Mixed reports on sales

There were bargains to please most shoppers

The cold winter weather failed to stop thousands of bargain hunters queuing up outside stores across the UK for the start of the Christmas sales.

Department stores and shopping centres are hoping for record breaking takings as they launch their end-of-year sales.

But there was a mixed picture in early trading, with reports of big queues at regional centres across the UK contrasting with a quieter than normal Oxford Street in London on Wednesday.

The same day in 1999 was the best of the year for retailers, despite the fact that many sales had begun before Christmas after retailers over-estimated the effect the millennium would have on business.

This year shops have been doing brisk trade in the run-up to Christmas and most decided to hold off launching their sales until the 27th December.

Early start

All are hoping to attract the army of shoppers who have mostly been unable to buy anything since the major stores locked their doors for the festive break on Sunday.

Shoppers have been queuing up in Glasgow

Glasgow's Buchanan Galleries opened its car park at 0400 GMT on Wednesday - to find people already queuing to get in.

Up to 200 shoppers had arrived at the centre by 0500 for the start of the Next sale.

The centre's operations manager, John McColl, said: "Yesterday the number of cars entering our car parks was 92% up on last year and that is despite the freezing weather.

"In general, looking at the Christmas shopping figures, our tenants are seeing average increases of 30% on last year."

In west Wales, about 30 shoppers braved freezing temperatures to begin queuing from 0530 outside the Leekes store at the Cross Hands complex.

Early birds

Bargain hunters began queuing outside The Mall, at Cribbs Causeway, Bristol, shortly after midnight.

By the time Next opened its doors at 0500 nearly 300 shoppers were waiting outside.

The Superdrug sale began at 0700, followed by Marks and Spencer, which opened its doors to account holders at 8.30am.

Sue Boor, marketing manager of The Mall, said: "We had 200 to 300 people queuing (for Next) before the doors actually opened."

At Dingles department store in Plymouth, shoppers were already queuing outside when the doors opened at 0830.

Store manager Steve Dudley said it had more than 1,000 customers within the first 45 minutes of trading.

At the Trafford Centre, near Manchester, bosses were expecting more than 100,000 shoppers.