Stay-at-home shoppers desert Dixons

STAY-AT-HOME US shoppers spent close to £14 billion over the festive season, e-beancounters reckon.

Online sales boomed across the US and Europe and the only outfit complaining seems to be high street retail firm Dixons Stores Group.

Postmen in the UK enjoyed a brisk seasonal trade as turning to Amazon proved easier than queuing in BHS.

But PC World was one of the last places people fancied popping down, apparently.

Admitting sales at PC World were down 10 per cent in the run-up to Christmas, DSG warned that its profits were likely to fall £50 million short of analyst predictions.

And these were already a bit grim, following DSG's confession that the fan was about be struck by a fast-moving and rather sticky-looking object. Poor sales were the fault of Vista, it blithered then.

In the US, seasonal online spending was up 21 per cent on last year, including a busy couple of days on December 26 and 27th, according to research firm Comscore's estimates.

Online shoppers spent some 19 per cent more than they did in 2006 between Thanksgiving and Mithrasmas, apparently.

Comscore reckons that US online shoppers will have spent around $30 billion between 1 November and the end of 2006, up 20 per cent on 2006

Meanwhile, DSG shares fell over 20 per cent in this morning. Stores will undoubtedly close. µ

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