Two-thirds of indie retailers refuse to participate in Black Friday

Around three quarters of independent retailers in the UK have told Bira (the British Independent Retailers Association) they are boycotting Black Friday this weekend, rejecting the pressure to cut prices during one of the busiest trading periods of the year.

Increased wage and energy bills, and a raft of other factors, have made 2025 extremely hard for retailers, who need to capitalise on the festive spending power of British shoppers over the next few weeks.

In a survey by Bira, 79.79% of those asked said they wouldn’t take part in Black Friday this year, up from 69% last year. The survey also found that while 42.86% had participated in previous years, only 23.21% plan to ‘do’ Black Friday this year, down from 30.99% in 2024.

“Our members are sending an increasingly clear message,” said Andrew Goodacre, CEO of Bira. “Black Friday simply doesn’t work for independent retailers. Year on year, we are seeing more businesses step away from this unsustainable model. The pressure to discount at a time when margins are already squeezed, combined with rising operational costs, makes participation untenable for most small businesses.”

Reponses within the survey reveal deeply held frustrations within the industry - particularly in the face of the buying power of large online companies, and their ability to cut prices in a way most smaller retailers cannot afford to.

“Our margins are already too low,” explained one retailer, with another adding, “Cannot cut margins”, following last year’s 140% rates increase.

The event also disrupts normal trading patterns without increasing overall sales, some said. “Customers now delay purchasing earlier to wait for Black Friday ‘deals’ we are unnecessarily discounting when we probably don’t need to,” one retailer explained.

Another summed up this sentiment, saying, “Discounting is a death spiral and every industry is already sacrificing too much margin to gain functionally useless turnover.”

While a peer said, “Once you start, you have to do it every year. Our customers don’t expect it from us. They come to us because we sell brands they can’t readily get elsewhere, because we offer great customer service and because we don’t do random discounting.”

The expansion of Black Friday beyond a single day continues to concern retailers. “Black Friday now covers too big a period of time,” said one respondent, whilst another noted it creates “unreasonable expectation of discount.”

Rather than participating in Black Friday, many businesses are finding creative alternatives. Some are running ‘Bright Friday’ or ‘Fizz Friday’ campaigns that focus on the benefits of shopping independently, whilst others are supporting charitable causes instead of discounting.

Andrew added, “Independent retailers are the backbone of our high streets and local communities. The strengthening boycott we’re seeing demonstrates that small businesses are united in their rejection of a model that simply doesn’t serve them or their customers well.

“Rather than engaging in an unsustainable race to the bottom, they focus on providing quality products, exceptional service and genuine value throughout the year. We urge shoppers to support these businesses that contribute so much to their local communities - especially on Small Business Saturday on 29th November, and throughout the crucial festive period.”