Shoppers queuing for late bargains before stores open

Shoppers began queuing before stores even opened today in the hope of picking up last-minute Christmas bargains.

A crowd of people lined up outside Marks & Spencer in Oxford Street an hour before the store opened.

Bridget Moran and her husband Joseph, of Fulham, were waiting outside the store's food hall when the doors opened just before 8am.

Mrs Moran said: "I am here just for the food to get some last minute bits for Christmas dinner. You always forget a few things and end up shopping for them the day before."

The late high-street rush came as discounts of up to 90 per cent were announced in some stores.

Full-blown sales will begin today in many outlets and on the internet, with the Dixons group, including Currys.ditigal and PC World, launching their online bargains.

Some retailers have already had record trading days this week, with the Brent Cross Shopping Centre experiencing its busiest trading day for five years on Monday.

Despite reports of retail doom and gloom, it appears that shoppers have been holding out for further discounting and are now making up for lost time, spending up to £1million per hour.

Although trading was slow at the start of December, the interest rate and VAT reductions, as well as huge price cuts, have helped to drive over half a million people to West End shops over the past week.

And on the last day of trading before Christmas, unprecedented offers could attract healthy crowds.

DIY chain B&Q is offering 50 per cent off kitchens and bathrooms, and John Lewis will start its clearance sale online at 6pm. Superdrug will begin an online sale a few hours later with discounts of up to 90 per cent.

Music store Zavvi started its sale on Monday, while Tesco announced another wave of discounts, including 70 per cent off some of its clothes.

Norman Black, a spokesman for Brent Cross Shopping Centre, said: "With Christmas falling on a Thursday, we had anticipated an uplift in footfall and spend in the last few days until Christmas, but trading since the weekend has exceeded our expectations."

British Retail Consortium spokesman Richard Dodd said: "I think some retailers will be daring to breathe a sigh of relief because it's clear that customers have left their spending very late rather than cancelled it entirely.

"But it won't be until we see the final figures that we know what people are actually spending."