A week of late-night shopping at the Black Country’s Merry Hill Shopping Centre got off to a slow start with most shoppers opting to leave two hours before closing time.

Stores at the centre in Brierley Hill stayed open until midnight for the first time last night – but only a small number of shoppers kept tills ringing until the very end.

Many of those who remained said they believed the vast majority of fellow bargain hunters had left early because they were unaware the centre was remaining open until midnight.

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A week of late-night shopping at the Black Country’s Merry Hill Shopping Centre got off to a slow start with most shoppers opting to leave two hours before closing time.

Stores at the centre in Brierley Hill stayed open until midnight for the first time last night – but only a small number of shoppers kept tills ringing until the very end.

Many of those who remained said they believed the vast majority of fellow bargain hunters had left early because they were unaware the centre was remaining open until midnight.Aisles, stores and car parks around the complex were bustling until the centre’s usual closing time of 10pm when people started to leave in large numbers loaded down with shopping.

By 11pm car parks around the centre were mostly empty and shoppers remaining were able to walk leisurely around the centre for the last hour of trading.

Shopper Susan Salisbury said she had not realised the centre was opening late at first and believed others may have been under the same impression.

“When I came down earlier this evening I was under the impression the store was closing around 10pm. It was only when someone told me I knew differently,” she said.

“It was really busy around the entire centre at about 7pm. Perhaps they were under the same impression as me and thought they had to be out by 10pm.

“However as we get closer to Christmas and more people hear of the midnight closing I am certain people will take full advantage of the longer opening hours.

“For me it is great because it is so relaxed at the moment.”

No serious traffic problems were experienced at the centre but long queues formed between 6pm and 7pm as people started arriving at the centre for their night’s shopping.

The centre will be open until midnight for the remainder of this week but will close at 5pm on Christmas Eve.

A spokesman for the Merry Hill Shopping Centre said it is expecting around 650,000 shoppers through its doors this week and more than 550,000 shoppers heading to the centre during the week between Christmas and new year.