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Boxing Day shopper footfall was down 7.9% from last year across all UK retail destinations up until 5pm, MRI Software’s OnLocation Footfall Index found. However, this year’s data had been compared with an unusual spike in footfall as 2023 was the first “proper Christmas” period without Covid-19 pandemic restrictions, an analyst at the retail technology company said. It found £4.6 billion will be spent overall on the festive sales. Before the pandemic the number of Boxing Day shoppers on the streets had been declining year on year. The last uplift recorded by MRI was in 2015. Jenni Matthews, marketing and insights director at MRI Software, told the PA news agency: “We’ve got to bear in mind that (last year) was our first proper Christmas without any (Covid-19) restrictions or limitations. “Figures have come out that things have stabilised, we’re almost back to what we saw pre-pandemic.” There were year-on-year declines in footfall anywhere between 5% and 12% before Covid-19 restrictions, she said. MRI found 12% fewer people were out shopping on Boxing Day in 2019 than in 2018, and there were 3% fewer in 2018 than in 2017, Ms Matthews added. She said: “It’s the shift to online shopping, it’s the convenience, you’ve got the family days that take place on Christmas Day and Boxing Day.” People are also increasingly stocking-up before Christmas, Ms Matthews said, and MRI found an 18% increase in footfall at all UK retail destinations on Christmas Eve this year compared with 2023. Ms Matthews said: “We see the shops are full of people all the way up to Christmas Eve, so they’ve probably got a couple of good days of food, goodies, everything that they need, and they don’t really need to go out again until later on in that week. “We did see that big boost on Christmas Eve. It looks like shoppers may have concentrated much of their spending in that pre-Christmas rush.” Many online sales kicked off between December 23 and the night of Christmas Day and “a lot of people would have grabbed those bargains from the comfort of their own home”, she said. She added: “I feel like it’s becoming more and more common that people are grabbing the bargains pre-Christmas.” Footfall is expected to rise on December 27 as people emerge from family visits and shops re-open, including Next, Marks and Spencer and John Lewis that all shut for Boxing Day. It will also be payday for some as it is the last Friday of the month. A study by Barclays Consumer Spend had forecast that shoppers would spend £236 each on average in the Boxing Day sales this year, but that the majority of purchases would be made online. Nearly half of respondents said the cost-of-living crisis will affect their post-Christmas shopping but the forecast average spend is still £50 more per person than it was before the pandemic, with some of that figure because of inflation, Barclays said. Amid the financial pressures, many people are planning to buy practical, perishable and essential items such as food and kitchenware. A total of 65% of shoppers are expecting to spend the majority of their sales budget online. Last year, Barclays found 63.9% of Boxing Day retail purchases were made online. However, a quarter of respondents aim to spend mostly in store – an 11% rise compared with last year. Karen Johnson, head of retail at Barclays, said: “Despite the ongoing cost-of-living pressures, it is encouraging to hear that consumers will be actively participating in the post-Christmas sales. “This year, we’re likely to see a shift towards practicality and sustainability, with more shoppers looking to bag bargains on kitchen appliances and second-hand goods.” Consumers choose in-store shopping largely because they enjoy the social aspect and touching items before they buy, Barclays said, adding that high streets and shopping centres are the most popular destinations.From Maui to the Caribbean, Thanksgiving tournaments a beloved part of college basketballAMMAN — Bronze Age architecture was characterised by city walls constructed from massive stone blocks. To overpower defenders and breach these fortifications, new siege technologies were developed. Besieging armies often employed slingers and archers to harass the town’s defenders or even set fire to the walls, supported by chariot-based archers who tracked down those attempting to escape. However, projectiles alone were insufficient to break into a town during a siege. Aaron Burke from the University of California, Los Angeles, identified four primary methods by which a town’s defences could be overcome: escalating, or scaling the walls; breaching the gates or walls; tunnelling beneath the fortifications; or employing deception. “Historical evidence indicates that successfully entering a town during a siege through these methods almost always guaranteed the victory of the attacking force,” Burke noted. “This is because the town’s defenders relied almost entirely on their fortifications, which were the cornerstone of their defence efforts.” "Success was often achieved by using several of these tactics simultaneously at different points around the town’s walls. This strategy would