Shoppers plan to give the gift of ‘local’ this Christmas

• Festive shoppers are still planning to ‘give the gift of local’ this Christmas to support British farmers and independent businesses, new research from leading rural insurer NFU Mutual reveals.
  

While 38% of people surveyed said they planned to spend less this Christmas, seven in ten said they will still shop with independent retailers this year.

As well as visiting farm shops, butchers and bakeries, a recent NFU Mutual poll found a quarter of respondents said they would dine at local eateries this Christmas to support local businesses while 15% would attend festive events.

When it comes to ingredients for Christmas dinner, 60% of people surveyed said they would like to buy meat from a local producer or farm shop, while 20% sought fresh local vegetables and 14% are looking for artisan cheeses.**

Fresh, quality produce was the main reason why people chose to visit farm shops, followed by support for British farmers, boosting the local economy and shopping experience.

NFU Mutual Ashford, Tenterden & Whitfield Senior Agent Doug Jackson said: “As the cost-of-living impact is being felt by so many, it is understandable that people are planning to spend the same or less than last Christmas.

“With this in mind, it is heart-warming to see there is still appetite among shoppers to seek out something special this year from farm shops and other local businesses.

“The past year has been difficult for many farmers and rising inflation, extreme weather events and disease outbreaks have posed additional challenges and pressures on those businesses.

“Yet farmers and growers have continued to produce high quality and nutritious food for everyone to enjoy as well as cared for our environment and contributed to local economies.

“One way we can support their hard work and efforts is by giving the gift of local this Christmas.”

Rupert Evans, Chairman of Farm Retail Association, said: “We find consumers are really supportive and loyal when it comes to shopping at their local farm retailer and these results reflect just that.

“Speaking to other members we are generally finding that footfall is up against last year but as you’d imagine, customers are watching their money and spending a little less. On balance takings are around the same as last year (a Covid year) which we are really pleased with.

“Customer orders for turkeys and other Christmas food and drink is up which shows that customers like to shop locally at Christmas and trust their local farm shop.

“With so much uncertainty, shoppers are preferring to order from their local farm retailer and we’re also seeing customers more interested in events such as Wreath Making and Christmas Fairs as more and more people feel safe coming out after Covid.”

Case study

Situated in beautiful countryside in the Tillingham Valley near Rye in East Sussex, Tibbs Farm Shop has become a popular Christmas destination for families and groups.

The shop provides a pick-our-own Christmas tree service which enables customers to go out in the fields and choose their own growing tree.

Tibbs’ Christmas experience includes popular farm trails inviting customers to explore ancient woodland, orchards and the free-range pigs and grazing sheep with public footpaths also linking onto the routes.

Many Christmas visitors combine choosing a Christmas tree or roaming the trails with a visit to the shop’s café.

The café serves a range of festive dishes made with the farm's home-reared hogget (1 year old lamb) and pork together with its own vegetables and fruit.

In the run-up to Christmas a team of six run the shop, café and pick your own (PYO) Christmas tree.

“Our pick-your-own Christmas trees have become incredibly popular and we’ve doubled our plantings in recent years to keep up with demand going forward,” said owner, Phil Wheeler.

“We've been running our pick-your-own fruit enterprise for over 40 years now so extending our PYO offering to include the Christmas trees helps make the farm more sustainable and is a great experience for families.

“People love being able to get out in the fields and choose their own tree and then sample our own produce in the shop.

“We freeze a lot of our fruit, so at this time of year we’re busy turning it into jam and pickles for use in the cafe with our Great Taste Award winning jam making for wonderful gifts.''

The Wheeler family have been growing hops and fruit for centuries and began the pick your own and direct selling in the 1970’s. The construction of a cafe and farm shop in 2019 complements the farm's attractions throughout the year.

The PYO fruit enterprise specialises in soil grown fruits to include strawberries, raspberries, blackcurrants, redcurrants, loganberries, tayberries and gooseberries.

“Our fruit is grown in a traditional manner with very limited use of chemicals. This means our season can be short, but the fruit is distinct and full of flavour,” Phil explained.