More than 350,000 shoppers packed Birmingham’s Bullring in a massive post-Christmas sales bonanza.
Bullring management revealed over 230,000 people passed through the doors on Boxing Day – with another 130,000 visiting on Tuesday.
The scene was repeated in Solihull with not a parking space to be had at the town’s 1,700-vehicle capacity Touchwood mall by 9am on Tuesday.
The huge queues saw police drafted in to help control the flow of traffic.
Bullring general manager Tim Walley said: “Boxing Day was a huge success for Bullring as more than 230,000 people visited the centre to browse the sales at the likes of Selfridges, Debenhams and Next.
“A further 130,000 visitors were expected on Tuesday. With all stores now in sale, hordes of shoppers are making the most of the seasonal discounts with some stores offering up to 70 per cent off.”
Mr Walley said shoppers particularly targeted clothing, home and electrical deals.
The post-Christmas bonanza followed one of the busiest ever pre-Christmas weeks for West Midlands shopping centres, with the eight-year-old Bullring posting a record 1.3 million visitors for the period.
Touchwood duty manager Dave Powell put the thronging crowds down to a combination of the milder winter weather and the first day of the John Lewis sale
He said: “We’ve had a really busy couple of days. We don’t have the exact numbers at the moment but it definitely feels a lot busier than last year.
“We’ve had police helping out managing the traffic around the town to keep it to a good flow for people coming in and out.
“The Next sale, like on Boxing Day, was very busy indeed and John Lewis has been a big pull for people as yesterday was the first day of their sale.
“The weather also played its part, too, and encouraged people to get out of the house and enjoy some of the sales on offer.”
