A weight-loss drug boom is changing UK shopping habits as appetites shrink along with clothing sizes.
As Britons tighten their belts – literally, they’re also rushing to a Timpson branch to punch new holes in them.
The retailer, which offers services like key-cutting and shoe repairs, has seen a 680% increase in the number of holes punched into customers’ belts this year, chief executive officer James Timpson said in a post on X.
"It’s been going up a bit over the last few years because people are getting more health-focused,” Timpson said recently in an interview.
"But it’s just shot up – you don’t often see things like that in business.”
Read more: Beyond straight hair: Malaysians are rethinking beauty standards around curls
About 9% of UK households include a user of so-called GLP-1 drugs such as Ozempic and Mounjaro, according to research by consultant PwC, a level that’s expected to climb.
The results are showing up at Timpson, which offers its belt-hole service free of charge but encourages customers to make a £1 (approximately RM5.40) charity donation – allowing its network of more than 1,300 outlets in high streets, shopping centres and train stations to track the surge in demand.
Timpson said it has no plans to change that even as demand soars.
There’s also an upside from shoppers downsizing, as the retailer has seen more requests for clothing alterations – which it does charge for.
Read more: Luxury fashion’s glittering runways hide a growing struggle for shoppers
The phenomenon is being felt across the retail industry.
Birmingham-based Manna Jewellers, for example, advertises a ring-resizing service to account for the growing trend of what it calls "Ozempic finger”.
Changing body shapes have also led to a shift in fashion.
After years of expanding size offerings, more retailers – including international megachain H&M – have also pulled back on their commitment to plus-size fashion.
As obesity drugs have become more mainstream, supermarkets have dedicated aisles to shoppers trying to lose weight, restaurants have started offering smaller portions, and supplement makers are introducing skin, hair and nutritional products to target the medicines’ potential side effects. – Bloomberg
