Boxing Day footfall was up by more than a third on the UK’s high streets despite train strikes and the cost-of-living crisis.
Concerns had been raised that strikes and tightening budgets could scare consumers away from shopping destinations on the first day of the sales.
But industry analyst Springboard said data from Monday showed footfall was 38.8% higher than last year.
There were increases across all three key retail destination types compared with the same period in 2021.
On high streets it was up by 44.1%, in shopping centres by 40.4%, and in retail parks by 25.9%.
Central London, which has been hit hard by industrial action by transport unions, saw footfall more than double on Boxing Day. The figure for London was just 7.8% lower than the same day in 2019.
Diane Wehrle, insights director at Springboard, said a likely factor in the increase was that Boxing Day 2021