Ten hot retail brands to watch in 2025

Despite being a tough year for several retailers, it has been another one to remember. Stores stole the spotlight yet again, but it’s also been a year of epic collaborations, exclusive launches, and of course, ongoing social media success stories.

As we look to 2025, Retail Week shares the top brands to keep an eye on as well as those to add to your radar if you want to be down with the kids.

Represent

Set to dominate the luxury streetwear market is none other than Represent. Having enjoyed a period of stellar growth this year, which included the opening of its debut store in the hometown of the brand’s founders, Manchester, and being on track to pull in £100m in turnover by the end of the year – it really is the ‘it brand’ of the moment.

Known for its £110 T-shirts and being spotted on the likes of Justin Bieber and Machine Gun Kelly, Represent has suceeded in creating huge levels of anticipation and a buzz around its “exclusive” product drops which not only encourages collections to sell out in seconds, but also proves a hit with building brand loyalty and creating advocacy out of its shoppers (aka fans).

Represent has grown by 81.4% over the past three years, and is on track to hit £250m in sales by 2028, making 2025 an inevitably big year for the brand as it continues on its bid for world streetwear domination.

Me + Em

Retail Week’s selection of the hottest retail brands to watch next year simply couldn’t be without fashion’s Me + Em. An elegant aesthetic which combines simplicity and classic dressing, Me + Em has capitalised on the current ‘quiet luxury’ trend and shift towards investing in a higher quality, more sustainable capsule wardrobe items.

Me + Em not only made its US debut this year, but also shifted attention back to the UK with the opening of its debut flagship in Marylebone, London. All eyes are on this ‘affordable luxury’ brand which is in the wardrobes of the likes of Margot Robbie, Olivia Colman, and the Princess of Wales to name a few, as it continues to win the hearts and wallets of shoppers looking for the highest of quality at a more accessible price. 

Castore

The fastest growing retailer in the UK according to this year’s Growth Index, Manchester-based performance sportswear brand Castore is storming ahead. The brand racked up an incredible two-year compound annual growth rate of of 159%, with its latest sales at the time of the data collection reaching £115m.

The retailer has been propelled by some key kit manufacturing partnerships in Europe, but it’s also seeing enormous growth in its consumer-facing sportswear business. It’s currently working on nailing its bricks-and-mortar store strategy, reaching 20 stores this year with an eye for more to keep up with demand.

Elvie

This female-first tech brand has been at the forefront of innovation for maternity and postpartum electronics. The “female founded and female grounded” brand specialises in breast pumps and pelvic floor training devices and has amassed a loyal following among new parents.

Elvie has developed a suite of hands-free, wearable breast pump options to challenge the traditional ‘plug-in and pray’, impractical options that have been on the market for decades. The smart tech uses an app to tell breastfeeding mothers how much milk they’ve pumped and for how long via an app, changes expression modes using infrared sensors to optimise milk output and pauses automatically when the bottle is filled.

And the modern offer is certainly resonating with modern mums. Elvie enjoyed rapid growth this year, with a two-year compound annual growth rate of 45.99%. 

Peachy Den

A favourite for younger shoppers bored of the endless fast-fashion cycles and for those who love a nod to “girlhood-era’ style, Peachy Den is a nostalgic fashion favourite that has a feminie-centric aesthetic and has been all over Instagram this year.

Peachy Den landed in London’s Liberty for the first time this year to pop-up until the new year, offering customers the chance to come face to face with the brand and rub shoulders with some of its premium competitors.

With celebrities including Dua Lipa, Bella Hadid and Olivia Rodrigo being just some of its fans, and having collaborated exclusively with sports giant Adidas, Peachy Den is also leaning into the importance of creating an air of exclusivity. 

Piglet in Bed 

The pull back from big ticket home improvements and the move towards indulgent home decor treats has played hugely in the favour of Piglet in Bed. A fast-growth D2C retailer that has started rolling on a store opening programme, the luxury brand specialises in bedding bundles made with natural materials.

Piglet’s aspirational range is gingham and ticking stripe-galore, nailing the ‘cottagecore’ cosy homeware style that’s increasingly popular on social media.

The brand began in bedlinen, but has since used collaborations to branch out in new areas of home decor and accessories, from tableware to wallpaper, with bath and body products set to launch in 2025.

Rheal

While healthy habits and going green has been deemed ‘cool’ for quite some time, nothing seems to be quite as on-trend as Rheal’s superfood products.

Called by the brand as “the ultimate wellness gift”, Rheal offers a range of green superfoods which support a range of bodily functions and are loved on TikTok for claims they reduce bloating, boost energy and support immunity.

Rheal first found fame on BBC’s Dragons’ Den in 2021 and has since been on a rapid growth trajectory. With reports of a potential sale in the new year and rapid expansion plans including into the grocery channel and international markets on the cards, we could be about to see Rheal popping up in many more places than just our TikTok feeds in 2025.

Eero

“The internet’s fast lane” has proven a hugely popular offer to British consumers from technology brand Eero. The brand guarantees users that they can say goodbye to wifi dead spots, buffering and congestion in their homes with a range of Wifi 6 mesh systems.

The range of routers promise an easy set up and the brand offers shoppers world-class support from experts should they need it.

The brand is particularly popular with parents who can implement advanced parental controls, content filters and even app blocking. The sleek routers also double as smart home hubs, working alongside Alexa or other compatible devices.

Six Stories 

This ‘girls girl occasionwear brand’ has taken the internet by storm, from what started as an individual seller on Etsy to becoming a go-to brand for brides-to-be, bridesmaids and others alike. This fashion brand has a niche wedding-inspired product range from classic white silhouettes to bridesmaid dresses, hen-do fitting ‘wifey’ tracksuits, and accessories right through to honeymoon swimwear.

Making it into the most prestigious list of the UK’s fastest-growing companies, The Sunday Times Hundred 2024, and going viral on social media for some of its classic and in-demand styles, this one-stop shop occasionwear brand has remained laser-focused on affordable wedding wear while also honing in on the slow but sure return of occasionwear.

The Manchester-based fashion brand is now available to shop via Selfridges and Asos and has garnered a respectable 354,000 Instagram followers and 245,600 TikTok likes to date. Despite being adament in being an ecommerce-first business, it also popped up in London earlier this year to offer a sample sale face-to-face for customers proving that physical retail could be a further growth element for Six Stories next year.

Summer Fridays

So popular with younger consumers that Boots decided to launch what teens on TikTok call a ‘dupe’ of its most popular line – beauty brand Summer Fridays will be the name to beat in 2025.

Desired on social media for its super sleek packaging, the brand specialises in gentle skincare and barely-there makeup with hybrid skincare benefits.

Products like its Jet Lag Mask and Sheer Skin Tint have swept beauty awards and its upswell has meant it has even had to introduce purchase limits on its website.

Its most popular line by far though is its Lip Butter Balm – which has entranced younger shoppers with flavours like Pink Sugar and Iced Coffee. With the year Summer Fridays has had, we can expect to see expansion in its range in the year ahead.