IRELAND'S main shopping destinations bustled with bargain hunters yesterday as many big stores launched their the traditional post-Christmas sales.
In Belfast, where city centre retailers suffered a downturn in the wake of August's Bank Buildings fire, thousands flocked to Victoria Square and CastleCourt in search of cut-price clothes and other deals.
There were similar busy scenes in Derry and Newry, where cross-border shoppers were especially prevalent as they took advantage of the favourable exchange rate.
St Stephen's Day remains a key shopping day in the calendar – twice as much money was spent on December 26 than Black Friday last year, while the period between Christmas Day and New Year generated £12 billion in sales across the UK as a whole.
However, according to Aodhán Connolly, director of the Northern Ireland Retail Consortium, the significance of the post-Christmas sales for the high street is steadily diminishing.
He told The Irish News that based on last year's figures there was now "effectively a balance" between goods bought online and on the high street.
"St Stephen's Day has traditionally be a strong day for shopping but what we saw last year was that lots of shoppers opted to shop online rather than go into the shops so we wouldn’t be surprised if that trend continues this year," he said.
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"It tends to be a busy time for specific non-food products like furniture, where the post-Christmas sales tend to more significant than the pre-Christmas sales. Whatever way consumers shop, what we can be sure of is that there are bargains to be had."
Mr Connolly said the retail sector had seen a "slow start" to the festive season and that the American tradition of Black Friday had yet to become fully embedded in consumer culture on this side of the Atlantic.
He said sales had picked up as Christmas Day approached and that last weekend was particularly busy.
It has been a torrid year for retail generally with notable high street names such as Poundworld and Maplin falling into administration, Marks & Spencer and Debenhams announcing plans to shut stores, while Superdry, Carpetright and Card Factory issued profit warnings.
High street stores have been battling higher costs and low consumer confidence as shoppers rein in spending amid Brexit uncertainty and increasingly shop online rather than visit bricks-and-mortar stores.
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Clothing, homewear and technology tend to dominate the post-Christmas sales, with some of the deals available yesterday including:
:: Marks & Spencer: Autograph pure cashmere crew neck jumper - was £89 now £55 (saving £34)
:: Debenhams: Belleek Living Occasions 72-piece cutlery set - was £250, then £99, now £79.20 (saving £170.80)
:: Currys PC World: Samsung 55" Smart 4K Ultra HD HDR QLED TV - was £1,499, now £999 (saving £500)
