SALES of trampolines, tents, air fryers, hot tubs, big TVs and sofas soared in the past year as Covid forced people to stay at home.
But stuck-indoors shoppers stopped buying ties, briefcases, luggage and children’s party clothes, retail data has revealed.
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With shop windows boarded up or left empty for much of the past year, our TV screens took over as the major influencers of shopping trends.
Sales of tiny Speedos doubled when Tom Daley won Olympic diving gold and waistcoats spiked thanks to BBC cop drama Line of Duty.
Aviator sunglasses and flared jeans also rose thanks to BBC ’70s murder drama The Serpent, and even the Friends reunion had an impact, according to data experts at John Lewis.
Jo Bennett, head of womenswear, said: “TV has always been a great fashion escapism, but this was heightened by the amount of time people spent watching the telly.
“My personal favourite was seeing how much sales increased of a Whistles dress that was spotted as having a resemblance to one of Rachel Green’s dresses from Friends.
“It really shows the effect TV can have on our wardrobes.”
Women went for comfy underwear while at home — with sales of suspenders, bustiers and garters down by a quarter, according to the John Lewis Shop, Live, Look report for 2021.
But the latest rise came in September as James Bond returned to the cinemas — with sales of Martini glasses rising by 50 per cent.
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I was bored working in a supermarket during lockdown so I set up a bag business… it raked in £100k in the first year
