Millions of last-minute Christmas shoppers flocked to the high street today in one of the busiest retail weekends of the year. Panic Saturday saw cities across the country packed with bargain-hunters, many hoping to secure discounts of up to 75 per cent. Over 15million people - around 31 per cent of the adult population - took to the shops today, spending an average of £196 each or £1.8m every minute. Scroll down for video . Dash: 15 million people hit the high street today, like these shoppers on Oxford Street . Tight squeeze: One of the busiest high streets in the world was packed with shoppers by lunchtime . Making an exit: Oxford Circus Station was full of people both arriving and leaving the area . £1bn was be dispensed from ATMs on Friday in preparation for the big spend, the analyst predicted. Last year shoppers spent £2.8billion, according the British Retail Consortium. Speaking today, Sally Eden, head of communications for the New West End Company, which represents 600 retailers in Bond Street, Oxford Street and Regent Street, said: 'It's very busy here. 'Over this week we've seen footfall steadily rising. Landmark: Retailers said they were 'very busy' on Saturday and expect similar numbers tomorrow . Big spender: Customers spent an average of £196 each while out shopping today . 'There's a sense of urgency because Christmas is coming and this is the last weekend. It's the first time many people who have been working can get to the shops. 'There's also a sense they are looking to make their money go further. Historically, there are always promotions leading up to Christmas. 'This is the last weekend and I think shoppers want more for their money. 'The retailers are working hard to do that but they won't go into full sales until Boxing Day.' Final push: Despite terrible weather, people were determined to get good deals in central London . David . Allinson, centre director at Manchester Arndale shopping centre, said . customer footfall is comparable with last year but sales are up. 'Not . surprisingly, we are very busy. This Saturday and Sunday we are . expecting 400,000 shoppers through the doors. 'We had a record footfall . for this time last year and we are matching that again,' he said. Busy: Crowds of people outside John Lewis on Oxford Street today. Parka coats and tablet devices were proving to be popular gifts . Same scene, different city: Newcastle's main shopping street was full of busy shoppers this afternoon . 'We have had queues to get into various stores today from 9am. Pandora, the specialist jewellers, have been very popular. 'Parka . coats are flying out the doors and it seems to be the year of the . tablet. Sales are strong in all categories but fashion and jewellery . seem to be selling particularly well. 'Even our grotto is fully booked today.' Tim . Walley, general manager at Birmingham's Bullring, said they had seen 200,000 customers come through the doors today, with another 100,000 expected tomorrow. Feeling festive? Crowds of shoppers pack into Eldon Square shopping centre in Newcastle . Shop 'till you drop: Festive shoppers took to the streets of central Manchester today . Last rush: Hundreds of people laden with bags swarmed the streets of Manchester . Officials at Bristol's Cabot Circus shopping centre, now in its fifth year, reported increased sales and customer numbers. Centre director Stephanie Lacey said: . 'Visitor numbers and sales are both up compared to Christmas 2012, with . some days showing footfall increases of more than 10 per cent. 'It is a positive sign that we have turned a corner. Similar optimism was expressed on the western side of the Severn Bridge where thousands of shoppers hit the streets of Cardiff. Helping out? One brave mother takes her little girl - who seems to have spotted something she wants for Christmas - to Newcastle's high street . High-tech: Two nuns, one holding an Apple Store bag, on London's Oxford Street today . Packed: There was barely space to breath on Manchester's high street this afternoon . St . David's, the Welsh capital's sprawling shopping complex, is said to . have had just over a million people visiting the centre every week of . this month. Centre director Steven Madeley said: 'Over 1.1 million customers visited us last week, spending around £2 million a day.' Toy retailer Hamleys had 'strong' sales, especially of interactive toys such as the relaunched Furby and robotic puppy Teksta. 'We are also looking forward to 2014 and . the fun starts with a new range of Lego Friends that we are launching . on Boxing Day,' a spokesman for the firm said. Brave: Shoppers on Oxford Street struggled with all their shopping this afternoon . Busy day: Shoppers spent £2.8billion on Panic Saturday last year and similar figures are expected today . It is also a bumper weekend for food retailers as households fill their fridges and freezers for the festive feasts. In the seven days before Christmas . Day, supermarket retailer Sainsbury's says it expects to sell 10 million . pigs in blankets, 68 million Brussels sprouts, 12 million Christmas . crackers and 2.7 million boxes of Christmas cards. And it said, judging by the amount of mincemeat sold, its customers could bake 19 million mince pies. The . retailer said record numbers of shoppers pre-ordered food and the most . popular time to collect orders was between 10am and 1pm on Monday. Rainy day: Two shoppers - armed with umbrellas - braved the wet weather this afternoon . Playing the sales: Marks and Spencer, Gap and House of Fraser all had huge discounts today . Retailers . will consider this weekend