Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
We’re Black in business
High street to get £8.7bn boost on best bargain shopping day
HIGH street shops are set to be big winners from this week’s predicted £8.7billion Black Friday spending blitz.
Industry expert Springboard forecasts that footfall – the number of people out and about – this Black Friday will be nearly 13% higher than in 2021.
Admittedly, last year’s event was disrupted by the Omicron variant of Covid which deterred shoppers from venturing out.
But the cost of living crisis means some people are choosing shops over online in a hunt for bargains. Springboard predicts that Black Friday, on November 25, will boost high street numbers by 15.7% on last week, and 13.2% on last year.
Diane Wehrle, of Springboard, said: “Shoppers will make the most of available discounts to purchase Christmas gifts as they endeavour to outpace inflation.”
A report from the website Vouchercodes predicts retail sales will hit the £8.71bn figure.
Accountants PWC estimates the average person who takes part in Black Friday will spend £238.