The Goods UK – 14 March 2025
Welcome back to The Goods UK. This week we’re chatting fashion rebrands, healthier lifestyles and travel trends to get you dreaming.
Stats of the week
- 930,430 flights will depart UK airports this year, carrying up to 169,549,731 passengers to 391 overseas destinations in 100 countries. (The Telegraph)
- 23% of UK chief executives have laid out a formal roadmap for AI this year. (City AM)
- £500,000 – the size of Waitrose’s net zero farm funding pot. (edie)
What’s in: this week’s trends
- The rebrand era: Boohoo Group has rebranded as Debenhams Group, the department store it bought out of administration in 2021, with management praising Debenhams’ operating model as being “the driving force of the business.” (Retail Gazette) Elsewhere, PrettyLittleThing (owned by Debenhams Group) unveiled its own rebrand, ditching its bright pink and bold branding in favour of neutral tones, calligraphy and two new ‘luxury’ collections. (Drapers) Despite this glow-up, PLT’s past remains unaddressed and operational and strategic changes are needed to make this rebrand more than just a facelift. (The Drum)
- Can’t beat the taste of America: The UK has long embraced American fast food. Wingstop UK, Five Guys, Taco Bell and Popeyes have all successfully made the move in recent years, and soon, Brits will be able to chow down on Carl’s Jr and Dave’s Hot Chicken! (MCA) As premium US grocer Whole Foods lines up to open its sixth London location in Chelsea, (Metro) some UK business owners argue that rising domestic costs are giving US fast food giants and businesses an advantage over smaller UK independents. (The Telegraph)
- Adiós England, Holá Spain!: London Heathrow is ranked as the best airport for flight connectivity, with 61,356 connections across 227 destinations in 2024. (OAG) As accessibility shapes tourism and travel, Spain remains the top destination to travel to, with 135,123 UK flights set to depart for 29 Spanish locations in 2025. (The Telegraph) It seems Gen Z is driving this trend, as a recent survey showed that young travellers prefer European city breaks over emerging destinations like Sri Lanka (15%) and Bulgaria (10%). (Luxury Hospitality Magazine)
Cash or card: shopper behaviour
What’s in and out of our baskets right now? This week, we’re talking healthy-eating in the office, the rise of gym buffs and our gloomy weather shopping choices.
- Light lunches, light pockets: As the UK heads into warmer months, healthy eating is on the rise, with over a quarter of Brits (27%) prioritising nutritious choices and restaurants with ‘better-for-you’ options, according to Barclays’ consumer trend report. (MCA) Zero-sugar treats (33%), organic foods (29%) and low- or no-alcohol drinks (24%) are particularly sought after, with particularly strong fervour in London, where more office workers are embracing lunch choices from premium, health-focused takeaways like The Salad Kitchen and Farmer J. (Financial Times)
- Squats over shots: Gen Z is increasingly skipping the pub in favour of hitting the gym, with The Gym Group seeing a surge in memberships, especially in younger Brits who now make up 40% of its members. With around a third of 18-24-year-olds choosing to ditch alcohol altogether, it’s clear gyms are becoming a new weekend hangout spot. (Daily Mail) Will Orr, CEO of The Gym Group, says Gen Z views gyms as social spaces where working out is fun and aspirational, while commenting that they want to prioritise their mental health and physical health. (This is Money)
- Retail raincheck: Bad weather and cautious spending in February put a dampener on fashion purchases, with retail sales only seeing modest growth of 1.1% throughout the month, boosted by food and online shopping. (Financial Times) UK retailers are hoping the March sunshine will bring a much-needed boost in sales as Brits start building their spring and summer wardrobes. (Retail Gazette)
Making moves: industry changes & innovation
ICYMI, industry icons are reinvigorating their brand through unique and creative ways. Here are some movers and shakers that you should know about:
- Marmite moves to Meta: According to Unilever’s newly appointed CEO Fernando Fernandez, gone are the days when consumers trusted big corporate branding. Today, brand messaging from large corporations reportedly instils more suspicion than it does credibility, and as a result Unilever’s FMCG business is shifting to a social media-first advertising model, increasing its investment on these platforms from 30% to 50% of its advertising spend and deploying a fleet of influencers, rather than relying on its traditional purpose-led marketing tied to addressing societal issues. (Financial Times)
- Counting
sheeppillow chocolates: In the midst of a so-called sleep epidemic (74% of UK adults report poor sleep), a solid snooze is a sought-after luxury and one many of us are willing to pay for in the form of a holiday. With the global sleep tourism sector currently worth more than £544bn, and expected to grow by another £315bn before the end of 2028, it’s no wonder the travel sector continues to tap into this growing trend. Technology has the potential to expand the possibilities of sleep tourism, with AI helping people dream better and innovations like smart beds tracking snoring data. (National Geographic) - Free range or petri dish: In as little as two years, Brits could be enjoying bangers & mash or chicken curry made from lab-grown food. The Food Standards Agency has said it is committed to completing the full safety assessment of two cell-cultivated products (CCPs), new food products made without traditional farming methods, where cells from plants or animals are grown in a controlled environment. (The Standard)
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