"Britons abandon thrift as spending outstrips earnings"

The Independent

"Middle-aged Easy Riders fuel a motorbike boom"

The Daily Telegraph

"£30,000 pay for couples"

The Sun

"Return of the big spenders and borrowers"

The Times

"How lifestyle changes have affected spending trends"

The Guardian

"Wiser, older shoppers ready to splash out"

The Guardian

"Big bill for 'live now, pay later' Britain 2000"

The Daily Telegraph

"Spent, spent, spent"

The Mirror

"Forget the mobile, we can't live without PCs"

Metro

UK income levels have increased by 22% over the past ten years, so how does the UK consumer evaluate the various demands on his or her resources?. Home expenditure is still the largest single purchase for UK consumers, with little opposition, and average house prices have been rising by a third since 1996. Yet for other sectors, competition is not necessarily coming from similar quarters. For providers of financial products, the biggest competitor is often the travel agent rather than another financial company. With many Baby Boomers now approaching retirement, there are opportunities for the finance industry. Life expectancy is also now comparative for men and women, and with consumers having children further into their careers, who benefits most from their business?

The UK consumer has built a financial cushion and is ready to spend, but not on anything at any price. Increasingly market aware and sophisticated, British consumers will wait for sales, or a price that they are prepared to pay. What effect is this having on UK service and availability?

How does the UK consumer evaluate the various demands on his or her resources?

The UK consumer has built a financial cushion, and is ready to spend, but not on anything.

For providers of financial products, the biggest competitor is often the travel agent rather than another financial company.

This, the 16th British Lifestyles report is an essential marketing tool. Making extensive use of the Mintel Market Size Database, this report analyses where the UK consumer's money comes from, and where that money goes. The focus of the exclusive consumer research is to look at how consumers evaluate the various demands on their resources. What do UK consumers spend on their homes and what they fill them with? What do they spend on food and drink, travel, entertainment, health and financial services? How important to current UK lifestyles are personal pensions, owning/using a computer, mobile phones, visits to restaurants, and how do men and women differ in their attitudes? UK consumers spend more on entertainment and travel, so who loses out? British Lifestyles assesses the future of UK leisure spending as consumers find new ways to amuse themselves.

Consumers want more for their money and are spending more on themselves than ever before, but are we saving enough for the future? With an increased spend on personal finance, this report looks actively at the pensions sector. What impact has the implementation of tax self-assessment had on the British consumer lifestyle? With a central focus on expenditure and a greater emphasis on competition and competitors, British Lifestyles looks in detail at how the UK consumer has changed over the past ten years and what this will mean for the future.