'Get off your backside!' Former retail star makes desperate plea to consumers ahead of Boxing Day sales
'Get off your backside!' Former retail worker makes desperate plea to consumers …
GB News
Former Apprentice star Ryan-Mark Parsons has made an impassioned plea for shoppers to "get off your backsides" and support high street retailers during the Boxing Day sales.
Speaking on GB News, Parsons expressed his sadness at the current state of high street shopping, attributing it to changing consumer attitudes.
He said: "I think it's incredibly sad. I think a lot of it is an attitude change from consumers.
"You need to get up from your backsides and get off your phone or laptops, and actually make an effort to go to the high street to support small business.
Ryan-Mark Parsons asked shoppers to "get off their phones"
GB News
"Because otherwise, they won't survive. They need your business. They need your money.
"But that requires a bit of effort. You need to get out of your house, touch some grass, breathe in the fresh air, and spend some money locally and independently."
LATEST DEVELOPMENTS:
His comments come as new data shows a significant decline in Boxing Day shopping footfall across UK retail destinations.
According to MRI Software's OnLocation Footfall Index, Boxing Day shopper footfall was down 10.6 per cent from last year across all UK retail destinations up until 10am.
High streets saw the steepest decline with a 12.3 per cent drop in footfall.
Shopping centres experienced a 13.9 per cent decrease, while retail parks fared slightly better with just a 3.3 per cent reduction.
Less people will be hitting the high street this Boxing Day
PAThe figures paint an even starker picture when compared to pre-pandemic levels, with overall footfall 49.2 per cent lower than in 2019.
Major retailers including Next, Marks & Spencer and John Lewis opted to keep their brick-and-mortar stores closed on Boxing Day to allow staff more time with loved ones.
Despite the drop in physical footfall, 65 per cent of shoppers are expected to spend the majority of their sales budget online.
Barclays Consumer Spend researchers predict a total spend of £4.6billion in this year's Boxing Day sales.
High street closures are partly being driven by online shopping trends PAThe average shopper is expected to spend £236, which is £50 more per person than before the pandemic, though some of this increase is attributed to inflation.
However, the total spending represents a two per cent decrease compared to last year's Boxing Day sales.
Nearly half of respondents indicated that the cost-of-living crisis will affect their post-Christmas shopping habits.
Men are expected to spend £53 more than women on average during the sales period.
You may like
