Festive spending to rise among British shoppers

Sunday 24 October 2010 00:00 BST
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Despite the biggest government cuts since the Second World War, Britons are preparing to splash the cash at Christmas.

A survey from search engine Twenga found that Britons are planning to up their Christmas spend by 19 per cent compared with last year. Across Europe, this represents the second highest national increase in Christmas spending, just behind the French who are planning to boost their Yuletide spend by 20 per cent on average.

Even with an ongoing fiscal crisis in their respective countries, the Spanish and Italians say on average they will spend 5 and 3 per cent more. Overall, Britons are going to spend the most, £414, compared with a European average of £295. Among the major countries of Europe the Germans are planning to be among the most frugal this Christmas with an average spend of £236 per person compared with £253 in 2009. The Dutch are set to have the most economical festive season, saying that they will spend only £180 on a combination of presents, food and alcohol.

But Britons' largesse doesn't mean they like hunting out a better deal, with 78 per cent of respondents saying they will be doing some shopping online.

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