Originally an American tradition, Black Friday, held on the first Friday following Thanksgiving, has become an international event, kick-starting present buying with huge savings and discounts.
And as businesses across the globe prepare for this year’s event, on Friday 27 November, one town hopes to boost business even further.
Retailers in Darlington town centre are hoping to persuade shoppers to turn up to the store in person – rather than shop solely on line – and have lined up plenty of bargains to persuade them to do just that.
Throughout the course of the day, high street giants, such as BHS, along with smaller independent stores such as Chestnut Clothing, at Grange Road and Footprints at Skinnergate, will be slashing prices on everything from homeware to clothing and electrical goods.
Alex Hirst, manager of Distinct Darlington, which was set up to promote business in the town centre, said: “Nationally it is expected that Black Friday sales could hit the £1billion figure and Darlington’s shops are naturally keen to attract a slice of that.
“Many have been increasing their stock considerably in order to meet projected demand and a great deal of thought has gone into the offers and discounts they will be offering.
“They are also keen to attract people into the stores and have come up with some great bargains which won’t be available on-line.
Last year Black Friday resulted in a national online spend of £810m with discounts averaging 37 per cent.
To help shoppers identify bargains and track down discounts, Distinct Darlington will be highlighting special offers on its facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/DistinctDarlington
For further information about Distinct Darlington visit www.distinctdarlington.co.uk.
