However, the future of some retailers still hangs in the balance because large rent payments were due on quarterly rent day. La Senza is understood to be poised to appoint administrators and there is speculation Blacks could also be put into administration to faciliate the sale of its assets
Shopper traffic monitor Experian FootFall reported a day-on-day rise of 37.3% yesterday. However year-on-year the figures were flat - down 0.7%.
Many retailers benefited from a boom in shopping on Tuesday, which was also expected to eclipse Boxing Day in terms of money spent, as shoppers avoided transport disruption in London’s West End on December 26.
On the high street generally, footfall rocketed 21.5% on Boxing Day, although that was against weak comparables. Last year Boxing Day fell on a Sunday, when shops have limited opening hours. Also, this time last year, sales were affected by the heavy snowfall. Selfridges notched up a record £1.3 million turnover in the first hour of trading on Boxing Day.
Online sales are expected to have rocketed on Christmas Day. Last year 4.8 million shoppers bought online on December 25, spending £153m, and IMRG expects this figure to have risen this year, despite the tough economic environment.
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