Often considered one of the longest stretches of independent businesses in the UK, you will find the odd chain establishment on Gloucester Road. Even still, in this day and age, the sheer number of fiercely independent shops you will find in this area is quite astonishing. Everything from board game cafes to specialist Spanish stores, a Persian-cum-Korean restaurant and a reclamation centre.
Heaving with people every day, it’s one of the most popular shopping spots in Bristol. You’ll find any and everything here. Secondhand furniture, vintage clothes, house plants, local art, hi-fi soundsystems, children’s toys, organic wine, traditional sweets or a mountain bike. If you can think of it, you’ll probably be able to pick it up on Gloucester Road.
So unsurprisingly, this busy street has been named the third-best spot for independent shops in the UK. American Express partnered with GlobalData to identify the country’s best high streets for independent shops. They ranked them by factors such as the number of independent outlets, variety of business types, and vibrancy of the high street – just in time for Christmas too!
As part of its ‘Shop Small’ campaign, they also looked at the number of Gen Z and Millennial independent business owners (aged 18-43), to highlight how younger generations are “investing in the future success of UK high streets.” Out of the top ten independent streets, about a third (36%) of all business owners were in this age bracket, which
The 1.7-mile-long road, which continues into the almost equally iconic Cheltenham Road and Stokes Croft, beat the legendary likes of Stoke Newington Church Street in London’s Hackney, Oldham Street in Manchester, and Byres Road in Glasgow. It did, however, lose out to St Mary’s Street in Stamford and Devonshire Street & Division Street in Sheffield – neither of which can compare with Gloucester Road’s length or number of indie shops.
The UK’s best streets for independent shopping:
- St Mary’s Street, Stamford, Lincolnshire
- Devonshire Street / Division Street, Sheffield, Yorkshire
- Gloucester Road, Bristol
- Market Street / Bridge Gate, Hebden Bridge, Yorkshire
- Stoke Newington Church Street, Hackney, London
- High Street, Narberth, Pembrokeshire
- Oldham Street, Manchester, Greater Manchester
- Bailgate, Lincoln, Lincolnshire
- Byres Road, Glasgow
- The Lanes, Norwich, Norfolk