The slump in the number of people heading to the shops during Boxing Day sales signals a return to declining pre-pandemic levels, an analyst has said. Boxing Day shopper footfall was down 7.9% from last year across all UK retail destinations up until 5pm, MRI Software’s OnLocation Footfall Index found. However, this year’s data had been compared with an unusual spike in footfall as 2023 was the first “proper Christmas” period without Covid-19 pandemic restrictions, an analyst at the retail technology company said. It found £4.6 billion will be spent overall on the festive sales. Before the pandemic the number of Boxing Day shoppers on the streets had been declining year on year. The last uplift recorded by MRI was in 2015. Jenni Matthews, marketing and insights director at MRI Software, told the PA news agency: “We’ve got to bear in mind that (last year) was our first proper Christmas without any (Covid-19) restrictions or limitations. “Figures have come out that things have stabilised, we’re almost back to what we saw pre-pandemic.” There were year-on-year declines in footfall anywhere between 5% and 12% before Covid-19 restrictions, she said. MRI found 12% fewer people were out shopping on Boxing Day in 2019 than in 2018, and there were 3% fewer in 2018 than in 2017, Ms Matthews added. She said: “It’s the shift to online shopping, it’s the convenience, you’ve got the family days that take place on Christmas Day and Boxing Day.” People are also increasingly stocking-up before Christmas, Ms Matthews said, and MRI found an 18% increase in footfall at all UK retail destinations on Christmas Eve this year compared with 2023. Ms Matthews said: “We see the shops are full of people all the way up to Christmas Eve, so they’ve probably got a couple of good days of food, goodies, everything that they need, and they don’t really need to go out again until later on in that week. “We did see that big boost on Christmas Eve. It looks like shoppers may have concentrated much of their spending in that pre-Christmas rush.” Many online sales kicked off between December 23 and the night of Christmas Day and “a lot of people would have grabbed those bargains from the comfort of their own home”, she said. She added: “I feel like it’s becoming more and more common that people are grabbing the bargains pre-Christmas.” Footfall is expected to rise on December 27 as people emerge from family visits and shops re-open, including Next, Marks and Spencer and John Lewis that all shut for Boxing Day. It will also be payday for some as it is the last Friday of the month. A study by Barclays Consumer Spend had forecast that shoppers would spend £236 each on average in the Boxing Day sales this year, but that the majority of purchases would be made online. Nearly half of respondents said the cost-of-living crisis will affect their post-Christmas shopping but the forecast average spend is still £50 more per person than it was before the pandemic, with some of that figure because of inflation, Barclays said. Amid the financial pressures, many people are planning to buy practical, perishable and essential items such as food and kitchenware. A total of 65% of shoppers are expecting to spend the majority of their sales budget online. Last year, Barclays found 63.9% of Boxing Day retail purchases were made online. However, a quarter of respondents aim to spend mostly in store – an 11% rise compared with last year. Karen Johnson, head of retail at Barclays, said: “Despite the ongoing cost-of-living pressures, it is encouraging to hear that consumers will be actively participating in the post-Christmas sales. “This year, we’re likely to see a shift towards practicality and sustainability, with more shoppers looking to bag bargains on kitchen appliances and second-hand goods.” Consumers choose in-store shopping largely because they enjoy the social aspect and touching items before they buy, Barclays said, adding that high streets and shopping centres are the most popular destinations.DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (AP) — Ian Schieffelin had 18 points, 13 rebounds and eight assists in leading Clemson to a 75-67 win over Penn State on Tuesday and the championship of the Sunshine Slam Beach Division. Chase Hunter added 17 points, Chauncey Wiggins 14 and Del Jones 10 for the Tigers (6-1), who shot 44% and made 9 of 19 3-pointers led by Hunter's three. Ace Baldwin Jr. scored 20 points and had 11 assists, Yanic Konan Niederhauser added 14 points and Nick Kern Jr. 11 for the Nittany Lions (6-1), who shot 46% and were just 4 of 18 from the arc. Neither team had a double-digit lead in the game and it was tied with seven minutes to go. But Penn State had a six-minute drought without a field goal while committing three turnovers and the Tigers went up by six. A hook shot from Schieffelin with a minute to go made it a five-point lead and free throws sealed it from there. The eight-point final margin was the largest of the game. Konan Niederhauser's dunk to open the second half tied the game but a Hunter 3-pointer gave the lead back to Clemson. Penn State took its first