Britons 'plan to spend £499 on Christmas gifts'

Britons plan to spend around twice as much on Christmas gifts this year as many other Europeans, research suggests.

On average, people across the UK plan to spend £499 on Christmas presents, which is more than double the amount that people surveyed in other parts of Europe plan to spend, according to deals website Groupon.

%VIRTUAL-ArticleSidebar-shopping-guide%Excluding the UK, the average amount that the people surveyed planned to spend this year was around £200.

People living in the UK also tended to be planning to buy the most gifts out of the countries surveyed, at 14 each on average.

After the UK, people in France expect to spend the next highest amount on Christmas gifts typically, at £269, with people in Germany coming in third place, with an average spend of £252.

People were surveyed across eight countries - the UK, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Poland, the Netherlands and Belgium - to find out how much money they are planning to spend on gifts this Christmas. Nearly 9,000 people took part in the survey.

Six in 10 (60%) UK consumers also expect to buy Christmas gifts for themselves. People in Italy were found to be the most likely to be buying Christmas gifts for themselves, with 87% expecting to do so.

Here is how the countries were ranked in terms of how much people plan to spend on Christmas gifts, according to Groupon's research:

1. UK, £499

2. France, £269

3. Germany, £252

4. Belgium, £232

5. Spain, £211

6. Italy, £208

7. Netherlands, £128

8. Poland, £100