Online sales rush to bring joy of Christmas to glum high street

This Christmas will be better for high street retailers thanlast year, according to predictions by accounting firm BDO – but thespending spree will not kick-in until Christmas Day, when there will bea rush to snap up online bargains.

However, the internet rush will start aweek of frenzied shopping in the sales that will take overall spendingto 3% ahead of last year.
Canny shoppers will take advantage of sales combined with the lower VAT rate, which is due to rise from January 1.
Theprediction is based on BDO’s High Street Sales Tracker, which theaccounting group claims has accurately forecast shopping trends since2006 by monitoring weekly sale changes of more than 70 retailers withapproximately 10,000 individual stores.
DonWilliams, head of retail at BDO, said: “It’s going to be nerve-wrackingfor retailers in the run-up to December 25, but the message is –Christmas will come, just be patient.”
Onlineshopping on Christmas Day is a growing phenomenon. Visitor numbers tothe John Lewis website last Christmas were a 12 times higher than in2007.
With cash and vouchers likelyto be popular present choices, families buying gifts together, combinedwith those eager to bag a bargain as soon as the sales start and beforethe VAT rise, will aid momentum for this growing trend.
BDO is also predicting hefty discounting on big-ticket household items, such as laptops and electrical goods.