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Black Friday was the busiest day of the year so far for retailers, figures suggest.

Spending data from Barclays shows transactions on November 28 reached a 2025-high, up 62% on the average as shoppers showed their determination to make the most of deals.

Consumers hitting the high street also led to food and drink transactions seeing a Black Friday boost of 28.9% versus the average day this year, Barclays said.

While 29% of consumers still consider the annual event to be the best time to bag a bargain, 44% say they do not look forward to the day as much as they used to, a survey for the bank found.

Some 68% are doubtful about the real value of Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals, and 65% believe such sales events encourage unnecessary spending.

Rohan Kumar, head of Barclays spending insights, said: “Our transaction data shows that Black Friday remains a vital retail milestone, with volumes spiking on the day itself once again.

“October’s slowdown was potentially a signal shoppers were holding out for discounts and deals.

“Retailers will undoubtedly have been pleased to see such a considerable spike and food and drink businesses benefited from the resulting footfall.”

Separate figures from MRI Software also show the week of Black Friday provided UK retail destinations with a 6.7% boost in footfall on the week before.

This was driven by an 8.2% increase in high street visits, followed by a 6% uplift in shopping centres and a 4.1% rise in retail parks.

Jenni Matthews, senior brand, PR and content manager at MRI, said: “We’ve seen two solid weeks of rising footfall heading into Black Friday, and the energy was unmistakable, particularly between 5pm and 8pm on the day itself, when visits jumped 29.2% week on week as shoppers combined bargain-hunting with festive nights out.

“Central London and historic towns were the big winners, likely drawing in crowds with festive markets and events.

“But while people are clearly getting out and enjoying the run-up to Christmas, they’re doing so cautiously, reflected in the annual dip of 2.2% for the week and 1.9% on Black Friday suggesting that cost-of-living pressures may well be mounting.

“All eyes now turn to December, when retailers will be working hard to turn that footfall into meaningful sales.”

Opinium surveyed 2,000 UK adults for Barclays between October 24-28.