Researcher FootFall reckons Black Friday in-store shopper numbers will be down by up to 4 percent year-on-year, also impacted by some retailers – including Amazon, Argos, Marks & Spencer and Dixons Carphone – elongating Black Friday activity beyond a single day of discounts. Many deals can be availed online when the deals go live at midnight. To sweeten deal, Rubio’s site offered a free limited-edition decal to lucky buyers.
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Currys PC World has been running a 10 day Black Friday event with deals on smartwatches, portable speakers, software, and more. The hottest November 25 sales are from Target and Best Buy.
Retail expert Richard Hyman said his research had shown 26% of high street stores had opted out of Black Friday.
Is this the end of Black Friday?
The electrical retailer had 400,000 visitors per hour to its website during peak trading, a figure up 70% on past year.
The explanation for how Britons came to embrace Black Friday seems to reside in a mix of canny unbridled capitalist opportunism, the fetishizing of things American, the explosion of online shopping and two giant retailers called Walmart and Amazon.
At Pick n Pay, prices on some groceries and non-food items will be discounted by almost 60percent, said Dave Ramsden, advertising general manager. “They can often recognise a bad deal from miles away and, when they do, social media means they will spread the word about it far and wide”, said Thomas Brown, director of strategy and marketing at the CIM.
Retailers say they have noticed a drop off in demand over the last few weeks, as shoppers save up for Black Friday, and hold off on purchasing until the day.
But while the chaotic scenes of last year might be enough to deter some shoppers, Visa predicts that £1.19bn will be spent in store this year – a 4% rise on last year.
In an emailed statement, he added: “Black Friday is hugely popular with our customers and they now expect it from us as a major United Kingdom retailer”.
RAC spokesman Simon Williams said: “Due to the latest dip in the crude oil price we had predicted that the most price-competitive fuel retailers would soon be selling petrol for £1 so it is great to see that landmark price is now available across the country at the most expensive time of year”.
“Consumers will always profit from this fight, but retailers are losing more money in a discounter’s race to the bottom, eroding margins and brand reputation by trying to offer the cheapest prices”, Fitch said.
Frenzied crowds failed to materialise at shops in Britain for “Black Friday” sales, but analysts expected record online purchases amid signs that customers were rushing to the Internet instead.
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“Black Friday will soon be abandoned by the majority of the British high street”.
