Sales spending spree

Direct Line customers
Direct Line believes that if you have evidence that shows you are a safe driver you should be able to benefit from a discount on all your insurance, not just one policy.” Notes Limited to driver only cover to avoid fraudulent drivers claiming NCD. Direct Line has already launched a range of new benefits this year including a unique Named Driver NCD that enables named drivers to build up their own NCD if they are driving someone else’s car and a 10% discount for anyone who has a car stored at the same address as another Direct Line policyholder. Read more...

Young drivers facing high costs.
High costs of car-ownership are also causing young drivers to consider alternative ways to buy their first motor. One in 10 (11 per cent) have considered buying a vehicle with friends, with a quarter (25 per cent) agreeing it’s a good way to share costs. An eco-friendly 45 per cent of these youngsters also believe buying a car with friends is better for the environment. Statistics reveal that over 20,000 ** 18-25 year olds currently share a car with friends. The research was carried out on behalf of Direct Line car insurance by YouGov Plc. Read more..

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Sales Spending Spree

Sales spending spree

BRITS SET FOR 5.5 BILLION SALES SPENDING SPREE

04/01/2006

Brits will make up for a quiet Christmas on the High Street by splashing out £1.7billion1 more in this year’s January sales than they did in 2005, according to new research from Direct Line Home Insurance.

Nearly half (43 per cent) say that they deliberately reined in their pre-Christmas spending, many with a view to picking up items at bargain prices in the January sales. Brits predict that they will spend £5.5billion in total this year, compared with the £3.7billion they spent last year.2

The most popular buy this year will be electrical goods, with sales shoppers intending to spend £316 on MP3 players, televisions and DVD players.

High costs for young drivers
The spiralling cost of motoring is one of the main reasons four in 10 (43 per cent) non-driving 18-25 year olds are without a licence and a quarter of drivers who have passed their test do not have their own set of wheels – with the majority of these blaming the high costs. Emma Holyer, Direct Line’s Motor spokesperson, said:. Read more...

Other popular items include household goods like kitchenware and furniture (£288) and clothing and accessories (£75).

In order to fund this discount shopping binge, 2.73 million people (6 per cent) asked relatives to give them cash or vouchers rather than gifts for Christmas. This means that an estimated £1.9billion3 in cash is currently stashed in Britain’s homes waiting to be spent.

Specific purchases earmarked by shoppers include footwear, with more than one in five (21 per cent) Brits saying they want to pick up a brand new pair of shoes. Other popular items include woolly jumpers and other knitwear (10 per cent) kitchenware (8 per cent), digital cameras (6 per cent) and DVD players (5 per cent).

Britain’s most dedicated bargain hunters are the Scots, who expect to spend an average of £269 each. By contrast, Geordies are the least tempted by the bright lights of the high street, with consumers in the North East set to spend just £76 each this year.

Andrew Lowe, Head of Direct Line Home, comments:

“It may have been a quiet Christmas on the high street, but it looks like shoppers will make up for it in this year’s sales, picking up luxury goods for a fraction of the price they would have been before Christmas.

“Homeowners just need to remember that all of these purchases are likely to bump up the value of their home contents.

Unapproved Building Work
Tips on avoiding planning pitfalls. DireciLine’s Family Legal Protection offers policyholders access to legal advice on a variety of issues including those relating to home ownership. Discuss everything first – make sure you talk to your neighbours and local council early to avoid complications once works have begun. Building professionals also bear some responsibility for this increase with close to one in ten (7 per cent) building projects in the UK delayed or cancelled3 because a building professional wrongly told the homeowner that planning permission was granted. Read more...

Nearly a quarter (23 per cent) of Brits tell us that they don’t re-calculate the value of their household contents after the January sales, which is unwise.

“We would encourage consumers to include re-evaluating the value of their home contents among their New Year’s resolutions.”

Research –

The research was carried out online between 9th-12th December 2005. YouGov interviewed a total of 2,345 UK adults aged 18 and above.

1. 2. UK adult population is 45.5million (ONS). Adults predict they will spend an average of £122.20 each in the 2006 sales = £5,560,100,000. Last year, each adult spent an average of £82.82 = £3,768,310,000. Difference = £1,791,790,000.

3. 41 per cent of adults will give cash or vouchers this year, at an average of £106.24 each = £1,981,907,200.

Homeowners to fork out
More than half of 3,000 people questioned said they worried that their home was more prone to damage over the coldest season. The leakiest gutters were in the West Midlands, with almost 40 per cent of homes dripping when it rains, with 15.6 per cent happy to let them continue dripping. The least concerned about damage to their homes over the winter were those in the south west, with just 19.2 per cent concerned about the seasonal damage. The West Midlands also came out top in the blocked drains table, with 37.5 per cent spending up to £500 getting drains unblocked. Read more..

Dognapping epidemic
The lengths dog owners would go to reflect the bond they have with their four-legged friends. Dognapping epidemic 27/07/2005 A recent spate of dognapping has left many British dog owners fearing for the safety of their pets. Others are taking more traditional precautions, with a quarter of owners (22 per cent) admitting they never let their dog off the lead for fear of them being snatched and 13 per cent never venturing out with their pets after dark. Read more...

One In Seven Cars Vandalised
“Direct Line deals with many vandalism claims every year for our customers and it’s a growing concern for all car owners. - Not worth the hassle (60 per cent). 0.15 x 33,809,493= 5,071,423. - Graffiti on vehicle (four per cent). Read more...

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