A survey on Christmas suggests that Irish consumers plan to increase their spending on gifts this year, in contrast with other European countries.
A Deloitte survey of 6,800 European consumers found that Irish consumers are planning to increase their individual spending on Christmas gifts by 8%, the biggest rise in the nine countries covered. Consumers in Germany, Italy and the Netherlands plan significantly lower spending this year at Christmas.
Deloitte's Cormac Hughes said the Irish consumers surveyed had a high degree of job security (77%) and were more optimistic about their personal financial situation than their counterparts in Europe.
84% of Irish consumers plan to spend as much, if not more, than last year, while 95% plan to decorate their house.
Among the most popular children's presents this year are the Microsoft Xbox 360, Sony PSP and Star Wars. 44% of Irish respondents said they considered issues such as fair trade and child labour when buying presents. This was in line with other European countries.
