13 September 2010

M&S Money Goes 'Back To The Future' To Compare Student Bedrooms 1985 V 2010

As thousands of students prepare to head to university, a new survey has revealed that the average student bedroom contains a massive £1620 worth of gear.

The average student crams into their room almost £699 worth of electrical gadgets and appliances, £444 worth of clothes, sports equipment valued at £246 and textbooks worth £231, according to the poll by M&S Money*.

The huge value of a student’s bedroom is not surprising, with over half of students (55%) owning a laptop, 48% possessing a MP3 player and 20% a widescreen television.

But students’ expensive tastes are nothing new as the survey also revealed what the typical university bedroom of 1985 looked like.

While today’s students listen to music through their MP3 player and stereo, students in 1985 enjoyed the sounds of Wham and Tears for Fears through their Walkman, ghetto blaster and turntable.

In the same year that ‘Back to the Future’ hit the big screens, the students of 1985 were watching the first episodes of Eastenders on their black and white TVs.

The 1985 student bedroom was also likely to contain an alarm clock, scientific calculator, Breville toaster, and even a landline phone for the lucky few.

The survey also revealed that only 8% of the 1985 students said they were burgled while at university, compared to 27% of current students.

Andrew Ferguson, M&S Head of General Insurance, said: ‘While the contents of a student’s bedroom have changed a great deal in the past 25 years, one thing remains the same – they have expensive tastes!

‘Our survey shows the modern day student bedroom is a goldmine for thieves, so insurance could be the best investment students make this autumn.’

The survey was carried out to mark the 25th anniversary of the launch of the financial services arm of M&S**, today known as M&S Money.

Top ten valuables students keep in their university bedroom 1985 v 2010

(% figure shows number of students who keep/kept item in their bedroom):

ENDS

Notes to Editors

*Figures from OnePoll.  Total sample size was 500 adults attending university in 2010 and 500 adults who attended university in 1985. Fieldwork was undertaken 14-23 August 2010. The survey was carried out online.

**St Michael Financial Services was formed in 1985 to oversee the introduction of the M&S Chargecard, which was launched nationally in stores on 2nd April 1985.

For further information please call the M&S Money press office:

Simon Coughlin on 020 7992 1574
simon.coughlin@mandsmoney.com

M&S Money (the trading name of Marks & Spencer Financial Services) was founded in 1985 as the financial services division of Marks and Spencer Group plc, making 2010 the company's 25th anniversary.

The company is a top-ten credit card provider and the second-largest travel money retailer in the UK.  M&S Money also offers a range of insurance cover, including home insurance and car insurance, as well as loans, savings and investment products.

In November 2004, Marks & Spencer sold M&S Money to HSBC. HSBC Holdings plc, the parent company of the HSBC Group, is headquartered in London. The Group serves customers worldwide from around 8,000 offices in 88 countries and territories in Europe, the Asia-Pacific region, the Americas, the Middle East and Africa. With assets of US$2,364 billion at 31 December 2009, HSBC is one of the world’s largest banking and financial services organisations. HSBC is marketed worldwide as ‘the world’s local bank’.
M&S Money has an executive committee comprising an equal number of representatives from HSBC and Marks & Spencer.
M&S Home Insurance policies are provided by AXA Insurance UK plc. Terms, conditions, exclusions and limitations apply. Calls may be monitored and recorded.