New research reveals that more than a quarter of Brits (27%) say they shop in different independent stores as often as possible to counter the growing blandness of corporate retailers.

Research has revealed that local shops play a pivotal role in all communities as every £1 spent with a local supplier is worth almost 400% more to the local economy than if it was spent outside the area.

Experts predict that vast advances in technologies will have a huge effect on local shopping experience, with 3D, holovision and GPS lenses already in production. Shoppers could potentially point a mobile device at a chocolate bar and have data appear on a screen saying how much exercise they need to do to burn it off.

Why are convenience stores so important to local communities and what changes can we expect?