CHRISTMAS EVE failed to deliver a last-minute reprieve for retailers this year. Although it fell on a Saturday, the number of shoppers on the high street was reported to be 18 per cent down compared with Christmas Eve last year.

The much-anticipated final dash to the high street did not materialise, according to figures from FootFall, which found that shoppers instead had opted to shop for last-minute gifts on Friday.

The market-tracking agency said that Friday had turned out to be “boom day”, in contrast with the performance on Saturday, when the number of shoppers was down 15.4 per cent on the previous week.

Natasha Burton, FootFall’s marketing manager, said that shopper numbers were up 18.9 per cent on Friday, compared with the same day last year, helping to offset a 4 per cent fall in previous days.

Ms Burton added: “Friday looks to have given retailers an early Christmas present, but we will have to see whether volume of shoppers this year has turned into bumper sales.”

The figures were backed by anecdotal evidence from department stores and retail centres. Matt Clements, general manager of Bluewater, the Kent shopping centre, said that Christmas Eve had been busy, but, with shopper numbers peaking in mid-afternoon, it had been quieter than Friday.

He said it appeared that House of Fraser and Marks & Spencer had enjoyed a “very good day”, and the Apple store had been “extremely busy”. Along with demand for MP3 players and LCD televisions, it had been an “iPod Christmas”.

However, figures from SPSL, which also tracks customer traffic, showed that although shopper numbers were down on Christmas Eve compared with the previous day, it had been a busier day than last year.

Describing the final days before Christmas as a “win-win result for shoppers and retailers alike”, Dr Tim Denison, director of knowledge management at SPSL, said that shopper numbers last week were up about 25 per cent on the same days of the previous week, reaching their peak on Friday.

Industry observers said yesterday that although there had been no last-minute respite for retailers, the overall retail situation looked stable, with a record performance expected from the big supermarkets, as well as for internet shopping.

Kevin Hawkins, of the British Retail Consortium, said that any talk of Armageddon on the high street was unjustified. He added that the whole Christmas period had been better than expected before the recovery in retail sales in November.

Britons are thought to have spent about £3.3 billion on groceries last week, a 17 per cent increase on the previous year, according to figures from TNS, the research agency.

Times Recommends

• Lies and cover-up at MG Rover exposed by report
• High oil prices push manufacturing costs up
• Primark founder steps down as chief executive