RETAILERS in Hull are celebrating a bumper start to the Christmas shopping season.
As the countdown to December 25 continues, the hysteria surrounding sales such as Black Friday and Cyber Monday shows no sign of fading.
The latest date to join the festive shopping calendar is yesterday's Manic Monday, when bargain hunters hurry to order their presents in time for the holidays.
It is soon expected to become the biggest shopping day of the year and retailers in Hull are sharing in some of that success.
Prospect Shopping Centre manager Lee Appleton said business was booming.
He said: "Weekends are always a very popular time to do Christmas shopping, but retailers are now seeing this momentum carry on through to the weekdays, too.
"Footfall in the city centre is definitely much higher than normal and it really seems to be growing and growing as we get closer to the big day."
Mr Appleton said many of his retailers were experiencing a spike in sales.
He said: "The centre has seen a positive rise in spend since last year and many of the retailers I've spoken to are reporting a strong performance.
"One of the retailers in our centre said he is already halfway to hitting his monthly target and we are only a little more than a week into December."
Kathryn Shillito, city centre manager of retail support group Hull Business Improvement District, said shoppers had also been attracted with a number of big shows.
A Father Christmas parade and a Victorian market have helped boost numbers.
A yuletide display featuring elves is planned for Queen Victoria Square this weekend.
Ms Shillito said: "Our main focus has been to boost trade by collaborating with partners on Christmas events.
"Events such as the Victorian Christmas market and Santa's parade drew thousands of people to the city and we hope the elf market this weekend will do the same thing."
Ms Shillito said the increase in footfall hadbeen good news for small retailers.
She said: "The measure of success we use is how well the individual businesses are performing.
"We spoke to dozens of retailers in the Old Town area, who all reported revenue increases during last week's event."
More than 70 per cent of retailers questioned by Hull Bid reported an increase in revenue of between 25 and 75 per cent last weekend, when Father Christmas paraded through town.
Ms Shillito said: "We know it's working.
"Retailers are seeing big rises in footfall and revenue and that is translating into an increase in sales for many people."
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