7am and the shopping day dawns

A BID by flagship West End stores to boost business with an unprecedented early-morning sale today received a mixed reaction from commuters.

More than 30 big-name shops around Oxford Circus opened at 7am — many slashing prices by up to 30 per cent — to attract customers on their way to work.

Around 20 people queued outside Marks & Spencer waiting for it to open, but two 15-year-old schoolgirls were the only customers outside Topshop.

Rachel Ho uston, 26, a teacher from Fulham, arrived a few minutes later to beat crowds that never came. She said: "To me this is a chance to get some shopping in before school starts and actually move around Topshop while it's not packed with people for once."

A member of staff yawned, rubbed her eyes and said: "I feel like I'm still asleep. Who wants to shop at 7am? We're hoping it gets busier in an hour."

Later Topshop reported one customer had spent £900, although the store still appeared relatively empty at 8am.

Outside Liberty things were a bit livelier, with the shop employing City of Westminster Town Crier Peter Moore to draw in shoppers, by shouting: "Oyez, oyez, today is history in the making, It's the first time Liberty has opened its Tudor doors at 7am since 1926, come in to get your Christmas shopping before work."

City workers Justin Costelloe, 27, and Peter Tilley, 25, both from Battersea, heeded his advice. Mr Costelloe said: "I heard Liberty was offering a glass of Buck's Fizz which was very tempting before work. I haven't managed to get to the West End to shop for ages because I get out of work too late."

But despite the offer of free champagne, bacon butties and gifts of cosmetics, the flow of customers through Liberty's doors was more a trickle than a flood. The lure of free food and coffee appeared to entice more customers to enter shops than any discounts.

American fashion company Banana Republic, on Regent Street, showed its British counterparts how free breakfast was done. Beaming staff members holding trays of miniature muffins, pastries and fresh fruit skewers greeted customers and kept them fuelled from an enormous coffee machine. However, the store was far from packed.

Kay Copeland, 32, from Soho, spent more than £200 at Banana Republic on a cashmere scarf, clutch bag and sparkly top. She said: "It's bonkers to get up this early but I don't have much time at lunchtime to get shopping done. There are a few people here and I think the food is helping.
Shops need to do something extra to get people to spend in the current economic climate. A customer likes to feel they are being treated."

The New West End Company, which promotes the Oxford Circus shopping area, said it was pleased with how the morning was progressing. Spokesman Jace Tyrrell said: "It's going rather well I think, considering how early it is."

The early-morning promotion follows sales from high street chains including Debenhams, which offered up to 25 per cent off and saw stores open until midnight. M & S slashed 20 per cent off all its non-food products last Thursday in its first pre-Christmas sale since 2004.