Boxing Day Sales
By Alex Bosier · 15 years in the UK deals and savings industry (VoucherCodes, Atolls) · LinkedIn
Published 18 May 2026
Boxing Day sales are the UK’s biggest post-Christmas shopping event — a stretch of clearance pricing that begins on 26 December and runs into the first week of January. They are driven by a structural fact: once Christmas has passed, retailers need to move the stock they have left, and the pricing reflects that.
This page is a plain-English explainer of how the event works. For our editorial picks of where to shop first when the sales go live, see the best Boxing Day deals guide.
What are Boxing Day sales?
The shape of the event has changed over the past decade. Twenty years ago, Boxing Day meant queueing outside a department store at 6am. Today, most of the action happens online from midnight, and the in-store side has shrunk.
The reason the discounts are sharper than ordinary sale periods is simple stock economics. Retailers over-order for Christmas because the upside of selling out is bigger than the downside of clearing a small surplus. By 26 December, anything that hasn’t sold is now last year’s stock — and prices fall accordingly. That’s why the event behaves very differently from Black Friday, which is a marketing-led event in the run-up to Christmas demand rather than a clearance one after it.
When do Boxing Day sales start in the UK?
Boxing Day itself is 26 December. Online sales typically open earlier — either on Christmas Eve afternoon or at midnight on 26 December. In-store sales open from around 8–9am, though some department stores open earlier, and IKEA closes on Boxing Day and launches its sale on 27 December instead.
Most retailers continue discounting through the first week of January as a New Year clearance, with fashion and homeware often running to the end of January. For 2026 specifically, 26 December lands on a weekend day, which usually means heavier online traffic at the launch and a longer in-store window across that first weekend. For the exact launch times, the Boxing Day dates 2026 guide has the retailer-by-retailer rundown.
What to buy in Boxing Day sales
A few categories do most of the real discounting work every year. These are the ones to plan around.
TVs — One of the strongest categories. Outgoing OLED and QLED models clear ahead of the January CES model refresh, and Currys leads the field for stock breadth. Specific 55”–65” panels often hit their lowest prices of the year here.
Major appliances — Washing machines, fridge-freezers, dishwashers and cookers see real clearance pricing at Currys, AO and John Lewis. Less time-pressured than TVs, with deeper stock and longer-running offers.
Toys — One of the clearest cases of Christmas surplus clearance. LEGO, board games and branded toy lines drop sharply at Argos, Smyths and Amazon, with the deepest discounts on mid-tier sets that weren’t the year’s must-have item.
Beauty — Fragrance and skincare gift sets are the standout. Boots Star Gifts clearance is one of the year’s best beauty moments, and Selfridges, M&S and John Lewis Beauty are the premium-end equivalents.
Furniture — Sofas, dining sets and home-office furniture see meaningful discounting, particularly at Wayfair and Dunelm. Worth noting that delivery on larger items can push into mid-January.
Fashion — Broad clearance across Next, ASOS, M&S and the high street. Less time-pressured than electricals, and the discounts often deepen into early January if your size and colour aren’t picked over.
Which retailers usually run Boxing Day sales
Not every UK retailer runs a meaningful Boxing Day event. These are the ones with a consistent track record across multiple years.
- Currys — TVs, laptops, large appliances. Sale typically opens online late on Christmas Eve. Visit the Currys sale for the live event view.
- John Lewis — Premium electricals, Beauty Hall fragrance, furniture, fashion. The 2-year guarantee on electrical items is the differentiator. Visit the John Lewis sale.
- Argos — Toys, smaller appliances, mid-tier electricals. Strong Click & Collect coverage on 26 December. Visit the Argos sale.
- Boots — Beauty, fragrance gift sets and Star Gifts clearance. Often the best high-street beauty event of the year. Visit the Boots sale.
- AO — Specialist for washing machines, fridge-freezers and large kitchen appliances. Free old-appliance disposal is a real cost saving. Visit the AO sale.
- Next — One of the most significant UK fashion sale events. VIP members get earlier online access; the public sale opens on 26 December.
- Dunelm — Bedding, soft furnishings and homeware. Less urgent than the electrical categories, with stock depth into January.
- Selfridges — Premium beauty, fragrance and designer fashion. Worth checking for higher-ticket items priced into a sharper discount band.
Other retailers — Amazon, ASOS, Smyths, Wayfair, Sephora — also participate. The list above is the editorial first-stop set, not an exhaustive directory.
How to tell whether a Boxing Day sale is actually good
The hardest part of any sale is separating real discounts from optimistic “was/now” pricing. A few quick checks make the difference.
- Look at the price history, not the retailer’s “was” price. For Amazon items, a price-history tool shows whether the listed “was” price was ever actually paid. For other retailers, search the model number and check what it sold for during Black Friday — if the Boxing Day price isn’t lower, the Black Friday window was the better moment.
- Compare two retailers on the same SKU. A 25% saving sounds good until you find the same washing machine 8% cheaper at a competitor with free disposal. Spend two minutes comparing before you click buy.
