Yesterday was the busiest shopping day of the year, with higher shopper numbers expected today and December 24th.

The Synovate Retail Performance index show that the number of people out shopping across theUK from December 14thto 20th was up by 12.3 per cent on the previous week.

However, the level of shoppers traipsing along the High Streets are down 10.7 per cent on a year ago.

On December 20th and 21st shopper numbers were up 15.4 per cent on the previous week, but down five per cent on the year before.

Monday December 22nd, yesterday, saw shopper numbers up 1.6 per cent on Saturday, making it the busiest day of the year.

The West End of London saw shopper numbers at the weekend up 24.5 per cent on the previous week, and just 1.5 per cent down on the previous year – spurred by last minute bargain hunters and foreign tourists taking advantage of the weak pound.

Tim Denison, Synovate retail psychologist, said: “Overall, retailers will be slightly disappointed by these top-line figures. The main damage was suffered in the early and middle part of last week. It wasn’t really until Friday before we saw week-on-week figures showing the sort of double digit uplift that we have become accustomed to seeing in the final full week before Christmas.

“Shopping activity since Friday has certainly improved and should be considered as ‘respectable’ in the context of current conditions, but the quiet start to last week represents lost ground that will not be recovered.”

He added shopper numbers were expected to swell right up to closing time on December 24th.

Dr Denison added the current state of the high street has been a stand-off between shoppers and stores.

“With one or two notable exceptions such as MFI and Woolworth, this has not been a ‘give away’ Christmas for most retailers. The vast majority of them, despite offering some limited, selected stock at savagely discounted prices, have kept most discounts to a very sensible level,” he said.

“This has created something of adiscount stand-offbetween shoppers and retailers with many shoppers expecting better bargains than they’ve actually realised on the goods they really want.”

What now remains to be seen is how stores deal with the January sales, as lower shoper numbers means excess stock will still be hanging around.

“There is likely to be more Christmas stock unsold than hoped and shoppers who can still afford to spend after Christmas may, finally, be spoilt for choice in both selection and price,” Dr Denison concluded.