Festive shoppers are planning to 鈥榞ive the gift of local鈥� this Christmas, despite cost of living pressures, according to new research.
A study carried out by NFU Mutual found 70 per cent of the public intends to support local, independent retailers over the festive period.
Although 38 per cent plan to spend less overall due to economic pressures, shoppers remain keen to buy from farmers in their area, with over 40 per cent of those surveyed saying they valued the freshness and quality of farm shop produce.
As well as visiting farm shops, butchers and bakeries, a quarter of respondents to the poll said they would dine at local eateries, while 15 per cent would attend festive events.
When it comes to ingredients for Christmas dinner, 60 per cent of shoppers said they would like to buy meat from a local producer or farm shop, 20 per cent wanted to source fresh, local vegetables and 14 per cent were on the hunt for artisan cheeses.
Hannah Binns, NFU Mutual rural affairs specialist, said: 鈥淎s the cost-of-living impact is being felt by so many, it is understandable that people are planning to spend the same or less than last Christmas.
鈥淲ith this is mind, it is heart warming to see there is still appetite among shoppers to seek out something special this year from farm shops and other local businesses.鈥�
The insurer鈥檚 research comes on the back of a difficult year for farmers and farm shops, with soaring inflation and disease outbreaks posing serious challenges.
Rupert Evans, chairman of the Farm Retail Association, said: 鈥淲e find consumers are really supportive and loyal when it comes to shopping at their local farm retailer and these results reflect just that.
鈥淐ustomer orders for turkeys and other Christmas food and drink are up, which shows customers like to shop locally at Christmas and trust their local farm shop.
鈥淲ith so much uncertainty, shoppers are preferring to order from their local farm retailer and we are also seeing customers more interested in events such as wreath making and Christmas fairs as more and more people feel safe coming out after Covid.鈥�
