5/7/2023
If you're on the hunt for unique and affordable finds, the UK has a plethora of cities that are perfect for thrifting. From antique furniture to vintage finds in charity shops, many locations offer a wide range of options for those who love sustainable shopping and are also looking for a good deal.
With thrifting becoming ever more popular, and the cost of living crisis seeing people want their money to go further than ever before, we wanted to find out which cities in the UK are best for this style of shopping.
Analysing 50 cities across the UK, we looked at the number of charity shops, antique fairs and car boot sales per square mile, as well as the search volume around key search terms, such as "flea market" and “charity shops" to determine which places are the most interested in second-hand shopping.
The 10 UK cities best for thrifty and sustainable shoppers
| City | No. of Charity Shops | Charity Shops per Sq. Mile | No. of Antique Fairs | Antique Fairs per Sq. Mile | No. of Car Boot Sales | Car Boot Sales per Sq. Mile | Thrifty Search Interest per 100,000 People |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cambridge | 84 | 5.3 | 5 | 0.3 | 24 | 1.5 | 1,256 |
| Oxford | 107 | 6.1 | 7 | 0.4 | 24 | 1.4 | 1,173 |
| Nottingham | 318 | 11 | 11 | 0.4 | 43 | 1.5 | 523 |
| Derby | 294 | 9.8 | 11 | 0.4 | 44 | 1.5 | 348 |
| Norwich | 152 | 7.5 | 13 | 0.6 | 16 | 0.8 | 873 |
| Reading | 111 | 7.1 | 19 | 1.2 | 12 | 0.8 | 421 |
| Slough | 87 | 7.4 | 25 | 2.1 | 3 | 0.3 | 226 |
| Blackpool | 195 | 14.7 | 9 | 0.7 | 9 | 0.7 | 167 |
| Birkenhead | 214 | 22 | 5 | 0.5 | 1 | 0.1 | 129 |
| Bournemouth | 161 | 8.9 | 6 | 0.3 | 5 | 0.3 | 972 |
Cambridge is the UK’s top city for thrifting
The picturesque city known for its punting and famous university, Cambridge ranks as the best destination in the UK for thrifty shoppers. This location is home to the joint highest number of car boot sales per square mile alongside Derby and Nottingham at 1.5 (24 car boot sales in total) and also ranks third for the population’s interest in thrifty shopping with 1,256 monthly searches per 100,000 people - which is over 15,000 each year!
Cambridge’s rival city, Oxford ranks as the second best UK destination for thrifty shoppers. Oxford scores particularly well for its search interest in thrifty shopping at 1,173 per month.
The East Midlands city of Nottingham ranks third and is also home to the third highest number of charity shops per square mile at 11 (318 in total) and joint top score for number of car boot sales (1.5 per square mile).
Blackpool is the top northern city for thrifty shoppers overall, ranking seventh overall. Slightly south of this city, Birkenhead ranks as the second best location in the north for those looking to find the most bargains.
Birkenhead and Blackpool are the charity shop capitals of the UK
Purchasing items from charity shops promotes the recycling and reuse of goods whilst also seeing your money go to a good cause. Charity shops therefore offer a great opportunity for customers looking for quality clothing that doesn’t break the bank, whilst also being eco-conscious.
Shoppers can also enjoy finding new items every day, as people up and down the country are regularly donating to these stores. To find the best charity deals, we conducted a study revealing our top tips as well as the most charitable UK locations and countries worldwide.
When it comes to the cities with the most charity shops per square mile, northern locations Birkenhead and Blackpool take the top spots. Both cities also make it into the top 10 overall ranking.
The Merseyside town of Birkenhead has a remarkable 22 charity shops per square mile (214 in total) and is therefore the charity shop hub of the UK. Blackpool is home to 15 charity shops per square mile and 195 in total.
Newport, Leicester and Swansea and Aberdeen all have the lowest number of charity shops per square mile at less than one.
