The High Street’s Great Sort Out
And lo – the “experience economy” has caught up with yet another legacy brand.
154 stores is a lot of lost jobs – over 1000 of them. And none of what I am about to say is a reflection on those people who are now faced with redundancy and difficulty. None of this is down to the rank and file, public facing teams in shops across the country.
The news that Claire’s is shutting its standalone stores feels like the end of an era, but it is also an example of something we’ve been watching in slow motion for a decade.
When I moved to the UK in 2012, the high street was already beginning to fracture and the pattern continues today – shops that sell things you can buy cheaper and faster via your phone are closing, while shops offering experiences – services that involve a human touch, purchases supported by expert advice, or a bit of “story behind the sale”—are finding a footing and a following.
The shift from commodity to community
There are some retail shops that manage the shifting from “pure commodity” to “commodity+community.” – usually specialty shops where that expert advice I mentioned come into play or where they offer a service on top of retail. Locally, some examples of that are:
- Weird Creatures (who have likely forgotten more than I will ever know about reptiles and their needs)
- The Artery (who, in addition to art classes and demonstrations, translate art supply labels for the less artistically inclined among us with real panache)
- Good Game (where the obvious experience is playing games but they also introduce people to new games and host themed events
- Abraxas Cookshop (where I got fabulous advice during a discussion on spice grinders that Amazon would never have provided)
And the fact that cafes, barbers and salons are full every weekend speaks for itself. Some people may moan about them but far more people are out there using and enjoying them.
Claire’s occupied a precarious middle ground. They sold accessories (commodity) and offered ear piercing (experience). But when the commodity side of the business can be replaced by a scroll and click with next-day delivery, the “experience” has to be extraordinary to keep the lights on. And ear piercing just wasn’t enough to offset the impact of Amazon, Temu and Shein.
And that doesn’t even take into account that the teens and pre-teens that made up their traditional audience are very much NOT the teens and pre-teens of yore. But I digress. That’s another topic for another day. Back to experience economy.
Prioritising “moments” over “stuff.”
According to PwC’s 2024 analysis, leisure and experience-based categories have dominated growth, accounting for 5 of the top 9 growth categories on the high street. Consumers are prioritising “moments” over “stuff.”
Barclays’ 2024 Consumer Spend report highlighted that while essential spending slowed, “non-essential” spending on “little luxuries”—like health, beauty (manicures, hair cuts), and mood-boosting treats (a coffee and a bit of cake) —rose by 1.9% (Barclays, 2025). We still want to treat ourselves, but we want the interaction that comes with it.
We want the advice from the pet store owner, the smell of the bakery, the local story behind the brunch, or the expertise of a specialist art shop.
The shops surviving this shift are the ones that realise they aren’t just selling a product; they’re selling a reason to leave the house. If you can buy it in your pyjamas, you probably will. But you can’t download a haircut, and you certainly can’t get the “story behind the plate” from an algorithm.
The surprise isn’t that Claire’s is closing. The surprise is that in an age of conscious consumerism and the “experience economy,” it took this long.
- Barclays. (2025). Barclays consumer spend report 2024: Brits adopt “treat yourself” attitude.
- PwC. (2024). Store openings and closures 2024: Category success for leisure in addition to grocery and value.
