Virtual reality heads and yoga mats have been added to the 'basket' for calculating official inflation, it was revealed today.
Sandals and ready-made noodles also become members of the Office for National Statistics (ONS) selection of goods and services.
However, DVD rental houses are effectively declared dead in the annual update – acknowledge that British have shifted to streaming.
The basket, with more than 700 items, is closely monitored for the insights it offers in the customs of British consumers.
The us uses the collection to produce the general inflation size bars, which are crucial for policy makers, companies and ordinary employees.
This year the statistics body has added 23 items and removed 15, which brings the total to 752.
VR -headsets debut in a nod to 'rapid' increase in popularity, with expenditure for the gadgets that hit £ 347 million in 2024 and is expected to reach £ 520 million by 2029.
The meta of Mark Zuckerberg has invested heavily in technology and betting that it will be dominant in the future.
The sale of yoga mats was stimulated during the pandemic, but unlike other goods such as Hand Sanitiser, they stayed at the shopping radar.
'Sliders', a gene warderobe -not that is often worn with socks, are included as a 'fast growing area of the men's shoe market'.
At the front of the food, the pork replaces the oven -ready joint while shoppers opt for 'convenience'. And ready-made noodles are added.
Mangos are also on the list, with supermarkets that report the rising demand for exotic fruit.
But DVD rental has been removed from the calculations because the expenses have been taken into negligible levels.
Instead, there will be one item that reflects Video on Demand Subscription Services.
Printed local newspaper advertisements are removed for the fact that most are now placed online.
Our deputy director for prices Stephen Burgess said: 'Our inflation basket with goods shows how consumer spending has evolved over the years.
'The addition of virtual reality heads for the first time shows our appetite for emerging technology, while the loss of printed newspaper advertisements demonstrates a continuous shift to the online world.
The removal of DVD rental comes out of the basket more than a decade after the last blockbuster shops are closed
'The desire for convenience in the midst of our busy lifestyle also plays a role in this year's mand changes.
'Consumers opt for easier options in the kitchen, so gammon joints in the oven make way for the faster choice of drawn pork.
“Sandals for men step into the basket like a rapidly growing part of the male shoe market, while yoga mats also become smaller as a new addition because of their increased popularity since the pandemic.”
