It might be “the most wonderful time of the year”, but new research reveals Brits are losing more than an entire day to festive admin and they’re officially over it. With one in three (33%) calling wrapping their biggest seasonal headache and two-thirds (62%) saying Christmas has become more stress than sparkle, PizzaExpress is stepping in with a national rescue mission: The Christmas Concierge: a free wrapping service designed to give families back precious time over the festive period.
Launching across select restaurant this December, the PizzaExpress Christmas Concierge is a free service designed to save the nation from last minute panic. Pizza fans can drop off their Christmas shopping, settle in for Dough Balls and their favourite pizza and pick up their beautifully wrapped gifts, complete with PizzaExpress wrapping paper, for free.
Because the festive panic is real, with:
43% find deciding what to buy the biggest struggle
53% reveal they often forget a gift until the last minute
21% leave ALL their shopping until the final days
Almost nine in ten (87%) say they would outsource festive chores if they could
The Concierge will also include a Christmas card-writing station stocked with ready-to-sign pizza and Dough Ball inspired cards – ideal for anyone who’s ever remembered they “haven’t done the cards” at 10pm on 20 December, just before the looming ‘last post’.
And while the to-do lists get longer, what people really want is simple: time. A third (33%) wish they had more time to relax, 29% crave more time with family and friends, and 40% say their number-one Christmas wish would be more quality time with loved ones. No surprising then that ‘sharing a meal’ remains the UK’s favourite way to connect (65%), and feels quite fitting that the nation’s most iconic high street restaurant, PizzaExpress, would come to the rescue.
Paula MacKenzie, CEO at PizzaExpress, said: “Christmas should be about spending time together, but our research shows just how much pressure people feel and how many hours get lost to festive tasks. We wanted to give families the gift of presence and so Christmas Concierge is our way of taking some of that pressure off their plate. While out enjoy a delicious catch up with family or friends, we’ll take care of the wrapping – giving you one less thing to think about this December.”
The PizzaExpress Christmas Concierge will run on 6, 13 and 20 December at:
• London Westfield (White City)
• Cardiff St David’s Shopping Centre
• Birmingham Bullring
• Manchester Trafford Centre
• Livingston Designer Outlet
