Sanitiser, loungewear added to UK inflation basket

Hand sanitiser, men's loungewear bottoms and hand weights have joined the basket of goods used to measure UK inflation to reflect changes in consumption during the Covid-19 crisis.

The Office for National Statistics said it added the items to the basket to take account of people cleaning their hands on the move and more people working and working out at home. Smartwatches, and smart lightbulbs also went into the basket to reflect home exercise and time spent in the house.

The ONS considered including face masks but decided against because usage could drop sharply once Covid-19 vaccines are fully implemented. Other items added for the first time include hybrid and electric cars, reflecting the government's push for their adoption.

Items withdrawn from the basket were less affected by the pandemic. They included the replacement of a white chocolate bar with malted chocolate sweets such as Maltesers; ground coffee, replaced by coffee sachets; and Axminster/Wilton carpets, which are now mainly used in commercial premises.

Sam Beckett, the ONS's head of economic statistics, said: "The pandemic has impacted on our behaviour as consumers, and this has been reflected in the 2021 inflation basket of goods.

“The need for hygiene on the go has seen the addition of hand sanitiser, now a staple item for many of us. Lockdown living has seen demand for home exercise equipment rise, while spending more time within our own four walls has also encouraged us to invest in smart technologies.

“A more casual approach to clothing, as more of us work from home, has seen the addition of loungewear into the consumer basket."

The ONS reviews its virtual basket of more than 700 items each year based on changing consumer tastes to ensure it measures changes to prices of goods and services. In total 17 items were added and 10 were removed, leaving 729 unchanged.

The pandemic has changed how UK consumers shop and what they buy. Sales of suits and smart clothes have plunged while demand for jogging bottoms and other comfy clothes has soared. With gyms closed for much of the crisis, people have bought exercise machines and spent money on their homes reflecting time spent there.

The ONS said it did not add women's loungewear to the basket because its womenswear category was already broader than men's, including more leisurewear.