- Read the returns and delivery terms. A great furniture price isn’t great if the delivery window is six weeks. A discounted electrical isn’t great if the warranty has been cut.
- Don’t trust round-number RRPs. If a TV’s “RRP” is exactly £1,500 and the sale price is exactly £999, that’s marketing pricing, not clearance pricing. Cross-check the model on a price-comparison site.
Offers change, stock moves, and prices vary by retailer and by minute. Treat any specific figure as a starting point, not a guarantee — confirm the final price on the retailer’s site before committing.
Boxing Day vs Black Friday vs January sales
Each event has its own logic. Knowing which one suits your purchase saves money and avoids buying at the wrong moment.
- Black Friday (late November) is strongest for laptops, smaller electronics, headphones and most tech. Stock is deeper, discounts on current-generation tech are sharper, and most retailers protect their best electronics pricing for this window.
- Boxing Day (26 December onwards) is strongest for toys, beauty, fashion, homeware, large TVs and major appliances. The mechanism is clearance, not marketing.
- January sales are largely an extension of Boxing Day. Stock depth narrows, but the discounts often deepen further on fashion, bedding and broader homeware as retailers clear what’s left.
The deeper version of this comparison sits in the Boxing Day vs Black Friday guide and the January sales vs Boxing Day guide.
Practical checklist before buying
A short list to run through before you press buy on Boxing Day.
- Set a maximum spend before you open any retailer site.
- Build a shortlist of two or three specific products, by model number where possible.
- Check the current non-sale price elsewhere before you buy.
- Compare two retailers on the same SKU — the cheaper headline isn’t always the cheaper total.
- Confirm the delivery window, the returns policy and the warranty.
- For high-demand items (TVs, popular toys, Star Gifts), be ready at midnight on 26 December. For most other categories, the first weekend of the sale is fine.
Boxing Day rewards a small amount of planning.
Top retailers for Boxing Day Sales
Currys leads the UK Boxing Day TV event — for a structural reason. Here's what to expect from the 2026 sale and where the deals are sharpest.
John Lewis Boxing Day rewards the patient: premium brands, 2-year guarantees, and selective but reliable discounts. What to target in 2026.
Argos clears stock fast at Boxing Day — toys, electricals, and small appliances move first. Timing, top categories, and what to skip in 2026.
Top deals to watch
Boxing Day is the strongest TV sale moment of the year, driven by January's CES refresh. Best UK retailers, top models, and what to expect in 2026.
See deals → Major Appliances Boxing Day Major Appliance Deals 2026Currys, AO, John Lewis and Hughes compared on washing machines, fridge-freezers, dishwashers, tumble dryers and cookers — discounts, delivery and warranties.
See deals → Toys Toys Boxing Day Deals 2026Toys Boxing Day Deals 2026 in the UK for 2026, including the retailers to watch, the sale patterns to expect, and where value tends to be strongest.
See deals →Frequently asked questions
- When do Boxing Day sales start?
- Most large UK retailers go live online either on Christmas Eve afternoon or at midnight on 26 December. In-store sales open from around 8–9am on Boxing Day, depending on the retailer. The event then runs as a New Year clearance through to around the first week of January.
- Are Boxing Day sales worth waiting for?
- For toys, beauty gift sets, fashion, homeware and most TVs — yes. These are categories where post-Christmas clearance creates genuine value. For laptops, smaller electronics and most tech accessories, Black Friday in November usually delivers deeper discounts.
- Do Boxing Day sales last more than one day?
- Almost always. The branding focuses on 26 December, but the actual sale period runs into early January at most retailers. The best stock often moves in the first 48 hours, especially in toys, fragrance and popular TV sizes. Slower categories — bedding, furniture, broad fashion — keep discounting deeper into the period.
- Are Boxing Day prices the lowest of the year?
- Sometimes, but not always. Boxing Day tends to deliver the year's strongest discounts on fashion, beauty gift sets and toys. Electronics and laptops are often cheaper at Black Friday. The honest check is to look at the item's price history, not the retailer's "was" price.
- Which UK retailers run the biggest Boxing Day sales?
- Currys, John Lewis, Argos, Boots, Next, AO, Dunelm and Selfridges are the most consistent. Each one matters for different categories — Currys and AO for large electricals, Boots for beauty, Next and ASOS for fashion, Argos for toys, Dunelm for home.
Related coverage
Guides
Best Boxing Day Deals 2026: Where to Shop First
An editorial shortlist of the retailers and categories most worth checking first when the 2026 Boxing Day sales go live in the UK.
Boxing Day vs Black Friday: Which Is Better in 2026?
Price data shows Boxing Day edges out Black Friday on average discounts — but the answer depends on what you're buying. A category-by-category breakdown based on 15 years of watching both events.
January Sales vs Boxing Day: When to Buy
When Boxing Day is the right buying moment, when the January sales are better, and which categories are worth waiting on in the UK.