Black Friday UK 2014: Asda doubles down on deals by adding extra Saturday offers with Walmart power
Asda is doubling down on its Black Friday efforts with two days of discount deals stretching into Saturday and twice as many items on the supermarket shelves.
The Walmart-owned retailer has taken inspiration from its US parent with an event it says is three times the size of last year's after the huge success of Black Friday in 2013. It has sourced 80 per cent of its product range jointly with the US retail giant, leveraging its buying power in a bid to beat rivals with “unbeatable discounts”.
Asda is also doubling the number of electronics and branded products on offer and offering deals at an additional 100 stores bringing the total to 441. The event will kick off at 8am on Friday, with new deals then available the following day.
Last year the retailer sold 60 per cent of its Black Friday stock within the first two hours of opening and £20,000 worth of products in the first 20 minutes. That included 10,000 TVs and 16,000 tablets in an hour.
Asda’s chief merchandising officer Andrew Moore said: “Last year we were the first major retailer to bring Black Friday to the UK. While we knew the event would be a success, the response from our customers beat even our own expectations. Since then we've been committed to creating an even bigger and better Black Friday event. And by working closely with our colleagues at Walmart we've delivered on our promise and know our customers won’t be disappointed.”
The retailer has had “hundreds” of calls from customers since September asking about Black Friday deals according to Moore.
The biggest saving being offered by Asda is a mighty £3,000 reduction on a £6,500 quad bike.
Other deals include a Samsung Galaxy Note tablet, reduced by £100 to £149, a 40-inch TV from Polaroid down to £139 with £80 off and the Call of Duty video game for XBox and Playstation, reduced from £42.99 to £25.
Further offers are due to be revealed later today.