Retailers are preparing for a critical trading weekend which could make or break their Christmas profits, experts have said.

High street chains have been pulling out all the stops - such as heavy discounting - as consumers embark on their final Christmas shopping trips.

It follows decreased in-store footfall over the last few days.

The number of shoppers in stores slumped by 5.9 per cent on Tuesday and by 8.7 per cent on Wednesday, compared with the same period of 2006.

A rise in online shopping as well as less trips to the high street due to the cold weather are two factors behind the lower footfall.

The British Retail Consortium (BRC) has warned that retailers will find it hard to hit a 2 per cent year-on-year sales increase this month as a result.

New West End spokesman Jace Tyrrell said this weekend would be make or break for some traders.

"It is critical. It has been a very slow start to Christmas," he said.

"Retailers are pulling out all the stops. I think we have got more sales than we have ever had. It is a make or break weekend for some of the retailers in the West End."

The BRC said today would be a key trading day for many stores because of shorter opening hours on Sunday.

Supermarket chains expect Sunday and Christmas Eve to be busy as shoppers hit the stores for last minute food and drink purchases.

Asda and Tesco are planning to open stores earlier than usual on Christmas Eve to meet anticipated demand.

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