Black Friday may run hot this year but there are tough times ahead for retailers

Next year’s consume-a-thon will be held against a backdrop of falling real incomes. Retailers might even have to make their deals count for something to tempt their customers, writes James Moore

Black Friday promises some relief for hard-pressed retailers (EPA)

Black Friday used to be a case of damned if you do, even more damned if you don’t, as the profit warnings of those who have previously decided to shun the event attest to.

They have, however, mostly found a way around the problem of having to shift stock at lower prices than they’d like. The bargains consumers battle for – sometimes literally – aren’t all they might seem.

When Which? looked at 201 of last year’s “deals” at six major retailers – Amazon, AO, Argos, Currys, John Lewis and Richer Sounds – it found nine out of 10 of the goods covered were available at the same price or cheaper in the six months prior to the event.