When Is Black Friday in the UK? 2025 & 2026 Dates

Black Friday 2025 lands on 28 November—and for many UK retailers, the deals start rolling well before that date arrives. Here’s everything you need to know to plan your shop and avoid the hype.

Black Friday 2025 UK: 28 November · Black Friday 2026 UK: 27 November · Cyber Monday 2025: 1 December · Amazon Black Friday Week: 20 November to 1 December

What date are Black Friday sales in the UK?

Black Friday 2025 falls on 28 November 2025, with many UK retailers running deals from that date straight through to Cyber Monday on 1 December 2025. The event consistently lands on the fourth Friday in November, as it always follows the US Thanksgiving holiday (Woman & Home). Looking ahead, Black Friday 2026 will be on 27 November 2026.

Major UK retailers often extend their sales well beyond the single day. ASOS officially runs its Black Friday event from 28 November through to Cyber Monday on 1 December 2025 (ASOS), while Boohoo typically launches at midnight on 28 November and continues through the weekend (Boohoo).

Retailer-specific timelines

Amazon tends to get an early start. Based on previous years, the retail giant reportedly expects to kick off its Black Friday deals around 20 November 2025, running for approximately 12 days until the end of Cyber Monday (Joe.co.uk). This extended window makes Amazon one of the longest-running Black Friday participants in the UK market.

The pattern that emerges is clear: five major retailers, five different launch windows. Amazon leads the charge with early November deals, while Boohoo holds its launch at the traditional Black Friday moment.

Why is it called Black Friday?

The name originates in Philadelphia, where police coined “Black Friday” in the 1960s to describe the chaotic traffic that followed the day after US Thanksgiving (Wikipedia). The term eventually shifted to mark when retailers first turned profitable (“in the black”) after a year of losses, thanks to the holiday shopping surge.

Black Friday adoption in the UK grew steadily through the 2010s, brought over by American retail culture and amplified by major online players like Amazon. Unlike the original US phenomenon—which often centres on early-morning in-store doorbusters—the UK version has always leaned heavily into online sales (Calendarr).

UK adoption

UK retailers didn’t simply copy the US model—they adapted it. The result is a distinctly British flavour where online-first shopping dominates, Cyber Monday holds more weight than in the US, and many sales stretch across an entire “Cyber Week” rather than a single day (Awareness Days).

Is Cyber Monday better than Black Friday in the UK?

Cyber Monday lands on 1 December 2025 and follows the same logic as Black Friday—it always falls on the Monday after the US Thanksgiving holiday (bimcal.uk). In the UK, both events now command serious attention from retailers, but they serve slightly different shopping moods.

Black Friday traditionally focuses on hardware, electronics, and major appliances, while Cyber Monday has evolved into the domain for fashion, beauty, and online-exclusive tech deals. However, with UK retailers extending their sales periods, the boundary between the two events has blurred significantly (Woman & Home).

Deal differences

Past performance data shows Black Friday tends to deliver deeper discounts on big-ticket items like TVs, laptops, and gaming consoles. Cyber Monday, meanwhile, has historically offered better percentage savings on clothing and accessories, partly because fashion retailers use it to clear pre-winter stock.

The reality is that both days require patience and price-comparison. Research indicates that a significant portion of Black Friday “discounts” may not represent genuine lows compared to the cheapest prices that items have reached throughout the year (CNBC). Checking historical prices using browser tools remains the most reliable way to spot a genuine deal.

Past performance

Which? has tracked UK Black Friday deals for years, finding that the best discounts typically appear in the first 24-48 hours of an event for high-demand items. Cyber Monday deals often last longer but go deeper on remaining stock as retailers race to clear inventory before December.

Is Black Friday worth it in the UK?

The honest answer depends entirely on what you’re buying and how you shop. For big-ticket electronics—televisions, laptops, gaming consoles—Black Friday genuinely delivers some of the year’s lowest prices. For fashion and everyday items, the picture is more complicated (Which?).

Consumer research suggests that a notable proportion of Black Friday deals offer prices that were the same or lower at other points during the year (CNBC). The inflated “reference price” trick remains common, where retailers display an artificially high “was” price to make the current deal look better than it is.

