Residents of London and Wales are driving the growth of the UK subscription box market according to research commissioned by Royal Mail.

Some 50.7% of Londoners are signed up to at least one subscription box service. Meanwhile, Welsh residents have an average of 4.3 subscription box services per person.

The UK north-east are also part of the growth trend in this sector. Some 34.7% of residents in the north-east have signed up to a subscription box. They are also signed up to an average of 3.8 boxes per person.

Among the subscription box services, Londoners’ most popular subscription box is the recipe box, 20% signed up to one. In East Anglia the most popular boxes are beauty boxes, and sweets are the most popular subscription boxes in the South West and South East of England.

Almost all (98 %) of those signed up to a subscription box service in Yorkshire & Humberside have purchased it for themselves, compared to only 78 % of those in Wales. In London, 95 % buy the subscription box service for themselves.

Meanwhile those living in Northern Ireland are most likely to buy subscription boxes as a gift for someone else (55 %). Residents from Wales are most likely (36.4 %) to receive a subscription box service as a gift.

A spokesperson from Royal Mail said “The latest instalment from our subscription box report details the regional differences in how consumers use such services across the UK. With London, Wales and the North East driving growth, it will be interesting to see the uptake in other regions across the UK over the coming years as the subscription box market grows. We’re here to help subscription businesses along the way, wherever they are in the UK.

“With the UK’s biggest by far “Feet on the Street” network covering 90,000 postmen and women, Royal Mail is playing a key role in keeping carbon emissions low. The vast majority of subscription items are letterboxable and so are ideally suited for foot delivery by Royal Mail and do not require a van delivery.”