Festive shoppers head for sales

Shoppers are taking advantage of the sales

Shoppers in Scotland have flocked to the shops for Boxing Day sales to ensure a happy Christmas for retailers.

The St Enoch shopping centre in Glasgow described trading on Friday as "phenomenal" and expected the sales boom to continue into the weekend.

On Christmas Eve, a record 102,000 shoppers passed through the centre and sales are 20% higher than last year.

Shoppers in Glasgow said they were anxious to take advantage of the reduced prices.

One man said: "The sales have been really good with a lot of bargains available. That's what everyone is looking for at this time of year.

"There's plenty of money about and everyone is spending a few pounds and seem to be happy."

A female shopper said she had filled her car with bargains and had returned to the shops for more of the same.

Hundreds of people gathered outside Debenhams in Glasgow which opened its doors at 0900 GMT.

'Like a bargain'

Store manager Peter Betts said: "I was amazed to see so many people this morning. There must have been as many as 500 waiting to get in.

"We have had some enticing offers like designer jeans reduced to a fiver and saucepan sets selling at 20% of their normal price which have been popular.

"I think people up here genuinely like a bargain and the volume of people in the store today proves that.

"It's not just here though. Looking around the city it seems busy. There are a lot of shoppers out there."

There were similar scenes in Edinburgh when shoppers gathered outside Frasers on Princes Street.