A discount food retailer has applauded supermarket giant Asda for turning its back on Black Friday.

Skelmanthorpe man Andy Needham and business partner Dan Cluderay, who head Approved Food, described Black Friday as the “darkest day” in the retail calendar.

Last year, the pre-Christmas sales event sparked frenzy among shoppers fighting to snap up bargains in stores across the UK.

Leeds-based Asda, which has a store at Bradford Road in Huddersfield, was criticised for its handling of the event as scuffles broke out among bargain-hunters.

Walmart-owned Asda cited “shopper fatigue” as the reason for not taking part this year’s event, which takes place on November 27.

Mr Cluderay said: “For discount retailers, offering value for money and low prices is an everyday occurrence – not just one day of price-slashed madness,

“Today’s consumers are more cost savvy than ever before, so businesses need to ensure that they are appropriately managing their marketing offers to meet that trend.”

Approved Food ships more than 2,500 orders a week to shoppers across the UK, who can get up to 70% off.

Said Mr Cluderay: “The Black Friday approach is a flawed marketing approach in many ways as retailers have to buy in stock to manage the demand, defeating the original point of Black Friday and only adding to the issue of waste. It is refreshing that various retailers have recognised that and as a result are not partaking this year.

Asda’s move to offer value for money over a longer period of time is a much better way of listening to customer demand and supplying accordingly.”

Last year, Mr Cluderay and Mr Needham called for the “false economy practice” of Black Friday to be put under the spotlight – highlighting the need for fairer pricing all year round for families across the UK.

They claimed that despite many large retailers claiming huge discounts, families were let down with small price changes with as little as 10% knocked off items with a value in excess of £100 or more.

“Last year there was chaos in the shops and chaos on the internet as a result of Black Friday,” said Mr Cluderay. “Shoppers want the deals all year round, so that’s how we operate.

“As retailers, we should collectively offer working people value all year round and avoid a one day rush that knocks out the internet for the rest of the working world!”

South Yorkshire-based Approved Food works directly with food manufacturers and suppliers who have excess stock or stock nearing its best before date.

As well as offering discount to shoppers, Approved Food say this business model dramatically reduces the amount of waste produced throughout the UK and has so far saved more than 32m items from landfill.