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Reuters
Published
Jan 3, 2011
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Fewer UK shoppers out for holiday sales

By
Reuters
Published
Jan 3, 2011

Almost a quarter less shoppers turned out for Britain's traditional Boxing Day retail sales this year compared with last year, a survey by Synovate Retail Performance said on Monday.



The total number of shoppers fell by 22.8 percent nationally on the day after Christmas Day, although stores in London -- where retail hubs such as Oxford Street host flagship stores of groups such as Marks & Spencer and John Lewis -- attracted 11.4 percent more visitors, Synovate said.

Shopper numbers were down by as much as 27 percent in southwest England and by 19.9 percent in eastern England.

Synovate's survey measured the number of shoppers entering over 6,000 non-food stores across the UK.

Britain's retailers are striving to sell as much as possible over the Christmas and New Year holiday period, since many expect sales to decline next year due in part to a rise in Value Added Tax (VAT) which takes effect on Jan. 4.

The British Retail Consortium said on Monday most UK retailers were expecting sales to fall in 2011.

(Reporting by Sudip Kar-Gupta; Editing by David Holmes)

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