Queues at Newport Retail Park before sun rose today

Hundreds of people waited patiently outside Next at Newport Retail Park before the sun rose, with the store reaching capacity by 7am.

In comparison, the city’s high street reassembled a ghost town with many shops such as Waterstones, jewellers F Hinds and Greggs choosing to remain closed.

New Look manager Heidi Baker said her store in Newport Retail Park followed Next's lead and also opened at 6am.

She said: “It was crazy by 7am. We had done a whole day’s worth of sales by 11am.

“Last year we had queues outside because we opened later but this year we just had people coming in after going to Next.

“It’s always the busiest day of the year.”

By lunchtime, shoppers were driving around waiting for a space to park at the retail park.

At Mendalgief Retail Park, in Docks Way, deputy store manager Leanne Maloney at Next’s clearance store said there had been a steady stream of shoppers, but nothing like what the retail park store had seen.

She said she hoped to get busier later in the day as people popped in after visiting Newport Retail Park.

Meanwhile, many traders in Newport city centre did not even open causing the high street to look empty of bargain hunters.

Manager Ashley Newman, at fashion retailer Select, admitted the city centre had been “dead” but hoped next year would improve after the Friars Walk development opens.

“Nobody’s taking enough to warrant them being open,” she said. “They probably pay more in wages and electrics than they would get in takings. It’s just dead. It’s really sad to see.

“Until Friars Walk is done, I don’t think we’re going to see it pick up.

“I think it [Friars Walk] is going to improve things massively. We’ve just got to hold on and hope.

“I remember when I was a kid, we would get ready to come to town, you could get everything in town. One of the biggest things is when M&S moved out of town, a lot of people came here just for that.”