(Adds detail, comment from Dixons Carphone, John Lewis)
LONDON, Nov 29 (Reuters) - The volume of Black Friday
payment transactions in Britain as of 1000 GMT was up 12.5%
versus last year, initial data from Barclaycard showed on
Friday, bringing some cheer to UK retailers in need of a tonic
after a troubled year.
Barclaycard, which processes nearly one pound ($1.28) in
every three pounds spent in the United Kingdom, said its data
showed transactions had also been strong throughout the week of
Black Friday.
"With many retailers spreading their deals out throughout
the week, they will be encouraged to see this hasn’t
cannibalised sales volumes on Black Friday itself," it said.
The firm did not give a figure for the year-on-year movement
of the value of sales. Last year transactions increased 10%
versus 2017.
With recent UK consumer spending subdued, Brexit still
unresolved and a Dec. 12 national election creating new
uncertainties, retailers have been hoping for a boost from Black
Friday discount events that were first brought over from the
United States by Amazon in 2010.
Analysts have suggested Black Friday sales could be helped
this year by its fall on the last Friday of the month, which
coincides with payday for many.
Dixons Carphone's Carphone Warehouse business said it
had seen three orders per second on its website since its Black
Friday sales went live at 2100 GMT on Thursday. It said the
Apple iPhone 11, Apple iPhone XR, and Samsung Galaxy S10 were
the most popular products so far.
The group's Currys PC World business, Britain's largest
electricals retailer, said top selling products so far were
Apple Airpods, the Xbox One S and the Galaxy Tab A 10.1 tablet.
Department store group John Lewis said the
busiest shopping hour online between midnight Thursday and
midday Friday was between 0900 GMT and 1000 GMT. The most
popular searched for products were Lego, iPads and Airpods.
With harsh lessons learnt from past Black Fridays, British
retailers are stretching promotions over several weeks, aiming
to smooth out consumer demand and reduce the pressure on supply
and distribution networks.
U.S. consumers splurged more than $2 billion online in the
first hours of Thanksgiving shopping on Thursday, while crowds
were limited at retailers on the eve of Black Friday, reflecting
the broader trend away from shopping at brick-and-mortar stores.
($1 = 0.7794 pounds)
(Reporting by James Davey; Editing by Kate Holton and Mark
Potter)
Barclays (BARC)
