Music lovers have been hailing the return of vinyl for many years, claiming the warmer sound quality, the sleeve designs, even the occasional familiar scratch, make it a more enjoyable listening experience than streaming.
Now it is official. The revival in demand for vinyl records means they are back in the basket of goods that is used by the Office for National Statistics to calculate the rate of inflation for the first time since they were supplanted by CDs and cassettes in 1992.
Vinyl sales peaked in the Eighties but fell to less than one per cent by the late Nineties before the revival began in the Noughties. It is now the most popular physical music format, with cassettes long since removed from the basket.
The virtual basket of 744 goods and services is rejigged every year to ensure it accurately reflects current consumer tastes and trends. This year the ONS has added 16 items and removed 15. It is unusual for an item to be taken out and make a return decades later.
Another addition this year is that healthy cooking kitchen “must have” the air fryer, which has seen an explosion in sales since 2021.
The most eye-catching removal was hand sanitiser, which has seen a dramatic fall in sales since the end of the pandemic. The ONS said its price collectors “noted a vast reduction in shelf space dedicated to this product”.
Other removals include sofabeds, below, which has seen a fall in demand, rotisserie-cooked hot whole chicken, draught stout and bakeware.
ONS deputy director for prices Matt Corder said: “Our inflation basket of goods offers a fascinating snapshot of consumer spending through the years.
“Often the basket reflects the adoption of new technology, but the return of vinyl records shows how cultural revivals can affect our spending.”
