Record weekly sales at John Lewis have raised hopes of a bumper end to the Christmas shopping period but there are fears that the UK's retail sector could be left with a profits hangover after heavy discounting.

A teenager has been stabbed to death in broad daylight in a shop as thousands of bargain hunters thronged one of Britain’s busiest shopping streets.

Millions of shoppers are expected to hit the high street today on one of the UK's busiest shopping days of the year.