Black Friday online sales in UK rise by 12% but shops still feel the pinch

Embattled retailers raise hopes of festive spending spree as sales event coincides with payday

UK shoppers visited websites in droves to snap up Black Friday bargains, raising hopes among struggling retailers that the US-inspired promotional day would finally kickstart a festive spending spree.

After a tough October and start to November for UK retailers, the number of transactions made by Nationwide Building Society members was up 12% by 1pm compared with Black Friday last year and was 16% up on 2022.