourite scents for less.
The Perfume Shop is selling this Vera Wang Princess perfume for a whopping £46 less than its original price.
That's a 69.71% discount and a great offer.
The retailer describes the perfume as a sheer, fruity floral smell – rich with vanilla and exotic flowers and fruits.
The Perfume Shop has great deals on its male fragrances too.
Diesel's Only the Brave scent has been reduced from £81 to £46.99.
That's a whopping 42% off.
It's described as a spicy woody perfume, with a crisp and fresh, yet subtly sweet apple scent.
Its heart notes consist of aromatic sage combined with a hot kick of Bourbon pepper.
From stylish furniture to spruce up your home to bedding to keep you comfy - we've rounded up some of the best deals for your home from Dunelm, Robert Dyas and more.
Among the offers from Dunelm this Boxing Day is the £57.50 saving on this bedding set.
It comes in four sizes: single, double, king and super king.
The set is made from 100% cotton and comes with pillowcases, secure zipper fastening and is machine washable.
You can pick it up from today for 50% off.
This Tien 3 Light Cluster Ceiling Fitting from Dunelm is perfect for adding a modern contemporary touch to your home.
It features three smoke and matt opal real glass shades with metal satin brushed gold effect details.
Plus, it's complete with height-adjustable black fabric cables and a metal satin brushed gold effect base.
Shoppers can bag it for £74.50 - reduced from £149.
Heated airers have soared in popularity in recent years due to the energy saving capabilities.
Lakeland has slashed the price of the Dry:Soon clothes dryer to just £69.99.
The handy gadget costs around 30p per hour to run so is a great alternative to a tumble dryer.
Another gadget which has proved popular this year is a heated throw.
The super cosy premium ones can cost a pretty penny though so sales can be a great time to pick them up.
This one from Lakeland offers a choice of nine heat settings and nine time settings, it also has an auto shut-off for peace of mind.
Plus its machine washable with detachable control.
You can grab it for just £69.99.
This stylish two-slice toaster could be a great addition to your kitchen.
It's been reduced at Robert Dyas by £16 to just £21.99.
It has a handy defrost function that lets you toast bread straight from the freezer, while the reheat feature is primed for warming up your toast, bun, or bagel should it go cold.
Even better, variable browning controls let you achieve the perfect slice every time, however you like it.
Boxing Day sales are also a prime time to stock up on those pieces you've been eyeing lately, we've rounded up the best deals.
You too can beat the cold in this women's Puffer Jacket from Hoodrich, exclusively available at JD Sports.
The sale, which began today in-store, has seen the stylish jacket reduced from £110 to just £50.
It has an insulated padding to lock in the heat, as well as a full-zip fastening and a fixed hood.
The coat also has elasticated cuffs with snap button closures and a slightly cropped hem.
These Crocs have been taken up a notch with a cosy fur lining.
With breathable ventilation ports at the forefoot, they sit on a soft, cushioned footbed with a fuzzy lining for extra comfort.
They also have a tough rubber outsole and an adjustable heel strap for a secure fit.
You can grab them in the sale for just £40.
Why not treat yourself to a new Nike hoodie this winter.
The item is made with ultra-soft brushed fleece for comfort as well as warmth.
It comes in burnt orange colour and has had a huge £25 slashed off its original price.
These Fila trainers have had £25 chopped off in the JD sale.
Perfect for your kids they're cut from genuine and synthetic leather for smooth, durable wear.
They feature laces and a padded collar for added support.
The shoes have a chunky foam midsole with a grippy rubber outsole for traction.
They come in junior sizes and cost just £30 in the sale.
JD has also slashed the price of its Adidas zip fleece.
The comfy jumper has a 1/2 zip so you can adjust your temperature if you're out and about, plus it's machine washable.
It has a regular-fit pullover design and is cut from a fuzzy recycled polyester polar fleece.
It's finished up with an oversized Trefoil logo stitched to the back.
Pick it up at JD today for just £50 - down from £65.
From smart watches to air fryers, there are plenty of discounts to be had at Amazon, Currys and more.
Users can ask Alexa for the weather forecast, set hands-free timers, get answers to their questions and even get the gadget to tell jokes.
You can play music via Amazon Music, Apple Music, Spotify, Deezer and more, or via Bluetooth throughout your home.
The Echo Dot is just £24.99 at the moment, reduced from £54.99.
This handy smartwatch and wireless headphone set is the perfect gift for someone into their gadgets.
The watch receives call alerts, reads messages and emails, and receives social alerts straight to your wrist.
It also works as a step counter, timer, stop watch, and sleep tracker.
The set also includes Black Gloss True Wireless Earbuds with Charging Case.
The earbuds feature Bluetooth Version 5.0, a five-hour total playing time, a charging case, and 10m Wireless Range.
Argos has shaved 50% off the set in its winter sale.
Ninja air fryers are amongst the highest-rated gadgets, but they're usually pretty expensive.
The dual-basket model in particular can usually cost over £220.
Currys has slashed the price of the model in its Boxing Day sale just to £169.99.
It has a 7.6-litre capacity and six preset functions.
This is a pretty decent offer from Currys, a whopping £600 off.
It has a handy two-in-one design that lets you flip from work to play.
It also has a 13th-generation Intel Core i7 processor.
Plus it comes with a Precision Pen 2 stylus, so you can take notes, sketch ideas and annotate docs right from the off.
Currys is selling the nifty gadget for £999.
Meanwhile, here is the full list of shops not taking part in Boxing Day sales this year.
Plus, chains such as B&M & Asda started sales earlier than ever this year.
