UK retailers hope for last-minute sales rush before Christmas

Online stores take biggest hit as overall takings this weekend likely to be 4.5% down on last year

Retailers are hoping a last blast from Christmas shoppers will save their festive season, with Saturday expected to be one of the UK’s biggest spending days of the year.

Almost £2.5bn is expected to be spent before Christmas Day over what some are calling the “super weekend” – although that would be 4.5% down on last year and represent an even bigger fall in the volume of goods bought once inflation is taken into account.