Sales of Nativity Outfits Soar as Parents Compete to Create This Year's Best Nativity Costumes

LONDON, December 16, 2011 /PRNewswire/ --

• 63% of Asda mums admit their child would wear fancy dress every day of the year if they had the chance
  
• Only 30% of parents will be making their children's nativity costume this year

It's nativity week across the UK and parents have been rushing to stores to lay their hands on this year's essential festive costumes as well as turning their hand to various household items as they compete to create this year's best nativity outfits.

Best dressed mum at the school gates is now not enough as the competition is hotting up in the classroom with this year's nativity costumes. George at Asda reports record sales of children's nativity fancy dress costumes compared to this time last year. Outfits are flying off the shelves, with a sheep and angel costumes as coming in as clear favourites, selling out online in a matter of days.
Current best sellers include the Shepherd, Star and Mary costumes, with the shepherd costume showing an 856% uplift this week compared to last year.

And it's not just for nativities that kids jump at the chance to dress up. Girls & boys fancy dress costumes are one of George.com's best sellers. 63% of mums who responded on Asda's Facebook page highlighted that their children would happily wear a fancy dress costume every day if they could. Nearly a quarter admitted that their child often wears their fancy dress costume to sleep in and half claimed their children often wear their outfit for three days in a row before they can prize them out of it to wash it.

With costumes starting from as little as £6, time-poor parents find shopping for a costume a time and money saver.And although some kids might be embarrassed to wear a home made attempt, the time-honoured tradition of using tea towels and bed sheets to create costumes is still alive and well, with 30% claiming to make their own versions. Asda has also reported a 400% sales uplift in tea towels and an uplift of 100% in bed sheet sales as mums tackle their very own Shepherd and Angel outfits.

With a third of parents admitting it was important to keep traditional values alive and 26% of parents letting us know that their child specifically asked to make their own costume this year it seems part of the nation still likes to keep the creative juices flowing.

Bee Hessell, spokesperson for George commented: "At George we are famous for kidswear and love to get into the Christmas spirit, and help families do the same. Demand for nativity outfits is ever-increasing, with boys and girls both enjoying the chance to take part in nativity plays.

"This year the sales of the range have been higher than expected as busy mums and dads struggle to find the time in their day to day schedules to make their own. We stock a great range - from donkeys, to shepherds to kings, and even stars - and have seen that these are certainly among the nation's favourites ."

George.com and more than 380 Asda stores both stock nativity outfits, and for extra convenience there is free in store delivery to any store when ordered online.

About Asda Stores Ltd.

Founded in the 1960s, Asda today is one of Britain's leading retailers.  It has over 170,000 dedicated Asda colleagues serving customers from 433 stores, including 31 supercentres, 302 superstores, 75 supermarkets, 27 ASDA Living stores, 23 depots and eight recycling centres across the UK (Great Britain and Northern Ireland).  It has its main home office in Leeds, Yorkshire and its George clothing division based in Lutterworth Leicestershire. Asda serves over 18 million shoppers a week in store and its growing home shopping business serves over 97 per cent of UK homes.

Notes to Editors

For further information, please contact Claire Boyd, +44(0)113-826-3448 or email Bee.Hessell@asda.co.uk