Ranking: From M&S to Iceland – UK consumers’ favourite brands

M&S placed first in the high street fashion ranking, as well as in the high street retail and supermarket categories in the YouGov report. 

YouGov’s data on overall brand health was drawn from its BrandIndex.

The retailers were then ranked in order of their index score across a 12 month period, a measure calculated by taking the average of consumer’s perception of a brand, its quality, reputation and value, as well as customers’ satisfaction with the brand and how likely they would be to recommend a particular retailer. 

In the overall general ranking of UK retailers, John Lewis ranked second behind M&S, followed by well-known players across several categories, including Ikea, Boots and Waterstones. 

In the ranking of general retail, homeware and DIY retailers emerged victorious, in a nod to a renewed consumer focus on home improvements during the pandemic. Ikea was the most highly regarded brand, followed by B&Q , Argos, Wilko and Screwfix.

Within the fashion ranking, department store and supermarket clothing brands gained a strong foothold, illustrating the growing dominance of supermarket brands that consumers still had access to during periods lockdowns. M&S sealed the top spot, followed by Next and Clarks, George at Asda ranked sixth, while Debenhams placed one spot behind and Tesco’s F&F line placed 10th.

In the ranking of UK grocers, M&S rated most highly among consumers, followed by discounter Aldi and Sainsbury’s. Tesco and Lidl took fourth and fifth spots respectively.

In the final ranking focused on high street outlets, M&S once again captured the top spot, followed by John Lewis, Boots and Waterstones.

General manager at YouGov Amelia Brophy told Retail Week: “YouGov’s Retail Rankings show that Marks & Spencer has taken the spot as the best overall retail brand after showing strong performance across two of its major verticals – fashion and supermarkets – and sky-high scores in its general retail business.

“M&S has risen above other brands thanks to its sky-high quality perception across all three business branches. The brand also excels in customer satisfaction and impression; metrics which give customers a positive customer experience and maintain the brand’s reputation.”