Hundreds queue in rain for Boxing Day sales in Cardiff

Shoppers queued for the 06:00 start to the sales

Hundreds of shoppers began queuing from the early hours to snap up a bargain in the annual Boxing Day sales.

Bargain hunters braved the cold and rain in Cardiff to be among the first to make the most of the reduced prices.

Average discounts of more than 50% were expected with retailers continuing pre-Christmas offers such as Black Friday.

In Cardiff, an estimated 500 shoppers began queuing in Queen Street, more than four hours before the stores opened.

Bagging a bargain in the Boxing Day sales

"The line of people was stretching all the way past Capital shopping centre," said Matthew Horwood, one shopper from the city.

"Some of the people have been standing in the cold and drizzle since the early hours looking for a bargain."

It has been a tough year for the retail industry in the UK, with a net 1,234 stores disappearing from Britain's top 500 High Streets in the first six months, according to accountants PwC.

Barclaycard, which processes nearly £1 of every £3 spent in the UK, said sales volumes from 25 November to 2 December were up 7.1% compared with 2018.

• Why is it called Boxing Day?

• Christmas shopping online or in person - who wins?

However, some retail experts have said this year's later than normal Black Friday event - 29 November instead of 23 November - have seen sales events blur into one.

"Consumers have come to expect increasing pre-Christmas discounting," said Jason Gordon, a consumer analytics partner at Deloitte.

"The result is a blending of promotions, one seeping into the next and a steady price decline, rather than a steep Boxing Day drop, reminiscent of Christmases past."

People braved the early morning cold and rain to be first in