In Paris, early January is the time of year to shop till you drop – the sales are on. The designer shops of the French capital are a magnet for bargain hunters. More and more wealthy Russians are making the most of the Paris sales.

The Paris sales have opened and the city’s shops are being bombarded by the Japanese, Chinese, Americans and of course the Russians.

Paul Roll, the head of the Paris tourism office, claimed this year the city is on a shopper-friendly drive.

“We’re focussing on attracting people to the winter sales in Paris. It’s a good time for people to visit because hotels are cheaper at this time of year. Hotels organise all sorts of promotions and then of course tourists can profit from the winter sales,” he said.

Tourists are being bussed in and around the city there are shopping checkpoints.

The Russian spenders prefer the 8th arrondissement of Paris with its designer shops. According to the city's Tourist office, they spend an average of almost €2,000 in each shop they visit.

“A Russian came to our store a few weeks ago and spent an enormous amount of money on our luxury goods floor. She’s coming again to shop during the sales like many other Russians,” a department store administrator told RT.

The footwear floor is expecting to sell 15 thousand pairs of shoes in one day. Russian buyers know they get the original clothes from designers here.

They may have only just begun but some Parisians are sick of the sales already. They prefer to spend a bit more money when the sales aren’t on rather than waiting in long queues at the till.

But others say they are going to shop till they drop.

Paris is hoping to overtake other cities like London as the world's shopping capital.