A DEPARTMENT store in Southend saw more than 100 shoppers queuing up from 6am on Boxing Day morning to bag themselves a bargain.

After seeing a decline in retail shops in recent years, things appear to be looking up as shoppers looking for bargains flooded the high streets and shopping centres after Christmas.

Shop managers claim to have seen a rise in footfall during the festive season compared with last year, as prices across the country were slashed from the December 26 holiday.

 

A spokesman for the Victoria Shopping Centre, in Southend, said: “We were definitely busier than normal with shoppers taking advantage of the sales.

“Next opened at 6am, and more than 150 people queuing and it remained busy throughout the day.

“We have seen an increase on Boxing Day shoppers compared with last year, and following high street declines, this is fabulous news for the centre and for Southend.”

 

Dave Andrews, store manager at Mallard’s jewellers, said: “It’s been very busy over the festive period.

“Often we find that we get a lot of footfall quite late in the day in December, it’s often the case people realise they won’t get online orders delivered in time for Christmas Day so they all dash in to get what they can from the shops.

“We’ve got up to 50 per cent off a lot of products and lots of our gold jewellery is also in the sale, which is always a big hit.

“We also have a lot of diamonds feature in the sale, they’re always extremely popular.”

Alan Dadswell, manager of Toys’n’Tuck, in Southend, said: “There was a lot of people around, it’s not as dead as people think.”

 

Dawn Jeakings, centre manager of The Royals Shopping Centre, in Southend, said: “At The Royals we’ve had a good start to the festive sales season, with our footfall up for the first three days this week, and the majority of our stores telling us that sales are as good – if not better – than last year.

“However, like shopping centres up and down the UK, we are feeling the effects that the increase in online shopping is having on the high street.

“It’s also worth flagging that no public transport on Boxing Day is a real issue for customers and staff alike.”

One shopper added: “It was really nice to see so many people.”