John Lewis and Primark top list of consumers’ most desired retailers
A new study has revealed John Lewis and Primark as the two retailers that consumers would most like to see open stores in their preferred shopping location.
The research, commissioned by e-commerce specialist Webloyalty and compiled by retail research specialists Conlumino, found that John Lewis was the most popular brand with 21.4% of respondents wanting a branch to open in their shopping area. Primark followed closely behind at 18.3%. Other consistently popular retail brands included Debenhams, H&M and Waitrose.
While John Lewis and Primark were found to be the most poular brands in almost all of the regions across the UK and the top five brands in each region were very similar, there were some interesting variations. Consumers in Scotland and the North East were keen to get their hands on Victoria’s Secret underwear, whilst those in Anglia and Yorkshire wanted more Cath Kidston prints.
Apple was found to be in demand across the country, appearing in the top ten for the North West, South West, Wales, the West Midlands and Yorkshire. House of Fraser appeared in the top five for Scotland, the North West, the South East and the West Midlands. Scotland and Wales put Next in their top five, and Zara and Debenhams were among Northern Ireland’s favourites.
Never Miss a Retail Update!Commenting on the research, Guy Chiswick, managing director of Webloyalty UK, said: “John Lewis and Primark are British success stories, giving consumers what they want. The findings are clear that both value-focused and more aspirational high-end retailers are in demand. It is those that sit in the middle, such as Marks & Spencer, which are struggling for relevance.”
Neil Saunders of Conlumino added: “In today’s fragmented consumer society, retailers cannot be all things to all men. To be successful, retailers need to build a clear individual identity, targeting specific, discrete groups of consumers, through carefully selected and edited product lines.”