wear down the defenders and prevent them from concentrating their defences at one vulnerable point. Although siege ladders are not explicitly mentioned, they were likely part of this approach," Burke added. "One of the most commonly used siege techniques involved the construction of a siege ramp made of earth against the town walls. This allowed troops or a battering ram to be moved up the ramp to strike the walls." "While this method was sometimes successful, it could be countered by similar earthworks built by the defenders within the town. These internal earthworks were designed to reinforce the section of the wall being battered by the ram, Burke said. Another significant technique was the siege tower, referenced in the Mari archives from the Middle Bronze Age in Mesopotamia. According to the Mari texts, these towers were often built on-site, unlike battering rams, which could be transported to the siege site by wagon or boat. "Iconographic evidence from the Middle Kingdom Egyptian reliefs at the Tomb of Intef in Egypt also depicts siege towers, indicating their use in warfare against Asiatic towns," Burke said, adding that these towers, constructed from timber, were wheeled up against the town walls. Siege towers functioned as large, protected ladders, though the design of the fortifications, such as fosse (moats) and sloping ramparts, often prevented their successful use. Consequently, siege towers likely functioned as freestanding platforms, providing elevated positions for archers to deliver suppressive fire, protecting other operations like sapping, tunnelling, and escalade, he continued, adding when tall enough, the towers allowed archers to fire upon soldiers atop the battlements or within the town. Regarding breaching, tunnelling, and sapping, reliefs from an Old Kingdom Egyptian tomb of Iny at Deshashe depict an early attempt to break through a town wall. "Two individuals in the scene use crowbar-like implements to attack a corner of a fortress wall, while a ladder is raised against it behind them," Burke explained. "This image likely represents one of the most basic methods of wall penetration in antiquity, provided the defenders were distracted. However, classical sources indicate that such attempts often met stiff resistance and frequently failed." When scaling the walls with ladders was ineffective, and breaking through the wall at ground level was impossible, besiegers resorted to tunnelling under the walls in hopes of causing a collapse. "The idea was that the tunnel would undermine the foundation of the wall, leading it to crumble into the cavity created," Burke said.
Pet passports for dogs, cats and ferrets to travel within UK ‘an outrage’
The Biden administration is gearing up to send a $725 million weapons package to Ukraine, sources revealed on Wednesday. This move aims to strengthen Kyiv's defenses before President-elect Trump assumes office in January. The package includes an assortment of anti-tank weapons, landmines, and ammunition for HIMARS artillery systems. Included in the package may be controversial cluster munitions, typically used in GMLRS rockets launched by HIMARS, according to a notification seen by Reuters. Officials indicated that Congress might receive the formal notification of the package as soon as Monday, though specifics could still change. The weaponry marks a substantial increase from past aid packages, utilizing Biden's Presidential Drawdown Authority. With more than $4 billion in authorized funds remaining, the U.S. aims to support Ukraine amid rapid advancements by Russian forces. Concurrently, Trump announced the appointment of Keith Kellogg as a special envoy to address the ongoing conflict. (With inputs from agencies.)TORONTO (AP) — Canada is already examining possible retaliatory tariffs on certain items from the United States should President-elect Donald Trump follow through on his threat to impose sweeping tariffs on Canadian products, a senior official said Wednesday. has threatened to impose tariffs on products from Canada and Mexico if the countries don’t stop what he called the flow of drugs and migrants across southern and northern borders. He said he would impose a 25% tax on all products from Canada and as one of his first executive orders. A Canadian government official said Canada is preparing for every eventuality and has started thinking about what items to target with tariffs in retaliation. The official stressed no decision has been made. The person spoke on condition of anonymity as they were not authorized to speak publicly. When Trump imposed higher tariffs during his first term in office, other countries responded with retaliatory tariffs of their own. Canada, for instance, announced against the U.S. in a tit-for-tat response to new taxes on Canadian steel and aluminum. Many of the U.S. products were chosen for their political rather than economic impact. For example, Canada imports $3 million worth of yogurt from the U.S. annually and most comes from one plant in Wisconsin, home state of then-House Speaker Paul Ryan. That product was hit with a 10% duty. Another product on the list was whiskey, which comes from Tennessee and