French companies including Amazon are pushing back their Black Friday offers until after the national lockdown so smaller retailers won't miss out on sales

• France is delaying Black Friday deals across the country until December 4 to give local businesses the chance to benefit from the spending splurge.
• The country is under a second national lockdown and non-essential businesses must remain closed.
• Retailers including Amazon and Carrefour have agreed to push back their deals, though local businesses aren't sure when they will be allowed to reopen.
• Take a look at the best Black Friday deals of 2020 that are live now — plus how to shop, and everything else you need to know today.

French retailers including Amazon and major supermarket chains have agreed to postpone their Black Friday deals until December 4 to protect local businesses hampered by the country's lockdown.

Under the French lockdown, which is slated to last until December 1, non-essential businesses have to remain closed, but supermarkets, alongside e-commerce sites like Amazon, can continue operating.

Local non-essential businesses worried they would miss out on the traditional Black Friday spending splurge if it happened during the country's lockdown.

Industry body Alliance Du Commerce had previously asked the government to let businesses reopen on November 27, giving officials the choice: "Open us or kill us."

This would have allowed non-essential businesses to tap into Black Friday sales, which were due to run from November 27 to 29. Businesses would have also benefitted from an extra weekend of Christmas shopping, which would spread out customers across more days and so reduce store crowding, the Alliance said.

Instead of ending the lockdown, the finance minister, Bruno Le Maire, called on supermarkets and online retailers to postpone the annual sale event.

The delay would help "ensure shops reopen in France under maximum safety conditions," he said.

The Carrefour supermarket chain, which is Europe's biggest retailer, is among the companies who agreed to postpone offers.

"It is by being united and responsible that we will overcome this economic and health crisis," Le Maine said.

However, it remains uncertain whether non-essential retailers will be able to reopen once France's lockdown ends, which is slated for December 1. The deal Le Maine agreed with retailers was dependent on non-essential businesses being allowed to open by December 4.

Stores "will be able to open as soon as health indicators improve," the prime minister, Jean Castex, said.