British shoppers stay loyal to locals, study finds

British shoppers feel a sense of loyalty to small businesses – with hairdressers, newsagents and butchers topping the list of our high street favourites. Over 60 per cent of shoppers stay with the same suppliers for up to 10 years, but many remain true for decades – with one in seven shoppers going to the same small shops their parents used. A quarter said they prefer knowing staff by name and a fifth like to simply order ''the usual'' when shopping locally. A classic example of hairdresser loyalty is Sam Farr, 71 from Bristol, who has been going to the same barber in Bath for 42 years – and captured his visits in a series of snaps around 10 years apart. Retired Sam first went to hair stylist Joe Pace, 59, owner of Giuseppe’s in Bath, Somerset, for a crop in the early 1970s. He’s been going back for a trim every year since, even after the salon changed locations.