Retail statistics reveal a "significant" new shopping trend, shopping analysts said. 

Figures released by Springboard found that the number of visitors to the high street was higher on December 27 compared to the day before. 

Diane Wehrle, from Springboard, described this as a “significant” emerging trend.  

She added: "Furthermore, footfall rose further on the following two days peaking on December 29, with the first decline from the day before occurring on December 30, which then continued into New Year's Eve 2022. 

"This demonstrates that while Boxing Day is somewhat of a marker in the annual retail calendar, the key dates for retail spending are now the subsequent days when consumers are likely to have completed visits with family and friends and have time to make trips out." 

Across the region, retailers saw a 9.7pc increase in footfall in the week beginning December 25, compared to the same period in 2021, figures from retail analysts Springboard found. 

Shop owners will welcome the rise, especially with many families seeing their disposable incomes fall due to the cost of living crisis. 

Visitors to the region's high streets, however, were down 17.4pc compared to the same week in 2019 - indicating that Covid and the challenging economic climate are still keeping some shoppers at home.

Eastern Daily Press: Paul McCarthy, general manager at Chantry Place, said that the Norwich shopping centre had a fantastic Christmas periodPaul McCarthy, general manager at Chantry Place, said that the Norwich shopping centre had a fantastic Christmas period (Image: Chantry Place)

Paul McCarthy, general manager at Chantry Place, said that the Norwich shopping centre had a "fantastic" Christmas period and that its footfall was "significantly ahead" of 2021. 

"Footfall was high from Boxing Day into the New Year with many people coming to spend Christmas money, enjoy the sales and dine at our restaurants," he added. 

Shops in East Anglia had a higher number of visitors compared to the UK as a whole. 

Figures from Springboard show that all UK retail destinations saw a 7.2pc increase in shoppers for the week beginning December 25 compared to 2021. 

It was down 19.7pc compared to 2019 - a bigger fall than local retailers saw.