May 18, 2026 | Brands, Stories
If you trace the long arc of British dieting from the late 1980s to the 2020s, the first thing you notice is that the dieting never stopped. The TGI chart of Trying to Lose Weight, 1987–2022, shows a steady, relentless rise. By 2022 about 40% of UK adults are trying...
Apr 28, 2026 | Brands, Social history, Stories
“There’s no point buying £40 shoes for a £400 suit” says a respondent in a 1989 study for Adidas, who were looking to launch an international lifestyle brand (including shoes). The report, held within AMSR, summarises the UK qualitative research, and...
Mar 27, 2026 | Advertising and media, Social history, Stories
The Easter Egg market is a dynamic one – in the children’s sector in particular, the offer changes from year to year to reflect the latest trends. But how about the gender bias? The Archive of Market & Social Research offers insights from qualitative work in the...
Mar 18, 2026 | Brands, Social history, Stories
The shoe retailer Russell and Bromley has been bought by Next, following a period in administration. The business is over 150 years old, having started in 1873, but now joins other brands in a familiar path to largely disappearing off the high street. 30-year TGI data...
Feb 26, 2026 | Brands, Social history, Stories
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...
Feb 18, 2026 | Brands, Stories
Topshop is returning to the High Street, several years after closing all its UK stores. It’s going to be available in 32 John Lewis branches from February 2026. After its heyday from the 1980s to the 2000s, the Topshop chain disappeared with the collapse of Sir Philip...
