Black Friday bombed on the High Street suggesting stores will be forced to ramp up promotions and deals ahead of Christmas.
So-called ‘like for like’ sales of non-food products, everything from toys to fashions, TVs and household appliances, fell in November compared to last year.
Figures from the British Retail Consortium (BRC) suggest British shoppers are refusing to be caught up in the hype around the imported American event.
Black Friday bombed on the High Street suggesting stores will be forced to ramp up promotions and deals ahead of Christmas (file photo)
Instead, they are only making a purchase after doing thorough price research and when there is a real bargain to be had. Also many of the sales were not confined to one day but were spread over several weeks.
It is known that there were fewer people in the streets and shopping centres on Black Friday this year as people switched to bargain hunting online.
However, even the increase in internet sales was relatively modest, according to the BRC.
Despite the fact the Black Friday weekend is presented as a one-off opportunity to make big savings before Christmas, many retailers are continuing to run festive sales.
Just yesterday, Debenhams was promising ‘up to 30per cent off’ throughout its stores with a one day half-price sale on women’s dresses.
Similarly, the Currys PC World group continues to offer deals under its ‘Black Tag’ event.
![So-called ¿like for like¿ sales of non-food products, everything from toys to fashions, TVs and household appliances, fell in November compared to last year (file photo)](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2017/12/05/00/46FDD3F400000578-0-image-a-2_1512433800760.jpg)
So-called ‘like for like’ sales of non-food products, everything from toys to fashions, TVs and household appliances, fell in November compared to last year (file photo)
These promotions effectively force rivals to follow suit, including John Lewis under its Price Match promise.
The BRC’s chief executive, Helen Dickinson, said: ‘Black Friday, the big retail event of the month, failed to fundamentally shift underlying trends in spending.
‘Non-food sales – the focus of Black Friday – fell, as the squeeze on household incomes continues to impact discretionary spend.
‘Rather than increasing overall sales, the event has shifted spending away from other parts of the festive period, and focusses shoppers’ attentions online and away from stores.
![Black Friday, which was brought to this country by American tech giant Amazon, fell on November 24, the day after the Thanksgiving holiday in the US (file photo)](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2017/12/05/00/46FDD3F900000578-0-image-a-4_1512433816402.jpg)
Black Friday, which was brought to this country by American tech giant Amazon, fell on November 24, the day after the Thanksgiving holiday in the US (file photo)
‘There was a mixture of performances across the industry over Black Friday itself, with retailers reporting shoppers being tempted solely by generous promotions, but resisting other items. Gaming, wearable tech and ‘internet of things’ performed well, while toys, last year’s star performer, saw sales sharply down this year.
‘That heralds a challenging festive period ahead for retailers and shoppers alike.’
Black Friday, which was brought to this country by American tech giant Amazon, fell on November 24, the day after the Thanksgiving holiday in the US.
The BRC figures show that only a strong increase in sales of food in November, kept like for like retail sales from falling into the red.
The trade body said UK retail sales increased by 0.6per cent on a like-for-like basis in November compared to a year ago. On a total basis, which takes into account new stores, sales rose by 1.5per cent on a year ago.
Looking at sales of non-food products through bricks and mortar stores, there was a fall of 3per cent over the three months to the end of November compared to a year ago.
Online sales of non-food products were up 6.5per cent in November on a year ago, however this increase was below the figure seen in earlier months.
Over the three months to November, food sales increased 2.8per cent on a like-for-like basis and 4.0per cent on a total basis.
This is largely because prices have risen, rather than people are buying more.