Boxing Day sales 2021: jump straight to…
The Boxing Day sales are just a few days away now – with the January sales right behind them – but we’re already seeing excellent deals on everything from tech to fashion from a host of leading retailers.
Traditionally the Boxing Day sales didn’t start until 6am on December 26. But in recent years many stores have launched their Boxing Day deals early online, some by up to a week.
Iconic British department store Harrods was the first to go live this year, bringing its Boxing Day sale forward by 10 days in response to lower footfall on the high street and the “ongoing trading realities” of the pandemic, according to Harrods managing director Michael Ward in a statement. And plenty of other retailers have followed suit, with many online stores releasing their deals early via extended ‘holiday sales’ or ‘December deals’.
The Boxing Day sales can be a particularly good time to save money on electronics, video games, fashion and home items, but there are always plenty of deals in most categories as retailers look to make way for fresh stock in the new year. In some ways, Boxing Day was the UK’s original Black Friday, and while footfall has been declining for a number of years now – this has been accelerated by the pandemic – the Boxing Day and January sales are still very much going strong online.
We’ll round up all the best Boxing Day and January sales here as soon as they launch. In the meantime, here’s our pick of the best sales you can browse now, plus an A-Z index of retailers with details of what to expect in their Boxing Day sales.
Early Boxing Day sales: quick links
Currently, only a few retailers have officially launched their Boxing Day sales. Most of the big names are running holiday-themed sales, though, with some great last-minute Christmas deals – many of which we’re expecting to see reappear in the Boxing Day and January sales. Here are our highlights.
- Amazon: up to 50% off Fire Sticks, gift sets and beauty items
- Adidas: 25% off trainers, tees and hoodies at Amazon
- AirPods Pro: from £187 with a MagSafe case at Amazon
- Ao.com: big discounts on TVs, coffee machines and large appliances
- Argos: same-day delivery for toys, Christmas jumpers, jewellery
- Asos: 75% off French Connection and other fashion brands
- Boohoo: 80% off women and men’s fashion
- Boots: 50% off make up, skin care and fragrances for Boxing Day
- Box: super-cheap 4K TVs, gaming laptops and monitors
- Currys: up to £200 off kitchen appliances, TVs and more
- Dell: cheap laptop deals and high-end Alienware machines
- Disney+: subscription gift cards for £79.90
- EE: Christmas sale on contracts and SIM-only offers
- Emma mattress: 50% off in the early-access Boxing Day sale
- Eve Sleep: 35% off premium mattresses, pillows, and toppers
- Furniture Village: 20% off beds with code BEDEVENT
- GAME: 50% off Switch, Xbox and PS5 games and accessories
- Go Outdoors: up to 60% off outdoor gear
- Harrods: save 50% on fashion, beauty and luxury home items
- John Lewis: up to 50% off lighting and furniture
- LEGO: e-gift cards for last-minute Christmas shopping
- Lovehoney: big savings on sex toys and lingerie
- Majestic: up to 50% off wine, beers and spirits
- New Look: up to 60% off men, women and kids’ clothing
- Nike: save on hoodies, trainers, T-shirts, and more
- Ninja: blenders and food processors from £79 at Amazon
- Oculus Quest 2: best bundle deals with accessories at Currys
- PS5 games: from £16.90 at Amazon
- Shark: up to £200 off cordless vacuums and hair dryers
- Smart scales: from £15.99 at Amazon
- Superdrug: up to 65% off beauty, hair care and toiletries
- Three: six-month half-price Christmas sale on iPhone and SIM-only
- Tempur: free pillows, protectors, and up to £500 off mattresses
- TVs: cheap 4K TVs from £269 at Currys
- Very: big price drops on fashion, TVs, laptops, and beauty items
- Waterstones: autobiographies, cook book savings, and more
- Wiggle: up to 60% off cycle and fitness gear
- Xbox games: from £7.95 at Amazon
Boxing Day 2021 and January sales: when will they start?
The Boxing Day sales traditionally start on the morning of December 26th, although it’s not unknown for retailers to launch their deals a full week before that date and then carry them through to the end of the year.
While it depends from retailer to retailer – a lot of shops are offering up extended ‘December’ or ‘Winter’ sales this year that are highly likely to be carried through to Boxing Day and maybe even January. That said, there are definitely a few retailers still keeping their powder dry until the big day itself this week.
