Independent retailers launch Black Friday deals

This article is brought to you by Retail Technology Review: Independent retailers launch Black Friday deals.

Ankorstore, the curated marketplace connecting independent brands with local retailers, is offering a minimum 10% discount on all products from 25 October to 2 November to give independent retailers a fighting chance this Black Friday. Brands can add additional discounts. 

Ankorstore, which now works with more than 20,000 independent retailers in the UK, is offering this discount so brands have sufficient margins to offer sale prices to their customers for the first time and compete with global players. 

Independent retailers dread Black Friday because they can’t take the hit to profits by offering discounts - especially leading into the holidays, the most important time of the year. The result is that the £7.5 billion expected to be spent this Black Friday will predominantly be at big box retailers, tech giants and supermarkets. 

After a year when 1442 independent retailers were forced to close in the UK, independent retailers have faced a brutal combination of challenges – further lockdowns, the end of business rates relief and the moratorium on business rent. Black Friday could add further pressure to independent retailers, especially with the threat of a potential winter lockdown looming. 

The Ankorstore discount is being applied one month before Black Friday so independent retailers have time to shop for their inventories at discounted prices, meaning they can then apply their own discounts to customers in November. 

Leveling the playing field  

Nicolas D'Audiffret, Co-founder and Co-CEO of Ankorstore, comments: “This year, for the first time ever in the history of independent retail, local retailers will not only have the possibility to participate but thrive during Black Friday. It's a significant investment for Ankorstore to provide a 10% discount on all products during 9 days in order that independent retailers can offer more attractive discounts to customers. But we want to make this commitment for independent retailers to take back Black Friday from global corporations."

Small businesses typically miss out on the £7.5bn UK Black Friday sales. Amazon is once again widely expected to be the biggest winner this holiday season. In the US alone, Amazon captures 42 cents of every dollar spent during the busy shopping period with Black Friday and Cyber Monday typically its busiest days.

Ankorstore is helping retailers prepare for Black Friday in other ways, offering free shipping from £300, including cross border orders, and crediting back customs fees until 01 January 2022. Following Brexit, UK independent retailers can easily access over 9000 British and European brands without complicated terms and paperwork, allowing them to focus on curating unique experiences for customers.

From the end of October until end of the year, Ankorstore will also be investing in a dedicated media campaign encouraging consumers to prioritise independent retailers for sales. In total, Ankorstore expects to pass on several million Euros to independent retailers as a result of its campaign. 

Give back to small businesses

Nicolas Cohen, Co-founder and Co-CEO of Ankorstore, comments: “Since our beginnings we have aimed to level the playing field for retailers and brands by giving them the right tools to compete. Ankorstore Black Friday has been created in the same vein. It’s really important to us that we allow retailers to purchase discounted products in good time to fully participate in Black Friday. Brands also need to see an uptick in business. This year’s Black Friday simply cannot be the first dead week of trade since its creation. Independent businesses today need to maximise all the opportunities they can to round off the year with success.”

Zoe Pawelczyk, Director of British retailer Gin and Pickles Limited in Birmingham adds: “What a brilliant idea from Ankorstore to support independent retailers to participate in Black Friday. This has always been very much about the big companies dominating customer spending and can be a particularly difficult time for small businesses to compete, so it’s great to have an opportunity to be included in some great offers that can be passed on to our customers. Also great news for the smaller brands that will be getting their fantastic products out to more customers too. 

“Ankorstore is a great find – lots of new, independent producers, plus some brands I already know and love. Reasonable minimum orders, easy to use website, quick delivery, and some great offers. I can definitely recommend.” 

Ankorstore has established itself as one of the fastest growing tech companies in Europe. Since launching in the UK, it is now working with more than 20,000 independent retailers – 85% of which are based outside of London. This is the first and largest Black Friday offer ever made for independent retailers in the UK and across 23 EU countries.