Scottish sales: Shops hope for Boxing Day retail bounce
Thousands of shoppers have hit the high streets as retailers hope for a Boxing Day boost to their sales figures.
Doors at some shopping centres across Scotland opened at 06:00 for the traditional post-Christmas sales.
Concerns over "underwhelming" retail figures in November have been easing after reports of a busy week in the run-up to Christmas Eve.
Meanwhile, the Scottish Retail Consortium (SRC) has repeated a call for a freeze in business rates.
In Aberdeen, the Union Square centre said 1.2 million people had come through its doors in the December run-up to Christmas Eve.
General manager Ryan Manson said: "The final week of trading before Christmas was buzzing, and we recorded some of our busiest days on record.
"Momentum amongst shoppers continued to build throughout the month with each week proving busier and busier."
Glasgow's Braehead Shopping Centre said it was having a very busy Boxing Day.
General manager Peter Beagley said: "Our car parks were full by mid-morning and we've been exceptionally busy for Boxing Day with tens of thousands of shoppers in the centre by 11am - it was just like a busy Saturday."
Ian McLelland, centre director at East Kilbride Shopping Centre said: "Judging from the numbers coming through the doors today, Boxing Day has proved yet again to be one of the busiest shopping days of the year."
However, the SRC said 2012 had been one of the most challenging years it had seen for sales.
Policy adviser David Martin said most stores would have had a respectable Christmas but that sales had fallen in the high street for much of the past year.