Bluewater is bracing itself for an influx of last-minute male shoppers.

The shopping centre in Greenhithe has opened its doors for a ‘Panic Saturday’ which is set to see shoppers spend £1.2bn across the country – that’s £21m every minute.

Seven out of 10 shoppers are expected to be men.

Gift cards are finding favour with Bluewater’s Christmas shoppers as they reduce the chance of buying unwanted presents.

Thrifty consumers are snapping up £2m worth of gift cards at Bluewater, up 13 per cent on last year.

Bluewater general manager Robert Goodman said: “This has been an exceptional year for Bluewater and our retailers with footfall and sales strong throughout the year.

“We’ve seen a rising trend of visitors making the most of our extended opening hours by visiting earlier and staying later as our doors stay open till 11pm.”