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Streets to be covered in bunting for Queen’s Platinum Jubilee as shops run low

One company said sales had risen “thirtyfold” in the last month, while others warned they were running out of stock.

Benedict Smith
Wednesday 01 June 2022 13:02 BST
Bunting on display at Covent Garden in central London ahead of the Queen’s jubilee celebrations (PA)
Bunting on display at Covent Garden in central London ahead of the Queen’s jubilee celebrations (PA) (PA Wire)

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Louise Thomas

Editor

Streets will be covered in hundreds of miles of bunting as manufacturers revealed a “massive” spike in demand ahead of the Platinum Jubilee.

One company said sales had risen “thirtyfold” in the last month, while others warned they were running out of stock.

The Hampshire Flag Company said it had just “a few” decorations left, despite preparing “way in advance” for a surge in orders.

Extra bunting that it manufactured to cope with Jubilee demand sold out by February.

“We’ve done about 200 miles of bunting in the last three months,” said marketing manager Rod Sessions.

We’ve sold somewhere in the region of 90 to 100km of bunting in the last month. It’s twentyfold what we normally do, thirtyfold what we normally do

Tim Turner, Bunting Warehouse

The firm usually sells “about 50 miles” in the first three or four months of the year, he added.

Tesco, which expected to sell 60,000 rolls of bunting in the week leading up to the Jubilee, was also running low.

“Anyone interested in buying any should check with their local store first,” a spokesman for Britain’s biggest supermarket said.

“It’s been extremely popular and we’re coming near the end of our stocks.”

Bunting Warehouse, a Leicestershire manufacturer, said the “incredible” demand was higher than at any point since 2012’s Diamond Jubilee.

“We’ve sold somewhere in the region of 90 to 100km of bunting in the last month,” director Tim Turner said.

“It’s twentyfold what we normally do, thirtyfold what we normally do.”

Its most popular options were of the Union Flag and Platinum Jubilee logo, which features a crown on an imperial purple background.

“We’ve done in the region of 30km of just the Jubilee design,” Mr Turner said.

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