Housewares Business-to-business magazine for housewares retailers and their suppliers
Online searches at Homebase.co.uk have revealed that in the two weeks running up to Christmas, Brits’ thoughts turn from buying presents to snapping up last minute items to make their homes more welcoming for guests over the festive season.
In addition to looking for Christmas trees and decorations, practical items searched for included rugs, shelves and even doorbells, which were up 16% on searches compared with September. Some are so keen to impress family and friends that they even looked to buy a new dining table, with searches up 25% compared with September.
Homebase Christmas buyer Lindsay O’Neil said: “We are house proud as a nation, and Christmas usually is the time when we have most of the family round, with many staying with us for a few days. So getting our homes looking great becomes the priority after the presents are sorted.We have also seen that Christmas homewares have grown in popularity by around 30% from last year. There has been an increase in demand this year for duvet sets, cushions and throws compared with last year, which just shows people want to go the extra mile and make the spare room as good as a hotel room for guests.”
Results also revealed that the outside of the home gets a makeover too, with garden sheds and even pressure washers featuring on online searches, as the driveway and car get a deep clean prior to the big day.
The top 20 most searched for items before Christmas are:
1. Toilet roll holder
2. Door bell
3. Dining table
4. Cushions
5. Shelves
6. Curtains poles
7. Wardrobes
8. Laminate flooring
9. Radiators
10. Duvets
11. Folding chairs
12. Shower screen
13. Axe
14. Skirting board
15. Bath panel
16. Tablecloth
17. Drill
18. Chainsaw
19. Shed
20. Rugs
Homebase is a home enhancement retailer with around 58 million transactions a year, selling around 38,000 products for the home and garden. It has 271 large, out-of-town stores throughout the UK and Republic of Ireland and a growing internet offering at www.homebase.co.uk. In the financial year to February 2015, Homebase sales were £1.5 billion and it employed some 17,000 people across the business. Homebase is part of Home Retail Group.
