A third of European shoppers are ‘pleasure seekers’, according to Where People Shop, a survey by international property consultant Healey & Baker, part of Cushman & Wakefield.
The Italians come at the top of the league of pleasure-seekers, followed by the British and the Poles, with the Dutch in last position. Pleasure-seeking shoppers are defined as loving the enjoyable, leisure-oriented side of shopping: stopping for a coffee or a snack, buying designer clothes - but believing that grocery shopping is a chore.
Where People Shop is based on interviews with around 7,000 shoppers in 12 European countries about their shopping habits and attitudes towards shopping. In addition, the responses were analysed to identify shopping ‘stereotypes’. Six stereotypes emerged – Pleasure-Seeking (31% of total shoppers), Principled (18%), Discerning Food Shoppers (18%), Independent (12%), Enthusiastic (12%) and Negative (10%).
Dr Yvonne Court, Cushman & Wakefield Healey & Baker’s Head of Retail Research, commented about the survey: 'A third of Europeans see shopping as a fun event – as long as it is not the weekly grocery shop! This is partly reflected in the trend to provide leisure alongside retail, in particular in shopping centres – whether cafes and restaurants, bowling, a multiplex cinema or fitness centre.'
(source: Healy & Baker)