Kentucky, the latter of which is the home state of then-Republican Senate leader Mitch McConnell. Trump made the threat Monday while railing against an influx of illegal migrants, even though the numbers at Canadian border pale in comparison to the southern border. The U.S. Border Patrol made 56,530 arrests at the Mexican border in October alone — and 23,721 arrests at the Canadian one between October 2023 and September 2024. Canadian officials say lumping Canada in with Mexico is unfair but say they are happy to work with the Trump administration to lower the numbers from Canada. The Canadians are also worried about a influx north of migrants if Trump follows through with his plan for mass deportations. Trump also railed about fentanyl from Mexico and Canada, even though seizures from the Canadian border pale in comparison to the Mexican border. U.S. customs agents seized 43 pounds of fentanyl at the Canadian border last fiscal year, compared with 21,100 pounds at the Mexican border. Related Articles Canadian officials argue their country is not the problem and that tariffs will have severe implications for both countries. Canada is the top export destination for 36 U.S. states. Nearly $3.6 billion Canadian (US$2.7 billion) worth of goods and services cross the border each day. About 60% of U.S. crude oil imports are from Canada, and 85% of U.S. electricity imports are from Canada. Canada is also the largest foreign supplier of steel, aluminum and uranium to the U.S. and has 34 critical minerals and metals that the Pentagon is eager for and investing in for national security. “Canada is essential to the United States’ domestic energy supply,” Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland said. Trump has pledged to cut American energy bills in half within 18 months, something that could be made harder if a 25% premium is added to Canadian oil imports. In 2023, Canadian oil accounted for almost two-thirds of total U.S. oil imports and about one-fifth of the U.S. oil supply. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is holding a emergency virtual meeting on Wednesday with the leaders of Canada’s provinces, who want Trudeau to negotiate a bilateral trade deal with the United States that Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said Wednesday that her administration is already working up a list of possible retaliatory tariffs “if the situation comes to that.”
Everton captain Seamus Coleman has described any credit he has received for Erling Haaland's Boxing Day penalty failure as "nonsense". Sean Dyche's side followed goalless draws against title-chasing Arsenal and Chelsea with a 1-1 draw against ailing Premier League champions City after Iliman Ndiaye's brilliant finish cancelled out Bernardo Silva's 14th-minute opener. The game was all-square early in the second half when Vitaly Mykolenko brought down Savinho in the area, only for Jordan Pickford to guess correctly and make a fine save to deny Haaland from 12 yards. Prior to the kick, Coleman tried to get in Haaland's ear and his act of gamesmanship brought a booking. Speaking to reporters after the match, the veteran Republic of Ireland defender baulked at the idea he should share any credit with Pickford. MORE: All the latest Man City news | Premier League schedule for 2024/25 | Latest Premier League top scorer rankings "Listen, getting in his head is probably not an easy thing to do with what he's achieved in the game and what he's done in the game and what all them Man City players have done in the game and the manager has done in the game," Coleman said. "They're an example and a top team who are going through maybe a little bit of a tough moment at the minute but who doesn't? "We all do and they're all human but it's only nonsense really. Anything you can do." Jordan Pickford knew exactly what to do when it came to penalties against Man City 😅 pic.twitter.com/OkyP8UQ3pv Pickford has proved to be a regular hero in penalty shootouts for England and sits atop the Premier League's Golden Glove standings despite Everton's relatively lowly position in the table. "Yeah, Jordan's been good at penalties. I'll have to listen to him talk about it on the way home now which is unfortunate," Coleman quipped. "No, he's a top-class keeper and it's more about Jordan than me. He's a great lad and he's a fantastic goalkeeper and one of Everton's best. "I think and been a massive part of our survival the last three or four years and just a normal down-to-earth lad as well."Pathstone Holdings LLC Has $4.53 Million Position in Fortinet, Inc. (NASDAQ:FTNT)
