News Beat
Boxing Day sales begin as shoppers queue in North East
Early risers waisted no time to start queueing this morning at Eldon Square in Newcastle as the ever-popular post-Christmas sales began.
Pictures taken from Northumberland Street – the city’s main shopping street – around 8.30am show groups waiting outside the entrance to the shopping complex.
While the overwhelming queues seen in years gone by were nowhere to be seen, a steady stream of shoppers could be seen heading into Primark.
Meanwhile staff at the nearby Marks and Spencer get to work on window displays.
Thousands are expected to head to shopping centres across the region today as the sales get underway, with those taking part expected to spend slightly more than £250 on average, according to Barclays.
It marks the third instalment of retail’s so-called ‘golden quarter’, which includes Black Friday, Cyber Monday and the post-Christmas sales.
The bank found that the average Boxing Day shopper plans to spend £253 this year, up from £236 in 2024.
It also predicted that people will spend £3.6 billion during this year’s Boxing Day sales, less than the £4.6 billion it predicted in 2024.
Clothes, shoes and accessories are at the top of shoppers’ wish lists this year, the survey research suggests, followed by food and drink, beauty products, homeware and discounted Christmas items.
A quarter (25%) of people will only buy what they consider to be “essentials” in the sales.
