Almost £1bn spent on back-to-school items

Parents spent £67million on trendy stationery last year as children heading back to school demanded fashionable pens and paper, new figures show.

Close to £1billion was spent on all back-to-school items in 2017, making it the UK’S third biggest seasonal shopping event behind Black Friday and Christmas, Mintel analysis found.

Chana Baram, research analyst at Mintel, said: “There has also been a trend among students to want more ‘fashionable’ stationery.”

Parents spent £915million in total, including £436 million on school uniforms, while sportswear accounted for £164 million.