Britain's 'fashion deserts' revealed as 2.67 million live with fewer than half of top brands nearby

More than 2.67 million people live in major UK towns and cities where fewer than half of Britain's favourite fashion brands have a dedicated physical presence, new research has found.

Research from AbayaButh found that eight of the 30 locations studied had dedicated locations for fewer than half of the fashion brands assessed.

The gap is widest in Salford and Walsall, where just six of the brands studied have a dedicated physical presence. By comparison, London has 18, giving shoppers access to three times as many of the brands included in the research.

AbayaButh compared YouGov's 20 most popular fashion and clothing brands with dedicated physical locations across 30 major UK towns and cities.

Key findings

• Salford and Walsall had the lowest access, with dedicated locations for just 6 brands each
• Rotherham and Wolverhampton each had 8 brands
• Bradford, Brighton and Hove, Sunderland and Wigan each had 9 brands
• Combined, the eight locations have a population of 2,671,174
• London had the widest physical access, with 18 brands
• Manchester followed with 16, while Birmingham and Glasgow each had 15
• There is a 12-brand difference between the highest and lowest-scoring locations

The ranking measures whether each brand has a dedicated physical presence within the town or city, rather than the number of individual stores or stores per head.

Access rank

| Access rank | Town / city | Nation | 2026 Population | Brands available | Brands missing | Coverage | |---|---|---|---|---|---|---| | 29 | Salford | England | 306,062 | 6 | 13 | 30.0% | | 29 | Walsall | England | 300,361 | 6 | 13 | 30.0% | | 27 | Rotherham | England | 279,932 | 8 | 11 | 40.0% | | 27 | Wolverhampton | England | 287,161 | 8 | 11 | 40.0% | | 23 | Bradford | England | 570,186 | 9 | 10 | 45.0% | | 23 | Brighton and Hove | England | 285,339 | 9 | 10 | 45.0% | | 23 | Sunderland | England | 291,624 | 9 | 10 | 45.0% | | 23 | Wigan | England | 350,509 | 9 | 10 | 45.0% |

*Areas with the least amount of in-store brands available*

Britain is developing a two-tier fashion high street

"The research shows a clear divide in physical fashion choice across the UK, with more than 2.67 million people living in the eight locations where fewer than half of the brands studied have a dedicated presence.

"For shoppers who prefer buying clothes in person, that can mean a much smaller selection of brands, styles and ranges to choose from locally."

Limited high streets hit specific fashion needs hardest

"A reduced choice of fashion retailers becomes even more noticeable when shoppers are looking for something specific.

"Someone searching for a particular fit, more coverage or modest clothing may already need to look beyond the usual high-street ranges, so having fewer brands nearby can make that search harder again.

"For those shoppers, online retail can open up far more choice, but it also highlights how uneven the in-person fashion experience has become across different parts of the country."

The physical shopping gap still matters

"Fashion is one of those purchases where many people still want to see the fabric, check the fit and try different options before deciding what to buy.

"When fewer than half of the brands studied have a dedicated presence across entire towns and cities, shoppers have fewer opportunities to do that locally.

"Online shopping has made fashion much more accessible, but it has not replaced everything people value about shopping in person, which is why the gap in physical choice is still worth paying attention to."

Methodology

AbayaButh used YouGov Ratings' UK Fashion & Clothing popularity ranking for all adults during the second quarter of 2026. YouGov defines popularity as the percentage of people who have a positive opinion of each brand.

The research checked dedicated physical brand locations across 30 major UK towns and cities.

An official branded location within the town or city boundary was counted as present. For George and F&F, an Asda or Tesco location selling the respective clothing range was counted.

Third-party stockists were not counted as dedicated brand locations. This means a brand may still be available to purchase locally even when it was recorded as not having a dedicated location.

Reebok was marked N/A as it does not operate dedicated physical stores in the UK, although its products are available through third-party stockists.

The 2,671,174 population figure is the combined 2026 population supplied in the research for Bradford, Wigan, Salford, Walsall, Sunderland, Wolverhampton, Brighton and Hove, and Rotherham. Population was not used to determine the access ranking.

Editor's note

AbayaButh is a UK online retailer specialising in modest fashion, including abayas and related clothing. The business offers its range online to customers across the UK.