Amazon, Boots and John Lewis have topped the 2018 UK Retail RepTrak® ranking of the most reputable retailers, Reputation Institute has announced. The research was based on 5,175 individual ratings from among the informed UK general public and based on an assessment of 50 nominated companies.
The top 10 companies in the 2018 UK Retail RepTrak® which are considered to have an excellent or strong reputation are:
- Amazon
- Boots
- John Lewis
- Co-op
- Ikea
- Debenhams
- Sotheby’s
- Waitrose
- Tiffany & Co
- eBay
Named 2018’s UK Retail RepTrak® most Reputable Retailer, Amazon’s reputation has significantly improved since last year, boasting an 8.3 pts increase. The UK public voted Amazon as the top retailer across Products and Service, Innovation, Leadership, and Performance.
Reputation Institute chief reputation officer Stephen Hahn-Griffiths said: “Amazon’s combination of selection, value, personalization, and no hassle customer service is a winning formula. Amazon has a loyal following; with more than 100 million Amazon Prime subscribers ‘Prime Day’ sales have become a major retail event.
“Despite their position of strength, Amazon is faced with reputation risk based on the proposed ‘Amazon tax’ and growing criticism of working conditions in their vast distribution centres.”
The current state of the retail sector
Despite the well documented woes of some of the UK’s retailers and an overall fall in UK corporate reputations in 2018, the retail sector continues to enjoy a strong reputation and outperform most sectors.
Interestingly, nine of the ten most reputable retailers in the UK blend online and offline retail, suggesting an integrated retail solution is a key path to success.
Stephen Hahn-Griffiths concluded: “While more than 2,000 stores have closed or are at risk of closure so far in 2018, the report shows the rapid change in the retail sector creates opportunities for companies who get the balance of high quality products/services and responsible business right.”
