Almost half of people in the West Midlands to spend on Black Friday despite cost-of-living crisis

Black Friday will see millions of discounts across the weekend

Author: Ella StirlingPublished 25th Nov 2022

People in the West Midlands are set to spend more on Black Friday deals today than in previous years.

With millions of discounts to be had across everything from TVs, laptops, gaming, and tech to mattresses, home appliances, beauty, fashion, and toys, many people will be looking at bagging themselves a bargain.

PricewaterhouseCoopers' (PwC) research found that 43 per cent of West Midlands consumers are interested and may buy, compared to the 37 per cent average across the UK.

This is an increase on 2020 levels where only 16 per cent of consumers across the UK planned to purchase in the Black Friday period.

Sarah Phillips, PwC partner and consumer markets leader for the Midlands, said: "This is the first Christmas that we haven't had Covid restrictions, so this means more meet up with friends and family and therefore more present buying.

"And also because of the cost-of-living crisis people are looking at trying to find the biggest bargains they can.

"It is a very important day for retailers because it's the start of the Christmas spending, and it's also important for consumers who are looking at trying to bag that bargain."

PwC estimates the average spend per consumer to be around £238 which will add £500 million extra to the retail economy this year taking the overall spend on Black Friday bargains to £7.5 billion.

Hear all the latest news from across the UK on the hour, every hour, on Greatest Hits Radio on DAB, smartspeaker, at greatesthitsradio.co.uk, and on the Rayo app.