The Canterbury sales brought shoppers out in force

Canterbury city centre was crammed with sales shoppers and bargain-hunters in the days after Christmas.

The recession appeared to have been forgotten as people snapped up cheap goods from shops clearing stock ready for the New Year.

Areas like St Margaret’s Street, the Marlowe Arcade, Whitefriars and St George’s Street were especially crowded on Boxing Day and Sunday.

Among the bargain hunters in Canterbury was 19-year-old Leia Bosson.

She said: "There are so many shops having sales and so many brilliant deals on offer it would seem a shame not to try to get in there.

"We’re after things like an iPod Touch, clothes and shoes."

Whitefriars was especially busy. Spokesman Martyn Barr said:

"Obviously we were in the unusual position of having Boxing Day as a Saturday, so a lot of the stores did open.

"While they were open you could notice that they had a lot of deals on in the sales. That meant these areas were heaving.

"So it’s been a very good start to the sales, perhaps tempered only by the dreadful weather on Tuesday."

Whitefriars experienced a nine per cent increase in shoppers in the lead-up to Christmas.

Mr Barr explained: "That was largely because we had a lot going on there with the reindeers, Father Christmas and the German market.

"But it’s also evidence that Canterbury generally is bucking the trend.

"There’s so much more for people to do here than just shop, so it continues to bring them in."

Whitefriars will be releasing figures on its performance next week.