The UK back-to-school (BTS) market is forecast to grow by 1.5% this year, according to data and analytics firm GlobalData.
UK consumers are set to spend £1.7 billion ($2.1 billion) on BTS items in 2019, up by about 1.5% on last year. The percentage increase is slightly higher than the annual rise in the number of pupils in the UK education system.
GlobalData said Amazon’s Prime Day on 15 and 16 July encouraged BTS shopping to start earlier this year by offering its own deals and also forcing other retailers to launch their ranges sooner than they might normally have done.
Stationery and school accessories are expected to be the fastest-growing categories this year, up 2% and 1.9% respectively. While stationery is still the segment with the highest growth, this is slowing as retailers such as Smiggle and Paperchase struggle and parents trade down due to value retailers and discounters improving their ranges. School accessories are set to see greater growth than last year due to consumer concern surrounding single-use plastics, boosting purchases of lunch boxes and water bottles in particular.
