'We will not offer artificial discounts to get rid of wonky stock': Oddbins joins retailers shunning Black Friday frenzy

  • Oddbins joins Asda and Made.com in shunning Black Friday
  • Says it doesn't want customers to 'jump like lemmings with credit cards'
  • Last year, Black Friday frenzy saw shoppers battling in high street shops 

Off licence Oddbins has joined other major retailers such as Asda and Made.com in not joining in with the Black Friday frenzy.

The high street wine merchant, which has been around since the 1960s, is refusing to get involved with the American discount shopping phenomenon, which has been gathering pace this week with firms such as Amazon and Argos already offering 'discounts.'

The move comes as an increasing number of UK retailers indicate they are scaling back involvement in Black Friday – a US invention designed to support Thanksgiving holiday sales - which has grown in importance in the UK over the last few years.

Black Friday: Oddbins slammed the shopping frenzy saying it is not one of the good American imports

Black Friday: Oddbins slammed the shopping frenzy saying it is not one of the good American imports

Ayo Akintola, managing director of Oddbins, said: 'We will offer fantastic wines, beers and spirits at exactly the same great prices be it yesterday, today, tomorrow, on Black Friday and beyond.

'We will not offer artificial discounts, attempt to get rid of wonky stock, cannibalise our own sales or pressure our customers to jump, like lemmings with credit cards, into the collective madness of Black Friday.

'There are lots of great American imports – Netflix, Ben & Jerry's, Oregon Pinot Noir, Boris Johnson, to name a few – but Black Friday isn't one of them.'

In the last few years, Black Friday has been synonymous with shoppers battling for deals in high street shops, such as filling trolleys with discounted televisions.

Asda, which has held Black Friday events in the past, has decided to scrap the pre-Christmas retail gimmick, saying it would not take part in the one-day discounting 'event' because its customers were tired of flash sales.

Asda's Black Friday event last year triggered frenzied scenes and prompted Greater Manchester Police to criticise the supermarket for lax security in the face of sizeable crowds.

Friday frenzy: These were the scenes last year in Asda as shoppers scrambled for 'bargains'

Friday frenzy: These were the scenes last year in Asda as shoppers scrambled for 'bargains'

Andy Clarke, chief executive of Asda, said: 'Over the last two years we've developed an organised, well-executed plan, but this year customers have told us loud and clear that they don't want to be held hostage to a day or two of sales.

WHAT IS BLACK FRIDAY?

Black Friday is the day after Thanksgiving Day in the US (the fourth Thursday of November) - when traditionally big retailers would offer one-off discounts - particularly on big ticket items like white goods and electricals.

Shoppers would descend in droves on malls and High Streets, clogging roads and pavements, leading Philadelphians to coin the 'Black' epithet.

Introduced to the UK by Amazon in 2010, since when it has gained popularity with both retailers and customers, it was at first an online phenomenon in the UK.

But chaotic scenes in big stores around the UK last year, together with Christmas sales figures for many retailers that suggested Black Friday discounting was hurting the bottom line, have led many to question whether it is a good idea. 

'With an ever-changing retail landscape, now more than ever we must listen carefully to exactly what our shoppers want and be primed and ready to act the minute their needs change.

'When it comes to putting customers first, Asda has always led the way, which is why we're just as confident in our decision to step away from Black Friday as we were in introducing it to the UK.'

Made.com – an online design brand – has also decided to once again shun Black Friday.

It says that while many of the brand's competitors embraced the American retail tradition, Made chief executive Ning Li was one of the few to speak out against the trend last year.

Annabel Kilner, head of UK at Made.com, says: 'While there are many things we like about American trends coming to the UK, Black Friday is not one of them.

'Black Friday discounts highlight the huge mark-ups consumers pay on products at other times of the year.

'At Made we operate on a lean business model, so that we can offer customers original furniture design at affordable prices all year round, not just during the extended Black Friday sale period.' 

Making a stand: Made.com is once again refusing to join in with the Black Friday sales frenzy

Making a stand: Made.com is once again refusing to join in with the Black Friday sales frenzy

Shoppers are forecast to spend £1.9billion in a single day as online retailers turn the heat on high streets on Friday.

The sum will include £721million spent online, an increase of 17 per cent on the 'Black Friday' frenzy of last year, according to card payments firm Visa Europe. The £1.2billion spent in face-to-face transactions will represent a 4 per cent rise on last year.

However, both increases suggest that enthusiasm for Black Friday, an import from the US, is levelling off. 

Last year online sales increased 44 per cent on the year before and face-to-face spending increased by about 15 per cent.