Express & Star

Black Friday: More in West Midlands willing to part with cash

West Midlands shoppers are increasingly willing to part with their money during Black Friday and Cyber Monday.

Published
Black Friday

A survey of 2,000 adults by Opinium for PricewaterhouseCoopers found the promotional weekend, an import from the United States which begins on November 24 this yea, will be most popular with the younger generation of shoppers.

The survey found 70 per cent of shoppers under 25 wereinterested in the weekend’s sales. Across the UK, Londoners intend to spend the most money – an average of almost £300– whilst shoppers in the West Midlands will spend less than £180.

Technology and electricals are by far the most in demand items, with 37 per cent of West Midlands shoppers who intend to part with their money over the Black Friday weekend saying they’ll spend most of their money on these categories. Toys, homeware and clothing are less popular, but one in five Black Friday shoppers still intend to spend money on them.

Matthew Hammond, PwC’s Midlands regional chairman and Birmingham office senior partner, said: “Technology and electrical items are in demand this Black Friday weekend and retailers who specialise in these areas can’t afford not to have a Black Friday promotion in the Midlands - it’s here to stay. The promotional weekend isn’t as vital for some sectors, such as fashion retailers, but undoubtedly still presents an opportunity for the whole UK retail industry.

“UK shoppers are increasingly willing to part with their money on Black Friday and we expect the fastest spending growth to come from younger shoppers, who are more likely to purchase on impulse. If retailers do their research and promote the right products at the right prices, they should once again see strong sales.”

The survey also found that 82 per cent of Black Friday spending will be done online or by mobile, with only 18 per cent of purchases being made in store.

Andy Lyon, partner and head of retail at PwC in the Midlands, said: “The first few weeks of Christmas shopping in December will still be vital for retailers in the Midlands, who will need to carefully manage their stock availability, IT systems and delivery infrastructure to deal with both shopping periods.

“Black Friday does have the potential to cannibalise the January sales, a shopping period more traditionally used by consumers to buy items for themselves - something shoppers may now be bringing forward to November.

“Many Black Friday sales have begun early and will extend past the weekend and could be turning into 'Black Fortnight' in some sectors. While perhaps due in part to subdued October sales, it also reflects more planned promotions over this period. Although we predict another year of Black Friday sales growth in the UK, it does fall comparatively early this year, before pay day for many consumers. This may present a cashflow issue for some shoppers and could result in slightly more muted growth.”