Shoppers flocked to Newton Abbot town centre to hit the post Christmas sales on Wednesday. Bargain hunters hit the stores to find hundreds of discounted items in many shops in the town. Customers poured in to the stores to find the good deals on offer. 'The sale is going extremely well,' said Rachel Bond, store manager at Marks and Spencer, Newton Abbot. 'We opened at 8am, by 9am it was really picking up and between 9.30am and 10am it was heaving. In the run up to Christmas we were also very busy with food orders. 'Now with the sale on, with up to 50 per cent reductions on food, wine and, of course, clothes, we are drawing the customers in.' The Boots store in the town was also seeing a influx of customers. 'We have been really busy,' said Jill Bustock, No 7 consultant at the store. Austins, the only department store in the town, also had a stream of shoppers through its doors. 'Trading has been steady,' said Trevor Boobyer, Austins' store director. 'The fashion departments have enjoyed success and the home store is on par with last year. Our furniture and carpet store has also done very well. 'However, the busiest place of all is our restaurant, its been packed out. You'd think people hadn't eaten in the last few days,' he joked. Ron Southcombe, chairman of the Newton Abbot Market Traders' Association, hoped that the sales might bring more people into the town's market. 'Although I am not speaking for all the traders I am pleasantly surprised by how busy it has been. Several stalls in the market have sales on,' he said. 'There seems to be quite a few people around, but whether they are looking around or actually spending I can't say.'
