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6 days ago
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Easter is nearly here, but it’s beginning to feel a lot like Christmas as Britons decorate trees, buy pricey gifts and pull crackers.
High street stores are decked with wreaths, baubles and table decor, although it is the Easter bunny, not Santa, that looms large. With shelves full of chick- and bunny-shaped trinkets it’s clear that putting up an Easter tree, or twig, is increasingly mainstream.
More than a quarter of British adults, equivalent to nearly 15 million people, buy gifts for Easter (which is more than for Valentine’s Day, Father’s Day or anniversaries), with 3.5 million of them spending at least £50 on things such as plants, toys and clothes as well as the obligatory chocolate, according to the data company Kantar.
Given the huge demand, retailers have upped the ante with their seasonal ranges. Forget a chocolate egg in cup, there is everything from upmarket crockery – think £25 Emma Bridgewater Mini Eggs mugs – to £18 Lego bunny sets and Easter chick babygrows to choose from.
In a twist on the Christmas jumper, Next’s Easter edit includes a near-£100 Boden knit covered in cute sheep. And in a nod to popular beauty Advent calendars, brands including Boots, Lookfantastic and Lush are selling “beauty eggs” filled with skincare and makeup.
This fuss might seem over the top to older Britons who remember when the highlights were a bonnet parade and egg rolling. But the grimness of the news cycle helps explain the desire to buy cute decorations and treat family members, said Alison Lynch, the head of content at the Good Housekeeping Institute (GHI).
“When there’s a lot of uncertainty and negativity in the news, people refocus on the things that matter to them,” Lynch said. “Spending time with friends and family becomes even more important.” Also with Easter falling later this year, the “sun is out and everyone’s looking forward to a four-day weekend”.
“Plus, there’s much less pressure on Easter than Christmas,” said Lynch. “You don’t have to invite all the relatives, it’s more low key, you’re not cooking a huge meal; it’s essentially Christmas in spring without all the stress.”
The fact that the GHI’s Easter taste test gets bigger every year – this year it sampled nearly 200 products – is a “sure sign that Easter is becoming more of a focus for shoppers and retailers”, she added.
It is certainly true that supermarkets have stepped up their Easter food ranges, expanding them to include new twists on Christmas favourites like panettone. Waitrose, for example, is selling an apple and cinnamon hot cross “bunettone”.
In another tradition borrowed from the festive season, Waitrose is pushing an “Easter sandwich” to use up leftover lamb, albeit with the stuffing and mayonnaise replaced by baba ganoush and date and tamarind sauce.
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These days, customers are “looking for more than just eggs”, said Chloe Avery, the senior seasonal manager at online supermarket Ocado Retail. “They’re going all-out with Easter decorations and gifts. After a long winter, people are looking for something to celebrate.”
Ocado is selling more than 120 Easter-themed extras, with £5 faux grass Easter bunny table decorations, an £8 glass egg baubles set and near-£13 packs of crackers (containing bunny ears rather than the traditional paper crowns) among the hottest sellers.
John Lewis said searches for spring decor were 67% higher this month than a year ago. “Easter decorations are growing in popularity each year,” said Lucy Steer, its head of dining and seasonal, who said a £14 bunny-shaped wreath was flying off the shelves. “Since the pandemic, we’ve seen a real shift in hosting and marking these occasions at home.”
Some shoppers are taking the DIY route, with specialist chain Hobbycraft reporting bumper demand for kits to decorate your own ceramic eggs, as well as Easter twig trees and wreaths. Hanna Reynolds, the chain’s seasonal buyer, said there was a desire to put a personal stamp on the holiday, a trend amplified by social media.
Not all traditions have been forsaken – Easter bonnet making remains popular, with sales of paraphernalia such as flowers and ribbons 53% higher than last year on the Hobbycraft website. And with Easter crackers an expensive add-on at a time of rising food prices, there has been huge interest in the retailer’s guide to making your own bunny crackers.