lead of the second half on a 9-0 run, seven coming from Baldwin, to go up 57-54 with midway through the period. Penn State had its largest lead of seven in the first half but three consecutive 3s put Clemson ahead with three minutes to go and the Tigers led at 38-36 at halftime. Clemson had a 16-9 edge on points off turnovers. ___ Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here . AP college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-basketball-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-basketballWASHINGTON — President-elect Donald Trump’s second term could bring big changes to Main Street, but small business advocacy groups have mixed views about his agenda. It comes as the National Federation of Independent Business’ measure of uncertainty is at its highest level on record, according to a newly released survey taken before the election. In addition to the shifting political environment, many business owners are grappling with inflation and workforce shortages. “With the election over, small business owners will begin to feel less uncertain about future business conditions,” said NFIB chief economist Bill Dunkelberg. “Although optimism is on the rise on Main Street, small business owners are still facing unprecedented economic adversity.” It comes as some small business owners are bracing for the impact of increased tariffs. On Monday, Trump posted on Truth Social that one of his first executive orders will impose a 25% tax on all products coming into the United States from Mexico and Canada. “This Tariff will remain in effect until such time as Drugs, in particular Fentanyl, and all Illegal Aliens stop this Invasion of our Country! Both Mexico and Canada have the absolute right and power to easily solve this long simmering problem,” Trump furthered. Ris Lacoste, a restaurant owner in Washington, D.C., is concerned prices for some ingredients could go up. “We do get some produce from the warmer climates, and that includes Mexico, so I think that's going to affect us, especially over the winter,” Lacoste said. “I think it's going to be difficult. I’m hoping not. I'm hoping that a lot of these things don't happen.” She's not the only one with concerns. "Small business owners are already hunkering down to weather the painful impact of a potential trade war. They're stocking up on inventory. They're even thinking of moving operations offshore to manufacture for the export market, if they're able to do that," said John Arensmeyer, the founder and CEO of Small Business Majority. NFIB’s vice president of federal government relations, Jeff Brabant, said they're not taking a formal stance on Trump’s tariffs proposal at this point, but, generally, their members are optimistic about his re-election. "They're hopeful there will be less burdensome regulations, and they're hopeful that they're not going to see a massive tax increase at the end of next year,” Brabant said. The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, which passed during Trump’s first term, allowed eligible small business owners to deduct up to 20 percent of their business income. Supporters say the provision, also called the pass-through deduction, leveled the playing field with big corporations. “It was a resounding success, but unfortunately, a lot of those provisions are about to expire,” Brabant said. Brabant believes Congress, which will soon be controlled by Republicans, is well-positioned to extend the policy or make it permanent. However, critics of the pass-through deduction argue it disproportionately benefits the wealthiest Americans and excludes some small businesses. They are calling for a different approach to help Main Street. “We've proposed a $25,000 standard deduction to small business income that would be from the bottom up so that those smaller businesses would be actually getting a bigger percentage benefit than those larger businesses,” Arensmeyer said. As lawmakers prepare to revisit that tax debate next year, it’s still unclear who will lead the Small Business Administration during Trump’s second term. As of Saturday morning, Trump had not announced his pick to lead the agency, but it’s likely to be a new face. Trump has already tapped his former SBA administrator, Linda McMahon, to lead the Department of Education. Molly Day, vice president of public affairs for the National Small Business Association, said the choice will be a chance for Trump to signal his priorities for the agency. “The pick for SBA administrator should support a fully staffed SBA Office of Advocacy which has been absent a chief counsel for years. This small office plays a major role in protecting small businesses when it comes to regulations, and they need someone with robust legal and small business experience. The next SBA administrator should also be committed to maintaining SBA’s strong lending programs as well as increasing the federal government’s federal contracting goal from 23 percent to 30 percent,” Day wrote in a statement.
A look at holiday shopping trends as Black Friday approaches
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