Revealed: How the cost of Christmas trees have increased by up to £5 in just three years in latest blow to struggling families – how much have YOUR decorations gone up by?
The cost of real Christmas trees at major UK retailers have increased by up to £5 in just three years, analysis by MailOnline reveals.
Research shows that prices of firs across Tesco, Morrisons, B&Q, Lidl and Aldi have all increased since 2020.
Tesco was found to have had the largest increase, with its Christmas trees – measuring between 160-190cm (5ft3in-6ft3in) tall – having shot up by 20% from £25 in 2020 to £30 in 2022 and 2023.
Aldi, Morrisons and Lidl all saw the second highest rise in the cost of their firs, with an increase of £2, though the trees in Morrisons are taller than in previous years. The price of a tree from B&Q is £1 higher than it was in 2020.
These latest figures will add a further strain on families hoping to get into the festive spirit this year amid the current cost of living crisis as it was revealed that Christmas is expected to cost the average British household more than £1,800.
The cost of Christmas trees at major UK retailers have increased by up to £5 in just three years, according to new analysis
These latest figures will add a further strain on families hoping to get into the festive spirit this year amid the current cost of living crisis (Stock image)
The rise in the cost of Christmas trees since the pandemic was discovered by MailOnline using figures provided by consumer watchdog Which? and the supermarkets directly.
READ MORE: Heston Blumenthal’s Christmas dinner could cost £2,125 each… So just HOW much are other TV chefs charging for dishes of decaying grapes, sea lettuce tarts and golden carrots?
It showed Tesco has hiked the price of its Nordman fir Christmas tree by £5 in the last three years.
In 2020 a Nordman fir, measuring between 160-190cm, cost £25, while in 2022 and 2023 the same sized tree was £30.
A Nordman fir from Morrison’s, between 150-175cm, would have set shoppers back £18 in 2020. This then increased to £19.99 in 2022 for a tree of the same size.
But in 2023, the price has increased again to £20, albeit for a tree that is slightly larger at around 180cm.
A fresh cut tree from Lidl, with a height between 160-180cm increased this year by £2, going from £17.99 in 2020 and 2022 to £19.99 in 2023.
Meanwhile, Aldi, who has supplied the cheapest trees compared to its four other competitors across the three years, also hiked its prices by £2 this year.
Similarly to its German rival Lidl, the budget supermarket was forced to raise the price of its trees this year after previously keeping its costs low.
A Nordman tree, measuring between 150-175cm had cost just £14.99 in 2020 and 2022. This year Lidl is selling trees between 160-180cm for £16.99.
Lastly, prices of Christmas trees at homeware store B&Q have fluctuated much more compared to the other supermarkets that we surveyed.
The price of a cut Nordman tree, measuring between 120-150cm, was £19 in 2020.
This increased dramatically in 2022 by a whopping £7 to £26 for a tree of the same height. But the price has now been reduced this year to £20, again for a tree measuring between 120-150cm.
READ MORE: Cost of Christmas has TRIPLED in the past 30 years to £1,800 with Brits now spending an average 290 PER CENT more on parties, food and gifts
These price rises have been largely due to increased costs of growing Christmas trees, with the price of fertiliser and labour and so on having also shot up.
Rory Young, the chair of the British Tree Growers Association told The Guardian: ‘The tree industry is not immune and we have seen price increases in certain parts of our businesses. You can pay anything from £25 to £65 for a 6ft (1.8-metre) fir tree.’
Rory, who runs Scottish Christmas Trees, in Dumfries and Galloway, said his tree growing company has increased its prices by as much as £5, which consumers are then forced to factor in to their own prices.
Andy Little, from garden centre chain British Garden Centres said that prices of trees were kept the same last year but this year they have increased.
He said that Nordman firs have increased by £5 on average, while Fraser firs have increased by as much as £10.
It was revealed earlier this week that Christmas will cost the average British household more than £1,800 this year.
This is triple what was spent 30 years ago even when adjusted for inflation, according to a study by MoneySuperMarket.
Households spending extra on food, going out and bigger presents for family or friends are behind the 290 per cent rise on 1993 which accounts for higher prices.
READ MORE: The price of your Christmas dinner revealed: How cheaper Brussels sprouts, puddings and wines are curbing the cost of the festive feast
Experts at MoneySuperMarket carried out ‘the most comprehensive ever analysis of how much Christmas costs’, analysing 24 data points including some less obvious ones such as travel to see relatives, joining a work party and insuring new gadgets.
People in Britain spent only £229 on Christmas in 1993 – the equivalent of £464 in today’s money – compared with £1,811.70 this year, according to the research.
Increased gift expenditure is a major factor, with households this year spending an average of £279 on presents compared with £164 in today’s money 30 years ago.
Festive outings such as ice skating or Christmas market visits which are far more prevalent nowadays are also behind the rising costs, with households spending the equivalent of only £25 in today’s money on such activities in 1993. Now, it is £108.
Seasonal spending has outpaced inflation by 93 per cent compared to 1993. And Manchester spends the most on Christmas overall, while Brighton spends the least.
Meanwhile, cheaper Brussels sprouts will mean the average price of Christmas dinner for four is up by a modest 1.3 per cent to £31.71.
Small falls in the cost of Christmas puddings and sparkling wines, such as prosecco and cava, are also curbing the cost of a festive feast.
Cheaper Brussels sprouts will mean the average price of Christmas dinner for four is up by a modest 1.3 per cent to £31.71
Supermarkets use the prices of ingredients of popular festive foods in an annual battle to attract people through the door.
READ MORE: I’m a mother-of-two and I manage to keep Christmas costs down to £300 – here are my top tips
And this year, the total cost has been helped by the fact sprouts are some 4.3 per cent cheaper than a year ago. Christmas puddings are down by 2.4 per cent and sparkling wine by 5.9 per cent.
The 1.3 per cent rise in the cost of a dinner with turkey and all the trimmings is well below the 9.1 per cent average increase in food prices across supermarket aisles.
Studies have shown that struggling shoppers are putting a priority on laying on a decent spread while cutting spending on presents and other purchases.
Despite this, consumer campaigners at Which? say many people will be skipping meals, as well as turning to food banks and charity.
The figures come from experts at Kantar who predict supermarkets will be enjoying a bumper Christmas with record-breaking spending of £13 billion expected through tills this December.
The organisation’s head of retail and consumer insight, Fraser McKevitt, said: ‘The scene is set for record-breaking spend through the supermarket tills this Christmas.
MailOnline has contacted to Tesco, Aldi, Lidl, Morrisons and B&Q for comment.
Source: Read Full Article
