Joy on the high street: How Britain turned to colour, comfort and nowstalgia in 2025

• From a wave of ‘Nowstalgia’ to a long hot summer and a boom in sexual wellness: John Lewis saw a national obsession with feeling good

• Trends that defined 2025: Chocolate browns to 70s inspired furniture, ‘Sardine Girl Summer’, ‘West End Girl Winter’ and Winkleman’s wrist warmers

• Twelfth annual ‘How We Shop, Live and Look’ report looks back at the past year of shopping trends and consumer habits

Download the full report.

Britain shopped for joy in 2025. That’s according to John Lewis twelfth annual How we Shop, Live and Look report, revealing the consumer behaviours, cultural shifts and surprising trends that defined the year - even amidst the economic uncertainty.

2025 saw a nation swapping pared-back minimalism for expressive colour, comfort and ‘Nowstalgia’, while embracing wellness, repair culture and outdoor living more than ever.

A wave of ‘Nowstalgia’ - a revival of 90s music, fashion and culture - shaped the year. The sound of the summer was Oasis, sparking a boom in retro purchases across everything from tech, homes and their wardrobes. Sales of bucket hats were up 40%, whilst parkas, baggy trousers and sheer dresses proved popular too. Interiors saw a retro revival, with chocolate brown and chrome taking centre stage. 

Customers doubled down on wellbeing. Sleepmaxxing - attempting to get the best possible night’s sleep - was a dominant trend, as sales of screenless wearables soared, with the WHOOP Peak 5.0 selling out, and customers showed size really does matter with sales of Super King size beds up by 39%, almost twice the amount of doubles.

Products and routines designed to enhance rest, health and mood soared as customers redefined what it means to feel good. A surge in the interest for sexual wellness helped make 2025 one of the biggest years ever for feel-good products, growing by 59%, with John Lewis now stocking more sexual wellness products than hot water bottles.

The UK’s sunniest summer in years also reshaped outdoor living. Gardens became alfresco kitchens, handheld fan sales topped a record breaking 1 million - the most sold to date. With the seasons shifting, swimwear sales broke records with increases of 18% in September and 28% in October versus last year, whilst outdoor cooking kit sales soared by 42% in October 2025.

Repair culture saw a major revival too, as customers embraced longevity. Demand for pre-loved items and mending rose sharply as more shoppers chose to ‘love it, don’t ditch it’, with eight in ten Gen Z John Lewis shoppers buying pre-loved fashion and 29% of those aged 18 to 28 said they frequently wore something more than 30-years-old - a coat, dress, jumper or shirt made before they were born.*

Peter Ruis, Managing Director of John Lewis, says: “This Shop Live Look report highlights the joy and the buzz we have seen in our stores over the past year. It’s clear that customers really embraced colour, comfort and fun again - from big garden parties, 90s tunes on repeat or butter dishes making a comeback. Our stores have never felt more alive with new premium collaborations, pop-up Topshops and cookery workshops, and a glass of fizz in the new John Lewis Lounge. It’s clear the era of Department stores as destinations is having its own ‘Nowstalgia’ moment - and we’re ready to bring more of that in 2026.”

Notes to Editors

• *A survey of over 1,000 John Lewis shoppers

• Link to a selection of High Res Imagery, further available upon request

• Download the full report.

About the John Lewis Partnership

The John Lewis Partnership owns and operates two of Britain's best-loved retail brands - John Lewis and Waitrose. Started as a radical experiment over a century ago, the Partnership is now the largest employee-owned business in the UK, with 70,000 employees who are all Partners in the business. The Partnership is purpose-driven, existing to create a fairer and more sustainable future for our Partners, customers, suppliers and communities. Our Purpose not only inspires our principles, drives our decisions and acts as our guide to be a force for good, it steers us to do things differently and better - all in service of creating a happier world for everyone and everything we touch.

John Lewis operates 34 shops across the UK as well as johnlewis.com. Waitrose has more than 300 shops in England, Scotland, Wales and the Channel Islands, including 59 convenience branches, and another 27 shops at Welcome Break locations. The retailer's omnichannel business includes the online grocery service, Waitrose.com, and specialist online shops including waitrosecellar.com.