GfK Major Purchase Index Drops 14 Points to -22 in October

Households are suddenly much less keen on big purchases, according to this month’s consumer confidence survey, yet the prices of furniture and furnishings are barely rising. For anyone planning a room or a whole-house project, that combination is worth knowing about. Two furniture retailers also had news this week.

Appetite for big purchases fell 14 points in October

GfK’s Consumer Confidence Barometer, published on 23 October, shows the Major Purchase Index, which measures whether people think now is a good time to buy big-ticket items, fell 14 points to -22, ten points lower than a year ago. The overall index fell 11 points to -24. GfK says the last 11-point drop was in July 2016, after the Brexit vote, and that only the onset of the Covid pandemic produced a larger fall in recent years. Its consumer insights director, Neil Bellamy, blamed “relentless” cost of living pressures with inflation at 3.5%. The survey of 2,003 people ran from 1 to 14 October, before the Budget.

Why it matters: when people put off big purchases, kitchen, bathroom and furniture firms tend to compete harder for the work that is going ahead. If you are pressing on with a project, it is a reasonable time to get several quotes. Our interior design budget planner helps you set a figure before you ask.

Furniture and furnishing prices rose 1.0% in a year

Official figures put numbers on that gap. The ONS consumer prices index shows prices for furniture, household equipment and routine maintenance of the home rose 1.0% in the year to September 2026, up from 0.8% in August, while prices overall rose 3.5%. Housing, water and fuel costs rose 5.3% and transport 6.6%. In other words, the furnishing part of a project is getting dearer much more slowly than household bills. Labour is a different matter and is not in this category, so check our guides to interior design cost per room and what a new kitchen costs for the whole picture.

Dusk grows 19% and moves into bathroom furniture

Online homeware retailer Dusk said its revenue rose 19% in the six months to 30 September 2026, with growth speeding up to 33% in the second quarter, Furniture News reported on 28 October. It has launched bathroom furniture, so its range now covers every room, and says about half its orders now come from repeat customers. It is one more option if you are pricing vanities and storage; our fitted bathroom furniture guide explains what to compare.

Home Barn opens a second store in the Cotswolds

Interiors retailer Home Barn will open a second store in the Cotswolds in November, in a former agricultural barn rebuilt in its original form, Furniture News reported on 21 October. The business, founded in 2010 by sisters-in-law Sally and Sarah Wilkie, sells English country antiques and farmhouse furniture alongside new pieces, and its first shop is a 17th-century tithe barn in Little Marlow, Buckinghamshire. The announcement does not give an exact address or opening date. For the look it sells, see our guide to classic and traditional interior design.