Poll: Do you intend to grab a bargain on Black Friday this year?

Asda's decision is the first by a major retailer to move away from Black Friday, an event now widely regarded as a permanent and unavoidable fixture on the UK retail calendar.

The retailer said customer feedback was behind its decision to invest in £26 million of savings for shoppers across the season rather than a one-off day of sales.

Last year's chaos around the event - at stores other than just Asda - prompted Sir Peter Fahy, Chief Constable of Greater Manchester Police, to condemn lax security arrangements in place to cope with the huge crowds.

Footage from Asda in Wembley, north west London, showed security staff struggling to contain a crowd of shoppers grappling for cut-price televisions. Some customers had to be separated as the sale sparked furious exchanges, while two women were seen wrestling over a TV.