If you didn’t have enough shopping in the run-up to Christmas, now’s a good time to head to the shops.
Many retailers started their ‘New Year’ sales
on Boxing Day and certainly by 1 January, most of them will be underway and in full swing.
And then by mid-January, it’s all over –
although still keep an eye open for the last-minute bargains. Some stores will cut prices
again in the final few days of the sale just to shift things like last year’s models
of electronics goods or last season’s fashions. And at these prices, does it really matter if it’s not quite the latest trend?
Originally started as a way for retailers to
clear the stock they had failed to sell in the weeks before Christmas, the January sales are now
a much-anticipated feature in the shopping calendar.
The big stores are worried though that this year's sales season will turn out to be as much of a disappointment as Black Friday was
back in November. The figures suggest that although we bought more things (the number
of items sold over the Black Friday/Cyber Monday weekend was 10 per cent higher
than in 2017) we were particularly choosy. The amount of money we spent actually
went down by 12 per cent.
So, if the retailers are struggling to tempt us into
making purchases, there could be some real bargains in the January sales this
year. A winning situation for those who enjoy shopping, especially if you still have a couple of days before you need to go back to
work.
Transport for London has put together a handy
list of the big retail outlets in the city that are having sales:
- Fenwick:
- Fortnum & Mason:
- Hamleys:
- Harrods:
- Harvey Nichols:
- House of Fraser:
- John Lewis:
- Liberty:
- London Designer Outlet:
- One New Change:
- Peter Jones:
- Selfridges:
- Westfield London:
- Westfield Stratford City
Transport for London, however, also notified that public transport will not be running a full timetable on 1 January, so if you’re heading to the big city on that day, check travel websites and plan your journey before you
set off.
Of course, if you’d rather do your shopping
from the comfort of your own home, you could check out the following online retailers which, amongst others, are also having New Year sales:
If you are taking part, either in-store or online,
we hope you bag a bargain – and have fun!
