Hot tub sales are bubbling in the luxury home leisure market
It seems like a bit of a stretch to call it a "must have" item, but hot tubs are apparently all the rage after sales boomed in 2015.
In a bubbling segment of the home leisure market, hot tub sales grew 20 per cent on 2014 figures, according to the British and Irish Spas and Hot Tub Association's (BISHTA) 2015 Wet Leisure Survey.
Hot tubs are undoubtedly still big-ticket, luxury items, though "entry-level" ones can be purchased for around £3,000.
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"The trend seems to come from families wishing to stay at home and not travel abroad who can add luxury and potentially value to their homes with a hot tub purchase; as well as a focal point for entertaining with recognised and tangible therapeutic benefits," BISHTA said in a statement.
"Hot tubs are increasingly becoming items of desire on consumers’ shopping lists, as recently evidenced by DIY chain retailers and holiday lodge operators. Reports show that the term “hot tub” is now one of the most searched for phrases on these sector’s websites."
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However, the spike in 2015 sales might be more tempered this year.
More than one-third of those who had planned a big spending decision said they have either cancelled or put the purchase on hold as a direct result of the UK's surprise Brexit vote last month.
Another nineteen per cent of respondents to the Ipsos Mori survey said they had outright cancelled a big-ticket purchase.