Amazon drops French Black Friday ad campaign as Covid-19 lockdown starts

Amazon is withdrawing advertising for pre-Black Friday discounts in France, after the government said the campaign was unfair to small shops at time when a coronavirus lockdown has forced them to close.

France entered its second national lockdown on Friday to try to contain a surge in infections. The curbs imposed under it include the closure of non-essential stores.

A spokeswoman for Amazon said the group had agreed to halt its radio advertising campaign around pre-Black Friday sales.

A page with discounted items under the header “Black Friday ahead of time” was live on its French website on Saturday, however.