a last chance to turn their profits around . after the British Retail Consortium showed a 3.4 per cent annual drop in . footfall from September to November - the sharpest fall since August . last year. Retail sales . were up 0.3 per cent in November, while in October they fell 0.9 per cent, the latest . official figures from the sector show. Experts said it means that unless . a sharp rebound occurs in December, the fourth quarter will be . relatively flat. Shops have slashed prices to entice last minute bargain-hunters to make the most of the final shopping weekend before Christmas. Debenhams, . Mothercare, Gap, Argos and BHS are all slashing prices, while Marks . & Spencer has launched a last-minute 'Mega Day' of 30 per cent . clothing discounts. Festive fight: Shoppers fill the winding streets of York this afternoon . Big spenders: Shoppers in Derby.  Consumers will spend £1.8million every minute today . Bargains: Many shops have slashed priced by 50 per cent to entice spending-savvy shoppers . Austin . Reed is offering 25-60 per cent off all womenswear and House of Fraser . made a 'gift of indulgence' with 50 per cent off selected lines. Analyst Nick Bubb said the M&S discounts were likely to hurt the brand, irritating loyal customers who paid full price in recent weeks. He said: 'Whether it will turn out to be worth doing that in short-term, just to try to save the CEO's job, remains to be seen, but the M&S brand will suffer long-term damage.' According to some reports, one in four stores are refusing to discount for this reason. Money at the ready: Christmas shoppers drew £1bn from ATMs on Friday, Barclaycard said . Bag a bargain: Shoppers in Derby nip out for a bit of last minute shopping today . Latest official figures from the sector showed retail sales up by 0.3 per cent in November, following an October when they fell by 0.9 per cent. Experts said that it meant unless there was a sharp rebound in December, the fourth quarter would be relatively flat. The New West End Company, representing 600 retailers across Bond Street, Oxford Street, and Regent Street, said footfall was down 9.8 per cent from last year.
15million people, or 31 per cent of the nation, went shopping today .
Shoppers forked out roughly £1.8million every minute .
Some retailers say they had customers waiting for doors to open at 9am .
London's Oxford and Regent Streets packed with people this lunchtime .
Parka coats, jewellery and tablet devices proving popular gift choices .
Many retailers have slashed prices by 50 per cent to entice bargain hunters .
A staggering £1billion was withdrawn from ATMs on Friday, analysts show .
A similar number of shoppers are expected in stores tomorrow .
Millions of last-minute Christmas shoppers flocked to the high street today in one of the busiest retail weekends of the year. Panic Saturday saw cities across the country packed with bargain-hunters, many hoping to secure discounts of up to 75 per cent. Over 15million people - around 31 per cent of the adult population - took to the shops today, spending an average of £196 each or £1.8m every minute. Scroll down for video . Dash: 15 million people hit the high street today, like these shoppers on Oxford Street . Tight squeeze: One of the busiest high streets in the world was packed with shoppers by lunchtime . Making an exit: Oxford Circus Station was full of people both arriving and leaving the area . £1bn was be dispensed from ATMs on Friday in preparation for the big spend, the analyst predicted. Last year shoppers spent £2.8billion, according the British Retail Consortium. Speaking today, Sally Eden, head of communications for the New West End Company, which represents 600 retailers in Bond Street, Oxford Street and Regent Street, said: 'It's very busy here. 'Over this week we've seen footfall steadily rising. Landmark: Retailers said they were 'very busy' on Saturday and expect similar numbers tomorrow . Big spender: Customers spent an average of £196 each while out shopping today . 'There's a sense of urgency because Christmas is coming and this is the last weekend. It's the first time many people who have been working can get to the shops. 'There's also a sense they are looking to make their money go further. Historically, there are always promotions leading up to Christmas. 'This is the last weekend and I think shoppers want more for their money. 'The retailers are working hard to do that but they won't go into full sales until Boxing Day.' Final push: Despite terrible weather, people were determined to get good deals in central London . David . Allinson, centre director at Manchester Arndale shopping centre, said . customer footfall is comparable with last year but sales are up. 'Not . surprisingly, we are very busy. This Saturday and Sunday we are . expecting 400,000 shoppers through the doors. 'We had a record footfall . for this time last year and we are matching that again,' he said. Busy: Crowds of people outside John Lewis on Oxford Street today. Parka coats and tablet devices were proving to be popular gifts . Same scene, different city: Newcastle's main shopping street was full of busy shoppers this afternoon . 'We have had queues to get into various stores today from 9am. Pandora, the specialist jewellers, have been very popular. 'Parka . coats are flying out the doors and it seems to be the year of the . tablet. Sales are strong in all categories but fashion and jewellery . seem to be selling particularly well. 