London - UK retailers breathed a sigh of relief as Black Friday started without the mayhem that characterised the event last year.
Tesco, the UK’s largest retailer, is “very pleased” with how the day is progressing and has witnessed no repeat of the unrest that occurred at some stores last year, according to a company official. The supermarket chain closed all its larger stores, which are usually open 24 hours a day, between midnight and 5 a.m. to give staff time to prepare. Orderly lines formed outside many outlets before shoppers were allowed in.
In the UK, Black Friday sales events are still in their infancy. Retailers were caught out by their popularity last year, when camera crews filmed bargain hunters flooding into stores and fighting over an inadequate number of cut-price televisions and smartphones. To prevent a repeat, Wal-Mart Stores Inc.’s Asda cancelled Black Friday this year, opting to spread its discounting from November into January.
“The day is beginning to become synonymous with queues, brawls and general mayhem,” Tim Vallance, lead director of UK retail at property firm JLL, said by e-mail. “Consumers and retailers alike will want to see more orders driven online.”
A recent poll suggests that may be happening. Only 13 percent of Britons planned to visit a store to grab a bargain this Black Friday, compared with 35 percent that intended to scour websites for deals, according to a survey conducted yesterday by researcher Kantar. More than half of the 3 604 people interviewed had no plans to seek a discount.
Currys PC World, a unit of Dixons Carphone, said it had a record start to Black Friday, with 30 televisions being sold online every minute. Mobile usage peaked as deals went live at 6 a.m., the retailer said in an e-mail.
BLOOMBERG