The companies benefiting from your Father’s Day gift-giving

Father’s Day was celebrated last weekend on Sunday, June 15. According to MyVoucherCodes, people spent an average of £54.06 on gifts for fathers or stepfathers this year (compared with £44.80 for Mother’s Day)*. Popular choices included alcohol, food, and meals out, with tech gifts also in demand.

Surprisingly, the rose is the official flower of Father’s Day — I’ll admit, I never considered getting my Dad flowers to mark the occasion, but a card and wine is just as good, right? I’m not the only one pinning their shopping on a card; around £43 million is spent annually on 22 million cards, according to the Greeting Card Association**. 

Here we take a look at the companies most likely to benefit from the presents bought, and the funds that invest in them.

Wine & Spirits 

Let’s start with my personal preference for gifts. Virgin Wines UK, which was established 25 years ago, is one of the largest direct-to-consumer online retailers in this area. The company has more than 600 wines and 100 spirits in its drinks portfolio, selling to an impressive 150,000-strong global customer base. It’s also one of the largest holdings in the Unicorn UK Smaller Companies fund***, which is managed by Simon Moon and Fraser Mackersie. We like the portfolio’s focus on company fundamentals and understanding businesses in detail, as well as its concentrated nature.

Books

Books remain a popular gift option, and one of the leading independent names in this sector is London-based Bloomsbury Publishing. The company, famously behind the Harry Potter books, publishes titles in a variety of sectors, including sport, history, nature, film and humour. Bloomsbury is currently one of the largest holdings in the WS Montanaro UK Income fund, which focuses on small and medium-sized businesses. The fund has a clear, detailed and robust process, with each holding offering an attractive dividend yield or the potential for dividend growth.

Bloomsbury Publishing is also held in the Rathbone UK Opportunities fund. Manager Alexandra Jackson told us more about the appeal of the company and importantly, their ability to thrive in a digital era, on the Investing on the go podcast.

Luxury goods

A £220 tie might be a little out of my budget, but leather goods, jewellery, watches and clothes are among the gifts available from Hermès International, the French fashion house, for those looking for a more extravagant gift. The company is held by the BlackRock European Dynamic fund***, which invests in around 50 companies of all shapes and sizes. We like the flexible approach of its manager, Giles Rothbarth, who favours companies that are undervalued and/or have good growth potential.

Televisions

What about enabling your father to sit back and relax in front of a monster 83-inch smart television on his special day? Samsung, the South Korean consumer electronics giant, which has a vast array of TVs on offer, is a holding in the M&G Asian fund***. This portfolio, which typically holds between 50 and 80 names, is a high-conviction fund that takes an active approach to investing in the region.

We like the hands-on approach of the team behind this fund, which includes lead manager David Perrett and Carl Vine, his deputy manager.

Technology

Who doesn’t love a piece of the latest tech – particularly given the pace at which computers, watches and other gadgets are developing? This sector makes up roughly a third of the Comgest Growth America fund^, which is a concentrated portfolio of 25-35 high-quality companies. Its current holdings include technology giants such as Apple and Microsoft, as well as Alphabet, the parent company of search engine Google^. We like the fund’s clear process and the fact it invests in companies that are expected to offer predictable and sustainable earnings growth.

Trips away

If you’re feeling particularly generous then you can always treat your father or stepfather to a holiday in the sun – even if it’s just for a few days. On The Beach Group, which was founded in 2004, has become one of the UK’s largest online package holiday companies. It’s among the largest holdings in the Liontrust UK Smaller Companies fund***, which is co-managed by a five-strong team. The distinctive investment process used in the fund, which has a great track record, is focusing on firms with strong positions in their respective industries.

Computer games

Gaming is popular with men of all ages and Nintendo has been a major player in this fiercely competitive sector since the early 1980s. The Japanese company’s roster of games includes Super Mario Bros, which lays claim to being one of the best-selling series of all time. The Baillie Gifford Japanese Income Growth fund, which launched nine years ago and is run by Karen See and Matthew Brett, owns Nintendo stock***. This portfolio aims to benefit from improving corporate governance in Japan that is seeing an increasing number of companies moving towards a progressive dividend-paying policy.

Relaxing cup of coffee

How about treating dad to a cup of coffee? Okay, we don’t really mean just one cup! Coffee machines are worth considering if the father figure in your life is a caffeine enthusiast – and there’s a good chance he will be, with 95 million cups drunk every day^^. Retailer Currys, which has a dizzying array of such machines, is one of the holdings in the AXA Framlington UK Mid Cap fund***. Its manager, Chris St John, boasts an excellent track record at the helm of the fund and has the flexibility to invest in both the FTSE 100 and small-cap names.

Cards and other gifts

If you want to take the stress out of choosing a gift and picking up a card, then a trip to a major supermarket chain such as Tesco might fit the bill. The retailing giant, which has around 3,000 UK stores, sells plenty of suitable items, including alcohol, chocolate and various gadgets. The Jupiter UK Dynamic Equity fund, which has been managed by the experienced Alex Savvides since October 2024, is an investor in Tesco^^^. This portfolio is managed with a distinct contrarian and value-based approach, offering investors access to a well-diversified portfolio of mainly larger UK companies.

*Source: MyVoucherCodes, June 2025

**Source: Greeting card association, November 2024

***Source: fund factsheet, 30 April 2025

^Source: fund factsheet, 31 May 2025

^^Source: Nescafe, 20 Coffee Statistics That’ll Blow Your Mind

^^^Source: FE Analytics, full portfolio listings, 28 February 2025