As some retailers gear up for the busiest shopping weekend of the year, Deciem brands will be closing their stores and ceasing online trading from Black Friday to Cyber Monday. Here the groups’ Director of Sustainability & Social Impact reveals the reasoning behind the radical approach

Last year, UK shoppers spent a total of £9.24bn over the Black Friday weekend. This year, although forecasts are predicting a slower trading period, shoppers are prepping to hit stores and spend more than £8.5bn.

What’s seen by some retailers as a key annual sales opportunity has become a source of contention for others. As consumers and brands become increasingly conscious of their environmental impact, some stores are bucking the trend to prevent the overconsumption that’s intrinsic to Black Friday.

Indie brand The Unseen is donating 100% of our profit to In2scienceuk, an organisation that helps young people from disadvantaged backgrounds to secure work placements, degrees and opportunities in STEM. And, Margate-founded brand Haekels is giving up its bricks and mortar spaces to small brands with big ambitions.

Micro-brands aren’t the only ones making a stand. In fact, mass-market skincare group Deciem has ceased trading on the big day for more than four years. Instead, The Abnormal Beauty Company is offering a 23% discount online and in-store throughout November. This means consumers have more time to think about their skinvestments from The Ordinary, Niod and Hylamide before making a purchase.

Jackie Kankam, Senior Director of Sustainability & Social Impact says: ‘The 23% discount helps to avoid waste, and consumers stocking up on products they don’t need – simply because they are being promoted at a lower price. This is the highest discount we can offer our consumers, whilst still being able to be profitable. The saving is a way to thank those customers who’re brand evangelists and supporting us throughout the year.’

Deciem brands have carved out a unique space in the market due to their dedication to education. It’s this sentiment that dictates their approach to Black Friday too. ‘We offer this saving over a month-long period so that our audience has time to research skincare most suited to their needs,’ continues Kankam, before noting: ‘We have always petitioned for a more transparent dialect with consumers through an education first approach to skincare. Our term Clear Beauty celebrates exactly this.’

As well as turning Black Friday on its head, The Ordinary has 1% of sales made between the 15th and 21st of November to The Solutions Project, an American environmentalist advocacy group.

‘We wanted to take things one step further this Slowvember and partnered with The Solutions Project to support climate projects that are in close proximity to our stores. While we recognise the importance of donating to large charity organisations, our approach to giving has always been to support grassroots charities and give back to our local communities,’ explains Kankam.

To close, the Sustainability Director admits that Deciem still has more to do when it comes to being more planet and people friendly. She says: ‘We may never be truly sustainable but that we’re working hard to ensure that we are minimising our impact on the earth.’