Shops on the high street and online are gearing up for Black Friday but supermarket giant Asda has confirmed that once again it won't be taking part.

The Walmart-owned retailer first made the decision to shun the one-day flash sale event back in 2015.

And this year it has again chosen not to take part, reported our sister website Birmingham Live here.

Black Friday 2018 is on Friday November 23.

But Asda said it would have it's own special 'deals period' which allows customers to get more bargains over a longer period rather than just in one day.

Adsa has launched its 'Green is the New Black' sale

And it officially launched the 'Green is the New Black' event in Asda stores across the country on Tuesday (November 13) reported Mirror Online here.

Running for a limited time only according to the Asda website, it includes bargains across several departments including toys - which is great news for Christmas shopping.

The move by Asda not to take part in Black Friday comes after customer feedback told the company that they would prefer savings throughout Christmas, including on their traditional shop, instead of a 24-hour flash sale.

The retailer has promised that from early November through to Christmas and into the New Year customers will see more offers landing in stores.

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Asda President and CEO, Andy Clarke, said: “The decision to step away from Black Friday is not about the event itself.

"Over the last two years we’ve developed an organised, well-executed plan, but this year customers have told us loud and clear that they don’t want to be held hostage to a day or two of sales."

Russell Craig, media relations director for Asda, said of the move: “In 2015 we said that we were stepping away from Black Friday because, as much as we had developed a well organised and executed event the feedback from our customers was clear that they didn't want the pressure of a ‘flash sale’ and preferred to know we were offering low prices throughout the festive season."

Instead Mr Craig said customers can get deals in the run up to Christmas on the site's deal pages.