Independent retailers boycott Black Friday as 85% vow not to take part
The British Independent Retailers Association (Bira) said its latest survey of members found the majority will not be slashing their prices.
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.About 85% of independent retailers will not take part in Black Friday, according to new figures.
The British Independent Retailers Association (Bira) said its latest survey of members showed the majority will not be slashing their prices for Friday November 26.
The shopping day, which started in the US as a key Friday for Christmas shopping following Thanksgiving, is often a pivotal time for online retailers such as Amazon.
However, many under-pressure retailers have boycotted it in recent years.
The main reasons for them not wanting to take part in this is because they either don't agree with this idea, there are higher prices, and there is also insufficient volume to make the large discounting work
It comes amid a significant reduction in discounting among retailers keen to support their profit margins, as they recover from the heavy toll of the pandemic and enforced closures.
Retailers have also weathered supply disruption and soaring costs in recent months.
Bira, which works with more than 6,000 independent businesses, said the majority of members will not slash prices in the run-up to Christmas.
Andrew Goodacre, chief executive of Bira, said: “The main reasons for them not wanting to take part in this is because they either don’t agree with this idea, there are higher prices, and there is also insufficient volume to make the large discounting work.
“They also need to preserve their margins.
“This, coupled with many of our independents experiencing supply chain issues, this has proved to be a real challenge.”
However, he added that Bira “remains concerned” about the rising costs and supply pressures making it difficult for independent retailers to meet demand ahead of the festive trading period.
“Christmas is going to be an incredibly important season for independent retailers,” Mr Goodacre said.
“The retail sales data for October showed a promising increase, with online sales falling to 27% of total sales.
“This trend indicates that shoppers have returned to shopping on the high street as they start to prepare for the festive period.”