X-Factor's Leona certain to be UK Xmas number one

LONDON, Dec 23 (Reuters) X-Factor winner Leona Lewis is certain to be the Christmas number one, retailers said as bookmakers complained that Simon Cowell had sunk the annual guessing game of who would take the coveted top pop spot.

Retailer HMV said sales of Leona's ''A Moment Like This'' could reach 500,000 and may even top 750,000 by Christmas.

''It is absolutely no contest,'' said HMV spokesman Gennaro Castaldo.

''If sales reach 750,000 that would make it the second biggest single of the year after Gnarls Barclay's 'Crazy','' he told Reuters yesterday.

''It is already the fastest ever music download in Britain.

She sold 100,000 in the first two days,'' he said. ''She is outselling everyone else by a margin of about 10-1.'' Cliff Richard had pleaded with fans to buy his single ''21st Century Christmas'' in a bid to give him a number one in the sixth decade of the charts.

Richard can already boast at least one number one single in each of the first five decades since the inception of the singles charts in the 1950s, and a Christmas chart topper in 2006 would have made it a perfect six.

However, the pulling power of the X-Factor TV contest proved too powerful for the 66-year-old rocker.

''It was a very creditable performance against the young guns,'' said Castaldo.

''The market in singles is ebbing away. But after the X-Factor, mums and parents go out to buy the winner. At 3.99 (pounds) it's a no-brainer as a stocking filler,'' he added.

On Sunday night bookmakers William Hill suspended betting on the Christmas number one as Leona looked such a certainty.

''In previous years, the Christmas number one has been a six-figure market for us,'' spokesman Rupert Adams told Reuters.

''Simon Cowell has signed an X-Factor contract until 2009. He has possibly killed the Christmas number one market for good.'' Reuters MQA GC0413