What is Boxing Day
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Boxing Day in Britain
What is Boxing Day in England ?
Visitor numbers in London's main shopping and entertainment district were more than half their pre-pandemic level on December 26 and are also down compared to the previous week, data for one of the busiest shopping days of the year. show up.
Britain is seeing a record rise in COVID-19 infections driven by the highly transmissible Omicron variant. The surge has kept many shoppers and food pros at home, adding pressure on retailers and hospitality companies that rely on seasonal trade.
The New West End Company, which represents 600 brands, restaurants and businesses in London's West End, said turnout on December 26 was down 16% from the previous week and down 44% from the same day in 2019.
"London continues to feel the effects of the Omicron variable, with a large number of people choosing to stay at home to browse online sales rather than risk traveling to city centres," said New West End chief executive Jace Tyrrell.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson is studying further potential restrictions to curb the spread of coronavirus in England and will hold a meeting with officials and ministers to discuss the latest data on Monday.
Boxing Day Scotland
Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have already introduced new rules.
Hospitality industry regulators and brick-and-mortar retailers said further restrictions could force some to close. They urged the government to clarify its plan to combat the epidemic and support the affected businesses.
Brits shy away from Boxing Day sales amid concern over Omicron variant
Central London and regional cities were the hardest hit, with numbers down 67% from pre-Covid levels
British consumers have largely moved away from traditional Boxing Day sales amid concerns about the Omicron Covid variant, with visits to major streets, shopping malls and retail parks down more than 45% from pre-pandemic levels, according to industry figures.
Fears of the virus, as well as several major retailers including John Lewis, Marks and Spencer and Next have decided to keep their stores closed, and the traditional shopping day falls on a Sunday this year, all put a damper on sales.
By lunchtime on Sunday, the numbers were up by just over a quarter from a year ago, when major UK streets were closed, according to the latest data from shopping-tracking group Springboard.
Diane Wehrle, director of insights at Springboard, said the numbers indicate Boxing Day is unlikely to give retailers hope for a post-Christmas boost.
This will be further complicated by the fact that few retailers have chosen not to open their doors today, which would deter some shoppers. In addition, Sunday generally has the lowest turnout of any day of the week, so a comparison with 2019 when Boxing Day falls on a Thursday will always mean that turnout will be lower than it was two years ago."
And despite busier sightings on some high streets across the UK, including long queues outside stores in central Manchester, Liverpool, and Outer Selfridges on Oxford Street in London, experts said street footfall was rising down to pre-epidemic levels.
Covid restrictions as well as concern about Omicron have kept consumers from going to physical stores, according to a survey of 2,000 shoppers on behalf of Barclaycard. The credit card operator said up to 40% will instead go online to avoid any crowded queues and areas.
Whirl said the mild weather and the lack of closures did not tempt shoppers to venture out as businesses had hoped.
Central London was the hardest-hit destination, with visitor numbers down 67% from pre-Covid levels in 2019 despite a significant rebound from last year when stores were forced to close - with numbers more than doubling. Regional cities with the exception of London have had a rough time too, with numbers down nearly 60% from 2019 and just over 6% from last year. Market towns and outside London fared better as shoppers chose to stay close to home.
The latest indication of the difficulties retailers are facing comes after shoppers were expected to spend £3.9 billion in stores and online on Boxing Day, 10% less than before the pandemic and 1% less than last year, according to an analysis Conducted by GlobalData for Vouchercodes, the shopping deals website.
Spending in physical stores alone is expected to decline 23% compared to 2019 as many shoppers avoid major streets, malls and retail parks amid concerns over the Omicron variable.
Changing shopping habits wasn't expected to spell out all the good news for online professionals, either. More than £1.4 billion is expected to be spent online on Boxing Day, nearly 18% less than last year but just over a quarter compared to 2019, before the pandemic, according to GlobalData.
Despite the bleak outlook, at least one mall said it was busy at the start of post-Christmas sales.
A spokesperson for the Trafford Center in Greater Manchester said: "Boxing Day shopping is an annual tradition for many people looking to grab some great deals from one of our many brands and enjoy a day out."
“Although this year’s Boxing Day falls on a Sunday, we have had a steady stream of visitors to the Trafford Center regardless of the shorter trading hours. We expect to see a lot of interest in the sales period over the next week, with Monday December 27th from retailer's promotional priorities.
Meanwhile, Barclaycard forecast spending will likely rise compared to last year and into 2019. The survey found that consumers plan to spend an average of £247 in post-Christmas sales this year, a £85 increase compared to 2020 and a £61 increase compared to last year. 2019 .
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