Students in Edinburgh were the biggest shoppers this Black Friday, according to new figures from leading accommodation provider, Student Roost. During the period of 29 November to 5 December 2021, Student Roost’s five Edinburgh properties received 923 parcels – an average of 2.7 per resident. This was higher than any of the other 19 UK cities where Student Roost currently operates.
Students living in Southampton received 2.3 parcels per resident on average – receiving 657 parcels that week, with Durham students receiving 2.2 per resident (436 parcels), Newcastle students receiving 2 (1900 parcels) and students at Warwick receiving an average of 2 (593 parcels).
This compares to students in Wrexham, who received a relatively low 0.3 parcels on average per resident the week after the Black Friday/Cyber Monday sales. Students in Birmingham, Bath, Leicester and Swansea were also in the bottom five for deliveries.
Student Roost teams across the UK handled 20,445 parcels in the week beginning 29 November 2021 – up from 17,077 the week before. For Black Friday/Cyber Monday, they even enlisted volunteers from their central HQ team to help out in some of the busiest properties, to ensure students could receive their parcels without any delays.
Although some parcels will have been sent from family and friends, a recent study by UCAS found that 59% of students had spent money on Black Friday deals in 2020. This study also found that 43% of students were planning to use sales to buy clothes, 26% to buy books or study resources, 24% to buy shoes, 18% to buy stationery and 16% to buy a laptop.
Student Roost also partners with the British Heart Foundation (BHF) – as part of their Pack for Good campaign. The partnership offers students the opportunity to donate items they no longer want at the end of the year for selling in BHF stores – opposed to them going to landfill.
“The last two years have shown just how vital delivery services are – whether it’s a parcel from loved ones far away, a new outfit for a big night out, or the latest Black Friday bargain.
“All our properties have team members on hand 24/7. As well as offering help and a friendly ear, and organising fun events for our residents across the UK, it means we can securely receive, store and deliver parcels at any time of day.
“Combined with the ParcelTracker system, which sends notifications to residents as soon as their parcels arrive, our teams have been playing Santa to make sure everyone gets their vital post as soon as possible this festive period!”
Jason Andrews, Director of Operations, Student Roost
Student Roost is one of the largest student accommodation providers in the UK – rated highly by students themselves. Over 21,000 students live with Student Roost in 20 cities around the UK (22 cities from 2022/23). In 2020, it was named Student Accommodation Operator of the Year at the RESI Awards and Operator of the Year at the Best in Class awards.
