An improving housing market and rising consumer confidence will bring holiday cheer to retailers this Christmas, according to Verdict Research.
While shoppers will remain cautious to some extent, £2.3bn more will be spent than in 2013, a rise of 2.6% to £90.7bn. Non-food will take £53.6bn of the spend and food £37.1bn.

Verdict says online retailing is going to play a key role in Christmas shopping this year, making up £13.0bn of spend, with more shoppers recognising the convenience this channel offers in such a busy shopping period. Click-and-collect will be an essential part of this as more retailers promise a next-day service - representing 12% of total online spend at £1.6bn.

Health and beauty and clothing and footwear are predicted to see the biggest spend increases, but Verdict believes an uplift in electricals will be harder to achieve, with an overall growth of 2.5% forecast.