UK sale seasons, explained

UK high-street womenswear runs on a fairly predictable discount calendar. The two deepest moments are the end-of-season clearances: summer stock drops hardest from late June through July, and winter stock from Boxing Day through January. These are when 60–70% reductions are common and stock is broad — though popular sizes go first.

Black Friday (late November) has become the biggest single week for fashion discounts, but it behaves differently: discounts are wide rather than deep, often 20–40% across a whole range rather than 70% on clearance lines. It's the best week for buying full-price items you already wanted, rather than hunting for extremes.

Mid-season sales — typically April and October — are shallower and shorter, and 'flash' events run year-round at the online-first brands like boohoo and PrettyLittleThing, where headline percentages are large but starting prices are lower.

Because we track participating brands continuously, you don't have to remember any of this: whatever is reduced right now is brought together on the site and ranked by how good the reduction actually is. The sale calendar just explains why some months feel abundant and others thin.