UK's shopping basket now includes gin, scooters, almond milk - ONS

Gin, bicycle helmets and children's scooters have been included in the basket of goods the Office for National Statistics uses to track UK consumer price inflation.

Offering an interesting insight into a typical British household shopping list, the ONS update took into account changes in consumer tastes, technological advancements and the latest fads and trends.

Having both been dropped from the basket in the mid-noughties, bike helmets and gin were back on the nation's shopping list as consumer habits have circled back.

Gin consumption is picking up, the Office for National Statistics said, partly due to the significant growth in the number of small gin producers, while elsewhere in the alcohol section, spirit-based drink items like alcopops were out of the basket and canned apple cider and bottled flavoured cider were added, reflecting the emergence of flavoured cider over recent years.

Bicycle helmets are also returning to the basket after a 12-year absence, the UK's statistical gatekeeper said, following the significant increase in the popularity of cycling due to sporting successes by British cyclists in the Olympics and the Tour De France.

Other new additions include the price of flavoured waters and non-dairy milks, such as such as soya and almond milk, added to reflect the growing market for “free from” foods, while children’s scooters have been added to the basket in place of child’s swings.

Items such as basic mobile phone handsets have been dropped from the basket to make room for new additions such as 'base-layer' tops and jigsaws for adults.

The locations of price checks has also shifted: as supermarkets increase their product range, for example, various household textiles, such as duvet covers and bath sheets, have been added to the price collections in major supermarkets.

“The annual basket review enables us to keep up to date with all the latest trends, ensuring our inflation measures reflect the changing costs experienced by consumers," said senior ONS statistician Phil Gooding said

“The addition of council tax to CPIH will ensure it remains our most comprehensive measure of consumer inflation.”

The changes to the basket of goods "offers a fascinating peek from behind the curtain at today’s typical household shopping list", said Paul Martin, UK head of retail at KPMG.

He said the inclusion of non-dairy milk and flavoured water "reinforce the growing trend of UK consumers looking to be more health conscious. No doubt celebrity chefs and health gurus will have helped prompt the growing popularity of these alternative milks, whilst those seeking to move away from fizzy drinks are likely to have given rise to flavoured water as the healthier alternative".

A focus on health was also reflected in the cycle helmets reinstatement, whilst the base layer tops captures the rise in active sportswear, which Martin said further distorted the traditional line between fashion and active-wear.

“Children are also reshuffling this year’s basket, with the ONS picking up on the continued craze of children’s scooters in place of the more traditional children’s swing. This change aims to reflect the product’s all-year-round availability in shops. And it’s not just children reshuffling the games, toys and hobbies category. Jigsaws were included in order to represent an adult-type hobby."

"It is increasingly important for retailers to understand shifts in consumer preferences, as this is often the defining factor between success and failure.”