Retailers are today bracing themselves for a Black Friday business bonanza.

Businesses are geared up with special offers and longer opening hours as a flood of shoppers is set to descend on stores from the early hours.

Paula Clarke, who represents the retail sector on the Bermuda Chamber of Commerce and is CEO of the Gibbons Company, said the event had grown over the four or five years it had been running in Bermuda.

She added: “In general, Black Friday is one of the biggest shopping days in November and there are certain parts of retail where it’s more important than others.”

She said the telecoms sector — which pioneered the US-created shopping spree on the Island — was a major beneficiary.

Ms Clarke added: “It’s become very important for the tech companies and it’s one of their biggest days of the year.

“And for department stores and bigger stores it’s become very significant.”

But she said: “Smaller stores and boutiques have also joined in and with more participation it becomes more relevant.”

Ms Clarke added that Black Friday also marked the start of the Christmas holiday season.

She said: “It’s important in that it’s one of the many efforts that the retail division of the Chamber and retailers use to keep money circulating in Bermuda.

“We want to demonstrate to the public that Bermuda is competitive. Online shopping and people travelling overseas is the major competition. Retailers are responding to the demands of the customer and we are trying to provide them with what they’re looking for.”

Ms Clarke said Gibbons Company would open its doors at 5am on Friday until 9pm — with a host of special offers to draw in shoppers.

The day kicks off with “early bird” discounts of 40 per cent on regular-priced items, subject to some restrictions, while from 10.01am to 9pm a 30 per cent discount will be offered, again with some restrictions.

And discounts of up to 75 per cent will be available on some merchandise as well.

Ms Clarke said: “Every business does their own thing, but we will see participation from other sectors as well.”

Nicole Warren, general manager of Front Street’s Brown & Co, part of the Phoenix chain, said all the group’s stores would be open at 4am. She added: “The team is working like Santa’s elves. We’re counting on it being a big day — it’s very important to our last-quarter results.

“It’s a massive event outside of Christmas Eve and this is when a lot of the excitement for the last-quarter sales comes from.”

She added: “It does create an overall excitement for the Island — and we’re having Santa Claus comes to town on Friday night and the lights for the City of Hamilton will be turned on as well.”

And she promised: “We will have some major doorbusters. There will be deals to be sought after on Friday.”

Ms Warren said that the Black Friday boom, although American in origin, had increased in popularity in Bermuda.

She added: “More and more people are attaching themselves to US shopping themes because so many people travel overseas for Black Friday or the end of November sales.

“It’s important that we give consumers what they’re looking for and it allows the economy to be very fruitful.”

Philip Barnett, the head of Island Restaurant Group, which owns popular city venues like the Pickled Onion, Hog Penny and Victoria Grill and Rumbar, said that Friday night was already perhaps the busiest night of the week.

He added the group was already running an “upper crust supper” special at Hog Penny and the Frog & Onion in Dockyard, but added that he expected shopping to take precedence over eating and drinking on Friday.

Mr Barnett added: “We live in everlasting hope. It would be wonderful if we did see a boost, but history shows it’s generally a normal business day for us.”