Shoppers set to spend almost £9bn

Shoppers are expected to spend almost £9 billion on what could be the biggest Black Friday yet, according to analysts.

Retail experts have predicted that spending will rise beyond pre-pandemiclevelsasshoppersseekto spend more on loved ones following disrupted Christmas celebrations last year.

Early spending data shows customers have started the day spending more than on previous Black Fridays.

Barclaycard said its credit card data for midnight to 9am on Friday shows a 5.4 per cent increase in spending compared with 2019, with a 21.4 per cent rise against 2020.

Black Friday comes amid increased pressure on the retail sector amid supply chain disruption, soaring shipping costs and labour pressures.

Analysts at PWC forecast that around £8.7 billion will be spent, up from £7.8 billion in 2019.

This would also be almost twice the total spent last year.