11 million shoppers spend £3.9 billion on Holiday Gifting Day giving retailers gifts

Millions of dollars’ worth of luxury goods hunters will spend £3.9 billion today on Gift Day returns for retailers.

They’ll be lining up from 6am, attract discounts up to 70% – with top clothes, gadgets and accessories on wish lists.

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Spending will increase 11% on the same date last year as Level 4 rules close many stores.

Helen Dickinson, of the British Retail Consortium, said: “Retailers are pulling out all the stops to keep customers safe.”

The West End is set for 400,000 visitors.

Westfield centers in West and East London will have 250,000 and 130,000 respectively.

Birmingham’s Bullring (130,000), Manchester’s Trafford Center and Sheffield’s Meadowhall (100,000 each) will also be busy. Experts say £2.5 billion will be spent in stores today, while another £1.4 billion will be sold online as Omicron fears that some shoppers will stay indoors .

Two out of five Britons started shopping online yesterday, with most logging in just as lunch was cooking.

Some are looking for gifts they didn’t receive – or going online to get rid of their partner. And super interested 16-24 year olds started browsing the web at 8:56 a.m.

Research by banking firm Trustly shows 40% of Britons will ask for a refund between Christmas and New Year. Six percent will be due to the breakup.