Cynical Londoners are choosing to rent their garden party essentials rather than making permanent purchases, following an ongoing period of hot weather they feared wouldn’t last. The scorching heatwave led to a weekly increase in demand of up to 800% for some items such as portable bars, hot tubs and inflatables.
The top 10 highest product demand in London over the summer are:
1. Portable bars (800% increase, majority last minute bookings)
2. Inflatable unicorns and unicorn bouncy castles (400% increase) (Out of stock in London)
3. Sunloungers (50% increase)
4. Parasols (33% increase)
5. Hot tubs (33% increase, 78% by men, mostly North and West London)
6. Grills and BBQs (35% increase)
7. Deck chairs (35% increase, high rooftops demand, mainly in East London)
8. Table football (25% increase, high rooftop demand)
9. Ping-Pong tables (25% increase)
10. Outdoor furniture and glassware (25% increase)
In comparison with the summer of last year, the Rentuu team have seen dramatic changes. With events in 2017 across the country being moved indoors to avoid the summer rain, Rentuu saw a 50% decrease in rentals of patio heaters compared to last year.
This year has been quite different, with corporate outdoor equipment in demand. An increase in demand of almost three quarters (75%) from April to July shows a workplace trend for fun gets well underway before the Christmas bash.
