Boxing Day sales: When centres full of bargains will be open and traders hope for a festive boost
Traders will be hoping that sales starting tomorrow keep up any till-ringing momentum that has been built up in November and December.
The crowds were out at supermarkets and high streets across the county at the weekend as shoppers stocked up enough to keep ravenous relatives with full stomachs and wine glasses over Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.
Now Shropshire's two biggest shopping centres - the Darwin Centre in Shrewsbury, and Telford Centre - are both open with thousands of shoppers expected to descend in the hunt for post-Christmas bargains. Telford Centre is open from 9am to 6pm.
Kevin Lockwood, manager of Shrewsbury's Darwin Centre, said they would be looking forward to welcoming shoppers from 10am today, with the centre open until 5pm.
He said that the run-up to Christmas had been positive, with retailers reporting average consumer spend going up, and footfall figures also improving on last year.
He said that despite the continuing challenge of online sales, the tradition of Boxing Day shopping remains a firm favourite with customers.
"Generally people after Christmas Day like a bit of fresh air and what better way than coming into the town centre, doing a bit of shopping, grab a coffee and have some family time?"
He added that although retailers have increasingly started sales before Boxing Day in an attempt to capture the pre-Christmas custom, the majority still save their best deals for Boxing Day, and the week between Christmas and New Year.
He said the centre was looking forward to a busy week and a positive 2024.
Shrewsbury has seen two good months in the build-up to Christmas with sales up 15 per cent in November after a slower October, which was itself an increase of five per cent year-on-year.
