Spending frenzy sees millions hit the shops

Millions of shoppers hit the high street for the busiest shopping weekend of the year – and stores are now preparing for a boom in trade in a six-day spending frenzy before Christmas Day.

More shoppers splashed the cash over the weekend than compared to the same time in 2010 after heavy snowfall affected trade. It is believed around 11 million Brits went on shopping sprees.

Stores and centres across the Black Country and Staffordshire said they had been extremely busy as people made the most of the fine weather and abundance of bargains on offer.

Some retailers reported an increase in trade of 10 per cent on the same time last year.

And across the country shoppers are expected to splurge £2.5m every minute in the run-up to Christmas Day, with retail experts predicting a last-gasp buying bonanza totalling £8 billion.

Yesterday around 200,000 people visited Birmingham's Bullring and more than 600,000 descended on London's Oxford Street, Bond Street and Regent Street.

Retailers said menswear, womenswear, electricals, toys and giftsets were the big sellers – with many items at discounted prices as shops look to pull in customers from their competition and shift huge amounts of stock as quickly.

Dudley's Merry Hill Centre said it had seen thousands of shoppers through the doors. Duty manager Paula Wood said: "We have been very busy. Obviously last year we had the snow but this weekend we have been very very busy."

It is believed more than £1 bn at a rate of £1.5m a minute rattled through the country's tills this weekend.

But despite this weekend outperforming the same period in 2010, sales on the high street overall are still expected to be down by 20 per cent. The Christmas shopping period represents 30 per cent of the annual turnover for many retailers.