Sale of the century on offer as top stores slash prices... again

IT looks like this year’s sales could be some of the best ever — as all the top stores are set to slash prices even lower than before Christmas.

Most of the big chains are starting their sales today with Dundrum Town Centre promising discounts of up to a whopping 70% on some selected lines. Sales at many of the Dundrum stores, including Harvey Nichols and House of Fraser, were due to begin at 9am.

Sales frenzy was due to kick off at 8am at Debenhams and M&S where more 50%-70% discounts were up for grabs. All the stores say that new stock will be on the floors so that it won’t be more of the same from the pre-festive period.

At Debenhams, good reductions are to be found in their J by Jasper Conran and John Rocha ranges. Sales in Coast, Warehouse, A-Wear and French Connection are on since before Christmas with discounts of up to 50% on party frocks.

Brown Thomas sale never fails to throw up some wonder bargains and so expect a lot of jostling in the cosmetic and shoe halls there. The store is promising discounts of up to 50%.

Clerys of O’Connell Street has been traditionally renowned for its great winter sales bargains and always attracts diehard shoppers willing to camp out the night before. This year’s sale was due to begin at 8am with two luxurious beds on offer for €1 each. The Odearest 5ft bed normally retails at €1,899 while the 4ft 6in Sealy divan is generally worth €1,199.

One of the greatest physical manifestations of this year’s downturn had to be the ‘20% off’ and ‘30% off’ banners plastered across shopfronts nationwide in the run-up to Christmas. It started with the big names like Debenhams and M&S and soon all the small retailers had to follow suit. Dundrum Town Centre say that they bucked the downward trend however, describing 2008 as a “remarkable year”.

Don Nugent, centre director said: “This year we’ve seen steady footfall growth, with a 10% increase in visitors to the centre in December 2008 compared to December 2007. Challenging the current trend, this increase is due in no small part to the fact that Dundrum Town Centre continued to evolve and broaden its retail offering throughout 2008, with the addition of 20 new and 9 first-to-Ireland brands, furthering the mix of eatery and retail options.”