Yahoo Finance UK shoppers plan to spend £9.3bn on post-lockdown treats
UK consumers are planning to spend £9.3bn ($12bn) on treating themselves post-COVID-19, new research has found.
With restrictions easing and non-essential shops, restaurants, and pubs reopening after the coronavirus lockdown, shoppers are planning to hit the high street to treat themselves, with 92% of respondents planning to spend on the high street, according to a survey of 2005 UK adults by American Express.
Brits are planning to spend an average £195 each on the high street on life-after-lockdown treats — totalling £9.3bn across the UK.
Meals in restaurants topped the list of post-lockdown treats, with most Brits planning to eating out, budgeting an average of £31 per person for restaurant meals.
Nearly half (49%) of UK adults said they longed to go out for professionally cooked meals during lockdown, the survey found.
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New clothes and accessories came in at number two on the list, with shoppers planning to spend an average of £25 on new items for their wardrobe.
Drinks out at a pub or bar came third, with Brits planning to spend an average of £21 per person on a trip to the pub. A third (33%) of UK consumers reported missing drinks at the pub during lockdown.
Brits are looking to spend £19 on home decorations and furniture and £8 on flowers to brighten up their home.
Coffee out in a cafe was also revealed as a popular treat, with people spending an average of £13 getting their caffeine hit.
Shoppers are forecast to spend an average of £10 each on books, as 18% said they had missed browsing in bookshops.
Beauty treatments and haircuts are also popular post-lockdown treats, with people spending an average of £12 getting their hair done. More than a third (36%) admitted to missing trips to the hairdresser and regular hair treatments, with almost one in five (19%) attempting their own haircuts at home.
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Brits are also planning to spend on electronics and gadgets, cosmetics, dry cleaning, trips to the cinema, and theatre performances.
Shoppers are also keen to support local businesses post-lockdown, as half of those who increased their online spending during lockdown plan to spend more on their local high street now that restrictions have eased.
