Homewares is a wide-reaching group of products that encompasses linens, decorative accessories, lighting, cookware and tableware, curtains and blinds. What gels this market together is that many homewares can add highlights to the look of a room, injecting colour and style. And the research for this report demonstrates that people buy a wide range of homewares – 30% of those who have bought any in the last 12 months made purchases from 5 or more categories. So retailers that carry a range of homewares stand to gain from the tendency to want things to co-ordinate or match and have an opportunity to build loyalty with their customers.

Sales of homewares have been buoyant in 2014, helped by high levels of consumer confidence. The strong housing market has also helped to stimulate demand for homewares.

In the consumer research section this report looks at what people have bought, either for themselves or as a gift for others. And we look at the key factors that influence purchases across a range of different types of products. The report also examines where people buy homewares and the role of online shopping within this market.

This excludes electrical goods, with the exception of lamps/light fittings. So we do not cover small kitchen appliances, digital photo frames, or home electrical appliances such as vacuum cleaners.

The following definitions give examples of the products within each category but are not fully comprehensive.

Home accessories

• Vases/bowls

• Candles and candle holders

• Pictures/prints, mirrors, photo frames and clocks

• Bathroom accessories (eg soap holders).

Tableware

• Drinkware (eg glasses, jugs and decanters)

• Crockery and china eg plates, dessert bowls, serving bowls, platters, mugs, cups and saucers)

• Oven-to-tableware

• Table accessories eg salt/pepper sets

• Cutlery (flatware).

Kitchenware and bakeware

• Pans, frying pans

• Utensils

• Baking tins, oven tins etc

• Kitchen accessories eg storage jars, chopping boards.

Lighting

• Light fittings

• Lamp shades (excludes light bulbs).

Household linens and textiles

• Filled products – duvets, pillows, mattress toppers (regardless of filling)

• Mattress covers

• Duvet covers (including sets comprising duvet covers and pillowcases)

• Sheets, valances, pillowcases

• Blankets, bedspreads, ‘comforters’, throws, bed runners

• Bolsters, neckrolls, cushions positioned for bed accessorising.

Bathroom textiles:

• Towels (including beach towels)

• Bathmats.

Other household linen:

• Tablecloths, napkins, place mats (individually and in sets)

• Tea towels and kitchen towels.

Curtains and blinds

• Ready-made curtains

• Other curtains

• Ready-made blinds

• Other blinds.

For the broader definitions of homewares we have used those contained in the government’s consumer spending data, but added our own estimates for the market spend on lighting as lighting is classed within furniture in the government definitions.

• Furnishing fabrics, curtain material, curtains, double curtains, awnings, door curtains and fabric blinds

• bedding such as futons, pillows, bolsters and hammocks

• bed linen such as sheets, pillowcases, blankets, travelling rugs, plaids, eiderdowns, counterpanes and mosquito nets

• table linen and bathroom linen such as tablecloths, table napkins, towels and face cloths

• cloth bought by the piece; oilcloth; bathroom mats, rush mats and doormats

• other household textiles such as shopping bags, laundry bags, shoe bags, covers for clothes and furniture, flags, sunshades, etc

• repair of such articles.

• Glassware, crystal ware, ceramic ware and china ware of the kind used for table, kitchen, bathroom, toilet, office and indoor decoration

• cutlery, flatware and silverware

• non-electric kitchen utensils of all materials such as saucepans, stewpots, pressure cookers, frying pans, coffee mills, purée makers, mincers, hotplates, household scales and other such mechanical devices

• non-electric household articles of all materials such as containers for bread, coffee, spices, etc., waste bins, waste-paper baskets, laundry baskets, portable money boxes and strongboxes, towel rails, bottle racks, irons and ironing boards, letter boxes, feeding bottles, vacuum flasks and iceboxes

• repair of such articles.

Crown copyright material is reproduced with the permission of the Controller of HMSO and the Queen’s Printer for Scotland.

Value figures throughout this report are at retail selling prices unless otherwise stated. Market sizes at 2013 prices are calculated using Mintel’s Household Goods deflator.