ECUADOR · RETAIL
Key Facts
- The date Retail groups confirmed Friday 20 November 2026 as Ecuador’s Black Friday at a press conference in Guayaquil on 30 September (Expreso, El Comercio).
- Why The usual date falls two days before the local elections of Sunday 29 November, when 13.8 million voters choose 5,742 local officials.
- The day off President Daniel Noboa’s Decree 507 of 22 September suspends work nationwide on 20 November, and the hours need not be made up.
- The stakes Tax-agency figures show Black Friday 2025 sales of US$1.38 billion on the day, up 20.9% on 2024.
- Who follows No law fixes Black Friday, so each retailer decides. Appliance chains such as Artefacta, Comandato, Jaher and Marcimex back the new date (El Comercio).
This story is part of our coverage of the Black Friday in Latin America 2026. Dates by country, deals, consumer warnings and what foreign buyers can do are in our Black Friday guide.
This story is part of our coverage of the Ecuador local elections 2026. The date, the candidates and how Ecuador votes are in our Ecuador local elections guide.
This story is part of our coverage of the Ecuador local elections 2026. The date, the candidates and how Ecuador votes are in our Ecuador local elections guide.
This story is part of our coverage of the Black Friday in Latin America 2026. Dates by country, deals, consumer warnings and what foreign buyers can do are in our Black Friday guide.
Ecuador Black Friday will come a week early this year. Retailers confirmed 20 November to keep their biggest sales day clear of the local elections.
Ecuador’s main retail groups confirmed on 30 September 2026 that Black Friday will be held on Friday 20 November. The usual date falls two days before the local elections of Sunday 29 November.
Who is behind the proposal
The Guayaquil Chamber of Commerce (CCG) first proposed the move on 28 September. It is backed by the national federation of chambers of commerce, Fedecámaras, and the appliance retailers’ association, Asadelec.
The groups say the original date “coincides with the electoral weekend”. They want a longer run of offers before voting, rather than a rush of shopping on the voting weekend.
They confirmed the date at a press conference in Guayaquil, Ecuador’s largest city, on Wednesday 30 September. Miguel Ángel González, president of the Guayaquil chamber, said the election weekend would hurt shops and shoppers alike.
People have to travel and prepare for the vote, he said, and could miss the discounts. Gabriel Chavira of Asadelec joined him, with appliance chains such as Artefacta, Comandato, Jaher and Marcimex.
González expects sales to rise by at least 15%, Expreso reported. The chamber says an earlier date would let consumers plan their purchases more calmly.
It would also give shops more room to present offers and serve customers, it adds.
The elections behind the date
The vote on 29 November is a sectional election, Ecuador’s term for local and provincial polls. It is not a presidential vote.
The National Electoral Council (CNE) says 13,827,643 people are registered to vote. They will choose 23 provincial prefects, 222 mayors, 1,366 councillors and 4,131 rural parish board members.
Voters also elect the seven members of the Council for Citizen Participation and Social Control (CPCCS), which helps select senior state officials. Polls open from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m.
The winners take office on 14 May 2027. The vote was first planned for 14 February 2027, El Universo reported.
The electoral council moved it forward over fears of El Niño weather early next year. The official campaign opens on 12 November, so either shopping date falls inside it.
The council will also organise 45 mandatory debates, in districts with more than 100,000 voters. Of these, 21 are for prefect races and 24 for mayoral races.
Why 27 November is crowded
The electoral calendar starts before Sunday. Prisoners without a final sentence vote on Thursday 26 November.
Home voting, for people who cannot reach a polling station, follows on Friday 27 November. That Friday is also the day after Thanksgiving, the US holiday held on the fourth Thursday of November.
Black Friday grew out of that holiday weekend. The sales day gained its present weight in the 2000s.
The custom then spread from the United States to other countries, Ecuador among them.
A ready-made day off on 20 November
The new date has a second attraction. On 22 September President Daniel Noboa signed Decree 507, suspending the working day nationwide on Friday 20 November.
The suspension covers public and private employers, and the lost hours will not have to be made up. Essential services, including water, power, health care, airports and banks, keep running.
The government linked the day off to the International Festival of Living Arts in Loja, a southern city. The festival runs from 12 to 22 November.
The government says the break should encourage domestic travel and tourism.
How much money is at stake
Ecuador uses the US dollar as its currency, so the figures need no conversion. Sales between 24 and 28 November 2025 reached US$5.55 billion, up from US$4.82 billion a year earlier.
Black Friday itself, 28 November 2025, brought US$1.38 billion in sales, 20.9% more than the same day in 2024. The figures come from the SRI, Ecuador’s tax agency, via El Universo.
Growth has been steep. The day brought US$838.1 million in 2023, and the SRI linked last year’s jump to an early payout of the thirteenth-month salary.
What it means for shoppers and shops
Last year Noboa brought forward that year-end bonus for public workers, and about 150 private companies followed, the SRI said. This year he plans to pay it early again, on 16 November.
González said that plan was not agreed with business groups. He still called the timing welcome for the new sales date, Expreso reported.
For shoppers, including foreign residents, the change would mean discounts on a public day off, a week earlier. For shops, it avoids competing with election logistics and a quieter electoral weekend.
The risk is a split season if some chains keep 27 November. The groups have asked all retailers to back the new date, so that shoppers see a single day of discounts.
More: Ecuador news, every day from The Rio Times.
Related guide: Black Friday in Latin America 2026.
Related guide: Ecuador local elections 2026.
Frequently Asked Questions
When is Black Friday in Ecuador in 2026?
Friday 20 November, the date Ecuador’s main retail groups confirmed on 30 September. No law fixes the date, so each retailer decides whether to follow it.
Why do retailers want to move Black Friday?
The usual date falls two days before the sectional elections of Sunday 29 November, and home voting takes place that Friday. Friday 20 November is also a national day off under Decree 507.
What elections does Ecuador hold on 29 November 2026?
Sectional elections for prefects, mayors, councillors and rural parish boards, plus the seven members of the CPCCS. The National Electoral Council counts 13,827,643 registered voters.
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What is the background to Ecuador Black Friday?
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No law fixes Black Friday, so each retailer decides. Appliance chains such as Artefacta, Comandato, Jaher and Marcimex back the new date (El Comercio).
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Sources: El Universo (Black Friday proposal) · El Universo (CNE convenes 29 November elections) · El Universo (Decree 507, 20 November day off) · El Universo (election calendar moved forward) · Expreso · El Comercio
This article was produced by The Rio Times’ automated AI newsroom. Editorial responsibility: Matthias Camenzind, Publisher and Editor-in-Chief. The Rio Times also runs Ask Rio Times, which answers from 100,000+ of our own articles, the daily Latin America Power Map, and prediction-market odds on elections and markets.. How we use AI · Report an error