These are the top 10 charity shop capitals of the UK:
| City | Total Number of Charity Shops | Charity Shops per Sq. Mile |
|---|---|---|
| Birkenhead | 214 | 22.0 |
| Blackpool | 195 | 14.7 |
| Nottingham | 318 | 11.0 |
| Doncaster | 185 | 11.0 |
| Mansfield | 302 | 10.1 |
| Ipswitch | 149 | 9.8 |
| Derby | 294 | 9.8 |
| Bournemouth | 161 | 8.9 |
| Portsmouth | 126 | 8.1 |
| Warrington | 140 | 8.1 |
Slough is the antique fair hotspot of the UK
Antique fairs can be a great way to earn some extra cash on items you’re looking to flog whilst also getting a great deal on second-hand goods you might be interested in purchasing.
Slough ranks as the clear winner for antique fairs, with 2.1 per square mile. The raw number of 25 fairs held in this location is the highest, second only to London with its huge population meaning there are a staggering 82 to choose from (but just 0.1 per square mile).
This stand-out result also helps Slough into joint fifth most thrifty city overall, defying its more industrial reputation.
These are the top 10 antique fair hotspots in the UK:
| City | Total Number of Antique Fairs | Antique Fairs per Sq. Mile |
|---|---|---|
| Slough | 25 | 2.1 |
| Reading | 19 | 1.2 |
| Crawley | 16 | 0.9 |
| Portsmouth | 14 | 0.9 |
| Southend-on-Sea | 12 | 0.7 |
| Wolverhampton | 19 | 0.7 |
| Blackpool | 9 | 0.7 |
| Norwich | 13 | 0.6 |
| Luton | 10 | 0.6 |
| Ipswitch | 9 | 0.6 |
Cambridge, Nottingham and Derby are the car boot capitals of the UK
Similarly to antique fairs, car boot sales can attract a large number of people to re-sell their no longer wanted goods and find some top second-hand bargains to take home.
Cambridge, Nottingham and Derby are the UK’s clear car boot capital cities, with 1.53 per square mile.
These are the top 10 car boot sale capitals of the UK:
| City | Total Number of Car Boot Sales | Car Boot Sales per Sq. Mile |
|---|---|---|
| Cambridge | 24 | 1.5 |
| Nottingham | 43 | 1.5 |
| Derby | 44 | 1.5 |
| Oxford | 24 | 1.4 |
| Northampton | 41 | 1.2 |
| Norwich | 16 | 0.8 |
| Reading | 12 | 0.8 |
| Blackpool | 9 | 0.7 |
| Liverpool | 27 | 0.6 |
| Peterborough | 10 | 0.6 |
The bottom 10 UK cities for thrifty shoppers
We also wanted to explore which locations in the UK are the worst for thrifty shoppers. To do this we looked at key search terms around thrifting to find out how many people are interested in thrifting around the UK.
| City | No. of Charity Shops | Charity Shops per Sq. Mile | No. of Antique Fairs | Antique Fairs per Sq. Mile | No. of Car Boot Sales | Car Boot Sales per Sq. Mile | Thrifty Search Interest per 100,000 People |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Newport | 143 | 0.1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0.00 | 49 |
| Swansea | 114 | 0.8 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0.04 | 253 |
| Sunderland | 91 | 1.7 | 4 | 0.08 | 1 | 0.02 | 143 |
| Leicester | 154 | 0.5 | 12 | 0.04 | 19 | 0.07 | 277 |
| Kingston upon Hull | 109 | 4.0 | 1 | 0.04 | 1 | 0.04 | 197 |
| Bradford | 106 | 1.3 | 11 | 0.13 | 7 | 0.09 | 284 |
| Wigan | 196 | 2.5 | 10 | 0.13 | 6 | 0.08 | 234 |
| Cardiff | 168 | 1.2 | 3 | 0.02 | 8 | 0.06 | 523 |
| Sheffield | 290 | 2.4 | 4 | 0.03 | 8 | 0.07 | 435 |
| Aberdeen | 56 | 0.8 | 1 | 0.01 | 3 | 0.04 | 610 |
The Welsh city of Newport is the worst city in the UK for thrift shopping, according to our metrics. Our study found no regular antique fairs or car boots held in the city. Whilst Newport has 143 charity shops, this works out at just 0.14 per square mile.
