Younger cohorts of shoppers are leading the UK’s High Street revival, driven by a rising demand for independent retail businesses and the desire for a greater sense of community, the latest research from VistaPrint suggests.

Original research of over 2,000 UK consumers by VistaPrint revealed that nearly half of Brits (45%) now visit their local High Streets at least once a week, with younger shoppers (25–34-year-olds) the most frequent visitors.

Local commerce and community

Access to independent retailers (85%) and a greater sense of community (44%) were among the key motivators in shoppers’ support of the High Street. A further 47% said a healthy High Street would boost the local economy through job creation.

“Demand for physical stores is growing again, which is a positive sign for the future of UK High Streets,” said Sabine Levellier, VP of Marketing at VistaPrint.

Consumers remain upbeat on the High Street’s future

Despite BRC-Sensormatic data revealing last week that UK retail footfall suffered another month of decline, with shopper traffic decreasing by -0.4% year-on-year in August, consumers remain upbeat.

Over a third (36%) of those polled by VistaPrint felt their local High Street is now busier than it was a year ago, rising to two-thirds (65%) among under-35s. A further 56% said their High Street had benefited from new openings in the past 12 months.

Realising the remarkable

The research marks the launch of VistaPrint’s ‘Realising The Remarkable’ grant programme with Enterprise Nation, a small business support platform and membership community. The programme aims to help small businesses supercharge their growth via access to grants.

“Now in our third year of the Realising The Remarkable campaign with Enterprise Nation, we’re proud to continue supporting more entrepreneurs, because when small businesses succeed, our High Streets and local economies succeed too,” Levellier added.

“The entrepreneurs behind independent stores are the true heroes of our High Streets,” said Aaron Asadi, CEO of Enterprise Nation. “They provide the services we need and a sense of community that makes us all feel better and more positive.”