
Black Friday is well under way around the world - with a topless feminist protester appearing in a Ukrainian sweet shop and frenzied bargain-hunters battling for deals in the likes of Brazil and Greece.

Photographs from the Ukrainian capital show a woman from radical feminist group FEMEN throwing confectionery while screaming in protest.

Before being taken away, the woman - who also had the words 'Black Friday' painted on her torso - managed to cause a considerable mess in the store.

A topless activist of the feminist movement FEMEN bearing the slogan 'Black Friday' raids a shop in Ukraine this morning as consumer madness spreads around the world

Before being taken away, the woman - who also has the words 'Black Friday' painted on her torso - managed to cause considerable damage in the store

The shop - owned by Roshen - was named after former Ukrainian president Petro Poroshenko. Here the protester can be seen throwing tins of cakes

The activist trashed the shop in Kiev by throwing chocolate bars and sweets in the air. The Roshen Corporation, which owns the shop, is the biggest confectionery retailer in Ukraine

The radical feminist protester was eventually taken away so genuine Black Friday shoppers could take advantage of the day's sales

The shop - owned by Roshen - was named after former Ukrainian president Petro Poroshenko.

At a shop in Sao Paulo, Brazil's biggest city, huge crowds can be seen struggling to get hold of huge Samsung TVs.

A worker can be seen standing on a stack of electronics attempting to marshal the chaos by using a vuvuzela horn.

But his hope appears futile as the crowds swarm around the precious brown boxes containing cut-price goodies.

In pictures from a shop in Sao Paulo, Brazil's biggest city, huge crowds can be seen struggling to get hold of huge Samsung TVs. But his hope appears futile as the crowds swarm around the precious brown boxes containing cut-price goodies

In another of the images, a worker can be seen standing on a stack of electronics attempting to marshal the chaos by using a vuvuzela horn

Shoppers reach out for Samsung television sets as they compete to purchase retail items on Black Friday at a store in Sao Paulo

According to reports, at least 68 per cent of the Brazilians bought something during Black Friday, a number that compared with the 61 per cent of last year and shows a slow increase of the economy

All smiles: Eager Brazilian consumers laugh as they battle to take home a Samsung TV at a shop advertising Black Friday deals in Sao Paulo

Victory: One chap carries his enormous TV over his head as he tries to take it to the till and confirm the deal

Desperate customers rip into the huge stacks of TVs in Sau Paulo this morning as the Black Friday chaos begins

According to reports, at least 68 per cent of the Brazilians bought something during Black Friday, a number that compared with the 61 per cent of last year and shows a slow increase of the economy

In Athens, meanwhile, queues are already starting to build as shoppers in Greece strike out in search of deals.

Pictures taken this morning show some happy customers already carrying away TVs - though they are decidedly smaller than those on sale in Sao Paulo.

It comes as shoppers in the UK are expected to spend nearly £8billion this weekend as stores slash prices.

Discounts on some products are expected to be so big that sellers will actually make a loss.

In Athens, meanwhile, queues are already starting to build as shoppers in Greece strike out in search of deals

Pictures taken this morning show some happy customers already carrying away TVs - though they are decidedly smaller than those on sale in Sao Paulo

Bargain-hunters march into an electronics shop in Athens this morning as the Black Friday chaos begins in the Mediterranean country

Shoppers buy TVs in a shop full of electronic devices in the early morning of Black Friday in Athens. As the day progresses, the fun can only increase

Retailers are using bargains to lure shoppers through the door – as they struggle to reverse a drop in sales fuelled by a squeeze on household budgets.

Price cuts of 40 to 50 per cent are being promoted on many clothes and electricals, with the biggest deals seeing around two-thirds knocked off the cost.

A record number of stores are running promotions as they fear losing business to rivals or online giant Amazon.

Even Next has felt the pressure, and for the first time has brought forward its Boxing Day sale to start at 3am today. It has previously refused to hold sales in the run-up to Christmas.

Eager shoppers were seen cramped against the store's doors as they waited patiently to get their hands on early Christmas gifts

Macy's Herald Square finally opened its doors at 5pm on Thanksgiving Day for thousands of early Black Friday shoppers in search of amazing sales, door buster deals, and limited-time-offers

The initial sales on Thanksgiving Day were expected to increase 15 per cent to $2.8 billion. But by 5pm Thursday, Americans had already spent $1.52 billion, which is a 17 per cent increase from last year

Of those considering shopping the long holiday weekend, the survey found that 32 million plan to shop on Thanksgiving Day, but Black Friday will remain the busiest day with 115 million shoppers descending on US stores

Spending across the board is expected to be up 7 per cent on last year to reach £7.8billion over four days from today, according to the Centre for Retail Research and VoucherCodes website.

The warm autumn means fashion sellers are looking to offload masses of unsold coats, boots and woollens.

In the US, Black Friday mayhem began at 5pm on Thanksgiving Day as thousands of bargain hunters rushed inside stores across the country in search of amazing sales, door buster deals and limited-time offers as experts predict 164 million Americans will spend nearly $1,000 each over the holiday weekend.

Macy's Herald Square in Manhattan saw hundreds of people lined up outside their doors waiting to get their hands on deals like cosmetic and perfume sets from $10 to $20 as well as 40 per cent off on boots and shoes.

Shoppers wait outside the entrance to Game in Westfield Shopping Centre in Stratford, east London after the video game retailer opened its doors at midnight for Black Friday

Bargain hunters stayed up late to make it to the midnight opening of Game in Stratford, east London. Shoppers will spend nearly £8billion this weekend as stores slash prices for Black Friday

Shoppers were also seen flocking to its Apple shop for deals on gadgets like the Apple Watch.

Experts have predicted that over the five-day period between Thanksgiving and Cyber Monday, consumers will spend $19.7 billion.

As several shoppers have braved the cold weather in tents, others have found a way to take the easy way out. Some shoppers have reportedly been disguising themselves as staffers to beat the long lines.

People were reportedly selling Walmart employee vests and promised buyers an easy way to bypass the line.