Choosing the Best Paint Colour for Your Shop Front
Colour psychology, 25 years of trend data, sector guidance, and the specific RAL codes behind today's most popular shopfront colours.
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Survey Data & Analysis
The Most Popular Shopfront Colours: A Detailed Analysis
We surveyed 300 shopfronts across Cardiff city centre and suburban high streets in May 2024 to establish what colours businesses are actually using, broken down by sector, business size, and location type.
Following our internal analysis of popular gloss levels and shopfront colour guidance, we wanted to go beyond project data and look at what is actually out there on the high street. Rather than relying on industry reports or general retail trends, we conducted a direct observational survey, walking high streets and recording the primary and secondary colours of 300 commercial shopfronts.
The results tell a clear story. Neutral tones run the high street. But when three-quarters of shopfronts are black, grey, or white, it raises a practical question: does blending in still make commercial sense?
Survey methodology
Sample size
300 shopfronts
Survey date
May 2024
Location split
150 city centre Cardiff · 150 suburban high street
Data recorded
Primary colour · Secondary colour · Business type · Business size
Colour categories
Black, Blue, Brown, Green, Grey, Metallic, Orange, Pink, Purple, Red, White, Yellow, None
Exclusions
Shopping centres and retail parks not included
36%
Black, the most popular shopfront colour overall
76%
of all shopfronts were black, grey, or white combined
54%
of coffee shop fronts were black, the highest sector share for any single colour
47%
of bank and financial premises were grey, the sector most likely to diverge from black
Overall results: neutral tones dominate
Three colours account for nearly three-quarters of every shopfront we looked at. Black leads at 36%, grey sits at 21.7%, and white at 16.3%. Nothing else even breaks 10%.
Note on brown: Brown placed fourth overall, but survey notes indicated that planning regulations may have inflated this figure, clusters of adjacent properties in certain streets were recorded with identical colours, likely reflecting a landlord or conservation area requirement rather than individual business choice.
Results by sector
The overall numbers hide some big differences between sectors. Black winning overall is no surprise. What caught our attention was the financial sector going in a completely different direction, while food and drink businesses doubled down on it.
General retail
Most closely mirrors the overall average. Reflects the full spectrum of retail from independent boutiques to small chains.
Coffee shops
Black dominates at 54%, nearly double the overall average. Brown appears prominently at 13%, reflecting earthy, warm coffee-brand associations.
Banks & financial
The most striking sector divergence. Grey leads at 47%, more than double the overall average, while black is unusually low at 12%.
Supermarkets
Grey dominates at 50%. Red scores well above average, which makes sense when you think about how many major UK supermarket brands use it.
Beauty & health
White leads here more strongly than in any other sector. Not surprising for businesses that want to signal cleanliness and a clinical feel.
Restaurants & fast food
Black leads across both sit-down and quick service formats. Red is well above average here, which fits the food industry's long-standing preference for warm, attention-grabbing tones.
Dominant colour by business type
Breaking the data down by individual business type rather than broad sector tells a more detailed story. Most follow the neutral trend, but a few stand out.
| Business type | Dominant colour | Notable secondary colour | Observed pattern |
|---|---|---|---|
| Coffee shops | Black (54%) | Brown (13%) | Strongest black concentration of any sector |
| Restaurants | Black | Red | Red above average; consistent with appetite psychology |
| Fast food | Black | Red | Brand-driven; red and yellow feature in chain fascias |
| Bakeries & butchers | Black | Brown / earthy | Artisan positioning drives earthy and dark tone preference |
| Pubs & bars | Black | Green | Traditional pub green (heritage/traditional settings) as notable secondary |
| Banks & building societies | Grey (47%) | Blue | Most divergent sector; grey and blue signal stability over style |
| Supermarkets | Grey (50%) | Red | Brand-driven; red overrepresented vs. overall average |
| Estate agents | Black / brand | Blue | Highly brand-driven; most likely of all sectors to use a distinctive signature colour |
| Beauty & health | White (~45%) | Black | Highest white proportion of any sector; hygiene and cleanliness associations |
| Pharmacies | White | Green | Green cross branding drives secondary green appearance |
| Betting shops | Blue | Black | Brand-led; major chains use blue as primary brand colour |
| Mobile phone retail | Grey | N/A | Chain-dominated; brand grey schemes prevalent |
| Charities | Blue | White | Trust and approachability; blue and white reinforce charitable sector associations |
Business size and location type
We also looked at business size and location type. Both showed clear patterns worth noting.
