Searches for home cinema DIY tools and exercise equipment jump as consumers dig-in for a locked-down winter

Consumers are buying home cinema equipment, exercise and DIY products to see them through a winter spent largely at home and indoors as covid restrictions continue.

Demand for exercise bikes has risen.

Searches for home cinema projectors and treadmills have increased by 50 per cent, while searches for ‘Peloton’ and cross trainers have increased by 70 per cent, according to data from Google Trends.

Separately, researchers from GoCompare asked consumers what they were intending to buy to see them through a locked down winter and compiled a list of the 10 most popular purchases planned by UK consumers. Over half said they are buying due to potential winter Covid restrictions.

Large TVs or full home cinemas topped the list, followed by laptops as people continue to work and learn more at home. Kitchen equipment to enable more adventurous cooking is helping feed householders while many restaurants remain closed, while online courses – from foreign languages to practical and DIY skills – are also popular purchases.

Also in the top ten of winter purchases are a vocational course to enable a career change and a garden building to enable home working on a long term basis.

In Scotland, 11 council areas are at the highest level of coronavirus restrictions – level four – which means that non-essential shops and hospitality businesses are closed. Other areas are in level three, which also restricts visits to restaurants and cafes, while all in-home household mixing is banned. Experts have warned that restrictions could continue for months until a possible vaccine is rolled out. England is currently under a nationwide lockdown, which is due to end at the beginning of December, to be replaced by a new, tougher, tiered system of restrictions.

Lee Griffin, chief executive and founder of GoCompare Home Insurance, said: “Google Trends data combined with our own research suggests that many consumers are planning to spend the winter taking on DIY projects, getting fit and catching up with the latest movies at home.”

He added: "More than half of the respondents to our survey said their spending had been prompted by the thought of a locked down Covid winter.”

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