'Make or break' sale period for retailers

It has been a busy but not bustling day for high streets across the West Midlands as post-Christmas sales kick in.

Long gone are the 05:00 GMT queues for a Boxing Day bargain, retailers say, but the period is still important.

At the Telford Centre, in Shropshire, manager Glynn Morrow said December trading could be "make or break" for some retailers.

"As we go into January, retail will slow down, people will get their credit card bills and realise they've got to start tightening their belts a bit," he said.

December contributed almost half of some retailers' annual sales, he added.

Nationally, Boxing Day footfall was down by about 10% in 2024 compared with 2023, MRI Software's OnLocation Footfall Index found.

Barclays predicted that people will spend £3.6 billion during this year's Boxing Day sales, less than the £4.6 billion it predicted last year.

Some big-name stores such as Marks and Spencer, Next and John Lewis no longer open on Boxing Day.

With the rising cost of living, online sales and other discount days such as Black Friday, the day is no longer the major event it once was, shoppers said.

"Years ago we used to have to queue outside Next and places like that," shopper Sharon Chambers told BBC Midlands Today.

"I remember the days when they'd be queueing from 5 o'clock in the morning. I think it's a cost of living crisis – people just haven't got the money anymore."

Meanwhile, Emmanuele Narciso said he felt people did not feel as if they had as much money to spend as they used to.

"Nowadays it's quite hard to cope – especially with the salary and all the price increases," he said.

Retail bosses said many shopping centres were still doing well, but with physical retail under pressure from the convenience of online sales they were focussed on creating a "shopping experience" to encourage people out of their arm chairs.

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