Londoners are shunning stocks and shares in favour of gold bars, luxury watches, and even vinyl records in a bid to cash in on alternative investments.

A poll of the capital’s residents found 62 per cent are ditching ‘traditional’ routes for collectables and commodities.

With luxury handbags (43 per cent), cryptocurrency (31 per cent), and sports memorabilia (42 per cent) making the cut.

Six in 10 think trusty gold is the key to future riches, while 46 per cent reckon the crypto craze could pay off in the long run.

A third (31 per cent) believe adding unconventional investments could have a higher returns potential.

And 33 per cent see certain alternative assets as the future of investing.

The research was commissioned by IRN-BRU to celebrate its Golden Girder giveaway which will see four fans win a 18-carat golden rarity worth £10,000 that comes in the form of one-inch girders, or ‘One Inch Wonders’ and can be found by scanning a QR code on
cans or in supermarkets.

Kenny Nicholson at IRN-BRU said: “Our poll reveals that Londoners reckon the real money is in the things they genuinely love like trainers, handbags, vinyl and watches, rather than the boring world of finance – and many are already building a collection.

“We’re here to help and know lots of savvy savers would put their limited-edition ‘One Inch Wonder’ aside for the future as they see their prize’s potential for growth.

“It just goes to show, size doesn’t matter.”

The survey also emerged 16 per cent of British Gen Z and Millennials have already snapped up gold, with another 56 per cent keen to get in on the action soon.

That compares to 28 per cent who have dipped their toes into cryptocurrencies and nine per cent hoping their vinyl collections will appreciate in value.

When it comes to the precious metal, 52 per cent reckon gold will hold its value over time, and 38 per cent think demand will keep rising.

Almost half (49 per cent) believe their age groups are savvier than older generations it comes to growing their wealth.

With 44 per cent putting it down to being more tech-savvy and 42 per cent crediting their access to financial info online.

However, it’s not all smooth sailing – 59 per cent already regret missing out on past opportunities, with cryptocurrencies (34 per cent) and gold (16 per cent) topping the list of investments they wish they’d jumped on sooner.

The study, conducted by OnePoll, also delved into how youngsters would handle a windfall.

Nearly four in 10 (39 per cent) would invest it for long-term growth, while 15 per cent admitted they’d cash out immediately.

Quickly becoming a collector’s item, experts predict IRN-BRU’s 18-carat gold girder will double in value by 2040 if the price of gold continues to climb.

Kenny added: “There’s three golden girders still out there and excitement is reaching fever pitch as Brits rush to get their hands on one.”