IT'S become one of the biggest sales days of the retail calendar but a Hampshire DIY giant says it is to boycott Black Friday.

B&Q, which has its head office in Chandler's Ford, will abandon Black Friday for the first time this year as it released research suggesting almost half of consumers do not plan to shop in the sales event.

Black Friday, which falls on November 23 this year, has become the term to describe the first Friday after Thanksgiving in the US when the Christmas shopping season gets into full swing.

In recent years it has become a day when retailers on both sides of the Atlantic run promotional offers to kick start their season sales.

In 2014 there were ugly scenes in a packed Westquay as desperate shoppers fought over bargains in the aisles.

B&Q has rejected the gimmick in favour of "year-round low prices", claiming research found shoppers do not trust Black Friday deals and are turning away from the event.

Forty-six per cent of people say they are not planning to shop in this year's event on November 23, according to a poll for the store, while 43 per cent said they often or always returned items after regretting purchases made in short-term sales.

B&Q announced in July it was investing £100 million in bringing down overall shop prices as it aims to cut back on promotions and discounts.

The firm's commercial director Paul White said: "Shoppers have told us they trust stable low prices far more than 'here today, gone tomorrow' deals, which is why we have invested £100 million in our year-round low prices across the store."