As Christmas creeps closer, UK households are in full preparation. Yet while total Christmas budgets are dropping year on year, consumers are spending more on furniture to keep their guests happy.
Research compiled by AHF Furniture showed that, in October, 16% of people had already begun their Christmas shopping. Yet further data shows that households are forgetting about the need to keep their guests comfortable until December.
Looking at the statistics, on average, households are spending £796 on Christmas, a figure which has dropped from the £820 spend from 2014. In terms of keeping their guests happy on the day, statistics show that more than half of households are planning to spend around £159 on food and drink this year. Thanks to a shift to online shopping, where savvy shoppers can find the best deals, that is an 8% decrease from 2014.
Sales of dining furniture, one of the most important aspects of a family Christmas dinner, shot up in December 2014, with a huge increase of 80% from November 2014.
Households spent even more on bedroom furniture during the festive month of 2014, with December showing a staggering 207% increase from November of the same year.
The compiled research also showed that 43% of Brits have been saving money each month for this years’ festive season, showing an increase in preparation from 2014, during which just 26% of consumers put money aside.
Jonathan Gregory, e-Commerce manager at AHF Furniture, commented on these findings: “Looking at our sales data, it’s seems that UK consumers may realise quite late in the year that they need a new dining table or a new bed frame for the festive period.
“These trends make it clear that while households are worried about buying presents on time, they’re overlooking the fact that they may not be able to fit everyone around the dining table.”