Another Welsh city, Swansea, ranks second from the bottom, with no antique fairs and less than 1 charity shop per square mile. Sunderland and Leicester follow as the third worst destinations for bargain hunters.
Edinburgh has the highest demand for sustainable shopping
We analysed the number of monthly Google searches for “antique fair", “car boot sale", “charity shops", “flea market", and “thrift store" to reveal which cities are most interested in second-hand shopping and home to the thriftiest shoppers.
The top 10 cities where demand for thrifting is the highest
| City | Charity Shop Searches PM | Antique Fair Searches PM | Car Boot Sale Searches PM | Flea Market Searches PM | Total Searches PM | Total Searches per 100,000 People PM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Edinburgh | 6,600 | 10 | 210 | 210 | 8,330 | 1,791 |
| Manchester | 4,400 | 40 | 320 | 140 | 5,490 | 1,388 |
| Cambridge | 1,600 | 20 | 110 | 50 | 1,990 | 1,256 |
| Bristol | 6,600 | 50 | 480 | 170 | 7,690 | 1,246 |
| Oxford | 1,600 | 10 | 90 | 50 | 2,010 | 1,173 |
| Glasgow | 5,400 | 20 | 260 | 140 | 6,410 | 1,083 |
| London | 74,000 | 590 | 5,400 | 3,600 | 93,490 | 1,043 |
| Newcastle upon Tyne | 1,600 | 20 | 170 | 50 | 1,980 | 1,029 |
| Bournemouth | 1,300 | 20 | 170 | 30 | 1,590 | 972 |
| Leeds | 3,600 | 50 | 320 | 90 | 4,320 | 949 |
Edinburgh has the highest demand for sustainable shopping. Per 100,000 people, it attracts an impressive 1,791 monthly searches each month, which is over 20,000 every year!
Manchester, which came in 19th on our list of most thrift-friendly cities, comes in second place for demand, with 1,388 searches per 100,000 people. Meanwhile, third place for demand is Cambridge.
Savoo’s top tips to being a thrifty shopper
For those that are new to thrift shopping, Savoo expert Ed Fleming, Managing Director has provided three tips for individuals to help make their money go furthest when shopping for goods this year.
Tip One: Research and dedication is key Finding the best deal at the right time is no easy task, and often can require planning, patience and dedication to maximise your thrift shopping success.
To ensure you are getting the best deal, researching antique fair and flea market days in your area in the coming weeks and months for example can be a great way to ensure you are well equipped to find the best bargains possible on the day. Checking opening times and parking is also another great way to ensure you get the deal ahead of everyone else set to attend that day.
Tip Two: Have patience to find the best deal Finding an item you love at the right price can sometimes take time, and it’s important that purchases are not made for the sake of a cheap price if it’s not going to be something you love or really need.
With this in mind, shoppers should be prepared to spend time searching for the best deal before reaching the purchase stage to ensure it’s right for them and their bank account. This can be particularly the case in charity shopping, where new items are coming through regularly, so consumers may need to wait until the perfect item comes through for them.
However the deliberation is all part of the fun, and the bargains can be well worth the wait.
Tip Three: Maximising on vouchers, discount codes and mid-season sales Whilst charity shops, flea markets and antique fairs are all great places to get a good deal, buying brand new items doesn’t always need to break the bank. Ensuring you are signed up to online newsletters from your favourite brands, and regularly searching for new discounts available online can allow you to maximise your money and ensure you’re not missing out on any deals.
Methodology: We analysed 50 UK cities looking at the number of charity shops, antique fairs and car boot sales per square mile, as well as the number of monthly Google searches for “antique fair", “car boot sale", “charity shops", “flea market", and “thrift store" to reveal which cities are best equipped and most interested in thrifting. Data: May 2023.