Retailers plan promotional Christmas

LONDON (Reuters) - Retailers are preparing themselves for another promotion-led Christmas trading period, according to a survey published on Wednesday.

The New West End Company, which represents retailers in London's West End, interviewed over 100 store owners in the capital and found 40 percent have already confirmed they will use sales led promotional days and in-store discounts to entice shoppers in the lead up to Christmas.

The survey found 60 percent of stores will lengthen trading hours in December to encourage shoppers hit by recession.

Last month, the chief executive of department stores group Debenhams, Rob Templeman, forecast another cut-throat festive period with sales promotions as rife this Christmas as they were last year.

However, last week Stuart Rose, executive chairman of clothing, homewares and food group Marks & Spencer, said he did not expect a repeat of the "blanket type" promotional activity of Christmas 2008 and intended to trade at full price up to December 25.

The New West End Company published the survey as it announced that on Saturday December 5 London's Oxford Street and Regent Street would be traffic free.

(Reporting by James Davey; Editing by Jon Loades-Carter)