The ‘coronation effect’: UK high street shelves being cleared of quiche and fizz

theguardian.com:

High street retailers are reporting a “coronation effect” sales boost as shoppers make a last-minute dash to the shops to stock up on party fare including bunting, champagne and cakes for this weekend’s celebrations.

With potentially more than £200m of extra sales riding on the festivities surrounding the coronation of King Charles, retailers’ shelves are being cleared of fizz, quiche, scones as well as buffet favourites such as pork pies and scotch eggs.

Inspired by the official “coronation quiche” Lidl said its budget-friendly Deluxe version of the dish – at £2.79 each – was proving popular with party planners, with sales up a third in the past month. Mini scotch eggs and Melton Mowbray pork pies are also flying out the door, with sales up 15% and 10% respectively.

With household budgets under pressure, Lidl said shoppers were also heading there to buy affordable fizzy wine, with sales of its £14 Carpentier champagne brut up by more than 60%. It had also sold enough bunting to line the coronation procession route 75 times over.

Rival Aldi ihas also reported a sales fillip. It is doing a roaring trade in street party fare, selling 30 quiches and 170 scones a minute, while bottles ofAustins – its “value alternative” to Pimm’s – are also in huge demand, it said.

Britons are together expected to spend about £200m on the celebrations. This figure includes £60m on formal and informal street parties as well as £130m on food and drink, according to the Centre for Retail Research (CRR).

However, this is just the tip of the iceberg, as the CRR thinks the overall extra spending linked to the event could top £1.4bn if the £250m spent on souvenirs and memorabilia, plus going out, as well as other spending by tourists, is totted up.

Despit