Pakistanis angry over detentions in Times Sq. case Monday, May 24, 2010
ISLAMABAD – Relatives of three men detained by Pakistan for alleged links to the suspect in the attempted Times Square bombing say the men are innocent.
They
AFP - Thursday, August 6TAIPEI (AFP) - - Taiwan's Beijing-friendly government on Wednesday denied boycotting an Australian film festival amid a row over the e
BERLIN (Reuters) - Chancellor Angela Merkel suffered a double blow on Thursday as a senior party ally in east German
Minister seeks closure of anti-Berlusconi websites Wednesday, December 16, 2009
ROME (AFP) - – The Italian government moved Tuesday to close down Internet sites encouraging further violence against Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, who
By ELAINE KURTENBACH,AP Business Writer AP - Wednesday, March 18SHANGHAI - Asia's stock market rally seemed to be running out of steam Wednesday, despite an
Navigation
Primary Navigation
Home
Singapore
Asia Pacific
World
Business
Entertainment
Sports
Technology
Top Stories
Most Popular
Secondary Navigation
Search
Search:
Britons hit the shops as struggling retailers slash prices
AFP - 2 hours 58 minutes ago
LONDON (AFP) - - Shoppers across Britain queued up before dawn on Friday for traditional post-Christmas sales, which this year are seeing struggling stores offering discounts of up to 90 percent.
Department store Selfridges said about 2,000 bargain-hunters lined up outside the London branch. The woman at the front of the queue had been there since 2:00 am (0200 GMT), hoping to buy a Chanel bag, a spokeswoman said.
"It was mental when they came into the store. I've never seen anything like it. People were running into the store and grabbing bags. Some women had four or five bags in their hands," the spokeswoman said.
High-street department store Debenhams, which has slashed its prices by up to 70 percent, reported hundreds of people lining up outside its shops in London and Manchester, in northwest England, from 6:00 am.
In London's Oxford Street, all but two stores were open on what is officially a national holiday -- a situation the New West End Company (NWEC), which manages the capital's main shopping streets, said was unprecedented.
One store, Superdrug, was offering discounts of up to 90 percent, and many opened hours early as they tried to tempt consumers hit by rising unemployment and tightening of credit to part with their cash.
Figures from the British Retail Consortium (BRC) showed total sales fell by 0.4 percent in November on a year ago, and the group warned Thursday that December's figures "won't be pretty" when they come out next month.
"Despite a last minute surge, it's becoming clear that overall this has been a poor Christmas for retailers, as struggling customers cut back and traded down," said BRC director-general Stephen Robertson.
Three stores went under within 24 hours earlier this week. High street music retailer Zavvi, which employs more than 3,000 people, luxury tea-sellers Whittard and menswear retailer Officers Club all went into administration.
Meanwhile, Woolworths, a century-old British high street institution, is due to close all its stores by the end of January after filing for administration in November, affecting the jobs of about 27,000 staff.
Email Story
IM Story
Printable View
Blog This
Recommend this article
Average (1 vote)
Sign in to recommend this article »
Most Recommended Stories »
Enlarge Photo
Shoppers walk past a sale sign on the high street in Guildford, Surrrey on December 23, 2008. Shoppers across Britain queued up before dawn on Friday for traditional post-Christmas sales, which this year are seeing struggling stores offering discounts of up to 90 percent.
Most Popular – Top Stories
Viewed
Actress Jennifer Aniston appears naked in GQ magazine
Tough times seen ahead for British, Japanese economies
Australian 'mummy smuggler' arrested in Cairo
Funeral of Guinea strongman as junta tightens grip
Weather outside frightful for US, Canada travelers
View Complete List »
Search:
Home
Singapore
Asia Pacific
World
Business
Entertainment
Sports
Technology
Top Stories
Most Popular