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Neilsen poll reveals how much Russians are ready to spend on a New Year’s festive table

Russians are going to spend as much as $156 for this coming New Year’s festive table, Nielsen says in its research available to TASS

© Vitaliy Timkiv/TASS

MOSCOW, December 3. /TASS/. Russians are going to spend as much as 10,000 rubles or $156 for this coming New Year’s festive table, Nielsen says in its research available to TASS.

"Russians will spend about 10,000 rubles ($156) on this coming New Year’s table," the document says.

Seven out of ten participants in the poll (68%) intend to celebrate the holiday together with their families and 85% of them will cook the festive dinner themselves.

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"Respondents said that when preparing for the New Year they were ready to spend more at this time to make happy their relatives and friends, even despite 69% of Russian consumers trying to tighten their belts throughout the year," Marina Volkova from Nielsen Russia notes.

The New Year’s basket of purchases is structured as follows, based on the poll: fruit and vegetables will be bought by 93% of respondents, cheese by 89%, fresh meat, poultry and fish by 87%, and meat products by 81%. The demand will reach its peak from December 24 to 28, Nielsen reports.

Demand for alcoholic beverages

December is the high season for champagne and sparkling wines, which 84% of Russians intend to buy for the holiday table. According to analysts, December alone accounts for about 30% of champagne sales and 22% of sparkling wine sales concerning the annual turnover in physical terms. They are followed by wines and vodkas — 59% and 40% — which those surveyed will buy accordingly for the New Year holiday table. "As far as soft drinks go, fruit juices (77%), carbonated beverages (50%) and mineral water (44%) are the most popular," the research says. Russians intend to make the most of pre-holiday purchases in hypermarkets (78% of respondents) and discount stores (64% of surveyed individuals).

Gifts

Consumers polled by Nielsen confessed that they would spend more on gifts than last year. The average bill shows the highest growth when buying gifts for oneself. In spite of the fact that just 38% of respondents plan to buy gifts for themselves, it will be one of the largest expenditures — over 10,000 rubles or $156, while a year earlier this was 5,600 rubles ($87.30). Respondents plan to buy new clothes, footwear and accessories (26%), gadgets and small electronic appliances (14%), household appliances (10%), goods for house and interior decorations (10%), and decorations (9%).

About 71% of respondents intend to buy gifts for their spouses, 68% for their parents, and each second (52%) person surveyed will do so for their friends. The most popular gifts among respondents are boxed chocolates (15% of respondents), apparel, footwear and accessories (14%), toys (11%), household and interior goods (9%), and chocolate bars (9%).

Respondents intend to spend about 5,900 rubles ($92) on their significant other. The budget on gifts for friends fell to 3,300 rubles ($51.40), which is lower than last year’s figure of 3,700 rubles ($57.63).

Methodology

Nielsen Study "What to Expect from the New Year 2020?" was conducted in Russia in the form of online interviews among more than 1,000 respondents through conducting accompanying purchases, as well as by interviewing customers in stores.

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