'Even our grotto is fully booked today.' Tim . Walley, general manager at Birmingham's Bullring, said they had seen 200,000 customers come through the doors today, with another 100,000 expected tomorrow. Feeling festive? Crowds of shoppers pack into Eldon Square shopping centre in Newcastle . Shop 'till you drop: Festive shoppers took to the streets of central Manchester today . Last rush: Hundreds of people laden with bags swarmed the streets of Manchester . Officials at Bristol's Cabot Circus shopping centre, now in its fifth year, reported increased sales and customer numbers. Centre director Stephanie Lacey said: . 'Visitor numbers and sales are both up compared to Christmas 2012, with . some days showing footfall increases of more than 10 per cent. 'It is a positive sign that we have turned a corner. Similar optimism was expressed on the western side of the Severn Bridge where thousands of shoppers hit the streets of Cardiff. Helping out? One brave mother takes her little girl - who seems to have spotted something she wants for Christmas - to Newcastle's high street . High-tech: Two nuns, one holding an Apple Store bag, on London's Oxford Street today . Packed: There was barely space to breath on Manchester's high street this afternoon . St . David's, the Welsh capital's sprawling shopping complex, is said to . have had just over a million people visiting the centre every week of . this month. Centre director Steven Madeley said: 'Over 1.1 million customers visited us last week, spending around £2 million a day.' Toy retailer Hamleys had 'strong' sales, especially of interactive toys such as the relaunched Furby and robotic puppy Teksta. 'We are also looking forward to 2014 and . the fun starts with a new range of Lego Friends that we are launching . on Boxing Day,' a spokesman for the firm said. Brave: Shoppers on Oxford Street struggled with all their shopping this afternoon . Busy day: Shoppers spent £2.8billion on Panic Saturday last year and similar figures are expected today . It is also a bumper weekend for food retailers as households fill their fridges and freezers for the festive feasts. In the seven days before Christmas . Day, supermarket retailer Sainsbury's says it expects to sell 10 million . pigs in blankets, 68 million Brussels sprouts, 12 million Christmas . crackers and 2.7 million boxes of Christmas cards. And it said, judging by the amount of mincemeat sold, its customers could bake 19 million mince pies. The . retailer said record numbers of shoppers pre-ordered food and the most . popular time to collect orders was between 10am and 1pm on Monday. Rainy day: Two shoppers - armed with umbrellas - braved the wet weather this afternoon . Playing the sales: Marks and Spencer, Gap and House of Fraser all had huge discounts today . Retailers . will consider this weekend a last chance to turn their profits around . after the British Retail Consortium showed a 3.4 per cent annual drop in . footfall from September to November - the sharpest fall since August . last year. Retail sales . were up 0.3 per cent in November, while in October they fell 0.9 per cent, the latest . official figures from the sector show. Experts said it means that unless . a sharp rebound occurs in December, the fourth quarter will be . relatively flat. Shops have slashed prices to entice last minute bargain-hunters to make the most of the final shopping weekend before Christmas. Debenhams, . Mothercare, Gap, Argos and BHS are all slashing prices, while Marks . & Spencer has launched a last-minute 'Mega Day' of 30 per cent . clothing discounts. Festive fight: Shoppers fill the winding streets of York this afternoon . Big spenders: Shoppers in Derby.  Consumers will spend £1.8million every minute today . Bargains: Many shops have slashed priced by 50 per cent to entice spending-savvy shoppers . Austin . Reed is offering 25-60 per cent off all womenswear and House of Fraser . made a 'gift of indulgence' with 50 per cent off selected lines. Analyst Nick Bubb said the M&S discounts were likely to hurt the brand, irritating loyal customers who paid full price in recent weeks. He said: 'Whether it will turn out to be worth doing that in short-term, just to try to save the CEO's job, remains to be seen, but the M&S brand will suffer long-term damage.' According to some reports, one in four stores are refusing to discount for this reason. Money at the ready: Christmas shoppers drew £1bn from ATMs on Friday, Barclaycard said . Bag a bargain: Shoppers in Derby nip out for a bit of last minute shopping today . Latest official figures from the sector showed retail sales up by 0.3 per cent in November, following an October when they fell by 0.9 per cent. Experts said that it meant unless there was a sharp rebound in December, the fourth quarter would be relatively flat. The New West End Company, representing 600 retailers across Bond Street, Oxford Street, and Regent Street, said footfall was down 9.8 per cent from last year.
of up to 75 per cent. Over 15million people - around 31 per cent of the adult population - took the world was packed with shoppers by lunchtime . was be dispensed from ATMs on Friday in and tablet devices were proving to be popular 'Parka . coats are flying out the doors and it said they had seen 200,000 customers come through tomorrow. Feeling festive? Crowds of shoppers bag, on London's Oxford Street today . Packed: year and similar figures are expected today . It have slashed prices to entice last minute spend £1.8million every minute today . Bargains: Many shops have slashed priced by 50 per cent to in four stores are refusing to discount for this bit of last minute shopping today . Latest Street, Oxford Street, and Regent Street, said