Queen’s jubilee expected to give £6bn boost to UK retail and hospitality

theguardian.com:

The jubilee weekend is expected to deliver a £6bn-plus boost to high streets and hospitality businesses as Britons take advantage of the four-day break to splash out on street parties and nights out.

Revellers are expected to spend more than £2bn on food and drink supplies alone, while pubs, bars and restaurants are hoping to ring up almost £3bn in sales, research suggests, as the two bank holidays combine with half-term breaks for most schools in England and Wales.

About a fifth of the population plans to join a street party, the report from Opinium and Vouchercodes found, with around £600,000 expected to be spent on decorations and memorabilia as retailers tempt shoppers with the questionable delights of Queen-shaped gnomes, corgi balloons and union flag bunting.

The platinum anniversary has prompted a carriage load of themed gear to cash in on the party atmosphere after more than two years of pandemic-imposed restrictions have kept friends and families apart. Laura Ashley said sales of its cake stands and dinner sets had more than quadrupled this week as households prepared for gatherings.

Meanwhile Pets at Home recorded a 31% increase in sales of pet party treats such as “pawty cakes” and “garden party dog food” flavoured with strawberries and vegetables as well as chicken.

Despite concerns for family budgets amid hefty rises in energy bills and the cost of the weekly shop, the long weekend is expected to prompt an 8% rise in visitors to retail destinations in the week up to the bank holiday weekend, according to analysts at shopper monitoring group Springboard, with high streets and shopping centres faring best.

UKHospitality, the, the British Beer and Pub Association and Hospitality Ulster said they were expecting almost