Consumers rush for cash

Consumers rush for cash

Retailers had a good week judging by cash machine usage. Link, the UK's largest cash machine network, was 40 per cent busier on the first day of the January sales - Thursday - than on the comparable day last year. Jim Nix, general manager of Link, said pounds 23.8m was withdrawn compared with pounds 16.6m a year earlier.

He added: "The marked leap is due to greater consumer confidence or a reluctance to use credit cards when shopping - with cash the purchase is instant with no unpleasant bills to follow."