Tuesday to be UK’s busiest shopping day
THE UK high street will have its busiest shopping day of the year two days before Christmas, with Visa Europe predicting spending to peak at £1.3bn for the day.
Spending is forecast to rise six per cent and transactions seven per cent from last year.
Tuesday 23 December is predicted to see 34m transactions in total. British consumers are predicted to spend an average of £916,667 a minute or around £15,278 a second on their Visa cards on the day, as they make final preparations for the festive period.
In spite of the rise of Black Friday, which saw over £1bn spent on the British high street this year, Visa predicts that 23 December will keep its long-held crown as Britain’s busiest shopping day.
Kevin Jenkins, managing director UK & Ireland at Visa Europe, said: “Black Friday kick-started Christmas on the high street and online this year but the busiest bricks and mortar day will likely remain in its traditional slot close to Christmas. Retailers’ multi-channel approach should cause a surge in footfall from click-and-collect sales too, with the opportunity for further shopping in-store when consumers arrive.”