Black Friday Frenzy Grips British Retailers

Black Friday has been a phenomenon in the US for years – and today, it looks like it will become just as popular here.

Retailers are bracing themselves for the UK's biggest day of spending this year, with a record-breaking number of online transactions.

Visa (Xetra: A0NC7B - news) is predicting that £518m will be splashed out on its cards alone, and analysts believe that almost half of UK shoppers are planning to snap up a Black Friday deal.

By the end of the day, 8.5m transactions will have been made online – a 22% increase compared to 2013 figures.

And the shopping frenzy is expected to continue right through until Monday, with estimates that £1.7bn will be spent during the so-called "cyber weekend".

More retailers have been wheeling out their best deals to lure Christmas shoppers, after Black Friday offers caused a gold rush at the tills last year.

Black Friday was introduced in the US on the day after Thanksgiving and is regarded as the beginning of the Christmas shopping season.

The craze was introduced to the UK by Amazon back in 2010, with Asda joining the frenzy in 2013. This year, the supermarket is foraying into big-ticket items such as quad bikes, with some products carrying a hefty price tag of £3,500.

John Lewis is expecting its website traffic to quadruple between midnight and 8am, while Currys PC World is preparing for an order to be made every second.

Game has also made a concerted effort to appeal to devoted Black Friday fans, by opening its stores for three hours from 12.01am.

London's Westfield (Other OTC: WEFIF - news) shopping centres are expected to be at their busiest this weekend, but bargain hunters are being reminded to "keep their cool".

John Hannett, from the shop workers' union USDAW, warned: "Black Friday can be very difficult for staff. With overcrowded shops and highly excited customers, sometimes tempers flare and things can get out of control.

"Retail staff are keen to give great customer service and are trained to provide a good shopping experience, but that can be difficult if people are angry and aggressive.

"So my message to the shopping public is clear. Enjoy Black Friday, I hope you get what you're looking for and at a great price, but please keep your cool and respect shop workers."