Real savings analysis

The retailers offering genuine value tend to be those with the most transparent pricing histories. Amazon, ASOS, and Currys PC World have all shown consistent pattern discounts on specific product categories over multiple years. However, smaller or lesser-known retailers frequently use Black Friday as a marketing exercise rather than a genuine price event.

Which?’s analysis found that for fashion specifically, retailers like ASOS and Boohoo tend to offer their deepest discounts during January sales rather than Black Friday, when stock tends to be fuller but percentages lower (Which?).

Hype vs reality

The marketing machine behind Black Friday is enormous. Major retailers begin advertising “Black Friday deals” weeks before the actual event, creating urgency through countdown timers, email campaigns, and social media pushes. This hype often obscures the fact that many deals are available—or will be available again—during the January sales.

Do prices go down on Black Friday?

Prices do drop on Black Friday, but the depth of those drops varies dramatically by product category and retailer. The biggest sale day of the year in the UK consistently delivers the lowest prices on televisions, gaming hardware, smart home devices, and major appliances (Joe.co.uk).

Amazon expects discounts on popular items including Echo smart speakers, Ring security cameras, and Fire TV Sticks during Black Friday 2025 (Joe.co.uk). These Alexa-compatible devices have historically seen 20-30% price cuts during the event.

Average discounts

Industry tracking data shows average Black Friday discounts range from 15% on clothing to 40% on select electronics, with the most aggressive deals on discontinued or previous-generation models. Purely cosmetic items—new phone colours, limited edition packaging—typically see minimal savings.

Biggest sale claims

Every retailer claims to offer the “biggest discounts of the year,” but the data tells a more nuanced story. Consumer advocates recommend identifying your target products before Black Friday and using price-tracking tools to verify whether any “deal” actually represents a new low for that specific item.

When does Black Friday start and end?

Black Friday technically runs from the start of 28 November to 11:59pm that same day for most retailers, though many extend their sales through the weekend and into Cyber Week (Woman & Home). The practical window, however, is much longer—and varies significantly by retailer.

Amazon typically launches its Black Friday event early, with reports suggesting deals beginning around 20 November 2025 and running through to 1 December 2025 (Joe.co.uk). This gives shoppers nearly two weeks of Amazon-specific deals before the main event even arrives.

Weekend extension

Many retailers now treat Black Friday as a weekend event rather than a single day. Boohoo starts at midnight on 28 November and runs through Sunday, while John Lewis and Currys PC World typically extend their doorbuster deals across the entire weekend (Boohoo).

Cyber Monday link

The Monday after Black Friday—Cyber Monday on 1 December 2025—has become increasingly important for online-only retailers. UK Cyber Monday promotions are available in nearly all major online stores, with many continuing their Black Friday deals in modified form (Calendarr). Some retailers like ASOS deliberately front-load their best fashion deals for Cyber Monday rather than Black Friday itself.

“This year’s Black Friday date is 28 November and the deals will keep rolling into Cyber Monday on 1 December 2025.”

— ASOS Marketing (ASOS)

“Cyber Monday for the year 2026 is celebrated on Monday, November 30th.”

— CalendarDate.com (CalendarDate.com)

The pattern in UK Black Friday is clear: the event has evolved well beyond a single shopping day into a weeks-long retail season. While 28 November 2025 remains the anchor date, the smart shopper’s advantage lies in watching Amazon’s early November start and comparing prices across the full Cyber Week window. Tech buyers will find genuine value on the main Friday, but fashion shoppers should hold off until Cyber Monday percentages become clear—or wait for January. For UK consumers willing to do modest price research before buying, Black Friday 2025 offers real opportunities. Shoppers who chase “deals” on items they would have purchased anyway at prices that weren’t actually lower than October end up spending more, not less.

Related reading: Free Xbox Games for Amazon Prime Members · Tesco TV Sale Clearance

While Black Friday 2025 hits 28 November in the UK, this UK Black Friday deals guide breaks down expected deals from Amazon and other major retailers.

Frequently asked questions