Study reveals how Black Friday affected Christmas retail sales

Strong sales over the Black Friday period were, however, not enough to offset poorer performance in the rest of the Golden Quarter for a number of retailers. Many retailers also experienced slower sell-through of sale stock after Christmas, including major players Next and John Lewis & Partners as the prolific promotions in 2019 may have led to discounting fatigue among shoppers. Previously the sweetheart of UK multichannel retail, Joules reported a 4.5% drop in total sales over the Christmas trading period despite good performance during Black Friday, though this was significantly impacted by poor stock availability. John Lewis & Partners reported a 2.3% drop in total sales in Christmas trading despite 10% growth over Black Friday, indicating that even though the promotional period seems to extend every year, this did not have enough impact in a tough market