Survey reveals nearly 70 percent of people seek necessities over luxurious gifts this year

TOWSON, Md. (November 16) – Practical items, such as cookbooks, exercise equipment and power tools are what consumers are after this holiday season, according to a recent survey by Black & Decker (NYSE: BDK) and Zogby International*. In fact, nearly 70 percent of consumers plan to ask their friends, family and loved ones for necessities over luxuries this holiday season. People want gifts that will reflect their personalities, and can be opened on the holidays – versus gift cards or cash. Additionally, one in six (17 percent) would like to get an even split of practical and luxurious gifts.

“We know consumers are searching for holiday gifts using a practical lens this year,” says Tim Dunphy, consumer insights manager for Black & Decker. “Our new products offer a variety of functional benefits that help consumers get the job done with ease – while remaining conscious that many consumers will scale back spending this year.”

With the season’s biggest shopping day, Black Friday, just under two weeks away, Black & Decker has launched a number of new giftable, practical items for shoppers, including:
•     ReadyWrench™ ( MSW100) – An all-in-one wrench with 16 of the most popular standard (SAE) and metric socket sizes at your fingertips, $29.99
•     Flex™ Cordless Mini Canister Vac ( FHV1200) – The go anywhere, reach anything cordless vac that combines high performance power with ultimate versatility, $69.99
•     Cordless Lithium Screwdriver with SmartSelect™ Technology ( LI4000) – From the SmartSelect™ family of tools, this Cordless Screwdriver prevents the dropping of screws with a magnetic screw holder, $39.97

“Even in difficult economic times, the spirit of gift-giving is alive with 81% of American adults saying they plan to give gifts during the holiday season,” said Sam Rodgers, Zogby International spokesperson. “However, our early holiday polling shows that people plan to cut back. Almost half of adults (45 percent) have told us they plan to spend less this year and many adults (62 percent) say they’ll spend $200 or less on their spouse or partner this holiday season. While still a lot of money, it excludes many costly luxury items.”

Additional survey results show:
•    Most people say their spouse (29 percent) or a parent (28 percent) are the hardest people on their gift list to shop for during the holidays
•    More than half of homeowners surveyed (51 percent) say they will be installing holiday decorations
•    A quarter of respondents say they will be hanging curtains (28 percent) or installing light fixtures (23 percent) over the next 12 months

For more information visit http://www.BlackandDecker.com/ or http://blackanddeckermediakit.com.

About Black & Decker
Since 1910, Black & Decker has been setting the standard for innovation and design of power tools, accessories, outdoor yard care equipment, home cleaning products, automotive and lighting products, hardware and other home improvement products. The inventor of the first portable electric drill with pistol grip and trigger switch, Black & Decker has evolved from a small machine shop in Baltimore, Maryland to a global manufacturing and marketing powerhouse with a broad line of quality products used in and around the home and for commercial applications. When users need to get work done, they trust Black & Decker for the products that will do the job efficiently and reliably. For more information on Black & Decker’s extensive line of products, visit www.blackanddecker.com or follow Black & Decker on Facebook and Twitter.

*Zogby International was commissioned by Black & Decker to conduct an online survey of 3,766 adults. A sampling of Zogby International’s online panel, which is representative of the adult population of the U.S., was invited to participate from 10/16/09-10/19/09. Slight weights were added to region, party, age, race, religion, gender, education to more accurately reflect the population. The margin of error is +/- 1.6 percentage points. Margins of error are higher in sub-groups.