SHOPPING in Oxford this Thursday will give bargain hunters early Christmas cheer with traders offering special discounts and even mulled wine and mince pies.
More than 25 largely independent stores have got together to lay on a special evening of promotions and discounts in a bid to draw festive shoppers into the city and generate more sales during the vital festive period.
The special event on Thursday has been organised by Graham Jones of the Oxford High Street Association and traders’ group Rescue Oxford (ROX).
He said: “With the after-effects of the recession and VAT going up in January, I thought it was time to give Oxford a boost.
“There will be a tremendous number of different offers on the night and these are largely independent stores from across the city centre including the Covered Market.”
In recent years, many shoppers have turned their backs on Oxford in favour of visiting retail parks in places such as Reading and Milton Keynes.
But Mr Jones is determined to highlight the diversity of products available from retailers on the doorstep of city residents He added: “Many are specialist shops that make the shopping experience in Oxford just that little bit different from other places.”
Jonathan Pearson, managing director of Boswell’s department store in Broad Street, said: “We wanted to create a special shopping event and chose Thursday because it is traditionally late-night opening.
“It is the independent and small chains that make Christmas shopping in Oxford special.”
Mr Pearson added that sales so far this year had been up on the last, despite the continuing troubled state of the economy, but he was “not 100 per cent confident” this would still be the case by the end of the year.
June Suliman, co-owner of the Rainbow and Spoon Boutique in Frideswide Square, said: “The event is a very good idea. We all need a bit of help as everyone is cutting back and making do.”
Promotions will range from free mulled wine and mince pies to 10 per cent discounts and free gift wrapping with many stores staying open until 8pm.
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