This year Black Friday is set to extend beyond the usual fixed 24 hour period, with more and more retailers confirming that they are gearing up to offer bargain prices on certain products for at least a week.

Tesco is the latest major player to outline its Black Friday plans for 2016, stating that it will kick off 11 days of deals beginning today and running until the 1st of December, according to Internet Retailing.

On Black Friday itself, hundreds of the firm’s bricks and mortar outlets around the country will be opening earlier than usual to accommodate the expected onslaught of customers. Meanwhile, people will be able to carry out safe shopping online if they want access to offers without having to wait in line.

Tesco spokesperson, Matt Davies, said that the company was keen to help shoppers take the sting out of getting ready for the festive celebrations this year, with this extended Black Friday event being just one of its Christmas initiatives.

While 11 days of deals sounds like a lot, Tesco has been beaten by auction site eBay, as it is running a 13 day marathon of offers until the end of the month, with discounts available across a host of popular brands that can be bought online.

eBay spokesperson, Murray Lambell, explained that with billions of pounds set to be spent on Black Friday, it makes sense to offer consumers every conceivable opportunity to save money, even if they cannot take advantage of deals on the day.

Amazon customers may already have noticed that discounts are being rolled out in anticipation of the event, with daily bargains available to those who are looking to get ready for Christmas earlier than usual in the final weeks of 2016.