Millions of UK shoppers hit the high street or logged in online in the annual Boxing Day sale spending spree yesterday.

Selfridges took more than £2 million in the first hour of opening its doors while the new West End Company, which covers the money-spinning shopping district of Bond Street , Oxford Street and Regent Street, said that both local and international shoppers would spend over £50 million during the day.

Bargain hunters at Selfridges’ flagship London store had been queueing since 10.30pm on Christmas Day. The store, which deals with up to 250,000 customers in a week, had some 120,000 people going through its doors yesterday.

Crowds of up to 150,000 descended on Sheffield’s Meadowhall Centre keen to snap up discounts of up to 70 per cent on items including designer clothes, lingerie, handbags, watches, jewellery and electrical goods – with one sports retailer offering up to 90 per cent off.

Meadowhall’s centre director Darren Pearce described it as “possibly our busiest Boxing Day to date”.

One sports retailer was offering up to 90 per cent off

He added: “Many of our team have been working since 2am to get ready for the influx of visitors this morning, with Next leading the way to be the first to open their doors at 6am.”

Managers of the Bluewater shopping centre in Kent said the bargain hunters who started to queue at 4am were expected to help the centre hit £2 million from items bought with gift cards for the Christmas period after a 15 per cent rise on last year.”

Shoppers queue outside Harvey Nichols department store in Edinburgh, hoping for a bargain during the Boxing Day sales. Photos: PA Wire

Bluewater general manager Robert Goodman noted that shoppers had taken a “calm and collected” approach to their Boxing Day spending and were using Click and Collect to pre-plan their bargain purchases.

Bristol shoppers were also out in force at Cabot Circus, where centre director Stephanie Lacey said “up to 100,000” bargain hunters were expected to pop by. She said: “Customers are making the most of the Boxing Day sales and taking advantage of the best bargains.”

Managers of St David’s shopping centre in Cardiff estimated that more than £2 million would be spent in the post-Christmas sales across its 180 stores.

Steven Madeley, centre director at St David’s, said: “Unlike the weeks ahead of Christmas where the focus is on buying for others, Boxing Day provides a real opportunity for shoppers to treat themselves.”

On the downside, despite the positive outlook from shop­keepers, retail analyst Springboard suggested the impact of Black Friday, early December discounting and the improved convenience of online shopping this year means there has been a dwindling appeal to the Boxing Day sales.

Diane Wehrle, retail insights director at Springboard, said: “Instead of carefully controlling sales to drive larger profit margins, retailers are seeking to secure their market-share through early discounting.

“Christmas used to be a trading period which could be relied upon but it has now become a battleground for consumers, with price and convenience being the order of the day.”