Business size
Independents show more variety; chains converge on neutrals
- Large chains and franchises were the most uniform. Head office picks the colour and every branch gets the same treatment
- Independents and small chains used the widest range of colours, and were far more likely to add a secondary accent colour alongside their main tone
- Black and grey led across every size category. Size mainly affected how much variety we saw in secondary colours, not the primary
- Most large chain shopfronts had no secondary colour at all on frames, details, or fascia elements
Location type
City centre uniform; suburban high streets more varied
- City centre shopfronts (150 surveyed) were more uniform. National chains and franchises dominate prime retail spots, and they all follow standardised brand guidelines
- Suburban high streets (150 surveyed) were noticeably more varied. More independents, more individual colour choices, and more use of distinctive non-neutral tones
- Suburbs also had more colour clustering, where several adjacent properties shared matching colours. This likely reflects landlord requirements or conservation area rules rather than individual choice
So what does the data tell us
Most businesses pick black or grey because it works. Neutrals age well, they suit almost any building, and they give your signage maximum contrast. Those are solid reasons. The data just confirms that most people, whether they think it through or not, end up in the same place.
The differentiation question
When 76% of the high street is neutral, a distinctive colour actually stands out more than it would have fifteen years ago. A deep bottle green or a strong navy gets noticed now because everyone around it has gone black or grey.
That is not an argument against black or grey. Both are strong choices for good reasons. But the colour decision is worth treating as a deliberate one rather than a default, especially considering the sector you are in and the other shopfronts on your street.
Secondary colours
One thing we noticed during the survey: the shopfronts that looked best were not necessarily the ones with unusual primary colours. They were the ones where somebody had thought about the accent colours too. A dark grey fascia with brass metalwork, for example, or a black shopfront with deep green frame detail. That primary/secondary colour relationship often does more for the overall look than the main colour on its own.
When we quote for a shopfront job, we always specify the full colour scheme: fascia, frames, door, glazing bars. We look at how those colours work with the signage and the building itself. Every quotation includes a written colour specification.
Limitations of the survey
This is a useful snapshot, not a definitive study. A few things to keep in mind:
- Single city: The survey was conducted in Cardiff. Colour preferences may vary by region. London, Manchester, Edinburgh, and other cities may show different distributions, particularly in their city centres.
- Shopping centres excluded: Retail park and shopping centre units were not included. These environments have their own colour dynamics and are typically more brand-standardised than high streets.
- Planning clusters: Some colour concentrations, particularly in the brown category, may reflect planning or landlord constraints rather than individual business choice.
- Point-in-time data: The survey reflects May 2024. We intend to repeat the survey periodically to track changes over time and across other UK cities.
Frequently asked questions
Q
What is the most popular shopfront colour in the UK?
Based on our survey of 300 shopfronts in May 2024, black was the most popular shopfront colour at 36% of premises. Grey came second at 21.7% and white third at 16.3%. Together these three neutral tones accounted for 76% of all shopfronts surveyed, an overwhelming dominance of neutral tones across all sectors.
Q
What colour do banks and financial services use for their shopfronts?
Grey dominated the financial sector in our survey at 47%, more than double the overall average of 21.7%. Black was unusually low in this sector at just 12%. This is the most significant deviation from the overall pattern in the survey, and is consistent with financial institutions prioritising colours that signal stability, reliability, and institutional authority over the bold confidence associated with black.
Q
What colour are most coffee shop fronts?
Black dominated coffee shop fronts at 54%, the highest concentration of black for any sector surveyed, and nearly double the overall average of 36%. Grey followed at 20.8%. Brown appeared at 12.5%, unusually prominent compared to most other sectors, likely reflecting the warm, earthy visual associations that complement coffee brand identity.
Q
Do city centre shops use different colours to suburban high streets?
Yes. City centre shopfronts showed more uniform colour schemes, reflecting the dominance of national chains and franchises with standardised brand guidelines at prime retail locations. Suburban high streets showed considerably more variety, a higher proportion of independent businesses, more distinctive colour choices, and more frequent use of secondary accent colours alongside the primary shopfront tone.
Q
Why do so many shops use black or grey?
Neutral tones dominate because they are commercially safe, they age well, suit most architectural contexts, provide maximum contrast for signage, and are perceived as both contemporary and professional. Black in particular has become the shorthand for premium retail. The risk of convergence, however, is that with 76% of shopfronts now in black, grey, or white, a genuinely distinctive colour choice offers more differentiation value on today's high street than at any point in the previous decade.
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