UK Recession? Computer Says No......

signs of recession easing, worst of recession over, green shoots in economy


You can’t open a newspaper these days without reading about recession, credit crunch, redundancy, negative equity…..you name it.

Yet somehow internet searches for luxury consumer brands, expensive foreign holidays and indulgent spa treatments have rocketed since the beginning of the year.

Figures from Google’s Insight for Search software suggests restaurant searches are up 16%, limo hire up an incredible 50% and searches for luxury designer brands are substantially up too.  Enquiries for private medical insurance have also risen, as well as those for expensive preparatory schools.

Last year’s searches featured much more of words like ‘cheap’, ‘discount’, ‘second income’ and ‘pawn’.  Now searches for bargain basement chains like Poundland  and cheap holiday companies like Butlins are down 20-30%


Says Richard Snook, senior economist at the Centre for Economics and Business Research says:

‘Visit a London wine bar and you find more people paying £9.50 for a glass of champagne.  While it seems many people did flirt with the budget brands, now they are starting to migrate back to the luxuries’.



Source: Sunday Times