Asda to 'step back' from Black Friday sales events, citing 'shopper fatigue'
Asda has confirmed that it will "step back" from Black Friday sales this year, citing "shopper fatigue."
The retailer said customers said they did not want to be "held hostage" to one or two days of flash sales.
The Walmart-owned store is credited with introducing Black Friday - a US-style one-off day of sales on big-ticket items - to the UK in 2013.
This year it will instead invest in "£26 million of savings for shoppers" across the season.
Asda was one of several retailers that got caught up in chaotic scenes last November as their shoppers grappled for heavily discounted items.
Flash sales led to police being called to stores across the country last November.
Watch: Black Friday shoppers rush into at Asda in Wembley last November:
Asda president and chief executive Andy Clarke said the decision to move away from Black Friday was not about the event itself, but rather that customers said they would prefer deals on products that impacted on their everyday lives, such as Christmas food and drink and household basics.
Mr Clarke said: "Over the last two years we've developed an organised, well-executed plan, but this year customers have told us loud and clear that they don't want to be held hostage to a day or two of sales.
"With an ever-changing retail landscape, now more than ever we must listen carefully to exactly what our shoppers want and be primed and ready to act the minute their needs change.
"When it comes to putting customers first, Asda has always led the way, which is why we're just as confident in our decision to step away from Black Friday as we were in introducing it to the UK."