Bargain hunters hit the sales

My Account
Logout

Create an Evening Standard Account

Use your social network

Save time by using your existing account to sign in to Evening Standard

We'll never share your information or post anything to your account without your permission

Welcome! Sign in here

Use your social network

Save time by using your existing account to sign in to Evening Standard

We'll never share your information or post anything to your account without your permission

Forgot your password ?

Registration

* indicates fields that are mandatory

Email *

Password *

Confirm Password *

First name *

Surname *

Postcode *

Country *

Mobile phone number

Username *

Gender *

Year of birth *

When you sign up...

You will have access to all our online competitions, discounted offers and can post comments on our site.

You will also receive The Weekender newsletter sent every Thursday - it’s full of fantastic offers and ideas for the weekend. You can update your email preferences in your account page when you log in.

Other newsletters and emails

Homes & Property Newsletter - Yes I want to receive the weekly email with all the latest news on property in the capital

Occasionally we would also like to send you relevant emails detailing specific offers either from ourselves or carefully selected partners. If you would prefer not to receive these then please tick the appropriate boxes below. We will never pass on your details.

I do not want to receive additional offers and information from the Evening Standard

I do not want to receive additional offers and information sent by Evening Standard on behalf of carefully selected partners

Terms and Conditions

* I have read, understood and agree to be bound by the terms and conditions of Evening Standard

Registration

Mail Sent for Registration Confirmation.

A confirmation email has been sent. Please activate your account by clicking on the activation link sent in your mail box.

Branches of Marks & Spencer, Next and John Lewis all opened their doors to a rush of customers as they launched their price cuts.

Retailers said shopper numbers were on track to be the highest ever for December 27.

Three women were taken to hospital after two of them fainted and another suffered breathing problems during Next sales.

West Midlands Ambulance Service, which dealt with the calls, also treated a fourth woman who suffered a hand injury at a different branch of the fashion chain.

"Our staff were somewhat surprised to get so many calls to different branches of the same clothing company," a West Midlands Ambulance Service spokesman said.

Marks & Spencer reported 300 customers queuing outside its flagship London store before its 6am opening. Another 600 bargain hunters were queuing outside the chain's outlet in the Brent Cross shopping centre, north London, with the earliest arriving at 3am.

Next stores opened from 5am, with hundreds of shoppers queuing outside its flagship central London branch.

John Lewis also reported queues of up to 150 shoppers outside its stores ready for its post-Christmas sales. The first post-Christmas sales which launched on Boxing Day boosted customer footfall by 25.1% compared with Boxing Day 2006, figures released by the Retail FootFall Index show.

Kevin Hawkins, director general of the British Retail Consortium (BRC), said: "I guess this will have been a record day for both numbers and for sales. The issues are how far it will affect the overall figure for December, because the first three weeks of December were pretty grim so there is an awful lot to make up for."