The treat mission

It is the Treat economy that just about keeps British high streets alive. Corner shops rely on what analysts call “the Treat Mission”, where Britons pop out for a little something for themselves. (It accounts for one in ten of all shopping trips.)

How the Treat conquered politics, The Economist, 28 May 2026.

That sounds like a huge proportion of all shopping trips, but chasing this down it’s 10% of just the visits to a corner shop. Still, “I’m on a treat mission” sounds much better than “I’m popping out for a Curly Wurly”.