UK's 30-year health kick: Sales of alcohol and cigarettes plunged by THREE-QUARTERS since 1989 while sports equipment and toys have surged 451 PER CENT as people have also splashed out more on pets and gardens
Sales of alcohol and cigarettes plummeted by three quarters from 1989 to 2020 while purchases of sports equipment, games and toys surged by 451 per cent, according to new official data.
Numbers published by the Office for National Statistics revealed the volume of sales of alcoholic drinks and tobacco has fallen by 76 per cent over the last 30 years.
The ONS said the drop in alcohol and tobacco sales may have prompted a 'substitution of consumption to other sectors' like sports as the nation appeared to embark on a health kick.
Meanwhile, there has also been a massive spike in the sale of flowers, plants and seeds as well as of pet food - more than doubling since 1989.
The numbers showed that total retail sales in Great Britain have more than doubled since 1989 with online shopping continuing to boom.
The ONS said online sales have grown at a 'substantially faster' rate than those in store, rising from a 3.4 per cent share of all retail sales in 2007 to 27.9 per cent last year.
Sales of alcohol and cigarettes plummeted by three quarters from 1989 to 2020 while purchases of sports equipment, games and toys surged by 451 per cent
Total retail sales in Great Britain have more than doubled since 1989 with online shopping continuing to boom
Shopping is a hugely important part of the UK's economy, representing approximately 5.2 per cent of gross domestic product in 2020.
The retail industry employed almost one in 10 of all UK employees in 2019 - 9.3 per cent.
There has been a shopping boom over the last three decades, with total retail sales having doubled in the UK since 1989.
The surge compares to a 17 per cent - 9.7million - increase in the size of the UK population and a 68 per cent spike in average household disposable income.
The sale of sports equipment, games and toys prior to the coronavirus pandemic in early 2020 was about six times the level recorded in 1989.
But alcohol and tobacco sales have steadily fallen. The ONS said that in England in 2000 some 26.8 per cent of adults smoked but by 2016 that was down to 15.5 per cent.
The ONS said drinking habits in England have changed since 2005, with overall consumption of alcohol falling along with the proportion of people who drink alcohol and the amount they consume.
'This change in prevalence of alcohol and tobacco purchasing may have seen a substitution of consumption to other sectors, such as sports equipment,' the ONS said.
The doubling in the sale of flowers, plants, seeds and pet food came despite the sector recording the largest drop in sales during the 2008 financial crisis.
The ONS suggested that such items are not viewed as necessity goods which could explain the dip in 2008/09 as household incomes took a hit.
Supermarkets and other food shops continue to hold the largest share of the UK retail market
The ONS found that increases in retail sales had jumped the most in Canada, France and the UK
Supermarkets and other food shops continue to hold the largest share of the retail market.
In 1989 they recorded 37.3 per cent of all UK retail sales and since then it has grown, hitting 44.5 per cent in 2020.
The ONS found that increases in retail sales had jumped the most in Canada, France and the UK. All three have seen retail trade volumes almost double since 1995.
However, the increase has not been seen across the board in advanced nations, with retail sales in Japan and Italy having shrunk when compared to 1995 levels.