Scones, Jam And Champagne Sales Lift U.K. Retail For Royal Coronation

U.K. retailers have reported soaring sales of coronation-themed merchandise as consumers put up the bunting ahead of a weekend of street parties.

Meanwhile, London’s West End retailers are gearing up for a bumper weekend as tourists from the U.S. and around the world flood into the British capital for the long weekend.

Overall, one in five British households are expected to buy extra or special groceries for King Charles III’s coronation, with market researcher NIQ predicting that beers, wines and liquor were the likely footfall drivers as shoppers toast the new monarch’s crowning at Westminster Abbey, May 6.

NIQ also found that 15% of U.K. households intend to buy coronation-related memorabilia after the late Queen Elizabeth’s Jubilee week last year saw supermarket sales leap 10% to top $3.4 billion.

Upscale grocer Waitrose said that coronation recipe website searches website were up by more than 300% over the past week, as searches for ‘coronation cocktail recipe’ and ‘coronation trifle’ leapt by 259% and 323% respectively.

Waitrose has also received a Royal boost for its Duchy Organic range. Established by the new King in 1990 to sell organic produce from his farm, the brand has been available in Waitrose since 2010 and has become the U.K.’s largest organic food and drink brand.

Duchy Organic Sales Soar

“We’re seeing strong demand for Duchy Coronation products. Our customers particularly like products which can be kept as a souvenir like the Duchy shortbread tin,” a Waitrose spokesperson said. “Searches for Duchy banana and raisin tea loaf are up 42% on the same week last year, and searches for Duchy Golden Ale and dark chocolate cake are up 127%.”

Supermarket rival Co-op said it is expecting sparkling wine and Champagne sales to treble compared with a regular weekend and anticipated a 120% surge in the sale of scones, with clotted cream and jam sales predicted to soar by 300% and 40% respectively.

Sinead Bell, commercial director at Co-op, said: “We are expecting double the normal sales of scones, we’ve trebled our stock of clotted cream and, as we know many will want to toast our new King with a glass of fizz, we’ve made sure we have enough to go round.”

Homewares and kitchen equipment retailer Lakeland said it had sold out of several coronation-themed categories, including tea towels and Union Jack cupcake cases and toppers, while sales of its London bus cake stand and plastic Champagne flutes were up 55% and 228% on the week prior respectively.

Meanwhile, data from payments service provider Klarna showed online demand for TVs was up 40% last month compared with last year, while sales of BBQs and garden furniture was up 48% and 80% on the same period 12 months ago.

Hospitality Expects Coronation Boom

UKHospitality predicted that the coronation weekend will serve up a $439 million boost and head Kate Nicholls said: “May has the potential to be a historic month for the hospitality sector, which is set for one of its busiest times in recent memory.

“We know the British public turn out in their droves for big events and we expect the coronation and Eurovision to be no different. Whether it’s the traditional street party to celebrate the King or a watch party in Liverpool for Eurovision [an annual pop competition], hospitality will be at the centre of both events and we anticipate this will translate to a huge uplift in sales for the sector.”

London’s West End retail and hospitality businesses expect to be boosted to the tune of over $60 million, according to estimates from the area’s business district organization New West End Company (NWEC).

NWEC predicts footfall will reach 1.75 million over the three days, up 24% on last year’s first May bank holiday, with international travel bookings up 93% and bookings from U.S. visitors soaring by 144%.

NWEC has decorated the West End with 247 Union Jack flags, coronation planters, and a series of street installations with the slogan ‘get your royal on’ as businesses in the capital and beyond cross their fingers that the coronation of the new King will crown a record weekend.