Retailers are gearing up today for the busiest Sunday of the festive season as last minute shoppers continue to hit the High Street.
After yesterday’s ‘super Saturday’ when an estimated 26.5 million visited UK town centres and shopping malls, similar numbers are expected today.
It is all part of a last burst of shopping as cautious consumers held on to their money after a late hard-hitting Budget, a muted Black Friday and disappointing early December sales figures.
Retail giant John Lewis sounded a note of optimism for sales, saying it was ‘expecting one of our busiest weekends yet’.
A spokeswoman said: ‘As the last shopping weekend ahead of the big day, we expect customers will be picking up their final gifts and making preparations for the arrival of friends and family.’
And as many shun high tech gifts and return to some favourites of yesteryear, some old classics were flying off the shelves at the retailer’s 36 stores.
‘Among the hottest gifts have been some nostalgic favourites such as Polaroid cameras, Roberts radios, record players and vinyl.
‘They are making a huge comeback as a new generation discovers the joy of analogue,’ she added.
Meanwhile in the battle of the supermarkets, Julie Ashfield, Chief Commercial Officer at Aldi UK said the cut-price retailer was expecting its ‘biggest Christmas ever with record sales’.
After yesterday’s ‘super Saturday’ when an estimated 26.5 million visited UK town centres and shopping malls, similar numbers are expected today
Retailers are gearing up today for the busiest Sunday of the festive season
The supermarket claims that it can feed a family of six for as little as £1.55 a person with last minute deals including £2.45 a kilo for British small fresh turkeys in stores from today until Christmas Eve.
It follows similar price cutting deals from rivals Lidl and Tesco.
Ms Ashfield said Aldi had experienced ‘strong and sustained demand in the lead-up to Christmas as customers look to make their budgets go further without compromising on quality’.
She forecast Aldi would sell over 49 million mince pies, almost 46 million pigs in blankets and the equivalent of 17 million glasses of Prosecco in December alone, alongside 145 million Brussels sprouts.
Meanwhile latest retail data figures from GlobalData suggested UK households would splash out £3.4 billion this weekend, up more than 12% on the same weekend in 2024.
The research for Vouchercodes.co.uk anticipated physical retailers would benefit from a much-needed last minute splurge which should continue into next week.
The UK’s independent retailers are hoping that they will also benefit after ‘very disappointing’ indications.
Andrew Goodacre from the British Independent Retailers Association (BIRA) said ‘indie retailers are hoping for a bounce back’.
It has been forecast that Aldi would sell over 49 million mince pies, almost 46 million pigs in blankets and the equivalent of 17 million glasses of Prosecco in December alone, alongside 145 million Brussels sprouts
Mr Goodacre told the Mail on Sunday that members were ‘hoping that next week really does get busy with that last minute buying’.
‘The timing of the Budget disrupted the shopping patterns,’ he said.
‘The last thing our sector needs is a poor Christmas given the increase in costs we will see next year but currently customers seem very down-hearted, footfall is lower and sales are down on last year. These are very worrying times for indie retail.’
Meanwhile clothing retailers including Primark and H & M have already cut prices to tempt shoppers while toy store The Entertainer has slashed prices on hundreds of items.
Neil Bellamy at consumer intelligence analysts GfK said: ‘Sadly, consumers resemble a family on a festive winter hike, crossing a boggy field – plodding along stoically, getting stuck in the mud and hoping that easier conditions are not far off.’