What Britain Buys, Channel 4: Mary Portas explores the shopping habits of the Great British public

The retail guru looks at how the industry has changed at a rapid pace in recent years
Ben Travis9 May 2016

We live in an era of choice, where thousands of new products hit the shelves every week – and we, the Great British public, are shopping more than ever.

In fact, we Brits spend £6.7 billion a week on everything from the latest food fads, to clothing, toys, entertainment, and more.

So how are our spending habits doled out? And what does it say about our nation?

Leading the investigation is retail guru Mary Portas, bringing her expertise in the industry and her easy screen presence to Channel 4’s What Britain Buys.

“I’ve been in the retail industry for more than 20 years, and I have never seen it change so fast,” she says. “It used to be every season – now it seems every day.”

Portas looks at retail from various angles – the high street shops, the trend forecasters, the celebs who endorse their favourite products, and the general public who are out spending in their droves.

With the internet speeding up the way the latest trends are spreading through social media, as well as altering our shopping habits entirely, retailers across the country have had to change.

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In Episode 1, Portas looks at how Waterstones tackled the arrival of the Kindle, and how the rising awareness and trendiness around healthy eating has affected our supermarkets.

It’s a top watch for shop-a-holics – or will they be too busy browsing online shops tune in?

Channel 4, 9pm

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