Shoppers will splurge £1.7billion today — and these are the best pre-Christmas deals

The blowout is expected to smash 2013’s £1.28bn previous best for the last Saturday before Christmas, as online shoppers spend £220m

Published: 0:01, 23 Dec 2017
Updated: 4:20, 23 Dec 2017

SHOPPERS will splurge a record £1.7billion on the biggest pre-Christmas “Super Saturday” in high street history today.

One in three adults, or 17million people, will take advantage of huge discounts of up to 86 per cent.

Christmas shoppers, pictured in Edinburgh, set to make the most of last-minute dealsCredit: PA:Press Association

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The blowout is expected to smash 2013’s £1.28billion previous best for the last Saturday before Christmas.

Spending today will be up a huge 50 per cent on the last Saturday a year ago, when it fell on Christmas Eve, which has shorter hours.

Online shoppers will spend an additional £220million, said the Centre for Retail Research study for VoucherCodes.

The spending bonanza will be triggered by giant discounts, yesterday's payday, the whole country being on holiday and shoppers waiting later than ever to spend, analysts said.

Christmas shoppers pack streets in Birmingham and enjoy sights of the Christmas marketCredit: SWNS:South West News Service

Bargains are so big that shoppers who would have waited to spend until post-Christmas sales in previous years are spending now instead.

French Connection cut the price of a 86 per cent from £35.00 to £5.00.

Claire’s slashed a 86 per cent from £14 to £2.

A men’s DFND London Anthony Reflective T-Shirt was also cut 86 per cent, from £34.99 to £4.99, with .

Shopping centres braced for the “big one” today.

French Connection has slashed price of this top by 86 per cent from £35.00 to £5.00

You can grab huge savings on this toy from Claire's as it drops price by 86 per cent from £14 to £2

Bluewater, Kent, is expected to see 110,000 shoppers, with 100,000 at Lakeside, Essex.

St David’s, Cardiff, is due 250,000 shoppers, with 220,000 at Birmingham´s Bullring, 180,000 at Manchester’s Trafford Centre and 90,000 at Bristol’s Cabot Circus.

Scottish malls are due approaching 100,000 at the Braehead Centre, near Glasgow, 80,000 at Glasgow’s Silverburn and 70,000 at Aberdeen’s Union Square.

Professor Joshua Bamfield, director of the Centre for Retail Research, said: “It’s the highest ever spending for the last Saturday before Christmas.

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“Super Saturday is the new Panic Saturday.

“People are terribly nervous after leaving it so late to shop. They now want to get it all out of the way in a Saturday blast on the high street.

“People will be charging round supermarkets. High streets will be packed.

“Almost everyone is now off work. Many people have just been paid and shoppers have been waiting for bigger discounts from retailers.”

Mintel director of retail research Richard Perks said: “Shopper want larger discounts – and shops offering them means increased trade closer to Christmas.”

He added: “More and more shoppers are leaving it until the last minute to shop.”

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Gordon McKinnon, operations director for intu – one of Britain’s biggest shopping centre owners with 14 malls including Manchester’s Trafford Centre, Gateshead’s Metrocentre, Essex’s Lakeside and Braehead, near Glasgow - said: “Saturday is expected to be a big one. It’s the final full day of shopping, with reduced hours on Christmas Eve.

“Well over a million people will visit our centres on Saturday.”

Steven Madeley, general manager for St David’s mall, Cardiff, said: “We expect a rush of last-minute shoppers. It will be one of the busiest days of the year.”