One in three Brits think they are addicted to online shopping - and now a new rehabilitation centre will be opening to help them beat their habit.

The research, from iZettle, has revealed that one person in 12 (8 per cent) admit shopping online daily or every day.

Not only is this bad for their bank accounts, it is also forcing the decline of our high streets.

Run by trained therapists, the new London rehab facility, to be called Giant Corp Rehab Centre, offers a variety of interactive sessions to make consumers think twice about their shopping habits, realise the damage it’s having on the high street and urge them to swap their ‘one-click’ cravings for local love.

Sessions include ‘meditative box therapy’ (a repetitive, stress-busting session where participants literally flatten their addiction by crushing hundreds of cardboard delivery boxes from Giant Corp), ‘digit distraction’ (a session that teaches participants why they are so compelled to hit that ‘click to buy’ button and how to control their finger urges) and ‘shock therapy’ (an eye-opening art display by illustrators depicting the bleak futures facing the British high street).

Gazette:

To end the treatment, independent business owners will be on-hand to lead a series of workshops, including florists from Rebel Rebel and baristas from Over Under Coffee, helping participants arrange beautiful bouquets and create stunning latte art – while discussing just what it takes to run an independent business.

All participants will leave the rehab centre with a new skill from hands on workshops and a home ‘treatment plan’ containing hand-crafted products from independent businesses, a bundle worth over £50.

Athena Duncan is the co-founder of Rebel Rebel, a floristry business in Hackney, and is running a workshop at the rehab centre teaching flower arrangements. She said, “We need our high streets and shops so we can experience real things and touch them taste them and feel them. In ten years’ time when we turn round and there are no high streets left it will be too late.

Gazette:

“At our workshops you will experience the fun of playing with flowers and creating something beautiful. We hope this will inspire you to explore your local shops and discover what it is to be real. Support your local shops now. Because we’re worth it!”

Edward Hallett, managing director at iZettle UK which will run the centre, added, “Our research shows that it is time for consumers to start thinking about their shopping habits, and choices, to keep the high street alive. Small businesses are the backbone of the economy and create a world with choice and diversity. That’s why we provide them with powerful business tools so they can succeed in a world where big businesses are taking over, whether online or in-store.”

The Giant Corp Rehab Centre is part of a wider iZettle marketing campaign encouraging UK consumers to think about their shopping habits and support local, independent businesses. iZettle aims to lead the debate regarding big corporations affect on society and celebrate the diversity selfmade small businesses bring to society. The campaign is live in tube stations across London and will be broadcast online, in cinema, and on primetime television during October.

You can buy tickets here