The Goods UK – 9 October 2024
Welcome back to The Goods UK. This week, we’re chatting the appeal of ‘plushies’, why green is the new black for bathrooms and how the search to cut emissions could drive innovation in aircraft design.
Did you know roughly 24 million pumpkins are sold in the UK to add to the excitement of Halloween? This year, a pair of twins are on course to break the world record for a “monster”-sized pumpkin they expect to weigh as much as a rhino.
What’s in: this week’s trends
- Plushie appeal: Forget adulting, Brits are embracing their inner child by collecting squishy, smiling baguettes, tennis balls and boiled eggs. Plushies like JellyCats are the new “must-have” accessory, with the company’s revenues jumping 37% to £200m this year. The cuddly toys are believed to transcend age boundaries because they provide comfort and cuteness in a world of constant stress and change.
- Rolling with it: Retail footfall rose for the first time in a year last month, fuelled by back-to-school shopping and the decent weather, according to the British Retail Consortium (BRC). The figures chime with data from Barclays which showed spending on discretionary items rose by 1.2% in September. Oasis’ highly anticipated tour next year set the stage for people prioritising items that “bring them joy” – a cultural resurgence brands won’t want to let ‘slide away’.
- Plonk braces for tax impact: Wine sellers are asking their customers for help in overturning a new alcohol duty system “before it’s too late”. The new regime, coming into effect on 1 February 2025, will increase tax bands for wine, with reds expected to increase in price or disappear from our shelves as a result. The campaign comes just weeks before UK Chancellor Rachel Reeves announces her debut Budget, and against a backdrop of retail bosses and industry chiefs pushing for more help from the Government to spur economic growth.
- The most wonderful time of the year: Supermarkets, retailers and delivery companies have begun ramping up for the festive season by hiring thousands of seasonal workers. Meanwhile, Tesco’s CEO, Ken Murphy is betting on a very “Merry Christmas” as customers begin trading up and sales of its premium ranges are soaring. With seasonal sales reaching around £85 billion in 2023, the stakes are high for the ‘Golden Quarter’.
Cash or card: shopper behaviour
What’s in and out of our baskets right now? Thursday is officially the new Friday and Gen Z is redefining nightlife in the gym.
- Green is the new black: Avocado green is making a notable comeback in bathroom design, with Wickes’ Great Bathroom Report revealing that 27% of homeowners aged 25 to 34 prefer this retro hue. The trend aligns with Pinterest data showing a staggering 2,670% increase in searches for green home decor and a 350% rise in searches for dark green bathrooms. The growing interest in 70s aesthetics and vibrant tiling underscores a shift towards bold colours in modern homes.
- Gym gains, debt pains: Gen Z is redefining nightlife by leaving the pub behind and hitting the gym. Many young adults now see exercise as a social activity, with group workouts rising, and nightlife spots even offering healthier options to keep up with the trend. The shift may also reflect the change in spending power, with younger people facing mortgage payments twice as high as the generations before them.
- Sunday Funday!: Hybrid working has changed our dining behaviour, according the co-founder of Pizza Pilgrims. More people are shaking off the back-to-work blues with Sunday foodie get-togethers, making trading tougher on days where hospitality firms previously enjoyed their strongest sales. While the mid-week treat meal does still exist, Thursday is now commonly accepted as the new Friday.
Making moves: industry changes & innovation
ICYMI, even industry icons need to reinvigorate their brand presence through unique and creative ways. Here are some movers and shakers that you should know about:
- Who runs the world?: Online grocer Ocado has launched a first-of-its-kind aisle stocked only with products from female-founded businesses. The ‘Buy Women Built’ shopping destination will offer more than 1,000 products from 130 brands. The retailer said its online model provided a much needed route to market for many emerging brands, offering them an initial “foot in the door” to reach a national customer base.
- A day for the ducks: H&M will phase out its use of virgin down and feathers, harvested from ducks and geese, for the production of its puffer jacks and pillows by 2026. In a move long-called for by animal welfare groups like PETA (whose activists staged a duck-inspired protest during the company’s annual shareholders meeting earlier this year) the clothing brand has said it will aim to only use material from post-consumer recycled sources going forward. Since PETA helped push fur out of fashion after 40 years of high-profile campaigns, the animal rights organisation has been focusing on making more mainstream materials like wool, leather and down equally unacceptable.
- Wings of change: The shape of passenger airplanes haven’t changed for decades, but a new wave of innovation could change all that. Longer, thinner wings, jet engines with uncovered fans, and an approach that blends the wing into the body of the plane are all being considered. The move comes as the aviation industry faces pressure to cut carbon emissions. Based upon current industry status, new analysis by the University of Cambridge suggests the industry is still seriously off-track in meeting its net-zero pledges by 2050.
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