Overview
- Sheffield’s Devonshire, Division and Cambridge streets ranked second, Manchester’s Oldham Street placed third, and Liverpool’s Bold Street came eighth, with London’s Coal Drops Yard and Stable Street in fourth.
- The study by American Express Shop Small and GlobalData assessed the density of independent businesses, street vibrancy and aesthetic alongside Gen Z shopping metrics.
- Researchers defined Gen Z as adults aged 19–28 and drew on a UK survey of 2,300 adults measuring purchasing frequency, usage and average spend.
- Gen Z reported boosting spend most in vintage camera shops (+58.2%), non-alcoholic drink spots (+39.1%), vintage clothing (+38.6%), health and wellness (+25.1%) and record shops (+22.9%).
- More than half of Gen Z (53%) cited socialising with friends as their main reason for visiting high streets, and the findings were published as part of the Shop Small campaign, not as American Express cardmember spending data.