As I write this, the weather forecast for the Coronation weekend is not great however, the sales forecast looks somewhat brighter. While there’s quite a bit of controversy in some quarters about the cost of the Coronation, many organisations are pointing to the sales it will bring in.
According to research from vouchercodes.co.uk, consumers will be spending over £1bn on food and drink over the weekend with more money spent on bunting and other decorations, memorabilia and souvenirs, taking total spending to £1.76bn.
Apparently the British economy is forecast to see a boost of £8bn over the Coronation weekend, with consumers spending £3.22bn more than on a typical May Bank Holiday (£4.80bn). Wow!
While die-hard royal fans are already queuing in London for the best position to see the procession, millions more will opt to watch the Coronation on TV. You can expect them to make an event of it themselves – forget the big night in this weekend, instead it will be the ‘Big Saturday In’ with people stocking up with snacks and drinks to celebrate the historic occasion. Think World Cup fever but perhaps a little bit more refined!
There is also the Coronation Big Lunch going on, which aims to bring communities together over the weekend.
Maureen McDonagh, managing director and SVP International at VoucherCodes.co.uk, said that while their research shows that sentiment towards the royals is mixed, the bonus Bank Holiday for King Charles’ Coronation will undoubtedly lead to a welcome surge in consumer spending for the retail sector.
She added that although not everyone will be celebrating the event directly, many people will take advantage of the extra time off work to hit the high street and socialise with friends and family.
“Retailers hoping to capitalise on the additional footfall should provide their customers with extra value by offering deals and loyalty promotions. They should be tactical with which items they discount as certain products, such as food, drink and novelty party decorations will be more popular over the weekend so are more likely to reel customers in,” she advised.
Whether people are staying in to watch TV or having a community event, food and drink will be on the menu. And it’s always good to remember that even the most organised among us forget things and so will make a dash to their nearest store to grab what they need.
I suspect many people will be attempting to make their own version of the Coronation Quiche, which is described as a “deep quiche with a crisp, light pastry case and delicate flavours of Spinach, Broad Beans and fresh Tarragon”. I am sure, for most, their efforts will be a great success but you can bet that some will have to fall back on a shop-bought veggie quiche with a Union Jack flag stuck in it instead.
There are some great Coronation products around including quintessentially British tipple Pimm’s in a special Coronation Edition bottle which is temporarily replacing the standard Pimm’s No.1 label design. And sandwich brand Urban Eat has two Coronation sandwiches: Smoked Ham & Egg and Coronation Chicken. Available until June 9, the sandwiches come in patriotic Union Jack packaging to ensure shoppers can easily spot them in chillers.
It’s interesting that Coronation Chicken is apparently loosely based on a French recipe that was created to celebrate dear Queen Elizabeth’s coronation way back in 1953 – and we’re still eating it now. I can’t imagine they will be eating that broad bean quiche in 70 years time!
