Festive delight at last for shops

Shoppers were today hitting the high streets of Shropshire for the final time to snap up some last minute stocking fillers before stores close for Christmas.

It follows a busy weekend for retailers, who heaved a sigh of relief as consumers finally began shopping in earnest after a slow start to December.

There had been fears that hard-up shoppers were planning a frugal Christmas, and for many retailers it was a make or break weekend.

But all anxiety about a credit squeeze was forgotten as thousands began pounding the pavements and the tills began jingling.

About 180,000 people walked through the doors of Telford Shopping Centre over the weekend, which bosses said was up on a similar period in 2006.

Centre director Ray Hoof said it had been their busiest weekend of the year.

More than 200 people were queuing outside Asda’s Donnington Wood store, which opened at 12.01am today. Spokesman David Simmons said takings were up 50 per cent on last year and nearly 6,000 customers went through the store yesterday .

At Tesco on Wellington Retail Park trade was also brisk. Store manager, Jim Bradford, said the first couple of hours of opening after midnight today were “extremely busy”.

Julia Clarke, spokeswoman from the Darwin and Pride Hill Shopping Centres, said the malls were busy from first thing this morning.

She said she expected the shops to remain busy throughout the day as people picked up their final gifts and provisions.

She said: “Because the schools have finished as well we expect today to be very busy. There will be a lot of last-minute shoppers and a lot of parents bring their children into town because they don’t know what else to do on Christmas Eve.”

Ian Sutton, store manager of Sainsbury’s, Bridgnorth, said: “It was frantic over the weekend.

“It’s looking busy now. The last minute shoppers are rushing in to get the last bits. We had carol singers in the store over the weekend as part of the festivities.”

Shoppers were queuing at the tills this morning as Oswestry’s Sainsbury’s store.

The shop, on Salop Road, opened its doors to shoppers at 6am and hordes of people packed in for a last-minute dash round the aisles.

Store manager Allistair Moutrie said they forecast another busy day ahead.

“The car park was half full when we opened this morning.

“I expect it will be heaving later as we are open until 6pm.”

He added: “Yesterday was extremely busy and there were lots of people still in the shop at 4pm when we were due to close.”

Traders across north Shropshire were bracing themselves for another busy today with people expected make the most of this last shopping opportunity.

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