Crowds queue for bargains as sales begin

CROWDS of shoppers in Britain lined the high street before first light yesterday as major stores and retailers were expecting a bumper day in the Christmas sales.

Queues formed outside Harrods and on Oxford Street in central London as early as 6am for the bank holiday clearances.

Department stores John Lewis and Harrods opened their doors for the first time since Christmas after staying closed on Boxing Day, and were expecting a massive boost in trade.

John Lewis launched its online clearance at 5pm on Christmas Eve and saw sales rise by 42% with more than four products sold every second.

The store also attracted a 25% increase in visitors online on Christmas Day with sales going up by 45%.

The most popular Christmas Day purchases included feather pillows, luxury white towels, napkin rings, LCD televisions and laptops.

Figures for the week ending on Christmas Day showed sales of £97.1 million (€113.4m) for John Lewis, up 30% on last year as shoppers made their purchases before the rise in VAT in the new year.

Harrods also expected a lift in sales with discounts on designer clothes and gadgets.

Harrods Highlights included a Marc Jacobs sequinned evening bag reduced from £670 (€782) to £399 (€466) and a Sony 3D TV bundle package down from £3,549 (€4,147) to £2,828 (€3,305).

The sale, which started at 9am yesterday, will run until Sunday, January 23.

Shopping centres around Britain were also prepared for a busy day as the big freeze eased its grip on the country and tempted shoppers back on to the high street.

Model Jerry Hall and her eldest daughter Lizzy Jagger officially launched the Harrods sale yesterday.

The pair posed in the luxury department store’s Shoe Boudoir as shoppers rushed to take advantage of the designer discounts.

Some of the bargains included a Herve Leger navy and purple body con dress, which was reduced from £1,350 to £675, a Laura Mercier Mini Souffle Sampler Set, which was reduced from £41 to £20, and an Ecritoire Champagne Gift Set from 1959, 1969 and 1979, reduced from £3,500 to £2,995.

Jerry and Lizzy arrived in a horse-drawn carriage before starting the sale countdown.