Either way, it’s prudent to check in early if you’re looking for a bargain in this year’s Boxing Day sales. Officially, most online Boxing Day sales will be starting at midnight, 26 December, but expect to see plenty of early Boxing Day deals dropping in the days before. As soon as they start, you’ll be able to find the best ones here on this page.
Boxing Day sales: A-Z of retailers
Here’s our exhaustive list of the best retailers to shop at during the Boxing Day sales. We’ve included a mini-review of each one to let you know when we expect the sale to officially start, plus what sort of deals you’re likely to see.
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Boxing Day and January sales: everything you need to know
When will the Boxing Day sales end – and the January sales begin?
This will vary from retailer to retailer. While some switch their Boxing Day sales into early January sales from the 27 December, others extend their Boxing Day deals right to the end of the month. Largely, though, you’ll find it’s the same offers, just packaged under a different name.
What to expect in the Boxing Day and January sales
TV deals
Boxing Day and the January sales have always been a great time to pick up a discount on a TV and we’re expecting this year’s events to be no exception to that. Currys, Amazon, and John Lewis in particular will be the retailers to beat, although AO.com, Very, and Box should also offer great deals in their own right too.
While it’s still early days, the Boxing Day sales have traditionally been a good time to pick up the latest releases from the prior year – think fancy new OLEDs or QLED displays. The newest features tend to trickle down to the cheaper models too, so if you’re looking for something a bit more affordable, then you should be well catered for too.
In particular, this year’s TVs have really focused on support for the next-gen gaming consoles – the PS5 and Xbox Series X – so if you’re one of the lucky few to have a console, then you should be able to find a deal on a capable TV too.
Computing and laptop deals
While Black Friday and Cyber Monday are traditionally heralded as the best times of the year to pick up laptop deals, we definitely wouldn’t rule out the Boxing Day sales and January sales as a close second.
Leading retailers will absolutely be looking to compete with excellent options on everything from basic Chromebooks to lavish gaming laptops – and not just to shift old stock either.
Even better still, large-scale global chip shortages haven’t really affected the laptops market too much in the UK, which means retailer shelves should be relatively well-stocked by the time Boxing Day rolls around. We’d expect manufacturers like Dell and HP to offer excellent options directly via their sites, and Amazon, Currys, Box, Laptops Direct, and Very make up the bulk of top retailer options.
Headphones, tablets, and smartwatches
Headphone crowd favorites like the Jabra Elite Active 75T and Sony WH-1000XM4 were fixtures in last year’s Boxing Day sales and there’s likely to be similar options this year. Also, we wouldn’t rule out deals on the Apple AirPods, which are always a favorite at any sales event and always tend to be on sale at Amazon these days.
Pairing up nicely with headphones will also be sales on smartwatches – namely Apple Watches and Fitbits. These exact brands were on sale over last year’s events and you’ll definitely see retailers looking to cash in on those new year’s fitness resolutions with some relevant tech.
Finally, this year’s events should also include plenty of sales on the latest tablets. On the cheaper end of things, we’ll likely see moderate price cuts on Amazon’s Fire HD tablets – a good option for the basics or kids’ devices. For those looking to spend more, this year’s iPads will most likely be the most popular choices – and the ones we recommend. Sales on the newest 10.2 and Mini models aren’t likely to be anything too crazy, but we should see healthy discounts on the slightly older Air and Pro models.
Fitness
The Boxing Day and January sales are prime time for retailers looking to cash in on those popular fitness-focused new year’s resolutions. If you think you’ll be one of many to brave the January weather for your daily jog or commute down to the local gym, then it’s likely you’ll find excellent options for fitness gadgets.
Last year’s sales included very competitive prices on the FitBit Inspire 2 and the new (at the time) FitBit Versa 3. Amazon also had a great £36 price on the Eufy Smart Scale, a discount that’s subsequently been exceeded multiple times in 2021.
Alongside tech gadgets, we also saw leading sports clothing retailers like Nike and Addidas offer excellent clearance sales over January. If you’re not a fan of that January weather (believe us, neither are we), then you’ll definitely be able to save on some new threads. If hiking is more your thing, then GoOutDoors also offered a clearance sale – very handy for boots, heavy winter coats, and hats too.