West-end sees record Christmas shoppers

Black Friday and Cyber Monday may have had the tills ringing in the US, but British retailers fared just as well. The run-up to the holiday shopping season has begun and high street stalwart John Lewis reported last Saturday was its biggest

ever pre-Christmas trading day.

In London, Oxford Street and Regent Street were closed to traffic on Saturday, and despite the weather shoppers were ready to spend, with current estimates at over 100 million pounds.

Footfall was up 1.8 percent compared with last year, according to New West End Company, which organised the traffic-free day.

Maggie Porteous, head of selling operations at John Lewis, said sales were boosted by price matching items reduced by other outlets in the Black Friday sales.

“It looks as though it’s going to be a tablet Christmas,” Ms Porteous said.

According to the Financial Times, the high street will face plenty of competition this year. Online retail sales will increase 17 percent this Christmas, according to Deloitte, but overall UK retail sales will increase only 1 per cent.

Deloitte, which issued its Christmas retail predictions on Monday, said 330 million pounds of Christmas purchases would be made directly through smartphones, and a further 500 million pounds through tablets.

Image: John Lewis Oxford Street