Retailers hope ‘panic weekend’ will bring Christmas cheer to UK sales

Experts forecast spending will be more than 12% up on same period in 2024 after lucklustre figures so far

Retailers are hoping for a last-minute dash for the shops this weekend after a lacklustre run-up to Christmas, with UK households forecast to spend 3.4bn, up more than 12% on the same weekend in 2024.

Almost 50m shopping trips will be made by last-minute Father Christmases over the weekend, according to research by analysts GlobalData for Vouchercodes.co.uk, the vast majority of which will be to retail destinations including high streets and shopping malls.