Good Friday is the new Black Friday as shops cut prices by up to 70pc at Easter

GOOD Friday is becoming the new Black Friday, analysis shows, with shops reducing prices by up to 70 per cent over the weekend.

A record Easter shopping weekend is predicted with sales expected to rise by 3 per cent on the previous year, according to consumer analysts at KPMG.

After a period of weak sales, shops are trying to lure consumers back with even bigger discounts than Black Friday, the US tradition that has taken root in Britain in recent years.

Last night, the British Retail Consortium said the increase in the number of Easter offers was “fundamentally shifting the traditional cycle of seasonal promotions”, as retailers struggled to entice customers through their doorways.

Six in 10 retailers currently have products on sale, according to analysts at Ibisworld, with shops including Argos, Currys, Debenhams and Topshop deploying “Easter sales”.

There are 29 per cent more discounted products available this Easter than last, data from Lovethesales.com, a sales website, show.

An online shopping boom is also expected, with analysts at Salmon expecting the biggest Easter shopping weekend recorded, with £100million spent online over the four-day period.

Paul Martin, UK head of retail at KPMG, said: “Given the dreary start to the year, and the havoc caused by the Beast from the East, which markedly put sales on hold, Easter is more impor- tant than ever for retailers. Based on the monthly like-for-like growth we have seen over the past five years, we could see a monthly uptick of 3 per cent again this year.”

Meanwhile, forecasters have predicted a wet and windy weekend and a severe weather warning for Monday, with much of the country due to be carpeted in up to 1.5in of snow.

The Met Office, said: “The heavy rain coming from the South will meet the cold air coming from the North and there could be significant snowfall in the Midlands, Wales and the North.”

Warnings have also been issued about major disruption on train services and traffic congestion as 26million motorists take to the roads.

Good Friday was once the day to plant your potatoes. With the moon on the wane, they’d put down sturdy roots. But potato-planting, except among enthusiasts, might not set the pulse racing. As for real racing, with gee-gees, the day was a blank on the equine calendar until 2014. Yet being out in the fresh air as the hooves throw up divots at Bath might be a healthier day than frowsting on a sofa clicking online bargains. Good Friday now apes Black Friday, the Us-born bargain bonanza before Christmas. Retailers expect to pick up £100 million today, which is a lot, but not a lot per head. Last year a supermarket apologised for a crass advertisement, “Good Friday just got better.” But it really is better to make your own choice – sales, racing, St Matthew Passion or potatoes – than to jostle along with the thoughtless crowd.