Queues of bargain-seeking gadget fans are expected to form at the Apple store in Quaker's Friars in Bristol today as the shop launches its Happy Friday sale.

To coincide with the traditional sales in the United States, where prices are slashed the day after Thanksgiving, Apple is cutting prices in Bristol as the Christmas shopping rush begins.

Techno-savvy shoppers have been promised the latest iPod, iPhone and Mac accessories at a sizeable discount, helping them stay out of the red this Christmas.

Today is traditionally known as Black Friday in America and marks the start of the shopping season. The term is supposedly a reference to heavy traffic on that day, and to the idea that retailers go from being in the red to in the black.

This week, Apple customers received an email wishing them Happy Friday. The message promised a one-day shopping event in-store and online, with an image showing a pile of Apple products wrapped in a red ribbon and bow.

A spokeswoman for Apple said she could not confirm what products would be available but warned that not all sale products would be available in all stores. She said the store, which is also due to open a branch in the Mall, Cribbs Causeway, would open at 9.30am as normal.

Elsewhere in Cabot Circus, shoppers took advantage of a two-day event at House of Fraser. The event, which ends today with celebrity designer Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen coming to the store to launch his new cutlery collection, sees up to 25 per cent off thousands of items and 10 per cent off beauty products.