​Valentine’s day has become something like marmite. Some of us love to celebrate love, while others consider the day over commercialised and unnecessary. Statistics suggest that more of the population fall into the former camp though as it has been reported that Valentine’s Day has overtaken Easter and Mother’s Day for the amount of money that people in the UK spend, by around £40m.

Research by Statista shows that 40% of people are planning to buy a card with 17% planning to buy chocolates and 7% buying flowers so when retailers market and stock up on these items, there is a great opportunity for a boost in sales.

Along with these traditional Valentine’s gifts, a new trend for ‘self-love’ opens an opportunity for retailers to appeal to single people as well as couples. This year, we have seen more companies marketing products in this way, particularly where their target market is female, for example, make-up brands; suggesting you don’t need a man on Valentine’s day, you can treat yourself. And it’s not just people buying for themselves that is breaking the mould, there is also a rise in people treating their pets!

So, we predict that despite the cynics, Valentine’s day is going nowhere and is going to go from strength to strength as a commercial success that will continue to drive sales within the retail sector.

If you are a company looking for retail or manufacturing employees or a candidate looking for a role within these sectors, get in touch and see how we can help!