Giant 70 inch TVs are the new normal in UK homes

Giant 70 inch televisions are the new normal, a John Lewis report has found, amid a growing trend for homeowners buying supersize screens for their living rooms.

According to the retailer's annual How We Shop Live and Look report, the size of households' TV sets have grown by 50 per cent since 2010. 

Over the past year sales of 60-inch sets were up by 249 per cent, while 80-inch models were up by 200 per cent year on year, it said. 

The fastest growing width of TV was 70 inches, suggesting it is fast becoming the new standard size of TV in homes across the UK. Back in 2010 the best selling TV set was 36 inches across.

Prices of 70 inch sets range from around £700 through to nearly £4,000 for top of the range models.  

Conversely sales of sub 31-inch screens were down 34 per cent compared to the same period last year. 

Sales of large TV sets were driven mainly by the World Cup in July, John Lewis said, as party hosts hoping for an England win invested in a bigger model to impress guests and ensure no-one missed sight of all important goals. 

The rise in over sized TV sets comes as the latest advancements have flopped, potentially leading to consumers opting for size over the latest technology.

For example the much-trumpeted concept of 3D tv died an early death last year, as Samsung, LG and Sony all announced they were stopping making 3D sets.

Similarly to small televisions, DVD players' days are also numbered thanks to rise of streaming services like Netflix and Amazon Prime. Sales of DVD players tumbled by 40 per cent this year, John Lewis said.  

Simon Coble, trading director at John Lewis & Partners, said: “It is fascinating to see what trends our customers have fallen in and out of love with this year and how big events like the World Cup and the Royal Wedding have such a significant impact on what we buy.

“How we shop is changing at incredible speed and shops need to combine the very best in service and experiences with unique and fantastic products. And the mobile phone is vital in both as a means to browse and research but also as a place to buy."

More customers than ever before are choosing to shop using their smartphone over a desktop or tablet. For the first time, the majority of online shoppers (42 per cent) are visiting our website via their smartphone and the number of orders placed on mobile phones is up 35 per cent. 

Customers are also being much more specific about what they are looking for on our site, using more search words and filters to narrow down their options.