Black Friday alternatives in fashion as retailers give profits to charity

The UK may be ringing up its biggest Black Friday yet, but a growing band of retailers are putting a different spin on the US-inspired discount day.

Outdoor brands Patagonia and Braintree, as well as fashion chain Fat Face, will be donating proceeds from the day to charity while Jigsaw and Next have both announced they will not be offering discounts. Meanwhile Berghaus is encouraging its customers to head outdoors as an alternative to the shopping frenzy.

Patagonia will be donating its entire global sales income from its own website and stores on 25 November to 80 grassroots environmental organisations around the world, including Surfers against Sewage and London Waterkeeper in the UK.

“As people think generously about family and friends, we also want to help our customers show love to the planet, which badly needs a gift or two,” the company said. Patagonia funds environmental groups by handing over 1% of its sales.

It added: “During a difficult and divisive time, we felt it was important to go further and connect more of our customers, who love wild places, with those who are fighting tirelessly to protect them.”

Braintree will be donating half of sales via its website on Black Friday to the refugee council and a second charity to be voted on by shoppers.

John Snare, founder of the brand which was set up in Australia and is now based in London, said: “Black Friday doesn’t sit well with us as a business but it’s impossible to ignore. This is our way of participating without compromising our values and is a very good opportunity to support some important causes.”

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For the second year in a row, Fat Face will run its Thanks for Giving campaign in which it donates 10% of net profits over the Black Friday weekend to charities local to its stores. Last year the company handed out just under £200,000. This year the company has already committed to donating at least £100,000 and says it is determined to raise more than last year.

“Fat Face believes passionately that the retail industry can act as a force for good,” the company said.

Berghaus is taking a completely different approach to the weekend. The outdoor brand is offering 1,000 prizes that can only be claimed by solving a series of clues and visiting locations around the UK – the Get Out Game.

Richard Leedham, the Berghaus brand president, said: “Rather than indulge in the discount shopping mayhem, we think that a healthier alternative – for body and soul – is to explore the outdoors. We appreciate that some people might need an incentive to do that, which is where the Get Out Game comes in.”

Jigsaw said it would not be participating in Black Friday this year after research indicated increasing cynicism about the promotional day among shoppers.

Peter Ruis, chief executive of the Jigsaw Group, said: “Black Friday warps our perception of what’s valuable and important. Has that product being offered at 20% off been designed to offset the price decrease? Has the supplier had pressure put on them to take the hit? Was it always meant to be at that price anyway and been ‘price established’ higher?”

“We buy products for their quality and craft, and quite simply because we love them. We want them to be ethically sourced. We want them honestly priced. That defines our perception of absolute value.”