After 78 years in the UK, the Dutch clothing retailer has closed shop for the last time．But C＆A is not alone．In the past week the best known names on British high streets－Marks＆Spence, Boots and Littlewoods－have announced some of their worst ever trading figures． The downturn is not a case of belt tightening．Although there are fears of a recession(经济衰退), UK consumer spending has set new records in the past year．Experts say the sudden fall is the result of a revolution that is changing almost every side of British lives． Mr．And Mrs．UK Average are throwing out the everyday and trading up to the finer things in life．Consumers are declaring an end to all things ordinary．The good taste revolution has swept the country with remarkable speed．Sales of once popular fashions are dropping quickly．Just three years ago Marks＆Spencer was the UK’s favorite．People now consider the fashions “ordinary”． Yet just 100 yards from the empty aisles in London’s Oxford Street, the story is different．Burberry enjoyed a 35 percent increase in sales income in the last three months of last year．Gucci saw its sales rise 25 percent．Armani reported 20 percent growth．Demand for the logo-print at Louis Vuitton cannot be satisfied immediately．And growth is not only limited to the wealthy South-east． Experts say Britain has moved from a “good enough” culture to “good taste” culture．Almost everywhere you look－from clothes, to food and drink, to cars, to home furnishings, to holidays－Britons are buying into a life less ordinary． Rising wealth is driving the revolution．New research shows that the average UK household is 40 percent better off than in 1986．“In the past only those with money and time on their hands were able to devote energy to the search for tasteful living,” says Martin Hayward, a director at the Henley Center．“But as incomes rise and free time increases, the privileged many are living higher．More middleclass consumers are developing a sense of their own self-image through what they buy．” | 
