Festive shoppers are still planning to ‘give the gift of local’ this Christmas to support British farmers and independent businesses, new research from leading rural insurer NFU Mutual reveals.
While 38% of people surveyed said they planned to spend less this Christmas, seven in ten said they will still shop with independent retailers this year.
As well as visiting farm shops, butchers and bakeries, a recent NFU Mutual poll found a quarter of respondents said they would dine at local eateries this Christmas to support local businesses while 15% would attend festive events.**
When it comes to ingredients for Christmas dinner, 60% of people surveyed said they would like to buy meat from a local producer or farm shop, while 20% sought fresh local vegetables and 14% are looking for artisan cheeses.**
Fresh, quality produce was the main reason why people chose to visit farm shops, followed by support for British farmers, boosting the local economy and shopping experience.
Hannah Binns, NFU Mutual Rural Affairs Specialist, said: “As the cost-of-living impact is being felt by so many, it is understandable that people are planning to spend the same or less than last Christmas.
“With this in mind, it is heart-warming to see there is still appetite among shoppers to seek out something special this year from farm shops and other local businesses.
“The past year has been difficult for many farmers and rising inflation, extreme weather events and disease outbreaks have posed additional challenges and pressures on those businesses.
“Yet farmers and growers have continued to produce high quality and nutritious food for everyone to enjoy as well as cared for our environment and contributed to local economies.
“One way we can support their hard work and efforts is by giving the gift of local this Christmas.”
Chair of the Farm Retail Association, Rupert Evans, said: “We find consumers are really supportive and loyal when it comes to shopping at their local farm retailer and these results reflect just that.
“Speaking to other members we are generally finding that footfall is up against last year but as you’d imagine, customers are watching their money and spending a little less. On balance takings are around the same as last year (a Covid year) which we are really pleased with.
“Customer orders for turkeys and other Christmas food and drink is up which shows that customers like to shop locally at Christmas and trust their local farm shop. With so much uncertainty, shoppers are preferring to order from their local farm retailer and we’re also seeing customers more interested in events such as Wreath Making and Christmas Fairs as more and more people feel safe coming out after Covid.”
* The research was carried out between 26/10/2022 to 31/10/2022 by the InSites Consulting Team on behalf of NFU Mutual, with 571 NFU Mutual customers from across the UK.
** NFU Mutual Twitter Poll which ran between 02/12/2022 to 05/12/2022
