(26 Dec 2012)
1. Wide pan right of hundreds of people queuing up outside of Selfridges department store at London's Oxford Street on Boxing Day
2. People moving up the queue and security officers keeping order
3. Close up of women in the queue
4. Security officer trying to put the people in the queue in order
5. Wide of the queue
6. Mid of security officers
7. Close up of policemen
8. SOUNDBITE: (English) Vox Pop, Arren Pan:
"I've been waiting here from 07:00 am"
9. Wide of queue
10. Mid of people in the queue under a sign that reads: (English) "Sale now on"
11. SOUNDBITE: (English) Vox, Pop, Parvathi Nambiar:
"I've come here for the experience of boxing day. It's my first time in London on Boxing Day."
12. Various of people being let into Selfridges, security officers urging customers not to run
13. Mid of people inside Selfridges, doors in the foreground reading: (English) "Sale now on" and "so many things so little time"
14. Wide of people moving up the queue
15. Shoes in the foreground of a store's window, people checking other shoes in the background inside a store
16. Mid of man checking out a shoe
17. SOUNDBITE: (English) Jace Tyrrell, Director of Communications at New West End Company - representing West End retailers:
"I think the lead up has been very strong with the figures - Boxing Day and the next couple of weeks in the year - a (b) billion pounds (1.61 (b) US dollars) during the Christmas period, we'll end the year about one or two percent up on last year, for the entire year in the West End. Going in to next year we've had a very big year in London, we've had the Diamond Jubilee, the Olympics, we're going to see a lot more tourists coming to the UK next year."
18. Various of closed tube (metro) station, because of the driver's strike
19. Various of people inside stores
20. Low of family that carry several sales bags
21. Wide of Oxford street, central London, bus and taxi drive by
STORYLINE:
Thousands of holiday shoppers descended on central London early on Boxing Day in an annual hunt for the first bargains of the post Christmas sales.
Almost 100-thousand shoppers, Londoners and tourists alike, are expected to pass through the city's main shops on Wednesday, despite the tube (metro) drivers' strike.
Some of the shoppers were waiting in queues from early in the morning.
When the doors opened at 09:00 am (09:00 GMT) people started rushing into the shops, especially in the huge department stores like Selfridges in legendary Oxford Street.
Security officers were trying to convince the customers not to run into the shops to avoid any accidents.
Stores slashed prices up to 75 percent in some cases during the sales period, starting Boxing Day.
The director of communications at New West End Company, which represents many West End retailers in London, said that the target of 1 (b) billion pounds (1.61 (b) US dollars) being spent over the six weeks Christmas period will be achieved.
"We'll end the year about one or two percent up on last year, for the entire year in the West End," Jace Tyrrell added.
According to officials, tourists from countries such as Russia, China, Nigeria and the Middle East, spend on average 10 times more than the average Londoner during the Christmas period at the city centre.
Boxing Day is considered very important for the retailers in central London, and more than 50 (m) million pounds (80 (m) US dollars) are expected to go through the tills on Wednesday alone, officials said.
Find out more about AP Archive: [ Ссылка ]
Twitter: [ Ссылка ]
Facebook: [ Ссылка ]
Instagram: [ Ссылка ]
You can license this story through AP Archive: [ Ссылка ]
