The Entertainer, Smyths, Argos and Harrods all jump on board the US tradition as predicted UK consumer spend hits £360,000 a minute today.
Websites have been crashing, shoppers have been clashing and the police have even been called to supermarkets across the UK to temper crowd surges.
Yes, it’s that day of mass discounting, sale-induced frenzy. It’s Black Friday.
And the UK toy industry is certainly looking to make the most of the High Street and online crowds this year, with numerous retailers and toy companies launching their own Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals.
Quintessentially British firm, Hornby was among the first of the UK toy companies to tackle the US sales tradition, with discounts running across its numerous model railway sets. Deals will be running on the site over the weekend.
Argos, Tesco Direct and GAME have been among some of the worst affected by the onslaught of bargain hunters, each experiencing technical difficulties and website crashes owing to overwhelming site traffic.
With report of fights breaking out across shopping UK centres, the Black Friday tradition is sweeping the UK.
Spotting the opportunity for increased sales, Toys R Us, Argos, The Entertainer, Smyths, Harrods and Target are among the toy retailers embracing the custom.
The Entertainer kickstarted its own Black Friday deals with discounts running across Frozen toys, Furbies, Nerf and many other highly sort-after toys for this Christmas.
Online deals at The Entertainer begun yesterday (Thursday, November 27th) at 5pm, ahead of shops opening today from 8am.
Meanwhile, Smyths is offering up to 50 per cent off ‘hundreds of toys’ including Skylanders Trap Team Starter Packs and Disney Infinity 2.0 figures and packs.
With so many promotions running across UK retailers, VISA predicts that consumer spend will hit £360,000 every minute during today’s sales, with a further £281 million in sales expected for Cyber Monday.
With those kind of predicted figures, UK retailers are surely in for a good Christmas. If they make it out in one piece, of course.