The hottest trends of 2016? Frozen rosé ... and PM’s kitten heels
FROM the summer popularity of Brussels sprouts to the autumn surge in kitten heel sales, this year’s crazes provided plenty of tales of the unexpected. Britons spent around £364billion following fads, forking out on everything from corgi-shaped cakes in honour of the Queen’s 90th birthday to frozen rosé.
Retail expert Mary Portas charted the trends of 2016 and discovered one of the standout hits has been food and fitness guru Joe Wicks, whose two books based on his popular Lean In 15 regime sold more than a million copies.
Wicks now earns around £1million a month after becoming the bestselling non-fiction author of the year, even though he has no background in cooking,
His success even spread to the supermarkets, with sales of tenderstem broccoli up 32 per cent at Waitrose alone because so many of his recipes feature the vegetable.
Britons also made a beeline for the shops after major news events.
Tim Peake’s mission in space led to a 25 per cent surge in telescope sales at Maplin, the electronics specialist, while the Rio Olympics saw online sales of sports equipment peak at 2am as night owls watched the action on TV.
Even the sale of blue cars at a Leicester dealership spiked by 340 per cent in May after Leicester City won the Premier League for the first time. The Queen’s 90th birthday also had a knock-on effect at retailers, with Asda even unveiling an exclusive ‘corgi cake’. ‘Who doesn’t like a cake shaped by a dog?’ said Asda’s Ruth Stead.
Prime Minister Theresa May’s influence spread beyond Westminster to the high streets, where sales of kitten heels increased after she entered Downing Street.
Peter Cross, communications director at John Lewis, said: ‘Kitten heel sales went up 14 per cent within the week. She is redefining power-dressing.’
One unexpected health fad was the summertime popularity of Brussels sprouts, with record sales reported outside winter. But the food and drink winner of 2016 was rosé, with celebrity fans such as David Beckham sparking an increase in sales of 100 per cent at Waitrose.
Spending on Halloween hit an alltime high, with £310million being spent on outfits and decorations.
What Britain Bought in 2016, featuring Mary Portas, is on Channel 4 on December 28.