‘We were not ready for Black Friday,’ admits UK retailers

UK stores said Black Friday was their biggest challenge of 2014.

32 per cent of stores surveyed said that the sales event proved difficult.

Retailers felt they were unable to logistically cope with the sheer volume of customers. Physical stores were overwhelmed by footfall, while websites were unable to cope with the high amounts of customers trying to buy the latest deals. Meanwhile, stores suffered security breaches due to huge crowds.

We did not anticipate the popularity of Black Friday,” one store manager told MCV.

Operationally we could have been more organised as a business, but we have learnt a lot this year which will help next time around."

Black Friday even eclipsed the usual popular High Street complaint surrounding low pricing by the supermarkets. However, that issue remained a popular answer, with 25 per cent of respondents criticising aggressive discounting.

For the full annual retail survey, click here.