On your Marks ... sales

More than half a million people were converging on the West End as the post-Christmas sales got into full swing.

In Oxford Street queues formed outside Next and Marks & Spencer ahead of early openings for the start of their sales.

At Brent Cross, in north London, more than 1,000 people were queuing at 3.30am for the Next sale's 4am start.

Consumers who hit the shops yesterday were rewarded with discounts of as much as 80 per cent as department stores joined the sales frenzy.

The positive start to the sales period lifted the widespread gloom on the high street.

With the run-up to Christmas generally perceived as slow and concerns over the credit squeeze, many chains were warning that the sales were crucial for them.

But an ICM poll in the Guardian today showed that 55 per cent of consumers remain confident about their personal finances.

It came as retailers and shopping centres across the South-East reported bumper takings yesterday and said today was on course to be even bigger.

Jace Tyrrell, spokesman for the New West End Company, which represents Oxford Street, Bond Street and Regent Street, said: "The shops are absolutely heaving. There are tens of thousands of people and they all have shopping bags, which is key - it indicates they have actually been buying.

"People are taking their partners to the sales to buy them their Christmas presents. It would have been almost unheard of 10 years ago."

Selfridges, which opened yesterday, said it had been the best ever start to its sale.

At Brent Cross, Boxing Day was the busiest on record, with 100,000 people coming through the doors. Over yesterday and today managers estimated selling 3,000 items a minute across its 120 shops. At Lakeside in Essex business began on Boxing Day at 7am and its branch of House of Fraser reported takings of £1,000 a minute.

Kent's Bluewater shopping centre said footfall was 10 per cent higher than last year.

Interactive Media Group estimated £52million was spent online on Christmas Day.