Black Friday a losing game for UK retailers?

The post-Thanksgiving discount shopping bonanza, Black Friday, is a relatively recent import to the UK, and it may not be around much longer. Supermarket chain Asda will not offer special discounts this year, and research shows that 28% of major retailers in both the UK and US believe it is “an unprofitable and unsustainable promotion”, according to CityAM. Retailers without an established omnichannel presence to cope with the one-day spike in demand risk denting their long-term sales. While UK online sales are expected to reach £1 billion ($1.5 billion) on November 27th, UK retailers could lose £130 million ($195 million) handling the returned items, according to The Telegraph.