One of the new breed of design and retail brands that emerged in the 1960s, Habitat enjoyed a longer time in the sun than many of its peer group. And it’s still around today, albeit in a somewhat different form.
Founded 1964 by Terence Conran, the Habitat business expanded quickly throughout the 1960s. It also became known for the catalogues that showcased its range of products.
A series of mergers, involving Mothercare (mother and baby), Heal’s (furniture) and Richard Shops (fashion) culminated in joining forces with British Home Stores to form Storehouse plc in 1986. But the business hit troubled times, and in 1992 Habitat was sold to the Ikano Group. By 2011, after several years of trading losses, Habitat went into administration, and was picked up by the Home Retail Group.
Habitat-branded products have since been sold in branches of Homebase and Argos, and latterly Sainsbury’s. Today the Habitat name still holds value: it’s the main homewares and furnishings brand within the Sainsbury’s group, as well as having a transactional UK website and offering a selection of products through Argos.
TGI data held within the Archive track the story from the mid-1980s high-point onwards. As we can see, the number of Habitat shoppers declined from 3.7 million in 1987 to under 700,000 in 2012, but saw an uptick to 900,000 in the brand’s new guise by 2022.
Copyright © Kantar Media UK Limited 2026
More background can also be found in the Archive, which is home to around 20 research reports conducted for Habitat between 1972 and 1989: from surveys of customers, and of products, advertising and catalogues, to studies on Mothercare, Richard Shops and Storehouse. Together they paint a picture of this classic British brand.
Source:
TGI (Target Group Index) is a continuous survey which has been carried out in Great Britain since 1969, based on 25,000 adults per annum, who provide information on their use of all major products, brands and services. Media exposure, attitudinal and demographic data are also included. Kantar, who own and operate TGI, have made major donations of data to AMSR. To explore the TGI archive within AMSR, click here:
Target Group Index – The AMSR Online Archive (oclc.org)
All data copyright © Kantar Media UK Limited 2026. All use of TGI Data is subject to Kantar Media UK Limited’s terms and conditions.
Contributed by Geoff Wicken
Date posted: 26th February 2026
Photo: Photocritical / Shutterstock.com