by David Bates
Caravan sales rise as traditional British summer returns
Britons keen to make the most of their summer are increasingly turning to camping and caravaning for weekend breaks, as well as longer holidays, whilst sales of traditional summer fare have increased markedly.
Figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) show, in some cases, a fourfold increase in the sale of caravan-related products; sleeping bags jumped from £1.3 million in 2008 to £4.9 million in 2014 and, across the same period, tent and caravan awning sales rose by 75 per cent to £18.4 million. Caravan sales have steadily risen by seven per cent from 2012, amounting to £341.4 million, £261.7 million of which was on small caravans – the equivalent to some 50,000 vehicles. This in turn increased travel demands, with luggage sales more than doubling from £13.2 million to £28.3 million.
Our reemerging affection for the great outdoors has also seen rises in sales of cider, beer and ice cream. In 2014, Britons spent £723 million on homemade ice cream and £911.2 million on cider, an increase of almost 50 per cent from 2008, thought to spring from increasingly popular, and especially summery, mixed-fruit ciders.
British consumption of beer and cider appears to reflect average annual temperatures. The colder summers of 2012 and 2013 saw a fall-off in sales compared to 2011 and 2014. Let’s hope the sun continues to shine in 2015.
