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Valentine’s Day

12th February 2020

With the clock ticking down to Valentine’s Day, it’s time to find the right gifts and goodies to sweep that special someone off their feet.

In 2019, we spent over £1.4 billion on flowers, frills and fancies and it seems like this year we’ll be spending the same – if not more. In this week’s blog we investigate the origins of Valentine’s Day and the ways you can celebrate it.

St Valentine

Valentine’s Day gets the name from the famous saint; St Valentine. The most popular belief about St Valentine is that he was a priest from Rome in the third Century. The Emperor Claudius II had made marriage illegal as he believed married men were ineffective soldiers. St Valentine considered this unfair and so ignored the rules in place and arranged marriages for people in secret.

When Emperor Claudius found out, Valentine was sentenced to death and put in jail. While in jail, Valentine fell in love with the jailer’s daughter and, prior to when he was put to death on 14th February, he sent her a love letter signed from “your Valentine.” The very first Valentine card.

For Love or Money

Over 32 million (61%) Brits will be spending money on their sweethearts this Valentine’s Day. Of those who will be spending money, each person expects to pay out £35 on average. This means that over £1.45 billion will be spent collectively by people in the UK.

Men plan to spend an average of £44.24 on Valentine’s Day, while women will spend £26.24. Millennials will be the UK’s highest-spending generation, paying out £42 on average. This is followed by generation X (£38), baby boomers (£30) and generation Z (£27). The silent generation (born 1928 to 1945) are the lowest spenders, averaging £12.

20% of people celebrating Valentine’s Day will give their partner flowers. Unimaginatively, red roses are the most popular choice. Lingerie sales double in the run up to Valentine’s Day, and jewellery sales peak a few days prior to 14th February – which isn’t surprising, considering 10% of all marriage proposals happen on Valentine’s Day.

Valentine’s at Garden Square

Garden Square’s stores are filled with sweet treats, glittering gems, fanciful fashion and heart-warming homeware to help you celebrate this week. Head to our shops and eateries for plenty of heartfelt inspiration.

Happy Valentine’s from everyone at Garden Square!