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According to UCAS, the University Admissions Service, the number of students potentially going to university and higher education in 2015 is at one of its highest levels - up 3% compared to the same point last year. This represents an extra 13,000 students, meaning that more young people are preparing to make the transition from home to university.

It is difficult not to notice the television phenomenon which is The Great British Bake Off. With recent BBC figures highlighting that the third show of the series reached an audience of 10.1 million – a figure anticipated to rise over the season of the show itself - baking appears to be a highly popular area of interest. Furthermore, the focus for all things 'baking' and 'cooking' has seemed to extend to households, with many individuals as well as families aspiring to get creative in the kitchen.

According to Euromonitor data, the total of UK spending on pet care is set to reach a level of $7.16bn this year - a record high. This figure is a 3% increase compared to last year and shows a growth of 25% since 2010. This suggests that more money is being spent on pets than ever before, with people increasingly perceiving them as a worthwhile investment.

A recent report has highlighted that The Consumer Goods Forum (CGF) has announced its commitment to tackling the issue of global food waste, aiming to half the waste produced within the operations of its 400 manufacture and retail members by 2025. This emphasizes the scale of the effort being taken to increase efficiency and reduce the amount of potentially fit food being thrown away. Britain's 'Love Food, Hate Waste' campaign is a further example of focus upon sustainability, buying and eating habits.

According to new research from Mintel's British Lifestyles Report which observes consumer activity, UK shoppers have made significant cuts to their spending over the last year. Much of this activity appears to be directed towards saving money for larger expenses later – such as a holiday. One area in which shoppers are spending less is leisure and entertainment – with spending cut by 34%. This emphasizes that despite 2014 marking the fastest rate of economic growth since 2007; consumers are keeping up the money-savvy shopping habits they probably acquired in the earlier down-turn.

Leading UK home shopping company, Betterware, have recently commented on a photographer's recent project, which has involved snapping shots of households across China, and the online purchases they've made.

According to research carried out and results obtained by the British Designer Habitat, sales of non-electric bakeware equipment has increased by over 80% since the first quarter of 2015 – and is set to still increase. This evident consumer interest towards baking equipment has led to reflection from many key retailers, including Betterware.