Derry has been named as the best city in Northern Ireland to buy second-hand gifts this Christmas.
As shoppers are taking an increasingly eco-conscious way of shopping, second-half gifts are on the rise. Many more may choose to buy from a vintage shop than a fast fashion multi national this Christmas.
Due to a wasteful way of shopping, as much as £42million worth of Christmas gifts are unwanted and sent to landfill each year.
To break the taboo around second-hand gifting this festive season, sustainable e-tailer Bower Collective have released a study looking at the number of vintage stores, second-hand shops and vintage and second-hand events per capita across UK towns and cities to find the top places to find pre-loved presents.
Considering all factors, the study found that Derry is the ‘thrifty-gifting’ capital of Northern Ireland. Derry also has the 4th most vintage shops per capita in the UK, with eight to explore.
From Bedlam to The Whatnot, there are plenty of options to purchase unique second-hand gifts for loved ones this year.
Events such as vintage kilo sales have taken off exponentially in recent years, with vintage shoppers able to buy vintage items and often save money by paying by the weight of their purchase.
The study also examined the search volumes of each city for sustainable and second-hand shopping terms like "sustainable gifts", "charity shops" and "vintage kilo sale".
The study revealed that searches in Derry increased by 50% in the past year alone, the largest one-year rise in Northern Ireland, with searches for "vintage kilo sale" up by 75% alone.
This could be due to the fact that events such as vintage kilo sales are an incredibly new business venture in the city.
However, there is a large market for second hand gifting in Derry, reflected in the large number of charity shops per capita to be found in the city.
Overall, from looking at Google search trends, the study also found that people in the UK are searching for "sustainable gifts" 988% more than they were three years ago and 2021 searches for "charity shops" alone surpass 1.5 million.
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