Gift Registry: Divorce

Have you ever heard of someone using a gift registry to celebrate their divorce?

Didn’t think so. A top department store in the UK, Debenham’s has set up a gift registry option for husbands and wives who are about to get a divorce, as a way to let divorcees have a happier time at the end of their marriage. The store says the saw an uptick in divorce celebration parties and divorce greeting cards, and knew there was a market for this.

Peter Moore, Head of Retail Services at Debenhams, exlains: “Divorcing can be an expensive time and registering for a Divorce Gift List means that family and friends can help the newly separated begin their new life.”

Another store official, Debenham’s PR manager Ruth Attridge told CNN: “If someone is getting divorce and they’re moving out of their marital home they may be living on their own for the first time in their life.”

The store expects less fancy and luxury items than on a wedding registry, less HDTVs, less jewelry and fancy kitchenware, more basic gifts like towels and linens, toasters and more basic kitchen fare and appliances. A store rep said “It’s about focusing on what your customers need and want, and of course looking for new opportunities. Looking for niches or new demands and new services you can offer that others haven’t thought of.”