'Independent shops struggle with Black Friday'

An independent retailer has urged shoppers to stay loyal to local businesses during Black Friday.

Mark Hodgkiss, owner of Mode Menswear in Tettenhall, Wolverhampton, said he did not take part in the discount shopping event as small stores could feel under pressure to give discounts they could not afford.

"Margins are so tight at the moment and the cost of running a business has gone through the roof," he said.

"It's more important to look after our customers in the first place and offer them competitive prices throughout the year, rather than just doing a discount on one day."

"Big corporate retailers can spend a massive amount on marketing for Black Friday and they obviously get a huge number of visitors going in their stores and traffic to their websites," he said.

"But for a small independent like us we haven't got the marketing budget to do that or the buying power for products as well, so it is hard to compete."

It has been difficult to watch shops disappear from the high street post-covid, he aded.

"I think they just find it so tough out there and hard to compete with the Black Friday discounts.

"They feel pressured into doing them, to feel that they have to be competitive and do the discounts, but then actually, they're losing out."

Mode Menswear specialises in smart-casual attire with a retro mod twist but Mr Hodgkiss said the store offers more than fashion advice, proving the value shops have in communities.

"We're a big part of peoples lives, seeing elderly people that might pop in for a bit of a chat and not see anyone else for the rest of the day.

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