Late shopper rush drives Boxing Day sale traffic

An evening surge in shoppers keen on Boxing Day bargains drove a decade-high increase in footfall for the annual sales, figures suggest.

It was up by 4.4% across all UK retail destinations including high streets and shopping centres compared to the same day last year, according to data from MRI Software.

Footfall also remained strong on Saturday, and MRI anticipated the strong post-Christmas shopping momentum to continue into the new year.

But higher footfall does not necessarily translate into higher spending, and Barclays has forecast that consumers would spend £1bn less on this year’s Boxing Day deals.

By 3pm on 26 December, it appeared there had been a muted reaction to the sales, according to early MRI data with high street visits down 1.5% compared to 2024 and shopping centre visits down 0.6%.

MRI counts footfall in more than 660 retail locations across the UK and retail analyst Jenni Matthews said that as the day progressed, it became clear that shoppers were deciding to head out but just a bit later in the day.

“The boost in activity was driven by a peak in visits across all UK retail destinations from 5pm – 11pm averaging +9.6% versus an average increase of +3.1% from 6am-5pm,” she said.

With many stores not reopening until 28 December, Ms Matthews said it was likely that hospitality and leisure venues would have benefited from the increase in foot traffic.

“This is an early indicator that the retail sector may well end the year on a positive note given the challenging times faced at the beginning of the year,” she said.

Shoppers were also out in force on Saturday, according to the MRI data, with footfall across retail destinations up by 1.6% compared to 27 December last year.

Ms Matthews said that with family gatherings ending and the new year looming, MRI anticipates footfall will continue to rise over the coming days.

“Consumers [will be] likely shopping the sales, making the most of the festive events and attractions within towns and cities, and stocking up on New Year’s Eve essentials, keeping the festive retail period firmly in motion,” she said.

Analysts say 2025 has been a challenging year for people as rising prices and other factors have squeezed household finances.

Barclays’ consumer spend report suggested that fewer people planned to take advantage of the sales, forecasting shoppers to spending £3.6bn, down from £4.6bn last year.

Recent retail spending data from the Office for National Statistics showed that many shoppers resisted the lure of November’s Black Friday sales, with only a 0.1% lift in sales volumes.