In London, Black Friday Lasts All December

British retailers rely on the holidays even more than Americans do
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After the flood of Black Friday advertisements and mailings in the U.S., it may be hard for Americans to imagine there’s actually a place where retailers are even more desperate to make Christmas sales. Check out Britain.

Britons do a larger proportion of their annual spending in November and December than Americans, making these months more crucial for retailers such as Marks & Spencer Group and Next than for the likes of Saks and Macy’s. Christmas in the U.K. is celebrated “more enthusiastically than anywhere else,” says Marc Bolland, the chief executive officer of Marks &Spencer.