The determination of Christmas shoppers in the UK to spend has been sorely tested this year by harsh winter weather.
Blizzards at lunchtime on Saturday took shoppers and travellers by surprise on what should have been the busiest shopping day of the year. Brent Cross, one of London's oldest temples to Mammon, even closed nine hours early because of the danger to shoppers.
But by Sunday, the Blitz-spirit had taken over and retailers were reporting a more furious trade than ever. With the possibility of more snow later this week, it seemed that everyone was determined to get their shopping done early.
And yet there is no sense that the wider economic woes are causing people to keep their wallets in their pockets. Unemployment is rising and last week hit a 16 year high; public-sector workers fear job cuts; pay freezes have been widespread this year, and house prices are no longer increasing in value and making us all feel wealthier.
Retailers were worried that sales this season would not live up to past records, but last week's figures from the Confederation of British Industry (CBI), showed that the Christmas miracle has happened again.
Sales, until last weekend at least, were rising at their fastest pace for eight years. Clothing retailers, department stores, grocers, and hardware and do-it-yourself outlets were among those enjoying the strongest year-on-year growth in sales volumes in early December.
There is a theory that many people are shifting spending that might have taken place in the new year into December to beat a sales tax rise that occurs in January.
Howard Archer, the chief UK economist at the consultancy IHS Global Insight, says: "Consumers are determined to have a good Christmas despite significant economic worries and uncertainties." He warns, however: "The concern remains that consumers will limit their spending in 2011 in the face of serious headwinds".
This is a northern European country that has few daylight hours between the end of October and the end of January. Seasonal spending is one of the main ways that consumers cope with the gloomy British winter.
John Lewis, a bellwether of the High Street, rang up £121 million (Dh691.5m) of sales in the first week of December - the most it has ever taken - and it expected to beat that figure before Christmas.
And all this despite evidence that there were significantly fewer shoppers out and about at the start of the month. One survey showed the number of shoppers in Yorkshire and Humberside plunged 42 per cent. Some of the biggest shopping centres, just outside London, posted 33 per cent falls.
One of the reasons there seems to have been little drop-off in spending is because of the sheer number of opportunities to shop. Extended opening hours for shops are commonplace, while supermarkets routinely open 24 hours a day. Niche online retailers bombard middle-class homes with catalogues - stores like Not On the High Street, Brora, Hush and Great Little Trading Company - and daily e-mails, displaying their wares.
Bricks and mortar retailers also have a hefty online presence. And despite reductions in shopper numbers, British children will not be suffering from the economic pinch on Christmas morning. Parents say they will spend an average of £168 on each child, according to a poll by an insurance group.
Children under four will typically have £124 spent on them, and a child aged 11 to 18 will receive £210 worth of gifts. Parents in the economically deprived North East are the most generous, spending on average £226 on presents.
The good news for shoppers is that this is the Christmas to bag a bargain. So concerned are the stores by the threat of more severe weather, they are slashing prices by as much as two-thirds to make sure people hit the high street.
But there is another darker footnote to this seasonal madness. The spending hangover may last considerably longer than the party.
Who will want to go out and spend when the credit card bills come in January? Certainly not the 100,000 or so seasonal staff who were taken on just for our Christmas binge.
business@thenational.ae
Company%20Profile
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COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Ultra processed foods
- Carbonated drinks, sweet or savoury packaged snacks, confectionery, mass-produced packaged breads and buns
- margarines and spreads; cookies, biscuits, pastries, cakes, and cake mixes, breakfast cereals, cereal and energy bars;
- energy drinks, milk drinks, fruit yoghurts and fruit drinks, cocoa drinks, meat and chicken extracts and instant sauces
- infant formulas and follow-on milks, health and slimming products such as powdered or fortified meal and dish substitutes,
- many ready-to-heat products including pre-prepared pies and pasta and pizza dishes, poultry and fish nuggets and sticks, sausages, burgers, hot dogs, and other reconstituted meat products, powdered and packaged instant soups, noodles and desserts.
THE SPECS
Engine: 1.5-litre turbocharged four-cylinder
Transmission: Constant Variable (CVT)
Power: 141bhp
Torque: 250Nm
Price: Dh64,500
On sale: Now
Thank You for Banking with Us
Director: Laila Abbas
Starring: Yasmine Al Massri, Clara Khoury, Kamel El Basha, Ashraf Barhoum
Rating: 4/5
Tree of Hell
Starring: Raed Zeno, Hadi Awada, Dr Mohammad Abdalla
Director: Raed Zeno
Rating: 4/5
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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The bio
Favourite food: Japanese
Favourite car: Lamborghini
Favourite hobby: Football
Favourite quote: If your dreams don’t scare you, they are not big enough
Favourite country: UAE
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How to protect yourself when air quality drops
Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
Wear a face mask.
Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.
Gully Boy
Director: Zoya Akhtar
Producer: Excel Entertainment & Tiger Baby
Cast: Ranveer Singh, Alia Bhatt, Kalki Koechlin, Siddhant Chaturvedi
Rating: 4/5 stars
A%20QUIET%20PLACE
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The biog
Name: Salem Alkarbi
Age: 32
Favourite Al Wasl player: Alexandre Oliveira
First started supporting Al Wasl: 7
Biggest rival: Al Nasr
Previous men's records
- 2:01:39: Eliud Kipchoge (KEN) on 16/9/19 in Berlin
- 2:02:57: Dennis Kimetto (KEN) on 28/09/2014 in Berlin
- 2:03:23: Wilson Kipsang (KEN) on 29/09/2013 in Berlin
- 2:03:38: Patrick Makau (KEN) on 25/09/2011 in Berlin
- 2:03:59: Haile Gebreselassie (ETH) on 28/09/2008 in Berlin
- 2:04:26: Haile Gebreselassie (ETH) on 30/09/2007 in Berlin
- 2:04:55: Paul Tergat (KEN) on 28/09/2003 in Berlin
- 2:05:38: Khalid Khannouchi (USA) 14/04/2002 in London
- 2:05:42: Khalid Khannouchi (USA) 24/10/1999 in Chicago
- 2:06:05: Ronaldo da Costa (BRA) 20/09/1998 in Berlin
The specs
Engine: 1.5-litre turbo
Power: 181hp
Torque: 230Nm
Transmission: 6-speed automatic
Starting price: Dh79,000
On sale: Now
Panipat
Director Ashutosh Gowariker
Produced Ashutosh Gowariker, Rohit Shelatkar, Reliance Entertainment
Cast Arjun Kapoor, Sanjay Dutt, Kriti Sanon, Mohnish Behl, Padmini Kolhapure, Zeenat Aman
Rating 3 /5 stars
The specs
Engine: 2.7-litre 4-cylinder Turbomax
Power: 310hp
Torque: 583Nm
Transmission: 8-speed automatic
Price: From Dh192,500
On sale: Now
THE BIO:
Sabri Razouk, 74
Athlete and fitness trainer
Married, father of six
Favourite exercise: Bench press
Must-eat weekly meal: Steak with beans, carrots, broccoli, crust and corn
Power drink: A glass of yoghurt
Role model: Any good man
Match info:
Manchester City 2
Sterling (8'), Walker (52')
Newcastle United 1
Yedlin (30')
SPECS
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