RETAIL INSIGHT
I
ndependent retailers have always been the backbone of our high streets. From the independent boutique curating next season’s must-haves to the gift shop that knows exactly what will make a customer smile, these businesses bring character, creativity and community to our towns and cities.
At Bira, the British Independent Retailers Association, we work with over 6,000 independent retailers across the UK, spanning fashion, footwear, giftware, homewares and beyond. We exist to champion these businesses, giving them a powerful collective voice on the issues that matter most and supporting them with the practical tools they need to thrive. And right now, the picture facing our members is mixed.
Positive trends
On the positive side, the trends coming through from the spring shows are genuinely exciting. Grounded, earthy neutrals are dominating, oat, mushroom, woodland greens and stone, speaking to a consumer appetite for longevity and authenticity over throwaway novelty. Running alongside this, dopamine-driven brights are making a strong showing, sunlit yellows, optimistic pinks and Mediterranean blues reflecting a real shift in how colour psychology is influencing purchasing decisions. For fashion and lifestyle independents with the agility to respond to these signals, there is real opportunity here.
Texture is another story worth watching. Consumers are increasingly buying with their hands as much as their eyes, and independents who can offer tactile, crafted product with a genuine story behind it are winning. Provenance matters. The human behind the product matters. These are things a well-run independent does better than any online marketplace, and smart retailers are leaning into that.
16 • FOOTWEAR & FASHION TODAY • APRIL 2026
THE HIGH STREET IS CHANGING - ARE WE KEEPING UP?
In its first column for Footwear & Fashion Today magazine, the British Independent Retailers Association (Bira) discusses changing retail trends and how the government should help keep VAT fair for all businesses, whether they’re online or on the high street.
The need for fairness
But here is the difficulty. For all the creativity and resilience our members show, they are competing on a playing field that is far from level. The VAT rules governing online marketplaces continue to allow some overseas sellers to undercut compliant UK retailers by as much as 20% from the very first transaction, simply by misrepresenting themselves as UK-established businesses and sidestepping their VAT obligations entirely. For an independent fashion boutique operating on slim margins, that is not a minor inconvenience. It is an existential threat. Independent analysis suggests this loophole is costing the Exchequer around £700 million a year. That is not a rounding error. It is a scandal. And it is why, earlier this year, Bira joined a coalition of 18 business organisations and tax experts in writing to the Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury, calling for a formal consultation on extending VAT online marketplace liability rules. The principle is straightforward; online marketplaces should be responsible for ensuring VAT compliance among the sellers on their platforms. The businesses we represent are not asking for special treatment. They are asking for fairness. They pay their VAT, meet their obligations and play by the rules. All they ask is that their competitors are held to the same standard.
The trends are there to be acted on. The creativity is there in abundance. What our independent fashion and lifestyle retailers need alongside that is a government willing to close the loopholes that are quietly undermining them. Until that happens, even the most agile and talented independent is running a race with a weight tied to their ankle.
Andrew Goodacre, CEO of Bira
Andrew Goodacre is CEO of Bira, the British Independent Retailers Association, which works with over 6,000 independent retailers across the UK including fashion boutiques, footwear retailers and giftware stores.
For more information visit
www.bira.co.uk
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