Young flock back to British high streets in retail revival

Those searching for proof of the fickleness of youth need look no further than a new report which reveals that, far from abandoing the high street, it is Gen Z and Millennial shoppers who are the most frequent visitors to UK stores, helping drive the post-Covid physical retail revival.

While back in 2021, 55% of those aged 18 to 24 vowed never to return to bricks and mortor stores, according to research from RetailNext, 46% of Millennials now make weekly trips to the shops (+6 percentage points compared to the average UK shopper).

When it comes to fashion, younger Gen Zs were also the most frequent in-store shoppers, with the demographic more than twice as likely as the average UK consumer to head into apparel locations every week (28% vs 13%).

And, despite the stereotype of being in love with social commerce, 66% of Gen Z prefer physical experiences for discovering fashion trends and products, according to a recent Unidays report.

Similarly, for health and beauty, Gen Z were also 1.7 times more likely to visit stores weekly (34% vs 20% of average shoppers), while the proportion of Millennials taking trips to health and beauty shops each week is now +5 percent higher than the average UK consumer (25% vs 20%).

RetailNext head of sales for the EMEA and APAC regions Gary Whittemore said: “All too often assumed as being solely creatures of social commerce, younger consumer cohorts are embracing physical retail.

“Whether that’s through a desire to reduce screentime, seeking more authentic shopping experiences or human interaction away from digital enclaves, or connecting and engaging with the brands they love in real life, we’re seeing rafts of younger shoppers leading the store revival both here in the UK and river in the US, choosing the store as their channel of choice.”

Outside of younger shopping cohorts, UK consumers as a whole are also signalling wider support for UK high street retailers.

Seven in ten consumers quizzed by RetailNext wanted to see retailers better supported in the Autumn Statement, with three quarters calling on the Government to do more specifically to support high street retailers. A further 70% believe bricks and mortar retail businesses should be given rates cuts to level the playing field between online competition.

Whittemore added: “For many years now, we’ve heard death knell after death knell sounding the impending doom of the high street.

“But the reality is physical retail remains an important and compelling component in omnichannel buying journeys, prompting strong support for the high street amongst shoppers, which is why we continue to see many pureplays actively investing in growing their physical retail offerings.”