Canny shoppers are flocking to the Sales after a disappointing Christmas shopping period.
Shopper traffic monitor SPSL said its Retail Traffic Index recorded a year-on-year rise of 7.1 per cent in the week commencing December 29.
FootFall supported the trend - its figures showed shopper numbers up 3.3 per cent in the week from December 30.
Bluewater notched up a record number of visitors on the first day of the Sales. Shopper numbers rose 3 per cent to 185,000 on December 27.
That number was up on the 140,000 visitors on December 23.
A spokeswoman said the Sales had been 'very strong'. Marks & Spencer, Virgin and WHSmith opened on Boxing Day at the centre.
Harrods said the first week of its Sale 'ended with turnover ahead of the first week of the winter 2002 Sale'. An Ikea spokeswoman said its Sale was 'in line with expectations'.
A spokesman for SPSL described the pre-Christmas trading period as an 'impasse' while customers held out for retailers to begin discounting.
According to the BRC-KPMG Sales Monitor, December's like-for-like growth was 1.7 per cent up on 2001. Total sales rose 4.1 per cent. KPMG head of retail Amanda Aldridge said: 'The rate of growth has slowed, but it has still been a record December.'
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