The trimmings of a traditional British Christmas will be replicated across the world this festive season as Britain’s biggest transport interchange, Heathrow, predicts a record year for sales of iconic UK products such as English tea, Scottish salmon and single malt whisky.
During November and December, foreign visitors will snap up more than 918 tonnes of British products - the same weight as 464 London black cabs – to bring a touch of Great British glamour to their festivities.
Dana Jaber, a personal shopper at Heathrow, says that the type of items passengers are requesting has changed significantly in the last five years:
‘More than 5.8 million travellers will pass through Heathrow this Christmas searching for a little piece of Britain to take home. Thanks to the Royal Wedding, the Olympics and more recently the birth of Prince George the desirability of British brands has never been higher. Visitors are keen to take home a little piece of the UK for their own Christmas celebrations.’
Top three British products purchased by foreign travellers over Christmas are:
- Scottish Malt Whisky – over 185,000 litres
- English tea – over 100,000 boxes
- Scottish Smoked Salmon – 3.5 tonnes
English tea sold at Heathrow over Christmas (equivalent to 6,400,000 cups) is particularly popular with Chinese passengers as gifts for loved ones. While Turkish and Japanese passengers are the key buyers of Scottish Malt Whisky and are keen to understand the heritage of each bottle they purchase to take home. Middle Eastern passengers are also increasingly asking Heathrow’s Personal Shoppers for assistance purchasing Scottish salmon which is sealed and packaged ready for flight.
Another key brand taking off at Heathrow is Mulberry which is proving popular with Scandinavian and American passengers. Meanwhile Jo Malone is flying the flag for Brand Britain with American, Chinese, Korean customers keen to capture their UK experience through fragrance.
British-branded products from Heathrow are most popular with the following nationalities:
- American
- Arabic
- Chinese
- Japanese
- Russian
Dana Jaber adds: ‘The Asian market – including mainland China, Hong Kong, Japan and Singapore – like the romance and heritage of a traditional British Christmas, and tend to go for items that allow them to recreate British traditions at home.’
Heathrow’s Personal Shopping service offers passengers the chance to tap into the knowledge and expertise of a highly trained shopper unit. The team speak over 40 languages and work with international travellers all year round to fulfil passenger’s requests.
- Weight of a black cab – 1,975kg
- 918 tonnes in kg = 918,000kg
- 918,000kg divided by 1975kg = 464 black cabs
Personal Shopping
The service is open to all passengers with no minimum spend required.
Home delivery
When shopping at Heathrow, UK residents can have their purchases are delivered to their home address for complete convenience. Whether passengers have forgotten that last minute gift, or just want to take advantage of Heathrow prices without the baggage, traveller can simply let our team know their delivery details and we will take care of the rest. Home delivery is available to those travelling within the UK or the EU and free when passengers spend £300 or more at Heathrow and use Heathrow Rewards card. Without Heathrow Rewards the service is free when £500 or more is spent
Online product reservation
Busy travellers can make the most of the wide range of products available by using the free online service, Heathrow Boutique, to reserve and collect items. www.heathrow.com/boutique The service allows passengers to browse reserve their selection to ensure it is ready when they arrive at the airport. Heathrow houses an array of spectacular products, be it next season’s catwalk must- haves, the latest in cutting edge travel technology and stunning beauty and fragrance gifts from a range of the world’s top brands including Chanel, Prada, Dior, Hermes, Tiffany & Co. and Gucci.
Shop and Collect
If travelling within the UK or EU, our free Shop & Collect service can be used to buy upon departure - then collected on return. Staff in store will arrange to have everything waiting at a convenient collection point in arrivals.
