BRACE yourself - it's set to be a shopping day unlike any other.

More than 80,000 bargain hunters are expected to descend on Southampton tomorrow for what has been billed as the biggest Black Friday discount bonanza ever.

Queues are expected to form outside WestQuay Shopping Centre from as early as 7am as retailers offer discounts of up to 60 per cent.

Originally an American craze, Black Friday has swept across the UK and Europe in recent years, and this year's sales extravaganza is predicted to be the biggest yet.

Analysts Verdict have predicted that 47 per cent of the UK's shoppers will pick up a bargain tomorrow while Visa Europe has forecast that the country's shoppers will spend £360,000 a minute on their cards.

WestQuay will open its doors at the normal time of 9am but will be open an hour later, until 9pm. However flagship store John Lewis will open at 8am and has drafted in extra staff to cope with demand.

Forty five retailers will be offering plunging discounts, with shoppers able to get as much as 50 per cent off goods from high street names at the centre.

Manager Andy Collyer says 67,000 people visited WestQuay last year, but is expecting more than 80,000 this year.

He says it may even rival December 27 as the centre's busiest day with about 95,000 people walking through the doors last year.

He said: “I think shoppers have understood the Black Friday phenomena and are getting very excited about it, “I think it was a new concept that has taken people some time for them to get their heads around, but this year we know there are going to be some great discounts.”

Further up the shopping precinct at The Marlands Shopping Centre, retailers will also be getting in on the act and offering discounts of up to 60 per cent.

Head of branch Mark Venables said: “Customers are more aware of Black Friday this year so we are expecting a really busy day with many offers on electricals and elsewhere in the shop as we match competitors' promotions.

“I am looking forward to what Black Friday will bring.”

Supermarkets Asda, Tesco and Sainsbury's will all be offering deals for Black Friday, with Asda along with big store names like Argos, Currys and Halfords.

Stewart Dunn, chief executive of Hampshire Chamber of Commerce, said: “I think the very fact that people are more aware of Black Friday has heightened their awareness of needing to get into the shops and get their orders in.

“It could be a terrific boost for retailers.”

What is Black Friday?

THE sales bonanza originated in the United States, and is the Friday following Thanksgiving in the United States, which is regarded as the start of the Christmas shopping season.

The name came from the US city of Philadelphia, where it referred to the heavy disruption caused by shoppers that would occur on the day after Thanksgiving.

With Thanksgiving - the fourth Thursday of November - being a holiday, shops would be inundated the following day when they reopened, with many shoppers having the day off work.

Over the years it has seen retailers open earlier and earlier - with some in the States opening their doors as early as midnight in recent years - and offering massive discounts.