Father’s Day spending is set to reach £1.3bn in 2026, with growth subdued by falling consumer confidence and the World Cup taking up more retail displays.
Retail and shopper marketing agency Savvy predicted growth of 3%, marking the slowest growth rate of any major calendar event so far this year.
Its research with 1,000 shoppers found the majority of the 49% who plan to celebrate will do so at home, with many families put off by the rising cost of eating out. Seven in 10 (71%) said they intended to have a meal at home, while 53% will be looking out for limited-edition or exclusive food and drink products. Half (51%) plan to purchase more premium food and drink items for the occasion.
As Father’s Day coincides with the World Cup this year, Lockhart said retailer activations “find themselves in the shadows” of football activity in-store and are confined to seasonal aisles.
“There are no England or Scotland matches on Father’s Day itself, and no obvious blockbuster fixture, but World Cups tend to capture the attention of football fans regardless of who’s playing. We wouldn’t be surprised to see some Father’s Day celebrations incorporating the Spain v Saudi Arabia or Belgium v Iran games, with football becoming part of the day’s entertainment,” he said.
In terms of gifts, spending on clothes and cosmetics and aftershave is set to decline compared with last year. In contrast, non-alcoholic drinks are set to be one of the strongest-performing categories. Savvy forecast that continued innovation and growing consumer interest in the sector will lead to a 12% sales boost for the category, while spending on alcoholic drinks will remain broadly flat compared to 2025.
Shoppers said they were underwhelmed by Father’s Day products in store, as 64% agreed that they are “boring and lack inspiration” while 67% said they would spend more if there were better gifts available.
Of those planning to mark the occasion, half will look to Amazon for inspiration, followed by supermarkets at 48%. Social media and AI are also playing an important role – 45% said they would use AI tools to generate gift ideas and 48% that they were likely to buy something they had found through their social media feed.
No comments yet