Festive Planning Starts Early: M&S Reports Uptick In Christmas Orders And Decoration Sales

M&S is seeing a shift in shopping behaviour this month, with early demand across both its Food and Home categories indicating that consumers are preparing for Christmas earlier than in previous years.

The retailer’s Christmas Food to Order service opened last week, with more orders placed in the first week than any other year since the service launched. Over 56,000 orders were placed on the first day alone - +7% increase on the year, and almost 15% of collection slots have now been filled.  

Early bestsellers include the Collection Rolled Sirloin & Ribeye of Beef Roast, the Collection Salmon & Prawn Terrine and the Oakham Turkey Breast Joint. The Collection Dashing through the Snow dessert was the most clicked-on product on M&S.com.

In Home, sales in the “Christmas Decorate” category are up +67% year-on-year, driven by strong demand for decorations and lighting. The top 10 festive lines are selling 40% more volume than the same period last year. New additions - including M&S Iconic food-themed decorations - are contributing to this growth, alongside Percy Pig Wreath Decoration, currently one of the best-selling lines with sales up 30% year-on-year. 90% of this year’s range is priced at £5 or less.  

Customer insight from M&S shows that 28% of shoppers plan to decorate more than usual this Christmas - up from 26% in 2024 and 25% in 2023, reflecting an intent to protect the festive season.  

Alex Freudmann, Managing Director of M&S Food, said: “We keep close to our customers, speaking with them often so that we know how they feel and what’s important to them. Right now, they are prioritising spending time with family and friends and protecting celebrations - looking forward to and planning a special Christmas at home is more important than ever. We’ve seen this insight play out with more people ordering M&S Christmas Food to Order during its opening week than ever before. Special products for a family celebration at home are proving especially popular with The Reindeer Dashing through the Snow Dessert being the most clicked-on product and our Oakham Turkey Breast Joint for 6-8 people is our most ordered turkey so far.”