The slump in the number of people heading to the shops during Boxing Day sales signals a return to declining pre-pandemic levels, an analyst has said. Boxing Day shopper footfall was down 7.9% from last year across all UK retail destinations up until 5pm, MRI Software’s OnLocation Footfall Index found. However, this year’s data had been compared with an unusual spike in footfall as 2023 was the first “proper Christmas” period without Covid-19 pandemic restrictions, an analyst at the retail technology company said. It found £4.6 billion will be spent overall on the festive sales. Before the pandemic the number of Boxing Day shoppers on the streets had been declining year on year. The last uplift recorded by MRI was in 2015. Jenni Matthews, marketing and insights director at MRI Software, told the PA news agency: “We’ve got to bear in mind that (last year) was our first proper Christmas without any (Covid-19) restrictions or limitations. “Figures have come out that things have stabilised, we’re almost back to what we saw pre-pandemic.” There were year-on-year declines in footfall anywhere between 5% and 12% before Covid-19 restrictions, she said. MRI found 12% fewer people were out shopping on Boxing Day in 2019 than in 2018, and there were 3% fewer in 2018 than in 2017, Ms Matthews added. She said: “It’s the shift to online shopping, it’s the convenience, you’ve got the family days that take place on Christmas Day and Boxing Day.” People are also increasingly stocking-up before Christmas, Ms Matthews said, and MRI found an 18% increase in footfall at all UK retail destinations on Christmas Eve this year compared with 2023. Ms Matthews said: “We see the shops are full of people all the way up to Christmas Eve, so they’ve probably got a couple of good days of food, goodies, everything that they need, and they don’t really need to go out again until later on in that week. “We did see that big boost on Christmas Eve. It looks like shoppers may have concentrated much of their spending in that pre-Christmas rush.” Many online sales kicked off between December 23 and the night of Christmas Day and “a lot of people would have grabbed those bargains from the comfort of their own home”, she said. She added: “I feel like it’s becoming more and more common that people are grabbing the bargains pre-Christmas.” Footfall is expected to rise on December 27 as people emerge from family visits and shops re-open, including Next, Marks and Spencer and John Lewis that all shut for Boxing Day. It will also be payday for some as it is the last Friday of the month. A study by Barclays Consumer Spend had forecast that shoppers would spend £236 each on average in the Boxing Day sales this year, but that the majority of purchases would be made online. Nearly half of respondents said the cost-of-living crisis will affect their post-Christmas shopping but the forecast average spend is still £50 more per person than it was before the pandemic, with some of that figure because of inflation, Barclays said. Amid the financial pressures, many people are planning to buy practical, perishable and essential items such as food and kitchenware. A total of 65% of shoppers are expecting to spend the majority of their sales budget online. Last year, Barclays found 63.9% of Boxing Day retail purchases were made online. However, a quarter of respondents aim to spend mostly in store – an 11% rise compared with last year. Karen Johnson, head of retail at Barclays, said: “Despite the ongoing cost-of-living pressures, it is encouraging to hear that consumers will be actively participating in the post-Christmas sales. “This year, we’re likely to see a shift towards practicality and sustainability, with more shoppers looking to bag bargains on kitchen appliances and second-hand goods.” Consumers choose in-store shopping largely because they enjoy the social aspect and touching items before they buy, Barclays said, adding that high streets and shopping centres are the most popular destinations.Kanpur: A Provincial Police Services officer, accused of sexually exploiting an IIT Kanpur student, now faces more charges. A fresh FIR against him accused him of criminal intimidation and defamation, said police on Thursday. The survivor alleged the official had threatened her of serious consequences and of circulating defamatory material against her. ACP Abhishek Pandey confirmed the new FIR lodged on Tuesday against the PPS officer and his legal representative were under specific sections of the Bhartiya Nyay Sanhita and Information Technology Act . Pandey said questioning of the police officer and his lawyer was likely if necessary as they had allegedly shared objectionable content on social media platforms to damage the complainant's image. The student approached senior officials, including police commissioner Akhil Kumar, who authorised additional FIR against the officer and his advocate. The student reiterated her accusations of sexual exploitation by the PPS officer under false promise of marriage. A five-member special investigation team, headed by additional DCP (traffic) Archana Singh, has been set up to probe the matter. The complainant provided the SIT with conversation records allegedly showing the accused's communication. The PPS officer was reassigned to DGP headquarters on Dec 12 following the initial accusations. Official records show he recently began PhD studies at IIT Kanpur. Reports indicate he allegedly developed a relationship with the woman at the institute, promising to marry her after divorcing his wife. The complainant sought police intervention after he reportedly declined to fulfil his commitment. Stay updated with the latest news on Times of India . Don't miss daily games like Crossword , Sudoku , Location Guesser and Mini Crossword .
