M&S tops YouGov UK fashion brands ranking – but Nike rules among Gen Z

In all, over half (52.4%) of British shoppers say they would be likely to consider Marks & Spencer when they are next looking to buy clothing. M&S’ score on this metric was also the most improved since last year, meaning it finished far ahead of nearest rival Next, which received 38.5%. 

The leading fashion retailer, which also won YouGov’s Best Brand ranking earlier this year, likewise topped the charts on the other metrics that the UK polling firm looked at. Six out of 10 shoppers said that Marks & Spencer represents good quality, while it was also the brand most likely to be described as “good” rather than “poor” value for money. 

Along with M&S, New Balance, JD Sports, Next and Hollister were among the brands seeing the biggest improvement in their consideration score since last year. Topshop also made the top 10 biggest improvers, with 7.1% of the British public saying they would consider buying from the brand. 

“This re-enforces what we know from YouGov’s annual best brand rankings, which show M&S has been the UK’s healthiest brand since 2022,”  said Sarika Rana, head of consumer insights at YouGov UK. 

”It is their performance across a wide range of metrics which keeps them at the top of British retail.”

The research is based on survey answers of 22,600 British adults, weighted to be nationally representative. Questionaires were completed in the year leading up to the end of January 2026. 

Besides M&S, Sainsbury’s brand Tu Clothing was the most considered brand out of any of the grocery own brands, scoring 26.3%. That was narrowly ahead of F&F Clothing on 24.7%.

What put M&S on top?

The retailer’s fashion offering scored stronger among women, with 56% of female shoppers likely to think about buying from the brand versus just 44% of men. It also scored more strongly among higher income shoppers. 

That latter point is maybe unsurprising when you consider M&S’ dominance among older age groups. A whopping 64% of Baby Boomers, people born between 1946 and 1964 (62-to-80-year-olds), say they would think about buying from M&S. That drops down to just 38.1% of Gen Z shoppers. 

Nike, meanwhile, cleans up among younger shoppers, with 54.8% of Gen Z saying they would think about buying from the brand. Second place among that cohort was Nike’s biggest rival Adidas (45.2%) closely followed by H&M (40%). Ecommerce retailer Asos also made it into the top 10 brands among Gen Z shoppers.

A few brands perform much better among older generations. Comfortable footwear specialists Skechers are the second-most considered brand among Baby Boomers, with outerwear brand The North Face also notably outperforming among both Gen X and Boomers.