High streets braced for sales success
Thousands of shoppers are expected to take to the streets once again as the annual Christmas sales promise to be as appealing as ever, with mild weather set to provide a boost.
Merry Hill shopping centre will open an hour earlier than usual to cope with the demand as shoppers look to take advantage of potential bargains at Argos, BHS, Boots, Game and more.
Some stores will be open even earlier. Next is to open the doors at its stores at Merry Hill, Oldbury Retail Park and at New Square Shopping Centre in West Bromwich at 6am.
Wolverhampton's Wulfrun Centre will stick to its usual trading hours of 9am to 5.30pm, except for Primark, which will stay open until 7pm. The Mander Centre will also open at 9am.
The Saddlers Centre in Walsall will also stick to its regular opening times, with customers being welcomed from 9am to 5.30pm.
Angela Henderson, centre manager at the Saddlers Shopping Centre in Walsall, said: "With the weather the way it is, I think we can look forward to a really successful boxing day.
"We are trading all weekend and on Monday, so there is ample opportunity for people to enjoy the sales.
"You obviously never know until the weekend is done how big a hit it has been, but I think it is reasonable to expect a high turnout.
"In Walsall a few years ago, a lot of places were closed on Boxing Day, but I think there is a growing appetite to go out and spend because of the high quality shops we now have.
"That is only set to increase and I would expect this year to outperform this year."
Ninder Johal, president of the Black Country Chamber of Commerce, predicted this year's sales could be the most fruitful ever for businesses. It compares to a disappointing turn-out for shops during Black Monday, when most shoppers opted to spend their cash online,
He said: "In view of the UK economy doing so well at the moment, with inflation down, interest unchanged and with consumer confidence higher than it has been for some time, I think this Christmas and the boxing day sales will prove to be better for businesses than other years.
"I also think that the comparatively warm weather will do no harm, I imagine a lot of cars to be out on the roads and although the internet will cut into the amount of people who actually hit the high street for the sales, I expect their to be major footfall across the Black Country."
